Sam Wyche

Innovative coach who introduced the no-huddle offense and led the Bengals to Super Bowl XXIII.

Samuel David Wyche (January 5, 1945 – January 2, 2020) was an American professional football quarterback and coach. He was a quarterback and head coach for the Cincinnati Bengals and a quarterbacks coach for the San Francisco 49ers. As head coach, he led the Bengals to Super Bowl XXIII, which they lost to the 49ers 20–16, relinquishing the lead on a last-minute touchdown. He was also known for introducing the use of the no-huddle offense as a standard offense (as opposed to use at the end of the half).

Quick Facts

Position

Quarterback

Born

5 January 1945

Birthplace

Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.

Died

2 January 2020

Place of death

Pickens, South Carolina, U.S.

High school

North Fulton (Atlanta)

College

Furman

Highlights

As a coach
Super Bowl champion (XVI)
Cincinnati Bengals 50th Anniversary Team

Lore & Background

Wyche coached Cincinnati from 1984 to 1991, and his 64 wins with the Bengals were second most in franchise history at the time, trailing Paul Brown's 75 wins from 1968 to 1975. Wyche also played for the Washington Redskins, Detroit Lions, St. Louis Cardinals, and Buffalo Bills. He also coached at the University of South Carolina and Indiana University, and for the San Francisco 49ers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Buffalo Bills. Wyche was known as the 'Always Innovative Sam Wyche' by Norman Chad, as well as the nickname, 'Wicky Wacky Wyche' for his unconventional play-calling.

He introduced the 'sugar huddle,' a concept where the offense would line up quickly and shift, rather than having 12 or more players in the huddle. After a 1989 game against the Seahawks, he refused to allow the media into the locker room, a violation of NFL policy for which he was fined $3,000. A year later, he refused to allow a female reporter from USA Today in the locker room after a game, saying he did not want his players to be naked in front of her. The NFL fined him $27,000, the largest fine ever assessed for that specific violation.

Reader's Guide

Wyche played college football at Furman University from 1963 to 1965 as a quarterback. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Furman University and his Master of Business Administration degree from the University of South Carolina. He played for the Wheeling Ironmen of the semi-professional Continental Football League from 1966 through 1967. He signed with the Cincinnati Bengals in 1968 and played for them through 1970, then played for the Washington Redskins (1971–1973), Detroit Lions (1974), St. Louis Cardinals (1976), and Buffalo Bills (1976).

His coaching career included stints as an assistant at the University of South Carolina (1967), with the San Francisco 49ers (1979–1982), as head coach at Indiana University (1983), head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals (1984–1991), head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1992–1995), and quarterbacks coach for the Buffalo Bills (2004–2005). He also volunteered as offensive coordinator and quarterback coach for Pickens High School in Pickens, South Carolina in 2002, 2003, and from 2006 to 2010.