OCEAN CITY, N.J. — Rod Rust, who coached Hall of Fame defensive lineman “Mean” Joe Greene at North Texas and later served as defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots’ 1985 Super Bowl team, has died. He was 90.
The Patriots announced Rust’s death Wednesday. He died Tuesday at his home in Ocean City, New Jersey, according to family friend Bobby April.
Rust spent more than four decades as a football coach, mostly as a defensive coordinator in the NFL with Kansas City, New England, Pittsburgh, the New York Giants and Atlanta. He spent one season as an NFL head coach, with a Patriots team that went 1-15 in 1990. He also held several coaching jobs in the CFL.
He began his coaching career at the college level as an assistant with New Mexico and Stanford in the early 1960s before landing his first head coaching job at North Texas in 1967. Rust moved to the CFL with Montreal in 1973 and took his first NFL job as linebackers coach with Philadelphia in 1976 under then-new head coach Dick Vermeil.
Rust left the Eagles to become the Chiefs’ defensive coordinator in 1978 and then took over the same post with the Patriots in 1983.
Three seasons later, he was part of the first Super Bowl team in Patriots history. New England fell to Chicago in Super Bowl 20 in New Orleans.
CORNERBACK DUKE Dawson, drafted by New England in the second round this year, participated in his first practice of the regular season Wednesday, the first he was eligible for after being placed on injured reserve on Sept. 6 with a hamstring injury.
New England designated Dawson to return and he could be available Week 9 against Green Bay. Wednesday’s practice initiated a 21-day period in which Dawson can practice with the team and remain on IR.
If Dawson is not placed on the 53-man roster by that point, he will not be not eligible to play this season. Other candidates to return are running back Rex Burkhead (neck) and linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley (torn biceps).
THE PATRIOTS were without Rob Gronkowski (back/ankle), Marcus Cannon (concussion), Sony Michel (knee), Eric Rowe (groin) and Deatrich Wise (knee/ankle) at Wednesday’s practice.
According to the Boston Globe, tight end Rob Gronkowski could play in New England’s next game Monday at Buffalo after he missed the team’s win at Chicago because of a back injury.
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