John North (American football)

John Puckett North (June 17, 1921 – July 6, 2010) was an American football player and coach. He played offensive and defensive end in the National Football League for the Baltimore Colts, as well as for the Baltimore Colts of the All-America Football Conference. He played college football at Vanderbilt University and was drafted in the sixth round of the 1945 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins.

After his playing career, North moved into coaching. He was a high school coach in Alabama, then in college at Tennessee Tech, Kentucky, and LSU before moving into the professional ranks with the Detroit Lions. In 1972 he became an assistant coach on the staff of New Orleans Saints coach J.D. Roberts, then replaced Roberts as head coach with two games remaining in the 1973 preseason, and in his first regular season game, the Saints were embarrassed at Tulane Stadium by the rival Atlanta Falcons 62-7. New Orleans went 5-9 in both 1973 and 1974, the team's final seasons at Tulane Stadium. North led the Saints into the Louisiana Superdome in 1975, but was fired on October 27 following a 38-14 loss to the Los Angeles Rams which left the team 1-5. He subsequently spent seven years as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Falcons and one season as quarterback coach for the USFL New Orleans Breakers.