Hank Stram dead

Hall of Fame coach Hank Stram dies at 82

By KEVIN MCGILL
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

<!--BEGIN ARTICLE-->NEW ORLEANS -- Hank Stram, who took the Kansas City Chiefs to two Super Bowls and was known for his inventive game plans, died Monday, his son said. He was 82.

Stram had been in declining health for several years and Dale Stram attributed his father's death to complications from diabetes. He died at St. Tammany Parish Hospital, near his home in Covington, across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans. He had built a home there during his two-year stint as coach of the Saints and retired there.

"Pro football has lost one of its most innovative and creative coaches and one of its most innovative and creative personalities as well," Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt said in a telephone interview.

Stram was the Chiefs' first coach. He took over the expansion Dallas Texans of the upstart AFL in 1960 and coached them through 1974, moving with them to Kansas City where they were renamed the Chiefs in 1963.

The gregarious, stocky, blazer-wearing Stram carried a rolled up game plan in his hand as he paced the sidelines. He led the Chiefs to AFL titles in 1962, '66 and '69 and to appearances in two of the first four Super Bowls, beating Minnesota in 1970.

He was credited with the two-tight end offense that provided an extra blocker.

Stram was the first coach to wear a microphone during a Super Bowl and Stram's sideline antics, captured by NFL Films, helped bring the league into the video age.

Stram later coached two seasons with the Saints and enjoyed a successful second career in CBS' television and Monday Night Football radio booths as an analyst.

"Everything he did in his life he was so passionate about," said his son, Stu.

Stram was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003. The then-80-year-old had to be pushed onto the stage in a wheelchair and his induction speech was videotaped.

Len Dawson, the Hall of Fame quarterback who played under Stram at Kansas City, also called him an innovator.

"He was responsible for doing a lot of the things in the '60s that teams are still using now," said Dawson, citing the moving pocket and the triple stack defense.

"His whole life was football that's what he was born for, I think. He had a passion for it, not just a liking," Dawson said. "He was really sincere when he talked about the team being a family. Everybody really loved him."

Wow...Sad indeed...

Hank was the second AFL coach to win the Super Bowl IV over the Vikings....does anyone know if he was still doing the radio broadcasts?

Ooops Suber Bowl III Weeb Eubank

Very sorry to hear that, I always liked Hank, especially his refreshing style as head coach of the then very good KC Chiefs, I remember Super Bowl 4 when his Chiefs beat up a very good Vikings team.



RIP - Hank Stram.


wil.

Who could ever forget Hank with the live microphone, calling plays with his rolled up playbook in hand....'Atta way boys, way to go boys'

...he seemed like quite a character as head coach.

Will never forget

"65 Toss Power Trap"

RIP Coach Stram

The 65 toss-power trap play that the Chiefs scored on against Minnesota was one of his finest.............
Stram was miked up and was blowing his horn for making that call that scored.


Can still hear him, " Coach call that one boys.........huh......... huh boys........hey rats, how bout that call......................65 toss-power trap woo-hoo............."

CLASSIC.

moethepuppy said:

Will never forget

"65 Toss Power Trap"

RIP Coach Stram

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"65 Toss Power Trap"
Im sure ESPN classic will show the SB4 highlight film it was the first time a coach was mic for a big game. I remember one time he was mic the ref made a bad call and he look at Len Dawson and said

"Their killing us Lenny their killing us"

The 1969 Chiefs

The Chiefs outscored their opponents, 359 to 177 points, and had been beaten only three times, by Cincinnati, 24-19, and Oakland, 24-17 and 10-6 that season. It was Mike Garrett who scored from the 5 yard line on "65 Cross Over Trap" to give the Chiefs a 16-0 lead at the half over the Vikes in SB IV. Stram called the play. A nice piece of NFL lore.


wil.

EVery year, a couple more well knowns in sports pass on.......

I think that's a sign that we are all getting older! hno:

loved hank,"looks like its going to be a run to the right jack"

I loved Stram. A buddy of mine's wife (whose dad was an NFL assistant for many years) used to babysit for Stram's kids back in the day. She has some great stories.

I remember seeing Hank Stram at Arrowhead Stadium when my cross country coach took a bunch of us down to Springfield, MO to see the Div. II Natl. Cross Country championships in November '74. We stopped in Kansas City on the way back. It was the first time a lot of us had been away from our parents. I remember hearing Billy Joel's "Piano Man" on the radio.

But I digress. The bunch of us decided to stop by Arrowhead to see what we could see. They had a restaurant there that was open to the public so we went in and sat down and watched the Chiefs practice. Old Hank was atop a "cherrypicker" barking out plays.

Later on that night we were walking downtown KC. Our coach asked us where we wanted to go. Of course I chime in "let's go down there" which was the street in front of the titty bars. So the coach says let's go. We walked into the titty bars and the manager, seeing a bunch of high school kids, walked over to rush us out. We just kept doing that in all the bars down the line. Some of the strippers laughed.

But his Super Bowl System lives on.

He's an absolute legend, and that's the only way to look at it.

TTinCO said:

He's an absolute legend, and that's the only way to look at it.

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This brings up a long standing debate between KC fans and Florida State Seminoles fans....Who actually started the "War Chant?" ..... as a FSU alumn I still believe it was in KC?

Glak, I've always been a big KC fan, but had never heard that in my life-interesting though.

On an unrelated note, I've never heard anything as loud as the 3rd row on the 45 yard line of a KC Monday night game. Not only was my entire body shaking, I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my face.

I spent 5 yrs going to Nebraska games, and that was nothing. The "Arrowhead experience" is something much, much different".

TTinCO said:

Glak, I've always been a big KC fan, but had never heard that in my life-interesting though.

On an unrelated note, I've never heard anything as loud as the 3rd row on the 45 yard line of a KC Monday night game. Not only was my entire body shaking, I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my face.

I spent 5 yrs going to Nebraska games, and that was nothing. The "Arrowhead experience" is something much, much different".

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Yes I've heard the same about Arrowhead and experienced the same on the student side at Doak Campbell Stadium a few times...there is a long standing question of where the chant originated...I think the debate started with the Braves success in the 90's .... I have heard that it was started in KC in the 60's ...which really isn't that hard to confirm if you find the right guy/gal.