- For the Jamaican record producer, see Joe Gibbs (record producer)
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| Joe Gibbs | |
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| Date of birth | November 25 1940 |
| Place of birth |  Mocksville, North Carolina |
| Position(s) | Head Coach Team President |
| College | San Diego State |
| Career Highlights | |
| Awards | 1982 UPI NFL COY (NFC) 1982 Pro Football Weekly COY 1982 Sporting News COY 1982 AP Coach of the Year 1983 Pro Football Weekly COY 1983 Sporting News COY 1983 AP Coach of the Year 1991 Sporting News COY |
| Honors | 70 Greatest Redskins Redskins' Ring of Fame Pro Football Hall of Fame |
| Regular Season | 154-94-0 |
| Postseason | 17-6 |
| Career Record | 171-100-0 |
| Super Bowl Wins |
1982 Super Bowl XVII 1987 Super Bowl XXII 1991 Super Bowl XXVI |
| Championships Won |
1982 NFC Championship 1983 NFC Championship 1987 NFC Championship 1991 NFC Championship 2000 NASCAR Cup Series Championship (#18 car) 2002 NASCAR Cup Series Championship (#20 car) 2005 NASCAR Cup Series Championship (#20 car) |
| Coaching Stats | Pro Football Reference |
| Coaching Stats | DatabaseFootball |
| Team(s) as a coach/administrator | |
| 1964-1966 1967-1968 1969-1970 1971-1972 1973-1977 1978 1979-1980 1981-1992 2004-present |
San Diego State University (offensive line coach) Florida State University (offensive line coach) USC (offensive line coach) University of Arkansas (running backs coach) St. Louis Cardinals (running backs coach) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (offensive coordinator) San Diego Chargers (offensive coordinator) Washington Redskins (head coach) Washington Redskins (head coach) |
| Pro Football Hall of Fame, 1996 | |
Joe Jackson Gibbs (born November 25, 1940) is a Hall of Fame American football coach and NASCAR Championship team owner. He is the 20th and 26th head coach in the history of the Washington Redskins. Well known for his long hours and work ethic, Joe Gibbs has put together championship teams with many players who have had mediocre to average careers while playing for other NFL teams.[1] During his first stint in the National Football League, he coached the Redskins for 12 seasons and led them to eight playoff appearances, four NFC Championship titles, and three Super Bowl titles. After retiring at the end of the 1992 season, he switched focus to his NASCAR team, Joe Gibbs Racing, which won three championships under his ownership. On January 7, 2004, Gibbs came out of retirement to rejoin the Redskins as head coach and team president, signing a 5-year, $28.5 million contract[2]. He is currently the only active NFL coach already in the Hall of Fame.
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Early career
Born in Mocksville, North Carolina, Joe graduated from Santa Fe High School, Santa Fe Springs, CA, in 1959 where he was the star quarterback. Gibbs attended Cerritos Junior College and then San Diego State University (SDSU), where he played tight end, offensive guard and linebacker on the football team, coached by Don Coryell. Gibbs graduated from SDSU in 1964 and earned a master's degree in 1966. Gibbs began his career with a stint as offensive line coach at San Diego State under Coryell (1964-1966). He held the same position at Florida State (1967-1968) before serving under John McKay at Southern California (1969-1970) and Frank Broyles at Arkansas (1971-1972). Gibbs then rose up to the National Football League, hired as the offensive backfield coach for the St. Louis Cardinals (1973-1977) by head coach Don Coryell. After a season as offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1978) under McKay, Gibbs rejoined Coryell with the San Diego Chargers (1979-1980). As the offensive coordinator for San Diego, Gibbs spearheaded the highly successful "Air Coryell" offense. Using a sophisticated passing attack, the Chargers and quarterback Dan Fouts set multiple offensive records during Gibbs' two seasons there, notably becoming the first team to average more than 400 yards of offense per game. After 17 years of coaching as an assistant, in 1981 Gibbs was offered a job as the head coach of the Washington Redskins by Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke.
