Former Titans GM Floyd Reese Passes Away At 73

/in /by

Floyd Reese. Photo: Courtesy of the Tennessee Titans

Former Tennessee Titans/Houston Oilers coach and general manager Floyd Reese passed away Saturday at the age of 79 after a battle with cancer.

Reese is the most successful GM in this history of the organization, building the Titans team that would eventually make its way to the Super Bowl in 1999. His leadership helped pave the way for a memorable run of success for the Titans once the team moved from Houston to Tennessee. During his tenure with the organization, the team advanced to the playoffs 11 times. As General Manager (1994-2006), he tallied 111 wins (106 regular season/5 postseason) and the Titans advanced to two AFC Championship Games and one Super Bowl (XXXIV).

During his tenure, he was responsible for hiring coach Jeff Fisher and drafting players Steve McNair, Eddie George, Derrick Mason, Jevon Kearse and other Titans greats.

“This is a sad day for our Titans family,” says Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk in a statement. “I would like to send along my deepest condolences to Floyd’s wife, Sally, to his children, grandchildren and extended family. Floyd spent over two decades with our franchise in a variety of roles–position coach, assistant general manager and ultimately, general manager–and he excelled at all of them. As general manager, he built a team that saw sustained success and helped guide our franchise in the toughest of times and the highest moments. His keen eye for talent led him to some of the best players in our team’s history, which led the team to some of our greatest accomplishments. We look forward to remembering and honoring his legacy this season as he is formally inducted into our Ring of Honor.”

Reese joined 102.5 The Game in April of 2015 before retiring in December of 2020. He spent the last four-plus years of his on-air time alongside Jared Stillman on “Jared & The GM”, weekday afternoons from 2-6 p.m.. Reese was also a fixture on the station’s “NFL Pregame” show prior to Tennessee Titans games, alongside Stillman and former receiver Chris Sanders.

Prior to his time with the Titans, Reese was an All-America defensive lineman at UCLA (1966-69), Reese played one season with the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League before entering the coaching ranks. He began his coaching career at Liberty Union High in Brentwood, California, before returning to his alma mater in Westwood as an assistant coach in 1971. Reese spent three seasons at UCLA before moving to Georgia Tech in 1974.

Reese entered the NFL in 1975, serving as the strength and conditioning coach for the Detroit Lions. Reese then joined the San Francisco 49ers for one season (1978), before joining Bud Grant’s staff as linebackers and special teams coach for the Minnesota Vikings in 1979. He served that role until 1984 when he was elevated to Defensive Coordinator. He tutored the linebackers for one season prior to joining the Oilers.

In 1986, Reese began his long association with the Titans/Oilers, where he would eventually help put the team on a national stage during a memorable period long-time fans will never forget.

Reese was set to be inducted into the Titans Ring of Honor later this year along with former head coaches Fisher and O.A “Bum” Phillips.

He is survived by his wife Sally, sons Jeremy and Sean, and four grandchildren. Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.

Steven Boero
Latest posts by Steven Boero (see all)