It Was Only a Matter of Time; Coryell Out, Saunders In : Coryell’s No Quitter, Say His Players

To his players, Don Coryell was a leader who treated them like men and earned their respect. He was fiery, positive, emotional, caring, daring and humorous in a way many fans might not have suspected.

And he was not a quitter who would let his team down.

That’s why his sudden resignation Wednesday afternoon shocked his players and elicited such emotional responses.

“I don’t think he quit,” said veteran Charger center Don Macek. “I never knew Don Coryell to quit. To say he quit doesn’t sit well with me. He must have felt a change would help the team.”

A number of players refused to comment when asked whether Coryell resigned on his own or was pressured to step down. Tight end Kellen Winslow did not want to comment at all.

The players learned about Coryell’s resignation at a 10-minute meeting with new Coach Al Saunders shortly before practice Wednesday afternoon. They did not have a chance to say goodby to Coryell, who left the stadium immediately after his meeting with owner Alex Spanos.

“It’s the end of an era for the San Diego Chargers and the beginning of a new one for the Chargers,” Macek said.

“It came as a real shock,” said veteran placekicker Rolf Benirschke. “It’s a difficult time for the older players who have been through some great times with Coach Coryell. For nine years, he has been our leader. We’ll remember Coach Coryell with real caring and respect. . . . “I have a lot of strong memories of him. If it weren’t for Coach Coryell, I wouldn’t be playing. He stuck with me through my illness (ulcerative colitis).”

Macek recalled his first meeting with Coryell, who came to the Chargers from the St. Louis Cardinals in 1978.

“I vividly remember his first day,” Macek said. “Certain things went on in the meeting that were funny. There was some laughter. The only guys he knew were Dan (Fouts) and Ed White. Coryell said: ‘I don’t even know who you guys are.’ He chuckled. I remember that. It always stuck with me over the years.

“What made him special was the way he treated his players and the way he treated me. He treated them as men. He was always consistent in the way he treated the team.”

Said Benirschke: “He’s a very emotional guy and we’ve been through a lot of emotional times together. . . . Coach was always a very positive person. His experience with this sport teaches us you have to hang in there.”

In addition to praising Coryell, some Chargers also blamed themselves for placing Coryell in a precarious position.

“We let him down,” Benirschke said. “He had to pay for our mistakes. We were a runaway freight train with seven losses. Something had to be done.”

Said lineman Sam Claphan: “If only everybody had done their part. Everybody involved in the organization has to take part of the blame. We didn’t play as well as we should have and it cost him. Obviously changes had to be made. He took it upon himself to resign. He took all the blame and he shouldn’t have.”

While players said they did not recognize any recent changes in Coryell’s demeanor, they knew the mounting losses were eating away at him.

“Losing football games has never set well with Coach Coryell,” Macek said. “Losses ate at him. The last few weeks had to be very difficult for him.”

Said Benirschke: “It’s been very difficult for him the last seven weeks. He has a lot of pride.”