Chuck Knox’s 35th Anniversary

[Jim Gehman]

Jan. 11 marks the 35^th anniversary of Chuck Knox being named as the head coach of the Bills. As you’ll read, the situation that Knox faced in 1978 is quite similar to what Buffalo’s newly hired head coach Doug Marrone is facing today.

 

 

Knox Landing

 

Chuck Knox’s reputation for success preceded him. Hired for his first head-coaching job by the Rams in 1973, he guided Los Angeles to the penthouse of the NFC West division. And so with the goal to move into the AFC East’s top floor, in 1978 the hardworking Knox was hired by the Bills as their vice president in charge of football operations. In other words, he was the new head coach.

 

"Ralph Wilson came out and visited with me and told me what he wanted to do," explained Knox. "I’d just finished five years within which we won five straight divisional championships. Fifty-four wins, 15 loses, one tie. And that was playing a 14-game schedule. So the Bills job appealed to me because they had won like three or four games [actually five] over a two-year period, and I felt like we could go in there and turn the program around."

 

Knox’s willingness to tackle such an adventuresome project, considering that the Bills had only played in a single playoff game since the leagues merged in 1970, no doubt shocked at least a few around the league. "Anytime you leave a team like the L.A. Rams," said Knox, "where we were winning big, and going to situations like that, where they were having a lot of problems, I think it surprised a lot of people.

 

"The goal always is to win the Super Bowl championship. But in light of that, you’ve got to put a competitive team out on the field, which they obviously didn’t have those last couple of years before we got there. We had to change the attitude of the team. We had to completely redo the scouting department, which wasn’t much of anything. So we hired some scouts. We brought Norm Pollom in [as the director of college scouting], who had been with me with the Rams. And then we also went and got some veteran players to bring some toughness. We became a pretty good football team. We were competitive that first year."

 

"When Chuck took over it was like a breath of fresh air," said third-year defensive end Ben Williams. "We hadn’t been very successful. What Chuck did when he came was he brought the team together and showed us a lot of unity and how to win. Nobody ever taught you how to win early in my career."

 

Excerpt from “Then Levy Said to Kelly…”

[Tcali]

Knox may have been the Bills greatest coach. If he wasnt he was tied w Lou.

Can you imagine the Bills bringing in a guy with Knox's pedigree now??

I wish and hope for the best w Marrone...-but its a guessing game.

[San Jose Bills Fan]

Knox may have been the Bills greatest coach. If he wasnt he was tied w Lou.

Can you imagine the Bills bringing in a guy with Knox's pedigree now??

I wish and hope for the best w Marrone...-but its a guessing game.

 

Agreed.

 

Chuck Knox and Lou Saban neck and neck.

[Mike In Illinois]

I was too young to recall any of the "Ground Chuck" Era of the Bills but I wish I could have seen it in person: Bermuda Triangle and Joe Cribbs being my favorites to read about from that time. Talkin' Proud!

[bbb]

It really was great. My favorite Bills teams.

[Jim in Anchorage]

Knox may have been the Bills greatest coach. If he wasnt he was tied w Lou.

Can you imagine the Bills bringing in a guy with Knox's pedigree now??

I wish and hope for the best w Marrone...-but its a guessing game.

He was the Bills greatest coach. Our SB W/L record might be very different if he stayed.

 

I do recall him being out coached by By Bud Grant however when he was with the rams..It was a play off game on grass in LA. Field in good shape at the beginning but heavy rains predicted any minute. Grant went air Grant from the beginning, running a pass happy 2 minute drill on every possession . I don't remember exactly but I believe they scored 2 or so TDs. Ground Chuck, true to his name, was content to run the ball and settle for couple FGs.

 

Half time the rain started. Coming down in buckets, turned the field into a sea of mud. Runners couldn't run, passers couldn't pass. Minnesota won with the half time score.

[BringBackFergy]

I miss those days...I was a little tike but still remember listening to the Miami game on the radio with my family when we finally beat them. That era was special with Fergie, Cribbs, Butler, Lewis etc. Knox was a great coach. Thanks for that post.

