Sam Wyche is trying to force overtime.
The former Bengals and Buccaneers coach announced on his personal website that he’s in a Charlotte hospital awaiting a heart transplant, and will get an artificial heart pump installed if a donor heart is not available in the next few days.
But he has retained his sense of humor, telling Stephanie Towers of WYFF that “You got the bases loaded, one out and you got to the championship and it’s up to you to hit the ball.”
Wyche said he’s trying to stay active, and had walked 24 laps around the floor of the hospital (the same one where Panthers owner Jerry Richardson’s heart transplant happened in 2009).
“I’m doing fine. I’m in good spirits, eating good,” Wyche said . “I can’t run away, I’ve got a bunch of wires and tubes and stuff stuck all in me, so just waiting on a heart.”
Wyche lives in Upstate South Carolina, and has worked as a volunteer coach at Pickens High school after his career in the NFL and in broadcasting. He was one of the more innovative and personable coaches in the league, and our best wishes are with him and his family.