Coaching Career
On February 23, 1959, Hecker began his coaching career by signing as an assistant under new Green Bay Packers' coach Vince Lombardi.
Inheriting a team that had won just once in 1958, Lombardi finished with a winning record in his first season, then narrowly missed capturing the NFL title the following year. In each of the next two campaigns, the Packers won the championship, then added another in 1965. The latter title resulted in Hecker being hired by the expansion Falcons as their first head coach on January 26, 1966.
Lombardi was initially pursued as the first Atlanta coach, but after deciding to stay with Green Bay, was asked for recommendations for Atlanta's first coach. At the time, Lombardi did not recommend Hecker and the Atlanta owner, Rankin Smith Sr., thinking Lombardi was trying to pull one over on him, decided to hire Hecker. The next three years would be an exercise in frustration for Hecker who managed just four wins in his 31 games at the helm. One bad omen of this misery came in the team's first exhibition game when the Falcons' kicker Wade Traynham completely missed the ball on the kickoff. Following the inaugural 3–11 season, the Falcons were plagued by injuries in 1967 and declined to a 1–12–1 mark, the lone win coming in a one-point mid-season contest against the Minnesota Vikings.
When Atlanta began the 1968 NFL season by dropping their first three games, Hecker was fired on October 1 and replaced by former Viking head coach Norm Van Brocklin. After reaching a settlement on the remaining two years of his contract, Hecker accepted the defensive coordinator position with the New York Giants on February 12, 1969. He had also been under consideration for a post with the Redskins, who had just hired the previously-retired Lombardi.
Following a 6–8 season that began with the preseason dismissal of head coach Allie Sherman, the Giants came close to reaching the postseason in 1970 with a 9–5 mark. However, when the team slipped to 4–10 the next year and gave up 362 points, Hecker was fired on December 23, 1971. He resurfaced at Stanford University, first under Jack Christiansen from 1972 to 1976, then Bill Walsh the next two seasons.
When Walsh was hired as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers in 1979, Hecker came along as an assistant coach. After struggling for two seasons, the 49ers stunned the NFL by winning the championship in 1981, capping their turnaround season with a 26–21 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XVI. San Francisco would go on to win three more Super Bowls, with Hecker eventually moving into a front office position until his retirement in 1991.
Hecker closed out his career in 1995 with the Amsterdam Admirals of the World League of American Football, handling both coaching and front office duties. He died of cancer in 2004.
- 1959–1965 Green Bay Packers (DB)
- 1966–1968 Atlanta Falcons (HC)
- 1969–1971 New York Giants (DC)
- 1972–1973 University of Stanford (DC/DL)
- 1974–1976 University of Stanford (DC/LB)
- 1977–1978 University of Stanford (LB)
- 1979 San Francisco 49ers (DB)
- 1980–1986 San Francisco 49ers (LB)
Atlanta Falcons head coaches
|
|
- Norb Hecker (1966–1968)
- Norm Van Brocklin (1968–1974)
- Marion Campbell (1974–1976)
- Pat Peppler (1976)
- Leeman Bennett (1977–1982)
- Dan Henning (1983–1986)
- Marion Campbell (1987–1989)
- Jim Hanifan # (1989)
- Jerry Glanville (1990–1993)
- June Jones (1994–1996)
- Dan Reeves (1997–2003)
- Wade Phillips # (2003)
- Jim L. Mora (2004–2006)
- Bobby Petrino (2007)
- Emmitt Thomas # (2007)
- Mike Smith (2008– )
Pound sign (#) denotes interim head coach.
