Ed Hughes, 72, football coach

[T.E. Goodell]

LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. (AP) - Ed Hughes, former coach of the Houston Oilers and
offensive coordinator of the 1986 Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears, died last
week. He was 72.

Hughes died Friday at Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, Ill., of heart
failure.

Hughes was Houston's coach in 1971, and went 4-9-1 with the Oilers. He then
worked as the offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys from 1973-76.

Hughes, along with Mike Ditka, the Cowboys' special teams coach, helped lead
the team to three postseason appearances - including the 1976 Super Bowl.

Ditka left the Cowboys for the Bears after that season, and became head coach
in 1982. During the NFL players strike that season, Ditka decided he was
spending too much time calling offensive plays and not enough time coaching the
defense and the kicking game.

So he turned to Hughes.

``He was thrilled to pieces to come to Chicago, and since my family was from
Chicago, it was even better,'' said his wife, Nancy.

Hughes coached an offensive squad that included Walter Payton and Jim McMahon.
In 1985, the team rolled through the regular season, losing only one game. The
Bears then swept through the playoffs, finishing with a 46-10 victory over the
New England Patriots in the 1986 Super Bowl.

Four years after that victory, Hughes retired.

Hughes spent decades in professional football. After he graduated from Tulsa in
1952, Hughes was drafted by and played with the Los Angeles Rams as a
cornerback and also played with the New York Giants.

After finishing his playing career in 1958, Hughes returned to his alma mater
to coach. From there, Hughes returned to professional football as a coach,
starting when he took a job as an assistant with the Dallas Texans, who later
became the Kansas City Chiefs.

His career as an assistant included stints with the Washington Redskins, Denver
Broncos and the San Francisco 49ers before he became coach of the Oilers.

In addition to his wife, Hughes is survived by his son, James; daughters
Madeline, Maureen, Colleen Kelliher and Eileen Horgan; two brothers, Jim and
Dick; and seven grandchildren.

Funeral services were to be held Tuesday.

AP-NY-06-26-00 2139EDT