Lindy Infante, Former NFL Head Coach, Dies at Age 75

Former Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts head coach Lindy Infante died Thursday in Florida after an extended illness. He was 75.

His wife, Stephanie, confirmed the news to Terry Spencer and Genaro C. Armas of the Associated Press. Longtime Packers safety LeRoy Butler, who played two seasons under Infante in Green Bay, sent along his condolences:

Infante played halfback at Florida before a short stint in the Canadian Football League with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

After his one-year stint in the CFL, he moved into the coaching realm. He spent nearly two decades as an assistant coach on both college and professional staffs before getting his first head coaching gig with the Jacksonville Bulls of the USFL in 1984.

Infante followed that by taking over as the Cleveland Browns' offensive coordinator before getting his first shot at being an NFL head coach with the Packers from 1988 to 1991. He was named Coach of the Year after the team went 10-6 during the 1989 campaign.

The Colts gave him another opportunity, first as an offensive coordinator before taking over as head coach in 1996. They made the playoffs during his first season in charge but followed it up with a 3-13 campaign that led to his exit.

All told, Infante's NFL head coaching career ended with a 36-60 record. Pro Football Reference noted that, including his time as a head coach and offensive coordinator, his offenses ranked inside the top 10 of the league four times in 10 years.