Hank Bullough
Henry Charles Bullough (January 24, 1934 – November 24, 2019)[1] was an American football player and coach. He played college football at Michigan State and graduated in 1954. Bullough was a starting guard for the Spartans team that won the 1954 Rose Bowl. He was selected by the Green Bay Packers with the 53rd pick in the fifth round of the 1955 NFL Draft.
| No. 67, 61 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Guard | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | January 24, 1934 Scranton, Pennsylvania | ||||||||
| Died: | November 24, 2019 (aged 85) | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| College: | Michigan State (1951-1954) | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1955 / Round: 5 / Pick: 53 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||
| Coaching stats at PFR | |||||||||
Coaching career
Bullough's first coaching position was at his alma mater, Michigan State, where he served for 11 seasons. In 1970, he became linebackers coach for the Baltimore Colts of the National Football League (NFL) under head coach Don McCafferty.
As defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots in the 1970s[2] Bullough is credited, along with his college teammate Chuck Fairbanks, with having been a significant figure in bringing the 3–4 defense to the NFL. After Fairbanks was suspended prior to the final game of the 1978 season, Bullough's and fellow assistant Ron Erhardt were named co-head coaches for the remainder of the season. After the season, Patriots owner Billy Sullivan appointed Erhardt head coach instead of Bullough. Bullough would remain defensive coordinator for one more season with the Patriots.
In 1980, new Cincinnati Bengals head coach and former Green Bay Packers teammate, Forrest Gregg wooed Bullough to install the 3–4 defensive system in Cincinnati.[3] Two seasons later the Bengals would go to the Super Bowl where they fell just short against the San Francisco 49ers. While with the Bengals, Bullough also tutored Dick LeBeau who, not only would succeed Bullough as defensive coordinator but, is credited as the innovator of the 3–4 zone blitz scheme.
Bullough also served as defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers in 1984. He was named the head coach for the Pittsburgh Maulers of the United States Football League (USFL) for the 1985 season, but the team folded after the 1984 season. He instead moved on to the Buffalo Bills, where he replaced Kay Stephenson for the final 12 games of the 1985 season and remained head coach for the first nine games of the 1986 season before being fired.
Personal life
Bullough was married to his wife of 49 years Lou Ann Bullough and they had three children together, Cheryl, Shane, and Chuck, and nine grandchildren, Corey, Kristi, Jake, Max, Riley, Byron, Holly, Chloe and Annika.
Head coaching record
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| NE^ | 1978 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 1st in AFC East | – | – | – | – |
| NE Total | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | – | – | – | |||
| BUF | 1985 | 2 | 10 | 0 | .167 | 5th in AFC East | – | – | – | – |
| BUF | 1986 | 2 | 7 | 0 | .222 | 4th in AFC East | – | – | – | – |
| BUF Total | 4 | 17 | 0 | .190 | – | – | – | |||
| Total[4] | 4 | 18 | 0 | .182 | – | – | – | |||
^ Co-coach with Ron Erhardt
References
- https://www.mlive.com/sports/2019/11/michigan-state-football-legend-hank-bullough-dies-at-age-85.html
- Making the switch to 3–4 defense is an old trick for Patriots, Boston Globe, September 5, 2003
- , "The Daily Sentinel", January 17, 1980
- Hank Bullough Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks - Pro-Football-Reference.com