|
|
Los Angeles Rams 1951 NFL Champions
|
|
- Bob Boyd
- Larry Brink
- Tom Dahms
- Dick Daugherty
- Glenn Davis
- Tom Fears
- Jack Finlay
- Jack Halliday
- Norb Hecker
- Crazy Legs Hirsch
- Dick Hoerner
- Marvin Johnson
- Tommy Kalmanir
- Tom Keane
- Woodley Lewis
- Leon McLaughlin
- Don Paul
- Herb Rich
- Andy Robustelli
- Vitamin Smith
- Charlie Toogood
- Dan Towler
- Norm Van Brocklin
- Bob Waterfield
- Stan West
- Jerry Williams
- Jim Winkler
- Tank Younger
- Jack Zilly
Head Coach Joe Stydahar
Assistant Coaches: Red Hickey
- Hamp Pool
- Ray Richards
|
|
Green Bay Packers 1961 NFL Champions
|
|
- 3 Ben Agajanian
- 5 Paul Hornung
- 10 John Roach
- 15 Bart Starr
- 22 Elijah Pitts
- 24 Willie Wood
- 25 Tom Moore
- 26 Herb Adderley
- 27 Johnny Symank
- 31 Jim Taylor
- 33 Lew Carpenter
- 40 Dale Hackbart
- 45 Emlen Tunnell
- 46 Hank Gremminger
- 47 Jesse Whittenton
- 51 Jim Ringo
- 53 Ken Iman
- 58 Dan Currie
- 61 Nelson Toburen
- 63 Fred Thurston
- 64 Jerry Kramer
- 65 Tom Bettis
- 66 Ray Nitschke
- 71 Bill Forester
- 72 Ben Davidson
- 75 Forrest Gregg
- 74 Henry Jordan
- 76 Bob Skoronski
- 77 Ron Kostelnik
- 78 Norm Masters
- 79 Dave Hanner
- 81 Lee Folkins
- 83 Bill Quinlan
- 84 Gary Knafelc
- 85 Max McGee
- 86 Boyd Dowler
- 87 Willie Davis
- 88 Ron Kramer
Head Coach: Vince Lombardi
Assistant Coaches: Bill Austin
- Phil Bengtson
- Red Cochran
- Norb Hecker
- Dick Voris
|
|
Green Bay Packers 1962 NFL Champions
|
|
- 5 Paul Hornung
- 10 John Roach
- 15 Bart Starr
- 22 Elijah Pitts
- 24 Willie Wood
- 25 Tom Moore
- 26 Herb Adderley
- 29 Howie Williams
- 27 Johnny Symank
- 31 Jim Taylor
- 33 Lew Carpenter
- 40 Earl Gros
- 46 Hank Gremminger
- 47 Jesse Whittenton
- 51 Jim Ringo
- 53 Ken Iman
- 58 Dan Currie
- 60 Ed Blaine
- 61 Nelson Toburen
- 63 Fred Thurston
- 64 Jerry Kramer
- 66 Ray Nitschke
- 71 Bill Forester
- 73 Ron Gassert
- 74 Henry Jordan
- 75 Forrest Gregg
- 76 Bob Skoronski
- 77 Ron Kostelnik
- 78 Norm Masters
- 79 Dave Hanner
- 80 Gary Barnes
- 83 Bill Quinlan
- 84 Gary Knafelc
- 85 Max McGee
- 86 Boyd Dowler
- 87 Willie Davis
- 88 Ron Kramer
Head Coach: Vince Lombardi
Assistant Coaches: Bill Austin
- Phil Bengtson
- Red Cochran
- Tom Fears
- Norb Hecker
- Dick Voris
|
|
Green Bay Packers 1965 NFL Champions
|
|
- 5 Paul Hornung
- 10 Dennis Claridge
- 12 Zeke Bratkowski
- 15 Bart Starr
- 21 Bob Jeter
- 22 Elijah Pitts
- 24 Willie Wood
- 25 Tom Moore
- 26 Herb Adderley
- 31 Jim Taylor (MVP)
- 34 Don Chandler
- 35 Allen Jacobs
- 40 Tom Brown
- 41 Junior Coffey
- 43 Doug Hart
- 46 Hank Gremminger
- 50 Bill Curry
- 56 Tommy Crutcher
- 57 Ken Bowman
- 60 Lee Roy Caffey
- 63 Fred Thurston
- 64 Jerry Kramer
- 66 Ray Nitschke
- 67 Dan Grimm
- 70 Bud Marshall
- 71 Lloyd Voss
- 72 Steve Wright
- 74 Henry Jordan
- 75 Forrest Gregg
- 76 Bob Skoronski
- 77 Ron Kostelnik
- 80 Bob Long
- 81 Marv Fleming
- 82 Lionel Aldridge
- 84 Carroll Dale
- 85 Max McGee
- 86 Boyd Dowler
- 87 Willie Davis
- 88 Bill Anderson
- 89 Dave Robinson
Head Coach: Vince Lombardi
Assistant Coaches: Phil Bengtson
- Red Cochran
- Tom Fears
- Dave Hanner
- Norb Hecker
- Ray Wietecha
|
|
Atlanta Falcons 1966 Inaugural Season Roster
|
|
- Taz Anderson
- Gary Barnes
- Vern Burke
- Lee Calland
- Dennis Claridge
- Junior Coffey
- Angelo Coia
- Ed Cook
- Perry Lee Dunn
- Glenn Glass
- Dan Grimm
- Alex Hawkins
- Ralph Heck
- Tom Hutchinson
- Bill Jobko
- Randy Johnson
- Rudy Johnson
- Jerry Jones
- Lou Kirouac
- Dick Koeper
- Errol Linden
- Billy Lothridge
- Red Mack