Edited January 12, 2013 by BringBackFergy

[Jim in Anchorage]

I miss those days...I was a little tike but still remember listening to the Miami game on the radio with my family when we finally beat them. That era was special with Fergie, Cribbs, Butler, Lewis etc. Knox was a great coach. Thanks for that post.

I was was at that game. First class seats, 3 rows up on the 40 visitors side(my Buddy's wife had won tickets at work). I clearly heard Shula yelling "WHAT ARE WE DOING OUT THERE!" Great memory.

[Helpmenow]

Frank lewis was stolen from pittsburgh. They were a solid team back then. Isiah Robertson, hazlett getting into it at the pierce arrow in west seneca.

 

 

 

Jerry butler catching four td's versus the jets on a sunny day at rich stadium.

 

Jumped on the field when the bills finally broke the streak versus fins. Those were great times.

[RJ (not THAT RJ)]

What people forget from that period is that the press was all abuzz about the Bills possibily signing Monte Clark to coach. Then at the last minute, Clark went to Detroit (I believe) and Wilson shocked us all by hiring Knox. In those days before ESPN and Twitter and whatnot it was a lot easier for such negotiations to stay under the radar.

[dwight in philly]

the team that lost to the chargers in 81 would have won it all had not fergy been hurt.. played the entire game practically on one leg.. also, if only bill simpson had stopped ron smith.. still think "what if" ..

[Helpmenow]

If i remember fergy got hurt versus the pats at rich.

[eball]

the team that lost to the chargers in 81 would have won it all had not fergy been hurt.. played the entire game practically on one leg.. also, if only bill simpson had stopped ron smith.. still think "what if" ..

 

Up until the Super Bowl losses that was my toughest Bills memory as a kid -- I was 11 and it was the first time "my" team was really good. My heart just dropped when Fouts completed that late TD pass. Gutsy, gutsy performance by Fergie though.

[GRHater69]

Knox was ruined by the ineptitude of the front office back then. Namely Stew Barber who was responsible for some of their big names like Smerlas, Butler, and Cribbs all holding out harboring resentment toward the team. The player's strike in '82 also hurt things here. He just didn't seem like the same guy after that and resigned shortly after.

[RJ (not THAT RJ)]

If i remember fergy got hurt versus the pats at rich.

 

It was at Foxboro... Cribbs ran the wrong way on a handoff, and Fergy was caught off guard and got crunched. Sigh.

 

Those Knox teams were great, but they also had a maddening tendency to come up extremely flat in some games--think of their two losses to Baltimore in 1980, in St. Louis in 1981, in Miami to end the 1981 season, or even their second half collapses against Atlanta in 1980 against Dallas on MNF in 1981. There was something emotionally fragile about that team, which is also reflected in how the 1982 strike completely destroyed them.

 

"Of all sad words of tongue and pen/The saddest are these: 'It might have been!'"

 

P.S. But the Stew Barber comments are so correct. He was a disaster as GM!

Edited January 12, 2013 by RJ (not THAT RJ)

[dwight in philly]

Up until the Super Bowl losses that was my toughest Bills memory as a kid -- I was 11 and it was the first time "my" team was really good. My heart just dropped when Fouts completed that late TD pass. Gutsy, gutsy performance by Fergie though.

i know, i really think that loss stung me harder than the loss to the giants in the super bowl.. the 4 super bowl teams have overshadowed that team, but at the time, they were possibly the best team .. would have hosted oakland at rich the following week.. beat them.. beat the eagles in the super bowl..

[Nanker]

the team that lost to the chargers in 81 would have won it all had not fergy been hurt.. played the entire game practically on one leg.. also, if only bill simpson had stopped ron smith.. still think "what if" ..

 

Simpson had him bottled up most of the game IIRC, until that last game breaker.

Ugh!

 

They were wearing some great laundry though - back in the day.

