History of the New York Jets
Encyclopedia
The history of the New York Jets
American football
team began in 1959 with the founding of the Titans of New York, an original member of the American Football League
. The team had little success in its early years (AFL). After playing three seasons at the Polo Grounds
, the team changed its name to the Jets, and moved into newly built Shea Stadium
in 1964. In January 1965, the Jets signed University of Alabama
quarterback Joe Namath
to a then-record contract. The team showed gradual improvement in the late 1960s, posting its first winning record in 1967 and winning its only American Football League championship in 1968. By winning the title, New York earned the right to play in Super Bowl III
against the champions of the National Football League
(NFL), the Baltimore Colts
. The Jets defeated the Colts in the game; in the aftermath of the upset, the AFL was deemed a worthy partner to the NFL as the two leagues merged
.
Following the merger, the Jets fell into mediocrity; Namath was dogged by injuries through much of his later career. In 1981, New York qualified for the playoffs for the first time in the post-Namath era. They reached the AFC
Championship Game
in 1982; they were defeated on a rain-soaked Orange Bowl
field by the Miami Dolphins
. Beginning with the 1984 season, the team played in New Jersey's Giants Stadium
. The team started the 1986 season with a 10–1 record, but the injury-plagued Jets lost their last five regular season games and relinquished a ten-point fourth quarter lead to lose in double overtime to the Cleveland Browns
in the playoffs.
In the following eleven seasons, New York had limited success, reaching the playoffs only once and enduring a string of disastrous seasons, including a 1–15 record in 1996. The following year, the Jets hired two-time Super Bowl winning coach Bill Parcells
. The new coach guided the team to its most successful season since the merger in 1998; the Jets finished 12–4 and reached the AFC Championship Game, in which they fell to the Denver Broncos
. The team made five playoff appearances in the 2000s, their most of any decade. In 2009 and 2010, the Jets achieved back-to-back appearances in the AFC Championship Game, losing to the Indianapolis Colts
and Pittsburgh Steelers
. In 2010, the team began to play in MetLife Stadium, constructed near the now-demolished Giants Stadium.
and Bud Adams
sought a National Football League
franchise. They found that NFL expansion required a unanimous vote of existing team owners, so there was little likelihood of convincing the NFL to expand. The two men attempted to acquire the Chicago Cardinals, intending to move the franchise to Dallas, where there was no NFL team. Cardinals co-owner Walter Wolfner, who owned the team with his wife, Violet Bidwill Wolfner
, was unwilling to sell majority control. During the discussions, Walter Wolfner mentioned the names of other wealthy bidders seeking to acquire the Cardinals. On the flight home, Hunt and Adams decided to recruit the other bidders as owners of teams in a new professional football league.
New York City attorney William Shea
was attempting to create the Continental League
, a rival league to Major League Baseball
. Hunt met with him, and Shea suggested Harry Wismer
, a minority shareholder in both the Washington Redskins
and Detroit Lions
, as a potential New York franchise owner for the new football league. Wismer was willing; he was feuding at the time with the Redskins' principal owner, George Preston Marshall
, and realized he would never own the Washington franchise. Wismer, while wealthy, was not nearly as rich as the other potential team owners.
On August 14, 1959, the league held an organizational meeting and announced its plans; eight days later it announced its name: the American Football League
(AFL), the fourth league to take that name. On November 24, 1959, the AFL held its first draft; the "Titans of New York", as the franchise awarded to Wismer was dubbed, selected Notre Dame
quarterback George Izo
as their first pick. The league announced a policy, formulated by Wismer, that it would negotiate with a network for a single television contract to cover all the teams, the first league to do so. On December 7, the Titans hired Steve Sebo as general manager. Sebo had just been fired as coach at the University of Pennsylvania
, despite taking the Quakers
to the Ivy League
championship. On December 17, the Titans announced at a press conference that "one of the biggest names in the history of football" would be soon be named as their head coach. Although Wismer was prone to hyperbole, in this case he told the truth: New York had persuaded a former NFL great, quarterback and punter Sammy Baugh
, to be its coach. Since his retirement as a player, Baugh had coached at tiny Hardin-Simmons University
, where he built a strong football program that sent a team to the 1958 Sun Bowl
. Before appearing at the press conference, Baugh demanded his entire salary of $20,000 for 1960, in cash. The Titans accommodated him.
Wismer sought a place for his team to play, but was only able to secure the decrepit Polo Grounds
, which had been without a major tenant since the departure of the New York Giants
baseball team in 1957. The stadium stood on the northern tip of Manhattan, across the Harlem River
from Yankee Stadium, where the New York Giants
NFL team played.
Baugh invited some 100 players to the Titans' first training camp, which opened at the University of New Hampshire
on July 9, 1960. As NFL teams cut players from their training camps, many were invited to the Titans' or other AFL training camps as the teams sought to fill their 35-man rosters. The franchise's first preseason game took place on August 6, 1960, against the Los Angeles Chargers
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
. The Titans kicked off to begin the game, and Chargers running back Paul Lowe
returned the kick 105 yards for a touchdown. New York lost, 27–7. On September 11, 1960, the opening regular season game was played in a heavy downpour, the remains of Hurricane Diana
. Water poured off Coogan's Bluff
, situated above the Polo Grounds, swamping the field, which had poor drainage. The Titans' offense was less affected by the mud than that of the visiting Buffalo Bills
. The Titans won the game 27–3 before a crowd of 9,607 (5,727 paid attendance). The following week New York played another home game, against the Boston Patriots
. On the first of many occasions when the team would lose a game after taking a big lead, the Titans were ahead 24–7 in the second half. With the lead reduced to 24–21, the Titans punted from deep in their own territory with seconds left. The punter, Rick Sapienza, fumbled the snap, and the Patriots recovered in the end zone for the victory. The following week, with the Titans playing at the Denver Broncos
, New York blocked a punt on the final play to win the game. In their fourth game, New York had a two-point lead when it fumbled with fifteen seconds left against the Dallas Texans
. This set off a scramble for the ball, which the Titans recovered as time ran out. Viewers in New York were spared the harrowing ending; in a prelude to the Heidi Game
eight years later, the local ABC station had switched to a Walt Disney Davey Crockett special at 6:30 p.m. Many viewers called to complain.
Five weeks into the season, guard Howard Glenn
broke his neck during a loss to the Houston Oilers, and died a few hours later, becoming the first player in professional football to die from injuries sustained on the field. New York suffered other injuries as the season progressed, and Wismer lacked the money to replace the injured players. Several players had to play both offense and defense. Wismer had arranged for the Titans to play three home games before their cross-river rivals, the Giants, started their season. This meant the Titans had to play their final three games on the road, and Wismer claimed to have lost $150,000 on the trip. The Titans finished their first season 7–7; according to attendance figures released by the team, the Titans drew an average of 16,375 fans per game. This claim was mocked by the New York press, which reported that the fans had disguised themselves as empty seats. The New York Times
estimated that the team had lost $450,000 for the season; in his autobiography, Wismer set the figure at $1.2 million.
, in the National League, plans for a stadium continued. Wismer had hoped the Titans could play in the new stadium, to be built at Flushing Meadows
in Queens
, beginning with the 1961 season, but funding difficulties and legal problems delayed construction. Wismer signed a memorandum of understanding in late 1961, although he was unhappy about the terms, which gave the Mets exclusive use of the stadium until they completed their season, and gave the Titans no revenue from parking. According to team doctor James Nicholas, "The lease that Harry signed cost the team quite a lot. It led to[later team owner] Leon Hess
going to the Meadowlands
." Shea Stadium
, as it came to be known, did not open until 1964.
New York hoped to improve its fortunes through the AFL draft, but most Titans draftees signed with the NFL. The Titans won only one preseason game, before a crowd of 73,916 against the Patriots in Philadelphia – free tickets had been given to anyone who bought $10 in groceries at an Acme Market. The New York Times columnist Howard Tuckner described the crowd as "presumably well-fed." The 1961 season, which ended at 7–7, was marked by financial difficulties, as the paychecks of many players bounced; team members learned to hurry to the bank as soon as they received their pay. At the end of the season, Wismer announced that Clyde "Bulldog" Turner
would be the Titans' head coach in 1962. Baugh had a contract for 1962 and would have to be paid unless he quit. Although Wismer did not fire Baugh, he also did not tell him where the team's 1962 training camp would be. Baugh showed up anyway, and spent several days acting as kicking coach before Wismer came to the conclusion that Baugh would not quit. The team owner agreed to pay Baugh his 1962 salary in monthly installments. Baugh later stated that he was never paid. Baugh's 14–14 record stood as the best mark by any Titans/Jets coach until bettered by Bill Parcells
in 1997–1999. In the offseason, Wismer hoped to bring a star to the Polo Grounds by drafting Heisman Trophy
winner Ernie Davis
of Syracuse
, but Davis was drafted by the Bills instead, signed with the NFL, and died of leukemia before ever playing a professional game.
Turner had never been a head coach before; he faced a team convinced that Baugh had been treated shabbily by Wismer and had difficulty uniting the players. After the Titans split their first two games against Oakland
and the Chargers (who had moved to San Diego), the team came home to no paychecks. The players refused to practice, though they worked out on their own on Friday. They then flew to Buffalo
and defeated the winless Bills. Public attention in New York was focused on the established local teams, as well as the abysmal record of the fledgling Mets, who nevertheless attracted a cult following. The Titans received little publicity and attracted only 4,719 fans to the home opener against Denver. They were required to wait until the end of the Mets' season before they were allowed to use the Polo Grounds. The Broncos defeated the Titans, 32–10, and Titans quarterback Dean Look
suffered a career-ending injury. New York's financial and football woes continued through October 1962, and at the beginning of November, Wismer informed AFL commissioner Joe Foss
that he lacked the money to continue operations. The league assumed the cost of running the team for the rest of 1962; Wismer remained in nominal charge. The Titans had little success on the field (the highlight was a 46–45 victory at favored Denver on Thanksgiving
), and finished the season insolvent with a 5–9 record.
Wismer agreed to sell the team, but attempted to prevent the sale with a bankruptcy filing. He contended that the move into Shea Stadium would lead to sufficient revenue to make the team profitable. A bankruptcy referee granted the league the authority to sell the team to a five-man syndicate composed of David A. "Sonny" Werblin
, Townsend B. Martin, Leon Hess
, Donald C. Lillis, and Philip H. Iselin
. The sale of the team was approved by a court on March 15 and completed on March 28, 1963. The sale price was $1 million.
On April 15, 1963, the team named Wilbur "Weeb" Ewbank as their head coach and general manager. Ewbank had won back-to-back NFL championships in 1958
and 1959
with the Baltimore Colts, and was one of the most respected coaches in the game. The Colts had fired Ewbank in favor of Don Shula
, an untested 33-year-old coach. Werblin also announced a new name for his team, the Jets, which had been selected from among 500 candidates submitted by "friends, enemies, and advertising agencies". The name was chosen over Dodgers, Borros, and Gothams. The team's colors were changed to green and white. In a press release, the team stated the reason for the selections:
The new owners faced a chaotic situation. The team had few players under contract, and had made little effort to sign any of their draft picks, most of which had signed with the NFL. The league attempted to strengthen the Jets and the woeful Oakland Raiders by allowing them to select players from the other six teams, and by giving them the first opportunity to sign players cut from NFL rosters. Ewbank, who had discovered Colts great Johnny Unitas
at an open tryout, held tryouts for the Jets. Only seven of the participants were invited to training camp, and one, Marshall Starks
, made the team as a second-teamer. In mid-July, it was announced that the Jets could not move into Shea Stadium until 1964.
Despite the offseason problems, New York contended for its first division title in a weak AFL East during the 1963 season. By early December, the Jets had compiled a record of 5–5–1, and faced a game in Buffalo with the Bills only a half game ahead. The Jets lost the game, 45–14, as well as their other two remaining games, and finished 5–8–1. Although the Jets drew just over 100,000 fans to the Polo Grounds in seven home games, they quickly sold 17,500 season tickets for the first season in Shea Stadium. Running back Matt Snell
was drafted by both New York teams, and the Jets were able to sign him.
On September 12, 1964, New York played its home opener at Shea Stadium, defeating Denver 30–6 before a crowd of 52,663, which broke the AFL regular season attendance record by almost 20,000. On November 8, 1964, both the Jets and Giants played home games; both teams sold out their games and the Jets drew 61,929 fans. The Jets posted a home record of 5–1–1 in 1964, but lost all seven road games to finish 5–8–1 again.
As the season concluded, the obvious standout draft choice for both leagues was Alabama
quarterback Joe Namath
. The Houston Oilers, in last place in the AFL East, had the number-one pick for the AFL. Both the Oilers and Jets realized that the Jets had a far better chance of signing Namath in competition with the NFL team which drafted him (as it turned out, the St. Louis Cardinals
, formerly the Chicago Cardinals), and the Jets were able to acquire the number-one pick. Neither the Jets nor the Cardinals could sign Namath until Alabama played its final game of the season, the Orange Bowl
, on January 1, 1965. Both the Jets and Cardinals negotiated with Namath's attorney, and when the price got too high for the Cardinals, the Giants secretly acquired Namath's NFL rights. Longtime Jets coach Walt Michaels
admitted many years later that the Jets had signed Namath days before the game. On January 2, 1965, the Jets held a press conference to announce Namath's signing.
. There was intense media attention on Namath, who became known for a playboy lifestyle; the media dubbed him "Broadway Joe".
Ewbank maintained through training camp that second-year Mike Taliaferro
was the number-one quarterback and disappointed a sellout crowd at Houston's Rice Stadium
by keeping Namath on the bench at the Jets' season opener. Ewbank felt that Namath might not be ready for several more weeks, but Werblin intervened. Namath saw his first regular season action in the AFL the next week against the Kansas City Chiefs
(the former Dallas Texans), and he was starting quarterback the following week against the Buffalo Bills
. Namath's performance was inconsistent as he gained pro experience, but he was named AFL Rookie of the Year. The Jets finished the season 5–8–1 again. Beginning in 1966, the Jets begun to improve on the field behind Namath, who led them to a 6–6–2 record. That season, the NFL and AFL announced a merger, which would be effective in 1970. A championship game (it came to be known as the Super Bowl
), played between the two league champions, would follow each season until the merger took place.
In 1967, Namath threw a then-record 4,007 yards as the Jets posted their first winning record, 8–5–1. The Jets led the division until running back Emerson Boozer
was injured against the Chiefs on November 6, which meant opposing teams were able to concentrate on the passing threat from Namath.
In 1968, Werblin's co-owners gave him an ultimatum – either buy them out or be bought out. He chose the latter option, reportedly profiting $1.4 million for his 1963 investment of $250,000. Prior to Werblin's departure, the Jets had considered firing Ewbank. They attempted to secure Green Bay Packers
coach Vince Lombardi
, but Lombardi decided to remain in Green Bay one more season. The season started with the usual three road games due to the team's status as secondary tenant to the Mets at Shea Stadium. The Jets rose to the top of the AFL East; they had lost only two games by mid-November and built a three-game lead over second-place Houston. New York's next game was at Oakland. In what became known as the Heidi Game
, the Jets took a 32–29 lead with 68 seconds left, only to have Oakland score two touchdowns to win the game. However, the touchdowns went unseen by the national TV audience, as NBC
had switched at 7:00 p.m. to a TV movie of Heidi
. Nevertheless, the Jets won their remaining games to finish 11–3. In the playoffs, the Jets defeated the Raiders for the AFL Championship
at Shea Stadium, 27–23, a game in which Namath threw three touchdowns, including the game winner to Don Maynard
in the fourth quarter.
on January 12, 1969, the Jets faced the Baltimore Colts, who had dominated the NFL with a 13–1 record. In their 14 regular season games, the Colts permitted only 144 points. Their sole loss had been to the Cleveland Browns
, who they then defeated 34–0 in the 1968 NFL Championship Game. Bookie Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder
proclaimed the Colts as 17-point favorites over the Jets. Sports Illustrated
s top football writer, Tex Maule
, predicted a 43–0 Colts victory. The first two Super Bowls had been dominated by the NFL champion Green Bay Packers
; most journalists expected the Colts to easily defeat the Jets.
