Phil Bengtson
Encyclopedia
John Phillip Bengtson was a college football
player and longtime assistant coach on the collegiate and NFL
levels, chiefly remembered as the successor to Vince Lombardi
as head coach of the Green Bay Packers
in 1968
.
Bengtson was a native of Roseau, Minnesota
, and played tackle under Bernie Bierman
at the University of Minnesota
during the 1930s. In 1934, he earned All-America honors with the Golden Gophers, working in tandem with a player who would go on to coaching immortality: quarterback Bud Wilkinson
.
Bengtson took his first assistant coaching job at the Missouri
in 1935, but soon returned to his alma mater
as line coach, staying through the 1939 season. Beginning in 1940, he moved to Stanford
, where he served as an assistant coach for twelve years. Bengtson moved to the professional level in 1952
with the nearby San Francisco 49ers
.
In seven seasons with the Niners, Bengtson would serve under three head coaches: (Buck Shaw
, Red Strader
, Frankie Albert
) before being dismissed with Albert after the 1958
season. Soon after, he was one of the first four assistants hired in Lombardi's first week with the Packers in early February 1959
.
Phil Bengtson would be the only assistant coach to stay during the entire nine-year tenure of Lombardi (1959
-1967
). His work as defensive coordinator of the Packers established his coaching ability and put him in line to succeed Lombardi. From 1961
-67
, the Packers captured five NFL titles, and the first two Super Bowl
s.
Bengtson replaced Lombardi following the 1967
season; his low-key approach was in sharp contrast to the often-volatile Lombardi. With the aging of key players, this translated into mediocrity for the franchise. Bengtson's Packers were 20-21-1 in his three seasons as head coach. After a 6-8 record in 1970
, he was relieved of his duties, replaced by Missouri head coach Dan Devine
for the 1971
season. Devine lasted four seasons with the Packers, moving back to the collegiate level at Notre Dame
following the 1974
season. Lombardi's former quarterback, Bart Starr
, became the head coach of the Packers in 1975
.
Bengtson resurfaced with the San Diego Chargers
and New England Patriots
, becoming the interim head coach of the Patriots in late 1972
. Later, he was named the team's Director of Pro Scouting, staying through the 1974
season.
Phil Bengtson died at age 81 after a long illness at his home in San Diego on December 18, 1994.
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 longtime assistant coach on the collegiate and NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
levels, chiefly remembered as the successor to Vince Lombardi
Vince Lombardi
Vincent Thomas "Vince" Lombardi was an American football coach. He is best known as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s, where he led the team to three straight league championships and five in seven years, including winning the first two Super Bowls following the 1966 and...
as head coach of 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 1968
1968 NFL season
The 1968 NFL season was the 49th regular season of the National Football League. As per the agreement made during the 1967 realignment, the New Orleans Saints and the New York Giants switched divisions; the Saints joined the Century Division while the Giants became part of the Capitol Division.The...
.
Bengtson was a native of Roseau, Minnesota
Roseau, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,756 people, 1,157 households, and 713 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,153.6 people per square mile . There were 1,229 housing units at an average density of 514.4 per square mile...
, and played tackle under Bernie Bierman
Bernie Bierman
Bernard W. "Bernie" Bierman was an American football player and coach. He coached from 1919 to 1950 except for a span during World War II when he served in the U.S. armed forces...
at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
during the 1930s. In 1934, he earned All-America honors with the Golden Gophers, working in tandem with a player who would go on to coaching immortality: quarterback Bud Wilkinson
Bud Wilkinson
Charles Burnham "Bud" Wilkinson was an American football player, coach, broadcaster, and politician. He served as the head football coach at the University of Oklahoma from 1947 to 1963, compiling a record of 145–29–4. His Oklahoma Sooners won three national championships and 14...
.
Bengtson took his first assistant coaching job at the Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
in 1935, but soon returned to his alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
as line coach, staying through the 1939 season. Beginning in 1940, he moved to Stanford
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, where he served as an assistant coach for twelve years. Bengtson moved to the professional level in 1952
1952 NFL season
The 1952 NFL season was the 33rd regular season of the National Football League. Prior to the season, New York Yanks owner Ted Collins sold his team back to the NFL...
with the nearby San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
.
In seven seasons with the Niners, Bengtson would serve under three head coaches: (Buck Shaw
Buck Shaw
Lawrence T. "Buck" Shaw was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach for Santa Clara University, the University of California, Berkeley, the San Francisco 49ers, the United States Air Force Academy, and the Philadelphia Eagles...
