PALM DESERT, Calif., Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Mike McCormack, a Hall of Fame player as an offensive lineman who was also an NFL head coach and team executive, died Friday at the age of 83.
McCormack's death was confirmed by the Carolina Panthers, who said McCormack died in Palm Desert, Calif., where he had lived in recent years.
McCormack was a six-time Pro Bowl selection during an NFL playing career from 1951-62 with the New York Yanks and Cleveland Browns. He was part of the Browns' NFL championship teams in 1954 and '55. McCormack was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1984.
He was an assistant coach under Vince Lombardi and George Allen before being hired as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles (1973-75), Baltimore Colts (1980-81) and Seattle Seahawks (1982). He was 29-51-1 as a head coach.
He was hired in 1989 to help the Charlotte, N.C., area obtain an NFL franchise, an effort that resulted in the formation of Carolina Panthers. He later was the team president, retiring in 1996.
"It is safe to say that we would probably not have a team in the Carolinas if it were not for Mike McCormack," Panthers owner Jerry Richardson said in a statement. "He had the contacts in the National Football League and was universally respected by everyone associated with professional football.
"He was a wonderful and our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Ann, and the entire McCormack family."
