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Beloved NFL Super Bowl Champion Dead At 83

Originally posted on The Spun | By Tzvi Machlin | Last updated Jun 25, 2025 6:00 PM ET

The football world is in mourning today as one of the best pass rushers of the AFL-NFL rivalry years and a beloved Super Bowl champion has passed away.

On Wednesday, numerous outlets reported that former New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Gerry Philbin passed away. He was 83 years old.

Philbin was a star pass rusher for the New York Jets in the 1960s, racking up 66.5 sacks over 10 seasons in the AFL and later the NFL following the AFL-NFL merger. 65 of those sacks came with the Jets, though 48.5 of them came between 1966 and 1969 . His sacks mark still ranks fourth in franchise history.

In 1968, Philbin enjoyed a career-high 14.0 sacks and became a defensive anchor for the Jets as they went on to win Super Bowl III in the biggest upset in NFL history. He would finish his NFL career with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1973 and play his final season of pro football with the New York Stars in the short-lived WFL in 1974.

Philbin was voted to the American Football League All-Time Team in 1970 after the league merged with the NFL. And while Canton never came calling, Philbin was inducted into the Jets' Ring of Honor in 2011.

R.I.P. to an all time great New York Jet Gerry Philbin

Gerry was drafted in the 3rd round of the 1964 AFL draft and played for the Jets from 1964-1972. Philbin was a 2 time 1st team all pro and made the AFL all decade team in the 60s.

He was a key player in the 1968 Super Bowl… pic.twitter.com/EaJWUxXHsm
— New York Jets History (@nyjetshistory) June 25, 2025

In an interview with the Jets in 2018, Philbin reflected on the impact of the Jets' Super Bowl win. He felt that it was an extremely vindicating moment for his career and the careers of his AFL friends.

"The impact of the win," Philbin said. "The impact was so great that finally, the AFL was on par with the NFL. It really meant so much to the players around the league in the AFL because we were really second-class citizens up until the time the Jets won in the Super Bowl. Because prior to that there were two Super Bowls where the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders got beat pretty good by the NFL (Green Bay Packers).

"So, it really was the impact of the game more or less for the players in the AFL and the fans around the country in the AFL cities. That's what my biggest thrill was. That and to go home and be No. 1 in New York is another good reason."

MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 12: John Dockery #43 of the New York Jets in action against the Baltimore Colts during Super Bowl III at the Orange Bowl on January 12, 1969 in Miami, Florida. The Jets defeated the Colts 16-7. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) Focus On Sport/Getty Images

Philbin said that he started a sand and gravel business in Long Island, New York after retiring. He then went into real estate, moved to New Hampshire for a time and then moved to Florida to be close to his family.

"I've been retired for the last 15, 20 years. I had a business on Long Island for many years, a sand and gravel business," he said. "And then I sold that and my home and moved to Florida and became a real estate agent. I was in the real estate business for a while and then moved to New Hampshire. But my kids were living in Florida at the time, so I moved back and have since stayed, and I'm here now."

Our hearts go out to Philbin's family and loved ones.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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