Jack Faulkner

Jack Faulkner (April 4, 1926 – September 28, 2008) was an American football coach and administrator who most prominently served as head coach of the American Football League's Denver Broncos from 1962 to 1964. He also has been an integral part of the Los Angeles Rams organization, dating back to the team's first tenure in LA

Faulkner served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II, then married Betty Lou Mackey in 1946. Playing the first of two seasons at linebacker for Miami University under head coach Sid Gillman proved to be a boon to Faulkner's future. When Gillman was hired as head coach at the University of Cincinnati in 1949, he brought Faulkner along and spent the next six seasons in that position with the Bearcats.

In January 1955, Gillman moved into the professional ranks when he was hired as head coach of the Los Angeles Rams, with the mentor again asking Faulkner to join him. The pair spent five years trying to return the team to its early success in the decade and reached the NFL Championship game in their first year. However, by 1959, the team had slumped to a 2-10 record, with Gillman announcing his resignation at the end of the season.

When Gillman accepted the head coaching reins of the fledgling Los Angeles Chargers of the AFL on January 7, 1960, he hired Faulkner two weeks later. The team won two conference championships, but fell short in both title games against the Houston Oilers. Faulkner's defense in 1961 was outstanding, with the Chargers (who now resided in San Diego) intercepting a professional record 49 opposing passes.

That success resulted in Faulkner being hired as head coach of the Broncos on February 1, 1962. He then added the title of general manager when Dean Griffing was fired five months later, and after Faulkner took over, the team made two prominent efforts to change its image. The first involved switching the team's colors from its original brown and gold to the fondly remembered orange, blue and white, while the latter involved the public burning of the team's vertically striped socks in July. The socks had been roundly criticized and remain a part of dubious lore in professional football history. In later years, to commemorate the team's history, Faulkner sent one of the only socks left that was saved from the fire to the Pro Football Hame of Fame

...
Wikipedia