George Hill, who coached the Miami Dolphins defense for Don Shula and Jimmy Johnson, died on Tuesday. He was 87.
Hill became the Dolphins linebackers' coach in an odd swap of assistants in 1989. Johnson, newly named the Dallas Cowboys coach, took new Dolphins linebackers coach Dave Wannstedt with him. Shula, in return, hired Hill, who had recently been named the Dallas linebackers coach.
Hill was promoted to defensive coordinator when Johnson became the Dolphins coach in 1996. The 1998 Dolphins defense ranked as the league’s best. Hill oversaw Zach Thomas, who was named Rookie of the Year in 1996, and helped draft players like Jason Taylor, Patrick Surtain and Sam Madison develop to Pro Bowl seasons.