Gibbs Finds the Drive to Coach Again

In a surprising move, the Washington Redskins announced Wednesday they have hired Joe Gibbs to replace Steve Spurrier.

Gibbs, 63, who coached the franchise to three Super Bowl titles, signed a five-year deal worth $28.5 million, according to ESPN.com, making him the league’s highest-paid coach.

In the eyes of many Redskin fans, Gibbs could practically walk across the Potomac to his introductory news conference today.

“They finally found a navigator for the Titanic,” said tight end Rick Walker, who played for Gibbs from 1980 through 1985.

The hiring came a week after Spurrier walked away with three years remaining on his five-year contract. He was a star coach at Florida, but his NFL foray was unsuccessful. His Redskin teams finished 7-9 and 5-11.

Gibbs, who was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996, coached the Redskins for 12 seasons and made the playoffs eight times. He compiled a record of 124-60 in the regular season and 16-5 in the playoffs, winning Super Bowls in the 1982, 1987 and 1991 seasons, each time with a different quarterback.

Since Gibbs left the game in March 1993 to run a NASCAR team, the Redskins have had five coaches -- Richie Petitbon, Norv Turner, Terry Robiskie, Marty Schottenheimer and Spurrier -- and are 74-101-1 with one playoff appearance.

“The desire to coach has always been with me, even after being away from the game for 11 years,” Gibbs, who also will be team president, said in an announcement on the Joe Gibbs Racing Web site.

“The Redskins are very dear to me and my family. We’re very excited about this opportunity to return where we have so many friends and loyalties.”

Already, Gibbs has assembled a portion of his coaching staff. The defense will be run by Gregg Williams, recently fired as head coach of the Buffalo Bills; and Joe Bugel, who coached the legendary “Hogs” offensive line under Gibbs, will resume his role with the team.

Walker said Gibbs’ impact on the Redskins, who haven’t been to the playoffs since 1999, will be similar to the one Coach Bill Parcells had on the Dallas Cowboys, leading them to the postseason in his first year as coach after three consecutive 5-11 seasons. Walker scoffed at the notion that Gibbs will have to relate to his younger players after being out of coaching for more than a decade.

“Players have to relate to him,” he said. “Why would he have to relate to them? They’ve done nothing. They haven’t even made the playoffs.

“Bill Parcells didn’t turn around the Cowboys because he related to them. They related to Bill. Bill didn’t change. Do you think they changed in Kansas City because Dick Vermeil related to them? Why would an expert lower his standards to relate to a bunch of underachievers?”

The Cowboy coach said Wednesday that Gibbs was the best coach he ever faced.

“I have great respect for his ability,” Parcells told reporters. “I don’t think the time that he has spent away from the game will have any effect at all.”

That Gibbs decided to coach again is startling in light of an interview he did this summer with Sports Business Daily. When asked if he would think about getting back into coaching considering the money NFL coaches are making these days -- Spurrier was paid $5 million a year -- Gibbs said: “Nope! They can have the $5 million. Steve is going to earn every single nickel of it. It’s a tough business. I think 30 years is enough. I kind of look at it and think what else is there left to do. At the point when I stepped out, there wasn’t a lot. I had wanted to get back with my kids, and you can’t have your kids with you in football. You could, but it would be an awful tough deal.”

Gibbs, a tireless worker who often slept in a cot in his office, eventually fell victim to coaching burnout. He has been running a successful NASCAR racing team since leaving coaching but has kept a hand in football. He was part of a group that attempted to buy part of the Redskins after the death of owner Jack Kent Cooke, and, in 2002, he and two other partners bought 5% of the Atlanta Falcons.

The Falcons issued a statement Wednesday saying Gibbs had approached them several weeks ago expressing his interest in getting back into coaching, and “we had a number of conversations with Joe regarding the head coach position.

“When the opportunity at the Redskins came up, Joe told us he couldn’t turn his back on the history, fans, loyalties and relationships built over time in Washington. While we understand his feelings, we are disappointed that he didn’t continue his talks with us.”

The Falcons said Gibbs will sell back his minority ownership in their franchise and resign his board seat.

“I’m kind of amazed he’s coming back,” said Neal Olkewicz, a Redskin linebacker from 1979 through ’89. “He retired a legend, and you almost can’t do any better. I’m excited and surprised, and, as a Redskin fan, I’m really happy.”

Watching the franchise wallow through tough times in recent years was difficult, Olkewicz said.

“The last two years have been even more painful,” he said. “They were so sloppy and just didn’t look like a well coached team. I’ve seen high school teams that showed more discipline. It was hard.”

Gibbs had a reputation for conducting very physical practices with lots of hitting, unlike many coaches who feel that takes too much of a toll on teams over the course of the season.

“When you got to the game on Sunday, it was easy,” said linebacker Pete Cronan, who played for him from 1981 through ’85. “[Opponents] didn’t hit as hard on Sunday as we hit each other during the week.”

The Gibbs hiring is the latest headline-grabbing move in the era of Redskin owner Daniel Snyder, who has made a string of expensive but largely unsuccessful acquisitions, among them Deion Sanders, Bruce Smith and Spurrier.

Olkewicz hopes this move reverses that trend.

“Every year they’ve missed Joe Gibbs more and more,” he said. “It’s been so long since they’ve gone to the playoffs. I don’t think we even realized how good we had it. His stock has just been going up and up.

“He’s gone from a legend to a savior now.”

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Missing Gibbs

* Gibbs had a regular-season record of 124-60 and playoff record of 16-5 in 12 seasons (1981 to 1992) with the Washington Redskins.

* His .683 winning percentage is surpassed only by Vince Lombardi (.740) and John Madden (.731).

* Only coach to win three Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks.

* Elected to Hall of Fame in 1996.

* Since Gibbs left, Washington has had five coaches, a 74-101-1 record and one playoff appearance.

*

Joe Gibbs Profile

Joe Gibbs returns to Washington as the Redskins’ 24th head coach, and also will serve as team president.

BACKGROUND

* The Redskins made the playoffs in eight of Gibbs’ 12 seasons. His combined .683 winning percentage is surpassed only by Vince Lombardi (.740) and John Madden (.731). He had one losing season.

* Gibbs is the only coach to win three Super Bowls with three quarterbacks (Joe Theismann in 1982 season; Doug Williams in 1987, and Mark Rypien in 1991).

* Elected to Hall of Fame in 1996.

* Since Gibbs’ retirement after the 1992 season, the Redskins have had five coaches, gone 74-101-1 and reached the playoffs only once (1999 under Norv Turner), going 1-1.

* Gibbs’ NASCAR racing teams have won two Winston Cup championships in the last four seasons. Bobby Labonte won the title in 2000, Tony Stewart in 2002.

*

REDSKIN RECORD

*--* Season W-L Playoffs 1981 8-8 1982 8-1 4-0 (Won SB XVII) 1983 14-2 2-1 1984 11-5 0-1 1985 10-6 1986 12-4 2-1 1987 11-4 3-0 (Won SB XXII) 1988 7-9 1989 10-6 1990 10-6 1-1 1991 14-2 3-0 (Won SB XXVI) 1992 9-7 1-1 Totals 124-60 16-5

*--*