The New York Jets have lost one of the best players the franchise ever had. Sadly, one of the icons of that ring-winning team has passed away at 83 years old. The legendary defensive end, Gerry Philbin, has died.
A third-round pick for the Jets back in the 1964 AFL draft, Philbin developed into an absolute menace for opposing teams. At 6-foot-2, 245 pounds, he helped the Jets to win Super Bowl III back in 1969.
That day, the Jets won 16-7 against the Baltimore Colts. Philbin earned being in the Jets Ring of Honor in 2011. He also went to two Pro-Bowls and was a two-time All-Pro during his playing days. He was also named to the all-time AFL team.
Gerry Philbin was built different
Hailing from the University of Buffalo, Philbin was not like the others. John Schmitt, who played center for the Jets from 1964-1974, spoke with the team’s media and said, “I do remember when we played the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoff game [after the 1969 season] — he had a separated shoulder.”
“They made up a leather harness that was a half-inch thick that was wrapped around his chest, and they had chain-link fence holding the leather arm piece to the chest piece. You never saw such a barbaric thing. And he played the whole game against Kansas City. … He was a damn tough player and I loved the man,“ Schmitt added.
A player ahead of his time
When Philbin played, not many stats were recorded. However, unofficially he has 64.5 sacks with the Jets, fourth most in team’s history. In fact, Philbin and Verlon Biggs are the only players to record 10 or more sacks in four straight seasons for the Jets.
In the 1968 season, Philbin had 14 sacks. He was putting modern-day numbers back in the 60’s. A true icon and one of the first defensive stars the NFL ever saw, Philbin will forever be remembered as one of the toughest players to ever lace a pair of cleats.