From his arrival in Miami, Namath was outspoken about the Jets' chances in the Super Bowl. He alleged that there were five AFL quarterbacks better than Colts quarterback Earl Morrall
, who would be only the third-best on the Jets. He was equally outspoken in a verbal confrontation with Colts kicker Lou Michaels
in a Miami restaurant. Three days before the game, while accepting an award from the Miami Touchdown Club, Namath made the statement for which he would be remembered: "And we're going to win Sunday, I'll guarantee you."
The game was a defensive struggle. At halftime, the Jets led 7–0 on a Matt Snell
touchdown run; New York's defense frustrated Baltimore, and the Colts were scoreless despite repeated opportunities. Jim Turner added two field goals to make the score 13–0, and Colts coach Don Shula inserted Hall of Fame quarterback Johnny Unitas
in Morrall's place. Unitas initially failed to move the Colts' offense, and Turner gave the Jets a 16–0 lead with his third field goal. Unitas managed to lead the Colts to a touchdown with less than four minutes left. A second drive (after a successful onside kick
) fell short, and the Jets were able to run out the clock for a 16–7 victory, one of the greatest upsets in football history.
Houston Post columnist Jack Gallagher traced the Jets' progress from their early days to the Super Bowl:
, the Jets suffered offseason problems. Namath, faced with NFL claims that his Bachelors III bar was a hangout for gangsters, was told by the NFL to sell the bar. Instead, he briefly retired, feeling he had been badly treated. Six weeks following his announcement, Namath sold the bar and rejoined the team. A number of Super Bowl veterans were cut by the team, or had bitter contract disputes with Ewbank in his capacity as general manager. According to receiver Don Maynard, "When you get rid of veteran ballplayers and replace them with rookies, the level goes down."
The Jets' success in signing Namath and the rise of the team in the standings adversely affected their crosstown rivals, the Giants, who had played in five NFL championship games in six years to 1963, but who thereafter declined in the standings. Giants owner Wellington Mara
stated, "I think the Jets coming in when they did contributed to our bad years, because we tried to do everything for the short term rather than the long haul—we'd trade a draft choice for a player, figuring he'd give us one or two good years. We didn't want to accept how the public might react if we had a bad year or two or three." In 1968, the Giants traded for star Minnesota Vikings
quarterback Fran Tarkenton
in the vain hopes he would lead them to renewed success and rival Namath in the public eye. In August 1969, the Jets faced the Giants in a preseason game at the Yale Bowl
. While the Jets' Super Bowl win legitimized the AFL as a comparable league to the NFL in the eyes of many, others doubted the AFL's standard of play, and the Jets were underdogs going into the game. Giants coach Allie Sherman
approached the game as if it were a regular season contest, and the Jets sent the three remaining original Titans out for the coin toss. The Jets defeated the Giants 37–14, and Sherman was fired a few weeks later. The Jets' fellow tenants, the Mets, won a championship themselves; the baseball team's accomplishments forced the Jets to play their first five games on the road. The Jets recovered from a slow start to win their second consecutive Eastern Division championship, but fell to Kansas City in the divisional round of the playoffs, 13–6.
The first NFL game for the Jets, as the leagues finalized their merger in 1970, was also the first-ever Monday Night Football
game, a 31–21 loss to the Cleveland Browns
. Three weeks later, they played the Colts for the first time since the Super Bowl. The Jets lost both the game and Namath, who fractured his wrist and was lost for the season as the Jets fell to a record of 4–10, the worst mark yet of the Namath era. They did not have a winning record again until 1981. After six years with the team, wide receiver George Sauer
, a major contributor offensively, retired on April 16, 1971. Namath was injured again in a 1971 preseason game in Tampa, and missed much of the season. He returned on November 28 against the San Francisco 49ers
and threw three touchdown passes; the Jets lost by three points. The Jets finished the season at 6–8. In 1972, Namath had one of the best days of his career against the Baltimore Colts: he completed 15 of 28 passes for 496 yards and six touchdowns. Despite Namath's performance, John Madden
's Oakland Raiders
eliminated the Jets from contention in their second-to-last regular season game. New York finished the season with a record of 7–7.
Before the 1973 season, the aging Ewbank announced that he would retire as coach after the season and as general manager after 1974. The Mets unexpectedly qualified for the
World Series
, consigning the Jets to another long stay away from Shea. The Jets did not play a home game until the end of October. The team finished with a record of 4–10, though their final game against the Bills attracted considerable media attention. The attention was not for Ewbank's last game, but for Bills running back O. J. Simpson
's attempt to become the first NFL player to rush for 2,000 yards in a season. Simpson gained 200 yards, finishing with 2,003 for the season. Shortly after the 1973 season, the team hired Ewbank's son-in-law, former Cardinals coach Charley Winner
, as head coach. The new coach showed an initial inability to get his team to emulate his last name: the team started the season by losing seven of their first eight games. Namath, who had a reasonably healthy season behind a poor offensive line, predicted the Jets would win their final six games. The first NFL regular-season overtime victory, over the Giants at the Yale Bowl, and the usual large number of home games towards the end of the season helped New York in its comeback, and a Namath prediction again came true.
Al Ward replaced Ewbank as general manager in 1975. The Jets won four of their five preseason games, though sportswriter Gerald Eskenazi, in his history of the Jets, notes that the wins were secured by playing first-string players while the other teams were trying out rookies and backups. When the regular season started, the Jets lost seven of their first nine games, and Winner was fired. Offensive coordinator Ken Shipp
became interim head coach, and the Jets finished with a record of 3–11. Running back John Riggins
, who became the first 1,000 yard rusher in franchise history during the season and made the Pro Bowl
, departed for the Washington Redskins
as he felt the Jets' Namath-led offense passed the ball too often. New York hired North Carolina State
coach Lou Holtz
. With New York enduring the second of three consecutive 3–11 seasons (two wins came over the 2–12 Bills and a third over the 0–14 expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers
), Holtz—who went on to great success at Notre Dame
—resigned with one game left in the season to become head coach at the University of Arkansas
.
Following their disastrous 1976 season, the Jets hired longtime assistant Walt Michaels
as their new head coach. In the offseason, the team made the difficult decision to part ways with Joe Namath, who had become ineffective on the field. Although Namath's throwing abilities were unimpaired, his knees were so bad as to render him almost immobile; Paul Zimmerman
of the New York Post
dubbed him the "million dollar statue". The team attempted to trade him but was unsuccessful. On May 12, 1977, Namath was cut from the roster. He signed with the Los Angeles Rams, but retired at season's end.
. Litigation began between New York City and the Jets over the issue, and in the lawsuit's settlement, the city agreed to allow the Jets to play two September home games a season at Shea beginning in 1978 for the remaining six years in the Jets' lease. In 1977, the Jets were to play one September game at Giants Stadium and an October 2 game at Shea. Despite the favorable settlement, the Jets won only three of fourteen games. Rookies on the team, drafted in the 1977 NFL Draft
, included seven players who started for them in the late 1970s and early 1980s, such as tackle Marvin Powell
, wide receiver Wesley Walker
, and defensive lineman Joe Klecko
—who became part of a defensive line known as the New York Sack Exchange
.
In Michaels' second season, the Jets adopted new uniforms in a darker green and with a streamlined logo. When quarterback Richard Todd was injured, his backup Matt Robinson
proved to be a deep-throwing threat who led New York to eight wins in the first fourteen of the newly expanded sixteen-game season, and into playoff contention. However, the team lost its final two contests and did not qualify for the playoffs. Michaels was named AFC Coach of the Year for keeping his young team in playoff contention so long. There was much media discussion as to whether Todd or Robinson should be the starting quarterback in 1979. Todd emerged as the starter—Robinson was injured while arm wrestling
during the preseason. The injury—and his attempts to conceal it from Michaels—ended his career with the Jets. Todd led the Jets to another 8–8 record. Jimmy the Greek predicted the Jets would go to the Super Bowl in 1980, but they ended that season with a 4–12 record.
There was fan pressure on the Jets to fire Michaels after 1980; it increased when the Jets lost their first three games of the 1981 season. Even so, Michaels described his team as being of "a championship, playoff caliber". The Jets compiled a record of 10–2–1 in their remaining games—losing twice to the Seattle Seahawks
—to finish the season with their first winning record and playoff appearance since 1969. Their final-week victory over the Packers boosted the Jets into the playoffs, and also gave the Giants the opportunity to qualify with a win over the Chicago Bears
—the Giants defeated the Bears for their first playoff berth since 1963. The Jets fell behind the Bills 24–0 in the wild card
game and lost 31–27, as their potentially game-winning drive was stopped when the Bills intercepted a Todd pass near Buffalo's goal line. One of the Jets' bright spots was their defensive line. Mark Gastineau
and Klecko anchored the Sack Exchange and combined for more than 40 quarterback sacks.
In the strike-shortened 1982 season, the Jets finished 6–3 and upset the Cincinnati Bengals
in the first round of the playoffs, as running back Freeman McNeil
became the second player to rush for 200 yards in a postseason game. New York then defeated the top seeded Los Angeles Raiders
, 17–14, based on the strong performances of McNeil and Wesley Walker
in a game that saw numerous turnovers on both sides. The Jets next traveled to face the Miami Dolphins
in the AFC Championship Game
. The game was preceded by a series of storms that turned the Orange Bowl into a mud pit. The Dolphins stated that they did not own a tarpaulin, and that stadium maintenance was Dade County's responsibility, so the field lay exposed to the elements. The muddy field slowed the Jets' offense. In what was dubbed the "Mud Bowl," neither team managed much offense (both teams gained less than 200 yards). At the end of his best season, Todd threw five interceptions, the last being a screen pass deflected and returned by linebacker A. J. Duhe
for a costly fourth quarter touchdown as New York fell to Miami 14–0. On February 9, 1983, Michaels announced his resignation, and the following day the Jets elevated offensive coordinator Joe Walton
to the head coaching position.
In Walton's first months as head coach, the team made a decision which would long be discussed and criticized. In the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft
, New York selected quarterback Ken O'Brien
. In drafting O'Brien, they passed up University of Pittsburgh quarterback Dan Marino
, who went on to have a stellar career with the Dolphins, and would many times be a thorn in the Jets' side. The 1983 season started with high expectations, but the Jets dropped to 7–9. The Jets' lease at Shea Stadium was due to expire after 1983, Jets majority owner Leon Hess and New York Mayor Ed Koch
attempted to negotiate a new lease for the team. The Jets wanted the city to redevelop the stadium to expand its capacity to 67,000 and to alleviate its rundown state. Hess felt that Koch was uninterested in the Jets (he had attended one Jets game in his six years as mayor, and had left early). Negotiations soon reached an impasse, and in October 1983, the team announced it would move to Giants Stadium beginning in the 1984 season.
. New York began its season with veteran Pat Ryan
as starting quarterback; O'Brien was spending most weekdays waiting to testify about an altercation at the Studio 54
nightclub, at which Jets players had been present and by some accounts involved. The Jets had a second consecutive mediocre season, finishing 7–9 after starting the season 6–2.
In 1985, the Jets made the playoffs, accruing an 11–5 record, and hosted their first playoff game in four years. They were defeated in the first round by the eventual AFC champion Patriots after turning the ball over four times. Looking to improve on their 1985 performance, the Jets started the 1986 season 10–1, including nine straight wins. In week three against Miami, the Jets won 51–45 in overtime as O'Brien and Marino combined to pass for 884 yards, then an NFL record. Wracked by injuries, the Jets lost their final five regular season games, but still made the playoffs. In the wild card playoff game against the Chiefs, the Jets replaced O'Brien with Ryan, and won
35–15. This victory sent the Jets to the divisional round in an away game against Cleveland. The Jets built a 20–10 lead, and appeared to have stopped a late Cleveland drive—until Gastineau was called for a roughing the passer penalty, a late hit on Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar
that gave the Browns another opportunity. Cleveland tied the score, and in the second overtime, defeated the Jets, 23–20. The Browns lost to the Broncos (beaten by the Jets earlier in the season) in the AFC Championship Game; the Broncos in turn lost to the Giants in Super Bowl XXI
. Many Jets were convinced that given the opportunity to play the Giants, the Jets would have won. According to Eskenazi, the Giants "were the toast of New York, back in a championship game for the first time since the 1960s, while the Jets contemplated the late hit and what might have been".
In 1987, the Jets won their first two games. NFL players then staged a strike; a team composed mostly of replacement players lost two of the next three games. The locker room was divided after the strike due to the decision of a few players, led by Gastineau, to cross the picket line. The Jets remained in contention in a mediocre AFC East through much of the season, but dropped all four games in December to finish 6–9, in last place. In 1988, the Sack Exchange era ended as Klecko failed his offseason physical and was waived, linebacker Lance Mehl
announced his retirement during training camp, and Gastineau retired midseason, citing personal reasons. In spite of these departures, New York finished with an 8–7–1 record. They secured a winning record by ending the season with a victory over the Giants, which cost their in state rivals a playoff berth. The team performed badly in 1989, finishing 4–12. On December 18, 1989, the Jets hired executive Dick Steinberg from the New England Patriots to take over as general manager. Three days after New York's final game of the season, a 37–0 loss to the Bills at Giants Stadium, Steinberg fired Walton and began to search for the team's tenth coach. The disastrous 1989 campaign cost Walton the chance to be the first Jets coach to complete his career with a winning record, a statistic he later admitted he cared about deeply.
coach George Perles
as Jets head coach, but the university refused to release him from his contract. Steinberg then hired Bengals offensive coordinator Bruce Coslet
. Coslet's offensive schemes, described as "state-of-the-art" by Sports Illustrated
, had helped the Bengals to the 1988 Super Bowl
. New York's poor record had given them the second pick in the draft
; the team selected star Penn State
running back Blair Thomas
, who was expected to have a strong career with the Jets. Instead Thomas played on the team for four injury-plagued, unproductive years and was cut before the 1994 season began.
Coslet's first season proved only slightly better than Walton's last; the Jets finished 6–10. In the 1991 NFL Draft
, the Jets lost another opportunity to draft a star quarterback, as a draft-day deal that would have allowed them to select Brett Favre
fell through. The Jets had more success in the 1991 season: they built a 7–8 record with one game remaining, and needed a win against Miami to clinch a playoff berth. New York kicker Raul Allegre
(recently signed to replace aging kicker Pat Leahy, who had been kicking for the Jets since the days of Joe Namath) made one field goal to force overtime, and another to win in the extra period. The victory gave the Jets their first playoff berth since 1986. In the wild card game, an O'Brien pass into the end zone in the final seconds of the game was intercepted and the Jets lost to Houston, 17–10.