The Decade of Dominance (1981-1992)
After firing then-head coach Jack Pardee, Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke was on the lookout for candidates. When general manager Bobby Beathard pointed out the forty-year-old San Diego assistant coach, Cooke saw potential in him and Gibbs was hired. Gibbs' first season with the Redskins started inauspiciously when the team lost their first five games. Cooke famously expressed confidence in Gibbs, declaring that the team would finish 8-8. The losses and Cooke's confidence served as a catalyst, and the newly-motivated team improved and reached an even 8-8 record in 1981. Gibbs' second season with the Redskins (1982) realized the dreams of the entire Redskins fanbase: an NFC Championship Game and a Super Bowl victory. In a strike-shortened season, the team advanced through the playoffs and eventually won Super Bowl XVII by beating the Miami Dolphins 27-17, taking revenge for Washington's loss to Miami in Super Bowl VII. The following season (1983), Gibbs' surprising success continued and the Redskins once again won an NFC Championship, advancing to Super Bowl XVIII. The Redskins were an overwhelming favorite going into the game, but were soundly defeated by the Los Angeles Raiders 38-9. Three years later, in 1986, Gibbs coached the team back to the NFC Championship game, but lost to the New York Giants. It was to be his only NFC championship game loss. The following season (1987), the Redskins got into the playoffs and reached Super Bowl XXII, where they rode on the arm of quarterback Doug Williams to blow out the Denver Broncos 42-10. In 1991, the Redskins won their first 11 games before finishing the season 14-2, and cruised through the playoffs to the Super Bowl. In Super Bowl XXVI, the Redskins were up 37-10 in the third quarter before Gibbs called off the dogs, en route to a 37-24 victory over the Buffalo Bills. The victory gave Gibbs and the team their third Super Bowl title. The following year, Gibbs returned for the 1992 regular season to attempt to defend the Redskins' Super Bowl crown the previous year. The Redskins would finish with a lesser record at 9-7 and 3rd place in the NFC East. They needed a bit of help to get into the playoffs and they got it after a loss by the Green Bay Packers which allowed them into the playoffs as the last Wild Card entry. In the Wild Card round, the Redskins defeated the Minnesota Vikings on the road by the score of 24-7, however they would fall in the Divisional Round to the San Francisco 49ers in a road game by the score of 20-13, ending the Redskins' hopes of retaining their Super Bowl crown. Two months after Super Bowl XXVII, Gibbs suddenly retired in early 1993, surprising many in the organization and around the league. A notorious workaholic, he had begun to suffer some health problems, and he cited a desire to spend more time with his family. In 1996, Gibbs was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was one of the winningest coaches in NFL history, at that time having a record of 124 wins and 60 losses, and a post-season record of 16 wins and five losses. His combined winning percentage of .683 was third all-time (behind Vince Lombardi and John Madden). In his 12 seasons, the Redskins won 4 NFC East titles, reached the playoffs 8 times, and finished with a losing record only once (7-9 in 1988). Gibbs is also the only NFL coach to ever win three Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks and three different starting running backs.
Style of play
Although Gibbs helped craft a passing-oriented attack during his time in San Diego, his Redskin teams were known to incorporate a smash-mouth, rushing-oriented attack. By building a strong offensive line (known as "The Hogs") Gibbs was able to control the line of scrimmage, allowing workhorse running backs like John Riggins, George Rogers, and Earnest Byner to power the ground game. To this Gibbs added a deep passing attack that complemented the ground game, utilizing agile receivers like Art Monk, Gary Clark, and Ricky Sanders. Gibbs' offense was aided during his tenure by aggressive defensive units under the direction of defensive coordinator Richie Petitbon. Gibbs system and offensive scheme was robust enough to be successful without a Hall-of-Fame-caliber quarterback at the helm. The Redskins' Super Bowl victories were won using Joe Theismann, Doug Williams, and Mark Rypien -- capable players who could be very successful when given a strong supporting cast. Gibbs is credited with inventing the single back, double or triple tight end set. He used it to neutralize Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor, realizing that to successfully block him with a running back was impossible; an extra tight end and a tackle were required. By having an extra tight end, it also gave more protection for the quarterback. Gibbs was also credited in creating the Trips formation; stacking three wide receivers to one side. Gibbs incorporated the shifting and motions for which his offenses were known, the formation also created a lot of mismatches and confusion among the defense that could be exploited. He is also one of the few coaches that utilizes the H-back position prominently in his offense.
