Don Coryell Donald David Coryell ( October 17 , 1924 – July 1 , 2010 ) was an American football coach , who coached in the NFL first with the St . Louis Cardinals from 1973 to 1977 and then the San Diego Chargers from 1978 to 1986 . He was well known for his innovations to football ' s passing offense . Coryell ' s offense was commonly known as " Air Coryell " . Coryell was the first coach ever to win more than 100 games at both the collegiate and professional level . He was inducted into the San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame in 1986 . Coryell is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame . Early career . Don Coryell enlisted in the Army in 1943 and spent 3½ years as a paratrooper . He played defensive back for the University of Washington from 1949 to 1951 . He earned his bachelor ' s and master ' s degrees at the University of Washington . He was a high school coach in Hawaii where his teams ran a version of the I formation running game . He would also coach at the University of British Columbia ( where he compiled a 2 win , 16 loss reord ) , Wenatchee Valley College , and a military team at Fort Ord . As head coach at Whittier College from 1957 to 1959 , Whittier won conference championships in each of Coryell ' s three years . He would also rely on the I formation at Whittier . In 1960 , he was an assistant coach under John McKay for the USC Trojans , where the I formation would be its signature offense for decades . While the origin of the I formation is unclear , Coryell was one of its pioneers . San Diego State University . Coryell coached 12 seasons with the San Diego State University ( SDSU ) Aztecs , using the philosophy of recruiting only junior college players . There , he compiled a record of 104 wins , 19 losses and 2 ties including three undefeated seasons in 1966 , 1968 and 1969 . His teams would enjoy winning streaks of 31 and 25 games , and would win three bowl games during his tenure . Coryell helped lead SDSU from an NCAA Division II to an NCAA Division I program in 1969 . It was at SDSU that Coryell began to emphasize a passing offense . Coryell recounted , “ We could only recruit a limited number of runners and linemen against schools like USC and UCLA . And there were a lot of kids in Southern California passing and catching the ball . There seemed to be a deeper supply of quarterbacks and receivers . And the passing game was also open to some new ideas . ” Coryell adds , " Finally we decided it ' s crazy that we can win games by throwing the ball without the best personnel . So we threw the hell out of the ball and won some games . When we started doing that , we were like 55 – 5 – 1 . " John Madden served as Coryell ' s defensive assistant at SDSU . Madden had first met Coryell attending a coaching clinic on the I formation led by McKay . " We ' d go to these clinics , and afterward , everyone would run up to talk to McKay , " said Madden . " Coryell was there because he introduced ( McKay ) . I was thinking , ' If ( McKay ) learned from him , I ' ll go talk to ( Coryell ) . ' " At San Diego State , Coryell helped develop a number of quarterbacks for the NFL , including Don Horn , Jesse Freitas , Dennis Shaw and future NFL MVP Brian Sipe . Wide receivers who went on to the NFL include Isaac Curtis , Gary Garrison , and Haven Moses . Coryell also coached two players who later became actors : Fred Dryer and Carl Weathers . St . Louis Cardinals . The Cardinals under Coryell had three consecutive seasons ( 1974 – 1976 ) with double - digit victories and won two consecutive division titles ( 1974 – 1975 ) . Those were the only division titles the Cardinals ever won while in St . Louis . Prior to 1974 , the Cardinals had not been in the playoffs in 26 years since 1948 when they were the Chicago Cardinals . In 1975 , the " Cardiac Cardinals " won seven times in the game ' s last minute . Multi - purpose back Terry Metcalf set an NFL all - purpose yards record at the time in 1975 . When St . Louis did not re - sign Metcalf and he left for the Canadian Football League after 1977 , Coryell departed also Dan Dierdorf developed into an All - Pro offensive lineman under Coryell and would later be voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame . Cornerback Roger Wehrli and tight end Jackie Smith were already established All - Pros prior to Coryell ' s tenure at St . Louis , and they are also members of the Hall of Fame . San Diego Chargers . In 1978 , when Don Coryell began coaching the San Diego Chargers , the Chargers had a win - loss record of 1 – 4 for that season . The team broke their losing streak with eight additional wins and three losses that season after Coryell became head coach . The Chargers 