Report: Former Oilers head coach Ed Biles has passed away at 88

Former Houston Oilers defensive coordinator and head coach Ed Biles has passed away at the age of 88 after a battle with Leukemia.

The news comes from John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.

Condolences to the family and friends of former Oilers head coach and DC Ed Biles, who died at 88 early Sunday morning after a long battle with Leukemia. He was DC under Bum Phillips and replaced him as coach in 1981. Biles was a fixture at Houston charity events for decades.

— John McClain (@McClain_on_NFL) April 5, 2020

Biles was the defensive coordinator under former Oilers head coach Bum Phillips, and together the pair helped take Houston to a pair of AFC Championship Games in 1978 and 1979.

During his tenure as the defensive coordinator, Biles oversaw an elite defense that was second to only the Pittsburgh Steelers’ “Steel Curtain”.

Ed Biles was an assistant with Saints and Jets before coming to Houston in 1974 and staying until he was fired during the 1983 season. He was the DC when the Oilers’ defense was second-best to Pittsburgh’s Steel Curtain and lost consecutive AFC Championship Games to the Steelers.

— John McClain (@McClain_on_NFL) April 5, 2020

After Phillips was fired following the 1980 season, Biles took over as head coach for the next three seasons and compiled an 8-23 record.

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