From his first regular-season game as a head coach in the NFL with the St. Louis Cardinals, Don Coryell showed signs of being special. He got the Cardinals to play with confidence and collective pride.
When he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Feb. 9, 2023, Coryell correctly was hailed as an innovator whose offenses with the Cardinals, and later the San Diego Chargers, were thrilling to watch and nerve-wracking to defend.
Those progressive schemes were just part of his skillset. Coryell also was an effective leader who got players to buy into his philosophies and to execute consistently within a framework of selfless collaboration.
Meet the new boss
The season opener between the Cardinals and Eagles on Sept. 16, 1973, at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia marked the NFL head coaching debuts of Coryell and Mike McCormack.
Coryell came to the Cardinals from the college coaching ranks. In 15 years as a college head coach, Coryell never had a losing season. His record was 127-24-3, including 104-19-2 in 12 seasons at San Diego State.
Like Coryell, McCormack would be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but, unlike Coryell, he got in as a player, not as a coach. An exceptionally quick and strong right tackle on the Cleveland Browns’ offensive line, McCormack protected quarterback Otto Graham and blocked for running back Jim Brown. In his autobiography, Browns head coach Paul Brown said, “I consider McCormack the finest offensive tackle who ever played pro football.”
(Paul Brown told the story of how another Browns quarterback, Milt Plum, had trouble staying in the pocket before releasing the ball. At practice one day, a frustrated McCormack picked up Plum by the neck, shook him, cursed him and put him back down. After that, “our passing game improved considerably,” Brown told The Sporting News.)
McCormack had been an assistant coach for seven seasons with the Washington Redskins, but never a head coach.
The 1973 opener also was the Eagles debut of quarterback Roman Gabriel, 33, who got traded to Philadelphia after 11 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams.
(Gabriel, a glamour boy in Los Angeles, still was effective. He would lead the NFL in passing yards, completions and touchdown passes as an Eagle in 1973.)
During training camp, Coryell made a favorable impression as a coach of “unquenchable spirit and unflagging energy.” The Sporting News reported. Cardinals director of operations Joe Sullivan told the publication, “He’s one of the best teachers I’ve ever seen.”
On the eve of the season opener, Coryell said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “I think we’ll be pretty darn potent this season. We’ll have the capability of breaking things open.”
Will to win
The fired-up Cardinals charged out to a 21-0 lead in Coryell’s debut. Jim Hart threw touchdown passes to Donny Anderson and Mel Gray, and Anderson also rushed for a score.
“The Eagles came after Hart with a vengeance, and the veteran quarterback proceeded to waste them with draws and screens,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Cardinals turnovers (two fumbles and an intercepted pass) helped the Eagles rally. They got within a point, 24-23, in the fourth quarter.
Recent Cardinals clubs might have panicked, but the Coryell Cardinals kept their poise. Hart moved them into position for a Jim Bakken 20-yard field goal, extending the lead to 27-23 with 1:10 to play. When the Eagles’ Tom Sullivan fumbled the ensuing kickoff, the Cardinals recovered. Anderson capped a 34-23 victory with another scoring run, his third touchdown of the game.
Though describing the Eagles as “a poor team,” the Post-Dispatch noted that the Cardinals “showed the ability to move under pressure, to capitalize on opposition mistakes and to make the big offensive play, three areas sadly lacking for them in recent years.”
Anderson, the former Green Bay Packer acquired in a trade for MacArthur Lane, had 66 yards receiving, 58 yards rushing and also was praised by Coryell for his blocking. “He has such a great understanding and concept of our offense,” Coryell told the Post-Dispatch.
Terry Metcalf, a third-round draft choice making his NFL debut, rushed for 133 yards and added another 25 yards with a catch. Plus, “he was blocking on me all afternoon,” Eagles linebacker Dick Cunningham told the Inquirer. “He will stick his head into you.” Video
Coryell said to the Philadelphia Daily News that Metcalf “is quick, tough, agile and has a heart as big as a lion.” Game stats and Game video
In a “rah-rah-sis-boom-bah” locker room celebration after the victory, the Inquirer reported, tight end Jackie Smith presented Coryell with the game ball and said, “This is for the man with the most enthusiasm.”
High praise
After the Cardinals scored 34 points again in winning their home opener against the Redskins, defensive tackle Bob Rowe said to the Post-Dispatch, “We have a confidence in ourselves, a confidence that Coach Coryell built. He has made us believe we’re football players. He has made us respect one another.”
