Don Coryell's career in photos

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Don Coryell debuted on the National Football League scene in 1973 when he was named the head coach of the St. Louis Cardinals.

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When he took over the coaching reins in St. Louis, the Cardinals were a team that had not won a title of any kind since the 1948 season.

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In 1974, with a vastly improved offense, the Cardinals took the NFL by surprise. The “Big Red” won the NFC Eastern Division with a 10-4 record that included a 7-1 mark against their division opponents.

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AP

Coryell took over as coach of the San Diego Chargers four games into the 1978 season when he again inherited a team that had not won a title in many years. The Chargers last division title came in 1965. He instantly installed a new explosive offense that soon was labeled “Air Coryell.”

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Coryell had succeeded in turning the Chargers into one of the NFL’s elite teams as evidenced by San Diego’s three straight AFC Western Division titles (1979-1981).

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Coryell, who was named the NFL and NFC Coach of the Year in 1974 and the AFC Coach of the Year in 1979, posted an overall record of 114-89-1.