Donald David Coryell ( kor-YEL; October 17, 1924 – July 1, 2010) was an American football coach. He coached in high school, college, and the professional ranks; his most notable NCAA post was with the San Diego State Aztecs for 12 seasons from 1961 to 1972 before he moved on to the National Football League (NFL), first with the St. Louis Cardinals from 1973 to 1977 and then the San Diego Chargers from 1978 to 1986. Well known for his innovations in football's passing game, in particular the Air Coryell offense he created with the Chargers, Coryell was the first head coach to win more than 100 games at both the collegiate and professional levels. He was inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame in 1994, the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023.
Born in Seattle, Coryell served in the U.S. military during World War II and played college football before becoming a coach upon his graduation. Between 1950 and 1960 he served as either a head coach or assistant at eight different institutions, overseeing rapid improvements in most cases and winning three conference titles with the Whittier Poets. He followed this with a 12-year stint at San Diego State, from 1961 to 1972, in which he led them to seven conference titles, three NCAA College Division titles and victory in three bowl games. During this time, future Pro Football Hall of Fame coaches John Madden and Joe Gibbs served on his staff as assistants.
Coryell moved into professional coaching in 1973 with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he stayed for five years, leading the team to 10-win seasons three times, including the only two divisional titles of their 28-year stint in St. Louis. He left after a dispute with Cardinals owner Bill Bidwill and joined the San Diego Chargers in 1978, leading them to three division titles over the course of eight years. During his time with the Chargers, his teams led the NFL in passing yards six years in a row and seven times in total, while also leading the league in total yardage five times and scoring three times. Coryell retired from coaching after being fired following a 1–7 start in 1986.
Don Coryell was born October 17, 1924, to Julia and George Coryell in Seattle, Washington. He was the youngest of four children, all boys. Don initially had no middle name, but adopted David at his mother's suggestion, as the biblical story of David and Goliath was his favorite as a child.
Coryell graduated from Lincoln High School in 1943 while World War II was in process, and immediately enlisted in the United States Army. He joined the newly-formed 86th Mountain Infantry, a regiment of ski troops training at Camp Hale in Colorado; it would later be combined with two others to form the 10th Mountain Division. While the bulk of his group joined the war in Italy, Coryell was promoted to platoon sergeant and remained in America as an instructor. Preferring to see combat, he applied for officer's school; he was eventually sent to Japan, but only after the war had ended. Coryell later trained as a paratrooper, joined the 11th Airborne Division and rose to the rank of first lieutenant before being discharged at the age of 21.
After leaving the service, Coryell enrolled at the University of Washington, studying physical education and earning his bachelor's and master's degrees. He played as a defensive back for the Washington Huskies, lettering as a senior in 1949 and playing in that year's Hula Bowl. He also competed as a boxer, winning the university's light heavyweight crown in 1947 and 1948 before being defeated in the heavyweight title fight the following year.
Early coaching career (1950–1960)
Coryell changed jobs frequently during his first decade as a coach. While earning a master's degree at the University of Washington, he remained with the Huskies as an assistant coach. After completing his studies, Coryell took a job at Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he served as both an assistant coach and a biology teacher. The following year, 1952, he moved to another Honolulu school, Farrington High School, for his first head coaching post. He improved a team that had failed to win a game the previous year. In 1953, Coryell moved to the University of British Columbia in Canada, where he compiled a 2–16 record over two seasons. The university did not prioritize sporting success; when Coryell earned his first victory it ended a two-year winless drought for the team, and prompted the Vancouver Sun to write, "Don Coryell has carved himself a niche in UBC's not-too-crowded football hall of fame."
In 1955, Coryell accepted an offer from Wenatchee Junior College in his home state of Washington. The team had gone winless the previous year. Coryell bolstered his squad by recruiting nine players from Canada and seven from Hawaii and led Wenatchee to a 7–0–1 record, before they lost, 33–6, to Bakersfield in the Potato Bowl. During that year, Coryell began using what he called the "IT formation", combining elements of the I formation and the T formation, with the intention of having his backs receive the ball closer to the line of scrimmage. This is today known as the power I formation.
Coryell changed jobs in both 1956 and 1957. First, he left Wenatchee for a military team at Fort Ord. Again making use of the I formation, he led them to the service football championship with a 9–0 record. Next, he successfully applied for a vacancy in Whittier, California, replacing George Allen as the head coach of the Whittier Poets, whose most recent Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) title had come five years earlier. Coryell remained at Whittier for three seasons (1957–59), winning SCIAC championships each time. The Poets were unbeaten in conference play during his tenure, going 12–0–1 against SCIAC teams and 23–5–1 overall. Coryell adopted a flexible approach to offensive play, based on the abilities of his personnel. Early on in his time with Whittier, he used a run-based attack because his starting quarterback was injured and his backups were less accomplished. Later, Coryell converted a tailback into a talented quarterback and began passing more often. He also kept the program within its budget, which his predecessor had failed to do.
In 1960, he was an assistant coach under John McKay for the USC Trojans, where the I formation would be its signature offense for decades. While the origin of the I formation is unclear, Coryell was one of its pioneers.
San Diego State Aztecs (1961–1972)
Coryell's next job was as the head coach of the San Diego State Aztecs, who had struggled prior to his appointment. In 1960, the Aztecs had posted a 1–6–1 record, and lost all five games in their conference, the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The offense produced under 200 yards per game, and scored only 53 points in eight games. Only 6,000 fans were in attendance for a 60–0 home defeat by an inter-state rival, the Fresno State Bulldogs. The Aztecs had failed to win the CCAA or make a bowl game since 1951.
Coryell was named the Aztecs' new head coach on January 11, 1961, and predicted that San Diego State would be a leading small college by 1963. He installed the I formation, and instituted a policy of recruiting juniors who had played for two years at junior colleges in Southern California, reasoning that this policy allowed the Aztecs to study their recruits and be sure of their abilities before signing them, avoiding wasting any of their limited budget on sub-standard players. Among his first crop of junior recruits was future Hall of Fame head coach Joe Gibbs. The Aztecs improved rapidly under Coryell, as he led the team to a 7–2–1 record in his first season. They followed with their first CCAA title for a decade, going 8–2 overall and 6–0 in their division. The decisive game came against Fresno State, who had won the CCAA the previous four consecutive seasons. Before a capacity crowd of 13,000, the Aztecs ended an eight-game losing streak to their rivals, winning 29–25. Coryell was carried from the field by his players at the end of the game. At this point, his offense was based primarily around the run; in the game against Fresno State, the Aztecs gained only 9 yards passing against 269 rushing. Coryell's success led to speculation that he might take a role with the San Diego Chargers or a larger college, but he affirmed his intention to stay with the Aztecs. San Diego State went 7–2 in 1963, earning a share of the CCAA title. They scored at least 30 points in each of their first seven games.