Lindy Infante obit

Lindy Infante, former NFL coach of the year with Green Bay Packers, dies at 75

He was not on the list.

Long-time NFL coach Lindy Infante passed away in Florida on Thursday at the age of 75.

Infante's wife Stephanie told the Associated Press that the former Packers and Indianapolis Colts coach died after battling a long illness.

Former Packers safety LeRoy Butler, who played for Infante in Green Bay, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Infante died of pneumonia. The 75-year-old was hospitalized last week after falling in his home and breaking four ribs.

Infante won the 1989 NFL coach of the year award after leading the Packers to a 10-6 record. That kind of record isn't a big deal in Green Bay anymore, but it was a huge deal in 1989.

The Packers were coming off 11 straight losing seasons before 1989 (The team did have a winning record in 1982, but that was during a strike-shortened season)

Unfortunately for Infante, the 1989 season was the height of his Packers coaching career and he was let go after going 4-12 in 1991. One year later, the Packers would trade for Brett Favre and turn the franchise around.

Infante's next head coaching stop would come in Indianapolis where he would lead the Colts to a 9-7 record during his first year as head coach in 1996. With Jim Harbaugh under center, that Colts team marched to the playoffs before losing to the Steelers in the Wild Card round.

The Colts would end up firing Infante after the team went 3-13 in 1997 -- and again, Infante missed out on a big-named quarterback. The year after he was fired, the Colts would draft Peyton Manning with the No. 1 overall pick.

Infante would finish his coaching career with a 36-60 record. It's probably safe to say that as a coach, Infante's best work may have come as an offensive coordinator.

During two years with the Cleveland Browns (1986-87), Cleveland went to the AFC title game two years in a row.

Infante was also the Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator when Cincinnati made it to its first Super Bowl after the 1981 season. Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson was named league MVP that same season. He served as the head coach of the Jacksonville Bulls of the USFL.

During the five years that Infante was an NFL offensive coordinator, his teams went 50-22 and made the playoffs five times, including four AFC title games. Those five years include one season with the Colts, which came in 1995 when Indy made it all the way to the AFC Championship.

Infante, a native of Miami, starred in college at Florida where he was a two-way standout. He served as a Florida Gators assistant coach from 1966-71.