 Jauron with theYale Bulldogs | |
| No. 26, 30 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Safety |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1950-10-07)October 7, 1950 Peoria, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | February 8, 2025(2025-02-08) (aged 74) Swampscott, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Swampscott (Swampscott, Massachusetts) |
| College | Yale (1970–1972) |
| NFL draft | 1973: 4th round, 91st overall pick |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
Coaching | |
| |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Head coaching record | |
| Regular season | 60–82 (.423) |
| Postseason | 0–1 (.000) |
| Career | 60–83 (.420) |
| Coaching profile at Pro Football Reference | |
| Stats atPro Football Reference | |
Richard Manual Jauron (/dʒəˈrɒn/;[1] October 7, 1950 – February 8, 2025) was an American professionalfootball player and coach in theNational Football League (NFL). He played eight seasons in the NFL as asafety, five with theDetroit Lions and three with theCincinnati Bengals. Jauron served as the head coach of theChicago Bears from 1999 to 2003 and theBuffalo Bills from 2006 until November 2009. He was also the interim head coach for the Lions for the final five games of the 2005 season. He was named theAP Coach of the Year in 2001 after leading the Bears to a 13–3 record.
Jauron playedcollege football for theYale Bulldogs. He was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 2015.[2] Jauron was selected a NFF Scholar Athlete in 1972.
Jauron was born inPeoria, Illinois. He attended grammar school inRensselaer, Indiana, before his family moved toLynn, Massachusetts.[3] He attendedSwampscott High School inSwampscott, Massachusetts, and was a letterman in football, basketball, andbaseball. In football, he was aParade All-American selection as a senior. He had been honored as one of the top ten all-time Massachusetts high school football players byThe Boston Globe.[4][5]
AtYale University, Jauronrushed for 2,947 yards in three seasons (freshmen were not eligible for the varsity team in the 1970s) for theBulldogs, a record that stood until 2000,[6] and was three times named to the All-Ivy League First-team, the first Yale football athlete to be so honored. His school-record streak of 16 consecutive 100-yard rushing games was not broken until 2006.[7] Jauron was awarded theNils V. "Swede" Nelson Award forsportsmanship following his junior season[8] and the Bulger Lowe Award, given to the best Division I-A/I-AA player in New England, after his senior season.[9] Jauron recorded the best rushing performance, 183 yards, inThe Game his senior season.[10]
At Yale Jauron was a three–time All–Ivy First-team selection in an era when freshmen were barred from playing varsity football, and a First-team All America selection during his senior year. He was also a three–time letter winner on Yale's varsity baseball team. Jauron won the 1972Asa S. Bushnell Award as Ivy League Player of the Year in football. He is the only athlete to hold a berth in the College Football Hall of Fame, win the Asa S. Bushnell award, and claim selection as a NFF Scholar Athlete.[11] In 1973, Jauron won the William Neely Mallory Award, the most prestigious athletic award given to a senior male at Yale.[12]
After graduating from college, Jauron was selected in the fourth round of the1973 NFL draft by theDetroit Lions.[13] He was also drafted as a shortstop by baseball'sSt. Louis Cardinals in the 25th round of the1973 MLB draft.[14] Jauron chose the NFL. and started atfree safety as a rookie for the Lions.[13] He was named to the1975 Pro Bowl in his second season after leading the NFC in punt return average.[15] Jauron played with the Lions for five seasons (1973–1977) and theCincinnati Bengals for three seasons (1978–1980).[15] He finished his playing career with 25 interceptions and two touchdowns.[13]
Jauron began his coaching career in the NFL in 1985 as theBuffalo Bills defensive backs coach.[16] He was offered the position by Bills defensive coordinatorHank Bullough, who was the Bengals defensive coordinator when Jauron was a player.[16][17]
After one season with the Bills, Jauron was named the defensive backs coach for theGreen Bay Packers. He worked with the team for eight seasons, serving under three different head coaches:Forrest Gregg,Lindy Infante, andMike Holmgren.[18]
Jauron became the defensive coordinator for the expansionJacksonville Jaguars in 1995 at the invitation of then-Jaguars head coachTom Coughlin, whom he coached with at Green Bay.[19][20] The Jaguars made the playoffs in three of Jauron's four seasons with the team, including an appearance in the1996 AFC Championship Game.[21][22]
Following his first head-coaching job, Jauron served as the defensive coordinator for theDetroit Lions in 2004 and the first 11 games of the 2005 season before being named the team's interim head coach.[23][21]
