Bud Carson dies at 75

[Bob_R]

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) - Bud Carson, the architect of Pittsburgh's "Steel Curtain" defense who later coached the Cleveland Browns, died Wednesday. He was 75.


Carson, who had been ill with emphysema, died at his home, according to his wife's employer, TV station WWSB.

Carson was the Steelers' defensive coordinator from 1972-77, and shaped a defense led by Joe Greene, Jack Ham and Jack Lambert into one of the best in NFL history. During that time, the Steelers won three Super Bowl titles under coach Chuck Noll.

Carson then became defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams, who lost to the Steelers in the Super Bowl after the 1979 season. He coached the Browns in 1989-90, posting a 11-13-1 record in 1 1/2 seasons.

Cleveland won the AFC Central in his first season, beating Buffalo 34-30 in the playoffs before losing to Denver 37-31 in the AFC championship game. He was fired the next year when the team got off to a 2-7 start.

Carson also coached Georgia Tech from 1967-71, posting a 27-27 record, including a win in the 1970 Sun Bowl.

He was a defensive back at North Carolina from 1949-51 before spending two years in the Marines.

[POJO_Risin]

Wow...can't believe it was that long ago that he coached the Browns...I think he was the coach JUST before Belichek...not sure though...

Here's to ya Bud...

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Greatest defense of all time...

Fuck the Ravens...

Fuck the Bears...

[POJO_Risin]

Not even close...and was that damn good...for a decade...

and 4 titles...

not the fucking faggotty single season stops in Baltimore and Chicago...

Not even close...

[twonabomber]

Originally posted by POJO_Risin
Wow...can't believe it was that long ago that he coached the Browns...I think he was the coach JUST before Belichek...not sure though...

Here's to ya Bud...

almost right. Jim Shofner was interim coach after Carson got fired. Belichick was after that.

this was on the Browns site...

The 1988 season, a tumultuous one because of a seemingly never-ending series of injuries at quarterback, ended with the wild-card Browns losing 24-23 to the Houston Oilers at home in the first round of the playoffs.

Three days later, an ever-widening rift between Marty Schottenheimer and Art Modell came to a head when the then Browns owner fired the coach. Frustrated over his team getting close to the Super Bowl only to be turned away - the Browns had gone to the playoffs four straight years and made it to the AFC title game twice - Modell sought someone who could bridge that gap.

That someone, he was convinced, was Carson, who is the father of the cover 2 defense, or two-deep zone, used so prominently today by NFL clubs.

"I have never been involved in a more exhaustive search for a head coach," Modell said at the time. "We wanted to make sure we studied the whole field, and when we did, Carson became the clear-cut choice. We are absolutely confident that Bud Carson is the right man to help us make the next step, which is to win the league championship - and hopefully, more than one. He is an honorable and hard-working man whose capabilities as a coach are readily evident in his defenses' accomplishments."