“RIP to Coach Dick Jauron”: Bills Mafia Saddened After Their Team Announces Former Head Coach’s Passing

Dick Jauron’s tenure as head coach in Western New York in the late 2000s was a slight bright spot in what was otherwise a difficult era for the Bills. So, it’s no surprise that the entire franchise and fanbase are mourning the news of Jauron’s passing on Saturday morning.

Between the success of Jim Kelly and Co. in the early 1990s and this current iteration of the franchise led by Josh Allen, there were some especially dark days for the Buffalo Bills. However, Jauron’s time as head coach from 2006 to 2009 represented a measure of stability, if not necessarily success. On Saturday, his family announced that Jauron had passed away at the age of 75 after a battle with cancer.

Jauron spent just over three seasons in Buffalo and never had a winning record, but his 24 wins are still good enough for 6th on Buffalo’s all-time head coach wins list. As one Bills fan said upon his passing: “Once a Bill, always a Bill”.

And true to form, Bills Mafia rallied to show their support for Jauron’s family in the wake of his passing:

It’s just prayers and thoughts online for now, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Buffalo’s generous fandom did more. Whether it’s donating to support the family he left behind or contributing to a foundation fighting cancer, Bills Mafia knows how to go the extra mile.

Before the NFL and the illness, Jauron was a little scamp attending grammar school in Indiana in the 1950s. His family would later move to Swampscott, Massachusetts, where he lettered in three sports. One of those was football, which is how he started racking up accolades. A spread in Sport magazine, Parade All-American honors, and a spot on the Boston Globe’s list of the top 10 Massachusetts high school athletes of all-time were a few of the awards accorded to him.

Jauron then attended Yale, where he was a star running back for three years. His 2,947 rushing yards remained a school record until 2000, and his record string of 16 straight 100-yard games lasted all the way until 2006. Jauron was then drafted in the 4th round of the 1973 NFL Draft.

He was actually a pretty solid player, though he had to switch over to safety to get on the field. Jauron finished second in Defensive Rookie of the Year in his first campaign for the Detroit Lions (he lost out to Chicago DT Wally Chambers), and earned Pro Bowl honors in his second season. He would go on to play in 100 games and pick off 25 passes in eight campaigns for the lowly Lions and Cincinnati Bengals.

Dick Jauron retired in 1980, but he wasn’t done with football. He returned to the game five years later, taking on the role of defensive backs coach for none other than the Buffalo Bills in 1985. The next year, he shifted to the Green Bay Packers, working in the same role for nearly a decade. In 1995, he became the first-ever defensive coordinator of the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars.

That set him up for a head coaching gig with the Chicago Bears in 1999. He had one great season, in 2001, going 13-3 and winning Coach of the Year, but they lost their playoff opener, and he was fired in 2003. After a few years with the Lions, Jauron took the Bills job, putting together three straight 7-9 seasons before a 3-6 start in 2009 got him fired.

His shining moment with the Bills was a 5-1 start during the 2008 season, when the AFC East was wide open thanks to a season-ending injury to Tom Brady. Unfortunately, it didn’t last, as the Bills finished that season on a 2-8 run.

Dick Jauron is survived by his wife, Gail, and their two daughters, Kay and Amy.