Tom Landry

Landry in 1997
No. 85, 49
Positions	Safety Punter
Personal information
Born	(1924-09-11)September 11, 1924 Mission, Texas, U.S.
Died	February 12, 2000(2000-02-12) (aged 75) Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight	195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school	Mission
College	Texas (1946–1948)
NFL draft	1947: 20th round, 184th overall pick
Career history
Playing
New York Yankees (1949) New York Giants (1950–1955)
Coaching
New York Giants (1954–1959) Defensive coordinator Dallas Cowboys (1960–1988) Head coach
Awards and highlights
As a player First-teamAll-Pro (1954) Pro Bowl (1954) 2×NFL punting yards leader (1952, 1955) AAFC punting yards leader (1949) Second-team All-SWC (1947) As a head coach 2×Super Bowl champion (VI,XII) NFL Coach of the Year (1966) UPI NFL Coach of the Year (1966, 1975) SN NFL Coach of the Year (1966) NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor As an assistant coach NFL champion (1956)
Career AAFC/NFL statistics
Punts 389 Punting yards 15,900 Punting average 40.9 Longest punt 69 Interceptions 32 Interception yards 404 Fumble recoveries 10 Defensivetouchdowns 5 Stats atPro Football Reference
Head coaching record
Regular season	250–162–6 (.605)
Postseason	20–16 (.556)
Career	270–178–6 (.601)
Military career
Allegiance	United States
Branch	U.S. Army Air Corps
Years of service	1942–1945
Rank	Second Lieutenant
Unit	Eighth Air Force 493d Bombardment Group 860th Bombardment Squadron
Battles / wars	World War II Air War Over Europe Combined Bomber Offensive
Coaching profile at Pro Football Reference
Pro Football Hall of Fame

Thomas Wade Landry (/ˈlændri/LAN-dree; September 11, 1924 – February 12, 2000) was an American professionalfootball coach, player, andWorld War II veteran. Regarded as one of the greatest head coaches of all time,^[1] he was the first head coach of theDallas Cowboys in theNational Football League (NFL), a position he held for 29 seasons. During his coaching career, he created many new formations and methods, such as the now default4–3 defense that is used by a majority of teams in the NFL, and the "flex defense" system made famous by the "Doomsday Defense" squads he built during his tenure with the Cowboys. His 29 consecutive years from 1960 to 1988 as the coach of one team is an NFL record,^[A] along with his 20 consecutive winning seasons, which is considered to be his most impressive professional accomplishment.

In addition to his record 20 consecutive winning seasons from1966 to1985, Landry won twoSuper Bowl titles in Super BowlVI andXII,^[2] fiveNFC titles, and 13 divisional titles. He compiled a 270–178–6 record, thefifth-most wins all-time for an NFL coach, and his 20 career playoff victories are thethird-most of any coach in NFL history. Landry was also named the NFL Coach of the Year in 1966 and the NFC Coach of the Year in 1975.

From 1966 to1982, a span of 17 years, Dallas played in 12NFL orNFC Championship games. Furthermore, the Cowboys appeared in 10 NFC Championship games in the 13-year span from1970 to 1982. Leading the Cowboys to three Super Bowl appearances in four years between1975 and1978, and five in nine years between 1970 and 1978, along with being on television more than any other NFL team, resulted in the Cowboys receiving the label of "America's Team", a title Landry did not appreciate because he felt it would bring on extra motivation from the rest of the league to compete with the Cowboys. He was inducted into thePro Football Hall of Fame in 1990 as a head coach.

Born inMission, Texas, to Ray (an auto mechanic and volunteer fireman) and Ruth (Coffman) Landry, Tom was the second of four children (Robert, Tom, Ruthie, and Jack).^[3] Landry's father had suffered fromrheumatism, and relocated to the warmer climate of Texas from Illinois.^[4] Ray Landry was an athlete, making his mark locally as a pitcher and football player.^[5] Tom played quarterback and punter for Mission High School, where he led his team to a 12–0 record in his senior season.^[3] TheMission High School football stadium is named Tom Landry Stadium and is home to the Mission Eagles and Mission Patriots which also bares the Pro Football Hall of Fame logo.

