John Rauch, the Oakland Raiders head coach in Super Bowl II and a former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Bandits assistant coach, died in his sleep Tuesday at his Oldsmar home.
Rauch, who was 80, lived in the Tampa Bay area for more than 20 years after the end of his coaching career in 1985. The high point of that coaching career came in 1967 when he was named the AFL coach of the year after leading the Raiders to a 13-1 record and a Super Bowl loss to the Green Bay Packers. Among his Oakland assistants were John Madden and Bill Walsh. He also was the coach of the Buffalo Bills in 1969, O.J. Simpson's rookie season.
Like Simpson, Rauch was the first player selected in the NFL draft when he was taken by the Detroit Lions in 1949. However, Rauch's pro career lasted only four years before he entered the coaching ranks. He was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Bucs in their first season (1976), and the offensive backfield coach and director of scouting for the Bandits from 1983-85.
Rauch was an All-American quarterback at the University of Georgia, starting every game from 1945-48 and leading the Bulldogs to two SEC titles. He also was the first player in NCAA history to start four consecutive bowl games.
He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004.
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