Legendary Seahawks Coach Chuck Knox Dies At 86

SEATTLE, WA — Chuck Knox, the longtime NFL coach who was the first to take the Seattle Seahawks to the playoffs, has died after battling dementia. He was 86. The Seahawks said in a statement the team was "saddened by the loss" and offered its "deepest sympathies" to the Knox family.

Knox coached the Los Angeles Rams from 1973-77, the Buffalo Bills from 1978-82 and the Seahawks from 1983-91. He then returned to the Rams from 1992-94.

Knox is a member of the Seahawks' Ring of Honor.

"His presence projected an external toughness, but merited instantaneous respect by the genuine care and concern he held for his players," Seahawks officials said.

Knox, whose nickname was "Ground Chuck" due to his teams' penchant for running the football, twice won the NFL Coach of the Year award in 1983 and 1984. He also became the first coach in history to lead three different teams to the playoffs.

Knox's granddaughter Lee Ann Knox tweeted about his death Sunday, saying "RIP Popster."

"I’ll miss you forever," she said. "You have always been my dad. You gave me more guidance, hope, encouragement than anyone ever has. I will treasure you forever."

Knox was born in Sewickley, Pennsylvania. He earned a regular-season record of 186-147-1 and went 7-11 in the playoffs as a head coach. He was the Seahawks' winningest coach until Mike Holmgren overtook him in 2007.

"He was amazing in his ability to tailor his teams to the talent that he had," Steve Raible, former Seahawks receiver and the team's radio play-by-play announcer, told KIRO-TV.

Raible said Knox was just as humorous and endearing off the field as he was tough on it. He was loyal to his players and respected them.

Tom Mack, former Rams guard and Pro Football Hall of Famer, told the Los Angeles Times in 2016 that Knox was the "best coach" he ever had.

"He always took the time to know each player well enough that he could talk to each player and hit their hot buttons," said Mack. "I never saw another coach like that."

Knox was known to repeat several phrases to his players, KIRO-TV reported. Among them:

“Football players win football games.”

“Don’t tell me how rough the water is, just bring home the boat."

“What you do speaks so well, there’s no need for anyone to hear what you say.”

Our statement on the passing of Chuck Knox. pic.twitter.com/npXULySvTG
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) May 13, 2018

Photo credit: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images