NASCAR career (1992-present)
Gibbs created his NASCAR team, Joe Gibbs Racing in 1992, a year before he first retired from the NFL. The first driver for his team was Dale Jarrett(1992-1994), with the sponsor Interstate Batteries, and the number 18. Interstate Batteries still sponsors the 18 car but it has since seen drivers Bobby Labonte (1995-2005) and JJ Yeley (2006-present). In 1995, Gibbs fielded three cars in the NHRA, one, in each professional category, the Funny Car, driven by Cruz Pedregon, the Top Fuel dragster, driven by Cory McClenethan, and the Pro Stock Firebird, driven by Jim Yates, of these, only Yates would bring home an NHRA championship in 1996, followed by another in 1997. His son, J. D. Gibbs, is now the president of Joe Gibbs Racing and oversees daily operations of each of the teams since his fathers return to the NFL. Joe Gibbs Racing consist of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and Nationwide Series teams as well as two Late Model racing teams. His Sprint Cup teams consist of #18 Kyle Busch, #20 Tony Stewart, and #11 Denny Hamlin, and a part-time #80 team with Jeff Fuller. His Nationwide Series teams consist of #20 Denny Hamlin. Gibbs has won three NASCAR Championships, starting in 2000 with Bobby Labonte, and in 2002 and 2005 with Tony Stewart. In 2006, Denny Hamlin, a rookie, won the Pocono 500, his first win, and Pennsylvania 500, sweeping both NASCAR races at Pocono. Also, Denny Hamlin was one of the 10 drivers qualified for the 10 race Chase for the NEXTEL Cup. Hamlin would go on to finish 3rd in points in 2006. Stewart, who did not make the Chase, finished 11th in points, winning three of the Chase races. In 2007, Gibbs continued to field three full time cars in the NEXTEL Cup, driven by Denny Hamlin, Tony Stewart and J.J. Yeley. Aric Almirola made his NEXTEL Cup debut in the #80 Car in Las Vegas. In the Busch series, there are two cars, with driving duties split among Denny Hamlin, Aric Almirola, Brad Coleman, Kevin Conway and Tony Stewart. As of August 2007, Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin are both in the 2007 Chase, with Stewart winning at Chicago, Indianapolis and Watkins Glen and Hamlin winning at New Hampshire.
Return to the Redskins (2004-Present)
Throughout his retirement, many NFL owners approached him hoping to lure him out of retirement but to no avail. Some owners even offered to move his entire NASCAR racing team to their team's city if he came back. The only team he seriously considered coming back for was the Carolina Panthers when they first joined the NFL as an expansion in 1995. However he did not believe he would be able to manage his time between his race team and coaching[3]. Even though he left the football world, the football world never left him. In 1999, he was part of a group that was trying to buy the Redskins but ultimately failed. In 2002, Gibbs and a small group of investors bought five percent of the Atlanta Falcons from owner Arthur Blank for $27 million[4]. It wasn't until late 2003 when Gibbs really started to catch the football fever again. Arthur Blank and his general manager, Rich McKay moved quickly to interview him for the Falcons's vacant head coaching position due to the firing of Dan Reeves. However when Gibbs found out that Steve Spurrier resigned as the Redskins' head coach, they realized that even though Gibbs was one of the team's minority owners, his loyalty still lies with the Redskins[5]. It is well-documented that Daniel Snyder had been turned down by Gibbs several times before. On December 31, 2003, Snyder's private plane (Redskin One) was spotted at an airport outside of Charlotte, North Carolina. After spending 11 years in retirement from the NFL, Snyder successfully lured Gibbs out of retirement. Gibbs' change of heart was quite a surprise to the football and NASCAR worlds. During his January 7 press conference, a visibly emotional Snyder welcomed him back. Gibbs then stated that even though he enjoyed NASCAR immensely, he had missed coaching in the NFL even more. And although he had fielded offers in the past, he could only see himself coaching for the Redskins. Because of his credibility and a very resourceful owner, Gibbs was able to assemble one the largest and most experienced coaching staffs in the NFL. Many coaches from his previous tenure with the team returned with Gibbs as well, including offensive line coach/assistant head coach Joe Bugel, offensive coordinator Don Breaux, quarterbacks coach Jack Burns, and tight ends coach Rennie Simmons. Gibbs was able to lure former Buffalo Bills head coach Gregg Williams to join the Redskins to run the defense. Overall, many of his assistant and position coaches were either former head coaches and/or held top assistant coaching positions with other NFL teams. Gibbs left his racing team in the hands of his eldest son, J.D. while his other son, Coy joined him as an assistant with the Redskins.
