Retired Head Coach, Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers
What It Was, Was More Than Football (with apologies to Andy Griffith)
Sam Wyche was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. He holds a BA Degree from Furman University and an MBA from University of South Carolina.
Wyche played football for the Wheeling, West Virginia Ironmen in the Continental Football League in 1966 and in 1968 was one of Paul Brown’s original Cincinnati Bengals. He was a member of the Bengals team during iits first play-off game versus the Baltimore Colts.
As a Washington Redskin, Wyche played on George Allen’s “Over-the-Hill Gang” that went to the Super Bowl VII versus the 17-0 Miami Dolphins. He also played for the Detroit Lions, St. Louis Cardinals, and Buffalo Bills before retiring as a player in 1976.
Sam Wyche directed the passing game for Bill Walsh’s San Francisco 49ers from 1979 to1982, and coached Joe Montana to his first Super Bowl victory in Super Bowl XVI. In 1983 he became Head Coach at Indiana University, and from 1984 to 1991 he was appointed Head Coach of the Cincinnati Bengals. In 1984, Sam created and developed the “no-huddle” offense and initiated sideline huddles during time-outs. He led the Bengals to Super Bowl XXIII and was voted the “Timmy Award” winner as NFL Coach of the Year in 1988.
Wyche became Head Coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1992-1995, and in 1996, he paired with Marv Albert on NBC’s National Football League broadcasts.