Landry attended theUniversity of Texas at Austin as anindustrial engineering major. Landry had given thought to enrolling atMississippi State University, where his friendJohn Tripson was an All-American, but did not want to be far away from his friends and family in Texas. The main driving force in keeping him from enrolling at Mississippi State University was the notion that it would be too long a travel for his parents to see him play college football.^[5]

He interrupted his education after a semester to serve in theUnited States Army Air Corps during World War II. Landry was inspired to join the armed forces by his brother Robert Landry, who had enlisted in the Army Air Corps after theattack on Pearl Harbor. While ferrying a B-17 over to England, Robert Landry's plane had gone down over the North Atlantic, close to Iceland. Several weeks passed before the Army was able to officially declare Robert Landry dead.^[5] Landry began his basic training at Sheppard Field nearWichita Falls, Texas (nowSheppard AFB), and his preflight training at Kelly Field (nowKelly Field), located nearSan Antonio, Texas. Landry's first experience as a bomber pilot was a tough one. A few minutes after takeoff, Landry noticed that the pilot seemed to be working furiously, causing him to realize that the plane's engine had died. Despite this experience, Landry was committed to flying. At the age of 19, Landry was transferred toSioux City, Iowa, where he trained as a copilot on the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber. In 1944, Landry got his orders, and from Sioux City he went to Liverpool, England, where he was assigned to theEighth Air Force, inIpswich.^[5] Landry earned his wings and a commission as aSecond Lieutenant atLubbock Army Air Field, and was assigned to the493d Bombardment Group atRAF Debach, England, in the860th Bombardment Squadron. From November 1944 to April 1945, he completed a combat tour of 26^[6] missions, (his entire crew went on 29 missions and Landry did not go on 3 of them), he also survived a crash landing in Belgium after his bomber ran out of fuel.^[7]

He returned to his studies at the University of Texas in the fall of 1946.^[7] On the football team, he played fullback and defensive back on the Texas Longhorns' bowl game winners on New Year's Day of1948 and1949. At UT, he was a member of theTexas Cowboys andDelta Kappa Epsilonfraternity (Omega Chi chapter). He received hisbachelor's degree from UT in 1949. In 1952, he earned amaster's degree inindustrial engineering from theUniversity of Houston.^[8]

Landry was selected in the 19th round (128th overall) of the1948 AAFC Draft. He played one season in theAll-America Football Conference for theNew York Yankees, then moved in1950 across town to theNew York Giants.

Landry was also selected by theNew York Giants in the 20th round (184th overall) of the1947 NFL draft.

After the 1949 season, the AAFC folded, and the Yankees were not among the teams absorbed by theNFL. TheNew York Giants exercised their territorial rights and selected Landry in a dispersal draft. Under the guidance of Giants head coachSteve Owen, Landry got his first taste of coaching. Instead of explaining the 6–1–4 defense to the players, Owen called Landry up to the front, and asked him to explain the defense to his teammates. Landry got up, and explained what the defense would do to counter the offense, and this became Landry's first coaching experience. The1953 season would be a season to forget, with the lowest point coming in a 62–10 loss at the hands of theCleveland Browns. This loss would ultimately cost Coach Owen his job, and would again have Landry pondering his future.^[9] In1954, he was selected as an All-Pro. He played through the1955 season, and acted as a player-assistant coach the last two years, 1954 through 1955, under the guidance of new Giants head coachJim Lee Howell. Landry ended his playing career with 32 interceptions in only 80 games, which he returned for 404 yards and three touchdowns. He also recovered 10 fumbles (seven defensive), returning them for 67 yards and two touchdowns.

For the 1954 football season, Landry became thedefensive coordinator for the Giants, oppositeVince Lombardi, who was theoffensive coordinator. Landry stayed on as a full-time defensive coordinator after his retirement, and led one of the best defensive units in the league from 1956 to 1959. The two coaches created a fanatical loyalty on a team that they coached to three appearances in theNFL championship game in four years. The Giants beat thePaddy Driscoll-ledChicago Bears 47–7 in1956, but lost to theBaltimore Colts in1958 and1959.