9 – 7 record was their first winning season since 1969 . He won three straight division titles ( 1979 , 1980 , 1981 ) with the Chargers , reaching the playoffs four consecutive times . Previously , the Chargers had not been to the playoffs since 1965 . With Dan Fouts as quarterback , San Diego ' s " Air Coryell " was among the greatest passing offenses in NFL history . The Chargers led the league in passing yards an NFL record 6 consecutive years from 1978 to 1983 and again in 1985 . They also led the league in total yards in offense 1980 – 1983 and 1985 . The Pro Football Hall of Fame called Coryell ' s offenses " one of the most explosive and exciting offenses that ever set foot on an NFL field . " Fouts , wide receiver Charlie Joiner , and tight end Kellen Winslow would all be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame from those Charger teams . Fouts was only the 2nd player to pass for 4 , 000 yards in a season in 1979 before establishing a new record for total passing yards in a season in 1980 and again in 1981 . In a nine - game strike - shortened 1982 season , Fouts averaged 320 yards passing per game , an NFL record that stood until Drew Brees averaged 342 in 2011 . With Winslow , Coryell redefined the tight end position into a deep , pass - catching threat too fast for a linebacker and too big for a defensive back . Coryell was astute to realize that " If we ' re asking Kellen to block a defensive end and not catch passes , I ' m not a very good coach In San Diego , Coryell groomed another set of all - purpose backs in James Brooks and later Lionel James , a mere 5 ' 6 " and 171 pound running back , who broke Metcalf ' s record in 1985 while also setting a record of 1 , 027 receiving yards by a running back . A rookie in 1978 , John Jefferson went on to become the first receiver in league history to gain 1 , 000 yards in each of his first three seasons while also grabbing 36 touchdowns . Traded away from Air Coryell by ownership because of a contract dispute , Jefferson never reached 1 , 000 yards again in his career . Wes Chandler was acquired to replace Jefferson . In the 1982 strike year , Chandler , set the record of 129 yards receiving per game that is still an NFL record . Detractors of Coryell point to the Chargers ' defensive shortcomings given that his defenses were in the bottom ten league - wide from 1981 to 1986 . However in 1979 , the Chargers allowed the fewest points ( 246 ) in the AFC . In 1980 their defense led the NFL with 60 sacks spearheaded by a frontline of All - Pros in Fred Dean , Gary " Big Hands " Johnson and Louie Kelcher . The group was locally nicknamed " the Bruise Brothers " , coined from a popular act at the time , The Blues Brothers . However , in 1981 , Dean , like Jefferson , was traded away due to a contract dispute with ownership . Dean contends he was making the same amount of money as his brother - in - law who was a truck driver . The Chargers ' defense would never be the same afterwards as it surrendered the most passing yards in the NFL in both 1981 and 1982 . Meanwhile , Dean would go on in the same year to win UPI NFC Defensive Player of the Year ( while playing in only 11 games ) and help lead the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl that year and again in 1984 . Dean was inducted to the NFL Hall of Fame in 2008 . " I can ' t say how much it affected us , because we did make it to the AFC championship game , " said Johnson of the loss of Dean . " But I could say if we had more pass rush from the corner , it might ' ve been different . " Tom Bass , who was a defensive coordinator for Coryell with both SDSU and the Chargers , said Coryell focused on offense during practice . He left the coaching of defensive players and the defensive game plan to Bass . " In planning and designing defense , he simply had no interest , " said Bass . Hall of Fame Consideration . Coryell ' s failure to lead his teams to a Super Bowl has presumably kept him out of the Pro Football Hall of Fame . Voters have cited his 3 - 6 postseason record as further evidence . His teams ' defenses were not as strong as its offenses , which could be attributed to the offensive unit scoring quickly and not providing the defensive side sufficient rest . Tony Dungy , a Super Bowl head coach , says that " If you talk about impact on the game , training other coaches - - John Madden , Bill Walsh , Joe Gibbs to name a few - - and influencing how things are done , Don Coryell is probably right up there with Paul Brown . He was a genius . " " Sports Illustrated " writer Jim Trotter , who votes on the Pro Football Hall of Fame Board of Selectors , said selectors are hesitant to vote for coaches when there is a backlog of deserving