Joe Gibbs
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Joseph Jackson Gibbs (born November 25, 1940 in Mocksville, North Carolina) is a NASCAR team owner and a football coach in the National Football League. He coached the Washington Redskins to four Super Bowl appearances and three championships. He graduated from Cerritos Junior College and San Diego State. He currently resides in Huntersville, North Carolina with his wife, Pat Gibbs.
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Early Career
Joe Gibbs began his football career as an assistant coach at the college level, during which he coached at San Diego State, Florida State, Southern California and Arkansas. Gibbs then rose up to the National Football League (NFL) and was an assistant coach with the St. Louis Cardinals, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the San Diego Chargers. In 1981, Gibbs was offered a job as the head coach of the Washington Redskins by Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke.
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Washington Redskins Career (1981-1992)
The Washington Redskins had not seen, for nearly forty years, a victory in a championship game (Super Bowl). Owner Jack Kent Cooke felt that a major change was needed if the franchise was to be saved. He saw potential in Gibbs, the forty-year-old assistant football coach, and offered him a position as head coach.
Gibbs' first season with the Redskins started inauspiciously when the team lost their first five games. However, they improved and reached an even 8-8 record for the season, improving a lot over previous seasons. Although an 8-8 record is nothing spectacular, several statistics for the Redskins in offense and defense had improved considerably from previous seasons.
Gibbs' second season with the Redskins (1982) realized the dreams of the entire Redskins fanbase: an NFC Championship and a Super Bowl victory. Gibbs' would go on to win three more NFC Championships in 1983, 1987 and 1991 and two more Super Bowl victories in 1987 and 1991 (along with one Superbowl loss in 1983) before retiring following the 1992 season.
In 1996, Gibbs was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He is one of the winningest coaches in NFL history, with a record of 124 wins and 60 losses, and a post-season record of 16 wins and five losses. He is also the only NFL coach to ever win three Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks (and also three different starting running backs).
NASCAR Career (1991-Present)
Gibbs created his NASCAR team, Joe Gibbs Racing in 1991, a year before he first retired from the NFL. Two of his team members, Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart, have made recent title runs.
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The Return to the Redskins (2004-Present)
Although Gibbs retired from the NFL in 1992, and was later enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he rejoined the Redskins at the request of owner Daniel Snyder in 2004. During the press conference which welcomed him back, he stated that even though he enjoyed NASCAR immensely, he had missed coaching in the NFL even more.
Many coaches from the old Redskins era 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. The former head coach of the Buffalo Bills, Gregg Williams, joined the Redskins as the defensive coordinator as well.
Joe Gibbs Racing will remain in operation. Gibbs' son, J.D. Gibbs, will assist in racing management while his other son, Coy Gibbs, will assist with the Redskins.
Criticism since his return
Gibbs' first season back with the Redskins was generally considered a failure, with the team ending with a disappointing 6-10 record and ranking nearly last in the league in offense. Under Gibbs, the Redskins finished tied for last place in the NFC's Eastern Conference, seven games behind the first place Philadelphia Eagles, who ran away with the division and reached the Super Bowl. Some speculate that Gibbs no longer has the knowledge to keep up with the complicated, fast-paced changes that have come to the NFL since he left the game in 1992.
Gibbs also came under steep criticism for his first NFL draft pick since his return, Sean Taylor from the University of Miami, for whom Gibbs used the team's only 2004 first-round draft pick. Taylor started his NFL career with numerous run-ins with the law, including an arrest for assault and battery in Miami on June 4, 2005, for which he now faces a felony charge. Taylor also was benched during the season, following his arrest in Virginia for driving under the influence of alcohol and refusing a blood alcohol test. Gibbs' first-round draft pick now may face jail time for his Miami felony charges.
External Links
- Official Redskins Website (http://www.redskins.com)
- Official Joe Gibbs Racing Website (http://www.joegibbsracing.com)
- Official Website for the National Football League (http://www.nfl.com)
- Official Website for NASCAR (http://www.nascar.com)