Marty Schottenheimer, who won 200 regular-season games with four NFL teams thanks to his "Martyball" brand of smashmouth football but regularly fell short in the playoffs, has died. He was 77.
Schottenheimer died Monday night in Charlotte, North Carolina, his family said through Bob Moore, a former Kansas City Chiefs publicist. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease 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
Browns,
Chiefs,
Washington and
Chargers.
His success was rooted in "Martyball," a conservative approach that featured a strong running game and tough defense. He hated the
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 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.
