But his Rams were beaten in the N.F.C. championship game three consecutive times — by the Minnesota Vikings after the 1974 season, then by the Dallas Cowboys and then the Vikings again.
Knox became the Bills' head coach in 1978, when they were coming off two losing seasons. He traded O.J. Simpson, who was beginning to decline, developed a running attack behind Cribbs and took the Bills to the A.F.C. East title in 1980 and a wild-card playoff spot the following season.
He was named head coach of the Seattle Seahawks in 1983, the franchise's eighth season, and coached them to their first post-season appearance, as a wild-card team, taking them to the A.F.C. championship game, a loss to the Oakland Raiders.
His Seahawks made the playoffs three more times and won the A.F.C. West title in 1988.
Knox returned to the Rams in 1992, but they finished last in the N.F.C. West for three straight seasons and he was fired. He then retired.
Knox's survivors include his wife, Shirley. A complete list of survivors was not immediately available.
Knox was never particularly quotable, but he did have a list of aphorisms, which came to be called Knoxisms, reflecting his approach to life, and he conveyed them to his players.
Dave Krieg, who played quarterback for Knox with the Seahawks, recorded the Knoxisms in a notebook. "Chuck's overall presence, his intensity, his toughness, play a big factor in helping us win," Krieg once told Sports Illustrated.
Among the Knoxisms: "Work will win. Wishing won't."
One of Knox's favorites: "What you do speaks so well, there's no need to hear what you say."
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