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Longtime pro football executive Jack Faulkner passed away Sunday night in Newport Beach, Calif. He was 82.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Jack, who enriched the Rams’ organization for decades and was a driving force behind the emergence of the NFL as a marquee sport," Rams owners Lucia Rodriguez and Chip Rosenbloom said. "We loved him as we would a family member and will miss his vibrant personality and vast knowledge of the game he loved so much. Our hearts and prayers go out to his family.”
Faulkner, a native of Youngstown, Ohio, joined the Rams in 1955 as a member of Sid Gillman's coaching staff. He remained in pro football for the next 53 years, 43 of which were with the Rams' organization.
After retiring from coaching following the Rams' loss in Super Bowl XIV to the Steelers, he was named the Rams’ assistant general manager in 1980. He was one of the few Rams employees who remained in California when the team relocated to St. Louis in 1995.
He most recently had been the Rams’ administrator for pro personnel, working out of an office in Orange County, Calif.
In addition to his years with the Rams, he also was defensive backfield coach for the AFL's San Diego Chargers in 1961 and was head coach and general manager of the 1962 Denver Broncos and was named AFL Coach of the Year after leading the financially strapped and competitively weak franchise to a 7-7 record.
He served on the coaching staffs of the Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints before rejoining the Rams for good in 1971.
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