Colts Nation Mourns Loss of Howard Mudd
The Indianapolis Colts community was saddened to learn of the Wednesday morning passing of retired offensive line coach Howard Mudd in Seattle.
Mudd, 78, succumbed to complications from injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident on July 29th.
He was the Colts offensive line coach from 1998 to 2009, when the Colts allowed the fewest sacks in the NFL, 218 in 182 games. He won a Super Bowl ring in 2007. Mudd was also a standout offensive lineman, named All-Pro twice and to three Pro Bowls in seven seasons with San Francisco and Chicago.
His wife Shirley and sons Darren and Adam were by his side. The family released this statement through Caring Bridge that was posted on Twitter:
“We want to share that yesterday we (as a family) made the decision to focus care on providing Howard the most comfort. Right after the accident, he fought so hard against all odds to communicate to us that he loves us and that he knows we love him. Yesterday, it became clear that he was ready and that we needed to surround him with love and fight for his right to comfort and peace.
“This morning, he was surrounded in the room by his sons (Darren and Adam), who held his arms and prayed over him as he passed away.
“Howard deeply loved and enjoyed his many friends and family. Please honor Howard today and every day by sharing a belly laugh with a loved one, or telling a stupid joke, or calling up a friend to tell them you are thinking of them.
“Please know that we appreciate all the support & love & prayers for our family. He was loved by so many. We are missing a link in our family & at this time trying to support one another.
“No funeral planned. However, a celebration of his life will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to your favorite charity or Howard’s favorite: Indianapolis Great Pyrenees Rescue, Indianapolis, IN.
“We love you all.
Mudd family”
The sad news inspired several other tributes. Most notable was this extended testimony from quarterback Peyton Manning:
“I’m extremely saddened to hear the news of Howard Mudd’s passing. I will be forever grateful for Howard’s tireless efforts and work to protect me as a quarterback and to help our team win so many games. He always told me the story about the day I got drafted – Jim Irsay came down to his office and left a note on his desk which said, ‘Howard, your job is to keep No. 18 protected. To keep No. 18 clean.’ Howard always kept that with him and always took that direct order from our owner very seriously. In every game plan meeting and every practice, I know he was always thinking about how to protect me as a quarterback in the pocket with different blocking schemes and ways to run the ball. That was always on his mind and he kept that thought process with him throughout his whole career. As a quarterback, I can’t tell you how much that meant to me knowing that was on his mind and that was one of his top priorities.
“Obviously, Howard was a great player in the NFL. He was a legendary coach. In my opinion, Howard Mudd was the best offensive line coach in NFL history. I would put him on that pedestal any day of the week. I know all the guys that played for him would feel the same way and a lot of the guys that coached with him would feel the same. He will be missed by many. I know so many like me are grateful to have played for him.
“One of the all-time storytellers. Howard, Jeff Saturday, and I had a lot of healthy arguments. If you had a point to make and you believed in it, you had to stick with it because Howard was going to make you prove your point and he was going to counter you and fight you and argue with you. But we were all trying to accomplish the same goal – trying to figure out the best way to block this blitz or the best way to game plan versus this particular defense. We had a lot of healthy discussions – Tarik Glenn, Jeff Saturday, Ryan Diem, and I. Howard was one loyal person and loved his o-linemen and loved the guys. He loved that meeting room and all the different places that he coached. We had a special group there with the Colts. It was an honor to have known Howard Mudd. It was an honor to have played for him. I was proud to be his friend and proud to be a quarterback that he was trying to protect all the time. I will be forever grateful. Shirley and their entire family are in my thoughts and prayers. May Howard Mudd rest in peace.”
Colts offensive line coach Howard Mudd chats with quarterback Peyton Manning.
Matt Detrich/USA TODAY Sports
Other tributes included the suggestion that Mudd belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Retired Colts Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday shared his thoughts with longtime Colts beat writer Mike Chappell of Fox-59.
On May 11th, one day after the death of long-time friend John Teerlinck, who coached the Colts defensive line from 2002 to 2011, Mudd shared memories of his 69-year-old colleague in a 30-minute phone interview. It was an "old-school" guy expressing his appreciation for another.
“He coached very loud, and so did I,” Mudd said. “But I wasn’t coaching to compete against John Teerlinck. I was coaching to get my guy better. It happened to be that John did the same thing.”
Mudd’s accident occurred a day after he had returned from Wyoming, where he spread Teerlinck’s ashes.
In the May interview, Mudd shared how he and Shirley finally saw the movie Greater about 1999 third-round draft choice Brandon Burlsworth, who died in a car accident less than two weeks after being chosen. Mudd was convinced from mini-camp that Burlsworth was going to be a standout offensive guard. And the offensive line coach was portrayed by an actor in one scene, where Mudd is breaking up a scuffle after the whistle between Burlsworth and defensive tackle Ellis Johnson.
“This was just this week,” Mudd said. “Shirley and I were crying at the end of this. Yeah, really crying.”
He recalled his wife’s reaction to the inspirational story, about how Burlsworth was a walk-on at Arkansas and through hard work and determination became a coveted NFL draft choice.
“It was almost like, it isn’t real that somebody could be like that,” Mudd said.
The same should be said of Mudd. He couldn’t have been more real.
(Phillip B. Wilson has covered the Indianapolis Colts for more than two decades and authored the 2013 book 100 Things Colts Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. He’s on Twitter @pwilson24, on Facebook at @allcoltswithphilb and @100thingscoltsfans, and his email is phillipbwilson24@yahoo.com.)
