Clive Rush

Who was Clive Rush?

Clive Rush was a football coach at both the professional and collegiate levels, but may be best remembered as head coach of the Boston Patriots during the 1969 American Football League season and the 1970 NFL season.

Rush played college football at Miami University, then competed for one season in the National Football League with the Green Bay Packers in 1953. From there, Rush received a strong coaching education, with collegiate stints at the University of Dayton, Ohio State University, and the University of Oklahoma. In 1960, he accepted the head coaching position at the University of Toledo, but left after three losing seasons.

Rush then became an assistant with the New York Jets in 1963, serving as the main architect of the team's high-powered offense that was later led by Joe Namath. As offensive coordinator, he reached the high point of his career when he mapped the Jets' game plan as they upset the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III on January 12, 1969. That success resulted in his hiring by the Patriots 18 days later. Another finalist for the job was Colts secondary coach Chuck Noll, who was hired a few days later by the Pittsburgh Steelers.