On Tuesday, I started a five-part series of posts counting down the five best coasts in Bengals history. I started with No. 5, Bill "Tiger" Johnson, and now it's time for No. 4, Forrest Gregg.
Before Gregg was ever a coach, he forged a hall of fame career as an offensive lineman for the Green Bay Packers from 1956-1970 and for the Dallas Cowboys for the 1971 season. In his time as a player, Gregg earned the "iron man" honor for playing in a then league record 188 consecutive games, was named to nine Pro Bowls and was on six Super Bowl winning teams (five with the Packers and one with the Cowboys). NFL coaching legend Vince Lombardi once said that Gregg was the finest player he ever coached.
Once Gregg retired as a player, he was an assistant coach for the San Diego Chargers for a short period of time before taking over for as the head coach for the Cleveland Browns in 1975, a position he held until 1977. When he left the Browns, Gregg coached in the Canadian Football League for the Toronto Argonauts for a few years before he was brought back to the NFL by Bengals owner Paul Brown in 1980.
In 1981, Gregg had his most successful year, leading the Bengals to a 12-4 season and past the San Diego Chargers in the AFC Championship game famously known as the "Freezer Bowl" to advance on to face the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XVI, a game they would barely lose by a score of 26-21.
Gregg remained the Bengals coach until 1983 when he went back to Green Bay to coach the Packers and eventually went back to coach college football.
Because of his achievements as a Bengals coach, leading the Bengals to one of their two Super Bowls and winning the AFC Championship in the "Freezer Bowl," Forest Gregg earns a spot as one of the Bengals greatest coaches of all time coming in at No. 4.
Make sure you come back next week to see who our top-three Bengals coaches of all time are.