Former Detroit Lions quarterback and assistant coach Greg Landry has passed away at the age of 77. The team made the announcement on Friday evening.
Landry, originally from Nashua, New Hampshire, was selected 11th overall by the Lions in the 1968 NFL Draft after playing for UMass. He spent 11 seasons with the team (1968-1978), achieving a career record of 40-41-3 while in Detroit.
Initially sharing quarterback duties with Bill Munson, Landry became the Lions’ full-time starter in 1971. That year, he earned his only Pro Bowl selection after throwing for 2,237 yards and 16 touchdowns. His career-best 18 touchdown passes came in 1972. Though injuries interrupted his career for a time, he made a strong comeback in 1976, winning Comeback Player of the Year after posting 2,191 passing yards and 17 touchdowns.
In addition to his passing skills, Landry was a dynamic runner, accumulating over 2,500 rushing yards and 19 rushing touchdowns during his Lions career, including a remarkable nine touchdowns in 1972.
The Lions traded Landry to the Baltimore Colts in 1979, where he spent three seasons with a starting record of 3-10-1. He later played two seasons in the USFL with the Chicago Blitz (1983) and Arizona Wranglers (1984), before making one final NFL start for the Chicago Bears in 1984, coincidentally against the Lions.
Landry transitioned to coaching in 1985, starting as the quarterbacks coach for the Cleveland Browns under Marty Schottenheimer. He then spent seven years with Mike Ditka’s Chicago Bears staff, serving as the quarterbacks/wide receivers coach (1986-1988) and later as offensive coordinator (1989-1992). Landry also worked as offensive coordinator at the University of Illinois (1993-1994).
In 1995, Landry returned to Detroit as the Lions’ quarterbacks coach, a position he held for two seasons. Under his guidance, Scott Mitchell had a standout season in 1995, throwing for 4,338 yards and 32 touchdowns, while leading the Lions’ passing offense to second in the league.
Landry ranks fifth in Lions franchise history for passing yards (12,451) and holds the fourth-most passing touchdowns (80). He was inducted into the UMass Hall of Fame in 1980.
