Nov

12

Former 49ers Coach Dick Nolan Dies

Posted by sf49ers

November 12, 2007 |

Dick Nolan, 75, former head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and father of Head Coach Mike Nolan, has passed away Sunday.

Born in Pittsburgh and raised in White Plains, N.Y., Dick Nolan played college football at Maryland. He got his start in the NFL as a player, playing defensive back who played for the New York Giants, Chicago Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys.  After nine seasons of playing, Nolan retired and soon became assistant to legendary Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Tom Landry.  Six years later, the 49ers hired Nolan to head up a team that has not tasted post season success in a long time and boy was he up for the challenge.  San Francisco went 7-6-1 in his first season before breaking through in 1970, going 10-3-1 and getting the 49ers’ first playoff win at Minnesota before falling to Dallas in the NFC title game.  Soon after his moderate success, the 49ers started to lose big again and he was relieved of his duties.  Nolan then coached the Saints from 1978-80, going 15-29 with the perennially downtrodden franchise, which fired him after the Saints lost the first 12 games of the 1980 season. 

He has enjoyed a life of fulfillment and is survived by his wife and six children. Funeral arrangements are pending.

Source: NFL.com

Picture courtesy of SFGate.com

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