Sam Wyche Passes Away at 74

Former Bengals and Buccaneers head coach Sam Wyche has passed away at 74 after battling melanoma.

The Bengals released this statement on social media.

Wyche coached from 1984 to 1995 with Cincinnati for eight seasons and Tampa Bay for four. He had an 84-107 career record. His biggest accomplishment as a coach was winning the AFC with the Bengals in 1988 and taking the team to the Super Bowl for the second time in their history.

In his time with the Bengals, he also helped fuel the rivalry with the Cleveland Browns. With the Bengals playing the Seahawks in 1989, fans started throwing snowballs on the field to show their displeasure with a call on the field. Wyche grabbed a microphone and said, “Will the next person that sees anybody throw anything onto this field, point ’em out, and get ’em out of here. You don’t live in Cleveland, you live in Cincinnati!“. The crowd erupted with applause.

Sam Wyche “You don’t live in Cleveland” speech

He was notable for the use of a no-huddle offense for the entirety of a game and not just the end of a half.

The former player for the Redskins, Lions and Cardinals also had assistant coaching jobs with South Carolina, the San Francisco 49ers and the Buffalo Bills. His only head coaching job not in the NFL was with Indiana University in 1983.

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