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Ted Marchibroda

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Ted Marchibroda
refer to caption
Marchibroda in 1996
No. 17, 18, 7
Position:Quarterback
Personal information
Born:(1931-03-15)March 15, 1931
Franklin, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died:January 16, 2016(2016-01-16) (aged 84)
Weems, Virginia, U.S.
Career information
College:St. Bonaventure (1950-1951)
Detroit (1952)
NFL draft:1953 / round: 1 / pick: 5
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
TD–INT:16–29
Passing yards:2,169
Passer rating:45.3
Stats at Pro Football Reference
Head coaching record
Regular season:87–98–1 (.470)
Postseason:2–4 (.333)
Career:89–102–1 (.466)
Record at Pro Football Reference

Theodore Joseph Marchibroda (March 15, 1931 – January 16, 2016) was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL).[1] He played four years in the NFL as a quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers (1953, 1955–1956) and Chicago Cardinals (1957). He was later head coach of the Colts in two different cities and decades, first in Baltimore during the 1970s and then Indianapolis during the 1990s. Upon joining the Baltimore Ravens in 1996, he became the only individual to serve as head coach with both of Baltimore's NFL teams and gained the unusual distinction of having three stints as an NFL head coach for two franchises in two cities, but with no two of those tenures being for the same franchise in the same city. His career NFL head coaching record was 87–98–1 (.470) and 2–4 in the playoffs.

Early life

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Ted Marchibroda was born on March 15, 1931, in Franklin, Pennsylvania. He attended Franklin High School, where he played football, basketball, and golf.[2] Marchibroda was a gifted quarterback in football, playing four years of varsity. As a senior he earned Northwest Pennsylvania All-Star honors. In basketball, Marchibroda played three years of varsity and was named to the Pennsylvania All-State Team as a senior. In 1949, he was noted by an Erie, Pennsylvania sportswriter as "one of the greatest all-around athletes in Northwestern Pennsylvania history."[3][4]

Playing career

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College career

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Marchibroda began his college football career at Saint Bonaventure University, where he played quarterback from 1950-1951.[5] In 1950, Marchibroda led St. Bonaventure to a 7-2 record and finished third in the small college standings with 95 completions on the season.[6] In 1951, Marchibroda and St. Bonaventure went 5-4, but he continued to rank high in the collegiate passing statistics with 72 completions on 170 attempts for 1,146 yards.[7] A notable matchup that season came when Marchibroda led St. Bonaventure to a 22-21 victory over the University of Louisville, whose freshman quarterback Johnny Unitas was making his collegiate debut.[8]

Following the 1951 season, St. Bonaventure suspended operations of its football team. Marchibroda left the school and joined the University of Detroit (now University of Detroit Mercy) for the 1952 football season.[9]

At Detroit, Marchibroda continued to excel at quarterback. Despite the team going 3-6 on the season, Marchibroda gained national acclaim for his play. In a late season loss to Tulsa, Marchibroda set a then-collegiate record with 390 passing yards.[10] Marchibroda led college players in total offense on the season with 1,813 yards. Marchibroda left college with several college and Missouri Valley Conference records.

Marchibroda served as the starting quarterback for the North team in the 1952 Blue–Gray Football Classic, where his squad lost to the South 28-7.[11] He was named the North's outstanding player of the game.[12]

Professional career

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Marchibroda was selected in the first round of 1953 NFL draft by his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers as the fifth overall pick and the first quarterback selected. Marchibroda was reunited with Steelers head coach Joe Bach, who previously coached him at St. Bonaventure.[13] Marchibroda backed up quarterbacks Jim Finks and Bill Mackrides during the 1953 season, only appearing in four games.[14]

1953 Bowman football card

Marchibroda missed the 1954 season while serving in the U.S. Army and returned to the Steelers after his discharge in 1955. He again served as a backup quarterback, with seven appearances and two touchdown passes on the season.[14] In 1956, Finks departed the Steelers, leaving Marchibroda to compete for the starting quarterback position. In his lone starting season, Marchibroda went 4-7 as a starter with 124 completions on 275 attempts for 1,585 passing yards and 12 touchdowns. He also rushed 39 times that season for 152 yards and two rushing touchdowns.[14]

Marchibroda finished his professional playing career with the Chicago Cardinals in 1957, again serving as a backup. In 23 career appearances, Marchibroda went 174-385 on passes, with 2,169 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 29 interceptions.[14]

Coaching career

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Marchibroda began his coaching career in 1961 as an assistant for the Washington Redskins under Bill McPeak before joining the Los Angeles Rams in 1966 under first-year head coach George Allen.[15] He went with Allen to the Redskins in 1971 and was the offensive coordinator.