[Never NEVER Give-up]

Can you imagine the Bills bringing in a guy with Knox's pedigree now??

 

It doesn't happen anymore. Knox had guts and reading the excerpt above was news to me - and refreshing! He WANTED the challenge! He knew if he turned the sad-sack Bills around, it would be a major accomplishment.

 

Today's 'name' coaches won't take on a job unless they know they have a great QB on the roster or unless they're lined up to draft one at the top of round 1. They know it's very difficult to win without a great QB and many are afraid to tarnish their reputations on a team without one. See Cowher, Shanahan, etc. What's Cowher waiting for anyway? Another coupe of years and he'll have to beg for a job (probably not - but it SHOULD be that way).

[eball]

It doesn't happen anymore. Knox had guts and reading the excerpt above was news to me - and refreshing! He WANTED the challenge! He knew if he turned the sad-sack Bills around, it would be a major accomplishment.

 

In this respect, Marrone's introductory press conference comments are somewhat Knox-like. I got the sense he truly relishes the chance to turn Buffalo around, and honestly believes he's the man to do it. He'll be a friggin' hero if he makes it happen.

[JohnC]

He was the Bills greatest coach. Our SB W/L record might be very different if he stayed.

 

Chuck Knox was not only the HC but also the de facto GM. In his short stint he did a remarkable job. Not being able to come to a contract agreement after what he accomplished is emblematic of a Ralph Wilson chicken shiiiit organization and business model. In my view he was the best HC in the history of the franchise. Lou Saban also did a good job but he was too unstable as a person to work in any organization. I have little regard for the owner of the Bills. But I do understand his negative feelings toward the vagabound HC.

[Helpmenow]

 

 

It was at Foxboro... Cribbs ran the wrong way on a handoff, and Fergy was caught off guard and got crunched. Sigh.

 

Those Knox teams were great, but they also had a maddening tendency to come up extremely flat in some games--think of their two losses to Baltimore in 1980, in St. Louis in 1981, in Miami to end the 1981 season, or even their second half collapses against Atlanta in 1980 against Dallas on MNF in 1981. There was something emotionally fragile about that team, which is also reflected in how the 1982 strike completely destroyed them.

 

"Of all sad words of tongue and pen/The saddest are these: 'It might have been!'"

 

P.S. But the Stew Barber comments are so correct. He was a disaster as GM!

. Your right about fergy Edited January 12, 2013 by roush

[dhg]

Those were some fun years. Finally beating Miami in the home opener is a highlight I will never forget. Lots of characters on those teams too. Smerlas, Haslett, Dobler, Vilapiano, Robertson.

 

Knox was ruined by the ineptitude of the front office back then. Namely Stew Barber who was responsible for some of their big names like Smerlas, Butler, and Cribbs all holding out harboring resentment toward the team. The player's strike in '82 also hurt things here. He just didn't seem like the same guy after that and resigned shortly after.

 

Two words about Stew Barber....

 

Phil Dokes

[thewildrabbit]

Chuck Knox was the greatest thing to hit Buffalo....ever!

 

You old timers need to remember what it was like in Buffalo Back in the late 70's. An industrial wasteland, steel plants closing, High jobless rate, businesses closing. The Blizzard of 77. Too much snow, poisonous air and water. A bad bad football team with the stadium half filled during games. How bad you ask? So bad in fact they had only sold 18,000 season tickets, and we could not even get a home preseason game because people would not come out to see it. (back then Rich Stadium had 80,000+ seats)

 

The team and city were a national joke, a top target of nighttime TV host Johnny Carson who was always making jokes about how undesirable it was, as a place to live in the United States.

 

When Chuck Knox was hired he was not only the head coach but also the vice president of football operations (GM). The Buffalo Bills had finished 2-12 / 3-11 the seasons before Knox took over..

 

1980--The Bills, who had just five wins in two seasons before Knox took over, post an 11-5 record, win their first AFC East championship in 14 years and Knox is selected NFL Coach of the Year again.