In1960, he became the first head coach of theDallas Cowboys, a position he held for 29 seasons (1960–88). The Cowboys started with difficulties, recording an 0–11–1 record during their first season, with five or fewer wins in each of their next four. Despite this early futility, in 1964, Landry was given a 10-year extension by ownerClint Murchison Jr. It would prove to be a wise move, as Landry's hard work and determination paid off, and the Cowboys improved to a 7–7 record in1965. In1966, they surprised the NFL by posting 10 wins and making it all the way to theNFL Championship game. Dallas lost the game to Lombardi'sGreen Bay Packers, but this season was but a modest display of what lay ahead.

Landry developed the now-popular "4–3 defense" while serving asGiants defensive coordinator.^[10] It was called "4–3" because it featured four down linemen (two ends and two defensive tackles on either side of the offensive center) and three linebackers – middle, left, and right. The innovation was themiddle linebacker. Previously, a lineman was placed over the center. But Landry had this person stand up and move back two yards. The Giants' middle linebacker was the legendarySam Huff.

Landry built the 4–3 defense around me. It revolutionized defense and opened the door for all the variations of zones and man-to-man coverage, which are used in conjunction with it today. —Sam Huff^[11]

When he came to Dallas, Landry refined the 4–3 even further, specifically to counter Lombardi's "run to daylight" strategy. Lombardi's offense was built around sending therunning back through any open space, rather than a specific assigned hole. Landry reasoned that the best counter was a defense that flowed to possible daylight and blotted it out.^[12] The result was the "Flex Defense," which assigned the defenders specific areas of the field to cover. When Landry first implemented it in 1964, fans were initially mystified when they saw the Cowboys defense not swarming to the ball. However, the skeptics were won over when ball carriers invariably ran right into the arms of one of Landry's defenders.^[13] The Flex Defense worked so well that Landry had to create an offense to score on it, one which disguised an otherwise simple play with multiple formations.^[14]

Landry did not always search inside the traditional college football pipeline for talent. For example, he recruited several soccer players from Latin America, such asEfren Herrera andRafael Septién, to compete for the job of placekicker for the Cowboys. Landry looked to the world of track and field for speedy skill-position players. For example,Bob Hayes, once considered the fastest man in the world, was drafted by and played wide receiver for the Cowboys under Landry.^[15]

Landry produced a very largecoaching tree. In 1986, five NFL head coaches were former Landry assistants:Mike Ditka,Dan Reeves,John Mackovic,Gene Stallings, andRaymond Berry.

While Tom Landry's Cowboys are known for their two Super Bowls againstChuck Noll and thePittsburgh Steelers, Landry also led Dallas to three other Super Bowls, and they were aBart Starr quarterback sneak away from representing the NFL in thesecond Super Bowl. Tom Landry was 2–3 in Super Bowls, winning both in New Orleans and losing all three at theMiami Orange Bowl.

Landry coached the Cowboys to their first Super Bowl win inSuper Bowl VI, defeating theMiami Dolphins 24–3, holding the Dolphins to a single field goal. This win came a year after the Cowboys lostSuper Bowl V to theBaltimore Colts. The Cowboys lostSuper Bowl X, their first battle with thePittsburgh Steelers, in a game that is heralded as a classic. The rematch inSuper Bowl XIII would be just as good, with the Cowboys being aJackie Smith catch away from tying the Steelers and keeping pace early in the third quarter; instead, Pittsburgh scored twice in succession and put the game away. Before the Super Bowl XIII rematch, Cowboys linebackerThomas "Hollywood" Henderson famously stated, "Terry Bradshaw couldn't spell c-a-t if you spotted him the C and the T." Landry recalled in his autobiography how he cringed when he heard that, because he did not feel that Bradshaw needed additional motivation in a big game like the Super Bowl.^[9]

During the 1980s, the Cowboys won two division championships, made five playoff appearances, and reached theNFC Championship Game in three consecutive seasons (1980–1982). However, they failed to reach the Super Bowl during the decade. The team's 1982 NFC Championship Game loss was Landry's final conference championship game appearance; the preceding week's win was his final playoff victory.

