Infante Picks Up Post-Season Win as Coach of Year

He watched calmly from the sidelines as his team struggled to become a contender, enduring four one-point wins, two agonizing instant replay reviews and countless comebacks.

And when his Green Bay Packers had done all they could--finishing 10-6 for their best record since 1972--he watched on TV as Minnesota beat Cincinnati 29-21 to oust his team from the playoffs in the final minutes of the regular season.

Through it all, Lindy Infante was the same--calm, methodical, confident and team-oriented. The same was true when he was named today as the NFL Coach of the Year by the Associated Press.

“I think it’s an honor for everybody here, and I’m certainly honored to be voted to that position, but I think it should reflect what everybody did here and not one individual,” Infante said Tuesday afternoon upon returning to Green Bay after vacationing in Mexico and Florida.

In balloting by a national media panel, Infante received 23 votes, edging out Denver’s Dan Reeves, who finished with 17 1/2 votes and San Francisco’s George Siefert with 16.

Also receiving votes were Bill Parcells of the New York Giants (5), Art Shell of the Raiders (4), Kansas City’s Marty Schottenheimer (3 1/2) and Pittsburgh’s Chuck Noll (1).

The 49-year-old Infante moved to Green Bay in 1988 from Cleveland, where he served as offensive coordinator, but the Packers finished 4-12 that year, failing to grasp his complex passing offensive.

In the off-season, the Packers studied Infante’s game plan, acquired several Plan B free agent veterans and signed rookies Tony Mandarich, Chris Jacke and Jeff Query to bolster their roster.

And guided by three Pro Bowl selections--quarterback Don Majkowski, receiver Sterling Sharpe and linebacker Tim Harris--the Packers beat archrival Chicago twice, upset the 49ers in San Francisco and posted an NFL record four one-point wins before falling just one victory short of their first playoff berth in seven years.

The Packers were eliminated from the playoffs when Minnesota beat Cincinnati last Monday. Although the Vikings and Packers were both 10-6, Minnesota won the NFC Central with a better division record.

“Well, it was a lot better than the year before when we were way out of it going into the last few minutes,” Infante said. “At least this year we were competitive with the exception of maybe two football games.”

The road was not easy. Ten of their games were settled by a total of 21 points.

Infante did not mind all the heart-stopping wins. And the fans in Green Bay--starved by 20 years of futility--were hungry for each victory.