1981--Buffalo's 10-4 record is good enough for a wild card spot and the Bills win their first postseason game since 1965.

 

 

 

It wasn't just GM Stew Barber tho (who had no business being a GM) Barber set up a dinner meeting with first round draft choice Tom Cousineau and then never showed up, never telephoned, never did anything

 

"I was waiting at the hotel (for dinner) and they never showed," Cousineau said. "They never called. I'm not kidding. Hearing no or being turned down or snubbed was not a new experience, but it seemed ... first of all very rude. And inhospitable."

 

"(Barber) was sort of the old guard," Cousineau said. "I think he resented the growth in salaries and where the game was going. I would imagine he'd have huge problems today."

 

The Bills at that time were known for their spendthrift ways, and the team was not a good one. In the five seasons between 1975 and 1980, the Bills won 17 games. It was not until Bill Polian took over in 1985 that the Bills started to win consistently. Was the Bills' offer fair? A Sports Illustrated story prior to the draft said Cousineau could expect an offer in the five-year, $1 million range, but Cousineau heard players taken after him made more.

 

http://www.aolnews.com/2010/04/21/tom-cousineau-reflects-on-being-chosen-one-in-1979/

 

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19830126&id=ghweAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SWgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3377,1877716

 

Joe Ferguson even went as far as to complain to the media about how Ralph Wilson wasn't willing to pay top dollar for talent.

 

http://www.buffalowins.com/features/what-if/27-whaf-if-chuck-knox-didnt-goto-the-seahawks-v15-1142.html

 

 

 

Chuck Knox had a 54-15 regular season record with the Rams when he was hired by the Buffalo Bills. Winning 5 straight NFC West Championships

 

Ralph Wilson had his very own Bill Belichick clone. A man who knew exactly what it took to build a winning NFL football team. A man who could evaluate talent properly on all levels. A man who was a supreme motivator, and could get a bunch of nobody's to believe in themselves to overachieve. Took a QB who would hang his head with every bad pass and turned him into a playoff caliber QB. A man who revamped the Bills scouting department and brought in head scout Norm Pollom, and most of his coaching staff from the Rams.

 

Yet Ralph Wilson let Chuck Knox walk away...the Seahawks were very grateful.

[San Jose Bills Fan]

Knox was ruined by the ineptitude of the front office back then. Namely Stew Barber who was responsible for some of their big names like Smerlas, Butler, and Cribbs all holding out harboring resentment toward the team. The player's strike in '82 also hurt things here. He just didn't seem like the same guy after that and resigned shortly after.

 

Yet Ralph Wilson let Chuck Knox walk away...the Seahawks were very grateful.

 

Great posts.

 

Yeah Seattle was overjoyed. In the 9 seasons after he left the mismanaged Bills, Knox had 6 more winning seasons, leading Seattle to their first divisional title ever and becoming the first coach to ever win a divisional title with 3 different teams.

 

I don't understand how Chuck Knox doesn't get more consideration for the HOF.

[thewildrabbit]

Can anyone else imagine if Wilson had stepped up and had given Chuck Knox a new contract instead of letting him walk? Imagine Bill Polian as GM and Knox as head coach. Imagine winning those 4 super bowls and having a dynasty during the entire 80's and early 90's.

 

 

"What if Chuck Knox didn't leave the Bills? Chuck Knox and Jim Kelly? Yup, the offseason that Knox left for Seattle was the same time that the Bills drafted Jim Kelly. Maybe, with Knox having a coaching resume with 7 playoff appearances, and being viewed as a players coach, he might have been able to convince Kelly to not run for the USFL. You also have to understand that at the time, Knox was an awesome coach. Unlike Saban, who couldn't find success elsewhere, Knox was able to turn around the Rams, Bills and Seahawks. If he, Wilson and the GM were on the same page, he probably would have lasted at least a couple of more years. Maybe, we never hear of the name Marv Levy."

