CLEVELAND, Ohio — One of the most successful coaches in Cleveland Browns' franchise history, Marty Schottenheimer, has reportedly been moved to hospice care.
According to ESPN's Chris Mortensen, Schottenheimer was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2014.
Mortensen shared a statement from the family on his professional Twitter account on Wednesday.
"As a family, we are surrounding him with love," his wife, Pat, said in the official statement, "and are soaking up the prayers and support from all those he impacted through his incredible life. In the way he taught us all, we are putting one foot in front of the other ... one play at a time."
A message from the family of Marty Schottenheimer, updating his health condition. pic.twitter.com/FzQzpQVxaD
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) February 3, 2021
He was moved into a facility on Saturday in stable condition, CBS Sports reported.
Schottenheimer was the Browns’ defensive coordinator from 1980-84, and he was head coach of the Browns from 1984-88, leading the team to a 44-27 record and six playoff games, including memorable wins over the New York Jets and the Indianapolis Colts (as well as memorable AFC title game losses to the Broncos.)
Schottenheimer's first full year as head coach in 1985 was Bernie Kosar's first as starting quarterback. Kosar has said that Schottenheimer, a former player himself, brought toughness, grittiness, and discipline to the job and also an attention-to-detail drive, which made players look forward to Sunday.
Before finishing his coaching career with the San Diego (now Los Angeles) Chargers, Schottenheimer was also a head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Washington Football Team. All in all, he was an NFL head coach for 21 seasons.
This story was first published by Courtney Shaw at WEWS in Cleveland, Ohio.
