BOSTON -- Mike Holovak, a former Boston Patriots coach and a longtime NFL executive with the Houston Oilers and Tennessee Titans, died Sunday in Ruskin, Fla. He was 88.
His death was announced by Boston College, where Holovak once coached and was an All-American football player. The cause of death was not given.
Holovak played for the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams before becoming the freshman football coach at Boston College in 1949. He was appointed head coach in 1951.
In 1960, he was hired as the first director of player personnel for the newly founded Boston Patriots. He became the Patriots' second head coach in the 1961 season. His 1964 Patriots reached the AFL championship game, losing to the San Diego Chargers.
A memorial mass will be celebrated on the Boston College campus Feb. 9.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