 

http://www.buffalowi...s-v15-1142.html

 

 

"It's just interesting that the two best coaches for the first 25 years of the franchise's existence, had such a huge falling out with management."

 

And two of the very best GM's the NFL has ever seen In John Butler and Bill Polian.

Edited January 12, 2013 by FeartheLosing

[RJ (not THAT RJ)]

Great posts.

 

Yeah Seattle was overjoyed. In the 9 seasons after he left the mismanaged Bills, Knox had 6 more winning seasons, leading Seattle to their first divisional title ever and becoming the first coach to ever win a divisional title with 3 different teams.

 

I don't understand how Chuck Knox doesn't get more consideration for the HOF.

 

It's not fair, but his playoff futility is held against him. He was positively Schottenheimerian in the postseason.

[San Jose Bills Fan]

It's not fair, but his playoff futility is held against him. He was positively Schottenheimerian in the postseason.

 

Good point.

 

Jim Mora also had a sterling regular season record and brought the Saints their first postseason appearances.

 

But he was 0-6 in the playoffs (PLAYOFFS?!?!)

 

Apparently Knox was 7-11 in the playoffs.

 

And Schottenheimer was 5-13 in the playoffs.

Edited January 12, 2013 by San Jose Bills Fan

[Tcali]

Knox was ruined by the ineptitude of the front office back then. Namely Stew Barber who was responsible for some of their big names like Smerlas, Butler, and Cribbs all holding out harboring resentment toward the team. The player's strike in '82 also hurt things here. He just didn't seem like the same guy after that and resigned shortly after.

Stew Barber was the GM from hell

[Tcali]

Good point.

 

Jim Mora also had a sterling regular season record and brought the Saints their first postseason appearances.

 

But he was 0-6 in the playoffs (PLAYOFFS?!?!)

 

Apparently Knox was 7-11 in the playoffs.

i really dont think Knox was schottenheimerish in the post season.The Bills--altho a v good team 80-82--faced a team w superior talent in SD. And in seattle and LA he never had the most talented team.

Mora coached NO in the era of the superteams--the niners and cowboys .And of course he never had anything close to a Joe Montana at QB. Bobby Hebert was fitz with a better arm.

[bbb]

It was at Foxboro... Cribbs ran the wrong way on a handoff, and Fergy was caught off guard and got crunched. Sigh.

 

Those Knox teams were great, but they also had a maddening tendency to come up extremely flat in some games--think of their two losses to Baltimore in 1980, in St. Louis in 1981, in Miami to end the 1981 season, or even their second half collapses against Atlanta in 1980 against Dallas on MNF in 1981. There was something emotionally fragile about that team, which is also reflected in how the 1982 strike completely destroyed them.

 

After the smoke cleared on the 80s, I figured it all worked out. The '82 strike destroyed them, and from post strike '82 to pre strike '87, they were pretty horrible. Then, the '87 strike happened, and they took the lessons they learned from 82 and applied them. The team stuck together to do their own workouts, etc.

 

They came out of that '87 strike loaded for bear and it led to their greatest teams ever.

 

(But, damn - they were looking good after that Thursday night game vs. Minny to go 2-0. That was a fun game to be at. You felt no way could this end. We were all chanting No strike or something to that effect).

[San Jose Bills Fan]

i really dont think Knox was schottenheimerish in the post season.The Bills--altho a v good team 80-82--faced a team w superior talent in SD. And in seattle and LA he never had the most talented team.

Mora coached NO in the era of the superteams--the niners and cowboys .And of course he never had anything close to a Joe Montana at QB. Bobby Hebert was fitz with a better arm.

 

Yeah this was just a "first glance" analysis without any depth.

 

I was just brainstorming successful coaches who had sub 500 playoff records.

 

Knox had an aging John Hadl, Jim Harris, a rookie Ron Jaworski, a rookie Pat Haden, Joe Ferguson, Jim Zorn, and Dave Kreig as his QBs. Like Mora and Marty (excepting an aging Montana), he never had a great QB.

