Former New York Jets defensive end Jerry Philbin was a ferocious pass rusher who played an integral role in the 1968 Super Bowl Championship season, and passed away at the age of 83. His family confirmed with ESPN on Wednesday.
The cause of death was dementia, his family said.
Philbin was just 6 feet 2, 245 pounds, but he was the dominant defender as he was selected twice for all AFL teams in the 1960s. He was named the best AFL team of all time and was led by Jets’ Ring of Honor in 2011.
Team records show that the sacks were not officially statistically until 1982, but Philbin unofficially recorded 64.5 sacks. According to the team, he registered double-digit bags in four consecutive seasons, including 1968.
“Jerry was a born leader,” former teammate John Schmidt said in a phone interview. “He was one of the four or five true leaders on our Super Bowl team. He was very tough and he was a whole world player.”
Schmidt recalls an interesting incident from the 1968 season. A week after Joe Namas threw five intercepts to the Buffalo Bills, Philbin delivered a less-than-subtle ginger to the star’s quarterback.
“Joe just fell to his lap and he was laughing so hard,” Schmidt said. Namas has shared anecdotes many times in interviews over the years.
Growing up in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Philbin starred at the University of Buffalo. He was the Jets’ third round selection in the 1964 AFL draft. He was also the third round pick in the Detroit Lions’ NFL Draft.
He chose to play in the fledgling AFL and played 110 games over nine seasons. He played for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1973 and finished his playing career in 1974 with the short-lived World Football League New York Stars.
Former Jets coach and current ESPN analyst Rex Ryan considered his father Buddy to be the assistant coach of the Jets Super Bowl team, and Philbin was one of his favourite players. He placed a photo of Philbin in his office at the Jets facility.
