Dick Nolan (football)
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Dick Nolan (born Richard Charles Nolan on March 26, 1932 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is the father of Mike Nolan and a former head coach of the San Francisco 49ers in the '60s and '70s.
In his youth, he was a fine quarterback at White Plains High School and later a standout at the University of Maryland. In the NFL, he played for a total of nine seasons (1954-62) in the defensive halfback, safety, and defensive back positions. In 1954, he was drafted to the New York Giants in the team's fourth-round pick, the 41st overall. He later went on to play for the Chicago Cardinals (now known as the Arizona Cardinals) and the Dallas Cowboys as well. He retired from playing after the 1962 football season.
For six seasons, he was an assistant to Coach Tom Landry in Dallas, and afterwards, he was head coach of the 49ers for eight seasons from 1968 through 1975, noted for developing the defense and taking the team to three straight first-place division finishes (1970-72), twice missing the Super Bowl by only one game (1970-71). Additionally, he was head coach for the New Orleans Saints from 1978-80 going 15-29-0. He was the first Saints head coach to win 6, 7, and 8 games in a single season. Going 7-9-0 in 1978, 8-8-0 in 1979, 0-12-0 in 1980, fired after week 12.
In 2005, his son, Mike, was signed with the 49ers to be head coach, following in his father's footsteps.
| Preceded by: Hank Stram |
New Orleans Saints Head Coaches 1978–1980 |
Succeeded by: Bum Phillips |
| Preceded by: Jack Christiansen |
San Francisco 49ers Head Coaches 1968–1975 |
Succeeded by: Monte Clark |
| New Orleans Saints Head Coaches |
|---|
| Fears • Roberts • North • Hefferle • Stram • D. Nolan • Stanfel • B. Phillips • W. Phillips • Mora Sr. • Venturi • Ditka • Haslett • Payton |
| San Francisco 49ers Head Coaches |
|---|
| Shaw • Strader • Albert • Hickey • Christiansen • D. Nolan • Clark • Meyer • McCulley • O'Connor • Walsh • Seifert • Mariucci • Erickson • M. Nolan |
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Categories: American football coach stubs | 1932 births | Living people | People from Pittsburgh | American football safeties | Maryland Terrapins football players | New York Giants players | Chicago Cardinals players | Dallas Cowboys players | Dallas Cowboys coaches | San Francisco 49ers coaches | New Orleans Saints coaches
