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Jack Pardee

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Jack Pardee
Pardee as head coach of the Houston Cougars football team
Biographical details
Born(1936-04-19)April 19, 1936
Exira, Iowa
DiedApril 1, 2013(2013-04-01) (aged 76)
Denver, Colorado
Playing career
1954–1956Texas A&M
1957–1970Los Angeles Rams
1971–1973Washington Redskins
Position(s)Fullback, linebacker
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1974Florida Blazers
1975–1977Chicago Bears
1978–1980Washington Redskins
1981San Diego Chargers (DC)
1984–1985Houston Gamblers
1987–1989Houston
1990–1994Houston Oilers
1995Birmingham Barracudas
Head coaching record
Overall87–77 (NFL)
22–11–1 (college)
Bowls0–1
College Football Hall of Fame
Inducted in 1986 (profile)

John Perry Pardee (April 19, 1936 – April 1, 2013) was an American football linebacker and the only head coach to helm a team in college football, the National Football League (NFL), the United States Football League (USFL), the World Football League (WFL), and the Canadian Football League (CFL). Pardee was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1986.

Playing career

Pardee in 1959

As a teenager, Pardee moved to Christoval, Texas, where he excelled as a member of the six-man football team.[1] He was an All-America Fullback at Texas A&M University and a two-time All-Pro with the Los Angeles Rams (1963) and the Washington Redskins (1971). He was one of the few six-man players to ever make it to the NFL, and his knowledge of that wide-open game would serve him well as a coach.

Pardee was one of the famed Junction Boys, the 1954 Texas A&M preseason camp held in Junction, Texas, by football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. He was part of the 35 left from the approximately 100 players who went to Junction. After completing college at Texas A&M, Pardee was the 14th overall pick when he was drafted in the second round by the Los Angeles Rams as a linebacker. Pardee played for the Rams from 1957 to 1970, sitting out the 1965 season to treat a malignant melanoma in his left arm.[2]

Pardee was traded along with Maxie Baughan, Myron Pottios, Diron Talbert, John Wilbur, Jeff Jordan and a 1971 fifth-round pick (124th overall–traded to Green Bay Packers for Boyd Dowler) from the Rams to the Redskins for Marlin McKeever, first and third rounders in 1971 (10th and 63th overall–Isiah Robertson and Dave Elmendorf respectively) and third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh rounders in 1972 (73rd, 99th, 125th, 151st and 177th overall–to New England Patriots, traded to Philadelphia Eagles for Joe Carollo, Bob Christiansen, Texas Southern defensive tackle Eddie Herbert and to New York Giants respectively) on January 28, 1971.[3][4] He ending his playing career with the Redskins in 1973.

Coaching career

WFL

When the World Football League started in 1974, Pardee got his first head coaching job with the Washington Ambassadors. The team later relocated to Norfolk, Virginia as the Virginia Ambassadors before finally moving to their third and final home in Orlando as the Florida Blazers. The Blazers made it to the 1974 World Bowl and lost by one point to the Birmingham Americans. Pardee's regular-season coaching record in 1974 with the Blazers was 14–6, and 2–1 in the 1974 WFL Playoffs and World Bowl. This was all the more remarkable considering that the Blazers went unpaid for the last three months of the season. Some of the Blazers players relocated to San Antonio as the Wings for the 1975 season, and Pardee also moved on, signing on as head coach of the Chicago Bears for the 1975 season.

First stint in the NFL

In 1975, Pardee was hired by the Chicago Bears as head coach. He spent the next three years there, leading Chicago to their first playoff berth in 14 years in 1977, before moving on to the Washington Redskins. In 1979, he led the Redskins to within one game of making the playoffs, but in the season's final week, they blew a 13-point lead to the eventual NFC East champions Dallas Cowboys and missed the playoffs. He was fired after going 6-10 in 1980. In 1981, he was hired as assistant head coach in charge of defense for the San Diego Chargers.

USFL

In 1984, Pardee returned to his native Texas by becoming the head coach of the Houston Gamblers. The Gamblers played spring football in the United States Football League. The Gamblers had one of the most potent offenses in pro football, the run and shoot offense, with Jim Kelly as quarterback. The Gamblers merged with the New Jersey Generals in 1986, and Pardee was named head coach. With Kelly and Doug Flutie both vying for the role of starting quarterback, and Herschel Walker in the backfield, the Generals were poised to dominate the USFL, but the league folded prior to the 1986 season.

NCAA

Pardee returned to Houston in 1987 as head coach at the University of Houston. During his three-year stint, the Cougars, using the same offense he coached in the USFL, produced the first-ever African American quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy, Andre Ware. His team also became the first major college team in NCAA history to have over 1,000 total offensive yards in a single game, raking up 1,021 yards while beating SMU, 95–21.[5]

Not long after Pardee's arrival, however, Houston was slapped with crippling NCAA sanctions due to numerous major violations under his predecessor, Bill Yeoman. Among them, the Cougars were banned from bowl games in 1989 and 1990 and kicked off live television in 1989. As a result, most of the nation never got a chance to see the Cougars set numerous offensive records during the 1989 season.

Second stint in the NFL

In 1990, Pardee packed up the run and shoot offense and moved across town, and back to the NFL, by joining the Houston Oilers. He spent five years coaching a team which made the playoffs each of his first four years there, led by Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon. In 1991, the Oilers won their first division title since 1967 in the American Football League. It was during his time with the Oilers that Pardee fell victim to NFL notoriety during the 1992 season, when in that season's playoffs, the Oilers surrendered a 35-3 third quarter lead to the Buffalo Bills, losing in overtime to the eventual conference champions 41-38.

