Coaches return
It is "Reunion Weekend" around the National Football League for four head coaches this week.
Steve Mariucci takes his Lions to San Francisco. Tony Dungy and the Colts will face the Buccaneers. Mike Holmgren and his undefeated Seattle Seahawks battle the team he took to a pair of Super Bowls - the Green Bay Packers. And San Diego's Marty Schottenheimer faces division rival and his former team, the Kansas City Chiefs.
While Holmgren and Schottenheimer have previously played their former teams, it marks the first occasion for Mariucci and Dungy going against their former employers. Either way, the emotions should be running high during Week 5 of the 2003 NFL season.
Marv Levy, in just his fourth game as head coach of the Buffalo Bills, helped the team avoid tying an NFL record for consecutive losses on the road.
The Bills had lost 22 straight road games when they traveled to Kansas City to take on the team Levy had coached from 1978 to 1982. The Bills defeated Kansas City 17-14 to avoid tying the Houston Oilers record of 23 straight road losses.
Here's a look at modern era Hall of Fame coaches and how they did when facing their former team for the first time.
| Coach | Team | Former Team | Game |
Outcome
|
Score (HOME TEAM IN CAPS) |
| George Allen | Washington Redskins | Los Angeles Rams | Dec. 13, 1971 |
Win
|
Washington 38, LOS ANGELES 24 |
| Paul Brown | Cincinnati Bengals | Cleveland Browns | Oct. 11, 1970 |
Loss
|
CLEVELAND 30, Cincinnati 27 |
| Weeb Ewbank | New York Jets | Baltimore Colts | Oct. 18, 1970 |
Loss
|
Baltimore 29, NEW YORK 22 |
| Sid Gillman | San Diego Chargers | Los Angeles Rams |
Chargers never faced the Rams during Gillman's tenure as head coach in San Diego
|
||
| Houston Oilers | San Diego Chargers | Sept. 15, 1974 |
Win
|
HOUSTON 21, San Diego 14 | |
| Marv Levy | Buffalo Bills | Kansas City Chiefs | Nov. 30, 1986 |
Win
|
Buffalo 17, KANSAS CITY 14 |
| Vince Lombardi | Washington Redskins | Green Bay Packers |
Redskins never faced the Packers during Lombardi's season as head coach in Washington
|
||
| Don Shula | Miami Dolphins | Baltimore Colts | Oct. 25, 1970 |
Loss
|
BALTIMORE 35, Miami 0 |
| Hank Stram | New Orleans Saints | Kansas City Chiefs | Sept. 26, 1976 |
Win
|
New Orleans 27, KANSAS CITY 17 |
NFL.com: Week 5 becomes reunion weekend