Legendary NFL Coach Has Tragically Passed Away

Green Bay Packers helmet on the field. Former Packers OL coach Larry Beightol recently passed away.Green Bay Packers helmet (Photo by Darren Hauck/Getty Images)

The NFL world lost one of it’s beloved members, as legendary assistant coach Larry Beightol tragically passed away.

According to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Beightol passed away on Thursday in Fayetteville, Arkansas, at the age of 81. The cause of his death was said to be a combination of heart failure, dementia and complications from diabetes. The information was obtained from his obituary, which was posted by Berna Funeral Homes.

 

Larry Beightol spent his entire 22-year NFL career as an offensive line coach. In total, he coached eight different NFL teams: the Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Diego Chargers, New York Jets, Houston Oilers, Miami Dolphins, Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions.

Prior to that, he held several different jobs at the collegiate level, including a stint as head coach at Louisiana Tech, and offensive coordinator at both Auburn and Missouri.

Larry Beightol Is Best Remembered For His Sting In Green Bay

While he spent time with several NFL clubs, it’s his time with the Packers that Beightol is best remembered for. That’s because he helped develop four future Hall of Fame offensive linemen: center Frank Winters, tackle Mark Tauscher, guard Marco Rivera, and tackle Chad Clifton.

In his seven seasons with the Packers, Beightol helped the team record five winning seasons and they made the playoffs four times. Unfortunately, he was never able to win a Super Bowl during his time in Green Bay.

The Packers won a Super Bowl in 1996, three years before Larry Beightol joined the team. And they didn’t win their next championship until 2010, five years after he was released by the team.