After a strong performance by rookie quarterback Browning Nagle
in the team's 5–0 1992 preseason, Coslet promoted him to the starting lineup. Despite throwing for a total of 366 yards against the Falcons in the opener, then the second highest yardage total for a quarterback making his NFL debut, the team lost 20–17; the Jets lost their first four games. Wide receiver Al Toon
retired on November 27, 1992, having received the ninth concussion of his career earlier in the season. Two days later, defensive end Dennis Byrd
collided with teammate Scott Mersereau
when Chiefs quarterback Dave Kreig stepped forward in the pocket as the two players were about to sandwich him. Mersereau managed to walk away and continue his career with New York, but Byrd suffered a fracture to his C-5 vertebra
that left him partially paralyzed. Inspired by Byrd's persistent high spirits, New York traveled to Buffalo the following week and defeated the AFC champion Bills. The Jets finished the season 4–12.
Prior to the 1993 season, the Jets obtained Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason
, who had worked with Coslet in Cincinnati. Steinberg signed veteran Ronnie Lott
to shore up the defense. O'Brien's career with the Jets ended with an offseason trade to the Green Bay Packers
, and Freeman McNeil retired after twelve seasons. The Jets suffered another December collapse: they lost four of their last five to finish 8–8. The Jets would have made the playoffs by winning their last game, but were shut out at the Astrodome by the Oilers. Following the season, Steinberg fired Coslet and replaced him with defensive coordinator Pete Carroll
.
Carroll's first season, 1994, started well. Going into a November home game against Miami, the Jets were 6–5; a victory over the Dolphins would tie them for the division lead. The Jets built leads of 17–0 and 24–6, but Marino and the Dolphins cut the lead to 24–21 and got the ball for a final-minute drive. Marino completed a pass into Jets territory with just over a half minute remaining. With the clock running, the Dolphins acted like Marino would spike the ball to stop the clock. However, Marino faked the spike
and tossed the ball to Mark Ingram in the end zone for the winning touchdown. The Jets, having lost that game, lost their four remaining games, completing another December collapse. Prior to the season finale, the Jets announced that Steinberg was ill with stomach cancer; he died the following September. The team fired Carroll after his first season and replaced him with former Philadelphia Eagles
coach Rich Kotite
.
At the press conference announcing Kotite's hiring, Hess told the media, "I'm 80 years old, I want results now." The Kotite era began with the Jets' sole national television appearance of the season, a Sunday night home loss to the Raiders, 47–10. The Jets defeated the Seahawks on the Sunday following Thanksgiving after an inspirational speech by Hess, but again had trouble in December, losing all four games in the month to finish 3–13. In 1996, the Jets brought in veteran quarterback Neil O'Donnell
, who had led Pittsburgh to Super Bowl XXX
, to lead the offense. The Jets, for the first time since the leagues merged, were in possession of the first pick overall in the NFL Draft, which they used to select wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson
. O'Donnell proved injury-prone, and the Jets suffered the worst season in their existence. They lost their first eight games, beat the Arizona Cardinals
in Tempe
, then proceeded to lose their remaining seven games. Two days before the season finale, on December 20, 1996, Kotite stepped down as head coach of the Jets, effective at season's end. After the last game, a 31–28 home loss to the Dolphins, Kotite was hit with a full cup of beer as he left the field; another fan (fewer than 22,000 attended the game; almost 56,000 ticketholders stayed home) held up a sign, "The End of an Error".
, who had won two Super Bowls with the Giants and was in the process of taking the Patriots there as well. Parcells believed that he could void his contract and seek a position elsewhere; New England owner Robert Kraft
believed the Patriots would be entitled to compensation. NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue
ruled in the Patriots's favor, and New England demanded the Jets give them the first pick overall in the upcoming draft. The Jets responded by hiring Parcells disciple Bill Belichick
as head coach; Parcells was to serve as a "consultant" in 1997 and head coach beginning in 1998. The Patriots were unimpressed by what they saw as a subterfuge, and Tagliabue mediated the matter. He set Parcells free from the Patriots; the Jets gave the Patriots four draft picks, including their first round pick in 1999. The Jets put an end to Belichick's six-day reign (he remained as assistant head coach and as defensive coordinator) and hired Parcells as head coach.
The Parcells era started with a 41–3 victory over Seattle. The Jets were 9–6 in their first fifteen games and went into the season finale against the Detroit Lions
needing a win to make the playoffs. Parcells, who was never fully confident of O'Donnell, benched him in favor of Ray Lucas
after O'Donnell threw an early interception. Lucas was ineffective as well, as the Jets lost 13–10. The eight-game improvement in the standings, together with Parcells's reputation as a winner, caused high expectations for 1998. The team announced that it would go to a modified version of the Jets' original logo beginning in the 1998 season.
Parcells signed Patriots running back Curtis Martin
as a restricted free agent, giving up first and third round picks. Parcells also signed Baltimore Ravens
quarterback Vinny Testaverde
as a free agent, which paved the way for O'Donnell's release from the team. After an 0–2 start, New York won six of the next seven games. The Jets lost only once the rest of the way, and clinched their first NFL division crown against the Bills on December 19, 1998. They set a franchise record for the number of victories in a season with a win over the Patriots in the season finale. The team finished 12–4 and were second seed in the playoffs with a first round bye
. The Jets faced the Jacksonville Jaguars
in their divisional playoff game, their first home playoff game since the 1986 season. New York defeated the Jaguars 34–24 and met the top-seeded Broncos in the AFC Championship Game. Though the Jets possessed a 10–0 lead in the third quarter, the Broncos, led by John Elway
in his final home game, came back and defeated the Jets, 23–10.
Testaverde ruptured his Achilles tendon
, a season-ending injury, during the first regular season game. New York suffered other injuries and fell to a 2–6 record before recovering to finish 8–8. Two days after the end of the season, Parcells announced his resignation as coach; he remained with the team for a year as chief of football operations. Belichick was slated to become head coach in Parcells's place, but one day later, he announced his own resignation. Kraft had gotten word to Belichick through intermediaries that he could have complete control of football operations and a $2 million salary if he got out of his contract with the Jets. After a lawsuit to void Belichick's contract failed and Tagliabue refused to release him, the Jets and Patriots agreed on draft choice compensation for the Jets.
As a result of Hess's death in May 1999, the team was put up for auction in January 2000. In a bidding war between Charles F. Dolan
and Woody Johnson, Johnson emerged victorious, and he purchased the team for $635 million. Johnson expressed interest in having Parcells return to his coaching role; the team elevated linebackers coach Al Groh
to the head coaching position when Parcells refused.
In April 2000, New York traded wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson, a major offensive threat on the 1998 team, to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
for two first round draft picks. Johnson wanted a renegotiated contract and was threatening to hold out. Having acquired New England's pick in the Belichick compensation, and with their own pick, the Jets had four first-round picks. They selected quarterback Chad Pennington
as well as John Abraham, Shaun Ellis
, and Anthony Becht
, all of whom would be key players on the Jets playoff teams of the 2000s. For the first time, the Jets won their first four games, including a victory over Johnson and the Buccaneers. They reached 6–1 following the "Monday Night Miracle
", the largest comeback in the history of Monday Night Football: the Jets overcame a 30–7 fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Dolphins, 40–37 in overtime. The Jets went 3–6 after that, finishing at 9–7, out of the playoffs.
After spending less than a year with the team, Groh resigned to accept a coaching job at his alma mater, the University of Virginia
. Parcells resigned from his front-office position and was replaced with Chiefs executive Terry Bradway
on Parcells's recommendation.
as the new coach. Edwards, a former linebacker
who had worked his way up through the NFL coaching system, had never served as head coach at any level. He was the first African American Jets head coach. Edwards lost his first game, two days before the September 11 attacks. In the wake of 9/11, the NFL had to decide whether to play its games the following weekend. Testaverde and the Jets spoke out against playing on the weekend after 9/11, and the Jets were prepared to forfeit the game rather than fly. The NFL decided to move that week's games to the end of the regular season. The Jets needed to win that game, in Oakland against the Raiders, to reach the playoffs, and John Hall
kicked a last-minute 53-yard field goal for a 24–22 victory and a playoff berth. Edwards was the first coach to lead the Jets to the playoffs in his first year with the team. In the playoffs, the Jets again played at Oakland. New York could not stop the Raiders's passing game, and Oakland won, 38–24.
The Jets began the 2002 season 1–4, but then put together a six-game winning streak. On the final day of the season, the Jets beat the Packers following a New England victory over Miami. This gave the Jets a 9–7 record, their second post-merger division title, and a playoff berth. Pennington had an outstanding day against the Packers and finished the season the top-rated passer in the league. The Jets began the playoffs against the Colts at home, and defeated them 41–0. The Jets then played the Raiders, who again defeated them in Oakland, 30–10. The Jets lost a number of key players to free agency in the offseason. Four signed with the Washington Redskins
, including kicker Hall, Laveranues Coles
, Chad Morton
, and Randy Thomas
. During a preseason game against the Giants, Pennington sustained a serious wrist injury, and required surgery. The aging Testaverde stepped in as starter, but led the Jets to only a 2–6 record, including losses to the Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys
. The Jets split their remaining games and finished 6–10.
In spite of the team's poor 2003 record, Johnson retained Edwards as head coach and extended his contract through 2007. With a healthy Pennington at quarterback, the Jets began their season at 5–0 for the first time and then lost two of their next three games. During the team's second meeting with the Bills, Pennington suffered a tear in his rotator cuff
that caused him to miss three starts. Pennington returned in a 29–7 rout of the Houston Texans
. The team struggled toward the end of the regular season, winning only one of their final four games. Despite a final-game loss to the St. Louis Rams
, the Jets reached the playoffs. The team traveled to San Diego to play the Chargers in the wild card round and upset them 23–20 on a Doug Brien
field goal in overtime. The win sent the Jets to the divisional round against the 15–1 Pittsburgh Steelers
. The Jets again took their opponent to overtime, as Brien missed a field goal with two minutes remaining and the score tied. He missed a second field goal in overtime. Pittsburgh kicker Jeff Reed proved more accurate, and the Steelers beat the Jets, 20–17.
In the third week of the 2005 season, both Pennington and backup Jay Fiedler
were injured against the Jaguars. With both quarterbacks out for the season, third-string quarterback Brooks Bollinger
started; the 41-year-old Testaverde was brought out of retirement to serve as his backup. Bollinger played badly in a loss in week four, and Testaverde became the starter. Testaverde had little success, and Bollinger did not fare better when he was reinserted. Running back Curtis Martin chose to have arthroscopic surgery on his knee with four games left in the season. The Jets finished 4–12.
. Three weeks later, General Manager Bradway stepped down in favor of his assistant, Mike Tannenbaum
. Although Pennington took back his starting position, the Jets only managed to split their first eight games. They began the second half with a victory over New England in Foxboro, and lost only two games the rest of the way to finish 10–6 and secure a playoff berth. In the wild card round, the Jets visited Foxboro again, but this time fell to the Patriots, 37–16. For his success in leading the Jets to the playoffs, Mangini received the nickname "Mangenius" and had a cameo appearance on The Sopranos
.
After Mangini's successful rookie season, New York had high hopes of further improvement. Following the team's opening loss against New England, the Jets accused the Patriots of videotaping their signals during their practices. Commissioner Roger Goodell
fined the Patriots and Belichick, and stripped New England of its first round draft pick in the 2008 NFL Draft
. Struggling to a 1–7 start, the Jets benched Pennington in favor of backup Kellen Clemens
. The Jets won only three games the rest of the way and finished with a record of 4–12. The Jets were again overshadowed by the Giants, who won their third Super Bowl
by defeating the previously unbeaten Patriots.
Following the 2007 season, Packers quarterback Brett Favre
had retired. He wished to return several months later, but found that the Packers had given Aaron Rodgers
the starting spot. The subsequent trade talks and rumors were a major story leading up to the 2008 season, and the Jets unexpectedly won the bidding war to trade for Favre. With Favre's acquisition, the Jets released Pennington, who signed with the Dolphins. Despite a good start to the season, the Jets began to falter in December after Favre tore his rotator cuff—he threw five interceptions in the next three games. The season came down to a final game against the Dolphins, led by Pennington, at Giants Stadium. The Dolphins won to take the division title and eliminate the 9–7 Jets from playoff contention.
On December 29, 2008, Mangini was fired after three seasons as head coach, with an
overall record of 23 wins and 25 losses. Favre again briefly retired from football on February 11, 2009. Mangini was hired by the Cleveland Browns
as head coach.
Following Mangini's departure, New York hoped to lure former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher
out of retirement, suggesting that Cowher might be given control of football operations in addition to serving as coach. However, Cowher decided to remain retired for the season
. On January 20, 2009, the Jets offered the position to Baltimore Ravens
defensive coordinator Rex Ryan
, who accepted. Tannenbaum engineered a draft-day trade with Cleveland, which enabled New York to move up and select highly regarded USC quarterback Mark Sanchez
.
New York won its first three games of 2009, including their first home victory over the Patriots since 2000, but lost six of its next seven games. The Jets recovered to 7–6, but then lost to the Atlanta Falcons
on December 20, a defeat that caused Ryan to state that the Jets "were obviously out of the playoffs". The next week, the Jets played the 14–0 Indianapolis Colts
. The Colts removed many of their starting players from the game early in the second half with a 15–10 lead; the Jets came back for the victory. The victory put the Jets' fate in their own hands, and they defeated the Bengals (who had also clinched a playoff spot and played few starters) in their last game ever at Giants Stadium to secure a playoff berth.
The following week, the team played the Bengals in the playoffs, this time at Paul Brown Stadium
, and secured a 24–14 victory over Cincinnati. That victory meant that the Jets would travel to San Diego to play the Chargers, who had won eleven straight games, in the divisional round. Strong performances by Sanchez, running back Shonn Greene
, and the Jets defense helped the Jets to a 17–14 win over the Chargers. New York played the top-seeded Colts in the AFC Championship Game and secured an early 17–6 lead. They had little luck in the second half as the Colts went to the Super Bowl with a 30–17 victory.
The Jets had hoped to move into what was termed the West Side Stadium
, to be built in Manhattan, after their 25-year lease at Giants Stadium expired. In 2005, it became clear that New York authorities would not permit the stadium to be built. After the West Side failure, the Jets and Giants entered into a joint venture to build a new $1.6 billion facility alongside Giants Stadium, which was torn down after the new venue was completed. The Jets' new home, MetLife Stadium, opened to the public in April 2010. The stadium took 34 months to construct, and can seat 82,500. The Jets hosted the Giants in the first game of the preseason on August 16, 2010.
The Jets' first regular season home game at the new stadium was on September 13, 2010 and was shown nationwide on Monday Night Football. New York lost to the Ravens 10–9, but built a 9–2 record, tied for the division lead with the Patriots (whom the Jets had beaten once) going into a Monday night game at New England. Expectations of a Jets victory were high, but the Jets were defeated, 45–3. New York recovered to qualify for the AFC playoffs as the sixth and final seed. In the wild card round, the Jets defeated Indianapolis, 17–16. This victory sent the Jets to a rematch with New England. The Jets upset the Patriots, 28–21, setting up an AFC Championship Game at Pittsburgh. The Jets fell behind 24–0, and mounted a second-half comeback before losing to the Steelers, 24–19.
