Ex-Bears Defensive Coordinator Buddy Ryan Dies At 82

Buddy Ryan, the defensive guru who helped guide the Chicago Bears to their only Super Bowl victory in 1986, died Tuesday morning, the team confirmed. He was 82.

Ex-Bears Defensive Coordinator Buddy Ryan Dies At 82

Ryan served as head coach Mike Ditka’s defensive coordinator during the 1985-86 season, and helped build the now-famous “46 Defense” that remains one of the most dominant in NFL history. That season, the Bears lost only one regular-season game, rolled through the playoffs and defeated the New England Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX in New Orleans.

“Buddy was way ahead of his time,” Ditka told the Chicago Sun-Times. “What he did was so innovative. It took not only guts, courage, knowledge — it took a lot to do what he did, and he did it. And he was successful.

“He never backed away. The Bears defense became part of history, and was a main reason why the ’85 Bears were the ’85 Bears.”

Ryan’s agent, James Solano, said he died in Kentucky, where he lived on a ranch in Shelbyville, but did not give a cause. Funeral services are scheduled for Friday in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky.

Ryan coached for 35 seasons in the NFL, including stints as head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles– whom he joined after the 1985 season– and the Arizona Cardinals. He joined Chicago as defensive coordinator in 1978 before taking the Eagles head coaching job in 1986 after the Bear’s national championship win. He began his 33-year coaching career in 1961 as a defensive line coach with the University of Buffalo.

“He was innovative with the way he coached defense, but his whole philosophy with football was, ‘You’ve gotta attack people,” said Ditka, who added that he and Ryan were a good fit for each other in part because they were a good fit for the Bears. “You attack people on defense.’”

ESPN– which released a documentary earlier this year detailing Ryan’s relationship with his defense during the 1985 season– reported he had suffered a stroke and was battling cancer.

Ditka stated he last saw Ryan approximately six to eight months ago.

“I knew he wasn’t doing good, but I didn’t know it was this bad,” he said. “I’m really sorry to hear he’s gone.”

Former Bears Dan Hampton, Gary Fencik and Lenny Walterscheid visited Ryan in early May.

“I played for Lou Holtz, I played for Jimmy Johnson, I played for Mike Ditka,” Hampton said. “They’re all Hall of Fame, incredible coaches, but there will never be anyone like Buddy Ryan.”

When he visited Ryan in May, Fencik brought the letter that he and Alan Page wrote to Bears founder and owner George Halas, nicknamed “Papa Bear,” in 1981, in which they begged Halas to keep the beloved defensive coach on staff. They read it to Ryan.

“He was smiling,” said Hampton, the Hall of Fame defensive lineman. “He had gotten to where he could barely talk, but you could tell by his eyes. He was so excited.”

Hampton also added that Ryan suffered two bouts of cancer, a stroke and two falls, and acknowledged how tough the old coach was.

Ditka said the two will always be linked, despite their complicated relationship.

“Was our relationship rosy all the time? No, but it was respectful, and I think that’s what’s important,” Ditka said. The pair of coaches were carried off the field after the Super Bowl victory.

“Buddy Ryan was the architect of the greatest defense our league has seen,” Bears chairman George McCaskey said in a statement. “He was brilliant when it came to the X’s and O’s of the game, but what made him special was his ability to create an unwavering confidence in the players he coached. From the day he was hired in 1978, his defenses bought into more than the scheme, they bought into him and took on his personality.”

McCaskey’s statement continued: “Buddy was brash, intelligent and tough. He was a perfect match for our city and team, which is why George Halas took the extraordinary step of keeping him at the behest of his defensive players while transitioning to a new coaching staff in 1982. We will always be grateful for Buddy’s contribution to the Bears. He is one of the team’s all-time greats. Our prayers are with his family.”

Ryan’s son, Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan, also praised him.

“He was many things to many people — outstanding coach, mentor, fierce competitor, father figure, faithful friend and the list goes on,” Rex Ryan, said Tuesday in a statement. “But to me and my brothers Rob and Jim, he was so much more. He was everything you want in a dad — tough when he had to be, compassionate when you didn’t necessarily expect it, and a loving teacher and confidant who cherished his family. He truly was our hero.”

Ryan also has two other sons, Bills assistant coach Rob and attorney Jim. 

Born James David Ryan in Frederick, Oklahoma in 1934, the coach was a Korean War veteran who went to Oklahoma State, then got a master’s degree from Middle Tennessee State even while coaching.

Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera, a member of the ’85 Bears, tweeted his condolences following Ryan’s death.

PHOTO: ORCHARD PARK, NY – SEPTEMBER 13: Former NFL Head Coach Buddy Ryan watches the Buffalo Bills and the Indianapolis Colts warm up before the game at Ralph Wilson Stadium on September 13, 2015 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)