2004 season
In 2004, Gibbs had what was, up to that point, the worst season of his career with a 6-10 finish. Critics questioned whether he was ready to be back coaching after having sat out for a decade.
2005 season
Hoping to improve on the previous season's dismal passing attack, Gibbs added former Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave as his quarterbacks coach. Having coached Redskins quarterback Mark Brunell when they both were in Jacksonville, they easily formed a rapport. Musgrave's input allowed the Redskins add a few new wrinkles to their playbook. For the first time under Gibbs, the Redskins offense utilized the shotgun formation. Gibbs coached his team to an impressive 3-0 start in the 2005-2006 season, however, by mid-season the Redskins had slipped to 5-6. Things looked bleak at that point, but Gibbs was able to will his team to five straight victories - leading to a 10-6 record at the close of the season. This earned the Redskins their first playoff berth since 1999. In the wild-card playoff game, Gibbs led his team to a 17-10 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, to whom the Redskins suffered a controversial 36-35 defeat earlier in the year. In the next round of the playoffs, however, the Redskins could not duplicate their early-season victory over the Super Bowl-bound Seattle Seahawks, and lost to the eventual NFC Champion by the score of 20-10.
2006 season
The inconsistency of the offense during the season and lack thereof in the playoff games against Seattle and Tampa Bay resulted in Gibbs hiring Kansas City Chiefs' offensive coordinator Al Saunders as Associate Head Coach - Offense. Saunders comes from a similar background as Gibbs through Don Coryell and is thought to be able to "tweak" the offense to become more efficient. Saunders will have control of the offense and serve as the primary playcaller. Because of this, it is believed that Gibbs will have the role of Head Coach/CEO with the Redskins in 2006 and will largely deal with personnel matters, as well as having more time to focus on special teams and defense, while Saunders will supplement Gibbs with the offense. Gibbs also added former Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Jerry Gray to his staff as Secondary/Cornerbacks Coach. However, Gibbs did lose quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave to the Atlanta Falcons over the summer of 2006. The 2006 season was disappointing for Gibbs. The Redskins finished 5-11, the team's worst regular season record under Gibbs' leadership thus far, and placed near the bottom in the NFL in defense. Of the upcoming expiration of his contract in 2008, Gibbs has stated that he will not leave the team until he has "fixed" the team.
2007 season
After completion of the regular season, the Redskins have a record of nine wins and seven losses. The victories were over the Miami Dolphins (game one), Philadelphia Eagles (game two), Detroit Lions (game four), Arizona Cardinals (game six), New York Jets (game eight), Chicago Bears (game thirteen), and New York Giants (game fourteen), the Minnesota Vikings (game fifteen), and the Dallas Cowboys (game sixteen). The defeats were to the New York Giants (game three), Green Bay Packers (game five), New England Patriots (game seven), Philadelphia Eagles (game nine), Dallas Cowboys (game ten), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (game eleven) and Buffalo Bills, (game twelve). The Redskins returned to the playoffs for the second time since Gibbs returned in 2004. They advanced as the second-seed wild card team in the NFC, and were defeated by the NFC West Division champions Seattle Seahawks in the first round of the playoffs. The team suffered a notable tragedy when star safety Sean Taylor was murdered in his home the night after game eleven. Shot during a burglary attempt during the early hours of Monday, November 26, 2007, Taylor died the following day. Taylor's funeral was held on Monday, December 3, 2007, between games 12 against Buffalo (Sunday, December 2) and 13 against Chicago (Thursday, December 6).
