Dec. 11, 2000
Below is a quick synopsis of what brought John Bunting to the University of North Carolina:
Player
North Carolina 1969-71, Philadelphia Eagles 1972-82, Philadelphia Stars (USFL) 1983-84
Coach
altimore Stars (USFL), linebackers, 1985, Brown, defensive ends, 1986, Glassboro State (now Rowan College), assistant coach, defensive line, 1987, head coach, 1987-92, Kansas
City Chiefs, defensive assistant, 1993-94, linebackers, 1995-96, St. Louis Rams, co-defensive coordinator & linebackers, 1997-99, New Orleans Saints, linebackers, 2000
Player Highlights
played at Carolina under head coach Bill Dooley and linebackers coach Ron DeMelfi
in his three active seasons (freshmen were not eligible at that time), he helped the Tar Heels to a 22-12
overall record
co-captain along with quarterback Paul Miller in 1971 when Carolina went 9-3 and won the Atlantic Coast Conference championship
earned first-team All-ACC and honorable-mention All-America honors at linebacker in 1971
named UNC's defensive MVP in 1971
led Carolina to the 1970 Peach Bowl against Arizona State and the 1971 Gator Bowl against Georgia
started for three seasons at linebacker
had 20 tackles against Notre Dame as a senior
Carolina led the ACC in scoring defense, total defense and run defense in 1969, 1970 and 1971
was drafted in the 10th round, but played 11 seasons in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles
started at linebacker in 119 of 133 career NFL games
member of the Eagles team that beat the Dallas Cowboys to win the NFC Championship in 1980 and played the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XV, started every game during the
Super Bowl season
played for Coach Dick Vermeil at Philadelphia and was a teammate of NFL stars Ron Jaworski, Harold Carmichael, Wilbert Montgomery, Bill Bergey
finished his career with a two-year stint in the USFL with the Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars
Coaching Highlights
served five years as head coach at Glassboro State and led the Profs to the NCAA Division III football
playoffs in his last two seasons (1991, 1992), compiled an overall record of 38-14-2
in 1991, the Profs earned their first-ever NCAA playoff berth, losing to Ithaca in the first round
in 1992, Glassboro went undefeated during the regular-season (10-0) and advanced to the NCAA semifinals before falling to Washington & Jefferson, Glassboro had never won
more than seven games until 1991
named Division III Coach of the Year by the Metropolitan New York Football Writers Association in 1992 (Stan Lomax/Irving Marsh Award)
coached defense for four years with the Kansas City Chiefs under head coach Marty Schottenheimer, Chiefs made the playoffs in 1993 and 1995
the Chiefs had the No. 1 ranked scoring defense in 1995
coached linebacker Derrick Thomas with the Chiefs
was the co-defensive coordinator in 1999-2000 with the Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams
also coached the Rams linebackers, including London Fletcher, Mike Jones and former Tar Heel Mike Morton (it was Jones who stopped Tennessee wide receiver Kevin Dyson at
the 1-yard line to preserve the Super Bowl title)
under his direction, the Rams improved from 17th to 10th to sixth in the NFL in total defense
coached linebackers this year with the New Orleans Saints, one of the most positive surprise teams in the NFL this year
Saints lead the NFL in quarterback sacks and are on pace to set a franchise record for sacks in a season
Saints are currently fifth in the NFL and second in the NFC in total defense
Personal
born July 15, 1950 in Portland, Maine
attended Springbrook High School in Silver Spring, Md.
Wife - Dawn, is a former basketball and softball coach at Rowan College and volleyball coach at UMKC from 1994-95, coached Rowan's women's basketball program for eight
seasons and compiled a 121-80 career mark, named the 1992 New Jersey Conference Basketball Coaches Association College Coach of the Year.
Children - Brooks (26) and Kim (31). Kim is married to Jim Gannon.
