Walt Michaels
Encyclopedia
Walt Michaels was a former professional football
player and coach who is best remembered for his six-year tenure as head coach
of the NFL's New York Jets
from 1977-1982.
, Michaels was a two-sport athlete at the local high school, then went on to play collegiately as a fullback
at Washington & Lee University. During the 1950 season, he helped the Generals reach the Gator Bowl
, but was unable to play in the contest due to an appendicitis attack he suffered one week before the New Year's Day game. In the 1951 NFL draft
, he was selected in the seventh round by the Cleveland Browns
, but was traded to the Green Bay Packers during the summer training camp. Michaels was used primarily on special teams during his rookie season in Green Bay.
. Often used to call the defensive signals, Michaels intercepted 11 passes, including four in 1952, and also returned two of them for touchdowns. In those 10 years, Michaels helped the Browns play in five NFL Championship games, winning consecutive contests in 1954 and 1955.
's Oakland Raiders
as the team's defensive back
s coach. He would spend only one season there, with the success he enjoyed with the Browns nowhere to be found. The Raiders lost their first 13 games before winning the season finale, playing in Frank Youell Field
, a renovated high school stadium.
's New York Jets
. After playing in just one game, Michaels accepted the defensive coordinator
's position with the revamped Jets under Weeb Ewbank, who had coached him at Cleveland. Within six years, the team defeated the Baltimore Colts
in Super Bowl III
, with Michaels seemingly the heir apparent to replace Ewbank, following the departure of fellow assistant Clive Rush
.
, Charley Winner
, and designated him his successor after the upcoming season. Michaels immediately resigned and within two weeks later had signed to become the defensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles
, working under former Browns' teammate Mike McCormack.
Three mediocre seasons in Philadelphia followed, with McCormack and his staff dismissed at the end of the 1975 NFL season
. After Winner was also dismissed as Jets head coach, Michaels returned to New York, again resuming his role as the main coach on defense under new head coach Lou Holtz
.
Michaels' first season saw the team win only three of 14 games, but over the next two years, the Jets managed to split their 16 contests in each year. The five-game improvement in 1978 was good enough to win Michaels the AFC
Coach of the Year award.
1979 Season
The 1979 season was another 8-8 campaign that was marred by a quarterback controversy. Starter Richard Todd was demoted and new starter Matt Robinson
was named for the season opener against the Cleveland Browns
. But days before the game, Robinson injured his throwing-hand thumb during horseplay with Joe Klecko
and tried to hide the injury, but was forced to reveal it the night before the game. The thumb was treated and the Jets took a 22-19 lead in the final quarter. Robinson had the tape on his injured thumb removed thinking the game was over, but Brian Sipe
led a game-tying Browns drive, and in overtime Robinson, unable to grip the ball, threw a sloppy pass for Wesley Walker
that was intercepted and turned into a Browns game-winning field goal. Michaels never used Robinson again even as Richard Todd
got injured.
Another incident during 1979 illustrated the fragile dynamic of Michaels' tenure with the Jets. On November 26 the Jets were crushed 30-7 by the Seattle Seahawks
in the Kingdome
; one Seahawks score was set up when cornerback Cornell Webster
blocked a Chuck Ramsey punt, this following a Jets turnover on a mishandled snap. Following the game Michaels called out Ramsey in front of teammates by snarling, "I can fart farther than you can kick!"
1980 & 1981 Seasons: '81 season 1st playoff year since '69
A rough 4-12 season in 1980 was followed by an 0-3 start the following year, and it combined to put Michaels' job in jeopardy, notably after a Monday press conference following a 31-30 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals
where Michaels swore savagely at writer Bill Verigan and was widely reported to be drunk, but the Jets surged to a 10-win season to secure their first playoff berth since 1969
. The year's success ended with a defeat to the Buffalo Bills
in the AFC Wild Card game.
1982 Season: Jets march to AFC title game
During the strike-shortened 1982 NFL season
, the Jets went 6-3, then pounded the Cincinnati Bengals 44-17 in the first round of that year's expanded playoff system. Traveling to face the top-seeded Los Angeles Raiders
the following week, the Jets pulled off a 17-14 upset. One bizarre part of the game came off the field at halftime when Michaels received a call criticizing his team for dirty play. Michaels was incensed by the call and first accused Raiders' owner Al Davis
of making the call. However, the call was later traced to a bar near New York by a gambler who had bet against the Jets.
