RENTON, Wash. -- Jack Patera, the original head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, died Wednesday at his home, the team confirmed. He was 85.
"I know Jack was real sick and he was battling," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said of Patera, who had pancreatic cancer. "First head coach of the Seahawks. That's too bad. He was a great coach. The guys that played for him really loved playing for him. We meet them on ... the alumni days, and he was really important to all those, important to a lot of people. We'll miss him."
Patera coached the expansion Seahawks from their inaugural season in 1976 until 1982, when he was fired after an 0-2 start.