The Oilers won another division title in 1993 on the strength of winning their last 11 games. However, after losing in the second round of the playoffs, owner Bud Adams made good on a threat to hold a fire sale if they didn't make the Super Bowl. The highest-profile loss was Moon, who was traded to the Minnesota Vikings. Without Moon, the Oilers were a rudderless team. Pardee was fired following a 1-4 start to the 1994 season, and was replaced by defensive coordinator Jeff Fisher.

CFL

He continued his coaching career in the Canadian Football League. In 1995, he was named head coach of the Birmingham Barracudas. Canadian football is somewhat more wide-open than American football, and owner Art Williams thought Pardee's roots in the six-man game made him a natural fit. The "Cudas" were part of a failed experiment to expand the CFL into the United States. With Matt Dunigan at quarterback, Birmingham made the playoffs, but lost in the first round. However, due to dreadful attendance late in the season and the league's refusal to approve the team's proposed relocation to Shreveport, Louisiana for 1996, the 'Cudas were shuttered at the end of the season along with the CFL's other American teams.

Return to coaching

In December 2007, Pardee, then 71, was contacted by athletic director Dave Maggard about the vacant head coaching job at the University of Houston. Signaling interest, he made it as far as a finalist for the position, but the school moved forward with Oklahoma co-offensive coordinator Kevin Sumlin.[6]

Personal life

Pardee was married for 50 years to Phyllis Lane Perryman and had five children and 12 grandchildren. Pardee's youngest son, Ted, is the color commentator for the Houston Cougars football radio broadcasts.

In November 2012, Pardee was diagnosed with gallbladder cancer and it was reported by his family that he only had six to nine more months to live,[7] The cancer spread to other organs and Pardee moved to a Denver hospice.[8]

Pardee died April 1, 2013. The family has established a memorial scholarship fund in Pardee's name at the University of Houston. He was survived by his wife Phyllis, five children, and 12 grandchildren. His grandson Payton Pardee is currently on the University of Houston football roster.[9]

Head coaching record

USFL

Team Year Regular Season Postseason
Won Lost Ties Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
HOU 1984 13 5 0 .722 1st in Central Div. 0 1 .000 Lost to Arizona Wranglers in USFL Quaterfinals
HOU 1985 10 8 0 .556 3rd in Western Conf. 0 1 .000 Lost to Birmingham Stallions in USFL Quaterfinals
Total 23 13 0 .639 0 2 .000

College

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs Coaches# AP°
Houston Cougars (Southwest Conference) (1987–1989)
1987 Houston 4–6–1 2–4–1 7th
1988 Houston 9–3 5–2 2nd L Aloha 18
1989 Houston 9–2 5–2 2nd Ineligible Ineligible 14
Houston: 22–11–1 12–8–1
Total: 22–11–1

NFL

Team Year Regular Season Post Season
Won Lost Ties Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
CHI 1975 4 10 0 .286 3rd in NFC Central - - - -
CHI 1976 7 7 0 .500 2nd in NFC Central - - - -
CHI 1977 9 5 0 .643 2nd in NFC Central 0 1 .000 Lost to Dallas Cowboys in NFC Divisional Game
CHI Total 20 22 0 .476 0 1 .000
WAS 1978 8 8 0 .500 3rd in NFC East - - - -
WAS 1979 10 6 0 .625 3rd in NFC East - - - -
WAS 1980 6 10 0 .375 3rd in NFC East - - - -
WAS Total 24 24 0 .500 0 0 .000
HOU 1990 9 7 0 .563 2nd in AFC Central 0 1 .000 Lost to Cincinnati Bengals in AFC Wild Card Game
HOU 1991 11 5 0 .688 1st in AFC Central 1 1 .500 Lost to Denver Broncos in AFC Divisional Game
HOU 1992 10 6 0 .625 2nd in AFC Central 0 1 .000 Lost to Buffalo Bills in AFC Wild Card Game
HOU 1993 12 4 0 .750 1st in AFC Central 0 1 .000 Lost to Kansas City Chiefs in AFC Divisional Game
HOU 1994 1 9 0 .100 4th in AFC Central - - - -
HOU Total 43 31 0 .581 1 4 .200
Total 87 77 0 .530 1 5 .167

CFL

Team Year Regular Season Post Season
Won Lost Ties Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
BIR 1995 10 8 0 .556 3rd in South Division 0 1 .000 Lost in Semifinals
Total 10 8 0 .556 0 1 .000

References

  1. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on November 17, 2006. Retrieved December 18, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Football: The six-man world. San Antonio Express-News at www.mysanantonio.com, October 14, 2006.
  2. ^ Barron, David (April 1, 2013). "Ex-coach, NFL great Pardee diagnosed with terminal cancer". The Houston Chronicle. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  3. ^ Wallace, William N. "Patriots Choose Plunkett as No. 1 in College Draft, Spurning Trade Offers," The New York Times, Friday, January 29, 1971. Retrieved November 1, 2020
  4. ^ 1971 NFL Draft Pick Transactions, January 28 (Rounds 1–7) & 29 (Rounds 8–17) – Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved November 1, 2020
  5. ^ "FSD History Flashback: October 21, 1989". Bleacher Report. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  6. ^ Mark Schlabach, Yellow Jackets, Wolverines, Midshipmen earn high marks, ESPN.com, December 17, 2007.
  7. ^ "NFL legend Pardee ill with cancer". Sports Illustrated. November 27, 2012. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
  8. ^ "Former Redskins coach, player Jack Pardee dead at 76". Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 19, 2019. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  9. ^ "Jack Pardee passes away | ProFootballTalk". Profootballtalk.nbcsports.com. April 19, 1936. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
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