- Bill McPeak
NFL player
DateOfBirth=July 24 ,1926
Birthplace=New Castle, Pennsylvania
DateOfDeath=May 7 ,1991
Deathplace=Foxboro, Massachusetts
College=Pittsburgh
Position=Defensive end
DraftedYear=1948
DraftedRound=16 / Pick 142
years=1949-1957
teams=Pittsburgh Steelers
ProBowls=3
PFR=McPeBi00
DatabaseFootball=MCPEABIL01
CBS=William Patrick McPeak (
July 24 ,1926 -May 7 ,1991 ) was an American football player and NFL coach.Playing career
Born in
New Castle, Pennsylvania , McPeak was a star defensive end for theUniversity of Pittsburgh . He was drafted by thePittsburgh Steelers where he played from 1949 to 1957. It was during the final two years of his playing career that he would also become an assistant coach for the team.Head coaching career
In 1959, McPeak joined the
Washington Redskins as an assistant under head coachMike Nixon . After Nixon's dismissal following the1960 NFL season , McPeak was promoted to head coach, and would remain in that position until 1965. Although the Redskins did not have a winning season under McPeak (he had an overall 21-46-3 record as head coach), it was during his tenure that the team would acquire players (many of whom would become Hall-of-Famers) that would eventually play a part in their later winning years such asSonny Jurgensen andBobby Mitchell , and draft future stars such as wide receiverCharley Taylor , tight end Jerry Smith, centerLen Hauss , and linebackerChris Hanburger .Later coaching and scouting
In 1967, McPeak would join the
Detroit Lions as an assistant coach, a position he held until 1972 when he moved on to theMiami Dolphins to replaceHoward Schnellenberger who became head coach of the Baltimore Colts. Unfortunately he would only be an assistant in Miami for two seasons because he would suffer a stroke, and would take several years to recover. After his recovery, he would join theNew England Patriots where he became director of scouting for a dozen years.McPeak died of a heart attack on May 7, 1991 at the age of 64 at his home in
Foxboro, Massachusetts .External links
* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE4DA123FF93AA35756C0A967958260 Bill McPeak, Football Scout, 64]
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