[RJ (not THAT RJ)]

Yeah this was just a "first glance" analysis without any depth.

 

I was just brainstorming successful coaches who had sub 500 playoff records.

 

Knox had an aging John Hadl, Jim Harris, a rookie Ron Jaworski, a rookie Pat Haden, Joe Ferguson, Jim Zorn, and Dave Kreig as his QBs. Like Mora and Marty (excepting an aging Montana), he never had a great QB.

 

All true. As I said above, I do not think it is fair, but his never reaching the super bowl tends to overshadow Knox's success in building winners. They lost a bunch of close playoff games, to the Vikings and Cowboys mainly....

[Helpmenow]

 

Stew Barber was the GM from hell

. So was terry bledsoe

[GRHater69]

Bledsoe traded away Tony Hunter for Vince Ferragamo in '85, that pretty much ensured his demise and paved the way for Polian to take over.

 

Another thing that hurt Knox here were some bad drafts. His first ever choice, Terry Miller was a bust as was Perry Tuttle, and of course Booker Moore. Those are three number one picks who didn't really contribute. I'm leaving Cousineau off that list because trading him to Cleveland after his CFL days got us the pick for Jim Kelly.

[thewildrabbit]

Marty in KC did have a great QB in Joe Montana after the Niners traded him away. That 1993 AFC Championship game KC at Buffalo, final score Bills 30, KC 13

 

I have a pic of Bruce Smith standing over Joe M as he lying on the turf holding his helmet with both hands. Smith sacked him and concussed him.

 

After that Game Marty S complained to the league that the AFC Championship game should be held at a neutral site

 

 

 

Wanna know why the Bills were so good back then? 46 rushers, 229 yards, 3 TDs. Thurman Thomas 33 rushes for 186 yards, 3 TD's Passes, 17 for 27 for 160.

[bbb]

Thurman's best game ever..............Followed up by his unforgivable quitting in SB 28.

[Dante]

I was was at that game. First class seats, 3 rows up on the 40 visitors side(my Buddy's wife had won tickets at work). I clearly heard Shula yelling "WHAT ARE WE DOING OUT THERE!" Great memory.

We were in the upper deck for that one. I remember a section of the goal post actually made it up there after the game. Crowd was so excited.

Chuck is by far my favorite coach since being a Bills fan. We were even worse than we are now back then.

Edited January 12, 2013 by Dante

[Phil Hansen Forever]

I was too young to recall any of the "Ground Chuck" Era of the Bills but I wish I could have seen it in person: Bermuda Triangle and Joe Cribbs being my favorites to read about from that time. Talkin' Proud!

It wasn't all that great. He was a flash in the pan. After one year, all the NFL figured out his game plan and we sucked all over again.

[thewildrabbit]

Thurman's best game ever..............Followed up by his unforgivable quitting in SB 28.

For whatever reason the Cowboys just seemed to have the Buffalo Bills number, but then so did almost the entire NFC East as the NY Giants and Washington Redskins also beat Buffalo in the super bowl.

 

The Bills defense was ranked 28th against the run that year...Emmitt Smith had 30 attempts for 132 yards and 2 TD's.

 

Yea, Thurman fumbled. stuff happens. I wouldn't say the man quit on his team tho. Bitter much? The Bills only rushed Thurman 16 attempts for 37 yards. and he did catch 7 passes for 52 yards.

 

OTOH, Jim Kelly threw 31 of 50 attempts for 262 yards 0 TD's and 1 INT. Jim Kelly did still call his own plays and Ted Marchibroda was the HC in Baltimore the past 2 years

 

It wasn't all that great. He was a flash in the pan. After one year, all the NFL figured out his game plan and we sucked all over again.

what are you talking about?

[purple haze]

I was too young to recall any of the "Ground Chuck" Era of the Bills but I wish I could have seen it in person: Bermuda Triangle and Joe Cribbs being my favorites to read about from that time. Talkin' Proud!

 

Those were fighting teams. Played with an edge. Very gritty.