Former 49ers and Raiders coach and current New York Jets assistant Greg Knapp has passed away as the result of injuries sustained in a bicycle accident last week in San Ramon. He was 58 years old.
News of his passing was broken by Chicago Bears tight end coach Clancy Barone, a college teammate of Knapp at Sacramento State and later a fellow assistant in Atlanta and Denver, who took to Facebook to eulogize his good friend.
KRON later confirmed the news via a statement from Sacramento State University.
Knapp, who lived in Danville, was struck by a motorist while bicycling in San Ramon last Saturday afternoon, and taken to the hospital in critical condition. The Jets confirmed the accident earlier this week, with Knapp’s family and head coach Robert Saleh releasing statements about Knapp’s condition.
Knapp was in his first season with the Jets after spending the last three seasons as the Atlanta Falcons' quarterbacks coach. He had 25 seasons of NFL coaching experience.
Knapp was a quarterback at Sacramento State from 1982-85 and started his coaching career at his alma mater in 1986, serving three seasons as a running backs coach, two as wide receivers coach, and four as assistant head coach and offensive coordinator.
He moved to the NFL coaching ranks as an offensive quality control coach with the 49ers in 1995, and after three seasons in that role, became San Francisco’s quarterbacks coach (1998-2000) and then offensive coordinator (2001-03).
Knapp spent the next six seasons (2004-10) as an offensive coordinator in Atlanta, Oakland (07-08), and Seattle, and then spent two seasons as Houston’s quarterbacks coach before a second stint as Raiders offensive coordinator in 2012. He was the Broncos’ quarterbacks coach from 2013-16, and took 2017 off before joining the Falcons.
"Greg is an amazing father and husband whose passion for life can be felt in all his interactions with people. He is our rock and biggest supporter, pushing us to all strive to better ourselves each day with constant love and inspiration. While many know him for his achievements as a coach, his impact as a father and husband are far greater," the Knapp family said in their statement earlier this week.
Knapp is survived by his wife, Charlotte, and three daughters, Jordan, Natalie, and Camille.
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