Dick Nolan (1932-2007) R.I.P.

Our league is all about retro football. Back to the 1970's where men played professional football for pride and very little money. One of the teams in our loop is the 1970 SF 49ers. A team built around John Brodie and a great vertical game and a pass rushing defense. The architect of that team was Dick Nolan.

Nolan personified the NFL of the 1950's - 1970's. He was a hard working and dapper, yet he was not a self promoter like many of today's coaches. Nolan cut his teeth under the tootledge of Tom Landry, who was first his teammate with the NY Giants and then his boss in Dallas. Nolan looked the part of an NFL head coach. He took a team that had not finished in 1st place in it's 18 year NFL history and proceeded to win 3 consecutive NFC West titles. He made it to the NFC championship game twice only to be thrawted by his mentor, "the man in the hat".

Nolan was a hard nosed player for the Giants during their championship years of the late 50's. Frank Gifford said, "He made himself into not just a good player, he was an extraordinary player. He didn't have the physical talent to do it all. He just willed himself. He was smart. He was tough -- as good as there comes in that respect."


When he retired in the early 60's he joined Tom Landry's staff in Dallas. Since he played Landry's defense while with the Giants he was a logical choice to coach it.

One can not overlook the fantastic job Nolan did in resurecting the 49ers. Today we think of the 5 Super Bowl Championship legacy, but the 49ers were kind of the laughingstock of the NFL, especially in the decade preceeding his arrival. The '9ers played so well under Nolan they were forced to move from their intimate venue (Keezar Stadium) over to the enourmous wind cavern called Candlestick Park.

Unfortunately, like most teams of the era the early 70's 49ers just weren't able to get over "the hump" and dethrown the Cowboys or Vikings who seemed to dominate the NFC for so long.

After 4 sub par seasons Nolan moved on to coach the New Orleans Saints. While he never made the post season with the Saints, he did help them post their first .500 season. His final year in coaching ended after 12 straight defeats and his team being known as the 'Ain'ts.

Perhaps Nolan's greatest legacy is that he was his son Mike's role model. In and era where most kids look up to others, Dick's life as a coach so impressed his son, who coincidently took over the same SF 49ers almost 37 years to the day later.

Here's to a stand up guy who gave it his best and personified his era.