Greg Landry, longtime NFL quarterback and assistant coach, dies at 77

Greg Landry, who spent 16 years as a pro quarterback and had a long career in coaching after retiring as a player, has died at the age of 77.

Landry was a star quarterback at UMass before the Lions chose him with the 11th overall pick in the 1968 NFL draft. The Lions brought Landry along slowly, as was common with young quarterbacks at the time, but in 1971 he became their starter on a permanent basis and had his best season, being chosen as a first-team All-Pro.

An up-and-down career ensued, and he started a total of just 13 games from 1973 to 1975, but in 1976 he became the Lions’ primary starter again and won the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award.

Landry was traded to the Baltimore Colts in 1979 and spent three years with them and then played in the USFL for two years. He returned to the NFL for one game in 1984, starting for the Bears when they had a string of quarterback injuries, and helping them beat the Lions.

After retiring, Landry became a quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator, working for the Browns, Bears and Lions as well as at Illinois.