Ted Marchibroda, who spent more than a decade manning the sideline for the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens, has passed away at the age of 84.
RIP Ted Marchibroda. Sad day for Colts Nation pic.twitter.com/qewgFVz7iD
— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) January 16, 2016
Marchibroda began his coaching career as an assistant for the Washington Redskins before joining George Allen with the Los Angeles Rams in the mid 1960’s. He later acted as Allen’s offensive coordinator in Washington after the latter took the head coaching job in D.C.
Marchibroda’s first stint as a head coach would come for the Baltimore Colts from 1975-79. He led that squad to double-digit wins in his first three seasons before putting up consecutive five-win campaigns to end his tenure.
After serving as an assistant for the next several years, Marchibroda would again take on a head coaching role with the Colts — this time in Indianapolis in 1992. Unfortunately, that go-around was nowhere near successful. He missed out on the playoffs the first three seasons before helping Indy advance to the AFC Championship game in 1995.
Former Colts quarterback and current Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, who led that team to the conference title game, paid his respects to Marchibroda after hearing of his passing:
R.I.P. & Let 'Er Rip. Ted Marchibroda, a Life-Changer, a Winner & a Champion all the way. Forever Proud to be ur QB. pic.twitter.com/usV6F27OXk
— Coach Harbaugh (@CoachJim4UM) January 16, 2016
Marchibroda’s coaching career would come to an end after three seasons as the Baltimore Ravens head coach. He was unable to meet the same success he saw in Baltimore two decades earlier, leading that team to a 14-31-1 record in three seasons before calling it quits for good.
A fixture within the Baltimore and Indianapolis sports scene, Marchibroda also gave current New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick his first coaching job as a special assistant with the Colts back in 1975.
Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk had this to say about Marchibroda upon hearing about his ex coach’s death:
“Just a grave loss. The man who I’m endeared to. Taught me a lot about football and life and just how they correlate and how taking care of your job, taking care of your family and handling your responsibilities and being a good teammate is very important. We lost a special man.”
There is no information available regarding the cause of Marchibroda’s death.
