Born in Mocksville, NC during the winter of 1940, Joe Jackson Gibbs had always seemed destined for greatness. Obsessed with sports throughout his youth, Gibbs naturally chose a career in professional sports. His career began by coaching college football and eventually led to his role as head coach for the Washington Redskins for 12 consecutive seasons from 1981 through 1992. During his tenure, he led the Redskins to eight playoff games, winning four NFC Championship titles and three Super Bowl titles and for this has been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
PROUD COACH JOE GIBBS WITH THREE SUPER BOWL CHAMPION TROPHIES IN ONLY 12 YEARS
In 1982, The Washington Redskins defeated the Miami Dolphins 27–17 in Super Bowl XVII with the help of Quarterback Joe Theismann. Although the Redskins made it to Super Bowl XVIII in 1983, they lost to the Los Angeles Raiders 38–9. They would not appear at the Super Bowl again until 1987 when they defeated the Denver Broncos at Super Bowl XXII 42–10 with the assistance of Quarterback Doug Williams. Their last appearance at the Super Bowl under Gibbs’ direction was in 1991 when they defeated the Buffalo Bills 37–24 at Super Bowl XXVI with Quarterback Mark Rypien. Gibbs combined .683 winning percentage is surpassed only by Vince Lombardi (.740) and John Madden (.731) and he is the only coach to win multiple Super Bowls with different quarterbacks.
COACH JOE GIBBS IN ACTION ON THE REDSKINS GRIDIRON
Gibbs shocked his fan base and NFL colleagues when he announced his retirement in 1993, after the completion of the 1992 season. He expressed a desire to spend more time with his family although many speculated that the long-term stress of his job had begun to cause some health problems for him. Interestingly, he immediately switched his focus and built a NASCAR team, Joe Gibbs Racing which won three championships under his ownership: one with former driver Bobby Labonte and two with Tony Stewart.
WASHINGTON REDSKINS HEAD COACH JOE GIBBS WITH HIS SKILLED NFL PLAYERS
On January 7, 2004, Gibbs came out of retirement to rejoin the Redskins as head coach and team president, signing a 5-year, $28.5 million contract. Although the exact details are unknown, Washington Redskin’s owner Daniel Snyder reportedly lured him back with an in-person plea to Gibbs. Although he was contracted for five years, Gibbs only coached for four seasons (2004-2008) with a disappointing record considering his prior accomplishments. It would seem that his moment had passed. Since the end of the 2007 season, he has been a Special Advisor to owner Daniel Snyder.
COACH JOE GIBBS SCRUTINIZING HIS NFL PLAYERS
DURING PRACTICE
Gibbs now lives in North Carolina with his wife Pat. Together they raised two sons, JD and Cory who have given them eight grandchildren. When Gibbs left Joe Gibbs Racing to return to the Washington Redskins, his son JD took over the NASCAR teams as president and Cory joined him as an assistant coach of the Redskins. Throughout his coaching career, Gibbs was well-known for working long hours and maintaining a superior work ethic. He exhibited an amazing talent for transforming average players into NFL superstars.
COACH JOE GIBBS LEADING HIS TEAM TO VICTORY
Collector Raleigh DeGeer Amyx feels very fortunate to have met Coach Gibbs in person. At Mr. Amyx’s request Coach Gibbs autographed an Official Super Bowl Football from the January 26, 1992 World Championship Game. On the football, Coach Gibbs wrote, in bold silver ink: "Coach Joe Gibbs, World Champions 82, 87, 91." Raleigh DeGeer Amyx is proud to include this piece of sports memorabilia in his collection of museum-quality artifacts.
SIGNED, IN BOLD SILVER INK: "COACH JOE GIBBS, WORLD CHAMPIONS 82, 87, 91."
SUPER BOWL RINGS PRESENTED TO THE WINNING WORLD CHAMPION WASHINGTON REDSKINS PLAYERS IN 1982, 1987, AND 1991. ALL THREE RINGS ABOVE WERE AWARDED TO SUPER BOWL WORLD CHAMPION REDSKIN PLAYERS BUT ARE NOW IN THE RALEIGH DeGEER AMYX COLLECTION
Mr. Amyx has been an avid historian and collector for much of his life. His extensive collection is known throughout the world. The knowledge he has acquired has been called upon by the highest industry and government officials. If you would like to discuss historically significant artifacts with Mr. Amyx make an effort to reach out to him.
HISTORIAN & COLLECTOR - RALEIGH DeGEER AMYX