Brian Schottenheimer takes charge of an NFL sideline in a competitive game for the first time in his long NFL coaching career this Thursday night. The Dallas Cowboys open the season against their bitter division rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles, following the Eagles’ Super Bowl win in February.
Schottenheimer has held roles on multiple NFL teams, dating back to his stint as an assistant on the St. Louis Rams in 1997. Given his father’s incredible 21-year career in the role, Schottenheimer has much to live up to as a head coach.
Looking Back at Marty Schottenheimer, Legendary Father of Cowboys Head Coach, Brian
Marty Schottenheimer’s NFL head coaching career was legendary for its longevity and impressive consistency. In 21 years, the coach recorded just two losing seasons and reached the playoffs 13 times.
Marty’s 200 regular-season wins currently rank eighth all-time by a head coach and are the most wins by a head coach who has never won an NFL Championship. The legendary head coach played linebacker for six years in the NFL but is best known for his brilliance on the sidelines.
Having been drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the 1965 AFL Draft, he won the AFL title in his rookie year. After four years in Buffalo, he spent two seasons with the Boston Patriots. That included his final year as a player, 1970, the first year of a single NFL with two conferences, following the 1966 AFL/NFL merger.
Meanwhile, Marty’s son, Brian, played quarterback in college, but never made it to the NFL. He has found his home as a coach, though, and gets his first chance as a head coach as a result of a seemingly bungled post-season hiring process in Dallas.
Marty is the only Hall of Fame-eligible coach with at least 200 wins yet to be inducted into pro football’s most elite members-only club. Bill Belichick and Andy Reid have surpassed Schottenheimer’s all-time wins record, and both will be inducted when they are eligible.
While Brian would love to emulate his father’s coaching career, he’ll be hoping, as will Dallas fans, that he can have more success in the playoffs. Marty finished his career with a .613 regular-season record across 21 seasons, but his final playoff record stands at .278.
Brian’s uncle, Kurt Schottenheimer, was also a coach in the NFL, and all three spent a season together with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1998. That was Marty’s final year as the Chiefs’ head coach, while Kurt was a defensive backs coach and Brian was an assistant.
The three relatives reunited in Washington for the 2001 season. Marty was again the head coach, his first head coaching job since leaving Kansas City, and was also the de facto general manager. Kurt had since been promoted to defensive coordinator for the Chiefs and took on that role in the capital, while Brian was a quarterbacks coach.
#Cowboys HC Brian Schottenheimer Gets EMOTIONAL Reflecting on His Father Marty Schottenheimer 💔😭 pic.twitter.com/axMvbDCQ5O
— Law Nation Sports (@LawsNation) June 13, 2025
Brian then followed his father to the San Diego Chargers, while Kurt followed his own path. Marty spent five years in San Diego, with Brian there for four of them. 2006 saw Brian take an offensive coordinator position with the New York Jets, while Marty coached his final year in the NFL.
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The legendary coach was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2014, an illness that eventually took his life in 2021. He was the 2004 NFL Coach of the Year and is a member of the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame.
