Chuck Knox, a three-time N.F.L. coach of the year who believed so strongly in the running game that he earned the nickname Ground Chuck, but who persuaded the New York Jets to take the pass-throwing Joe Namath in the draft, died on Saturday. He was 86.
His death was announced by the Seattle Seahawks, who said he had dementia. The team did not say where he died.
A head coach in the N.F.L. for 22 seasons, Knox never had a Super Bowl team, but he rebuilt three lackluster teams — the Los Angeles Rams, the Buffalo Bills and the Seattle Seahawks — into playoff squads, taking them to a total of seven division championships.