Tag: gary moeller

Former Lions and Michigan Wolverines head coach Gary Moeller has passed away

Former Lions and Michigan Wolverines head coach Gary Moeller has passed away

One-time Detroit Lions head coach Gary Moeller has passed away, sad news confirmed by multiple outlets. Moeller was 81.

He had a brief but interesting tenure as the head coach of the Lions. In the 2000 season, Moeller moved up from LBs coach and assistant head coach to interim head coach when Bobby Ross stepped down. He went 4-3 in seven games but his Lions missed the playoffs at 9-7 when the Chicago Bears beat them on a last-second field goal in the finale.

Matt Millen took over thereafter and dismissed Moeller, replacing him with Marty Mornhinweg. Moeller would move on to be an assistant coach with the Jaguars and Bears through the 2003 NFL season.

He is better-known nationally for his lengthy stint at the University of Michigan. Moeller was the defensive coordinator for much of the 1980s and became the head coach of the Wolverines from 1990-1994. He also coached in Ann Arbor for several years before that, interrupted by a 3-year run (1977-1979) as the head coach at Illinois.

Details of Moeller’s passing aren’t immediately known. We wish comfort and offer our condolences to all who knew and loved coach Moeller.

Report: Former Michigan football head coach Gary Moeller dies

Rest in peace, coach. Thank you for the memories.

His tenure in Ann Arbor wasn’t long, but it was a memorable one. Former Michigan football head coach Gary Moeller has died at age 82.

Moeller was the head coach of the Wolverines from 1990-94, taking the reins from famed coach Bo Schembechler. Before that, Moeller served as a defensive ends coach, defensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach, defensive coordinator (again), and offensive coordinator under Schembechler, with a three-year stint as the Illinois head coach from 1977-79.

Originally having gotten his coaching start working under Schembechler at Miami (OH), Moeller had the rare distinction of having played linebacker at rival Ohio State, where he was a co-captain and a three-year letter winner. After being let go by Michigan, Moeller served as the tight ends coach for two years with the Cincinnati Bengals before spending four years with the Detroit Lions, where he was the linebackers coach before becoming the interim head coach at the tail end of the 2000 season. He became the defensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars the following year and finished his coaching career after a two-year stint as the Chicago Bears linebackers coach the next two seasons.

The news was first reported by Todd Anson and confirmed by The M Zone on WTKA.

During his time in Ann Arbor, Moeller posted a 44-13-3 record as the head coach, having won the Big Ten three of his five years leading the team. He went 4-1 in bowl games in that time.

His son, Andy Moeller, followed in his footsteps, first by playing for Michigan, and then coaching the Wolverines as a position coach from 2000-07.

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