| No. 14, 15 | |||||||||||||
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| Position | Quarterback | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | (1957-01-15)January 15, 1957 Torrance, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Died | January 17, 2019(2019-01-17) (aged 62) South Carolina, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight | 191 lb (87 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Servite (Anaheim, California) | ||||||||||||
| College | Stanford | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1980: 9th round, 242nd overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||||
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* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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| Coaching profile at Pro Football Reference | |||||||||||||
Turk Leroy Schonert (January 15, 1957 – January 17, 2019) was an American professionalfootball player and assistant coach in theNational Football League (NFL). He played as aquarterback in the NFL before becoming a coach.
Schonert playedcollege football for theStanford Indians (now Cardinal) and was selected in the ninth round in the1980 NFL draft. After his playing career, he was a long-time quarterbacks coach. He was anoffensive coordinator for the NFL'sBuffalo Bills in 2008 and was the head coach of theUnited Football League (UFL)'sSacramento Mountain Lions in 2012.
Schonert was a two-time All-American quarterback atServite High School inAnaheim,California.[1] He also played in the1968 Little League World Series as a shortstop and third baseman for the Garden Grove, California team that finished in third place.[2]
As a senior quarterback atStanford University, Schonert followedGuy Benjamin andSteve Dils, who each won theSammy Baugh Trophy given to college football's top passer, and was backed up by freshmanJohn Elway. Schonert finished as the school's third consecutive NCAA passing champion and set a team record for completion percentage.[3] The season highlight came when Schonert led Stanford back from a 21–0 halftime deficit to tie top rankedUSC, 21–21, ultimately costing the Trojans the national title.
Schonert was selected by theChicago Bears in the ninth round of the1980 NFL draft but never played for the franchise. He played nine seasons with theCincinnati Bengals, including theSuper Bowl XVI andSuper Bowl XXIII teams, and in between his stints with the Bengals, spent one season with theAtlanta Falcons. Schonert retired in 1989, finishing his career with 11 touchdowns, 20 interceptions and a 7–5 record as a starting quarterback.[4]
Schonert began coaching quarterbacks in 1992 with theTampa Bay Buccaneers underSam Wyche, his former head coach with the Bengals. His quarterback coach at Stanford,Jim Fassel, later became the head coach of theNew York Giants and hired Schonert,[5] who also served with theBuffalo Bills,Carolina Panthers andNew Orleans Saints.
Schonert, who returned to the Bills in 2006 and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2008,[6] had worked withTrent Edwards, a graduate of his alma mater, since Buffalo drafted the Stanford quarterback in 2007. Schonert was fired as theoffensive coordinator for the Bills on September 4, 2009, just before the start of the season, and replaced withAlex Van Pelt.
Schonert was hired as quarterbacks coach for theUFL'sHartford Colonials by head coachJerry Glanville in 2011, but he was let go with the rest of the coaching staff when the franchise ceased operation prior to the 2011 season. He was then hired by Jim Fassel as an offensive assistant for theUFL'sLas Vegas Locomotives.
Prior to working in the CFL, Schonert had been the head coach for theSacramento Mountain Lions, whose previous head coach,Dennis Green, was involved in a contract dispute with the team.[7]
Schonert's duties as an offensive consultant for theMontreal Alouettes included helping quarterbackTroy Smith, who struggled with accuracy and production early in the 2014 season.[8][9] He was subsequently promoted to receivers coach in August 2014. Schonert continued coaching the Alouettes until his death from a heart attack in January 2019.[10]
Schonert died on January 17, 2019 in his South Carolina home of an apparent heart attack just two days after his 62nd birthday.[11]