Dick Nolan, who coached the Saints from 1978-80, died on Sunday at the age of 75.
He had been under care for Alzheimer disease and prostate cancer, spending the past few months in an assisted-care facility in the Dallas area near where he and his wife, Ann, had lived in the longtime family homes.
Mike Nolan, son of Dick who now coaches the 49ers, was on the sidelines for the 49ers' Monday Night Football game against Seattle. Mike traveled to Texas to be with his father last Friday and Saturday.
Nolan was head coach of the 49ers and an assistant with the Cowboys before replacing Hank Stram as coach of the Saints. Nola had been quite successful in San Francisco before some poor drafts did him in. His days in Dallas had been productive also. He and Tom Landry had created and introduced the flex defense to the world. He was going to bring this famous defensive philosophy to the Saints.
The Saints were 7-9 in 1978 and Archie Manning was named a Pro Bowl quarterback. His 7 wins were two more than any previous Saints coach had racked up and equaled Stram's two-year total. Nolan had his contract extended three years and a raise to $250,000 annually.
Nolan's steady hand and hard work made him popular with the players. All he needed was a good draft to plug a few holes. Unfortunately, the draft was a disaster: A product of miscalculation and bad information from the scouts, resulting in sorry selections. With their No. 1 draft pick, the Saints selected a kicker-punter, Russell Erxleben from Texas. Erxleben reported he had a bulging disc in his back and was always in pain. He was a bust as a draft choice.
Problems were simmering in the locker room and eventually boiled over into serious and violent fights. Puffs of smoke were seen erupting from owner John Mecom's collar. He expressed confidence in Nolan, but dissatisfaction with his players' efforts.
The following week, Nolan delivered on a promise he made to Mecom before the start of the season. Nolan said he would win more games than the 1978 team and he finished 8-8 with safety Tommy Meyers, running back Chuck Muncie, wide receiver Wes Chandler, tight end Henry Childs and Manning going to the Pro Bowl. "I know exactly what we have to do to win," said Nolan.
Maybe Nolan knew, but Mecom didn't and the owner brought in Steve Rosenbloom as general manager. Rosenbloom had lost out with the Rams after his father drowned and his step-mother, Georgia, assumed ownership of the team.
Nolan's control was so complete that if Mecom wanted to prevent him from making a football decision, the only way he could do it was to fire the coach. Nolan took Rosenbloom to his office and asked if he had read the3 coach's contract. He had not. Mecom prevailed on his coach to make a deal, to relinquish enough control of football operations to give Rosenbloom a reason for being there. Nolan got a contract extension and a raise.
The use of cocaine was becoming more serious among the players. It affected the team badly. There were battles off the field among the Saints. Nolan's desk resembled an apothecary with several prescription medications, which he took for his nerves. Times were tough in Saints camp and the cocaine-induced explosions of several players had everyone on edge.
Game 12 was on Monday Night Football when the whole world saw Nolan's final Saints game. After the game against the Rams, Rosenbloom told Nolan he was finished. Nolan, ever the stoic, returned to David Drive (where the practice field was then), cleaned out his desk and went home. Nolan said Mecom could have his job, but not the $7,000 Rolex watch he had given him.
"Dick Nolan was a class guy, a good coach," said Mecom.
Nolan coached the 49ers for eight seasons after leaving the Dallas staff. The 49ers had little postseason history when Nolan arrived in `968. "The chemistry began to change when Dick Nolan showed up," said former 49ers quarterback John Brodie. "He was as tough as any man I've ever known when it comes to effort expended."
Near the end of his tenure with the 49ers, fans who had once cheered him as their savior instead cheered for his departure.
"That was the toughest time, but that is the life of a coach," said Mike Nolan. "My dad never took it personally, and he didn't take it personally when it happened again in New Orleans."
Nolan was born in Pittsburgh and moved to White Plains, N.Y., when he was 10. He was a quarterback at Maryland and the Giants drafted him in the fourth round of the 1954 draft.
He spent nine seasons as an NFL defensive back, seven with the Giants and one each with the Chicago Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys.
In a recent interview with the Orlando Sentinel, former Giants linebacker Sam Huff told of a play in which Nolan tackled the legendary Jim Brown.
"I thought Jim Brown killed him," said Huff. "I picked up Dick Nolan, and his eyes were rolled back in his head. I said, 'Dick you got him. Great tackle! He looked at me and said, 'Great tackle? Sam, I couldn't get out of his way,' "
It was on those Giants teams of the '50s that Nolan and Landry, a defensive back, became good friends. Nolan once said he thought of Landry as an older brother, and their friendship helped launch Nolan's coaching career. Landry became the first head coach of the Cowboys in 1960, and he hired Nolan as a defensive assistant.
Nolan wore a suit and tie on the sideline as head coach, as Landry did. A generation later, Mike Nolan occasionally has donned similar attire to honor his father.
"Other than my father," said linebacker Jim Kovich, who played for Nolan with the 49ers and Saints, "Coach Nolan influenced my life more than nayone else."
"I had my two best years in pro football when Dick was head coach of the Saints," said former Saints quarterback Archie Manning. "He was good to me and a hell of a man.
"I'm sad. I though Dick was a great player. I grew up a Giants fan with quarterback Charley Connerly, and I knew Dick was in that bunch. Dick was a really good coach and an all-round good guy."
"What a great guy," said Saints equipment manager Dan Simmons. "He's one of my all-time favorites and I've worked for a lot of Saints coches. He was like family, a humble guy. The wayhe treated everybody, whether it was an equipment guy, groundskeeper or secretary. I consider myself fortunate to have worked for him."
Nolan scouted and enjoyed retirement before his healh worsened. In his final months, he was visited by many iof his former players. In September, 49ers Hall of Fameers Dave Wilcox and Jimmy Johnson joined Len Rhode and Ed Beard for an afternoon of reminiscing -- and Nolan recognized them.
"My father kind of lit up when he saw them, and he doesn't do that very often," said Mike Nolan.
When Nolan was with the Saints, he didn't have a radio or TV show and didn't talk much to persons he didn't know. We called him "Mute Rockne."