In 1984, Dallas businessmanBum Bright bought the team from Murchison. As the Cowboys suffered through progressively poorer seasons (their record falling from 10–6 in1985 to 7–9 in1986, 7–8 in1987, and 3–13 in1988), Bright became disenchanted with the team. Landry's game strategies and single-mindedness during these seasons left him open to public criticism.^[16]

Landry signed a three-year contract in the summer of 1987. However,general managerTex Schramm brought inPaul Hackett as a new offensive coach in 1986, and in 1987, he hired offensive line coach Jim Erkenbeck and special-teams coach Mike Solari. Some^[who?] suggested that Schramm's moves divided the coaching staff, a plan to first undermine and then dismiss Landry. Bright, who usually stayed behind the scenes, publicly criticized Landry after a home loss to theAtlanta Falcons in 1987, saying that he was "horrified" at the play-calling and complaining, "It doesn't seem like we've got anybody in charge who knows what he's doing, other than Tex."^[17] Bright's belief that former first-round draft picksDanny Noonan andHerschel Walker were not being used enough further put him at odds with the coaching staff.^[18] On the day after the Cowboys lost to theDetroit Lions, a team that had entered the game tied for the worst record in the NFL, Schramm said on his radio show, "There's an old saying, 'If the teacher doesn't teach, the student doesn't learn.'"^[17] Nonetheless, Bright maintained his hands-off approach on the team while Schramm retained his confidence in Landry.^[17]

Landry's Cowboys finished the1988 season 3–13, the worst record in the league. His record as head coach fell to 270–178–6. It was the Cowboys' third consecutive losing season and the fourth time in five years that they had missed the playoffs. Nonetheless, Landry felt confident he could correct the mistakes he had been making in recent years.^[9] In February 1989, before the start of the1989 season, as he dismissed or reassigned his assistants, he remained determined to coach into the 1990s "unless I get fired." Landry had one year left on his contract, which paid $1 million per season.^[16][19]

Meanwhile, Bright had suffered major losses in his banking, real estate, and oil businesses;^[19] during thesavings and loan crisis, Bright's Savings and Loan was taken over by theFSLIC. With most of the rest of his fortune tied up in the Cowboys, Bright was forced to put the team up for sale. Bright ultimately sold the team toJerry Jones, who fired Landry on February 25, 1989, one day after closing on the purchase. Jones hiredJimmy Johnson, his former teammate at theUniversity of Arkansas, who had been serving as head coach at theUniversity of Miami.^[19] Schramm was in tears at the press conference that announced the coaching change;^[19] he was forced out as general manager shortly afterwards. Schramm and Landry had been together for 29 years, each being the only person to serve in their respective position since the Cowboys' inception in 1960. When Landry met with his players two days later to tell them how much he would miss them, he began to cry, and the players responded with a standing ovation.^[16][19][20] He had spent 40 consecutive years at field level in the AAFC and NFL: five as a player (1949–53), two as a player-assistant coach (1954–55), four as an assistant coach (1956–59), and 29 as a head coach.

Jones received immediate backlash for his decision to fire Landry, while the former coach received an outpouring of public support.^[21][22][23] Despite Landry's recent poor performance, Cowboys fans felt disillusioned that the only coach in the team's history had been removed so unceremoniously.^[21] NFL commissionerPete Rozelle compared the firing to the death of formerGreen Bay Packers coachVince Lombardi.^[19] PresidentGeorge H.W. Bush, who had previously represented Texas in theHouse of Representatives, called Landry "an inspiration to all who ever watched or played the game of football."^[23]

Jones stated he never considered retaining Landry and that he would not have purchased the team unless he could hire Johnson as coach.^[19] In 1990, Bright said that he regretted the backlash that Jones had faced for firing Landry. Bright recounted that he had been willing to fire Landry himself as early as 1987, but that Schramm had told him that there was no suitable replacement who was ready to assume the job.^[20] By 1993, relations between Jones and Landry had improved, and Landry was inducted into theRing of Honor atTexas Stadium.^[24]

Landry's last work in professional football was as a limited partner of theSan Antonio Riders of theWorld League of American Football in 1992.

