Джек Кристиансен: Американ футболшысы және жаттықтырушысы

American football player and coach (1928–1986)

Jack LeRoy Christiansen (December 20, 1928 – June 29, 1986) was an American professional football player who became a college and pro coach. He played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions as a safety and return specialist from 1951 to 1958. He helped lead the Lions to three NFL championships in 1952, 1953, and 1957 and was a first team All NFL player in six of his eight years in the league. He led the NFL in interceptions in 1953 and 1957 and in punt returns for touchdown in 1951, 1952, 1954, and 1956. His eight career punt returns for touchdowns was an NFL record until 1989 and remains the fourth best in league history. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in
After retiring as a player, Christiansen served as a football coach for 25 years from 1959 to 1983, including stints as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, compiling a 26–38–3 record from 1963 to 1967, and at Stanford, where he compiled a 30–22–3 record from 1972 to 1976. He concluded his career as an assistant coach for the Kansas City Chiefs (1977), Seattle Seahawks (1978–1982), and Atlanta Falcons (1983).

Christiansen was born in Sublette, Kansas, in 1928, and was raised an orphan at the Odd Fellows Orphanage in Cañon City, Colorado. Six weeks later, Christiansen repeated the feat, returning two punts for touchdowns (returns of 71 and 89 yards) against the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving Day in Detroit. He returned 18 punts for a total of 343 yards (19.1 yards per return), as the 1951 Lions compiled a 7–4–1 record and finished in second place in the NFL's Western Division. His longest return in 1952 was for 79 yards with two minutes remaining against the Chicago Bears at Wrigley Field on November 23. Christiansen also played as a halfback on offense, rushing for 54 yards and a touchdown on nine carries against the Chicago Bears on December 7, and for 94 yards, including a 65 yard touchdown run, against the Dallas Texans on December 13. At the end of the season, Christiansen was selected by the Associated Press (AP) as a first team All NFL player. He led the NFL with 12 interceptions, 238 interception return yards, and a 93 yard interception return. At the end of the season, he was selected by the AP and United Press International (UPI) as a first team All NFL player and was invited to play in the Pro Bowl. He served as a defensive backfield coach with the 49ers for four years, from 1959 to 1962. In late September 1963, with the 49ers in the midst of a 10 game losing streak, including all five pre season games and the first three regular season games of the 1963 season, Hickey resigned, and Christiansen, at age 34, took over as the 49ers' head coach. In that season's final 11 games, the 49ers won only twice, but held the distinction of being the only team to defeat the eventual NFL champion Chicago Bears. Over the succeeding four years, San Francisco continued to struggle, with Christiansen's best season coming in 1965 when the team was 7–6–1. The 49ers began the 1967 season with five wins in their first six games, but won only two more games the remainder of the campaign, resulting in Christiansen's dismissal on December 20, ending his tenure with a record of 26–38–3.

In January 1968, Christiansen was hired by his alma mater, Colorado State, as a consultant to review and make recommendations concerning the university's athletic program.

In April 1968, Christiansen was hired as an assistant coach under John Ralston at Stanford. During this period, Stanford pulled off consecutive Rose Bowl upsets of Ohio State and Michigan, both previously undefeated In January 1972, Ralston left to coach the NFL's Denver Broncos, and Christiansen was promoted to head coach. Christiansen spent five years as Stanford's head coach, compiling a winning record each year and a 30–22–3 overall record. He was criticized for starting Mike Cordova rather than Guy Benjamin at quarterback during the 1975 season and for switching between quarterbacks during the 1976 season. One day prior to the final game of the 1976 season, Stanford announced that it was terminating Christiansen as its head coach.

In March 1977, Christiansen was hired as an assistant coach, responsible for running backs, under Paul Wiggin with the Kansas City Chiefs. Wiggin was fired in the middle of the season, as the Chiefs compiled a 2–12 record.

In April 1978, Christiansen was hired by the Seattle Seahawks, replacing Bob Holloway as the team's defensive backfield coach. He spent five years as the Seahawks' defensive backfield coach, from 1978 to 1982.

In February 1983, Christiansen was hired by the Atlanta Falcons as its secondary coach. In January 1984, Christiansen resigned his position with the Falcons after being diagnosed with cancer.

Team Year Regular season Post seasonWonLostTiesWin %Finish Won Lost Win % Result SF 1963 2 9 0 18.2 7th in NFL Western SF 1964 4 10 0 28.6 7th in NFL Western SF 1965 7 6 1 50.0 4th in NFL Western SF 1966 6 6 2 42.9 4th in NFL Western SF 1967 7 7 0 50.0 3rd in NFL Coastal SF Total 26 38 3 38.8 Total 26 38 3 38.8