Jim Hanifan
 Hanifan in 2016 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | September 21, 1933 Compton, California, U.S. |
| Died: | November 24, 2020 (aged 87) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| College: | California |
| Career history | |
| As a player: | |
| |
| As a coach: | |
| |
| Head coaching record | |
| Regular season: | 39–53–1 (.425) |
| Postseason: | 0–1 (.000) |
| Career: | 39–54–1 (.420) |
| Coaching stats at PFR | |
James Martin Michael Hanifan (September 21, 1933 – November 24, 2020) was an American professional football player and coach. He served as the head coach for the St. Louis Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) from 1980 to 1985 and as interim head coach for the NFL's Atlanta Falcons for four games in 1989, compiling a record of 39–53–1.
Hanifan played
Playing career
Hanifan played
Coaching career
From 1959 to 1965, he coached at the high school (Charter Oak High School) and junior college level, he developed a reputation as an outstanding teacher and an offensive line guru.[3]
He was an assistant coach at
Hanifan went 39–49–1 in his six seasons with the Cardinals, leading St. Louis to the 16-team playoff tournament during the strike-shortened 1982 season. The "Gridbirds" went 8–7–1 in 1983 with a victory over the eventual Super Bowl champion
Hanifan resumed his coaching career as an assistant coach with the Atlanta Falcons (1987–1989), and he served as the interim head coach when Marion Campbell was fired. He spent seven seasons as offensive line coach for the Washington Redskins (1990–1996) and St. Louis Rams (1997–2003) before retiring.[7]
Head coaching record
| Team | Year | Regular Season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| SLC | 1980 | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 4th in NFC East | – | – | – | – |
| SLC | 1981 | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 5th in NFC East | – | – | – | – |
| SLC | 1982 | 5 | 4 | 0 | .556 | 6th in NFC | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to Green Bay Packers in NFC First round game. |
| SLC | 1983 | 8 | 7 | 1 | .531 | 3rd in NFC East | – | – | – | – |
| SLC | 1984 | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3rd in NFC East | – | – | – | – |
| SLC | 1985 | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 5th in NFC East | – | – | – | – |
| SLC Total | 39 | 49 | 1 | .444 | 0 | 1 | .000 | |||
| ATL | 1989 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .000 | 4th in NFC West | – | – | – | – |
| ATL Total | 0 | 4 | 0 | .000 | 4th in NFC West | – | – | – | ||
| Total | 39 | 53 | 1 | .425 | 0 | 1 | .000 | |||
Commentator career
From 2004 to 2008, Hanifan was a color commentator for the Rams radio broadcast team and hosted a weekly show on St. Louis station KLOU. During his time in the booth, Hanifan was known for praising and critiquing players, a style that was described as a "refreshing, straight-from-the-gut manner rarely heard anymore".[8] Effective for the Rams' 2009 move to 101 ESPN, Hanifan has been replaced as the lead color commentator by former Super Bowl champion D'Marco Farr, and has been relegated to the analyst role on the pregame and postgame shows. The move has caused quite a stir among St. Louisans, inspiring several negatively toned articles by St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Dan Caesar, begging the Rams to reinstate Hanifan to the broadcast booth, his argument being that Rams fans will not listen to the broadcasts if Hanifan is not there. In August 2011, Hanifan's role was reduced further to a Thursday evening piece and a taped preview played during the pre-game.[8]
Autobiography
Hanifan wrote an autobiography recounting his career titled "Beyond X's and O's: My Thirty Years in Football." He also produced a series of instructional videos on offensive line play.[9]
Death
Hanifan died on November 24, 2020, in St. Louis, Missouri, at age 87.[2]
See also
References
- ^ "James Hanifan football statistics on StatsCrew.com".
- ^ a b Forber, J.B. (2020-11-25). "Jim Hanifan, legendary coach with the Big Red and Rams, dies at age 87". stltoday.com. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
- ^ "Jim Hanifan – Missouri Sports Hall of Fame". Retrieved 2024-03-18.
- ^ "Longtime offensive line coaching great Jim Hanifan dies at 87". NFL.com. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
- ^ "St. Louis Cardinals - 1985 Season Recap". RetroSeasons. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
- ^ Jenkins, Lee (February 2, 2009), "Woe, Be Gone", Sports Illustrated, pp. 48–50
- ^ Moore, Tim. "Jim Hanifan". St Louis Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
- ^ a b Caesar, Dan (August 12, 2011). "Hanifan sacked again on Rams broadcasts". stltoday.com. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved August 12, 2011.
- ^ "Pass Protection The Cone Drill by Jim Hanifan former NFL Offensive Line Coach". gridironstrategies.com. Retrieved 2024-03-18.