Getty The Buffalo Bills line up against the Indianapolis Colts in a 1988 game.
Former Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Walt Corey, who helped lead the team to four consecutive Super Bowls in the 1990s, has died at age 84.
Corey’s death was announced Monday, October 24 by the Kansas City Chiefs, where he was both a player and coach before joining the Bills. Corey was popular among Bills fans, earning respect for putting together some of the league’s best defenses and for the colorful nickname he earned for his sideline habit.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Walt Corey.
Corey Helped Spark Bills’ Super Bowl Era
As Kansas City’s KSHB reported, Corey had a long career as both a player and coach. He first joined the Dallas Texans as an undrafted free-agent linebacker in 1960, staying with the franchise when it relocated to Kansas City in 1963 and playing through 1966.
After his playing career ended, Corey spent close to three decades as a defensive position coach and defensive coordinator. He worked for the Chiefs under head coach Marv Levy, who would later move to Buffalo and hire Corey to a higher position.
Corey became Buffalo’s defensive coordinator in 1987, helping take a team that had finished 4-12 the previous year and build them into a contender. By 1988 the Bills finished with a 12-4 record and reached the AFC Championship game, led by a defense that gave up the fewest points (237) and total yards (4,578) in the AFC.
The Bills took a step back in 1989, losing in the divisional round of the playoffs, but then went to four straight Super Bowls. While the team was largely known for high-powered offenses behind Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas and Andre Reed, Corey also helped to put together a stingy defense with stars like Bruce Smith.
Corey was also well-liked among fans, earning the nickname “Swizzle Stick” for his habit of chewing the small plastic straws during games.
Levy would go on to fire Corey in 1994 after the Bills finished 7-9 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1987, marking the end of the team’s four-year run to the Super Bowl. But the legendary Bills head coach still had plenty of praise to share for Corey.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Walt Corey.
“Walt Corey’s contributions to the successes we have enjoyed over the past several years have been considerable,” Levy said in announcing the move, via the Los Angeles Times.
“I hold him in the highest regard. I feel the time has come for our team to move in a new direction so far as our defensive approach is concerned.”
Corey’s Contributions to Chiefs Remembered
Corey was also remembered for his time with Kansas City. Clark Hunt, the Chiefs chairman and CEO, released a statement acknowledging all he did for the franchise and for the city.
“My family and I are saddened by the news of Walt Corey’s passing,” Hunt said, via KSHB. “An original Dallas Texan who joined the club in 1960, Walt was part of the formative years of the franchise. After his seven-year playing career, he went on to spend an additional 12 years coaching for the Chiefs. He remained invested in the Kansas City community as an Ambassador once he left the sideline and will be remembered for his determination and humility. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time.”