John Rauch
Encyclopedia
John "Johnny" Rauch was an American football
player and coach. He was head coach of the Oakland Raiders
in the team's loss to the Green Bay Packers
in Super Bowl II
in 1968.
High School, then put together an outstanding college football
career. Earning the starting quarterback
slot for the University of Georgia
as a true freshman in 1945, he led the Bulldogs
to a 36-8-1 record. Included in these victories are four straight bowl game
appearances, as well as an undefeated record in 1946. On an individual level, he won first team All American accolades following his senior year, and left the school as college football's all-time passing leader with 4,044 yards.
by the Detroit Lions
, as the number two pick in the 1949 NFL Draft
, but then sent to the transplanted New York Bulldogs in exchange for the rights to Southern Methodist University
's Doak Walker
. During his first season with the Bulldogs in 1949, Rauch saw action on both sides of the ball, throwing for 169 yards and one touchdown, while also intercepting two passes. The following year, he saw action in eight contests, throwing for 502 yards and six touchdowns, then split time with New York and the Philadelphia Eagles
in 1951, combining for 288 yards and one touchdown pass. In 1952, rather than accept a trade to the Pittsburgh Steelers to become a player/coach, he accepted an offer from University of Florida Coach Bob Woodruff to join his staff in Gainesville.
. After spending the 1954 season at Tulane University
, he returned to his alma mater, Georgia, the next year as an assistant for four seasons. In 1959, he headed to West Point, NY as an Army
assistant. Three years later, he went back to Tulane for the 1962 campaign.
's Oakland Raiders
. Working under Al Davis, Rauch was the heir apparent and was promoted to head coach on April 8, 1966, when Davis became commissioner of the AFL.
After leading the Raiders to an 8-5-1 mark in his first year, Rauch's squad lost just once during the 1967 regular season and faced the Green Bay Packers
in Super Bowl II
. For his efforts, Rauch was named the AFL Coach of the Year.
In 1968, the team again flourished during the regular season with a 12-2 mark, defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in a Western Division Playoff Game, but lost the AFL championship game to the New York Jets
. During his term as head coach, Davis' frequent interference with the day to day coaching role became a source of aggravation for Rauch. On January 16, 1969, Rauch dealt with the problem by resigning from his championship team to become head coach of the Buffalo Bills
.
The shift meant going from one of the sport's top teams to the team that finished with the worst record. However, with the first pick in the AFL-NFL Common Draft
, the Bills selected Heisman Trophy
-winning running back
O.J. Simpson. Rauch then caused controversy by expecting Simpson to become more than the one dimensional running back he was at the University of Southern California. He expected Simpson to become an all-around running back, necessary in Professional Football
, by also blocking and receiving passes out of the backfield, as Rauch had coached successfully at Oakland. Simpson refused to do these added things and friction began. The media, unaware that Simpson often refused to take extra passing drills, viewing them as 'punishment', began a campaign that Rauch was using Simpson as a decoy, which did not explain the indecisiveness in Simpson's style. Having several aging and many very young players, Buffalo improved by only two games to finish with a 4-10 record in 1969.
Following a 3-10-1 record in 1970, Rauch avoided being dismissed, and was seemingly prepared to handle the reins for the upcoming year. However, on July 20, 1971, he abruptly resigned following a heated discussion with team owner Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. The source of the argument stemmed from Rauch's comments about former Bills' players Ron McDole
and Paul Maguire
. Wilson, without any consultation with Rauch, had traded McDole to the Washington Redskins. Maguire who had become a problem with excessive lack of decorum on the practice field, was not offered a contract for the 1971 season by Rauch. On Rauch's first television show of the 1971 season prior to opening training camp, when asked about McDole, he stated, in loyalty to Wilson, that they traded McDole "while they could get something in return" due to his age. When asked why he did not offer Maguire a contract, he commented that all Maguire cared about was "how to get out of work and when's the next party". Training camp opened the next day and later in the week Wilson arrived at camp and indicated that he would issue a statement of support for the players (in spite of the fact that Wilson himself had traded McDole). Rauch said "if you do that, you can have my resignation". Wilson accepted.