Head coaching record
| Team | Year | Regular Season | Post Season | |||||||
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| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| WAS | 1981 | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4th in NFC East | - | - | - | - |
| WAS | 1982 | 8 | 1 | 0 | .889 | 1st in NFC East | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | Super Bowl XVII Champions. |
| WAS | 1983 | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 1st in NFC East | 2 | 1 | .667 | Lost to Los Angeles Raiders in Super Bowl XVIII. |
| WAS | 1984 | 11 | 5 | 0 | .687 | 1st in NFC East | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to Chicago Bears in NFC Divisional Game. |
| WAS | 1985 | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3rd in NFC East | - | - | - | - |
| WAS | 1986 | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 2nd in NFC East | 2 | 1 | .667 | Lost to New York Giants in NFC Championship Game. |
| WAS | 1987 | 11 | 4 | 0 | .733 | 1st in NFC East | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | Super Bowl XXII Champions. |
| WAS | 1988 | 7 | 9 | 0 | .437 | 3rd in NFC East | - | - | - | - |
| WAS | 1989 | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3rd in NFC East | - | - | - | - |
| WAS | 1990 | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3rd in NFC East | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to San Francisco 49ers in NFC Division Game. |
| WAS | 1991 | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 1st in NFC East | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | Super Bowl XXVI Champions. |
| WAS | 1992 | 9 | 7 | 0 | .562 | 3rd in NFC East | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to San Francisco 49ers in NFC Division Game. |
| WAS | 2004 | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 4th in NFC East | - | - | - | - |
| WAS | 2005 | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 2nd in NFC East | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to Seattle Seahawks in NFC Division Game. |
| WAS | 2006 | 5 | 11 | 0 | .312 | 4th in NFC East | - | - | - | - |
| WAS | 2007 | 9 | 7 | 0 | .534 | 3rd in NFC East | - | - | .000 | Lost to Seattle Seahawks in NFC Wild Card Game. |
| Total | 154 | 94 | 0 | .621 | 17 | 6 | .739 | |||
Family
Gibbs currently resides in Virginia with his wife Pat, but they make their permanent home in Charlotte, North Carolina. They also own an ocean front mansion on the exclusive Kiawah Island in South Carolina. The home is typically rented out. They have two sons, J.D. and Coy and have six grandsons Jackson, Miller, Jason and Taylor sons of J.D; Son Ty and Elle sons of Coy. Taylor has been recenly diagnosed with leukemia, but is currently in remission.
As an Author
In 1992 Gibbs co-authored Joe Gibbs: Fourth and One, and in 2003 Gibbs co-authored Racing to Win. The books resemble a business and life how-to book and motivational guide as he discusses his successess and mistakes in his career, offering the lessons he learned as tips to the readers.
References
External links
- Pro Football Hall of Fame: Member profile
- Official Redskins website biography of Coach Gibbs
- Official Joe Gibbs Racing website biography of Gibbs
- Washington Redskins Fan Site - The Warpath
- Joe Gibbs Audio Life Story & Transcript
- Don and Mike Fire Joe Gibbs NOW! (Negative)
| Preceded by Jack Pardee |
Head coach of the Washington Redskins 1981–1992 |
Succeeded by Richie Petitbon |
| Preceded by Steve Spurrier |
Head coach of the Washington Redskins 2004–current |
Succeeded by current coach |
| Preceded by Bill Walsh Bill Parcells Bill Parcells |
Super Bowl Winning Head Coaches Super Bowl XVII, 1983 Super Bowl XXII, 1988 Super Bowl XXVI, 1992 |
Succeeded by Tom Flores Bill Walsh Jimmy Johnson |
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| Wray • Dietz • Casey • Flaherty • Bergman • DeGroot • Edwards • Whelchel • Ball • Todd • Lambeau • Kuharich • Nixon • McPeak • Graham • Lombardi • Austin • Allen • Pardee • Gibbs • Petitbon • Turner • Robiskie • Schottenheimer • Spurrier • Gibbs |
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| Sprint Cup Drivers | Denny Hamlin (#11) · Kyle Busch (#18) · Tony Stewart (#20) |
| Nationwide Series Drivers | Joey Logano (#20) |
| Driver development program Drivers | Marc Davis · Kevin Conway (#18) |
| Partnerships and Affiliations | Hall of Fame Racing |
| Crew chiefs | Mike Ford · Steve Addington · Greg Zipadelli |
| Other | Joe Gibbs · J. D. Gibbs · Coy Gibbs |
| Notable former drivers | Dale Jarrett · Bobby Labonte |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Gibbs, Joe Jackson |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | American football coach and NASCAR Championship team owner |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 25, 1940 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Mocksville, North Carolina |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
