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John Rauch
John Rauch (August 20, 1927 – June 10, 2008), also known by his nickname "Johnny Rauch", was an American professional football player and coach. He was head coach of the Oakland Raiders in the team's loss to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl II in early 1968.
Rauch's football playing career almost ended before it began. At the age of 14, he was diagnosed with a heart murmur and instructed to give up the sport. Ignoring the dire warnings, Rauch was a three-sport star at Yeadon High School, then put together an outstanding college football career. Earning the starting quarterback slot for the University of Georgia as a true freshman in 1945, he led the Bulldogs to a 36–8–1 record. Included in these victories are four straight bowl game appearances, as well as an undefeated record in 1946. On an individual level, he won first-team All American accolades following his senior year in 1948, and left the school as college football's all-time passing leader with 4,044 yards.
Rauch was the second overall pick in the 1949 NFL draft, taken by the Detroit Lions, but then sent to the transplanted New York Bulldogs in exchange for the rights to SMU's Doak Walker. During his first season with the Bulldogs in 1949, Rauch saw action on both sides of the ball, throwing for 169 yards and one touchdown, while also intercepting two passes. The following year, he saw action in eight contests, throwing for 502 yards and six touchdowns, then split time with New York and the Philadelphia Eagles in 1951, combining for 288 yards and one touchdown pass. In 1952, rather than accept a trade to the Pittsburgh Steelers to become a player/coach, he accepted an offer from University of Florida Coach Bob Woodruff to join his staff in Gainesville.
In 1952, Rauch began his coaching career with the first of two seasons at the University of Florida. After spending the 1954 season at Tulane University, he returned to his alma mater, Georgia, the next year as an assistant for four seasons. In 1959, he headed to West Point, NY as an Army assistant. Three years later, he went back to Tulane for the 1962 campaign.
In 1963, Rauch moved to the professional level with the AFL's Oakland Raiders. Working under head coach Al Davis as the offensive backs coach, Rauch was the heir apparent and was promoted to head coach in April 1966, when Mr. Davis became commissioner of the AFL.
After leading the Raiders to an 8–5–1 mark in his first year, Rauch's squad lost just once during the 1967 regular season and faced the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl II in Miami. For his efforts, Rauch was named the AFL Coach of the Year.
In 1968, the team again flourished during the regular season with a 12–2 mark, defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in a Western Division playoff game, but lost the AFL championship game to the New York Jets. During his three years as head coach, Mr. Davis's frequent interference with the day to day coaching role became a source of aggravation for Rauch. On January 16, 1969, Rauch dealt with the problem by resigning from his championship team to become head coach of the struggling Buffalo Bills.
The shift meant going from one of the sport's top teams to the team that finished with the worst record. However, with the first pick in the 1969 NFL/AFL draft, the Bills selected Heisman Trophy-winning running back O. J. Simpson. Rauch then caused controversy by expecting Simpson to become more than the one-dimensional running back he was at the University of Southern California. He expected Simpson to become an all-around running back, necessary in Professional Football, by also blocking and receiving passes out of the backfield, as Rauch had coached successfully at Oakland. Simpson not known for his blocking prowess, refused to do these added things and the friction began. The media, unaware that Simpson often refused to take extra passing drills, viewing them as 'punishment', began a campaign that Rauch was using Simpson as a decoy, which did not explain the indecisiveness in Simpson's style. Having several aging and many very young players, Buffalo improved by only two games to finish with a 4–10 record in 1969.
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John Rauch
John Rauch (August 20, 1927 – June 10, 2008), also known by his nickname "Johnny Rauch", was an American professional football player and coach. He was head coach of the Oakland Raiders in the team's loss to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl II in early 1968.
Rauch's football playing career almost ended before it began. At the age of 14, he was diagnosed with a heart murmur and instructed to give up the sport. Ignoring the dire warnings, Rauch was a three-sport star at Yeadon High School, then put together an outstanding college football career. Earning the starting quarterback slot for the University of Georgia as a true freshman in 1945, he led the Bulldogs to a 36–8–1 record. Included in these victories are four straight bowl game appearances, as well as an undefeated record in 1946. On an individual level, he won first-team All American accolades following his senior year in 1948, and left the school as college football's all-time passing leader with 4,044 yards.
Rauch was the second overall pick in the 1949 NFL draft, taken by the Detroit Lions, but then sent to the transplanted New York Bulldogs in exchange for the rights to SMU's Doak Walker. During his first season with the Bulldogs in 1949, Rauch saw action on both sides of the ball, throwing for 169 yards and one touchdown, while also intercepting two passes. The following year, he saw action in eight contests, throwing for 502 yards and six touchdowns, then split time with New York and the Philadelphia Eagles in 1951, combining for 288 yards and one touchdown pass. In 1952, rather than accept a trade to the Pittsburgh Steelers to become a player/coach, he accepted an offer from University of Florida Coach Bob Woodruff to join his staff in Gainesville.
In 1952, Rauch began his coaching career with the first of two seasons at the University of Florida. After spending the 1954 season at Tulane University, he returned to his alma mater, Georgia, the next year as an assistant for four seasons. In 1959, he headed to West Point, NY as an Army assistant. Three years later, he went back to Tulane for the 1962 campaign.
In 1963, Rauch moved to the professional level with the AFL's Oakland Raiders. Working under head coach Al Davis as the offensive backs coach, Rauch was the heir apparent and was promoted to head coach in April 1966, when Mr. Davis became commissioner of the AFL.
After leading the Raiders to an 8–5–1 mark in his first year, Rauch's squad lost just once during the 1967 regular season and faced the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl II in Miami. For his efforts, Rauch was named the AFL Coach of the Year.
In 1968, the team again flourished during the regular season with a 12–2 mark, defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in a Western Division playoff game, but lost the AFL championship game to the New York Jets. During his three years as head coach, Mr. Davis's frequent interference with the day to day coaching role became a source of aggravation for Rauch. On January 16, 1969, Rauch dealt with the problem by resigning from his championship team to become head coach of the struggling Buffalo Bills.
The shift meant going from one of the sport's top teams to the team that finished with the worst record. However, with the first pick in the 1969 NFL/AFL draft, the Bills selected Heisman Trophy-winning running back O. J. Simpson. Rauch then caused controversy by expecting Simpson to become more than the one-dimensional running back he was at the University of Southern California. He expected Simpson to become an all-around running back, necessary in Professional Football, by also blocking and receiving passes out of the backfield, as Rauch had coached successfully at Oakland. Simpson not known for his blocking prowess, refused to do these added things and the friction began. The media, unaware that Simpson often refused to take extra passing drills, viewing them as 'punishment', began a campaign that Rauch was using Simpson as a decoy, which did not explain the indecisiveness in Simpson's style. Having several aging and many very young players, Buffalo improved by only two games to finish with a 4–10 record in 1969.
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