After briefly serving as a scout for the Packers, Rauch was hired on October 10 as quarterback coach of the Eagles. He served in that capacity until the entire staff was fired on December 18, 1972. Less than three weeks later, Rauch was hired as head coach of the Canadian Football League
's Toronto Argonauts
, leading the team to a playoff berth in his first year. After the team was sold to a new owner and a slow start to begin the 1974 season, Rauch was dismissed on September 4, 1974.
Returning to the NFL the following year, Rauch served as backfield coach for the Atlanta Falcons
, but then resigned on February 18, 1976, to become offensive coordinator of the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers
. That tenure would prove to be short after Rauch had repeated conflicts with head coach John McKay
, over McKay's demand to only utilize the I-formation that Rauch felt could not be successful in the NFL. After a successful 334 total yards game against the Dolphins with Rauch and quarterback, Steve Spurrier, calling the plays. McKay commented that there wasn't anything they did in the game that they couldn't have done out of the I-formation. McKay called the plays the next week out of the I with no success but complained about the offenses performance. Rauch had had enough with McKay and resigned.
The same day he resigned from Tampa, Rauch returned to Atlanta to work under interim coach Pat Peppler
, but the staff was not retained after the team won three of its final nine games.
Desiring to live in the Tampa area, Rauch was intent on at least "semi-retirement" in 1977. Later in the same year, Rauch became aware of problems with the football program at a local school, Admiral Farragut Academy
in St. Petersburg, Florida
. He contacted the school and offered to help find a coach for the then-struggling program. When his search proved fruitless, Rauch felt an obligation to the school, and accepted the position as head coach for one season, on September 10, 1977; during that time, a successor was found. He also served as director of the short-lived Canadian-American Bowl, a postseason all-star game. Rauch also served as a part-time writer for the St. Petersburg Independent, a local newspaper that had him cover his old team, the Raiders, when they reached Super Bowl XV
. Upon the arrival of the United States Football League
, Rauch returned to professional football as the Tampa Bay Bandits
' director of operations.
In 2003, Rauch was honored for his stellar career in the college ranks when he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
.
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player and coach. He was head coach of the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the team's loss to the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
in Super Bowl II
Super Bowl II
The second AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, later to be known as Super Bowl II, was played on January 14, 1968 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida....
in 1968.
Early life
Rauch's football playing career almost ended before it began. At the age of 14, he was diagnosed with a heart murmur and instructed to give up the sport. Ignoring the dire warnings, Rauch was a three-sport star at YeadonYeadon, Pennsylvania
Yeadon is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It borders the City of Philadelphia. The population was 11,762 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Yeadon is located at ....
High School, then put together an outstanding college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
career. Earning the starting quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
slot for the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
as a true freshman in 1945, he led the Bulldogs
Georgia Bulldogs football
The Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia in football. The Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference and are frequently a top-25 team. The University of Georgia has had a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 738–398–54...
to a 36-8-1 record. Included in these victories are four straight bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
appearances, as well as an undefeated record in 1946. On an individual level, he won first team All American accolades following his senior year, and left the school as college football's all-time passing leader with 4,044 yards.
Professional Football playing career
Rauch was draftedNFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
by the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
, as the number two pick in the 1949 NFL Draft
1949 NFL Draft
The 1949 National Football League Draft was held on December 21, 1948.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...
, but then sent to the transplanted New York Bulldogs in exchange for the rights to Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
's Doak Walker
Doak Walker
Ewell Doak Walker, Jr. was an American football player who is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was a teammate of Bobby Layne in high school and the NFL.-Early life:...
