Joe Gibbs

Joe Gibbs was born November 25, 1940 in Mocksville, North Carolina. He played football throughout high school and college, performing well at a number of different positions. Gibbs graduated college from San Diego State University in 1964 and earned his master’s degree in 1966.
Gibbs began his coaching career immediately after graduating college. He stuck with San Diego State as their offensive line coach. Gibbs began to build his reputation coaching at different universities such as Florida State, Southern California, and Arkansas. He began coaching in the National Football League as the offensive backfield coach for the St. Louis Cardinals, then as the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and then for the San Diego Chargers.

It wasn’t until 1981 that the Washington Redskins offered Joe Gibbs his first head coaching job. He would struggle his first season, finishing with only a fifty percent winning percentage, but Gibbs bounced back the following season and coached his team to victory in Super Bowl XVIII where they defeated the Miami Dolphins 27- 17. In the 1983 season Gibbs’ expectations were still the same, “Win at all costs.” Again Gibbs coached his team to a 14-2 regular season record and another Super Bowl victory over the San Francisco 49ers with a last second field goal.
Over the next few seasons, Gibbs maintained a winning record and playoff births. It wasn’t until 1987 that Gibbs and his Washington Redskins would see the Super Bowl again. Led by Doug Williams, the Washington Redskins overwhelmed the Denver Broncos in a 42-10 route. Gibbs would continue his coaching success throughout the rest of the decade. In fact, he found himself back for his third Super Bowl appearance in 1991. The Washington Redskins defeated the Buffalo Bills 37-24 to give Joe Gibbs his third Super Bowl victory as a head coach.

In 1993, Gibbs retired and was soon after inducted into the Hall of Fame. A few years later Gibbs returned to the National Football League as the head coach of the Washington Redskins – all while living with diabetes.
Working with one health awareness initiative, Joe Gibbs shared his experience with type 2 diabetes. “No one can expect a race car to run, let alone win races, if we don’t constantly keep it well-maintained. Why should we expect our bodies to keep working without the appropriate maintenance? You should know the health risks you face, talk to your doctor, make the necessary adjustments to your lifestyle, and take medicines as prescribed by your doctor to take care of yourself.”