Jim Hanifan, who served as coach of the St. Louis Cardinals from 1980 through 1985, has died. He was 87.
Hanifan’s daughter, Kathy Hinder, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Hanifan died Tuesday night. The cause was not yet determined, but she said it was unrelated to COVID-19.
A highly-respected offensive line coach, Hanifan spent 30 years coaching at the NFL level and seven in college.
Hanifan’s six seasons as Cardinals coach matches Ken Whisenhunt for the longest tenures in the 101-year history of the franchise. Hanifan led the team to a record of 39-43-1.
“Would I have been a Hall of Famer without him as my coach?” former Cardinals offensive lineman Dan Dierdorf wrote in the introduction to Hanifan’s autobiography. “Probably not . . . When I thought who was the person who was the biggest influence on my professional career, it wasn’t even close. There was no one who could rival what Jim Hanifan did for me.”
We extend our condolences to Hanifan’s family, friends, and colleagues.