Sportswriter Eskenazi, in his history of the Jets, wrote:
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...
American football
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...
team began in 1959 with the founding of the Titans of New York, an original member of the American Football League
American 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...
. The team had little success in its early years (AFL). After playing three seasons at the Polo Grounds
Polo Grounds
The Polo Grounds was the name given to four different stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used by many professional teams in both baseball and American football from 1880 until 1963...
, the team changed its name to the Jets, and moved into newly built Shea Stadium
Shea Stadium
William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium or just Shea , was a stadium in the New York City borough of Queens, in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. It was the home baseball park of Major League Baseball's New York Mets from 1964 to 2008...
in 1964. In January 1965, the Jets signed University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
quarterback Joe Namath
Joe Namath
Joseph William "Joe" Namath , nicknamed "Broadway Joe" or "Joe Willie", is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for the University of Alabama under coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and his assistant, Howard Schnellenberger, from 1962–1964, and professional football in the...
to a then-record contract. The team showed gradual improvement in the late 1960s, posting its first winning record in 1967 and winning its only American Football League championship in 1968. By winning the title, New York earned the right to play 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...
against the champions of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL), 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 ....
. The Jets defeated the Colts in the game; in the aftermath of the upset, the AFL was deemed a worthy partner to the NFL as the two leagues merged
AFL-NFL Merger
The AFL–NFL merger of 1970 was the merger of the two major professional American football leagues in the United States at the time: the National Football League and the American Football League...
.
Following the merger, the Jets fell into mediocrity; Namath was dogged by injuries through much of his later career. In 1981, New York qualified for the playoffs for the first time in the post-Namath era. They reached 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....
Championship Game
AFC Championship Game
The American Football Conference Championship Game is one of the two final playoff matches of the National Football League, the largest professional American football league in the United States. The game is played on the penultimate Sunday in January and determines the champion of the American...
in 1982; they were defeated on a rain-soaked 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...
field by 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...
. Beginning with the 1984 season, the team played in New Jersey's Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
. The team started the 1986 season with a 10–1 record, but the injury-plagued Jets lost their last five regular season games and relinquished a ten-point fourth quarter lead to lose in double overtime to 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...
in the playoffs.
In the following eleven seasons, New York had limited success, reaching the playoffs only once and enduring a string of disastrous seasons, including a 1–15 record in 1996. The following year, the Jets hired two-time Super Bowl winning coach Bill Parcells
Bill Parcells
Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells is a former American football head coach, most recently with the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 to 2006...
. The new coach guided the team to its most successful season since the merger in 1998; the Jets finished 12–4 and reached the AFC Championship Game, in which they fell to the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. The team made five playoff appearances in the 2000s, their most of any decade. In 2009 and 2010, the Jets achieved back-to-back appearances in the AFC Championship Game, losing to the Indianapolis 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 ....
and Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
. In 2010, the team began to play in MetLife Stadium, constructed near the now-demolished Giants Stadium.
Organization and first season
In 1959, young oilmen Lamar HuntLamar Hunt
Lamar Hunt was an American sportsman and promoter of American football, soccer, basketball, and ice hockey in the United States and an inductee into three sports' halls of fame. He was one of the founders of the American Football League and Major League Soccer , as well as MLS predecessor the...
and Bud Adams
Bud Adams
Kenneth Stanley "Bud" Adams, Jr. is the owner of the Tennessee Titans' National Football League franchise. He was instrumental in the founding and establishment of the former American Football League. Adams became a charter AFL owner with the establishment of the Titans franchise, which was...
sought a National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
franchise. They found that NFL expansion required a unanimous vote of existing team owners, so there was little likelihood of convincing the NFL to expand. The two men attempted to acquire the Chicago Cardinals, intending to move the franchise to Dallas, where there was no NFL team. Cardinals co-owner Walter Wolfner, who owned the team with his wife, Violet Bidwill Wolfner
Violet Bidwill Wolfner
Violet Bidwill Wolfner was owner of the Chicago/St. Louis Cardinals of the National Football League from 1947 to 1962. She inherited the team when her husband, longtime Cardinals owner Charles Bidwill, died before the 1947 season...
, was unwilling to sell majority control. During the discussions, Walter Wolfner mentioned the names of other wealthy bidders seeking to acquire the Cardinals. On the flight home, Hunt and Adams decided to recruit the other bidders as owners of teams in a new professional football league.
New York City attorney William Shea
William Shea
William Alfred "Bill" Shea was an American lawyer and a name partner of the prominent law firm of Shea & Gould...
was attempting to create the Continental League
Continental League
The Continental League was a proposed third major league for baseball, announced in 1959 and scheduled to begin play in the 1961 season...
, a rival league to Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. Hunt met with him, and Shea suggested Harry Wismer
Harry Wismer
Harry Wismer was a sports broadcaster and charter owner of the New York Titans franchise in the American Football League.-Early years:...
, a minority shareholder in both the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
and Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
, as a potential New York franchise owner for the new football league. Wismer was willing; he was feuding at the time with the Redskins' principal owner, George Preston Marshall
George Preston Marshall
George Preston Marshall was the owner and president of the Washington Redskins of the National Football League from 1932 until his death in 1969.-Contributions:...
, and realized he would never own the Washington franchise. Wismer, while wealthy, was not nearly as rich as the other potential team owners.
On August 14, 1959, the league held an organizational meeting and announced its plans; eight days later it announced its name: the American Football League
American 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...
(AFL), the fourth league to take that name. On November 24, 1959, the AFL held its first draft; the "Titans of New York", as the franchise awarded to Wismer was dubbed, selected Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
quarterback George Izo
George Izo
George William Izo is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, as well as the St. Louis Cardinals, Detroit Lions, and the Pittsburgh Steelers...
as their first pick. The league announced a policy, formulated by Wismer, that it would negotiate with a network for a single television contract to cover all the teams, the first league to do so. On December 7, the Titans hired Steve Sebo as general manager. Sebo had just been fired as coach at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, despite taking the Quakers
Penn Quakers football
The Penn Quakers football team is the college football team at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA. The Penn Quakers have competed in the Ivy League since its inaugural season of 1956, and are currently a Division I Football Championship Subdivision member of the National...
to the Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
championship. On December 17, the Titans announced at a press conference that "one of the biggest names in the history of football" would be soon be named as their head coach. Although Wismer was prone to hyperbole, in this case he told the truth: New York had persuaded a former NFL great, quarterback and punter Sammy Baugh
Sammy Baugh
Samuel Adrian "Slingin' Sammy" Baugh was an American football player and coach. He played college football for the Horned Frogs at Texas Christian University, where he was a two-time All-American. He then played in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins from 1937 to 1952...
, to be its coach. Since his retirement as a player, Baugh had coached at tiny Hardin-Simmons University
Hardin-Simmons University
Hardin–Simmons University is a private Baptist university located in Abilene, Texas, United States.-History:Hardin–Simmons University was founded as Abilene Baptist College in 1891 by the Sweetwater Baptist Association and a group of cattlemen and pastors who sought to bring Christian higher...
, where he built a strong football program that sent a team to the 1958 Sun Bowl
Sun Bowl
The Sun Bowl is an annual U.S. college football bowl game that is usually played at the end of December in El Paso, Texas. The Sun Bowl, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl are the second-oldest bowl games in the country, behind the Rose Bowl...
. Before appearing at the press conference, Baugh demanded his entire salary of $20,000 for 1960, in cash. The Titans accommodated him.
Wismer sought a place for his team to play, but was only able to secure the decrepit Polo Grounds
Polo Grounds
The Polo Grounds was the name given to four different stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used by many professional teams in both baseball and American football from 1880 until 1963...
, which had been without a major tenant since the departure of the New York Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
baseball team in 1957. The stadium stood on the northern tip of Manhattan, across the Harlem River
Harlem River
The Harlem River is a navigable tidal strait in New York City, USA that flows 8 miles between the Hudson River and the East River, separating the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx...
from Yankee Stadium, where the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
NFL team played.
Baugh invited some 100 players to the Titans' first training camp, which opened at the University of New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire
The University of New Hampshire is a public university in the University System of New Hampshire , United States. The main campus is in Durham, New Hampshire. An additional campus is located in Manchester. With over 15,000 students, UNH is the largest university in New Hampshire. The university is...
on July 9, 1960. As NFL teams cut players from their training camps, many were invited to the Titans' or other AFL training camps as the teams sought to fill their 35-man rosters. The franchise's first preseason game took place on August 6, 1960, against the Los Angeles Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team...
. The Titans kicked off to begin the game, and Chargers running back Paul Lowe
Paul Lowe
Paul Edward Lowe is a retired American football running back who played for the Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football League from 1960 to 1969.-College career:...
returned the kick 105 yards for a touchdown. New York lost, 27–7. On September 11, 1960, the opening regular season game was played in a heavy downpour, the remains of Hurricane Diana
1960 Pacific hurricane season
The remnants of Hurricane Abby moved into the Eastern Pacific Ocean and intensified into a hurricane on July 20 and was named Celeste. The hurricane moved northwestward where it winds peaked at 85 mph before it weakened into a tropical storm and dissipated on July 22.-Hurricane...
. Water poured off Coogan's Bluff
Coogan's Bluff
Coogan's Bluff is the name of a promontory located in upper Manhattan in New York City, starting at 155th Street. Rising abruptly from the Harlem River, it is colloquially regarded as the boundary between the neighborhoods of Harlem and Washington Heights....
, situated above the Polo Grounds, swamping the field, which had poor drainage. The Titans' offense was less affected by the mud than that of the visiting 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...
. The Titans won the game 27–3 before a crowd of 9,607 (5,727 paid attendance). The following week New York played another home game, against the Boston Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
. On the first of many occasions when the team would lose a game after taking a big lead, the Titans were ahead 24–7 in the second half. With the lead reduced to 24–21, the Titans punted from deep in their own territory with seconds left. The punter, Rick Sapienza, fumbled the snap, and the Patriots recovered in the end zone for the victory. The following week, with the Titans playing at the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, New York blocked a punt on the final play to win the game. In their fourth game, New York had a two-point lead when it fumbled with fifteen seconds left against the Dallas Texans
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
. This set off a scramble for the ball, which the Titans recovered as time ran out. Viewers in New York were spared the harrowing ending; in a prelude to the Heidi Game
Heidi Game
The Heidi Game or Heidi Bowl was an American football game played on November 17, 1968. The home team, the Oakland Raiders, defeated the New York Jets, 43–32. The game is remembered for its exciting finish, as Oakland scored two touchdowns in the final minute to overcome a 32–29 New York lead...
eight years later, the local ABC station had switched to a Walt Disney Davey Crockett special at 6:30 p.m. Many viewers called to complain.
Five weeks into the season, guard Howard Glenn
Howard Glenn
Howard Earl Glenn was an American collegiate and Professional Football player. He played collegiately at Linfield College and professionally with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League and in the American Football League...
broke his neck during a loss to the Houston Oilers, and died a few hours later, becoming the first player in professional football to die from injuries sustained on the field. New York suffered other injuries as the season progressed, and Wismer lacked the money to replace the injured players. Several players had to play both offense and defense. Wismer had arranged for the Titans to play three home games before their cross-river rivals, the Giants, started their season. This meant the Titans had to play their final three games on the road, and Wismer claimed to have lost $150,000 on the trip. The Titans finished their first season 7–7; according to attendance figures released by the team, the Titans drew an average of 16,375 fans per game. This claim was mocked by the New York press, which reported that the fans had disguised themselves as empty seats. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
estimated that the team had lost $450,000 for the season; in his autobiography, Wismer set the figure at $1.2 million.
Bankruptcy and recovery
New York City had proposed to build a new stadium for its franchise in baseball's stillborn Continental League. When that league dissolved and the city was awarded a franchise, dubbed the New York MetsNew York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
, in the National League, plans for a stadium continued. Wismer had hoped the Titans could play in the new stadium, to be built at Flushing Meadows
Flushing Meadows
Flushing Meadows is an American short film by Larry Jordan, with director Joseph Cornell. The film is 8 minutes long, in color, 16mm, and silent....
in Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, beginning with the 1961 season, but funding difficulties and legal problems delayed construction. Wismer signed a memorandum of understanding in late 1961, although he was unhappy about the terms, which gave the Mets exclusive use of the stadium until they completed their season, and gave the Titans no revenue from parking. According to team doctor James Nicholas, "The lease that Harry signed cost the team quite a lot. It led to
Leon Hess
Leon Hess was the founder of the Hess Corporation and the owner of the New York Jets.-Biography:Hess was born on March 13, 1914. His father was a Russian immigrant who worked as an oil delivery man in Asbury Park, New Jersey during the Great Depression.He married Norma around 1945 and they had...
going to the Meadowlands
Meadowlands Sports Complex
The MetLife Sports Complex is a sports and entertainment facility located in East Rutherford, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, owned and operated by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority...
." Shea Stadium
Shea Stadium
William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium or just Shea , was a stadium in the New York City borough of Queens, in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. It was the home baseball park of Major League Baseball's New York Mets from 1964 to 2008...
, as it came to be known, did not open until 1964.
New York hoped to improve its fortunes through the AFL draft, but most Titans draftees signed with the NFL. The Titans won only one preseason game, before a crowd of 73,916 against the Patriots in Philadelphia – free tickets had been given to anyone who bought $10 in groceries at an Acme Market. The New York Times columnist Howard Tuckner described the crowd as "presumably well-fed." The 1961 season, which ended at 7–7, was marked by financial difficulties, as the paychecks of many players bounced; team members learned to hurry to the bank as soon as they received their pay. At the end of the season, Wismer announced that Clyde "Bulldog" Turner
Bulldog Turner
Clyde Douglas Turner was a professional football player for the Chicago Bears.-NFL playing career:...
would be the Titans' head coach in 1962. Baugh had a contract for 1962 and would have to be paid unless he quit. Although Wismer did not fire Baugh, he also did not tell him where the team's 1962 training camp would be. Baugh showed up anyway, and spent several days acting as kicking coach before Wismer came to the conclusion that Baugh would not quit. The team owner agreed to pay Baugh his 1962 salary in monthly installments. Baugh later stated that he was never paid. Baugh's 14–14 record stood as the best mark by any Titans/Jets coach until bettered by Bill Parcells
Bill Parcells
Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells is a former American football head coach, most recently with the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 to 2006...
in 1997–1999. In the offseason, Wismer hoped to bring a star to the Polo Grounds by drafting Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner Ernie Davis
Ernie Davis
Ernest "Ernie" Davis was an American football running back and the first African-American athlete to win the Heisman Trophy. Wearing number 44, Davis competed collegiately for Syracuse University before being drafted by the Washington Redskins, then almost immediately traded to the Cleveland...
of Syracuse
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
, but Davis was drafted by the Bills instead, signed with the NFL, and died of leukemia before ever playing a professional game.
