Gerry Philbin, the undersized, big-hearted, highly productive and well-decorated defensive end for almost one stellar decade with the New York Jets of the Sixties and Seventies, has died. He was 83 years old.
Philbin, who wore No. 81 and played LDE for all 109 starts and 112 games of his nine Jets seasons, became one of the well-recognized names on the Jets’ defensive front seven that flowed off fans’ tongues as the Green & White defense and the Jets as a team proceeded from Philbin’s rookie season of 1964 through to their Super Bowl III victory over the Colts in Miami and through the ’72 season before he played one last campaign with the Eagles in ’73.
“I got the most out of how hard I worked, because I was a little disadvantaged with size and overcame it,” Philbin told Jim Gehman in a newyorkjets.com story from 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.”
Philbin was indeed selected to play in the AFL All-Star Games after the 1968 and ’69 seasons. He was named first-team defensive end on the all-time All-AFL squad. More than four decades later, he was selected as a member of the Jets’ second Ring of Honor Class, being inducted into the team shrine on Oct. 17, 2011, along with fellow defensive partner LB Larry Grantham as well as WR Al Toon and RB Freeman McNeil.
A Teammate of Many Skills
Over the years, many of Philbin’s teammates painted a glowing portrait of the player in different hues matching his multiple talents. He’ll probably be most remembered as one of the AFL’s great pass-rushers before the 1970 merger with the NFL.
“Gerry’s got the knack of penetration, getting to the ball,” said Weeb Ewbank, the Pro Football Hall of…
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