Dan Neal (born August 30, 1949) is a former

American Football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

player who played

offensive line In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numb ...

for eleven seasons between 1973 and 1983 for the Baltimore Colts and the Chicago Bears. He was named offensive line coach in 2007 for Texas vs. The Nation Game, winning a 24–20 victory in Sun Bowl Stadium. Neal spent 11 years as a player, 15 years as a coach, totaling 26 total years in the NFL. He served as team captain his Junior and Senior years at the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...

. He was drafted in the 11th round by the Colts in 1973, remaining for 2 seasons. He played for the Chicago Bears from 1975 to 1983 blocking for

Walter Payton Walter Jerry Payton (July 25, 1953Although most sources at the time of his death gave Payton's birth year as 1954, reliable sources subsequently state he was born in 1953. – November 1, 1999) was an American football running back who played ...

, and as a Kick snapper. After breaking his back he began his coaching career with the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

where he coached special teams in 1986-'87 and offensive line '88-91. He then followed

Buddy Ryan James David "Buddy" Ryan (February 17, 1931 – June 28, 2016) was an American football coach in the National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL). During his 35-season coaching career, Ryan served as the head coach of the ...

to the Arizona Cardinals and was the offensive line coach for 1994–95. He coached under

Mike Ditka Michael Keller Ditka (born Michael Dyczko; October 18, 1939) is an American former football player, coach, and television commentator. A member of both the College (1986) and the Pro (1988) Football Halls of Fame, he was UPI NFL Rookie of Year i ...

as the tight end coach for the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

1997–99. (He was the only person to play and coach for Ditka). He moved to the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...

as their offensive assistant in 2000. He ended his coaching career as tight end coach for the Buffalo Bills 2001-'03. Neal was born August 30, 1949, in Corbin, Ky. He and his wife Barbara have 2 daughters Kelly and Tiffany. Dan has been inducted into Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame, Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Atherton High School Hall of Fame. After retiring from football Dan owned and operated Coach's Fitness Club that had locations in Louisville and Prospect Kentucky.

References

1949 births Living people People from Corbin, Kentucky Players of American football from Kentucky American football centers American football offensive guards Kentucky Wildcats football players Baltimore Colts players Chicago Bears players {{Kentucky-stub