Ted Tollner

Ted Tollner (born June 14, 1940) is an American former football player and coach known for roles at San Diego State, the USC Trojans, the NFL's Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills, San Diego Chargers, and Detroit Lions. He served as head coach at San Diego State from 1983 to 1985 and held prominent assistant and coordinator positions across major college programs and professional franchises, earning recognition for offensive innovation and recruiting in the Pacific Coast and Midwestern United States.

Early life and playing career

Tollner was born in Cleveland, Ohio and attended local schools before playing collegiate football at Hiram College and Kent State University. At Kent State he played under coaches connected to the Mid-American Conference and compiled experience as a collegiate quarterback and defensive back during the late 1950s and early 1960s, linking him to the football traditions of Ohio State University, University of Michigan, Purdue University, University of Illinois, and Indiana University Bloomington through intercollegiate competition. His playing years overlapped eras shaped by figures such as Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler, Ara Parseghian, John McKay, and Ara Parseghian's contemporaries, situating Tollner in the same regional milieu as Cleveland Browns personnel and scouting networks that fed into the National Football League Draft pipelines for teams like the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, and Detroit Lions.

College coaching career

Tollner transitioned to coaching with appointments at programs including Cuyahoga Community College, UCLA Bruins, USC, San Diego State, and UTEP Miners. He served as an assistant under high-profile coaches connected to John Robinson, Dick Vermeil, John McKay, Howard Schnellenberger, and Don Coryell. His college career involved recruiting interactions with prospective student-athletes from Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange County, Riverside County, and San Bernardino County, competing for talent against programs like University of Notre Dame, University of Michigan, University of Alabama, University of Oklahoma, and University of Southern California. Tollner's offensive philosophy drew on concepts visible in systems run by Tom Osborne, Bill Walsh, Joe Gibbs, Bobby Bowden, and Jimmy Johnson, and he worked with coordinators and position coaches who had ties to Pac-10 and Big Ten staffs. During this period he coached and mentored players who later joined franchises such as the New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins, and Philadelphia Eagles via the NFL Draft.

Professional coaching career

Tollner's NFL tenure included roles with the Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was part of staffs alongside NFL head coaches like John Robinson, Joe Gibbs, Don Coryell, Chan Gailey, and Marv Levy, participating in seasons that intersected with landmark NFL developments involving the Super Bowl, the AFL–NFL merger, and roster construction strategies used by franchises such as the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, and Kansas City Chiefs. In professional capacities he coached quarterbacks, wide receivers, and offensive units, preparing players who competed against elite talent from teams including the Chicago Bears' 1985 defense, the San Francisco 49ers' dynasties, and the Dallas Cowboys' championship rosters. Tollner's NFL work also exposed him to organizational structures influenced by the NFL Players Association, scouting models used by the Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees' teams, and tactical evolutions pioneered by coordinators like Norv Turner, Mike Martz, Sean Payton, and Andy Reid.

Head coaching at San Diego State

Appointed head coach at San Diego State University's program, Tollner led the Aztecs from 1983 to 1985. His tenure followed predecessors linked to the program's history with coaches such as Don Coryell and preceded successors who engaged the program in the WAC and later Mountain West Conference. Tollner's Aztecs faced conference rivals and nonconference opponents including University of Hawaii, Brigham Young University, University of Wyoming, Air Force Academy, and UNLV while recruiting in Southern California against USC Trojans, UCLA Bruins, California Golden Bears, UCLA, and San Jose State Spartans. His seasons involved strategic matchups in stadiums shared with Aztec basketball events and local sports institutions like the San Diego Padres and Chargers, engaging the regional media landscape including outlets such as the Los Angeles Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated. Tollner's record at San Diego State reflected program transitions common in the 1980s college football environment influenced by scholarship limits, television contracts with networks like ABC Sports and NBC Sports, and postseason opportunities such as the Holiday Bowl and Sun Bowl.

Later career and post-coaching activities

After head coaching, Tollner returned to assistant and coordinator roles and contributed to personnel and scouting functions connected to professional teams and collegiate programs. He worked with organizations tied to coaching trees that included John Robinson, Don Coryell, Marv Levy, and Joe Gibbs and engaged in football clinics, alumni events at institutions like Kent State University, San Diego State University, and USC, and media commentary appearing on platforms such as CBS Sports, FOX Sports, ESPN, and local radio stations. Tollner's later activities intersected with football governance and alumni networks associated with the College Football Hall of Fame, the NFL Hall of Fame community, regional sports foundations, and charitable endeavors linked to athletes and coaches from programs including Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, and USC. He has been recognized by former players and colleagues from franchises like the Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, and Detroit Lions for his developmental impact on quarterbacks and offensive schemes.

Category:American football coaches Category:San Diego State Aztecs football coaches Category:1940 births Category:Living people