One game away from Super Bowl XVII
, the Jets arrived at Miami's Orange Bowl
on January 23, 1983 to find that the field had not been covered, despite a heavy rain storm. The subsequent AFC Championship game became known as the "Mud Bowl", where the Jets lost a 14-0 to the Miami Dolphins
.
Joe Walton
, and that the pursuit of several teams for Walton forced the Jets to fire Michaels.
in the USFL for two years beginning in 1984. One month after the conclusion of the 1985 season, Michaels and his staff were let go by Generals' team owner Donald Trump
after the team merged with the Houston Gamblers
.
and NFL Europe
.
After his tenure in the developmental league had ended, Michaels began working for a gambling-oriented television program that would make selections on NFL games, making future job opportunities in the NFL slim.
by the league's owners.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player and coach who is best remembered for his six-year tenure as head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
of the NFL's New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
from 1977-1982.
Collegiate and early NFL career
A son of a coal miner from Swoyersville, PennsylvaniaSwoyersville, Pennsylvania
Swoyersville is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,157 at the 2000 census. Swoyersville is located within the Wyoming Valley West School District.-History:...
, Michaels was a two-sport athlete at the local high school, then went on to play collegiately as a fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
at Washington & Lee University. During the 1950 season, he helped the Generals reach the Gator Bowl
Gator Bowl
The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. Held continuously since 1946, it is the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first one ever televised nationally...
, but was unable to play in the contest due to an appendicitis attack he suffered one week before the New Year's Day game. In the 1951 NFL draft
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
, he was selected in the seventh round by the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, but was traded to the Green Bay Packers during the summer training camp. Michaels was used primarily on special teams during his rookie season in Green Bay.
Return to Cleveland Browns (1952-61)
On April 29, 1952, Michaels was traded back to the Browns for three offensive linemen, and played a key role in the team's defense over the next decade at linebackerLinebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
. Often used to call the defensive signals, Michaels intercepted 11 passes, including four in 1952, and also returned two of them for touchdowns. In those 10 years, Michaels helped the Browns play in five NFL Championship games, winning consecutive contests in 1954 and 1955.
Oakland Raiders assistant (1962)
On April 3, 1962, Michaels entered the coaching ranks when he was hired by the American Football LeagueAmerican Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
's Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
as the team's defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
s coach. He would spend only one season there, with the success he enjoyed with the Browns nowhere to be found. The Raiders lost their first 13 games before winning the season finale, playing in Frank Youell Field
Frank Youell Field
Frank Youell Field was a football stadium that stood in Oakland, California. It was the home of the Oakland Raiders from 1962 to 1965.The stadium, which was essentially a temporary home until the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum was completed, sat 22,000 and cost $400,000 to build. The facility was...
, a renovated high school stadium.
New York Jets assistant (1963-73)
At the start of the 1963 season, Michaels signed with the American Football LeagueAmerican Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
's New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. After playing in just one game, Michaels accepted the defensive coordinator
Defensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
's position with the revamped Jets under Weeb Ewbank, who had coached him at Cleveland. Within six years, the team defeated the Baltimore Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
in Super Bowl III
Super Bowl III
Super Bowl III was the third AFL-NFL Championship Game in professional American football, but the first to officially bear the name "Super Bowl". This game is regarded as one of the greatest upsets in sports history...
, with Michaels seemingly the heir apparent to replace Ewbank, following the departure of fellow assistant Clive Rush
Clive Rush
Clive Rush was a football coach at both the professional and collegiate levels, but may be best remembered as head coach of the Boston Patriots during the 1969 American Football League season and the 1970 NFL season....
.
Philadelphia Eagles assistant (1973-75)
However, Michaels' career fortunes changed dramatically on February 1, 1973, when Ewbank hired his son-in-lawSon-in-Law
Son-in-Law was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and an influential sire, especially for sport horses.The National Horseracing Museum says that Son-in-Law is "probably the best and most distinguished stayer this country has ever known." Described as "one of the principal influences for stamina in...
, Charley Winner
Charley Winner
Charley Winner was a football coach whose professional and personal life was closely intertwined with that of Weeb Ewbank, another coach....