Marchibroda's first head coaching appointment was with the Baltimore Colts beginning on January 15, 1975.[16] Inheriting a 2–12 ballclub that was one of the two worst in the NFL in 1974, he led one of the two biggest turnarounds in pro football history when the Colts ended the 1975 regular season at 10–4 and qualified for the playoffs by winning the AFC East title for the first of three consecutive years.[17] All three postseason appearances ended in divisional round losses, first to the Steelers in both 1975 and 1976 and the Oakland Raiders in 1977.

His time with the Baltimore Colts nearly lasted only a season when he resigned on September 5, 1976, in response to team owner Robert Irsay verbally abusing his players after a loss in the final preseason match to the Detroit Lions at the Pontiac Silverdome three nights earlier on September 2. Marchibroda was also at odds with general manager Joe Thomas over player personnel decisions. He was rehired two days later on September 7 after offensive and defensive coordinators Whitey Dovell and Maxie Baughan threatened to quit and the players considered boycotting practice, all in support of Marchibroda.[18][19]

His five years as Colts head coach concluded with a pair of 5–11 last-place finishes in 1978 and 1979. The team was crippled by Irsay's acrimonious contract disputes with Lydell Mitchell and John Dutton which resulted in the players being traded to the San Diego Chargers and Dallas Cowboys respectively, Bert Jones' shoulder injuries that limited him to only seven games within those last two seasons and three years of questionable drafts. Marchibroda was relieved of his duties on December 27, 1979.[20] He was succeeded by Mike McCormack on January 17, 1980.[21]

After a one-year hiatus, he served as quarterbacks coach for the Chicago Bears in 1981 and offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions in 1982 and 1983 and the Philadelphia Eagles in 1984 and 1985.[22]

Marchibroda served as the quarterbacks coach and later offensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills under head coach Marv Levy from 1987 to 1991.[23] As offensive coordinator for the Bills, he was influential in the evolution of the hurry-up offense. Levy, Marchibroda, and quarterback Jim Kelly used their version of the hurry-up offense, the "K-Gun" offense, more than any previous offense. Kelly would hurry to the line of scrimmage, preventing the defense from making substitutions, and called audibles at the line. The NFL later imposed a rule that allowed time for defense substitutions if the offense made substitutions, except after the two-minute warning of either half.[24]

Marchibroda returned to the Colts, now based in Indianapolis, for a second stint as head coach on January 28, 1992. Similar to his first time with the franchise, the Colts had ended the previous campaign at 1–15, fired Ron Meyer after five winless games and replaced him with Rick Venturi on an interim basis.[25] Marchibroda led the Colts to a 9–7 record in 1992. Three seasons later, the Colts made the playoffs for only the second time since moving to Indianapolis, and the first time in a non-strike year since 1977, when the team was still in Baltimore. A Cinderella run to the playoffs ended a big play short of Super Bowl XXX when it lost the 1995 AFC Championship Game to the Steelers. Despite this, Marchibroda who parted ways with the Colts on February 9, 1996, after his demand for a contract extension of two years rather than one was rejected.[26] Offensive coordinator Lindy Infante was promoted to succeed him on February 15.[27]

Marchibroda's unemployment lasted only six days when he returned to Baltimore on February 15, 1996, as the first-ever head coach of a yet-to-be-named ballclub in Baltimore, which was subsequently known as the Ravens.[28] After three losing seasons in which the Ravens went 16–31–1, Marchibroda was notified that he was not going to be retained on December 28, 1998.[29] Brian Billick was named to succeed him just over three weeks later on January 20, 1999.[30]

Broadcasting career

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Marchibroda was a radio color commentator for the Indianapolis Colts from 1999 to 2006 alongside Bob Lamey.[31]

Death

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Marchibroda died on January 16, 2016, from natural causes at his home in Weems, Virginia, at the age of 84.[16] He was survived by his wife Ann, their four children, and six grandchildren.[32]

Accolades

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Head coaching record

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NFL

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Team Year Regular Season Post Season
Won Lost Ties Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
BAL 1975 10 4 0 .714 1st in AFC East 0 1 .000 Lost to Pittsburgh Steelers in AFC Divisional Game.
BAL 1976 11 3 0 .786 1st in AFC East 0 1 .000 Lost to Pittsburgh Steelers in AFC Divisional Game.
BAL 1977 10 4 0 .714 1st in AFC East 0 1 .000 Lost to Oakland Raiders in AFC Divisional Game.
BAL 1978 5 11 0 .313 5th in AFC East – – – –
BAL 1979 5 11 0 .313 5th in AFC East – – – –
IND 1992 9 7 0 .563 3rd in AFC East – – – –
IND 1993 4 12 0 .250 5th in AFC East – – – –
IND 1994 8 8 0 .500 3rd in AFC East – – – –
IND 1995 9 7 0 .563 2nd in AFC East 2 1 .667 Lost to Pittsburgh Steelers in AFC Championship Game.
BAL/IND Total 71 67 0 .514 2 4 .333 –
BAL 1996 4 12 0 .250 5th in AFC Central – – – –
BAL 1997 6 9 1 .406 5th in AFC Central – – – –
BAL 1998 6 10 0 .375 4th in AFC Central – – – –
BAL Total 16 31 1 .344 – – – –
Total 87 98 1 .470 2 4 .333 –

