Former Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Sam Wyche is awaiting a possible heart transplant.
A brief statement posted on Wyche's official website says the 71-year-old is at a Charlotte, N.C., hospital and hoping for a matching donor heart "in the next few days." If none is found, he will need to have an artificial heart pump implanted until a new heart can be obtained.
Wyche was a backup quarterback in the AFL and NFL from 1968-76, spending time with the Bengals, Redskins, Lions and Cardinals. But he is best known for his work as the head coach of what at the time were two of the NFL's more downtrodden franchises. The peak of his career came in 1988, when he led the Bengals to a 12-4 record and a Super Bowl XXIII matchup with the 49ers, which Cincinnati lost 20-16.
MORE: 2016 NFL coach rankings
His most memorable moment came the next season, though, when he took the microphone in an attempt to keep Bengals fans angry about the officiating during a game against the Seahawks from pelting the Riverfront Stadium field with snowballs. "You don't live in Cleveland, you live in Cincinnati!" he yelled, spawning a motto destined to be reprinted on T-shirts in the Queen City for years to come.
Wyche coached the Bucs from 1992-95, and aside from a two-year stint as quarterbacks coach for the Bills in 2004-05 has remained involved in football as a high school coach near his longtime home in Greenville, S.C., for nearly 15 years.
Wyche also has worked as a television analyst since leaving the NFL ranks.