Turner had never been a head coach before; he faced a team convinced that Baugh had been treated shabbily by Wismer and had difficulty uniting the players. After the Titans split their first two games against Oakland
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...
and the Chargers (who had moved to San Diego), the team came home to no paychecks. The players refused to practice, though they worked out on their own on Friday. They then flew to Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
and defeated the winless Bills. Public attention in New York was focused on the established local teams, as well as the abysmal record of the fledgling Mets, who nevertheless attracted a cult following. The Titans received little publicity and attracted only 4,719 fans to the home opener against Denver. They were required to wait until the end of the Mets' season before they were allowed to use the Polo Grounds. The Broncos defeated the Titans, 32–10, and Titans quarterback Dean Look
Dean Look
Dean Zachary Look was an American college and Professional Football player. A quarterback at Michigan State and for the American Football League New York Titans, a Major League Baseball outfielder, and American football official in the National Football League...
suffered a career-ending injury. New York's financial and football woes continued through October 1962, and at the beginning of November, Wismer informed AFL commissioner Joe Foss
Joe Foss
Joseph Jacob "Joe" Foss was the leading fighter ace of the United States Marine Corps during World War II and a 1943 recipient of the Medal of Honor, recognizing his role in the air combat during the Guadalcanal Campaign...
that he lacked the money to continue operations. The league assumed the cost of running the team for the rest of 1962; Wismer remained in nominal charge. The Titans had little success on the field (the highlight was a 46–45 victory at favored Denver on Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving (United States)
Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday,...
), and finished the season insolvent with a 5–9 record.
Wismer agreed to sell the team, but attempted to prevent the sale with a bankruptcy filing. He contended that the move into Shea Stadium would lead to sufficient revenue to make the team profitable. A bankruptcy referee granted the league the authority to sell the team to a five-man syndicate composed of David A. "Sonny" Werblin
Sonny Werblin
David Abraham "Sonny" Werblin was a prominent entertainment industry executive and sports impresario who was an owner of the New York Jets, Chairman of Madison Square Gardens, and who built and managed the Meadowlands Sports Complex.A graduate of Rutgers University, Werblin went to work for Music...
, Townsend B. Martin, Leon Hess
Leon Hess
Leon Hess was the founder of the Hess Corporation and the owner of the New York Jets.-Biography:Hess was born on March 13, 1914. His father was a Russian immigrant who worked as an oil delivery man in Asbury Park, New Jersey during the Great Depression.He married Norma around 1945 and they had...
, Donald C. Lillis, and Philip H. Iselin
Philip H. Iselin
Philip H. Iselin was a New York City women's apparel manufacturer who was a shareholder and President of the New York Jets football team and Chairman of Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey. He was a member of the original Board of Directors that bought the New York Titans in 1963 and...
. The sale of the team was approved by a court on March 15 and completed on March 28, 1963. The sale price was $1 million.
On April 15, 1963, the team named Wilbur "Weeb" Ewbank as their head coach and general manager. Ewbank had won back-to-back NFL championships in 1958
NFL Championship Game, 1958
The 1958 National Football League Championship Game was played on December 28, 1958 at Yankee Stadium in New York City. It was the first ever National Football League playoff game to go into sudden death overtime. The final score was Baltimore Colts 23, New York Giants 17. The game has since...
and 1959
NFL Championship Game, 1959
The 1959 National Football League Championship Game was played on December 27, 1959 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. The game was a rematch of the 1958 championship game that went into overtime. The 1959 game was the 27th annual NFL championship game...
with the Baltimore Colts, and was one of the most respected coaches in the game. The Colts had fired Ewbank in favor of Don Shula
Don Shula
Donald Francis "Don" Shula is a former American football cornerback and coach.He is best known as coach of the Miami Dolphins, the team he led to two Super Bowl victories, and to the National Football League's only perfect season. Shula was named 1993 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated....
, an untested 33-year-old coach. Werblin also announced a new name for his team, the Jets, which had been selected from among 500 candidates submitted by "friends, enemies, and advertising agencies". The name was chosen over Dodgers, Borros, and Gothams. The team's colors were changed to green and white. In a press release, the team stated the reason for the selections:
The site of the new stadium between New York's two major airports, symbols of this speedy, modern age, influenced the selection of the new name "Jets". It reflects the spirit of these times and the eagerness of all concerned—players, coach, and owners—to give New York another worthy team. The new team's colors of green and white were chosen for much the same reasons, plus the fact that down through the ages green has always signified hope, freshness and high spirits.
The new owners faced a chaotic situation. The team had few players under contract, and had made little effort to sign any of their draft picks, most of which had signed with the NFL. The league attempted to strengthen the Jets and the woeful Oakland Raiders by allowing them to select players from the other six teams, and by giving them the first opportunity to sign players cut from NFL rosters. Ewbank, who had discovered Colts great Johnny Unitas
Johnny Unitas
John Constantine Unitas , known as Johnny Unitas or "Johnny U", and nicknamed "The Golden Arm", was a professional American football player in the 1950s through the 1970s, spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Colts. He was a record-setting quarterback, and the National Football...
at an open tryout, held tryouts for the Jets. Only seven of the participants were invited to training camp, and one, Marshall Starks
Marshall Starks
Marshall L. Starks is a former professional American football defensive back who played cornerback for two seasons for the New York Jets of the American Football League.-External links:*...
, made the team as a second-teamer. In mid-July, it was announced that the Jets could not move into Shea Stadium until 1964.
Despite the offseason problems, New York contended for its first division title in a weak AFL East during the 1963 season. By early December, the Jets had compiled a record of 5–5–1, and faced a game in Buffalo with the Bills only a half game ahead. The Jets lost the game, 45–14, as well as their other two remaining games, and finished 5–8–1. Although the Jets drew just over 100,000 fans to the Polo Grounds in seven home games, they quickly sold 17,500 season tickets for the first season in Shea Stadium. Running back Matt Snell
Matt Snell
Matt Snell was the American Football League's New York Jets owner Sonny Werblin's first coup, prior to his 1965 acquisition of Joe Namath...
was drafted by both New York teams, and the Jets were able to sign him.
On September 12, 1964, New York played its home opener at Shea Stadium, defeating Denver 30–6 before a crowd of 52,663, which broke the AFL regular season attendance record by almost 20,000. On November 8, 1964, both the Jets and Giants played home games; both teams sold out their games and the Jets drew 61,929 fans. The Jets posted a home record of 5–1–1 in 1964, but lost all seven road games to finish 5–8–1 again.
As the season concluded, the obvious standout draft choice for both leagues was Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
quarterback Joe Namath
Joe Namath
Joseph William "Joe" Namath , nicknamed "Broadway Joe" or "Joe Willie", is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for the University of Alabama under coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and his assistant, Howard Schnellenberger, from 1962–1964, and professional football in the...
. The Houston Oilers, in last place in the AFL East, had the number-one pick for the AFL. Both the Oilers and Jets realized that the Jets had a far better chance of signing Namath in competition with the NFL team which drafted him (as it turned out, the St. Louis Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, formerly the Chicago Cardinals), and the Jets were able to acquire the number-one pick. Neither the Jets nor the Cardinals could sign Namath until Alabama played its final game of the season, the Orange Bowl
1965 Orange Bowl
The 1965 Orange Bowl, part of the 1964 bowl game season, took place on January 1, 1965, at the Orange Bowl Stadium in Miami, Florida. The competing teams were the Alabama Crimson Tide, representing the Southeastern Conference , and the Texas Longhorns, representing the Southwest Conference...
, on January 1, 1965. Both the Jets and Cardinals negotiated with Namath's attorney, and when the price got too high for the Cardinals, the Giants secretly acquired Namath's NFL rights. Longtime Jets coach Walt Michaels
Walt Michaels
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.-Collegiate and early NFL career:...
admitted many years later that the Jets had signed Namath days before the game. On January 2, 1965, the Jets held a press conference to announce Namath's signing.
Road to Super Bowl III
Namath did not start the January 1965 Orange Bowl, as he was nursing an injured knee. He came off the bench in the second quarter with Alabama down by two touchdowns, and led his team to within a foot of victory, falling short in a run on the game's final play. Despite the loss, he was voted the game's Most Valuable Player. The following day, Namath officially signed with New York for an unprecedented contract worth $427,000 over three years. The total included bonuses yet to be earned as well as a convertible given to Namath as a signing bonus. The Jets had been aware that Namath had knee problems, but when team doctor Nicholas examined Namath in the restroom at a party held to celebrate his signing, he told the quarterback that had he known Namath's knees were that bad, he would have advised Werblin not to sign him. The Jets scheduled Namath for surgery amid considerable public interest; the media asked to photograph the operation, but were refused permission. The Jets hedged their bets by signing three other quarterbacks for a total of $400,000, including Notre Dame quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner John HuarteJohn Huarte
John Gregory Huarte is a former American football quarterback and the 1964 Heisman Trophy winner.-Early years:Huarte played for the University of Notre Dame after graduating from Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California. During his sophomore and junior years at Notre Dame, he played for...
. There was intense media attention on Namath, who became known for a playboy lifestyle; the media dubbed him "Broadway Joe".
Ewbank maintained through training camp that second-year Mike Taliaferro
Mike Taliaferro
Myron Eugene Taliaferro is a former collegiate and professional American football player who led the University of Illinois to the 1964 Rose Bowl championship over Washington, 17-7...
was the number-one quarterback and disappointed a sellout crowd at Houston's Rice Stadium
Rice Stadium
Rice Stadium is a football stadium located on the Rice University campus in Houston, Texas. It has been the home of the Rice University football team since its completion in 1950 and hosted Super Bowl VIII in 1974....
by keeping Namath on the bench at the Jets' season opener. Ewbank felt that Namath might not be ready for several more weeks, but Werblin intervened. Namath saw his first regular season action in the AFL the next week against the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
(the former Dallas Texans), and he was starting quarterback the following week against 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...
. Namath's performance was inconsistent as he gained pro experience, but he was named AFL Rookie of the Year. The Jets finished the season 5–8–1 again. Beginning in 1966, the Jets begun to improve on the field behind Namath, who led them to a 6–6–2 record. That season, the NFL and AFL announced a merger, which would be effective in 1970. A championship game (it came to be known as the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
), played between the two league champions, would follow each season until the merger took place.
In 1967, Namath threw a then-record 4,007 yards as the Jets posted their first winning record, 8–5–1. The Jets led the division until running back Emerson Boozer
Emerson Boozer
Emerson Boozer is a former running back in the American Football League and in the NFL. In the last year of separate drafts by the AFL and the NFL, Boozer signed with the AFL's New York Jets, rather than with an NFL team. He played his entire professional career with the Jets...
was injured against the Chiefs on November 6, which meant opposing teams were able to concentrate on the passing threat from Namath.
In 1968, Werblin's co-owners gave him an ultimatum – either buy them out or be bought out. He chose the latter option, reportedly profiting $1.4 million for his 1963 investment of $250,000. Prior to Werblin's departure, the Jets had considered firing Ewbank. They attempted to secure Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
coach Vince Lombardi
Vince Lombardi
Vincent Thomas "Vince" Lombardi was an American football coach. He is best known as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s, where he led the team to three straight league championships and five in seven years, including winning the first two Super Bowls following the 1966 and...
, but Lombardi decided to remain in Green Bay one more season. The season started with the usual three road games due to the team's status as secondary tenant to the Mets at Shea Stadium. The Jets rose to the top of the AFL East; they had lost only two games by mid-November and built a three-game lead over second-place Houston. New York's next game was at Oakland. In what became known as the Heidi Game
Heidi Game
The Heidi Game or Heidi Bowl was an American football game played on November 17, 1968. The home team, the Oakland Raiders, defeated the New York Jets, 43–32. The game is remembered for its exciting finish, as Oakland scored two touchdowns in the final minute to overcome a 32–29 New York lead...
, the Jets took a 32–29 lead with 68 seconds left, only to have Oakland score two touchdowns to win the game. However, the touchdowns went unseen by the national TV audience, as NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
had switched at 7:00 p.m. to a TV movie of Heidi
Heidi
Heidi is a Swiss work of fiction, published in two parts as Heidi's years of learning and travel and Heidi makes use of what she has learned.It is a novel about the events in the life of a young girl in her grandfather's care, in the Swiss Alps...
. Nevertheless, the Jets won their remaining games to finish 11–3. In the playoffs, the Jets defeated the Raiders for the AFL Championship
AFL playoffs, 1968
1968 playoffsWestern Division playoffOakland Raiders 41, Kansas City Chiefs 6Scoring*OAK - Biletnikoff 24 pass from Lamonica *OAK - Wells 23 pass from Lamonica *OAK - Biletnikoff 44 pass from Lamonica...
at Shea Stadium, 27–23, a game in which Namath threw three touchdowns, including the game winner to Don Maynard
Don Maynard
Donald Rogers Maynard is a former American football player who played collegiately for Texas Western College and professionally with the National Football League's New York Giants and the American Football League's New York Jets and the World Football League's Shreveport Steamer.After having been...
in the fourth quarter.
Super Bowl III
In the Super Bowl at the Miami Orange BowlMiami 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 12, 1969, the Jets faced the Baltimore Colts, who had dominated the NFL with a 13–1 record. In their 14 regular season games, the Colts permitted only 144 points. Their sole loss had been to 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...
, who they then defeated 34–0 in the 1968 NFL Championship Game. Bookie Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder
Jimmy Snyder
Dimetrios Georgios Synodinos , better known as Jimmy "the Greek" Snyder, was an American sports commentator and Las Vegas bookie.-Life and career:...
proclaimed the Colts as 17-point favorites over the Jets. Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
s top football writer, Tex Maule
Tex Maule
Hamilton Prieleaux Bee Maule, commonly known as Tex Maule was the lead American football writer for Sports Illustrated in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.-Career:...
, predicted a 43–0 Colts victory. The first two Super Bowls had been dominated by the NFL champion Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
; most journalists expected the Colts to easily defeat the Jets.
From his arrival in Miami, Namath was outspoken about the Jets' chances in the Super Bowl. He alleged that there were five AFL quarterbacks better than Colts quarterback Earl Morrall
Earl Morrall
Earl Edwin Morrall is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. Morrall, who also occasionally punted, played 21 seasons in the National Football League as both a starter and reserve. In the latter capacity, he became known as the greatest backup quarterback in NFL...
, who would be only the third-best on the Jets. He was equally outspoken in a verbal confrontation with Colts kicker Lou Michaels
Lou Michaels
Lou Michaels is a former American football player who was a standout defensive lineman for the University of Kentucky Wildcats, 1955-57. After Kentucky's victory over archrival Tennessee in 1957, Michaels was quoted as saying, "Nothing sucks like a Big Orange." Michaels later played pro football...
in a Miami restaurant. Three days before the game, while accepting an award from the Miami Touchdown Club, Namath made the statement for which he would be remembered: "And we're going to win Sunday, I'll guarantee you."
The game was a defensive struggle. At halftime, the Jets led 7–0 on a Matt Snell
Matt Snell
Matt Snell was the American Football League's New York Jets owner Sonny Werblin's first coup, prior to his 1965 acquisition of Joe Namath...
touchdown run; New York's defense frustrated Baltimore, and the Colts were scoreless despite repeated opportunities. Jim Turner added two field goals to make the score 13–0, and Colts coach Don Shula inserted Hall of Fame quarterback Johnny Unitas
Johnny Unitas
John Constantine Unitas , known as Johnny Unitas or "Johnny U", and nicknamed "The Golden Arm", was a professional American football player in the 1950s through the 1970s, spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Colts. He was a record-setting quarterback, and the National Football...
in Morrall's place. Unitas initially failed to move the Colts' offense, and Turner gave the Jets a 16–0 lead with his third field goal. Unitas managed to lead the Colts to a touchdown with less than four minutes left. A second drive (after a successful onside kick
Onside kick
In American and Canadian football, an onside kick is a type of kick used at a kickoff or other free kick, or scrimmage kick or other kick during play, in which the ball is kicked favorably for the kicking team to avoid giving away the ball...