. During his first season with the Bulldogs in 1949, Rauch saw action on both sides of the ball, throwing for 169 yards and one touchdown, while also intercepting two passes. The following year, he saw action in eight contests, throwing for 502 yards and six touchdowns, then split time with New York and the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in 1951, combining for 288 yards and one touchdown pass. In 1952, rather than accept a trade to the Pittsburgh Steelers to become a player/coach, he accepted an offer from University of Florida Coach Bob Woodruff to join his staff in Gainesville.
College coaching career
In 1952, Rauch began his coaching career with the first of two seasons at the University of FloridaFlorida Gators football
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
. After spending the 1954 season at Tulane University
Tulane Green Wave
Green Wave, the nickname of the sports teams of Tulane University, was adopted during the 1920 season, after a song titled The Rolling Green Wave was published in Tulane's student newspaper in 1920. From 1893 to 1919, the athletic teams of Tulane were known as the Olive and Blue for the official...
, he returned to his alma mater, Georgia, the next year as an assistant for four seasons. In 1959, he headed to West Point, NY as an Army
Army Black Knights football
The Army Black Knights football program represents the United States Military Academy. Army was recognized as the national champions in 1944, 1945 and 1946....
assistant. Three years later, he went back to Tulane for the 1962 campaign.
Professional football coaching career
In 1963, Rauch moved to the Professional level to begin a three-year stint with the American Football LeagueAmerican Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
's Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Working under Al Davis, Rauch was the heir apparent and was promoted to head coach on April 8, 1966, when Davis became commissioner of the AFL.
After leading the Raiders to an 8-5-1 mark in his first year, Rauch's squad lost just once during the 1967 regular season and faced the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
in Super Bowl II
Super Bowl II
The second AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, later to be known as Super Bowl II, was played on January 14, 1968 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida....
. For his efforts, Rauch was named the AFL Coach of the Year.
In 1968, the team again flourished during the regular season with a 12-2 mark, defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in a Western Division Playoff Game, but lost the AFL championship game to the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. During his term as head coach, Davis' frequent interference with the day to day coaching role became a source of aggravation for Rauch. On January 16, 1969, Rauch dealt with the problem by resigning from his championship team to become head coach of the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
The shift meant going from one of the sport's top teams to the team that finished with the worst record. However, with the first pick in the AFL-NFL Common Draft
Common Draft
The Common Draft was the name given to the selection of college football players in a combined draft from 1967 to 1969 by the American Football League and the National Football League . This took place after the AFL-NFL merger agreement in 1966....
, the Bills selected Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
-winning running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
O.J. Simpson. Rauch then caused controversy by expecting Simpson to become more than the one dimensional running back he was at the University of Southern California. He expected Simpson to become an all-around running back, necessary in Professional Football
Professional football
In the United States and Canada, the term professional football includes the professional forms of American and Canadian gridiron football. In common usage, it refers to former and existing major football leagues in either country...
, by also blocking and receiving passes out of the backfield, as Rauch had coached successfully at Oakland. Simpson refused to do these added things and friction began. The media, unaware that Simpson often refused to take extra passing drills, viewing them as 'punishment', began a campaign that Rauch was using Simpson as a decoy, which did not explain the indecisiveness in Simpson's style. Having several aging and many very young players, Buffalo improved by only two games to finish with a 4-10 record in 1969.
Following a 3-10-1 record in 1970, Rauch avoided being dismissed, and was seemingly prepared to handle the reins for the upcoming year. However, on July 20, 1971, he abruptly resigned following a heated discussion with team owner Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. The source of the argument stemmed from Rauch's comments about former Bills' players Ron McDole
Ron McDole
Roland Owen "Ron" McDole is a former American collegiate and Professional Football defensive end from the University of Nebraska, Buffalo Bills, and Washington Redskins.-Buffalo Bills:...
and Paul Maguire
Paul Maguire
Paul Leo Maguire is a former American football player and current television sportscaster.-Early sports career:Maguire attended Ursuline High School in Youngstown,Ohio and was recruited to play at The Citadel by the late Al Davis who was then an assistant coach and chief recruiter...
