Tragedy struck the football community Monday night as one of its most celebrated players and coaches passed away. Jack Pardee, known as on of Bear Bryant's "Junction Boys" at Texas A&M who went on to become an All-Pro linebacker and an NFL coach, has left us with saddened hearts and a powerful legacy after gracing us with 76 years of life.
Pardee's family announced that his gull bladder cancer had spread to other vital organs back in November. The doctors only have him six to nine months to live. His devoted family stayed close by his side until the end and has established a memorial scholarship fund in his name at the University of Houston, where he served as head coach from 1987-89.
"Today, we mourn the passing of a great man who dedicated his life to the game of football and was a true gentleman in every sense of the word," said Mack Rhoades, Houston athletic director.
Pardee had been a football player from the beginning. He was born for it. As a teenager growing up in west-central Texas, he played six-man football and eventually moved on to play at Texas A&M where he played under Bryant, who became coach in 1954.
Bryant moved the team's preseason camp to Junction, about 100 miles northwest of San Antonio during a severe drought and unforgettable heat wave. Bryant refused to give players rest and water for long periods of time in attempt to toughen them up for the regular season. Many players quit, but Pardee manned up and stuck it out.
Pardee played three seasons at Texas A&M and was the 14th overall pick in the 1957 NFL draft. He played with the Rams from 1957-64, took a year off due to melanoma, and returned for seven more seasons, ending his career with the Redskins in 1973, where he also coached from 1978-80.
"In his time both on the field and on the sideline, Jack Pardee will forever be a part of the Washington Redskins' legacy," said owner Daniel Snyder. "He will be remembered not just as a linebacker for the 1972 NFL Champions, nor as just the coach for our franchise. He will be remembered as someone whose spirit truly embodied the values that we associate with burgundy and gold."
Pardee not only coached the Redskins, but also led the Bears to their first playoff appearance since the early 60s as their coach from 1975-77. He later went one to serve as San Diego's defensive coordinator for one year and coached the USFL's Houston Gamblers until they were disbanded in 1987, when he became head coach for the University of Houston. It was there that his revolutionary run-and-shoot offense helped rank Houston at No. 14 in 1989. His team became the first in NCAA history to finish with more than 1,000 yards of offense.
"We continue to feel the impact from his innovative ideas and leadership of those teams in college football today, and out thoughts and prayers go out to all his family and friends," said Houston coach Tony Levine.
Pardee then moved on to become the NFL's Tennessee Oilers head coach in 1990 and brought them to the playoffs in each of his first four seasons. "We lost a great coach and, most importantly, a great man today," said Mike Munchak, who played under Pardee on the Oilers and later became one of his assistant coaches in 1993. "I truly admired his passion for football and was especially inspired by his love of the history of the game... Coach Pardee will surely be missed."
Pardee may have left behind a wife, five children and 12 grandchildren, but they will all continue on to preserve his cherished memory along with the rest of the NFL community.
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