) fell short, and the Jets were able to run out the clock for a 16–7 victory, one of the greatest upsets in football history.
Houston Post columnist Jack Gallagher traced the Jets' progress from their early days to the Super Bowl:
I remember when the 1962 Titans drew 36,161—not the average attendance, mind you, but for the season ... I remember when a squirt of a Texan named Hayseed Stephens, instead of Broadway Joe Namath quarterbacked New York's AFL entry ... As the thoughts keep rolling back I find it difficult to reconcile the Jets with the champions of pro football. But I do recall [former AFL Commissioner Joe] Foss once saying, "When sports historians chart the progress of this league they'll find that no organization in sport went so far so fast." Clearly, the franchise that went the farthest the fastest was the New York Jets.
Decline and Namath's departure
Before the 1969 season1969 American Football League season
The 1969 American Football League season was the tenth regular season of the American Football League, and the last one before the AFL-NFL Merger...
, the Jets suffered offseason problems. Namath, faced with NFL claims that his Bachelors III bar was a hangout for gangsters, was told by the NFL to sell the bar. Instead, he briefly retired, feeling he had been badly treated. Six weeks following his announcement, Namath sold the bar and rejoined the team. A number of Super Bowl veterans were cut by the team, or had bitter contract disputes with Ewbank in his capacity as general manager. According to receiver Don Maynard, "When you get rid of veteran ballplayers and replace them with rookies, the level goes down."
The Jets' success in signing Namath and the rise of the team in the standings adversely affected their crosstown rivals, the Giants, who had played in five NFL championship games in six years to 1963, but who thereafter declined in the standings. Giants owner Wellington Mara
Wellington Mara
Wellington Timothy Mara was the co-owner of the NFL's New York Giants from 1959 until his death, and one of the most influential and iconic figures in the history of the National Football League. He was the younger son of Tim Mara, who founded the Giants in 1925...
stated, "I think the Jets coming in when they did contributed to our bad years, because we tried to do everything for the short term rather than the long haul—we'd trade a draft choice for a player, figuring he'd give us one or two good years. We didn't want to accept how the public might react if we had a bad year or two or three." In 1968, the Giants traded for star Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
quarterback Fran Tarkenton
Fran Tarkenton
Francis Asbury "Fran" Tarkenton is a former professional football player, TV personality, and computer software executive....
in the vain hopes he would lead them to renewed success and rival Namath in the public eye. In August 1969, the Jets faced the Giants in a preseason game at the Yale Bowl
Yale Bowl
The Yale Bowl is a football stadium in New Haven, Connecticut on the border of West Haven, about 1½ miles west of Yale's main campus. Completed in 1914, the stadium seats 61,446, reduced by renovations from the original capacity of 70,869...
. While the Jets' Super Bowl win legitimized the AFL as a comparable league to the NFL in the eyes of many, others doubted the AFL's standard of play, and the Jets were underdogs going into the game. Giants coach Allie Sherman
Allie Sherman
Alexander "Allie" Sherman is a retired American football National Football League running back and head coach....
approached the game as if it were a regular season contest, and the Jets sent the three remaining original Titans out for the coin toss. The Jets defeated the Giants 37–14, and Sherman was fired a few weeks later. The Jets' fellow tenants, the Mets, won a championship themselves; the baseball team's accomplishments forced the Jets to play their first five games on the road. The Jets recovered from a slow start to win their second consecutive Eastern Division championship, but fell to Kansas City in the divisional round of the playoffs, 13–6.
The first NFL game for the Jets, as the leagues finalized their merger in 1970, was also the first-ever Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
game, a 31–21 loss to 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...
. Three weeks later, they played the Colts for the first time since the Super Bowl. The Jets lost both the game and Namath, who fractured his wrist and was lost for the season as the Jets fell to a record of 4–10, the worst mark yet of the Namath era. They did not have a winning record again until 1981. After six years with the team, wide receiver George Sauer
George Sauer, Jr.
George Sauer, Jr. is a former professional American football wide receiver who played six seasons for the American Football League's New York Jets. He led the AFL in receptions in the 1967 season. In 1968, he started for the Jets in the third AFL-NFL World Championship Game, helping defeat the...
, a major contributor offensively, retired on April 16, 1971. Namath was injured again in a 1971 preseason game in Tampa, and missed much of the season. He returned on November 28 against the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
and threw three touchdown passes; the Jets lost by three points. The Jets finished the season at 6–8. In 1972, Namath had one of the best days of his career against the Baltimore Colts: he completed 15 of 28 passes for 496 yards and six touchdowns. Despite Namath's performance, John Madden
John Madden (American football)
John Earl Madden is a former American professional football player in the National Football League, a former Super Bowl-winning head coach with the Oakland Raiders in the American Football League and later the NFL, and a former color commentator for NFL telecasts. In 2006, he was inducted into...
'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...
eliminated the Jets from contention in their second-to-last regular season game. New York finished the season with a record of 7–7.
Before the 1973 season, the aging Ewbank announced that he would retire as coach after the season and as general manager after 1974. The Mets unexpectedly qualified for the
1973 New York Mets season
The New York Mets season was the 12th regular season for the Mets, who played home games at Shea Stadium. Manager Yogi Berra led the team to a National League East title with an 82–79 record, the National League pennant and a defeat at the hands of the Oakland Athletics in the World Series...
World Series
1973 World Series
The 1973 World Series matched the defending champion Oakland Athletics against the New York Mets, with the A's winning in seven games to repeat as World Champions....
, consigning the Jets to another long stay away from Shea. The Jets did not play a home game until the end of October. The team finished with a record of 4–10, though their final game against the Bills attracted considerable media attention. The attention was not for Ewbank's last game, but for Bills running back O. J. Simpson
O. J. Simpson
Orenthal James "O. J." Simpson , nicknamed "The Juice", is a retired American collegiate and professional football player, football broadcaster, and actor...
's attempt to become the first NFL player to rush for 2,000 yards in a season. Simpson gained 200 yards, finishing with 2,003 for the season. Shortly after the 1973 season, the team hired Ewbank's son-in-law, former Cardinals coach 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....
, as head coach. The new coach showed an initial inability to get his team to emulate his last name: the team started the season by losing seven of their first eight games. Namath, who had a reasonably healthy season behind a poor offensive line, predicted the Jets would win their final six games. The first NFL regular-season overtime victory, over the Giants at the Yale Bowl, and the usual large number of home games towards the end of the season helped New York in its comeback, and a Namath prediction again came true.
Al Ward replaced Ewbank as general manager in 1975. The Jets won four of their five preseason games, though sportswriter Gerald Eskenazi, in his history of the Jets, notes that the wins were secured by playing first-string players while the other teams were trying out rookies and backups. When the regular season started, the Jets lost seven of their first nine games, and Winner was fired. Offensive coordinator Ken Shipp
Ken Shipp
Ken Shipp was an offensive coordinator and receivers coach in the National Football League and briefly the head coach of the New York Jets during the 1975 season. He assumed the job after the firing of Charley Winner, who was 2-7 on the season. The team was 1-4 under Shipp.Shipp was noted for his...
became interim head coach, and the Jets finished with a record of 3–11. Running back John Riggins
John Riggins
Robert John Riggins, nicknamed "The Diesel", is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the New York Jets and Washington Redskins. Riggins was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992....
, who became the first 1,000 yard rusher in franchise history during the season and made the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
, departed for the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
as he felt the Jets' Namath-led offense passed the ball too often. New York hired North Carolina State
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
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...
. With New York enduring the second of three consecutive 3–11 seasons (two wins came over the 2–12 Bills and a third over the 0–14 expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
), Holtz—who went on to great success at Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
—resigned with one game left in the season to become head coach at the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
.
Following their disastrous 1976 season, the Jets hired longtime assistant Walt Michaels
Walt Michaels
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.-Collegiate and early NFL career:...
as their new head coach. In the offseason, the team made the difficult decision to part ways with Joe Namath, who had become ineffective on the field. Although Namath's throwing abilities were unimpaired, his knees were so bad as to render him almost immobile; Paul Zimmerman
Paul Zimmerman
Paul Lionel Zimmerman is the son of Charles S. Zimmerman and Rose Zimmerman. Zimmerman, also known to readers as "Dr. Z", is an American football sportswriter who wrote for the weekly magazine Sports Illustrated, as well as the magazine's website, SI.com. He is sometimes confused with Paul D...
of the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
dubbed him the "million dollar statue". The team attempted to trade him but was unsuccessful. On May 12, 1977, Namath was cut from the roster. He signed with the Los Angeles Rams, but retired at season's end.
Final years at Shea
Feeling that having to play road games until the Mets were done with Shea Stadium put the Jets at a disadvantage, the team announced in 1977 that they would play two home games a year in September at the Giants' new home in New Jersey, Giants StadiumGiants Stadium
Giants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
. Litigation began between New York City and the Jets over the issue, and in the lawsuit's settlement, the city agreed to allow the Jets to play two September home games a season at Shea beginning in 1978 for the remaining six years in the Jets' lease. In 1977, the Jets were to play one September game at Giants Stadium and an October 2 game at Shea. Despite the favorable settlement, the Jets won only three of fourteen games. Rookies on the team, drafted in the 1977 NFL Draft
1977 NFL Draft
The 1977 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 3–4, 1977...
, included seven players who started for them in the late 1970s and early 1980s, such as tackle Marvin Powell
Marvin Powell
Marvin Powell is a former Offensive Tackle for the New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.-College career:Powell was elected into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1994...
, wide receiver Wesley Walker
Wesley Walker
Wesley Darcel Walker is a former professional American football wide receiver for the New York Jets in 1977 - 1989....
, and defensive lineman 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:...
—who became part of a defensive line known as the New York Sack Exchange
New York Sack Exchange
The New York Sack Exchange is a nickname given to the New York Jets defensive line of the early 1980s, consisting of Mark Gastineau, Joe Klecko, Marty Lyons and Abdul Salaam.-Origins:...
.
In Michaels' second season, the Jets adopted new uniforms in a darker green and with a streamlined logo. When quarterback Richard Todd was injured, his backup 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...
proved to be a deep-throwing threat who led New York to eight wins in the first fourteen of the newly expanded sixteen-game season, and into playoff contention. However, the team lost its final two contests and did not qualify for the playoffs. Michaels was named AFC Coach of the Year for keeping his young team in playoff contention so long. There was much media discussion as to whether Todd or Robinson should be the starting quarterback in 1979. Todd emerged as the starter—Robinson was injured while arm wrestling
Arm wrestling
Arm wrestling is a sport with two participants. Each participant places one arm on a surface with their elbows bent and touching the surface, and they grip each other's hand...
during the preseason. The injury—and his attempts to conceal it from Michaels—ended his career with the Jets. Todd led the Jets to another 8–8 record. Jimmy the Greek predicted the Jets would go to the Super Bowl in 1980, but they ended that season with a 4–12 record.
There was fan pressure on the Jets to fire Michaels after 1980; it increased when the Jets lost their first three games of the 1981 season. Even so, Michaels described his team as being of "a championship, playoff caliber". The Jets compiled a record of 10–2–1 in their remaining games—losing twice to 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...
—to finish the season with their first winning record and playoff appearance since 1969. Their final-week victory over the Packers boosted the Jets into the playoffs, and also gave the Giants the opportunity to qualify with a win over the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
—the Giants defeated the Bears for their first playoff berth since 1963. The Jets fell behind the Bills 24–0 in the wild card
Wild card (sports)
The term wild card refers broadly to a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal play.-International sports:...
game and lost 31–27, as their potentially game-winning drive was stopped when the Bills intercepted a Todd pass near Buffalo's goal line. One of the Jets' bright spots was their defensive line. Mark Gastineau
Mark Gastineau
Marcus Dell Gastineau is a former American football player who was a leading defensive end for the New York Jets from 1979 to 1988. A five-time Pro Bowler, his 100½ quarterback sacks in only his first 100 starts in the NFL made him one of the quickest and most feared pass rushers of his generation...
and Klecko anchored the Sack Exchange and combined for more than 40 quarterback sacks.
In the strike-shortened 1982 season, the Jets finished 6–3 and upset 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...
in the first round of the playoffs, as running back Freeman McNeil
Freeman McNeil
Freeman McNeil is a former professional American football player who was selected by the New York Jets in the 1st round of the 1981 NFL Draft....
became the second player to rush for 200 yards in a postseason game. New York then defeated 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...
, 17–14, based on the strong performances of McNeil and Wesley Walker
Wesley Walker
Wesley Darcel Walker is a former professional American football wide receiver for the New York Jets in 1977 - 1989....
in a game that saw numerous turnovers on both sides. The Jets next traveled to face 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...
in the AFC Championship Game
AFC Championship Game
The American Football Conference Championship Game is one of the two final playoff matches of the National Football League, the largest professional American football league in the United States. The game is played on the penultimate Sunday in January and determines the champion of the American...
. The game was preceded by a series of storms that turned the Orange Bowl into a mud pit. The Dolphins stated that they did not own a tarpaulin, and that stadium maintenance was Dade County's responsibility, so the field lay exposed to the elements. The muddy field slowed the Jets' offense. In what was dubbed the "Mud Bowl," neither team managed much offense (both teams gained less than 200 yards). At the end of his best season, Todd threw five interceptions, the last being a screen pass deflected and returned by linebacker A. J. Duhe
A. J. Duhe
Adam Joseph Duhe is a former American football linebacker who played eight seasons for the Miami Dolphins from 1977 to 1984 in the National Football League....
for a costly fourth quarter touchdown as New York fell to Miami 14–0. On February 9, 1983, Michaels announced his resignation, and the following day the Jets elevated offensive coordinator 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...
to the head coaching position.
In Walton's first months as head coach, the team made a decision which would long be discussed and criticized. In the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft
1983 NFL Draft
The 1983 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 26–27, 1983...
, New York selected quarterback Ken O'Brien
Ken O'Brien
Kenneth John O'Brien is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League for the New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles. When he retired he was the only Jets quarterback to have ever been the top ranked passer in a season. He held the team record for most...
. In drafting O'Brien, they passed up University of Pittsburgh quarterback Dan Marino
Dan Marino
Daniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
, who went on to have a stellar career with the Dolphins, and would many times be a thorn in the Jets' side. The 1983 season started with high expectations, but the Jets dropped to 7–9. The Jets' lease at Shea Stadium was due to expire after 1983, Jets majority owner Leon Hess and New York Mayor Ed Koch
Ed Koch
Edward Irving "Ed" Koch is an American lawyer, politician, and political commentator. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and three terms as mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989...
attempted to negotiate a new lease for the team. The Jets wanted the city to redevelop the stadium to expand its capacity to 67,000 and to alleviate its rundown state. Hess felt that Koch was uninterested in the Jets (he had attended one Jets game in his six years as mayor, and had left early). Negotiations soon reached an impasse, and in October 1983, the team announced it would move to Giants Stadium beginning in the 1984 season.
