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http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/f...chottenheimer-is-battling-alzheimers-disease/
Marty Schottenheimer, who coached four NFL teams from 1984-2006 and won 206 games, has been battling Alzheimer's disease for five years.
"He's in the best of health, [but] sometimes he just doesn't remember everything," Schottenheimer's wife, Pat, told ESPNCleveland.com's Tony Grossi. "He functions extremely well, plays golf several times a week. He's got that memory lag where he'll ask you the same question three or four times.
"He remembers people and faces, and he pulls out strange things that I've never heard, but he's doing well. It's going be a long road. We both know that."
Still, the 73-year-old coach remains upbeat.
"I'm sitting here looking at a lake and it's a spectacular setting," Schottenheimer told Grossi. "Pat and I, the Lord's blessed us. I mean, there's no other way I can identify it. We're doing really good."
Schottenheimer and Pat will attend the 30th anniversary of the 1986 Brownsteam that Schottenheimer coached -- and was this close to making the Super Bowl. Cleveland finished atop the AFC Central with a 12-4 record before falling to Denver in the conference championship game.
To put Schottenheimer's Cleveland accomplishments in perspective, he's the last Browns coach to have won more games than he lost. In five seasons, he went 44-27, including four playoff appearances. In fact, Schottenheimer never had a losing season with the team. Meanwhile there have been a dozen coaches since, and only two won at least 45 percent of their games: Bud Carson and Bill Belichick.
"Well, that's unfortunate, I guess, for the Browns," Schottenheimer told Grossi, when informed of all the losing that followed him.
"It is amazing," said Ernest Byner, who played for Schottenheimer on those Browns teams and organized the 30th reunion. "But it goes to show you that you can't get rid of good coaches. If you've got a good coach, then you should try your best to keep the coach. You can bring in as many talented guys as you want, but if you don't have a guy that can mold the team and lead the team in such a way like Marty, then you're itching for failure. I'm telling you, if it wasn't for Marty, that [1986] team would not have been what it was."
Marty Schottenheimer, who coached four NFL teams from 1984-2006 and won 206 games, has been battling Alzheimer's disease for five years.
"He's in the best of health, [but] sometimes he just doesn't remember everything," Schottenheimer's wife, Pat, told ESPNCleveland.com's Tony Grossi. "He functions extremely well, plays golf several times a week. He's got that memory lag where he'll ask you the same question three or four times.
"He remembers people and faces, and he pulls out strange things that I've never heard, but he's doing well. It's going be a long road. We both know that."
Still, the 73-year-old coach remains upbeat.
"I'm sitting here looking at a lake and it's a spectacular setting," Schottenheimer told Grossi. "Pat and I, the Lord's blessed us. I mean, there's no other way I can identify it. We're doing really good."
Schottenheimer and Pat will attend the 30th anniversary of the 1986 Brownsteam that Schottenheimer coached -- and was this close to making the Super Bowl. Cleveland finished atop the AFC Central with a 12-4 record before falling to Denver in the conference championship game.
To put Schottenheimer's Cleveland accomplishments in perspective, he's the last Browns coach to have won more games than he lost. In five seasons, he went 44-27, including four playoff appearances. In fact, Schottenheimer never had a losing season with the team. Meanwhile there have been a dozen coaches since, and only two won at least 45 percent of their games: Bud Carson and Bill Belichick.
"Well, that's unfortunate, I guess, for the Browns," Schottenheimer told Grossi, when informed of all the losing that followed him.
"It is amazing," said Ernest Byner, who played for Schottenheimer on those Browns teams and organized the 30th reunion. "But it goes to show you that you can't get rid of good coaches. If you've got a good coach, then you should try your best to keep the coach. You can bring in as many talented guys as you want, but if you don't have a guy that can mold the team and lead the team in such a way like Marty, then you're itching for failure. I'm telling you, if it wasn't for Marty, that [1986] team would not have been what it was."
