Bob Landsee

Robert John Landsee (March 21, 1964 – January 20, 2024) was an American professional football player and coach. He played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers and was selected in the sixth round of the 1986 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, where he played as a center and guard for parts of three seasons. He later served as head coach and owner of the Milwaukee Mustangs of the Arena Football League (AFL).

Bob Landsee
No. 65
Position:Center, guard
Personal information
Born:(1964-03-21)March 21, 1964
Iron Mountain, Michigan, U.S.
Died:January 20, 2024(2024-01-20) (aged 59)
Naples, Florida, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:273 lb (124 kg)
Career information
College:Wisconsin
NFL draft:1986 / Round: 6 / Pick: 149
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:9
Games started:2
Player stats at PFR

Playing career

Landsee earned All-State honors in both football and basketball at Iron Mountain High School.[1]

At Wisconsin playing for coach Dave McClain from 1982 to 1985, he earned All-American and All-Big Ten honors.[2] Landsee helped lead the 1984 Badgers team to the Hall of Fame Bowl, and 16 players from that team went onto play in the NFL, including three first-round draft picks: Al Toon, Richard Johnson, and Darryl Sims.[3]

Landsee was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round of the 1986 NFL Draft.[4] He played for three seasons with the Eagles, from 1986 to 1988. In a 1986 game, he had the distinction of snapping the ball to three different quarterbacks on the same series: Ron Jaworski, Matt Cavanaugh, and Randall Cunningham, and in 1988 he played in the legendary Fog Bowl against the Chicago Bears.[3] The Eagles declined to offer him a contract to return to the team in the 1989 season.[5]

His career was plagued with injuries. He blew out his knee in 1984 in the sixth Badgers game of the season against first-place Illinois.[3] And he broke his leg in his first practice as a member of the Eagles and appeared in only nine games in his NFL career.[6]

He was inducted into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame in 1996.[1]

Coaching career

Landsee's many coaching stops included a stint at Madison West High School in Madison, Wisconsin.[7]

Milwaukee Mustangs

Landsee was the offensive line coach for the Milwaukee Mustangs of the Arena Football League (AFL) from 1999–2001.[2]

Toronto Phantoms and Indiana Firebirds

Landsee was a coach for the Toronto Phantoms in 2002 and for the Indiana Firebirds in 2003.[2]

Green Bay Blizzard

Landsee was the head coach for the Green Bay Blizzard of the AF2 from 2005–2006 and from 2008–2009. He finished his career with the Blizzard with a record of 45–28 including playoffs. In 2006, Landsee coached the Blizzard to an East Division and American Conference Championship. He also brought his team to ArenaCup VII where they lost to the Spokane Shock 57–34. In 2008, the Blizzard had their best regular season record in franchise history, going 11–5 and earning the Midwest Division Championship. Under Landsee, 27 players signed contracts with fully professional teams, such as the AFL, the NFL or the Canadian Football League.[2]

Milwaukee Iron

Landsee was named head coach of the Milwaukee Iron of the AFL on October 13, 2009.[8]

Jacksonville Sharks

Landsee had been serving as the line coach of the Jacksonville Sharks of the AFL when he was named the interim head coach of the team after former head coach Les Moss was fired with two games to go in the 2016 season.[9]

AFL head coaching record
TeamYearRegular seasonPostseason
WonLostWin %FinishWonLostWin %Result
MIL2010 115.6881st in NC Midwest11.500Lost to Spokane Shock in NC Championship
MIL2011 711.3893rd in AC East00.000–
MIL2012 513.2783rd in AC East00.000–
JAX2016 201.0003rd in AC11.500Lost to Philadelphia Soul in AC Championship
MIL total23291.00011.500
JAX total201.00011.500
Total[10]2529.46322.500

Personal life and death

Landsee was born in West Allis, Wis., and grew up in Iron Mountain, Mich. He married Sharon Dollins on March 21, 1987, and they had two daughters: Sara and Melissa.

He started a business based in Middleton, Wis., called Watt Savers Inc., which he later sold. In 1993, he suffered a brain aneurysm.[3]

Landsee served as president of the Madison, Wis., chapter of the National Football League Alumni.[8] He died on January 20, 2024, at his home in Naples, Fla., at the age of 59.[11]

References
  1. "Inductee Class of 1996", Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  2. "Bob Landsee will Return in 2009 as Blizzard Head Coach". Oursportscentral.com. November 6, 2008. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
  3. "Milwaukee Talks: Mustangs head coach Bob Landsee". OnMilwaukee.com. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  4. "1986 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  5. "Eagles offer contracts to four players". UPI.com. April 14, 1989.
  6. "White, Landsee have jewel of a friendship". Appleton Post-Cresent. January 19, 1997.
  7. "Bob Landsee". The Capital Times. April 11, 2010.
  8. "Bob Landsee". Milwaukee Iron. Archived from the original on March 23, 2010. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
  9. "SHARKS NAME BOB LANDSEE INTERIM HEAD COACH". jaxsharks.com. July 19, 2016. Archived from the original on August 7, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  10. "Bob Landsee coaching record". ArenaFan.com. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
  11. "Robert J. Landsee". Cress Funeral & Cremation Service. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
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