. Wilson, without any consultation with Rauch, had traded McDole to the Washington Redskins. Maguire who had become a problem with excessive lack of decorum on the practice field, was not offered a contract for the 1971 season by Rauch. On Rauch's first television show of the 1971 season prior to opening training camp, when asked about McDole, he stated, in loyalty to Wilson, that they traded McDole "while they could get something in return" due to his age. When asked why he did not offer Maguire a contract, he commented that all Maguire cared about was "how to get out of work and when's the next party". Training camp opened the next day and later in the week Wilson arrived at camp and indicated that he would issue a statement of support for the players (in spite of the fact that Wilson himself had traded McDole). Rauch said "if you do that, you can have my resignation". Wilson accepted.
After briefly serving as a scout for the Packers, Rauch was hired on October 10 as quarterback coach of the Eagles. He served in that capacity until the entire staff was fired on December 18, 1972. Less than three weeks later, Rauch was hired as head coach of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
's Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
, leading the team to a playoff berth in his first year. After the team was sold to a new owner and a slow start to begin the 1974 season, Rauch was dismissed on September 4, 1974.
Returning to the NFL the following year, Rauch served as backfield coach for the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, but then resigned on February 18, 1976, to become offensive coordinator of the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
. That tenure would prove to be short after Rauch had repeated conflicts with head coach John McKay
John McKay (football coach)
John Harvey McKay was an American football player and coach. He was served as the head coach at the University of Southern California from 1960 to 1975 and of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1976 to 1984. In 16 seasons with the USC Trojans, McKay compiled a record of 127–40–8 and...
, over McKay's demand to only utilize the I-formation that Rauch felt could not be successful in the NFL. After a successful 334 total yards game against the Dolphins with Rauch and quarterback, Steve Spurrier, calling the plays. McKay commented that there wasn't anything they did in the game that they couldn't have done out of the I-formation. McKay called the plays the next week out of the I with no success but complained about the offenses performance. Rauch had had enough with McKay and resigned.
The same day he resigned from Tampa, Rauch returned to Atlanta to work under interim coach Pat Peppler
Pat Peppler
Albert Patterson Peppler is a former football coach and executive who worked for teams that won five National Football League titles...
, but the staff was not retained after the team won three of its final nine games.
Desiring to live in the Tampa area, Rauch was intent on at least "semi-retirement" in 1977. Later in the same year, Rauch became aware of problems with the football program at a local school, Admiral Farragut Academy
Admiral Farragut Academy
Admiral Farragut Academy is a college preparatory school with Naval training founded in 1933 in Pine Beach, New Jersey by, among others, Admiral Samuel Robison, one-time President of RCA, and former Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It is named after Admiral...
in St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
. He contacted the school and offered to help find a coach for the then-struggling program. When his search proved fruitless, Rauch felt an obligation to the school, and accepted the position as head coach for one season, on September 10, 1977; during that time, a successor was found. He also served as director of the short-lived Canadian-American Bowl, a postseason all-star game. Rauch also served as a part-time writer for the St. Petersburg Independent, a local newspaper that had him cover his old team, the Raiders, when they reached Super Bowl XV
Super Bowl XV
Super Bowl XV was an American football game played on January 25, 1981 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1980 regular season...
. Upon the arrival of the United States Football League
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
, Rauch returned to professional football as the Tampa Bay Bandits
Tampa Bay Bandits
The Tampa Bay Bandits were a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. They were members of the United States Football League . They were a charter member of the USFL and folded along with the league after the 1985 season....
' director of operations.
In 2003, Rauch was honored for his stellar career in the college ranks when he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
.
Death
Rauch died in his sleep, possibly due to a heart problem, on June 10, 2008 at his home in Oldsmar, FloridaOldsmar, Florida
Oldsmar is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The population was 11,910 at the 2000 census. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the population to be 13,401 as of 2008....
.
See also
External links
- John Rauch's entry at the College Football Hall of Fame
- Georgia Sports Hall of Fame