Former two-time All-Pro linebacker and head coach Jack Pardee has been given six to nine months to live after being diagnosed with gall bladder cancer.
According to Chris Duncan of the Associated Press, Pardee’s daughter, Anne, said he is in good spirits despite the diagnosis. Pardee is expected to move to a Denver hospice facility where his wife, Phyllis, is already receiving care for a stroke.
An inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame, Pardee played 15 seasons in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams and Washington Redskins with a year away from the game to battle melanoma. He served as head coach of the Chicago Bears from 1975-77 before returning to Washington to lead his former team. Pardee was let go by the Redskins after a 6-10 season in 1980.
After a year as defensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers, Pardee moved to the USFL to coach the Houston Gamblers for two season before taking over at the University of Houston in 1987. After three years in college, Pardee was hired as the head coach of the Houston Oilers in 1990 where he spent five seasons before resigning after a 1-9 start to the 1994 season.