Early Meadowlands years
Hess acquired full ownership of the Jets on February 9, 1984, when Helen Dillion sold her 25% interest to him. Before the season, New York traded quarterback Todd to the New Orleans SaintsNew Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
. New York began its season with veteran Pat Ryan
Pat Ryan (American football)
Patrick Lee Ryan is a former professional American football quarterback who played 14 seasons in the National Football League for the New York Jets and the Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football at the University of Tennessee and was drafted in the eleventh round of the 1978 NFL Draft...
as starting quarterback; O'Brien was spending most weekdays waiting to testify about an altercation at the Studio 54
Studio 54
Studio 54 was a highly popular discotheque from 1977 until 1991, located at 254 West 54th Street in Manhattan, New York, USA. It was originally the Gallo Opera House, opening in 1927, after which it changed names several times, eventually becoming a CBS radio and television studio. In 1977 it...
nightclub, at which Jets players had been present and by some accounts involved. The Jets had a second consecutive mediocre season, finishing 7–9 after starting the season 6–2.
In 1985, the Jets made the playoffs, accruing an 11–5 record, and hosted their first playoff game in four years. They were defeated in the first round by the eventual AFC champion Patriots after turning the ball over four times. Looking to improve on their 1985 performance, the Jets started the 1986 season 10–1, including nine straight wins. In week three against Miami, the Jets won 51–45 in overtime as O'Brien and Marino combined to pass for 884 yards, then an NFL record. Wracked by injuries, the Jets lost their final five regular season games, but still made the playoffs. In the wild card playoff game against the Chiefs, the Jets replaced O'Brien with Ryan, and won
35–15. This victory sent the Jets to the divisional round in an away game against Cleveland. The Jets built a 20–10 lead, and appeared to have stopped a late Cleveland drive—until Gastineau was called for a roughing the passer penalty, a late hit on Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar
Bernie Kosar
Bernard Joseph "Bernie" Kosar, Jr. is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. Kosar played for the Cleveland Browns from 1985 to 1993 and then finished his career with the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins.-Early life and high school career:A Hungarian-American...
that gave the Browns another opportunity. Cleveland tied the score, and in the second overtime, defeated the Jets, 23–20. The Browns lost to the Broncos (beaten by the Jets earlier in the season) in the AFC Championship Game; the Broncos in turn lost to the Giants in Super Bowl XXI
Super Bowl XXI
Super Bowl XXI was an American football game played on January 25, 1987 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1986 regular season. The National Football Conference champion New York Giants won their first Super Bowl by defeating...
. Many Jets were convinced that given the opportunity to play the Giants, the Jets would have won. According to Eskenazi, the Giants "were the toast of New York, back in a championship game for the first time since the 1960s, while the Jets contemplated the late hit and what might have been".
In 1987, the Jets won their first two games. NFL players then staged a strike; a team composed mostly of replacement players lost two of the next three games. The locker room was divided after the strike due to the decision of a few players, led by Gastineau, to cross the picket line. The Jets remained in contention in a mediocre AFC East through much of the season, but dropped all four games in December to finish 6–9, in last place. In 1988, the Sack Exchange era ended as Klecko failed his offseason physical and was waived, linebacker Lance Mehl
Lance Mehl
Lance Alan Mehl is a former professional American football player. He played 8 seasons for the New York Jets of the National Football League from 1980-1987. He was an All-American at Penn State University....
announced his retirement during training camp, and Gastineau retired midseason, citing personal reasons. In spite of these departures, New York finished with an 8–7–1 record. They secured a winning record by ending the season with a victory over the Giants, which cost their in state rivals a playoff berth. The team performed badly in 1989, finishing 4–12. On December 18, 1989, the Jets hired executive Dick Steinberg from the New England Patriots to take over as general manager. Three days after New York's final game of the season, a 37–0 loss to the Bills at Giants Stadium, Steinberg fired Walton and began to search for the team's tenth coach. The disastrous 1989 campaign cost Walton the chance to be the first Jets coach to complete his career with a winning record, a statistic he later admitted he cared about deeply.
Search for success (1990–1996)
Steinberg initially sought to hire Michigan StateMichigan State Spartans football
The Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University in college football as members of the Big Ten Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level...
coach George Perles
George Perles
George J. Perles is a former American football player and coach. He was a defensive line coach, defensive coordinator, and assistant head coach for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers from 1972–1981 and the head coach at Michigan State University from 1983–1994...
as Jets head coach, but the university refused to release him from his contract. Steinberg then hired Bengals offensive coordinator Bruce Coslet
Bruce Coslet
Bruce Coslet is a former American college and professional football player and professional football coach. A tight end, he played for the University of the Pacific and in 1969 debuted with the American Football League's Cincinnati Bengals...
. Coslet's offensive schemes, described as "state-of-the-art" by Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
, had helped the Bengals to the 1988 Super Bowl
Super Bowl XXIII
Super Bowl XXIII was an American football game played on January 22, 1989 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1988 regular season. This was the first Super Bowl hosted in the Miami area in 10 years, and the first in Miami not held...
. New York's poor record had given them the second pick in the draft
1990 NFL Draft
The 1990 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 22–23, 1990...
; the team selected star Penn State
Penn State Nittany Lions football
The Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference. It is one of the most tradition-rich and storied college football programs in the...
running back Blair Thomas
Blair Thomas
Blair Lamar Thomas is a former professional American football player and coach. He played running back for six seasons in the National Football League. He was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.-High school:Thomas was an all-state football player at Frankford High School...
, who was expected to have a strong career with the Jets. Instead Thomas played on the team for four injury-plagued, unproductive years and was cut before the 1994 season began.
Coslet's first season proved only slightly better than Walton's last; the Jets finished 6–10. In the 1991 NFL Draft
1991 NFL Draft
The 1991 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 21–22, 1991 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Manhattan, New York...
, the Jets lost another opportunity to draft a star quarterback, as a draft-day deal that would have allowed them to select Brett Favre
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...
fell through. The Jets had more success in the 1991 season: they built a 7–8 record with one game remaining, and needed a win against Miami to clinch a playoff berth. New York kicker Raul Allegre
Raul Allegre
Raul Enrique Allegre is a former football placekicker in the National Football League. In his career he kicked for the Baltimore Colts, Indianapolis Colts, New York Giants, and the New York Jets. Although he was not known for a having a strong leg, he was a clutch kicker for the Giants from...
(recently signed to replace aging kicker Pat Leahy, who had been kicking for the Jets since the days of Joe Namath) made one field goal to force overtime, and another to win in the extra period. The victory gave the Jets their first playoff berth since 1986. In the wild card game, an O'Brien pass into the end zone in the final seconds of the game was intercepted and the Jets lost to Houston, 17–10.
After a strong performance by rookie quarterback Browning Nagle
Browning Nagle
Browning Nagle was a quarterback for the National Football League's New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts, and Atlanta Falcons. He also played as a quarterback for the Arena Football League's Orlando Predators and Buffalo Destroyers.-Career:...
in the team's 5–0 1992 preseason, Coslet promoted him to the starting lineup. Despite throwing for a total of 366 yards against the Falcons in the opener, then the second highest yardage total for a quarterback making his NFL debut, the team lost 20–17; the Jets lost their first four games. Wide receiver Al Toon
Al Toon
Albert Lee Toon, Jr. is a former professional American football player. He was selected by the New York Jets in the 1st round of the 1985 NFL Draft...
retired on November 27, 1992, having received the ninth concussion of his career earlier in the season. Two days later, defensive end Dennis Byrd
Dennis Byrd
Dennis DeWayne Byrd is a former defensive end and defensive tackle for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He attended college at the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He played professionally for the Jets for four seasons beginning in 1989...
collided with teammate Scott Mersereau
Scott Mersereau
Scott Robert Mersereau born is a former defensive end for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He attended college at Southern Connecticut State University...
when Chiefs quarterback Dave Kreig stepped forward in the pocket as the two players were about to sandwich him. Mersereau managed to walk away and continue his career with New York, but Byrd suffered a fracture to his C-5 vertebra
Cervical vertebrae
In vertebrates, cervical vertebrae are those vertebrae immediately inferior to the skull.Thoracic vertebrae in all mammalian species are defined as those vertebrae that also carry a pair of ribs, and lie caudal to the cervical vertebrae. Further caudally follow the lumbar vertebrae, which also...
that left him partially paralyzed. Inspired by Byrd's persistent high spirits, New York traveled to Buffalo the following week and defeated the AFC champion Bills. The Jets finished the season 4–12.
Prior to the 1993 season, the Jets obtained Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason
Boomer Esiason
Norman Julius "Boomer" Esiason is a former American football quarterback and current network color commentator. He played for the National Football League's Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets, and Arizona Cardinals before working as an analyst for ABC and HBO...
, who had worked with Coslet in Cincinnati. Steinberg signed veteran Ronnie Lott
Ronnie Lott
Ronald Mandel "Ronnie" Lott is a former American football player who starred as a cornerback, free safety, and strong safety in college football and the NFL. He is most well known for his crushing hits on opposing players...
to shore up the defense. O'Brien's career with the Jets ended with an offseason trade to the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
, and Freeman McNeil retired after twelve seasons. The Jets suffered another December collapse: they lost four of their last five to finish 8–8. The Jets would have made the playoffs by winning their last game, but were shut out at the Astrodome by the Oilers. Following the season, Steinberg fired Coslet and replaced him with defensive coordinator Pete Carroll
Pete Carroll
Peter Clay Carroll is the head coach and executive Vice-President of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He is a former head coach of the New York Jets, New England Patriots and the University of Southern California Trojans football team.-Early life:Carroll attended Redwood High...
.
Carroll's first season, 1994, started well. Going into a November home game against Miami, the Jets were 6–5; a victory over the Dolphins would tie them for the division lead. The Jets built leads of 17–0 and 24–6, but Marino and the Dolphins cut the lead to 24–21 and got the ball for a final-minute drive. Marino completed a pass into Jets territory with just over a half minute remaining. With the clock running, the Dolphins acted like Marino would spike the ball to stop the clock. However, Marino faked the spike
The Clock Play
The Clock Play aka The Fake Spike Game refers to a National Football League game that took place on November 27, between the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets that featured one of the most audacious finishes in league history...
and tossed the ball to Mark Ingram in the end zone for the winning touchdown. The Jets, having lost that game, lost their four remaining games, completing another December collapse. Prior to the season finale, the Jets announced that Steinberg was ill with stomach cancer; he died the following September. The team fired Carroll after his first season and replaced him with former 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...
coach Rich Kotite
Rich Kotite
Richard Edward "Rich" Kotite is a former National Football League player and coach.-Playing career:Kotite was born in Brooklyn, New York. He was a tight end who played collegiately at Wagner College on Staten Island. Kotite was drafted in the 18th round of the 1965 NFL Draft by the Minnesota...
.
At the press conference announcing Kotite's hiring, Hess told the media, "I'm 80 years old, I want results now." The Kotite era began with the Jets' sole national television appearance of the season, a Sunday night home loss to the Raiders, 47–10. The Jets defeated the Seahawks on the Sunday following Thanksgiving after an inspirational speech by Hess, but again had trouble in December, losing all four games in the month to finish 3–13. In 1996, the Jets brought in veteran quarterback Neil O'Donnell
Neil O'Donnell
Neil Kennedy O'Donnell is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League for 14 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, and Tennessee Titans...
, who had led Pittsburgh to Super Bowl XXX
Super Bowl XXX
Super Bowl XXX was an American football game played on January 28, 1996 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona to decide the National Football League champion following the 1995 regular season...
, to lead the offense. The Jets, for the first time since the leagues merged, were in possession of the first pick overall in the NFL Draft, which they used to select wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson
Keyshawn Johnson
Joseph Keyshawn Johnson is a former American football wide receiver, interior designer, business executive, author and current television broadcaster for sports channel ESPN. He retired from football on May 23, 2007 after an eleven-year career in the National Football League...
. O'Donnell proved injury-prone, and the Jets suffered the worst season in their existence. They lost their first eight games, beat the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in Tempe
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...
, then proceeded to lose their remaining seven games. Two days before the season finale, on December 20, 1996, Kotite stepped down as head coach of the Jets, effective at season's end. After the last game, a 31–28 home loss to the Dolphins, Kotite was hit with a full cup of beer as he left the field; another fan (fewer than 22,000 attended the game; almost 56,000 ticketholders stayed home) held up a sign, "The End of an Error".
Bill Parcells era
Hess and team president Gutman agreed on a top candidate as new coach—Patriots coach Bill ParcellsBill Parcells
Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells is a former American football head coach, most recently with the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 to 2006...
, who had won two Super Bowls with the Giants and was in the process of taking the Patriots there as well. Parcells believed that he could void his contract and seek a position elsewhere; New England owner Robert Kraft
Robert Kraft
Robert K. Kraft is an American business magnate. He is the Chairman and was the Chief Executive Officer of The Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainment, real estate development and a private equity portfolio...
believed the Patriots would be entitled to compensation. NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue
Paul Tagliabue
Paul John Tagliabue is a former Commissioner of the National Football League. He took the position in 1989 and was succeeded by Roger Goodell, who was elected to the position on August 8, 2006. Tagliabue's retirement took effect on September 1, 2006. He had previously served as a lawyer for the NFL...
ruled in the Patriots's favor, and New England demanded the Jets give them the first pick overall in the upcoming draft. The Jets responded by hiring Parcells disciple Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick
William Stephen "Bill" Belichick is an American football head coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After spending his first 15 seasons in the league as an assistant coach, Belichick got his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns in 1991...
as head coach; Parcells was to serve as a "consultant" in 1997 and head coach beginning in 1998. The Patriots were unimpressed by what they saw as a subterfuge, and Tagliabue mediated the matter. He set Parcells free from the Patriots; the Jets gave the Patriots four draft picks, including their first round pick in 1999. The Jets put an end to Belichick's six-day reign (he remained as assistant head coach and as defensive coordinator) and hired Parcells as head coach.
The Parcells era started with a 41–3 victory over Seattle. The Jets were 9–6 in their first fifteen games and went into the season finale against the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
needing a win to make the playoffs. Parcells, who was never fully confident of O'Donnell, benched him in favor of Ray Lucas
Ray Lucas
For the baseball player of the same name, see Ray Lucas Ray Lucas is a studio analyst for the show Jets Nation on New York City-based sports network SportsNet New York...
after O'Donnell threw an early interception. Lucas was ineffective as well, as the Jets lost 13–10. The eight-game improvement in the standings, together with Parcells's reputation as a winner, caused high expectations for 1998. The team announced that it would go to a modified version of the Jets' original logo beginning in the 1998 season.
Parcells signed Patriots running back Curtis Martin
Curtis Martin
Curtis James Martin, Jr. is a former American football running back. He is an alumnus of Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh...
as a restricted free agent, giving up first and third round picks. Parcells also signed Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
quarterback Vinny Testaverde
Vinny Testaverde
Vincent Frank Testaverde is a former NFL quarterback. Testaverde last played for the Carolina Panthers and had previously played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots. Testaverde holds the NFL record for having...
as a free agent, which paved the way for O'Donnell's release from the team. After an 0–2 start, New York won six of the next seven games. The Jets lost only once the rest of the way, and clinched their first NFL division crown against the Bills on December 19, 1998. They set a franchise record for the number of victories in a season with a win over the Patriots in the season finale. The team finished 12–4 and were second seed in the playoffs with a first round bye
Bye (sports)
A bye, in sports and other competitive activities, most commonly refers to the practice of allowing a player or team to advance to the next round of a playoff tournament without playing...
. The Jets faced the Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in their divisional playoff game, their first home playoff game since the 1986 season. New York defeated the Jaguars 34–24 and met the top-seeded Broncos in the AFC Championship Game. Though the Jets possessed a 10–0 lead in the third quarter, the Broncos, led by John Elway
John Elway
John Albert Elway, Jr. is a former American football quarterback and currently is the executive vice president of football operations for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He played college football at Stanford and his entire professional career with the Denver Broncos...
in his final home game, came back and defeated the Jets, 23–10.
Achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon , also known as the calcaneal tendon or the tendo calcaneus, is a tendon of the posterior leg. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius and soleus muscles to the calcaneus bone.- Anatomy :The Achilles is the tendonous extension of 3 muscles in the lower leg:...
, a season-ending injury, during the first regular season game. New York suffered other injuries and fell to a 2–6 record before recovering to finish 8–8. Two days after the end of the season, Parcells announced his resignation as coach; he remained with the team for a year as chief of football operations. Belichick was slated to become head coach in Parcells's place, but one day later, he announced his own resignation. Kraft had gotten word to Belichick through intermediaries that he could have complete control of football operations and a $2 million salary if he got out of his contract with the Jets. After a lawsuit to void Belichick's contract failed and Tagliabue refused to release him, the Jets and Patriots agreed on draft choice compensation for the Jets.
As a result of Hess's death in May 1999, the team was put up for auction in January 2000. In a bidding war between Charles F. Dolan
Charles Dolan
Charles F. Dolan is an American billionaire and founder of Cablevision and HBO.-Biography:A John Carroll University drop out, Dolan is married and has six children, including Cablevision Systems Corporation and Madison Square Garden, Inc. chairman James L. Dolan.The Charles F...
and Woody Johnson, Johnson emerged victorious, and he purchased the team for $635 million. Johnson expressed interest in having Parcells return to his coaching role; the team elevated linebackers coach Al Groh
Al Groh
Al Groh is the defensive coordinator of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team. He is also a former head coach of the University of Virginia football team, a former head coach of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team and the former head coach of the New York Jets of the NFL...
to the head coaching position when Parcells refused.
In April 2000, New York traded wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson, a major offensive threat on the 1998 team, to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
for two first round draft picks. Johnson wanted a renegotiated contract and was threatening to hold out. Having acquired New England's pick in the Belichick compensation, and with their own pick, the Jets had four first-round picks. They selected quarterback Chad Pennington
Chad Pennington
James Chadwick "Chad" Pennington is an American football quarterback who played in the National Football League for ten years. He is currently a football analyst with FOX Sports though he plans to return to playing after recovering from an injury...
as well as John Abraham, Shaun Ellis
Shaun Ellis
MeShaunda "Shaun" Pizarrur Ellis is an American football defensive end for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . Ellis was drafted by the New York Jets in the first round of the 2000 NFL Draft out of the University of Tennessee...
, and Anthony Becht
Anthony Becht
Anthony G. Becht is an American football tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Jets 27th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at West Virginia. He has Swedish relatives, brother Francis and nephew Carl and...
, all of whom would be key players on the Jets playoff teams of the 2000s. For the first time, the Jets won their first four games, including a victory over Johnson and the Buccaneers. They reached 6–1 following the "Monday Night Miracle
The Monday Night Miracle (American football)
In the National Football League, "The Monday Night Miracle" refers to a Monday night game between the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins played at Giants Stadium on October 23, 2000.-Background:...
", the largest comeback in the history of Monday Night Football: the Jets overcame a 30–7 fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Dolphins, 40–37 in overtime. The Jets went 3–6 after that, finishing at 9–7, out of the playoffs.
After spending less than a year with the team, Groh resigned to accept a coaching job at his alma mater, the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
. Parcells resigned from his front-office position and was replaced with Chiefs executive Terry Bradway
Terry Bradway
Robert Terrence Bradway is the former General Manager of the New York Jets.Bradway worked in the personnel department for the Kansas City Chiefs prior to being hired as general manager of the Jets in 2001, and served in that capacity until his resignation in 2006. Bradway has remained with the...
on Parcells's recommendation.
Herman Edwards takes over
On January 18, 2001, the Jets announced Herman EdwardsHerman Edwards
Herman "Herm" Edwards, Jr. is an American football analyst who most recently coached in the National Football League for the Kansas City Chiefs. He was fired from this position on January 23, 2009. Since then, he has been hired as a football analyst for ESPN...
as the new coach. Edwards, a former linebacker
Linebacker
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...
who had worked his way up through the NFL coaching system, had never served as head coach at any level. He was the first African American Jets head coach. Edwards lost his first game, two days before the September 11 attacks. In the wake of 9/11, the NFL had to decide whether to play its games the following weekend. Testaverde and the Jets spoke out against playing on the weekend after 9/11, and the Jets were prepared to forfeit the game rather than fly. The NFL decided to move that week's games to the end of the regular season. The Jets needed to win that game, in Oakland against the Raiders, to reach the playoffs, and John Hall
John Hall (American football)
John Hall is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League. He kicked for Port Charlotte High School and played college football at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. While at Wisconsin, Hall played and won three bowl games...
kicked a last-minute 53-yard field goal for a 24–22 victory and a playoff berth. Edwards was the first coach to lead the Jets to the playoffs in his first year with the team. In the playoffs, the Jets again played at Oakland. New York could not stop the Raiders's passing game, and Oakland won, 38–24.
The Jets began the 2002 season 1–4, but then put together a six-game winning streak. On the final day of the season, the Jets beat the Packers following a New England victory over Miami. This gave the Jets a 9–7 record, their second post-merger division title, and a playoff berth. Pennington had an outstanding day against the Packers and finished the season the top-rated passer in the league. The Jets began the playoffs against the Colts at home, and defeated them 41–0. The Jets then played the Raiders, who again defeated them in Oakland, 30–10. The Jets lost a number of key players to free agency in the offseason. Four signed with the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
, including kicker Hall, Laveranues Coles
Laveranues Coles
Laveranues Leon Coles is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the third round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State University....
, Chad Morton
Chad Morton
Chad Akio Morton is a former American football running back and kick/punt returner in the National Football League...
, and Randy Thomas
Randy Thomas (American football)
Randy Thomas is an American football guard who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft...
. During a preseason game against the Giants, Pennington sustained a serious wrist injury, and required surgery. The aging Testaverde stepped in as starter, but led the Jets to only a 2–6 record, including losses to the Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
. The Jets split their remaining games and finished 6–10.
Rotator cuff tear
Rotator cuff tears are tears of one or more of the four tendons of the rotator cuff muscles. A rotator cuff injury can include any type of irritation or damage to the rotator cuff muscles or tendons....
that caused him to miss three starts. Pennington returned in a 29–7 rout of the Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. The team struggled toward the end of the regular season, winning only one of their final four games. Despite a final-game loss to the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
, the Jets reached the playoffs. The team traveled to San Diego to play the Chargers in the wild card round and upset them 23–20 on a Doug Brien
Doug Brien
Douglas Robert Zachariah Brien is a former American football placekicker. He played twelve seasons for seven teams in the National Football League:...
field goal in overtime. The win sent the Jets to the divisional round against the 15–1 Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
. The Jets again took their opponent to overtime, as Brien missed a field goal with two minutes remaining and the score tied. He missed a second field goal in overtime. Pittsburgh kicker Jeff Reed proved more accurate, and the Steelers beat the Jets, 20–17.
In the third week of the 2005 season, both Pennington and backup Jay Fiedler
Jay Fiedler
Jay Brian Fiedler is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League.-Early life and high school years:Fiedler was born to a Jewish family on Long Island in Oceanside, New York...
were injured against the Jaguars. With both quarterbacks out for the season, third-string quarterback Brooks Bollinger
Brooks Bollinger
Brooks Bollinger is a retired American football quarterback. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
started; the 41-year-old Testaverde was brought out of retirement to serve as his backup. Bollinger played badly in a loss in week four, and Testaverde became the starter. Testaverde had little success, and Bollinger did not fare better when he was reinserted. Running back Curtis Martin chose to have arthroscopic surgery on his knee with four games left in the season. The Jets finished 4–12.
Mangini: initial success, eventual firing
On January 6, 2006, Edwards announced his resignation as head coach to take the same position with Kansas City. The Jets received a fourth round pick as compensation for Edwards, who was still under contract with the team. On January 17, New York announced the hiring of former Patriots defensive coordinator Eric ManginiEric Mangini
Eric Mangini is the former head coach of the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets of the National Football League and current NFL analyst for ESPN.-College:...
. Three weeks later, General Manager Bradway stepped down in favor of his assistant, Mike Tannenbaum
Mike Tannenbaum
Mike Tannenbaum is a professional American football executive, currently serving as the general manager for the New York Jets of the National Football League.-Cleveland Browns:...
. Although Pennington took back his starting position, the Jets only managed to split their first eight games. They began the second half with a victory over New England in Foxboro, and lost only two games the rest of the way to finish 10–6 and secure a playoff berth. In the wild card round, the Jets visited Foxboro again, but this time fell to the Patriots, 37–16. For his success in leading the Jets to the playoffs, Mangini received the nickname "Mangenius" and had a cameo appearance on The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
.
Roger Goodell
Roger S. Goodell is the Commissioner of the National Football League , having been chosen to succeed the retiring Paul Tagliabue on August 8, 2006. He was chosen over four finalists for the position, winning a close vote on the fifth ballot before being unanimously approved by acclamation of the...
fined the Patriots and Belichick, and stripped New England of its first round draft pick in the 2008 NFL Draft
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 26 and April 27, 2008. For the 29th consecutive year, ESPN televised the draft; the NFL Network also broadcast the event, its third year doing so...
. Struggling to a 1–7 start, the Jets benched Pennington in favor of backup Kellen Clemens
Kellen Clemens
Kellen Clemens is an American football quarterback who is currently a member of the Houston Texans of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
. The Jets won only three games the rest of the way and finished with a record of 4–12. The Jets were again overshadowed by the Giants, who won their third Super Bowl
Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII was an American football game on February 3, 2008 that featured the National Football Conference champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2007 season...
by defeating the previously unbeaten Patriots.
Following the 2007 season, Packers quarterback Brett Favre
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...
had retired. He wished to return several months later, but found that the Packers had given Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Charles Rodgers is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . Rodgers was selected in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Packers...
the starting spot. The subsequent trade talks and rumors were a major story leading up to the 2008 season, and the Jets unexpectedly won the bidding war to trade for Favre. With Favre's acquisition, the Jets released Pennington, who signed with the Dolphins. Despite a good start to the season, the Jets began to falter in December after Favre tore his rotator cuff—he threw five interceptions in the next three games. The season came down to a final game against the Dolphins, led by Pennington, at Giants Stadium. The Dolphins won to take the division title and eliminate the 9–7 Jets from playoff contention.
On December 29, 2008, Mangini was fired after three seasons as head coach, with an
overall record of 23 wins and 25 losses. Favre again briefly retired from football on February 11, 2009. Mangini was hired 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...
as head coach.
Ryan/Sanchez era: Move to a new stadium
Bill Cowher
William Laird "Bill" Cowher is a former American football coach and player. Cowher resigned after 15 seasons as the Steelers' coach on January 5, 2007, 11 months to the day after winning 2005–06's Super Bowl XL...
out of retirement, suggesting that Cowher might be given control of football operations in addition to serving as coach. However, Cowher decided to remain retired for the season
2009 NFL season
The 2009 NFL season was the 90th regular season of the National Football League.The preseason started with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on August 9, 2009, and the regular season began September 10. The season ended with Super Bowl XLIV, the league's championship game, on February 7, 2010 at...
. On January 20, 2009, the Jets offered the position to Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
defensive coordinator Rex Ryan
Rex Ryan
Rex Ryan is an American football head coach for the New York Jets of the National Football League . After serving as an assistant coach for twenty-two years, Ryan attained his first head coaching job in the NFL with the Jets in 2009...
, who accepted. Tannenbaum engineered a draft-day trade with Cleveland, which enabled New York to move up and select highly regarded USC quarterback Mark Sanchez
Mark Sanchez
Mark Travis John Sanchez is an American football quarterback for the New York Jets of the National Football League . He was drafted in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft as the fifth overall selection by the Jets and the second quarterback taken overall...
.
New York won its first three games of 2009, including their first home victory over the Patriots since 2000, but lost six of its next seven games. The Jets recovered to 7–6, but then lost to the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
on December 20, a defeat that caused Ryan to state that the Jets "were obviously out of the playoffs". The next week, the Jets played the 14–0 Indianapolis 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 ....
. The Colts removed many of their starting players from the game early in the second half with a 15–10 lead; the Jets came back for the victory. The victory put the Jets' fate in their own hands, and they defeated the Bengals (who had also clinched a playoff spot and played few starters) in their last game ever at Giants Stadium to secure a playoff berth.
The following week, the team played the Bengals in the playoffs, this time at Paul Brown Stadium
Paul Brown Stadium
Paul Brown Stadium is an American sports stadium located in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the home venue of the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. It opened on August 19, 2000. The stadium was named after Bengals' founder Paul Brown. The stadium is located on approximately of land and...
, and secured a 24–14 victory over Cincinnati. That victory meant that the Jets would travel to San Diego to play the Chargers, who had won eleven straight games, in the divisional round. Strong performances by Sanchez, running back Shonn Greene
Shonn Greene
-New York Jets:On April 26, 2009 the New York Jets traded up 12 spots to select Greene in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. On August 30 Greene made an appearance in the Jets preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens. He rushed twice for six yards as well as catching an 85-yard pass...
, and the Jets defense helped the Jets to a 17–14 win over the Chargers. New York played the top-seeded Colts in the AFC Championship Game and secured an early 17–6 lead. They had little luck in the second half as the Colts went to the Super Bowl with a 30–17 victory.
The Jets had hoped to move into what was termed the West Side Stadium
West Side Stadium
The West Side Stadium was a proposed football stadium to be built on a platform over the rail yards on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City....
, to be built in Manhattan, after their 25-year lease at Giants Stadium expired. In 2005, it became clear that New York authorities would not permit the stadium to be built. After the West Side failure, the Jets and Giants entered into a joint venture to build a new $1.6 billion facility alongside Giants Stadium, which was torn down after the new venue was completed. The Jets' new home, MetLife Stadium, opened to the public in April 2010. The stadium took 34 months to construct, and can seat 82,500. The Jets hosted the Giants in the first game of the preseason on August 16, 2010.
The Jets' first regular season home game at the new stadium was on September 13, 2010 and was shown nationwide on Monday Night Football. New York lost to the Ravens 10–9, but built a 9–2 record, tied for the division lead with the Patriots (whom the Jets had beaten once) going into a Monday night game at New England. Expectations of a Jets victory were high, but the Jets were defeated, 45–3. New York recovered to qualify for the AFC playoffs as the sixth and final seed. In the wild card round, the Jets defeated Indianapolis, 17–16. This victory sent the Jets to a rematch with New England. The Jets upset the Patriots, 28–21, setting up an AFC Championship Game at Pittsburgh. The Jets fell behind 24–0, and mounted a second-half comeback before losing to the Steelers, 24–19.
Sportswriter Eskenazi, in his history of the Jets, wrote:
The Jets are in that pantheon[of teams that have won championships]. And they are housed there despite having only one title, one defining image. Because they have never repeated, there is the constant of failed expectations. Unfair, perhaps ... But this is the nature of sports. The Jets achieved such fame, such notoriety, became such a product and symbol of their times, that they also became a frozen icon. They can have life breathed back into them only by another great success. In the meantime, they and their fans have had to live with their moment in the sun.