• On December 24, 1959, while defensive coach of the Giants, Landry pretended to be Catholic missionary Father William A. Lightning on thepanel gameTo Tell The Truth.^[25]
• TheMachiavellian coach inPeter Gent's novelNorth Dallas Forty is based on Tom Landry.G.D. Spradlin played the role in the film of the same name.
• In the animated sitcomKing of the Hill, the middle school in Arlen is named "Tom Landry Middle School", and Landry is a personal hero of the show's main characterHank Hill. He mentions being "mortified" because he went to work on the date of Landry's death after his cousin Dusty (guest starDusty Hill ofZZ Top) had previously tricked him into thinking Landry had died, and he thought it was a repeat of that prank. Hank also has a Tom Landry ceramic plate that he sometimes consults in times of need, on one occasion saying, "Where did I go wrong, Tom?" Landry also occasionally appears to Hank in dream sequences to counsel him in times of need, such as during Hank's varnish-induced hallucination in the episode "Hillennium" and in "Trans-Fascism", when he tells Hank the consequences of breaking the law.
• In an episode ofThe Simpsons ("You Only Move Twice"),Homer Simpson buys Tom Landry's trademark fedora in an effort to improve his leadership qualities, and is shown in several later episodes wearing the hat. Landry is also featured in the season 7 episode "Marge Be Not Proud" as one of theChristmas carolers introduced byKrusty the Clown early in the episode.
• In aCampbell's Chunky Soup commercial, the game takes place in a fictionalReginald H. White Memorial Park, on the corner of Landry Road andHalas Drive.^[26]

• 1966:National Football League Coach of the Year Award
• 1978: Recipient of the Golden Plate Award of theAmerican Academy of Achievement^[27][28]
• 1989: Honored by the city of Dallas^[29]
• 1990: Inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame^[30]
• 1993: Inducted into Dallas Cowboys' Ring of Honor^[31]

Landry married Alicia Wiggs on January 28, 1949. They had a son and two daughters.^[32] He was a Christian,^[33] attending Highland Park Methodist Church, at times even giving sermons there.^[34] On January 22, 2021, theDallas Cowboys announced that Alicia had died the previous day at the age of 91.^[35]

When coaching on the sidelines Landry always wore a suit and tie with his trademarkfedora.^[36]

Landry was diagnosed withleukemia in May 1999.^[37] Nine months later, Landry died on February 12, 2000, at the age of 75.^[38]

Landry's funeral service was held at Highland ParkUnited Methodist Church, where he was an active and committed member for 43 years. He was interred in theSparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery in Dallas. Acenotaph dedicated to Landry, complete with a depiction of hisfedora, was placed in the officialTexas State Cemetery inAustin at the family's request.^[39]

The Cowboys wore a patch on their uniforms during the 2000 season depicting Landry's trademark fedora. A bronze statue of Landry stood outside ofTexas Stadium, and now stands in front ofAT&T Stadium since the Cowboys relocated in 2009. The section ofInterstate 30 between Dallas andFort Worth was named the Tom Landry Highway by theTexas Legislature in 2001. The football stadium in Landry's hometown ofMission, Texas, was namedTom Landry Stadium to honor one of the city's most famous former residents.^[40] Similarly, Trinity Christian Academy's stadium inAddison, Texas, is named Tom Landry Stadium in honor of Landry's extensive involvement and support of the school.^[41][42] An elementary school in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School district, very near the Cowboys former training facility in Valley Ranch, is also named in honor of Landry.^[43] The Tom Landry Welcome Center atDallas Baptist University, where he was a frequent chapel speaker and award recipient, was posthumously dedicated to him in 2002.^[44]

In 2013, a major new biography of Landry was published, entitledThe Last Cowboy.^[45]

• List of National Football League head coaches with 50 wins
• List of National Football League head coaches with 200 wins

• Cavanaugh, Jack (2008).Giants Among Men. New York: Random House.ISBN 978-1-58836-697-9.

• Summerall, Pat, and Michael Levin (2010).Giants: What I Learned About Life from Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons.ISBN 978-0-470-90908-9.

• Pro Football Hall of Fame profile
• Media related toTom Landry at Wikimedia Commons

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