 Hanifan in 2016 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | (1933-09-21)September 21, 1933 Compton, California, U.S. |
| Died: | November 24, 2020(2020-11-24) (aged 87) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| College: | California |
| Career history | |
As a player: | |
| |
As a coach: | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Head coaching record | |
| Regular season: | 39–53–1 (.425) |
| Postseason: | 0–1 (.000) |
| Career: | 39–54–1 (.420) |
| Coaching profile atPro Football Reference | |
James Martin Michael Hanifan (September 21, 1933 – November 24, 2020) was an American professionalfootball player and coach. He served as the head coach for theSt. Louis Cardinals of theNational Football League (NFL) from 1980 to 1985 and as interim head coach for the NFL'sAtlanta Falcons for four games in 1989, compiling a record of 39–53–1.
Hanifan playedcollege football with theCalifornia Golden Bears. He played one season professionally with theToronto Argonauts of theCanadian Football League (CFL) before beingdrafted into theU.S. Army. After getting out of the service, he was an assistant coach in college and the NFL before becoming a head coach.
Hanifan playedcollege football at theUniversity of California, Berkeley, where he was anAll-American and led the nation in receiving in 1954. He played professionally for one season with theToronto Argonauts of theCanadian Football League.[1] He was thendrafted into theU.S. Army.[2]
From 1959 to 1965, he coached at the high school (Charter Oak High School) and junior college level, he developed a reputation as an outstanding teacher and an offensive line guru.[3]
He was an assistant coach atUtah from 1966 to 1969,California from 1970 to 1971, andSan Diego State in 1972. During this time Hanifan joined the NFL in 1973, serving as offensive line coach for theSt. Louis Cardinals until 1978. He was recognized as the NFL's Assistant Coach of the Year in 1977. After one year with theSan Diego Chargers, Hanifan returned to the Cardinals and was their head coach from 1980 to 1985.[4]
Hanifan went 39–49–1 in his six seasons with the Cardinals, leading St. Louis to the 16-team playoff tournament during the strike-shortened 1982 season. The "Gridbirds" went 8–7–1 in 1983 with a victory over the eventual Super Bowl championLos Angeles Raiders, and in 1984, St. Louis was in position to win theNFC East championship with a victory in the season finale against theWashington Redskins. But Cardinal kickerNeil O'Donoghue missed a game-winning field goal attempt, giving the Redskins a 29–27 victory and the division title, while St. Louis was left out of the playoffs despite a 9–7 record. In 1985, St. Louis started the year 3–1 but won only two of its final 12 games and finished at 5–11.[5] Hanifan was fired that year by having the locks to his office changed during halftime of the final game of the year, against the Redskins.[6]Hanifan is tied withJimmy Conzelman andKen Whisenhunt as the longest-serving head coaches in Cardinals history, with a mere six years of service. Conzelman coached the team on two separate occasions, while Hanifan's and Whisenhunt's tenures were consecutive. His 39 wins are the fourth-most in Cardinals history behindBruce Arians (50), Ken Whisenhunt (49) andDon Coryell (42).
Hanifan resumed his coaching career as an assistant coach with the Atlanta Falcons (1987–1989), and he served as the interim head coach whenMarion Campbell was fired. He spent seven seasons as offensive line coach for the Washington Redskins (1990–1996) andSt. Louis Rams (1997–2003) before retiring.[7]
| Team | Year | Regular Season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| SLC | 1980 | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 4th in NFC East | – | – | – | – |
| SLC | 1981 | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 5th in NFC East | – | – | – | – |
| SLC | 1982 | 5 | 4 | 0 | .556 | 6th in NFC | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost toGreen Bay Packers inNFC First round game. |
| SLC | 1983 | 8 | 7 | 1 | .531 | 3rd in NFC East | – | – | – | – |
| SLC | 1984 | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3rd in NFC East | – | – | – | – |
| SLC | 1985 | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 5th in NFC East | – | – | – | – |
| SLC Total | 39 | 49 | 1 | .444 | 0 | 1 | .000 | |||
| ATL | 1989 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .000 | 4th in NFC West | – | – | – | – |
| ATL Total | 0 | 4 | 0 | .000 | 4th in NFC West | – | – | – | ||
| Total | 39 | 53 | 1 | .425 | 0 | 1 | .000 | |||
From 2004 to 2008, Hanifan was acolor commentator for the Rams radio broadcast team and hosted a weekly show on St. Louis station KLOU. During his time in the booth, Hanifan was known for praising and critiquing players, a style that was described as a "refreshing, straight-from-the-gut manner rarely heard anymore".[8] Effective for the Rams' 2009 move to101 ESPN, Hanifan has been replaced as the lead color commentator by former Super Bowl championD'Marco Farr, and has been relegated to the analyst role on the pregame and postgame shows. The move has caused quite a stir among St. Louisans, inspiring several negatively toned articles bySt. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Dan Caesar, begging the Rams to reinstate Hanifan to the broadcast booth, his argument being that Rams fans will not listen to the broadcasts if Hanifan is not there. In August 2011, Hanifan's role was reduced further to a Thursday evening piece and a taped preview played during the pre-game.[8]
Hanifan wrote an autobiography recounting his career titled "Beyond X's and O's: My Thirty Years in Football." He also produced a series of instructional videos on offensive line play.[9]
Hanifan died on November 24, 2020, inSt. Louis, Missouri, at age 87.[2]