Aug 17, 1969; New Haven, CT, USA; FILE PHOTO; New York Jets defensive end Gerry Philbin (81) in action against the New York Giants during a pre-season game at the Yale Bowl. / Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Image
Aug 17, 1969; New Haven, CT, USA; FILE PHOTO; New York Jets defensive end Gerry Philbin (81) in action against the New York Giants during a pre-season game at the Yale Bowl. / Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Image
Gerry Philbin, a defensive end on the Jets' Super Bowl III championship team, died on Wednesday at the age of 83, the team announced.
Philbin was a four-year starter and second-team All-American at the University of Buffalo before being drafted by New York in the third round of the 1964 AFL Draft. He played with the Jets from 1964-1972, earning First-Team All-AFL and AFL All-Star honors in 1968 and 1969 en route to helping the team win Super Bowl III.
Philbin finished his career with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1973 and even played another season in the World Football League for the New York Stars in 1974.
Over 10 seasons in the AFL/NFL, Philbin recorded 66.5 sacks and seven fumble recoveries. He had four straight seasons of double-digit sacks from 1966-1969, including a career-high 14 sacks in 1968. Philbin is also a member of the AFL All-Time Team.
Philbin was selected as a member of the Jets' second Ring of Honor Class in 2011 along with LB Larry Grantham, RB Freeman McNeil, and WR Al Toon.
"I got the most out of how hard I worked, because I was a little disadvantaged with size and overcame it," Philbin told Jets contributor Jim Gehman in 2018 about what made him most proud of his career. "And then just accomplishing most of my goals that I set. I wanted to be an All-Star. I wanted to win the Super Bowl. And the personal goals of getting elected to the All-Time AFL Team. And then finally, becoming a Ring of Honor recipient with the Jets. All those things I cherish a lot."