 Armstrong on 1948 Bowman football card | |||||||||
| No. 80, 76, 77 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positions | End Defensive back | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1926-03-09)March 9, 1926 Tishomingo, Oklahoma, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | August 10, 2016(2016-08-10) (aged 90) Trophy Club, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 189 lb (86 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Tishomingo (OK) | ||||||||
| College | Oklahoma A&M | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1947: 1st round, 8th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
Playing | |||||||||
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Coaching | |||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Head coaching record | |||||||||
| Regular season | NFL: 30–34 (.469) CFL: 37–56–3 (.401) | ||||||||
| Postseason | NFL: 0–1 (.000) CFL: 0–3 (.000) | ||||||||
| Career | NFL: 30–35 (.462) CFL: 37–59–3 (.389) | ||||||||
| Coaching profile at Pro Football Reference | |||||||||
Neill Ford Armstrong (March 9, 1926 – August 10, 2016) was an American professionalfootball player and coach whose career spanned more than four decades at both the college and professional levels. Notably, Armstrong served as the head coach of theEdmonton Eskimos of theCanadian Football League (CFL) and theChicago Bears of theNational Football League (NFL). Member of the 1945 National Championship Oklahoma A&M Team.
Armstrong playedcollege football atOklahoma A & M from 1943 to 1946, and was chosen in the first round (eighth overall) of the1947 NFL draft by thePhiladelphia Eagles. Playing both atend anddefensive back, he helped the team capture the NFL championship in both 1948 and 1949. Armstrong concluded his playing career in the early 1950s playing for the CFL'sWinnipeg Blue Bombers.
In 1962, Armstrong's professional coaching career began when he was hired as an assistant coach with theHouston Oilers of the up-startAmerican Football League (AFL). After serving two years in that capacity, he shifted back to Canada as head coach of theEdmonton Eskimos. In his six years, the team reached the postseason three times.[1]
Armstrong was hired as an assistant with theMinnesota Vikings in 1970,[1] and became an integral part of developing the team's dominating defense. After helping the team reach the postseason in all but one of the next eight years, he was hired as head coach of theChicago Bears on February 16, 1978. In four years at the helm of the Bears, he was only able to compile a record of 30–35, with one playoff appearance in 1979. He was fired on January 3, 1982, but hired less than two months later as an assistant with theDallas Cowboys. He spent the next eight seasons with the team before announcing his retirement on February 22, 1990.[2] He andBud Grant hold the distinction of being the only two people to have both played and been a head coach in both the NFL and CFL.[3] He died in Trophy Club, Texas in 2016.[4][1]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| CHI | 1978 | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4th in NFC Central | – | – | – | – |
| CHI | 1979 | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 2nd in NFC Central | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost toPhiladelphia Eagles inNFC Wild-Card Game. |
| CHI | 1980 | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3rd in NFC Central | – | – | – | – |
| CHI | 1981 | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 5th in NFC Central | – | – | – | – |
| CHI Total | 30 | 34 | 0 | .469 | 0 | 1 | .000 | – | ||
| Total | 30 | 34 | 0 | .469 | 0 | 1 | .000 | – | ||
