ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (Jan. 23, 2006) -- Dick Jauron will get a second chance to prove himself as a head coach after being hired by the Buffalo Bills.
Jauron's hiring was announced by Bills owner Ralph Wilson and general manager Marv Levy at a news conference.
This is Jauron's second time as a head coach after going 35-46 -- including one playoff loss -- in five years with the Chicago Bears. Fired by the Bears after the 2003 season, he had only one winning season, going 13-3 in 2001 when he was chosen NFL coach of the year.
"The only thing I'll promise to do is everything I can to fulfill my obligation to bring a winning team back to Buffalo," Jauron said. "There's a great winning tradition here, we know the fans are very passionate and it's something we're very passionate about."
Jauron spent the past two years as the Detroit Lions defensive coordinator, and finished last season as the team's interim coach after Steve Mariucci was fired in late November.
He replaces Mike Mularkey, who abruptly resigned 10 days ago, and becomes Buffalo's fourth coach since Levy, the Hall of Famer who retired after the 1997 season.
Jauron takes over a team that underachieved with a 5-11 finish last season, missing the playoffs for the sixth straight year -- the team's longest drought since the NFL merger.
The Bills have gone 31-49 since 2001, tied with Cleveland for the third worst record in the NFL over that span -- not including Houston, which joined the league in 2002. That's a significant drop off for the AFC's winningest franchise in the 1990s. The team made an unprecedented four straight Super Bowl appearances under Levy.
