View source for Ed Hughes

{{Short description|American football player and coach (1927–2000)}}
{{other people}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name                = Ed Hughes
| image               = <!-- Only free-content images are allowed for depicting living people -- see [[WP:NONFREE]]. -->
| image_size          =
| alt                 = 
| caption             = 
| number              = 49, 48
| position            = [[Cornerback]]
| birth_date          = {{Birth date|1927|10|23|mf=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Buffalo, New York]], U.S.
| death_date          = {{Death date and age|2000|6|23|1927|10|23|mf=y}}
| death_place         = [[Libertyville, Illinois]], U.S.
| height_ft           = 6
| height_in           = 1
| weight_lbs          = 184
| high_school         = Kensington
| college             = [[Tulsa Golden Hurricane football|Tulsa]]
| draftyear           = 1954
| draftround          = 10
| draftpick           = 117
| pastteams           = 
* [[Los Angeles Rams]] (1954–1955)
* [[New York Giants]] (1956–1958) 
| pastcoaching        = 
* [[Tulsa Golden Hurricane football|Tulsa]] (1959)<br>Assistant coach
* [[Dallas Texans (AFL)|Dallas Texans]] (1960–1962)<br>Defensive backs coach
* [[Denver Broncos]] (1963)<br>Defensive backs coach
* [[Washington Redskins]] (1964–1967)<br>Defensive backs coach
* [[San Francisco 49ers]] (1968–1970)<br>Offensive coordinator & running backs coach
* [[Houston Oilers]] (1971)<br>Head coach
* [[St. Louis Cardinals (NFL)|St. Louis Cardinals]] (1972)<br>Assistant coach
* [[Dallas Cowboys]] (1973–1976)<br>Quarterbacks, running backs & wide receivers coach
* [[Detroit Lions]] (1977)<br>Offensive coordinator
* [[New Orleans Saints]] (1978–1980)<br>Offensive coordinator
* [[Philadelphia Eagles]] (1981)<br>Quarterbacks coach & running backs coach
* [[Chicago Bears]] (1982–1988)<br>Offensive coordinator
* Philadelphia Eagles (1989)<br>Quarterbacks coach
* [[:Lake Forest Foresters football|Lake Forest]] (1990)<br>Defensive coordinator
| highlights          = 
* [[Super Bowl champion]] ([[Super Bowl XX|XX]])
* [[NFL Championship game|NFL champion]] ([[1956 NFL Championship Game|1956]])
| coachregrecord      = {{Winning percentage|4|9|1|record=y}}
| pfr                 = HughEd20
| pfrcoach            = HughEd0
}}

'''Edward D. Hughes''' (October 23, 1927 – June 23, 2000) was an [[American football]] player and coach whose career spanned more than three decades.  His most prominent coaching position came in 1971 when he served as [[head coach]] of the [[National Football League]] (NFL)'s [[Houston Oilers]].

==Playing career==
Hughes, a native of [[Buffalo, New York]], played [[college football]] on both sides of the ball at the [[University of Tulsa]], then was [[NFL Draft|drafted]] in the tenth round of the [[1954 NFL draft]] by the [[Los Angeles Rams]].  Playing primarily at [[defensive back]], Hughes collected two [[interceptions]] during his [[rookie]] year, then helped the team reach the [[1955 NFL Championship Game|NFL Championship game in 1955]].

On August 12, 1956, Hughes was traded along with [[running back]] [[Tommy McCormick]] to the [[New York Giants]] for a fourth round draft pick.  Hughes would play three seasons with his new team, helping them play twice in the NFL title game, including a convincing win over the [[Chicago Bears]] during his first season.

==Coaching career==
In 1959, Hughes entered the coaching ranks, returning to his alma mater in [[Tulsa]] for one season.  The following year, he joined [[Hank Stram]]'s staff with the fledgling [[Dallas Texans (AFL)|Dallas Texans]] of the new [[American Football League]].  His three years in the Lone Star state as [[defensive backs coach]] were capped with the team's [[1962 American Football League Championship Game|first championship]], coming in a double [[Overtime (sports)|overtime]] thriller over the [[Houston Oilers]].

After the [[1962 American Football League season|1962 season]], Hughes was hired as an assistant with another AFL team, the [[Denver Broncos]], but spent only one season there before accepting a position with the [[Washington Redskins]].  For four seasons, Hughes worked under two coaches, then left to become [[offensive coordinator]] for the [[San Francisco 49ers]].  The move reunited Hughes with [[Dick Nolan (football)|Dick Nolan]], who not only was his former teammate with the Giants, but also his brother-in-law.

