Sam Rutigliano
Rutigliano around 1979 at the Cleveland Browns practice facility
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| Sport(s) | Football |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
July 1, 1933 Brooklyn, New York |
| Alma mater | Tulsa |
| Playing career | |
| 1951–1952 | Tennessee |
| 1954–1955 | Tulsa |
| Position(s) | End |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1956–1958 | Brooklyn (NY) Lafayette HS |
| 1959–1961 | Greenwich (CT) HS |
| 1962–1963 | Chappaqua (NY) Greeley HS |
| 1964–1965 | Connecticut (DB) |
| 1966 | Maryland (WR) |
| 1967–1970 | Denver Broncos (WR) |
| 1971–1973 | New England Patriots (OB/WR) |
| 1974–1975 | New York Jets (DB) |
| 1976–1977 | New Orleans Saints (WR) |
| 1978–1984 | Cleveland Browns |
| 1989–1999 | Liberty |
| 2000–2003 | Barcelona Dragons (OA) |
| 2004 | Scottish Claymores (OA) |
| 2005–2006 | Hamburg Sea Devils (OA) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 47–50 (NFL) 67–53 (college) |
Sam William Rutigliano (born July 1, 1933) is a former NFL and college football coach and current television football analyst for WEWS, the ABC affiliate in Cleveland.
Rutigliano, the son of Italian immigrants, played high school football at Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn. He played college football at Tennessee, where he roomed with future professional wrestling star Lou Albano, and Tulsa. He coached at the high school level in New York. This included a stint at Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua, NY where he served as athletic director and tried unsuccessfully to change the school's nickname from "Quakers" to the more masculine sounding "Falcons". He then coached at the college level at Connecticut as defensive backs coach from 1964 to 1965 and Maryland as wide receivers coach in 1966 before landing a professional football assistant coaching job with the American Football League's Denver Broncos in 1967. He would be an assistant with the New England Patriots, New York Jets, and New Orleans Saints over the next 11 years before being given the head coaching job for the Cleveland Browns in 1978.
Over the next six years, Rutigliano was the coach of the famed "Kardiac Kids" Browns. He led the 1980 Browns to the AFC Central Division Championship. The final play of the Browns' playoff game with the Oakland Raiders would be the most memorable moment in Rutigliano's coaching career. Down 14–12 and within field goal range, Rutigliano decided to run one more play rather than kick a game-winning field goal. The play, called "Red Right 88", resulted in a game-ending interception. Despite the early playoff exit, Rutigliano received NFL Coach of the Year honors for the 1980 season.
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