Coaching tree

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NFL head coaches under whom Ted Marchibroda served:

Assistant coaches under Ted Marchibroda who became NFL or college head coaches:[35]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Former Colts Coach, Broadcaster Marchibroda Dies at Age 84". New York Times.com. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  2. ^ "Detroit Was Cold, But Marchibroda Was Hot". The Lake Shore Visitor-Register. December 12, 1952. Retrieved November 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "All-State Basketball Team". The Daily American. April 13, 1949. Retrieved November 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "East Stars Dominate AP Honor Team". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. April 14, 1949. Retrieved November 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "History Saint Bonaventure Football – Players". Archived from the original on May 27, 2011. Retrieved January 9, 2010.
  6. ^ "Marchibroda Edged Out For Offensive Honors By N. Illinois Gridder". The Buffalo News. Associated Press. December 20, 1950. Retrieved November 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Marchibroda, Holland Near Top In East's Final Offense Statistics". The Buffalo News. December 12, 1951. Retrieved November 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Field Goal in Last 3 Seconds Tops Louisville, 22-21, for Bona". Press and Sun-Bulletin. October 28, 1951. Retrieved November 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Marchibroda, 5 Other Bona Gridmen Bound For Other Schools". The Buffalo News. February 13, 1952. Retrieved November 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "U.D. Quarter Fills Air With Passes, Bows, 62-21". Associated Press. November 15, 1952. Retrieved November 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Moseley, Max (December 28, 1952). "Strong South Running Attack Swamps North, 28-7". The Montgomery Advertiser. Retrieved November 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Marchibroda Honored as Outstanding North Player". The News-Herald. January 5, 1953. Retrieved November 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Keck, Harry (January 22, 1953). "Marchibroda Steelers' First Choice". Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph. Retrieved November 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ a b c d "Ted Marchibroda". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  15. ^ George Allen's sphere of influence
  16. ^ a b "Ted Marchibroda, coach of Colts, Ravens, dead at 84". Baltimore Sun.com. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
  17. ^ Speck, Mark. "Pro Football's 'Worst to First,'" The Coffin Corner, Vol. 19, No. 6, 1997. Retrieved May 6, 2018
  18. ^ "Marchibroda Quits Colts In Dispute With Owner," The Associated Press, Sunday, September 5, 1976. Retrieved May 6, 2018
  19. ^ Wallace, William N. "Marchibroda Returns, Placated, to the Colts," The New York Times, Wednesday, September 8, 1976. Retrieved May 6, 2018
  20. ^ Attner, Paul. "Marchibroda Fired," The Washington Post, Friday, December 28, 1979. Retrieved May 5, 2018
  21. ^ Leavy, Jane. "Colts Pick McCormack," The Washington Post, Thursday, January 17, 1980. Retrieved May 6, 2018
  22. ^ Preston, Mike. "Mr. Nice Guy Coach: Ted Marchibroda brings a positive, gentle approach to running a team. But that doesn't mean he lacks fire," The Baltimore Sun, Saturday, August 31, 1996.[dead link] Retrieved May 6, 2018
  23. ^ "Ted Marchibroda – Coaching record". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 9, 2010.
  24. ^ Offense not allowed to quick-sub and quick-snap
  25. ^ "Colts hire Marchibroda – again," United Press International, Tuesday, January 28, 1992. Retrieved May 6, 2018
  26. ^ Cyphers, Luke. "Colts Give Boot to Marchibroda," Daily News (New York), Saturday, February 10, 1996. Retrieved May 6, 2018
  27. ^ "Colts promote Infante to head coach," United Press International, Thursday, February 15, 1996. Retrieved May 6, 2018
  28. ^ Myers, Gary. "Hired: Baltimore Ted, Indy Lindy," Daily News (New York), Friday, February 16, 1996. Retrieved May 11, 2018
  29. ^ Preston, Mike. "On emotion-filled day, Marchibroda loses job Team contacts Seifert as potential candidate for Ravens head coach," The Baltimore Sun, Tuesday, December 29, 1998.[dead link] Retrieved May 12, 2018
  30. ^ Denlinger, Ken. "Billick Named Coach of Ravens," The Washington Post, Wednesday, January 20, 1999. Retrieved May 12, 2018
  31. ^ Sessler, Marc (January 16, 2016). "Former NFL Coach Ted Marchibroda Dies at Age 84". National Football League. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
  32. ^ "Renowned former NFL coach Ted Marchibroda dies at age 84". Washington Post.com. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  33. ^ "Marchibroda inducted into ring". The Indianapolis Star. November 18, 2002. Retrieved November 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ^ "Ted Marchibroda « National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame and Museum". Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  35. ^ "The NFL Coaching Tree 2008". Sports Central. Retrieved January 9, 2010.
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