Former Arizona Cardinals Head Coach Joe Bugel Dies at Age 80

Former Cardinals and Oakland Raiders head coach Joe Bugel, who spent four decades in the NFL as an offensive line coach, died Sunday.

He was 80.

"Joe Bugel impacted so many people in his 80 years of life and nearly 50 coaching football," Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill said in a statement. "Our hearts go out to every one of them but especially to his wife Brenda and the entire Bugel family. His accomplishments as one of our sport's truly legendary coaches speak for themselves. But the first thing I think of is how he lived his life and the kind of quality human being Joe Bugel was. We join all of those who today celebrate his remarkable life & mourn his passing."

Bugel was most famously the architect behind Washington's "Hogs" offensive line in the 1980s. That led to him being hired by the then-Phoenix Cardinals as their head coach in 1990, where he complied a 20-44 record before being fired in 1993. After leaving Arizona, Bugel spent two seasons in Oakland as an assistant coach before a 4-12 stint as head coach in 1997.

He spent his final two stops in the NFL coaching the offensive line, first with the Chargers and then rejoining Joe Gibbs in Washington from 2004-09 before retiring.

"Joe had an incredible passion for the game of football. He came to work every day with such great excitement and his players had tremendous respect for him. The strength of our coaching staff on both sides of the ball was a key reason we had so much success. Bugel was such a big part of that and his impact was felt not only by those Redskins' teams, but truly across the entire League. I will miss his friendship and I will always cherish our late-night arguments putting together the game plan each week. Pat and I will be praying for his wife Brenda, his girls, and their entire family," Gibbs said in a statement.

Bugel is survived by his wife, Brenda, and daughters Angie and Jennifer. The couple's third daughter, Holly, died in 2008 of cancer.