 Christiansen,c. 1952 | |||||||||
| No. 19, 24 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positions | Safety Return specialist | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1928-12-20)December 20, 1928 Sublette, Kansas, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | June 29, 1986(1986-06-29) (aged 57) Stanford, California, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| College | Colorado A&M | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1951: 6th round, 69th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
Playing | |||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Head coaching record | |||||||||
| Career | NFL: 26–38–3 (.410) NCAA: 30–22–3 (.573) | ||||||||
| Coaching profile at Pro Football Reference | |||||||||
Jack LeRoy Christiansen (December 20, 1928 – June 29, 1986) was an American professionalfootball player who became acollege and procoach. He played professionally in theNational Football League (NFL) for theDetroit Lions as asafety andreturn specialist from1951 to1958. He helped lead the Lions to three NFL championships in1952,1953, and1957 and was a first-team All-NFL player in six of his eight years in the league. He led the NFL in interceptions in 1953 and 1957 and in punt returns for touchdown in 1951, 1952, 1954, and 1956. His eight career punt returns for touchdowns was an NFL record until 1989 and remains the fourth best in league history. He was inducted into thePro Football Hall of Fame in1970.[1]
After retiring as a player, Christiansen served as a football coach for 25 years from 1959 to 1983, including stints as thehead coach of theSan Francisco 49ers, compiling a 26–38–3 record from1963 to1967,[2] and atStanford, where he compiled a 30–22–3 record from 1972 to 1976.[3] He concluded his career as an assistant coach for theKansas City Chiefs (1977),Seattle Seahawks (1978–1982), andAtlanta Falcons (1983).
Christiansen was born inSublette, Kansas, in 1928,[4] and was raised an orphan at the Odd Fellows Orphanage inCañon City, Colorado.[4][5] He attendedColorado A&M inFort Collins, where he received eight varsity letters infootball, track, and baseball, won threeSkyline Conference championships in the quarter mile, and received all-conference honors in football twice. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1951.[6]
Christiansen was selected in the sixth round of the1951 NFL draft, 69th overall, by theDetroit Lions.[4] As a rookie in1951, he appeared in all 12 games as a defensive halfback for the Lions. In his third NFL game, playing in front of "the largest crowd ever to see a football game in Detroit" (52,907 in attendance), he returned two punts for touchdowns (returns of 69 and 47 yards) against theLos Angeles Rams.[7] Six weeks later, Christiansen repeated the feat, returning two punts for touchdowns (returns of 71 and 89 yards) against theGreen Bay Packers on Thanksgiving Day in Detroit.[8] He returned 18 punts for a total of 343 yards (19.1 yards per return), as the 1951 Lions compiled a 7–4–1 record and finished in second place in the NFL's Western Division.[4]
In1952, he helped lead the Lions to an NFL championship, the second in franchise history. Christiansen returned 15 punts for 322 yards and two touchdowns,[4] and his average of 21.5 yards per punt return during the 1952 season remains an NFL record.[9] His longest return in 1952 was for 79 yards with two minutes remaining against theChicago Bears atWrigley Field on November 23.[10] Christiansen also played as a halfback on offense, rushing for 54 yards and a touchdown on nine carries against the Chicago Bears on December 7,[11] and for 94 yards, including a 65-yard touchdown run, against theDallas Texans on December 13.[12] At the end of the season, Christiansen was selected by theAssociated Press (AP) as a first-team All-NFL player.[4]
In1953, Christiansen helped lead the Lions to their second consecutive NFL championship. While his punt return numbers declined (eight returns for only 22 yards), he became a starter at left halfback and developed a reputation as one of the best pass defenders in the NFL.[13] He led the NFL with 12 interceptions, 238 interception return yards, and a 93-yard interception return.[4] Despite playing in only 11 games in 1953, his 12 interceptions remains tied for the fifth highest single-season tally in NFL history.[14] At the end of the season, he was selected by the AP andUnited Press International (UPI) as a first-team All-NFL player and was invited to play in thePro Bowl.[4][15]
Christiansen became an integral part of the defensive backfield, a unit that would become known as "Chris's Crew," in tribute to his leadership. He continued this high standard of play, tying for the interception lead with 10 picks in 1957 to help the Lions win their third title in six years. His 46 career interceptions ranks fourth on the Lions' all-time list. As a punt returner, he had 85 returns for 1,084 yards, and his 12.8 average still stands as a Detroit record and is third all-time in NFL history.
