Dave Adolph (June 6, 1937 – February 12, 2017) was an

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 ...

coach. He served as defensive coordinator for the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...

from 1986 to 1988.Elsewhere
/ref> Prior to leaving the Browns in 1985 for the San Diego Chargers, he was the Browns' interim defensive coordinator in 1984. The promotion occurred after

Marty Schottenheimer Martin Edward Schottenheimer (; September 23, 1943 – February 8, 2021) was an American football linebacker and coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) from 1984 to 2006. He was the head coach of the Kansas City ...

was elevated from the team's defensive coordinator position to

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

midway through the season. He joined Schottenheimer as his defensive coordinator for the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The ...

from 1992 to 1994. Adolph was the defensive coordinator in four AFC championship games for three different NFL teams.

Coaching career

Adolph, one of few football staff members to serve both the Michigan and Ohio State programs, was selected to serve as honorary captain ''for both teams on the same day'' for the Michigan–Ohio State football game in Columbus, Ohio on November 26, 2016. NFL All-Pro players coached by Dave Adolph include:

Lyle Alzado Lyle Martin Alzado (April 3, 1949 – May 14, 1992) was an American professional All Pro football defensive end of the National Football League (NFL), famous for his intense and intimidating style of play. Alzado played 15 seasons, splitting hi ...

Clay Matthews Jr. William Clay Matthews Jr. (born March 15, 1956) is a former American football linebacker who played for the Cleveland Browns and the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted in the first round by the Cleveland Brown ...

Chip Banks William "Chip" Banks (born September 18, 1959) is a former All-Pro professional American football linebacker. High school and college career Banks graduated from Lucy Craft Laney High School in Augusta, Georgia. He played college football at ...

Tom Cousineau Thomas Michael Cousineau (born May 6, 1957) is an American former college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons during the 1970s and 1980s. ...

Howie Long Howard Matthew Moses Long (born January 6, 1960) is an American sports analyst and former professional football player. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons as a defensive end, spending his entire career with the Raider ...

Bob Golic Robert Perry Golic (born October 26, 1957) is an American former college and professional American football, football player, television actor, radio personality and sports commentator. Golic played defensive tackle in the National Football L ...

Hanford Dixon Hanford Dixon (born December 25, 1958) is a former professional American football cornerback who played his entire career (1981–1989) for the Cleveland Browns of the NFL. Dixon made the Pro Bowl three times, in 1986, 1987 and 1988. He was ...

, Frank Minnifield,

Scott Studwell John Scott Studwell (born August 27, 1954) is a former professional American football player. He was nicknamed "Stud". College Studwell graduated from the University of Illinois, where he starred as a linebacker. He left Illinois ranked second ...

Derrick Thomas Derrick Vincent Thomas (January 1, 1967 – February 8, 2000), nicknamed D.T., was an American football linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). Considered one of the greatest pass rushers of all time, he p ...

, and

Junior Seau Tiaina Baul "Junior" Seau Jr. (; ; January 19, 1969May 2, 2012) was an American professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL), mostly with the San Diego Chargers. Known for his passionate play, he was a ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adolph, Dave 1937 births 2017 deaths American football linebackers Akron Zips baseball coaches Akron Zips football players Akron Zips football coaches Cleveland Browns coaches UConn Huskies football coaches Illinois Fighting Illini football coaches Kansas City Chiefs coaches Kentucky Wildcats football coaches Los Angeles Raiders coaches Oakland Raiders coaches Ohio State Buckeyes football coaches San Diego Chargers coaches San Diego Toreros football coaches National Football League defensive coordinators Sportspeople from Akron, Ohio Players of American football from Ohio