players . Coryell ' s direct development of future coaches included Super Bowl head coaches Madden and Gibbs , Super Bowl offensive coordinators Ernie Zampese and Al Saunders , as well as Jim Hanifan and Rod Dowhower . Adding to the Coryell coaching tree , Super Bowl offensive coordinator Norv Turner tutored under Zampese , and another Super Bowl offensive coordinator Mike Martz studied under both Zampese and later Turner . Dan Henning coached under Gibbs . Fouts says , " He influenced offensive and defensive football because if you are going to have three or four receivers out there , you better have an answer for it on the other side of the ball . If it wasn ' t for Don , I wouldn ' t be in the Hall of Fame . " " Whoever heard of the nickel or dime pass defense before “ Air Coryell ” forced opponents to come up with strategies to combat Coryell ’ s aerial assault ? " wrote Fouts to Hall of Fame voters in support of Coryell ' s induction . In Madden ' s Hall of Fame induction speech , he mentioned his time at San Diego State " with a great coach that someday will be in here , Don Coryell . He had a real influence on my coaching . Joe Gibbs was on that staff , too . " Gibbs also lobbied for Coryell ' s induction into the Hall of Fame , stating " ( Coryell ) was extremely creative and fostered things that are still in today ' s game because he was so creative . I think he ' s affected a lot of coaches , and I ' d like to see him get in . Mike Martz , who won a Super Bowl as the offensive coordinator of the " Greatest Show on Turf " with the St . Louis Rams and advanced to another Super Bowl as the Rams ' head coach : " Don is the father of the modern passing game . People talk about the ' West Coast ' offense , but Don started the ' West Coast ' decades ago and kept updating it . You look around the NFL now , and so many teams are running a version of the Coryell offense . Coaches have added their own touches , but it ' s still Coryell ' s offense . He has disciples all over the league . He changed the game , " adds Martz . " I ' m not sure why that hasn ' t been acknowledged by the Hall of Fame . " Winslow points out that Coryell had an indirect hand in the 49ers ' , Washington Redskins ' and St . Louis Rams ' Super Bowl teams . " They call it the West Coast offense because San Francisco won Super Bowls with it , but it was a variation of what we did in San Diego . Joe Gibbs ' itty - bitty receivers on the outside and two tight ends in the middle , ( that ' s ) a variation of Coryell ' s offense in San Diego . It ' s just a personnel change , but it ' s the same thing . When the Rams won their Super Bowl , it was the same offense , same terminology . For Don Coryell to not be in the Hall of Fame is a lack of knowledge of the voters . That ' s the nicest way that I can put that . A lack of understanding of the legacy of the game . " In the offense we won the Super Bowl with in 1999 , the foundation was Don Coryell , " former Rams coach Dick Vermeil said . " The route philosophies , the vertical passing game . . . everything stemmed from the founder , Don Coryell . The genius . " In 2010 , Coryell for the first time was among the 15 finalists considered by the Hall of Fame selection committee on the Saturday before the Super Bowl . He was not selected . After Coryell ' s passing later that year , Chargers President Dean Spanos said " He revolutionized the game of football , not only in San Diego , but throughout the entire NFL . Don Coryell was a legend not only with the Chargers but throughout San Diego . Though unfortunately he did not live long enough to see it , hopefully one day his bust will find its proper place in Pro Football ’ s Hall of Fame . " Delivering a eulogy at Coryell ' s funeral , Madden noted , " You know , I ' m sitting down there in front , and next to me is Joe Gibbs , and next to him is Dan Fouts , and the three of us are in the Hall of Fame because of Don Coryell . " Choking up and then pausing , he continued , " There ' s something missing . " Coaching personality . Coryell was adored by his players . " The most important thing to me about Don Coryell is him as a person . He actually cared about us as players . A lot of coaches don ' t even know who you are , " said Fouts . Coryell did not want to intimidate his players and instead treated his players with respect , allowing them to showcase their strengths . " I don ' t think a coach has to be a son of a bitch to be successful . I think you can treat men like men , " he said . Death . Don Coryell died on July 1 , 2010 at Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa , California . The cause of death has not been officially released , but Coryell had been in poor health for some time .