Steve Sidwell (August 30, 1944 – August 23, 2023) was an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

coach. He coached in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) for 22 years and was a

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

coach for 16 years. Sidwell worked as the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator (DC) is a coach responsible for a gridiron football team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, offensive coordinator and special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's coaching structure, wit ...

from 1986 to 1994. He had been appointed on February 3, 1986, a few days after

Vince Tobin Vincent Michael Tobin (September 29, 1943 – July 3, 2023) was an American professional football coach who was the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). During his four decades of coaching, he primarily ser ...

joined the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

despite the expectation that he would fill the Saints' defensive coordinator position. In this nine-year span, the Saints led the league twice in fewest points allowed (1991, 1992), in rushing defense (1989) and in passing defense (1992, 1993); this era of Saints defenses was nicknamed the

Dome Patrol The Dome Patrol was the linebacker corps of the National Football League's New Orleans Saints during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Under head coach Jim Mora, it formed the second level of defensive coordinator Steve Sidwell's 3–4 defense, con ...

. He has also held jobs as defensive coordinator of the

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston, Texas, from its founding in 1960 Houston Oilers season, 1960 to 1996 Houston Oilers season, 1996. The Houston Oilers began play as a charter member of the Ame ...

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

, and most recently, the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

. Sidwell died on August 23, 2023, at the age of 78.

References

1944 births 2023 deaths American football linebackers Colorado Buffaloes football coaches Colorado Buffaloes football players Houston Oilers coaches Indianapolis Colts coaches NFL defensive coordinators New England Patriots coaches New Orleans Saints coaches Seattle Seahawks coaches SMU Mustangs football coaches UNLV Rebels football coaches People from Winfield, Kansas {{Amfoot-coach-stub