, and designated him his successor after the upcoming season. Michaels immediately resigned and within two weeks later had signed to become the defensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, working under former Browns' teammate Mike McCormack.
Three mediocre seasons in Philadelphia followed, with McCormack and his staff dismissed at the end of the 1975 NFL season
1975 NFL season
The 1975 NFL season was the 56th regular season of the National Football League. It was also the first time that featured an entire season with no games ending in a tie. The league made two significant changes to increase the appeal of the game:...
. After Winner was also dismissed as Jets head coach, Michaels returned to New York, again resuming his role as the main coach on defense under new head coach Lou Holtz
Lou Holtz
Louis Leo "Lou" Holtz is a retired American football coach, and active sportscaster, author, and motivational speaker in the United States...
.
New York Jets assistant (1976-77)
Holtz's one season at the professional level turned out to be a disaster, leading him to resign in the days prior to the last game of the season. On January 4, 1977, Michaels was officially selected as head coach of the Jets, beginning six seasons of wildly contrasting results.New York Jets head coach (1977-83)
1977 & 1978 SeasonsMichaels' first season saw the team win only three of 14 games, but over the next two years, the Jets managed to split their 16 contests in each year. The five-game improvement in 1978 was good enough to win Michaels the AFC
American Football Conference
The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL....
Coach of the Year award.
1979 Season
The 1979 season was another 8-8 campaign that was marred by a quarterback controversy. Starter Richard Todd was demoted and new starter Matt Robinson
Matt Robinson (American football)
Matthew Paul Robinson is a former professional American football player. He played quarterback for the University of Georgia. Robinson played in the National Football League from 1977-1982 for the New York Jets, the Denver Broncos, and the Buffalo Bills...
was named for the season opener against the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. But days before the game, Robinson injured his throwing-hand thumb during horseplay with Joe Klecko
Joe Klecko
Joseph Edward Klecko is a former American football player as a defensive lineman best remembered for his days as a member of the New York Jets' famed "New York Sack Exchange."-Temple University Owls:...
and tried to hide the injury, but was forced to reveal it the night before the game. The thumb was treated and the Jets took a 22-19 lead in the final quarter. Robinson had the tape on his injured thumb removed thinking the game was over, but Brian Sipe
Brian Sipe
Brian Winfield Sipe is a former professional American football quarterback who played in the National Football League from 1974 to 1983 and the United States Football League from 1984 to 1985....
led a game-tying Browns drive, and in overtime Robinson, unable to grip the ball, threw a sloppy pass for Wesley Walker
Wesley Walker
Wesley Darcel Walker is a former professional American football wide receiver for the New York Jets in 1977 - 1989....
that was intercepted and turned into a Browns game-winning field goal. Michaels never used Robinson again even as Richard Todd
Richard Todd
Richard Todd OBE was an Irish-born British stage and film actor and soldier.-Early life:Richard Todd was born as Richard Andrew Palethorpe-Todd in Dublin, Ireland. His father, Andrew William Palethorpe Todd, was an Irish physician and an international Irish rugby player who gained three caps for...
got injured.
Another incident during 1979 illustrated the fragile dynamic of Michaels' tenure with the Jets. On November 26 the Jets were crushed 30-7 by the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
in the Kingdome
Kingdome
The Kingdome was a multi-purpose stadium located in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood. Owned and operated by King County, the Kingdome opened in 1976 and was best known as the home stadium of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League , the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball , and the...
; one Seahawks score was set up when cornerback Cornell Webster
Cornell Webster
Cornell Webster is a former professional American football player who played cornerback for four seasons for the Seattle Seahawks....
blocked a Chuck Ramsey punt, this following a Jets turnover on a mishandled snap. Following the game Michaels called out Ramsey in front of teammates by snarling, "I can fart farther than you can kick!"
1980 & 1981 Seasons: '81 season 1st playoff year since '69
A rough 4-12 season in 1980 was followed by an 0-3 start the following year, and it combined to put Michaels' job in jeopardy, notably after a Monday press conference following a 31-30 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
where Michaels swore savagely at writer Bill Verigan and was widely reported to be drunk, but the Jets surged to a 10-win season to secure their first playoff berth since 1969
AFL playoffs, 1969
-Playoffs:-Divisional playoffs:Kansas City Chiefs 13, New York Jets 6|referee= Jack ReaderScoring*NY - Field goal Turner 27*KC - Field goal Stenerud 23*KC - Field goal Stenerud 25*NY - Field goal Turner 7...
