Former Cardinals head coach Joe Bugel dies at 80

Joe Bugel, who coached the Cardinals and built the Hogs in Washington, has died at 80.

Joe Bugel, who built the legend of the “Hogs” in Washington and went on to coach the Phoenix Cardinals, died Sunday at the age of 80.

“I am absolutely devastated by the news of Joe’s passing,” Washington owner Dan Snyder said in the statement. “ … He was a man who not only gave me a better understanding of the game of football, but who also gave me perspective on what is truly important in life. I absolutely adored him and will miss him terribly. Tanya and I would like to extend our deepest condolences to Brenda and the entire Bugel family during this time.”

Bugel was Washington’s offensive coordinator and offensive line coach from 1981-82 and the assistant head coach from 1983-89.

He went on to become the head coach of the Phoenix Cardinals from 1990-93. Bugel spent time on the coaching staff of the Raiders — head coach in 1997 — and Chargers before returning to Washington as assistant head coach-offense from 2004 to 2009. Overall, Bugel was 24-56 as a head coach.

He retired from the NFL at the end of the 2009–2010 season on Jan. 13, 2010. He was a two-time Super Bowl champion (XVII, XXII).

Bugel finished having coached for 32 NFL seasons. Bugel was the architect of the dominating “Hogs” offensive line that included stalwarts Russ Grimm, Joe Jacoby, Mark May, Jeff Bostic, and George Starke.

“I am absolutely devastated by the news of Joe’s passing,” owner Dan Snyder said in the statement. “ … He was a man who not only gave me a better understanding of the game of football, but who also gave me perspective on what is truly important in life. I absolutely adored him and will miss him terribly. Tanya and I would like to extend our deepest condolences to Brenda and the entire Bugel family during this time.”

Former Washington coach Joe Gibbs paid tribute to one of his top assistants.

“Joe had an incredible passion for the game of football. He came to work every day with such great excitement and his players had tremendous respect for him,” Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs said. “The strength of our coaching staff on both sides of the ball was a key reason we had so much success. Bugel was such a big part of that and his impact was felt not only by those Redskins’ teams, but truly across the entire League. I will miss his friendship and I will always cherish our late-night arguments putting together the game plan each week.”