The Eagles lost a part of their history on Tuesday morning. Former Eagles head coach Buddy Ryan passed away. Ryan was 82 years old.
Ryan coached the Eagles from 1986 to 1990, and was head coach of the Arizona Cardinals in 1994 through 1995. Ryan was best known for his work with NFL's defenses, including the famed 1985 Chicago Bears. The Eagles appointed Ryan as their head coach following the Bears' Super Bowl Championship.
Mike Golic, host of ESPN's "Mike and Mike", who played under Ryan for the Eagles spoke of how much players loved playing for Ryan:
"You loved playing for him because he coached the way you wanted to play the game: Attack mode. Attack, attack, attack. And if you don't think we're attacking much now, just wait and we're going to attack even more. Oh wait, you don't think we're blitzing enough, we're going to blitz more. We're going to hit you in the mouth. We're going to knock you down. They're going to have to carry you off the field. That was his mentality, and that's what you kind of absorbed as a player."
Current Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins took to Twitter to commemorate his organization's loss:
R.I.P Buddy Ryan! May we ever celebrate the stamp that you've put on this game and on the lives of the players you've coached! #Respect
— Malcolm Jenkins (@MalcolmJenkins) June 28, 2016
The Eagles surely will offer a tribute to this season.
In a coaching career that spanned 35 years, Ryan worked for SUNY Buffalo, the New York Jets, the Minnesota Vikings, the Chicago Bears, the Eagles, the Houston Oilers, and the Cardinals.
Ryan leaves behind two sons, Rex and Rob Ryan.
