Carson, coordinator of 'Steel Curtain' defense, dies at 75

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Bud Carson, the architect of Pittsburgh's "Steel Curtain" defense who later coached the Cleveland Browns, died Wednesday. He was 75.

Carson, who had been ill with emphysema, died at his home, according to his wife's employer, TV station WWSB.

Carson was the Steelers' defensive coordinator from 1972 to 1977, and shaped a defense led by Joe Greene, Jack Ham and Jack Lambert into one of the best in NFL history. During that time, the Steelers won two Super Bowl titles under coach Chuck Noll, and went on to win another two after Carson left.

Carson then became defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams, who lost to the Steelers in the Super Bowl after the 1979 season. He coached the Browns in 1989 and 1990, posting a 11-13-1 record in 1 1/2 seasons.

Cleveland won the AFC Central in his first season, beating Buffalo 34-30 in the playoffs before losing to Denver 37-21 in the AFC Championship Game. He was fired the next year when the team got off to a 2-7 start.

"Bud was an eccentric guy that we respected very much and as a result we played hard because we liked Bud," said former Browns wide receiver Brian Brennan. "We had an older team and Bud treated us like men, and because of that he got the most out of us."

Brennan also recalled some of Carson's quirky coaching techniques.

"Sometimes he would make things up on the fly," Brennan said. "We would practice something all week, and at halftime Bud would say, 'Let's try this.' He liked to do things a little differently."

Colts coach Tony Dungy, an NFL player in the late 1970s, recalls marveling at how Carson made major adjustments in personnel and strategy in the middle of a game or a season.

"If anyone can come up with something, it's Bud," Dungy said, pointing to how Carson successfully put in a new and complicated defensive alignment for a key game with Dallas in 1979.

Carson also coached Georgia Tech from 1967 to 1971, posting a 27-27 record, including a win in the 1970 Sun Bowl, and was defensive coordinator for the New York Jets from 1985 to 1988.

"You look at what he established when he was with Pittsburgh, the style of defense they played in the championship they won," said Marty Lyons, a defensive tackle with the Jets during Carson's tenure there. "Wherever he went, he always had that aggressive style. He didn't want to let the offense feel like they had an upper hand on the defense. It was always an attack mode."