- Frank Marchlewski
- Bud Marshall
- Bill Martin
- Larry Morris
- Tommy Nobis
- Nick Rassas
- Ken Reaves
- Ron Rector
- Guy Reese
- Bobby Richards
- Jerry Richardson
- Preston Ridlehuber
- Bob Riggle
- Karl Rubke
- Marion Rushing
- Charlie Scales
- Bob Sherlag
- Jimmy Sidle
- Chuck Sieminski
- Carl Silvestri
- Jim Simon
- Steve Sloan
- Ron Smith
- Joe Szczecko
- Don Talbert
- Tommy Tolleson
- Wade Traynham
- Ernie Wheelwright
- Bob Whitlow
- Sam Williams
- Bill Wolski
Head Coach: Norb Hecker
|
|
San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl XVI Champions
|
|
- 3
- Jim Miller
- 7
- Guy Benjamin
- 10
- Matt Bahr
- 14
- Ray Wersching
- 16
- Joe Montana (MVP)
- 20
- Amos Lawrence
- 21
- Eric Wright
- 22
- Dwight Hicks
- 24
- Rick Gervais
- 27
- Carlton Williamson
- 28
- Lynn Thomas
- 29
- Saladin Martin
- 30
- Bill Ring
- 31
- Walt Easley
- 32
- Ricky Patton
- 33
- Ricky Churchman
- 35
- Lenvil Elliott
- 36
- Paul Hofer
- 38
- Johnny Davis
- 40
- Arrington Jones
- 42
- Ronnie Lott
- 49
- Earl Cooper
- 50
- Terry Tautolo
- 50
- Jim Looney
- 51
- Randy Cross
- 52
- Bobby Leopold
- 53
- Milt McColl
- 54
- Craig Puki
- 56
- Fred Quillan
- 57
- Dan Bunz
- 58
- Keena Turner
- 59
- Willie Harper
- 60
- John Choma
- 61
- Dan Audick
- 62
- Walt Downing
- 64
- Jack Reynolds
- 65
- Lawrence Pillers
- 66
- Allan Kennedy
- 68
- John Ayers
- 71
- Keith Fahnhorst
- 74
- Fred Dean
- 75
- John Harty
- 76
- Dwaine Board
- 77
- Pete Kugler
- 78
- Archie Reese
- 79
- Jim Stuckey
- 80
- Eason Ramson
- 81
- Matt Bouza
- 82
- Brian Peets
- 84
- Mike Shumann
- 85
- Mike Wilson
- 86
- Charle Young
- 87
- Dwight Clark
- 88
- Freddie Solomon
|
|
- Head Coach
- Bill Walsh
|
|
- Coaches
- Cas Banaszek
- Norb Hecker
- Milt Jackson
- Billie Matthews
- Bobb McKittrick
- Bill McPherson
- Ray Rhodes
- George Seifert
- Chuck Studley
- Sam Wyche
|
|
San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl XIX Champions
|
|
- 4
- Max Runager
- 6
- Matt Cavanaugh
- 14
- Ray Wersching
- 16
- Joe Montana (MVP)
- 19
- Tom Orosz
- 21
- Eric Wright
- 22
- Dwight Hicks
- 24
- Derrick Harmon
- 26
- Wendell Tyler
- 27
- Carlton Williamson
- 28
- Tom Holmoe
- 29
- Mario Clark
- 30
- Bill Ring
- 32
- Carl Monroe
- 33
- Roger Craig
- 42
- Ronnie Lott
- 43
- Dana McLemore
- 49
- Jeff Fuller
- 50
- Riki Ellison
- 51
- Randy Cross
- 52
- Blanchard Montgomery
- 53
- Milt McColl
- 54
- Ron Ferrari
- 55
- Jim Fahnhorst
- 56
- Fred Quillan
- 57
- Dan Bunz
- 58
- Keena Turner
- 61
- Jesse Sapolu
- 62
- Guy McIntyre
- 64
- Jack Reynolds
- 65
- Lawrence Pillers
- 66
- Allan Kennedy
- 67
- Billy Shields
- 67
- John Macaulay
- 68
- John Ayers
- 71
- Keith Fahnhorst
- 72
- Jeff Stover
- 74
- Fred Dean
- 76
- Dwaine Board
- 77
- Bubba Paris
- 78
- Manu Tuiasosopo
- 79
- Jim Stuckey
- 81
- Russ Francis
- 83
- Renaldo Nehemiah
- 84
- Al Dixon
- 85
- Mike Wilson
- 86
- John Frank
- 87
- Dwight Clark
- 88
- Freddie Solomon
- 89
- Earl Cooper
- 90
- Todd Shell
- 94
- Louie Kelcher
- 95
- Michael Carter
- 97
- Gary Johnson
- 98
- Greg Boyd
- 99
- Mike Walter
|
|
- Head Coach
- Bill Walsh
|
|
- Coaches
- Paul Hackett
- Tommy Hart
- Norb Hecker
- Sherman Lewis
- Bobb McKittrick
- Bill McPherson
- George Seifert
- Ray Rhodes
- Fred von Appen
|
|
Persondata |
Name |
Hecker, Norb |
Alternative names |
|
Short description |
Player of American and Canadian football |
Date of birth |
May 26, 1927 |
Place of birth |
Berea, Ohio |
Date of death |
March 14, 2004 |
Place of death |
Los Altos, California |