, Red Strader
Red Strader
Norman "Red" Strader was a football player and coach who served in both capacities at the collegiate and professional levels. In the college ranks, he spent two years as head coach at St...
, Frankie Albert
Frankie Albert
Frank Cullen "Frankie" Albert was an American football player. He played as a quarterback with the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League...
) before being dismissed with Albert after the 1958
1958 NFL season
The 1958 NFL season was the 39th regular season of the National Football League.The Baltimore Colts defeated the New York Giants, 23–17, in the first sudden-death overtime in an NFL Championship Game...
season. Soon after, he was one of the first four assistants hired in Lombardi's first week with the Packers in early February 1959
1959 NFL season
The 1959 NFL season was the 40th regular season of the National Football League. Tragedy struck as NFL Commissioner Bert Bell died of a heart attack on October 11 at Philadelphia's Franklin Field while watching the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers play...
.
Phil Bengtson would be the only assistant coach to stay during the entire nine-year tenure of Lombardi (1959
1959 NFL season
The 1959 NFL season was the 40th regular season of the National Football League. Tragedy struck as NFL Commissioner Bert Bell died of a heart attack on October 11 at Philadelphia's Franklin Field while watching the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers play...
-1967
1967 NFL season
The 1967 NFL season was the 48th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 16 teams with the addition of the New Orleans Saints. The league's teams were realigned into four divisions: the Capitol and Century Divisions in the Eastern Conference, and the Central and...
). His work as defensive coordinator of the Packers established his coaching ability and put him in line to succeed Lombardi. From 1961
1961 NFL season
The 1961 NFL season was the 42nd regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 14 teams with the addition of the Minnesota Vikings, after the team's owners declined to be charter members of the new American Football League. The schedule was also expanded from 12 games per...
-67
1967 NFL season
The 1967 NFL season was the 48th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 16 teams with the addition of the New Orleans Saints. The league's teams were realigned into four divisions: the Capitol and Century Divisions in the Eastern Conference, and the Central and...
, the Packers captured five NFL titles, and the first two Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
s.
Bengtson replaced Lombardi following the 1967
1967 NFL season
The 1967 NFL season was the 48th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 16 teams with the addition of the New Orleans Saints. The league's teams were realigned into four divisions: the Capitol and Century Divisions in the Eastern Conference, and the Central and...
season; his low-key approach was in sharp contrast to the often-volatile Lombardi. With the aging of key players, this translated into mediocrity for the franchise. Bengtson's Packers were 20-21-1 in his three seasons as head coach. After a 6-8 record in 1970
1970 NFL season
The 1970 NFL season was the 51st regular season of the National Football League, and the first one after the AFL-NFL Merger.The merger forced a realignment between the combined league's clubs. Because there were 16 NFL teams and 10 AFL teams, three teams needed to transfer to balance the two new...
, he was relieved of his duties, replaced by Missouri head coach Dan Devine
Dan Devine
Daniel John Devine was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach football coach at Arizona State University from 1955 to 1957, the University of Missouri from 1958 to 1970, and the University of Notre Dame from 1975 to 1980, compiling a career college football mark of...
for the 1971
1971 NFL season
The 1971 NFL season was the 52nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl VI when the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Miami Dolphins...
season. Devine lasted four seasons with the Packers, moving back to the collegiate level at Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
following the 1974
1974 NFL season
The 1974 NFL season was the 55th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl IX when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Minnesota Vikings...
season. Lombardi's former quarterback, Bart Starr
Bart Starr
Bryan Bartlett "Bart" Starr is a former professional American football player and coach. Wearing #15, he was the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers from 1956 to 1971 and head coach from 1975 to 1983, compiling a record of 52–76–3 ....
, became the head coach of the Packers in 1975
1975 NFL season
The 1975 NFL season was the 56th regular season of the National Football League. It was also the first time that featured an entire season with no games ending in a tie. The league made two significant changes to increase the appeal of the game:...
.
Bengtson resurfaced with the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
, becoming the interim head coach of the Patriots in late 1972
1972 NFL season
The 1972 NFL season was the 53rd regular season of the National Football League. The Miami Dolphins became the first NFL team to finish a championship season undefeated and untied when they beat the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII.-Major rule changes:...
. Later, he was named the team's Director of Pro Scouting, staying through the 1974
1974 NFL season
The 1974 NFL season was the 55th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl IX when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Minnesota Vikings...
season.
Phil Bengtson died at age 81 after a long illness at his home in San Diego on December 18, 1994.