Greg Landry, longtime NFL quarterback and assistant coach, has died at age 77

Greg Landry, who spent 16 years as a pro quarterback and had a long career in coaching after retiring as a player, has died at age 77.

Landry was a star quarterback at UMass before the Lions selected him with the 11th overall pick in the 1968 NFL Draft. The Lions brought Landry along slowly, as was common with young quarterbacks at the time, but in 1971 he became their starter on a permanent basis and had his best season, being selected as a first-team All-Pro.

An up-and-down career ensued, and he started a total of 13 games from 1973 to 1975, but was again the Lions' primary starter in 1976 and won the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year award.

Landry was traded to the Baltimore Colts in 1979 and spent three years with them, followed by two years in the USFL. He returned to the NFL for one game in 1984, when the Bears had a string of quarterback injuries, and helped beat the Lions.

After retiring, Landry became a quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator, working with the Browns, Bears and Lions as well as at Illinois.