It was, of all things, the NFL players strike of 1982 that gave Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka time to think about improving his sideline coaching.

He decided too much of his time was spent calling offensive plays and not enough was devoted to defense and the kicking game.

So he turned to the capable leadership of Ed Hughes, his new offensive coordinator and longtime colleague going back to the Dallas Cowboys of the 1970s.

Add Walter Payton and Jim McMahon and the rest is Super Bowl history.

Mr. Hughes, 72, a Libertyville resident, died Friday, June 23, at Condell Medical Center in Libertyville.

"He was thrilled to pieces to come to Chicago, and since my family was from Chicago it was even better," said his wife, Nancy.

"He always said everyone played well together as team and everyone got along so well. He loved every minute of it."

Mr. Hughes came to Chicago in 1982 after a long career as a player in the NFL and as head coach of the Houston Oilers.

"I didn't realize how special my father was until I got into coaching. The things that he did and he accomplished are hard to top," said his son, Jim Hughes, a former coach for several colleges, including Texas A&M.

After graduating from Tulsa University in 1952, Mr. Hughes was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams and later played with the New York Giants.

It was during his stint with the Giants in the 1950s that he befriended his wife, Nancy, the sister of teammate Dick Nolan.

He later left the ball club to try his hand at coaching at his alma mater before taking a job as assistant coach for the Dallas Texans, later the Kansas City Chiefs.

That began a long professional coaching career that included teams such as the Denver Broncos, Washington Redskins and San Francisco 49ers.

Mr. Hughes took his first head coaching position with the Houston Oilers in 1971, compiling a 4-9-1 record.

His road to Chicago began when Ditka and Mr. Hughes were together on the Cowboys from 1973 to 1976. Ditka worked with special teams and Mr. Hughes handled the offensive line.

Edward D Hughes