University of North Carolina Athletics
Bud Carson, architect of Steel Curtain defense, dies at 75
December 7, 2005 | Football
Dec. 7, 2005
SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) - Bud Carson, the architect of Pittsburgh's "Steel Curtain" defense who later coached the Cleveland Browns, died Wednesday. Carson was a defensive back at Carolina from 1949-51 and later served as an assistant coach for the Tar Heels. He was 75.
Carson, who had been ill with emphysema, died at his home, according to his wife's employer, TV station WWSB.
Carson was the Steelers' defensive coordinator from 1972-77, and shaped a defense led by Joe Greene, Jack Ham and Jack Lambert into one of the best in NFL history. During that time, the Steelers won two Super Bowl titles under coach Chuck Noll, and would go on to win another two after Carson left.
Carson then became defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams, who lost to the Steelers in the Super Bowl after the 1979 season. He coached the Browns in 1989-90, posting a 11-13-1 record in 1 1/2 seasons.
Cleveland won the AFC Central in his first season, beating Buffalo 34-30 in the playoffs before losing to Denver 37-21 in the AFC championship game. He was fired the next year when the team got off to a 2-7 start.
"Bud was an eccentric guy that we respected very much and as a result we played hard because we liked Bud," said former Browns wide receiver Brian Brennan. "We had an older team and Bud treated us like men, and because of that he got the most out of us."
Brennan also recalled some of Carson's quirky coaching techniques.
"Sometimes he would make things up on the fly," Brennan said. "We would practice something all week, and at halftime Bud would say, 'Let's try this.' He liked to do things a little differently."
Colts coach Tony Dungy, an NFL player in the late 1970s, recalls marveling at how Carson could make major adjustments in personnel and strategy in the middle of a game or a season.
"If anyone can come up with something, it's Bud," Dungy said, pointing to how Carson successfully put in a new and complicated defensive alignment for a key game with Dallas in 1979.
Carson also coached Georgia Tech from 1967-71, posting a 27-27 record, including a win in the 1970 Sun Bowl and was defensive coordinator for the New York Jets from 1985-88.
"You look at what he established when he was with Pittsburgh, the style of defense they played in the championship they won," said Marty Lyons, a defensive tackle with the Jets during Carson's tenure there. "Wherever he went, he always had that aggressive style. He didn't want to let the offense feel like they had an upper hand on the defense. It was always an attack mode."
Carson had some of the best defensive players in NFL history on the 1974 and 1975 Steelers teams that won the Super Bowl, but didn't hesitate to motivate them. He pulled future Hall of Fame cornerback Mel Blount from the AFC championship game against Oakland in January 1975 because he felt Blount wasn't playing up to his ability.
"That was a stupid answer," Blount said before the Steelers beat Minnesota in the Super Bowl, criticism that caused a major stir in Pittsburgh. "I don't think smart coaches would've done something like that."
The Steelers were so uncertain about Blount's future after that, they drafted defensive back Dave Brown of Michigan in the first round and put him behind Blount on the depth chart.
Blount responded by making 11 interceptions in 1975 and winning the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, and Brown wound up with the expansion Seattle Seahawks.
Carson's work with what is widely regarded as the best defense in NFL history was praised even after he left the Steelers, which rankled some holdover members of Noll's staff. Woody Widenhofer, who became the Steelers' defensive coordinator in 1979, said the defense was better after Carson left because it was more complex and relied more on blitzing.
"This isn't that little architect's defense," Widenhofer said. "He didn't know anything about defense until he got with Chuck Noll."
Still, the Steelers were so concerned about Carson's knowledge of their defense before the Super Bowl in January 1980 that they rotated linebackers Loren Toews and Robin Cole on every play so Carson couldn't steal their defensive play calls from the sidelines. The Steelers won 31-19 for their fourth and final Super Bowl victory.
Carson was a defensive back at North Carolina from 1949-51 before spending two years in the Marines. He coached the freshman team in 1957 and was the backs coach from 1958-64.
"It was a privilege and an honor to have coached with him in St. Louis," said North Carolina head coach John Bunting. "I only wish I could have played for him. I'm sure there's a whole bunch of players out there in mourning right now. What a great, great coach and a great human being. He was the original tough guy."
Carson is survived by his wife, Linda; daughters Dana and Cathi; a son, Clifford; a stepson, Gary Ford; three brothers, Guy, Harry and Gib, and two grandchildren.
Visitation will be Monday night at Toale Brothers Funeral Home in Sarasota with services Tuesday at First United Methodist Church.