New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick will coach in his 12th conference championship game on Sunday in the AFC Championship Game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Before Belichick took the league by storm, he was an assistant for the New York Giants in the 1980’s. Each year, his Giants defense would have to prepare against one of the all-time great coaches, Tom Landry. The hall of fame coach of the Dallas Cowboys created the 4-3 defense, flex defense and also the shot-gun formation on offense.
Landry’s innovative style helped him compile a record of 270-178-6, and lead the Cowboys to 13 divisional titles, five Super Bowl appearances, and two world championships. (Super Bowl VI in 1972, and XII in 1978) He retired in 1988 with an NFL best 20 playoff wins and was third all-time in total victories.
“For a professional athlete, the most exciting thing is when you win your first Super Bowl,” said Landry to Sports Spectrum. “To play in one and win is the highlight of our football career.”
More impressive than walking the sidelines as Dallas’ head coach for 29 years (1960-1988) was the NFL-record 20 consecutive winning seasons with the Cowboys (1966-1985).
Through the years Landry had one primary calling. After committing his life to Christ at age 33, his desire was to serve his Lord.
One important Bible verse for Landry was 2 Timothy 1:7. “It says Christ does not give us a spirit of fear,” Landry explained in an interview with Sports Spectrum. “But He gives us the power of love and self-control.”
“For a football coach, that really helped,” he said, chuckling.
To read more about Tom Landry click here.
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