He is tied withLem Barney at 11 for the most return touchdowns in Detroit history. Christiansen still has the team record with eight punt return touchdowns. He was the first player in NFL history to record two punt return touchdowns in the same game.
After winning All-Pro six consecutive years from (1952–1957) and playing in five consecutivePro Bowls beginning in 1954, Christiansen was inducted into thePro Football Hall of Fame in 1970. He was an All-NFL defensive back for six-straight years, played in five Pro Bowls (opening the 1956 game with a 103-yard kickoff return) and led the league in interceptions twice.
In January 1959, Christiansen announced that he was retiring as a player to accept a position as an assistant coach with theSan Francisco 49ers under head coachRed Hickey.[16] He served as a defensive backfield coach with the 49ers for four years, from1959 to1962. In late September1963, with the 49ers in the midst of a 10-game losing streak, including all five pre-season games and the first three regular-season games of the 1963 season, Hickey resigned, and Christiansen, at age 34, took over as the 49ers' head coach.[17][18] In that season's final 11 games, the 49ers won only twice, but held the distinction of being the only team to defeat the eventual NFL championChicago Bears.
Over the succeeding four years, San Francisco continued to struggle, with Christiansen's best season coming in1965 when the team was 7–6–1. The 49ers began the1967 season with five wins in their first six games, but won only two more games the remainder of the campaign, resulting in Christiansen's dismissal on December 20,[19] ending his tenure with a record of 26–38–3.
In January 1968, Christiansen was hired by his alma mater,Colorado State, as a consultant to review and make recommendations concerning the university's athletic program.[20]
In April1968, Christiansen was hired as an assistant coach underJohn Ralston at Stanford.[21] During this period, Stanford pulled off consecutiveRose Bowl upsets ofOhio State andMichigan, both previously undefeated. In January1972, Ralston left to coach the NFL'sDenver Broncos, and Christiansen was promoted to head coach.[22]
Christiansen spent five years as Stanford's head coach, compiling a winning record each year and a 30–22–3 overall record. He was criticized for starting Mike Cordova rather thanGuy Benjamin at quarterback during the1975 season and for switching between quarterbacks during the1976 season. One day prior to the final game of the 1976 season, Stanford announced that it was terminating Christiansen as its head coach.[23]
In March1977, Christiansen was hired as an assistant coach, responsible for running backs, underPaul Wiggin with theKansas City Chiefs.[24] Wiggin was fired in the middle of the season, as the Chiefs compiled a 2–12 record.
In April1978, Christiansen was hired by theSeattle Seahawks, replacing Bob Holloway as the team's defensive backfield coach.[25] He spent five years as the Seahawks' defensive backfield coach, from 1978 to1982.
In February1983, Christiansen was hired by theAtlanta Falcons as its secondary coach.[26] In January 1984, Christiansen resigned his position with the Falcons after being diagnosed with cancer.[27]
After his playing career ended, he received numerous honors, including the following:
Christiansen and his wife, Doris, had four daughters.[5] He retired from coaching in 1984 after being diagnosed with cancer. He died in June 1986 at age 57 after undergoing surgery atStanford Hospital inPalo Alto, California.[1][5]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Post season | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| SF | 1963 | 2 | 9 | 0 | .182 | 7th in NFL Western | - | - | - | |
| SF | 1964 | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 7th in NFL Western | - | - | - | |
| SF | 1965 | 7 | 6 | 1 | .536 | 4th in NFL Western | - | - | - | |
| SF | 1966 | 6 | 6 | 2 | .500 | 4th in NFL Western | - | - | - | |
| SF | 1967 | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 3rd in NFL Coastal | - | - | - | |
| SF Total | 26 | 38 | 3 | .410 | - | - | - | |||
| Total | 26 | 38 | 3 | .410 | - | - | - | |||
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford Cardinals(Pacific-8 Conference)(1972–1976) | |||||||||
| 1972 | Stanford | 6–5 | 2–5 | T–6th | |||||
| 1973 | Stanford | 7–4 | 5–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1974 | Stanford | 5–4–2 | 5–1–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1975 | Stanford | 6–4–1 | 5–2 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1976 | Stanford | 6–5 | 5–2 | 3rd | |||||
| Stanford: | 30–22–3 | 22–12–1 | |||||||
| Total: | 30–22–3 | ||||||||