Jauron became the 12th head coach inChicago Bears history on January 23, 1999, when he was hired to replaceDave Wannstedt, who was fired after two consecutive 4–12 seasons.[24] Jauron coached the Bears for five seasons (1999–2003), finishing with a 35–45 regular season record and one playoff appearance.[21] In his first two seasons, the Bears finished last in theNFC Central with 6–10 and 5–11 records.[21][25][26] Jauron, however, turned the team around in his third season as head coach, accumulating more wins in that season than he had the previous two combined.[27] In their 13–32001 campaign, Chicago finished 8–0 in games decided by seven points or less, including back-to-back overtime victories.[28] Jauron was named the 2001AP Coach of the Year and became the third coach in team history to record at least 13 wins in a season, joiningGeorge Halas andMike Ditka, and eventually joined by his successorLovie Smith.[29][30] After earning their first division title in 11 years, however, Chicago lost a home game to thePhiladelphia Eagles, 33–19, in the NFC Divisional Playoffs.[31] The Bears did not return to the playoffs under Jauron, finishing 4–12 and 7–9 in his last two seasons with the team.[30] He was fired by the Bears after the 2003 season and replaced by Lovie Smith.[32]
Jauron was then, prior to the2004 season, hired by theDetroit Lions as a defensive coordinator.[33] He was promoted to interim head coach of the Lions on November 28, 2005, after the mid-season firing ofSteve Mariucci.[34] Detroit was 4–7 when Jauron took over and won only one of their last five games, finishing the season 5–11.[23][21] Although Jauron was one of many candidates who interviewed for the head coaching position after the season, he was passed over forRod Marinelli.[35]
Jauron was named the 14th head coach inBuffalo Bills history on January 23, 2006, following the resignation ofMike Mularkey.[36][16] He led the Bills to three consecutive 7–9 records, finishing respectively third, second and fourth in theAFC East.[37] In 2008 the team started 5–1, but ended the season on a 2–8 skid.[38] Bills ownerRalph Wilson announced on December 30, 2008, that Jauron would be brought back for the 2009 season despite the expiration of his three-year contract.[39] On the morning of September 4, 2009, Jauron fired his offensive coordinator,Turk Schonert, in a morning meeting before the regular season began. Two different viewpoints emerged, Jauron stating in a press conference the reason for his firing was a "lack of productivity", while Schonert claimed that Jauron told him that he "had too many formations, too many plays", and that he "didn't simplify it to his liking."[40] Schonert was replaced the same day by former Buffalo Bills quarterback and then quarterbacks coachAlex Van Pelt.[41] On November 17, 2009, Jauron was fired by the Bills after starting the season 3–6. He ended his tenure with the Bills with an overall record of 24–33.[42]
On February 3, 2010, Jauron was hired by thePhiladelphia Eagles as a senior assistant anddefensive backs coach.[43]
On January 21, 2011, Jauron was named defensive coordinator by theCleveland Browns. He replacedRob Ryan, who then became defensive coordinator for theDallas Cowboys.[44] On January 18, 2013, newly hired head coachRob Chudzinski hiredRay Horton as defensive coordinator, subsequently firing Jauron 10 days later.[45]
Jauron and his wife Gail had two daughters, Kacy and Amy.[46]
Jauron died from cancer on February 8, 2025, at the age of 74.[47]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| CHI | 1999 | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 5th in NFC Central | – | – | – | – |
| CHI | 2000 | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 5th in NFC Central | – | – | – | – |
| CHI | 2001 | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 1st in NFC Central | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost toPhiladelphia Eagles inNFC Divisional Game |
| CHI | 2002 | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 3rd in NFC North | – | – | – | – |
| CHI | 2003 | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3rd in NFC North | – | – | – | – |
| CHI total | 35 | 45 | 0 | .438 | – | – | – | – | ||
| DET | 2005* | 1 | 4 | 0 | .200 | 3rd in NFC North | – | – | – | – |
| DET total | 1 | 4 | 0 | .400 | – | – | – | – | ||
| BUF | 2006 | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3rd in AFC East | – | – | – | – |
| BUF | 2007 | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 2nd in AFC East | – | – | – | – |
| BUF | 2008 | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4th in AFC East | – | – | – | – |
| BUF | 2009 | 3 | 6 | 0 | .333 | Fired | – | – | – | – |
| BUF total | 24 | 33 | 0 | .421 | – | – | – | – | ||
| Total | 60 | 82 | 0 | .423 | 0 | 1 | .000 | |||
*Interim head coach
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
