1971 Profile: John Rauch

Head Coach

"The matchless won-lost record John Rauch built in three years as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders (33-8-1) is slowly turning into a very ordinary one the longer Rauch stays with the Bills. After two years in Buffalo, Rauch's professional record stands at 40-28-2. The difference is that with Oakland, Rauch was coaching a superior team, a team that won two division championships, the 1967 AFL championship and a chance to play in a Super Bowl. With Buffalo, Rauch, who at 44 is entering his 21st year of coaching, has had to cope with a young and inexperienced team.
But he's putting the pieces together and the time for winning might not be too far off. Rauch has a number of young players who show signs of eventually becoming standouts. Most promising last season was quarterback Dennis Shaw, who surpassed Joe Namath's accomplishments as a first-year player and was named Rookie of the Year.
Shaw's performance undoubtedly brought back memories to Rauch. A quarterback himself, he was Georgia's starting passer for four years and led the Bulldogs to four Bowl games. His professional career began in 1949 as a quarterback, first with the New York Bulldogs, then with the New York Yankees, and finally with the Philadelphia Eagles.
He retired after the 1951 season and embarked on his coaching career, which includes stints at Florida, Tulane, Georgia and West Point. In 1963 Rauch joined the Oakland staff and succeeded Al Davis as head coach in '66."

-Brenda Zanger, Pro Football 1971