After the 49ers struggled during the [[1968 San Francisco 49ers season|1968]] and [[1969 San Francisco 49ers season|1969]] seasons, the team put it all together during Nolan and Hughes' third year, winning the [[NFC West]] Division while also leading the league in [[total offense]].  The renewed success of the team was beneficial for Hughes, who accepted a five-year contract as head coach of the Oilers on January 21, 1971. {{Citation needed|reason=How do we know the date and length of this contract?|date=December 2016}}

The lengthy contract would prove to be a mirage as Hughes lasted just one season in the position.  An indication of the season came in the opener when Houston was shut out 31–0 by the [[Cleveland Browns]], and continued when Hughes fired two assistant coaches during the campaign.  The disarray concluded on December 22 when Hughes resigned after a strange power struggle in which Hughes asked that the team trainer be fired, while team owner [[Bud Adams]] insisted that the equipment manager (who Hughes had fired) be reinstated.{{Citation needed|reason=Hearsay|date=December 2016}}

Almost two years later, one more example of the havoc surrounding the team surfaced when Oilers [[Center (American football)|center]] [[Jerry Sturm]] indicated that he had been offered a [[bribe]] to affect the outcome of a game.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ex-Oiler Set to Testify on '71 Bribe Offer |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/07/05/archives/exoiler-set-to-testify-on-71-bribe-offer2-national-league-standing.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=28 August 2018 |date=July 5, 1973}}</ref> Following Hughes' departure, the Oilers became the first (and to date, only) team to post consecutive one-win seasons since the [[AFL-NFL merger]], going 1–13 in 1972 and 1973.

Hughes briefly worked in a trailer factory until a contract settlement was reached, then accepted the [[quarterbacks coach]] position with the [[St. Louis Cardinals (NFL)|St. Louis Cardinals]] on August 30, 1972.  When Cardinals' head coach [[Bob Hollway]] was fired after that season, Hughes found new employment on March 8, 1973, as [[History of American football positions#Offensive backfield|offensive backfield]] coach of the [[Dallas Cowboys]]. Hughes' new boss, [[Tom Landry]], had earlier played a role in his future when his 1956 retirement resulted in the Giants' trade for Hughes.

During his four seasons with the Cowboys, the team played in two NFC Championship games and competed in [[Super Bowl X]] against the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]]. Hughes left in 1977 to join [[Tommy Hudspeth]]'s staff with the [[Detroit Lions]], but the entire group was dismissed on January 9, 1978.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1978/01/10/archives/lions-oust-hudspeth-all-of-his-aides-lions-oust-hudspeth-and-his.html "Lions Oust Hudspeth, All Of His Aides," ''United Press International'' (UPI), Monday, January 9, 1978.] Retrieved November 24, 2020</ref>

He re-joined Dick Nolan who had been named head coach of the [[New Orleans Saints]] in 1978. The reunion of Nolan and Hughes would last only three years, when an improved [[1979 NFL season|1979 Saints team]] turned into the infamous "Aints" of [[1980 NFL season|1980]]. That squad was symbolized by their loss to the 49ers on December 7 in which they blew a 28-point lead.

Hughes would spend the [[1981 NFL season]] with the [[Philadelphia Eagles]], then move on to become offensive coordinator of the [[Chicago Bears]] under new head coach [[Mike Ditka]].  While the Bears would become known for their defensive prowess during this era, the offense still had the unparalleled exploits of running back [[Walter Payton]].  The combination was enough to lead the Bears to a title in 1985, capped with a 46–10 victory over the New England Patriots in [[Super Bowl XX]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=1986-01-27 |title=Bears Trounce Patriots, 46-10, in Super Bowl |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-01-27-mn-540-story.html |access-date=2023-10-31 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>

The Bears would go on to the postseason in each of the next three seasons, but Hughes resigned during the 1989 training camp after being demoted, then become quarterback coach of the Eagles midway through the season. In 1990, Hughes was hired as [[defensive coordinator]] at [[Lake Forest College]]. Hughes had his five children and ten grandchildren.

==Head coaching record==
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"|Team !! rowspan="2"|Year !! colspan="5"|Regular Season !! colspan="4"|Post Season
|-
!Won !!Lost!!Ties!!Win %!!Finish!!Won!!Lost!!Win %!!Result
|- 
![[1971 Houston Oilers season|HOU]]||[[1971 NFL season|1971]]
|4||9||1||.321||3rd in AFC Central|| – || – || – || –
|-
! colspan="2"|HOU Total||4||9||1||.321|| || – || – || – || – 
|-
! colspan="2"|NFL Total<ref name="PFR stats">{{cite web|title=Ed Hughes|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/coaches/HughEd0.htm|website=Pro Football Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|access-date=July 18, 2020}}</ref>
||4||9||1||.321|| || – || – || – || – 
|-
! colspan="2"|Total||4||9||1||.321|| || – || – || – || – 
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Tennessee Titans coach navbox}}
{{Los Angeles Rams 1954 draft navbox}}
{{1956 New York Giants}}
{{1962 Dallas Texans}}
{{1960 Dallas Texans}}
{{Super Bowl XX}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Ed}}
[[Category:1927 births]]
[[Category:2000 deaths]]
[[Category:American football cornerbacks]]
[[Category:Dallas Cowboys coaches]]
[[Category:Chicago Bears coaches]]
[[Category:Dallas Texans (AFL) coaches]]
[[Category:Denver Broncos coaches]]
[[Category:Detroit Lions coaches]]
[[Category:Houston Oilers coaches]]
[[Category:Lake Forest Foresters football coaches]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Rams players]]
[[Category:NC State Wolfpack football players]]
[[Category:New Orleans Saints coaches]]
[[Category:New York Giants players]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Eagles coaches]]
[[Category:San Francisco 49ers coaches]]
[[Category:St. Louis Cardinals (football) coaches]]
[[Category:Tulsa Golden Hurricane football coaches]]
[[Category:Tulsa Golden Hurricane football players]]
[[Category:Washington Redskins coaches]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Buffalo, New York]]
[[Category:Houston Oilers head coaches]]
[[Category:NFL offensive coordinators]]