Former Chicago Bears head coach Dick Jauron dies at 74

Dick Jauron, who coached the Chicago Bears for five seasons from 1999 to 2003 and won the NFC Central in 2001, died on Saturday. He was 74.

A Massachusetts newspaper reported that Jauron had recently been diagnosed with cancer.

Jauron was hired by the Bears in 1999 after a coaching search that saw the Bears announce Dave McGinnis as head coach before a deal had even been finalized.

Jauron, however, ended up with the job after a stint as the defensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars. He took over from Dave Wannstedt, who had posted consecutive 4-12 seasons in 1997-98.

A product of the Tom Coughlin coaching tree, Jauron posted only one winning season out of five in Chicago, but the 13-3 campaign in 2001 was a memorable one.

And while he was saddled with notable Bears draft busts like Cade McNown, Curtis Enis and David Terrell, Jauron was also the first coach for many members of the 2007 Super Bowl defense including Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Mike Brown, Alex Brown and Charles Tillman.

Jauron was fired in 2003 after a 7-9 season and an overall record of 35-45. He would later serve as head coach of the Buffalo Bills starting in 2006, going 24-33 in three-and-a-half seasons. His final stop in the NFL was as defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns in 2011-12.

A native of Peoria, Ill., Jauron attended Yale and was a senior running back when Bears legend Gary Fencik entered the school as a freshman. He played eight seasons in the NFL as a safety for the Lions and Bengals, making the Pro Bowl in 1974.

Jauron’s death comes just two days after the death of Chicago Bears owner Virginia Halas McCaskey at age 102.

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