Brian Schottenheimer, who currently heads the Dallas Cowboys, addressed an issue that has silently followed him for a few years now. Despite a career spanning more than two decades, his father, Marty Schottenheimer, is still not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. What Brian said was not about his bitterness, but more about the sad reality.

“At the end of the day, the way the game has changed, guys, the passing, the records, the yards, the touchdowns, it’s going to be really hard,” Brian Schottenheimer said on The Twins Take podcast. “And I’ve actually got several people, actually one of our beat writers here is on the Hall of Fame committee, and they all say, ‘Brian, he’s worthy of it. But, unfortunately, it’s going to be really hard for him.’ Because guys like Drew Brees are getting in and there are coaches like Bill Belichick that, again, they don’t make it and ultimately will. But it’s just so competitive.”

Schottenheimer is not wrong. Belichick’s snub had the football world talking for days. He is one coach who should have been able to make the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. But if Belichick could be passed on, Marty Schottenheimer has little chance.

No coaches will be among the members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2026.

Over 21 seasons as head coach, Marty Schottenheimer put together a 200-126-1 record, including his run with the Chargers from 2002 to 2006. Those 200 regular-season wins still rank eighth all-time among head coaches. During his stint with the Chargers, he earned 47 victories, culminating in a memorable 14-2 in 2006. The late coach’s career also included tenures at Cleveland, Kansas City, and Washington.

Schottenheimer came close to making the Hall of Fame this year, finishing as a semifinalist in the voting. The Chiefs, however, inducted Schottenheimer into their Hall of Honor in his lifetime, in 2010. The renowned coach passed away in 2021.

His former quarterback, Drew Brees, is not shy about saying that his former coach deserves to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

“He was a huge part of my career,” Brees told Matt Verderame of FanSided in 2022. “He was a tough, old-school football coach. But, man, when I say the guy knew how to win, he knew the formula for winning; he absolutely did. All you have to do is look at his record to see that. He deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. There’s no question.”

Brian Schottenheimer has described him as a devoted, pure-hearted man who found his true calling through coaching. Brian doesn’t think his father will ever get the call to the Hall, but he’s made peace with that, saying the way his father shaped the lives of the players he coached means so much more than any gold jacket ever could.