Former NFL coach, player, G.M. Harland Svare dies at 89

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Former Giants linebacker Harland Svare died April 4 at a nursing home in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, the New York Times reports. Svare was 89.

The Rams selected Svare in the 17th round of the 1953 draft out of Washington State. He played two seasons for the Rams before joining the Giants.

Svare played left linebacker alongside Hall of Fame middle linebacker Sam Huff in Tom Landry’s defense.

In the team’s 1956 championship season, Svare started all 13 games. He also played in championship game losses to the Baltimore Colts in 1958 – the “Greatest Game Ever Played” – and in 1959.

Svare appeared in 89 regular-season games with 79 starts in his career, including 70 games with 61 starts for the Giants. He had nine career interceptions that he returned for 229 yards, including a 70-yard touchdown in 1959, and he recovered five fumbles.

Svare also played in four career playoff games.

He served as a player-coach after Landry left for the Cowboys and remained on staff as a defensive assistant after retiring.

Svare was the Rams’ defensive line coach before they named him head coach midway through the 1962 season. It made Svare the youngest head coach in NFL history at 31 years, 11 months.

Lane Kiffin and Sean McVay since have gotten NFL head coaching jobs at a younger age.

Svare’s teams went 14-31-3 before he was fired following the 1965 season. He returned to the Giants as their defensive coach in 1967 and 1968 before spending the 1969 season coaching under Vince Lombardi with Washington.

In February 1971, Svare was hired as the Chargers’ general manager. He added the head coaching duties with four games remaining that year.

The Chargers were 1-6-1 in 1973 when Svare resigned as coach with an overall record of 7-17-2. He was fired as General Manager after the 1976 season.

After leaving football, he founded an institute devoted to physical therapy and promotion of good health habits.

Among his survivors is his wife, Annette (Colangelo), who was the personal secretary of Giants owner Wellington Mara.