PALOS VERDES, Calif. -- George Allen, the fabled ex-coach of the Los Angeles Rams and Washington Redskins whose win-at-all costs approach earned him a reputation as one of the most driven yet inspirational leaders in the NFL, died Monday. He was 72.
Allen, a fitness buff who returned to coaching at California State University at Long Beach just more than a year ago after retiring from professional football in the mid-1980s, died of natural causes at 10:30 a.m. at his home in Palos Verdes, a Los Angeles suburb, a CSULB spokeswoman said.
Allen, who liked to say 'the future is now,' began his coaching career in 1957 at Whittier College in Whittier, Calif. He left to become the receivers' coach with the Los Angeles Rams and went on to become the head coach of the Rams and later the Washington Redskins. Both teams were struggling franchises when Allen was brought in.
He coached the Redskins to seven consecutive winning seasons and took them in 1973 to Super Bowl VII, where they lost to the Miami Dolphins 14-7. He later coached for two seasons in the United States Football League.
Allen was the only head coach in the history of professional football to have won more than 100 games without once suffering a losing campaign.
Allen's home of 15 years in Palos Verdes is only a few minutes from the Long Beach State campus, where, since his retirement in 1984, he had been writing books. One of those books, titled the 'Encyclopedia of Football Drills,' spawned an entire new era of sports instructional and drill books.
Allen also went on speaking tours around the world, and worked as the chairman of the National Fitness Foundation.
'I came back because I love football,' Allen told an interviewer in August when asked why he left retirement to take over a Big West Conference program that was 4-8 in the 1989 season. 'Football is a great game. It's an honor to be a football coach.'
The CSULB 49ers were 6-5 this year, their first winning season in four years.
'He just gave the team the guidance and motivation it needed,' a team spokesman, Shayne Schroeder, said. 'He was very upbeat and very positive.'
Allen, named the National Football Conference coach of the year four times, coached the Redskins from 1971 to 1977. The team's record was 67- 30-1, with a .689 winning percentage. In his 14 years as a professional head coach, Allen's teams won seven league titles, took second five times and third twice.
The Redskins were known as the over-the-hill-gang because of Allen's penchant for signing older players and trading away college draft choices for established stars. Among his choices were quarterback Billy Kilmer, defensive linemen Diron Talbert and Ron McDole.
'I'm in total shock,' Kilmer said after learning of the coach's death. 'George Allen seemed indestructable to me. I thought he was going to live to 100. He was like a father to me, personally.'
'He was a great motivator,' Kilmer added. 'All of his desire was toward winning. He knew that as players, if you won, everything else fell into place. He taught you how to be a winner, not only on the field but off the field.'
Jack Pardee, who succeeded Allen at Washington and is now coaching the Houston Oilers, said, 'He was always very popular with the players. He always treated the players as men and expected a lot out of them, but never any more than he expected out of himself.'
Jack Kent Cooke, who became majority owner of the Redskins in 1974, said: 'I'm devastated by the news. He was a trojan for work and for winning. He was one of the indestructables.'
In a November interview with a television station, Allen explained his return to college football coaching after a 34-year absence, saying:
'There were times when I thought I made a mistake, but the kids worked so hard and had such a great attitiude that I thought we could turn the program around and we were very fortunate that we won four games in the last minute.
'It was a rewarding experience, hopefully we can save football at Long Beach State.'
Asked how he motivated his charges, Allen replied: 'We worked 'em hard. We disciplined 'em. We try to stay organized, prepare them for the games. We respected them, we loved them. A lot of the kids on this campus come from broken homes. They need attention.
'It was the most rewarding experience I've had in all my years of coaching because every team outweighed us and we didn't have much experience.'
Allen was a workaholic who kept fit by running nearly every day, lifting weights, swimming and riding a bicycle. He also loved ice cream.
He was best known for his relentless enthusiasm and always positive attitude. At Redskins games, he would lead the team in victory cheers.
Allen's 116-47-5 record ranks second among NFL coaches at the job for more than 10 years.
He was seen as as innovative force both on and off the field.
In 1981, he was appointed by former President Ronald Reagan to head the national fitness and sports program. Keeping in character, he soon turned his volunteer effort into a full-time crusade to get physical education back into schools throughout the country.
Born in Detroit, Allen grew up in Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich., and attended Alma College, Marquette University and the University of Michigan.
Allen his wife, Etty, have one daughter, Jennifer and three sons, George, Gregory and Gerald.