. The year's success ended with a defeat to the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the AFC Wild Card game.
1982 Season: Jets march to AFC title game
During the strike-shortened 1982 NFL season
1982 NFL season
The 1982 NFL season was the 63rd regular season of the National Football League. A 57-day long players' strike reduced the 1982 season from a 16-game schedule per team to an abbreviated nine game schedule...
, the Jets went 6-3, then pounded the Cincinnati Bengals 44-17 in the first round of that year's expanded playoff system. Traveling to face the top-seeded Los Angeles Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
the following week, the Jets pulled off a 17-14 upset. One bizarre part of the game came off the field at halftime when Michaels received a call criticizing his team for dirty play. Michaels was incensed by the call and first accused Raiders' owner Al Davis
Al Davis
Allen "Al" Davis was an American football executive. He was the principal owner of the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League from 1970 to 2011...
of making the call. However, the call was later traced to a bar near New York by a gambler who had bet against the Jets.
One game away from Super Bowl XVII
Super Bowl XVII
Super Bowl XVII was an American football game played on January 30, 1983 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the strike-shortened 1982 regular season...
, the Jets arrived at Miami's Orange Bowl
Miami Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl, formerly Burdine Stadium, was an outdoor athletic stadium in Miami, Florida, west of downtown in Little Havana. Considered a landmark, it was the home stadium for the Miami Hurricanes college football team...
on January 23, 1983 to find that the field had not been covered, despite a heavy rain storm. The subsequent AFC Championship game became known as the "Mud Bowl", where the Jets lost a 14-0 to the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Resignation from Jets job
On February 10, 1983, just 17 days after the loss to the Dolphins, Michaels unexpectedly resigned, citing a need for a break from football. He had been under severe emotional strain during the last weeks of the 1982 regular season, taking time each week to visit his terminally ill mother in Pennsylvania. However, conspiracy theorists believed that the team's success was due to offensive coordinatorOffensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
Joe Walton
Joe Walton
Joseph Frank Walton is an American football coach and former player who is currently the head coach of Robert Morris University. Walton played eight seasons in the National Football League and served as head coach of the New York Jets for seven seasons...
, and that the pursuit of several teams for Walton forced the Jets to fire Michaels.
New Jersey Generals, USFL (1984)
Michaels would then coach the New Jersey GeneralsNew Jersey Generals
The New Jersey Generals were a franchise of the United States Football League established in 1982 to begin play in the spring and summer of 1983. The team played three seasons from 1983-85, winning 31 regular-season games and losing 25 while going 0-2 in postseason competition...
in the USFL for two years beginning in 1984. One month after the conclusion of the 1985 season, Michaels and his staff were let go by Generals' team owner Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have...
after the team merged with the Houston Gamblers
Houston Gamblers
The Houston Gamblers were an American football team that competed in the United States Football League in 1984 and 1985. The Gamblers were coached by veteran NFL head coach Jack Pardee in both their seasons...
.
ILAF (International League of American Football)
On December 21, 1989, Michaels was hired as coach of the Helsinki franchise in the new International League of American Football, a developmental league and the forerunner of the now defunct World League of American FootballWorld League of American Football
The World League of American Football was founded in 1990 with support from the National Football League to play professional American football in North America, Europe and later possibly Asia...
and NFL Europe
NFL Europe
NFL Europe was an American football league which operated in Europe from 1991 until 2007. Backed by the National Football League , the largest professional American football league in the United States, it was founded as the World League of American Football to serve as a type of spring league...
.
After his tenure in the developmental league had ended, Michaels began working for a gambling-oriented television program that would make selections on NFL games, making future job opportunities in the NFL slim.
NFL coaching blacklist?
In February 1987, Michaels claimed that he had been shut out of NFL coaching jobs after having been blackballedBlackball (blacklist)
Blackballing is a rejection in a traditional form of secret ballot, where a white ball or ballot constitutes a vote in support and a black ball signifies opposition. This system is typically used where a club's rules provide that, rather than a majority of the votes, one or two objections are...
by the league's owners.