Recalling his days playing for Packers head coach Vince Lombardi, Donny Anderson told Rich Koster of The Sporting News, Lombardi “was more than a coach. He was a man who taught you to become a man. You seemed to grow up faster and accept the responsibilities that you have as a player. In Coach Coryell, I think we have a man who in many respects is like Lombardi. Both loved people, and that’s the biggest thing in relating to players.”
Though the Cardinals faded, finishing 4-9-1 in Coryell’s first season, the players recognized he had changed the clubhouse culture for the better.
“We’ve got great life on our team, as opposed to what it used to be,” linebacker Jamie Rivers said to The Sporting News.
Jim Hart told the publication, Coryell “is a great man. He won’t pull any punches with you privately, but he’ll defend you to the letter publicly.”
In five seasons with Coryell, the Cardinals posted a 42-27-1 record and twice qualified for the playoffs. Those were the Cardinals’ first playoff berths since 1948 and their first division titles since moving from Chicago to St. Louis in 1960.
Coryell continued to have success with the Chargers in San Diego. His overall record as a NFL head coach is 115-89-1. According to the College Football Hall of Fame, Coryell was the first head coach to win 100 games at both the college and pro levels.
Don’s teams were always fun to watch. I wish the Cardinals were still in St. Louis, playing outside…on grass.
Thanks, Bruce.
Don Coryell learned a hard lesson a month later when the winless Eagles went to St. Louis for a rematch on Oct. 14, 1973. The Eagles scored two touchdowns in the final 1:47 of the game and pulled out a 27-24 victory. A mistake by Coryell set up the winning score.
With 55 seconds left, the Cardinals led, 24-20, and had fourth-and two at the Eagles’ 41-yard line. The Eagles had no timeouts remaining. Rather than punt and try to pin the Eagles inside their 10, Coryell went for the first down. The Eagles stuffed Donny Anderson for a 3-yard loss, taking possession at their 44 with 51 seconds remaining.
Roman Gabriel moved the Eagles to the Cardinals’ 24, but only 7 seconds were left. With time for one more play, and needing 24 yards for the TD, Gabriel threw a pass over the middle to rookie Don Zimmerman, who ran into the end zone as time expired.
Regarding his call to try for a first down rather than punt, Coryell told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “I made a bad decision.”
Even though it was long overdue Don Coryell is finally in the Hall of Fame. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that certain aspects of the “West Coast Offense” were developed by Coach Coryell. And what an impressive list of assistants he had under him who in turn would go on to win Super Bowls with their respective teams.
Yes, indeed, Phillip, Don Coryell mentored a stunning array of talented assistants, including Joe Gibbs and John Madden, who, like Coryell, have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as head coaches.
Gibbs and Madden were assistant’s on Coryell’s staff at San Diego State from 1964-66.
Gibbs played for Coryell at San Diego State. Gibbs also was an assistant on Coryell’s staffs with the Cardinals (1973-77) and Chargers (1979-80).
There’s no doubt Coryell devised many aspects of the modern pro passing game. He deflected such talk, saying he adapted concepts from longtime Chargers coach Sid Gillman, but Gibbs told Sports Illustrated in 1996, “It’s hard to say who’s the greatest coach ever, but it would be hard to imagine anybody else doing what Don did.”
I knew nothing about Coryell’s life before “air Coryell” in San Diego. I remember catching the late game on Sundays which many times was the Chargers with Dan Fouts at QB and those amazing receivers. It’s something to stop and think what impact a coach has on his team and the career of players. What incredible praise to compare him to Lombardi! What an underrated coach Coryell. Great article.
I’m glad you appreciated that Donny Anderson quote, Steve. If you ever see a copy of the Vince Lombardi biography by David Maraniss, it is worth getting and reading, because it provides excellent insights into what made Vince Lombardi an excellent coach.
Reblogged this on THE BIG RED ZONE and commented:
Mike Tomasik at RetroSimba.com takes a look at Don Coryell’s first game as head coach of the St. Louis Football Cardinals.
Sorry for the typo on your name! I corrected it on my blog.
Great work, Mark! The players loved Coryell and the guys in St. Louis still talk about him all the time!
Thanks for the insights, Bob. Because of your connections with alumni of the NFL St. Louis Cardinals, it’s especially meaningful to learn from you that Don Coryell was so beloved and respected by them.
For those interested in the NFL Cardinals and their history, check out Bob’s blog. It’s the go-to place for interviews and news about the NFL St. Louis Cardinals: https://thebigredzone.com/author/rob940/