Buddy Ryan was the architect of the Chicago Bears' famed 46 defense that lifted the dominant 1985 squad to a Super Bowl victory.
He was a head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals.
Mostly, he was known as a defensive mastermind.
Although Ryan had a gruff, no-nonsense exterior, his personality softened considerably whenever the conversation turned to his twin sons, Rex Ryan and Rob Ryan. He was extremely proud of them.
Whenever Buddy Ryan would visit the Baltimore Ravens' training camps, a personal highlight for me as a beat writer was getting to visit with the elder Ryan, and talk about his defensive philosophies he'd instilled in his sons along with the legendary players he'd coached like Mike Singletary, Richard Dent, Dan Hampton and Reggie White.