MONROE, La. – John David Crow, who served as head football coach and athletics director at then-Northeast Louisiana University from 1976-80, passed away at the age of 79 on Wednesday evening.
Crow was the head coach of the football program for five seasons from 1976 until 1980. During Crow's tenure, the program competed as a Division I-A independent program – the program also competed as an independent 1-A program in 1975 and 1981.
He had his best season in 1980 when the squad finished 7-4 overall and he was a near-unanimous choice for Louisiana Coach of the Year. Crow was inducted into the ULM Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008 and during his tenure in Monroe he was instrumental in the construction of Malone Stadium and Warhawk Field.
Crow began his coaching career at the University of Alabama where he served as a backfield coach from 1969-71. He then joined the professional ranks as he served as the backfield coach for the Cleveland Browns from 1972-73 before taking over as offensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers during the 1974 and 1975 seasons.
Crow played collegiately at Texas A&M, winning the Heisman Trophy in 1957, and he was drafted by the then-Chicago Cardinals. He was with the Cardinals organization from 1958-64 and he was with the squad when they made the move to St. Louis. He concluded his professional career in 1968 after three seasons with the San Francisco Chargers.
