Ray Malavasi Ray Malavasi ( November 8 , 1930 – December 15 , 1987 ) was an football coach who served as head coach of two National Football League teams : the Denver Broncos and the Los Angeles Rams . A native of Passaic , New Jersey , Malavasi entered the U . S . Military Academy , starting at offensive guard for the Black Knight football team . Under head coach Earl Blaik and line coach Vince Lombardi , Malavasi played two years , with Blaik rating him as the greatest line prospect during his tenure at the Academy . That potential disappeared when Malavasi was one of 90 cadets who left in the wake of a cheating scandal in August 1951 . Malavasi left to attend Mississippi State University , earning a degree in engineering while serving as an assistant under head coach Murray Warmath in 1952 and also receiving an Army ROTC commission . In 1953 , he tried out and was released by the NFL Philadelphia Eagles , then served as line coach with the Fort Belvoir army unit for two years beginning in 1954 . Upon his release in 1956 , Malavasi accepted an assistant ' s role with the University of Minnesota , spending two seasons with the Golden Gophers until taking a similar position with Memphis State University in 1958 . Three years in Tennessee led to a single year with the Wake Forest University Demon Deacons in 1961 , followed by his first professional position the following year : personnel director of the American Football League ' s Denver Broncos . In 1963 , Malavasi also took on the duties of defensive line coach for the Broncos , and shifted to the offensive line prior to the start of the 1966 season . After Denver dropped their first two games , head coach Mac Speedie was fired , with Malavasi chosen to replace him . In the final 12 games , Malavasi managed just four wins and was let go in favor of Lou Saban at the conclusion of the season . For the next two years , Malavasi coached on the defensive side of the ball with the Canadian Football League ' s Hamilton Tiger - Cats , then accepted the defensive line assistant ' s position with the Buffalo Bills on February 3 , 1969 . Just over two years later , Malavasi left to work for the Oakland Raiders , but resigned after just two years , citing the frustration with the team keeping him from advancing his career . Malavasi ' s resignation caused controversy when Raiders ' head coach John Madden accused another team of tampering with Malavasi ' s services . While he denied the charges , Malavasi was hired on June 5 , 1973 as a defensive assistant with the Los Angeles Rams . Over the next five years , Malavasi rose to become defensive coordinator , and was under consideration for head coaching positions with both the Eagles and Chicago Bears . He also was looked at as head coach for the Rams after the departure of Chuck Knox following the 1977 NFL season , but instead stayed as an assistant under new coach George Allen . However , after just two exhibition games , Allen was fired and Malavasi became the team ' s head coach , then led the team to their sixth straight NFC West Title with 12 – 4 record , reaching the NFC Championship game . The following year , the team barely finished above . 500 with a 9 – 7 mark , but won the weak NFC Western Division . In the playoffs , the team upset the Cowboys , then shut down the upstart Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9 – 0 in the conference title game to give the franchise its first Super Bowl berth ever . After entering the fourth quarter with a lead over the heavily - favored Pittsburgh Steelers , the Rams ' upset bid died when they dropped a 31 – 19 decision in Super Bowl XIV . An 11 – 5 mark in 1980 was a two - game improvement over 1979 , but it was only good enough for second place behind the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC West , and the Rams fell in the wild - card round to the Cowboys . The following year , the rise of the San Francisco 49ers ended the Rams ' reign and saddled them with a 6 – 10 record . Following a 2 – 7 mark during the strike - shortened 1982 NFL season , the worst record in the 14 - team NFC , Malavasi was dismissed on January 4 , 1983 . Malavasi served as a consultant and unofficial spokesman for the proposed International Football League , a league that served the dual purpose of introducing professional football abroad as well as serving as an antagonist to the United States Football League ( Malavasi vowed that the league would hold its draft and opening kickoff one week before the USFL ' s respective dates , no matter what the USFL did ) . The IFL folded without any teams organizing ; after the league ' s failure , Malavasi resurfaced as an assistant with the USFL ' s Oakland Invaders in early 1984 . He left that position just after the start of the season to become defensive coordinator of the league ' s Los Angeles Express , but the financial woes of the team ended his brief tenure in the final weeks of the season . Malavasi would never again be on the sidelines for an NFL team but he did coach the first ever Australian national American Football team in 1987 . The Australian Kookaburras did a week - long training camp at Dominguez Hills in California before heading off for a tour of Europe where they played three games . Malavasi was assisted with the team by Johnny Johnson . Malavasi died of a sudden heart attack on December 15 , 1987 , aged 57 , less than two months after returning from that tour . See also . Other American Football League players , coaches and contributors