Kansas City, MO – Former Kansas City Chiefs coach Marty Schottenheimer has passed away, according to a statement released by the Schottenheimer family to ESPN NFL reporter Chris Mortensen.
Schottenheimer – a member of the Chiefs Hall of Fame and coach in Kansas City from 1989 to 1998 – was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2014. He was moved into a hospice facility near his home in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Jan. 30.
Marty Schottenheimer, who won 200 regular-season games with four NFL teams thanks to his “Martyball” brand of smash-mouth football but regularly fell short in the playoffs, has died. He was 77.
Schottenheimer died Monday night at a hospice in Charlotte, North Carolina, his family said through Bob Moore, former Kansas City Chiefs publicist. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2014. He was moved to a hospice on Jan. 30.
Schottenheimer was the eighth-winningest coach in NFL history. He went 200-126-1 in 21 seasons with the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers.
His wife Pat Schottenheimer said in the statement in late January before he was moved into hospice care:
“As a family, we are surrounding him with love, and are soaking up the prayers and support from all those he impacted through his incredible life. In the way he taught us all, we are putting one foot in front of the other… one play at a time.”
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Schottenheimer had a 21-year head coaching career with the Cleveland Browns (1984-88), Kansas City Chiefs (1989-98), Washington Redskins (2001) and San Diego Chargers (2002-06) and ranks eighth all time in wins, with a 200-126-1 (.613) record. He made 13 playoff appearances in 21 seasons.
His success was rooted in “Martyball,” a conservative approach that featured a strong running game and tough defense. He hated the then-Oakland Raiders and loved the mantra, “One play at a time,” which he’d holler at his players in the pre-kickoff huddle.
Winning in the regular season was never a problem. Schottenheimer’s teams won 10 or more games 11 times, including a glistening 14-2 record with the Chargers in 2006 that earned them the AFC’s No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
It’s what happened in January that haunted Schottenheimer, who was just 5-13 in the postseason.
His playoff demons followed him to the end of his career.
In his final game, on Jan. 14, 2007, Schottenheimer’s Chargers, featuring NFL MVP LaDainian Tomlinson and a cast of Pro Bowlers, imploded with mind-numbing mistakes and lost a home divisional round playoff game to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, 24-21.
A month later, owner Dean Spanos stunned the NFL when he fired Schottenheimer, mostly because of a personality clash between the coach and strong-willed general manager A.J. Smith.