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New York Jets History continued...
In March of 1963, a five-man syndicate that included Leon Hess purchased the New York Titans for $1 million. The new ownership then named Weeb Ewbank as the new head coach. Ewbank was the former coach of the NFL champions, the Baltimore Colts. It was also in this year that the Jets signed their first number one draft pick, Ohio State running back, Matt Snell. In 1964, the Jets played their first game in their new home, Shea Stadium. This prompted the ownership to change the team‘s name. They changed the team's name to the New York Jets. This was because Shea Stadium was located in between New York's John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia Airports. In their first game at Shea, the Jets defeated Denver 30-6. On November 8, 1964, 60,300 fans showed up to complete the first ever sellout crowd at Shea Stadium. The crowd watched the Bills defeat the Jets 20-7. At the end of the season, Matt Snell was named the AFL Rookie of the Year.
January 2, 1965, is a famous date in New York Jets history. That's when the team drafted quarterback Joe Namath. One day after the Orange Bowl, Namath signed a contract worth $427,000. Namath started his first game as Jets quarterback on September 26. Namath threw for two touchdowns and 287 yards. However, the Jets were defeated by the Bills, 33-21. Namath was later named AFL Rookie of the Year, making this the second year in a row that a Jets player had won the honor.
In 1966, the AFL and the NFL (National Football League) agreed to merge and play a world championship game following the 1966 regular season. This event paved the way for one of the most memorable moments in New York Jets history. In 1967, the Jets set an AFL attendance record, selling out all seven of their home games. On December 29, 1968, the Jets defeated Oakland 27-23 for their first ever AFL title. Joe Namath passed for three touchdowns. Then, on January 12, 1969, the Jets played in Super Bowl III. Their opponents were the NFL champions and the heavily favored Baltimore Colts. Before the game, Namath brashly guaranteed that the Jets would win the game. Namath was a man of his word and the Jets won the game, 16-7, making the New York Jets the first AFL team to win the Super Bowl. The victory also made Weeb Ewbank the first coach to win titles in both the NFL and the AFL. Joe Namath was chosen MVP of the game.
The following year, the New York Jets repeated as the champions of the AFL Eastern Division. However, they were knocked out of the playoffs by the eventual Super Bowl Champions, the Kansas City Chiefs. This was the year that the NFL and the AFL completed their merger and the Jets joined the NFL. Also in 1970, the New York Jets and the New York Giants played each other for the first time in the regular season. The Giants won 22-10.
In 1973, Weeb Ewbank finished his coaching career with the Jets. He left with a record 71-77-6, and a Super Bowl victory. In 1976, Lou Holtz became the new head coach of the New York Jets. In that same year, the Jets drafted University of Alabama quarterback Richard Todd. However, after a disappointing 3-11 season, Lou Holtz resigned to return to coaching at the college level.
Then, in 1977, Walt Michaels was named the new head coach of the Jets. Leon Hess became the new CEO. Joe Namath was placed on waivers and was eventually picked up by the Rams. Namath had a spectacular career with the New York Jets. He was the first professional quarterback to throw for more than 4,000 yards in a single season. He had also led the Jets to a victory in Super Bowl III. The Jets enjoyed minimal success for the next few seasons.
In 1980, Richard Todd completed 42 passes in one game, a new NFL record. In 1981, the Jets clinched their first playoff birth since 1969, with a record of 10-5. They were led by the most intimidating defensive line in the league. The Jets defensive line, led by Joe Klecko and Mark Gastineau, called themselves the New York Sack Exchange, a parody to the New York Stock Exchange. Klecko and Gastineau were the heart and soul of the line. They led the NFL in sacks with Gastineau totaling 20 sacks and Klecko finishing the season with 20.5. Then, in 1982, Freeman McNeil became the first Jet to lead the NFL in rushing, averaging 5.2 yards per carry and totaling 786 yards on 151 carries. The same year, the New York Jets advanced all the way to the AFC Championship Game, where they were defeated by the Miami Dolphins, 14-0. The following day, Walt Michaels retired and Joe Walton was hired as the new head coach.
In 1984, Leon Hess assumed full ownership of the New York Jets. The New York Jets finished the season with a losing record, however, Mark Gastineau had an outstanding individual season. He capped it off by winning the MVP award at the Pro Bowl. He was joined in the game by teammates Freeman McNeil and Joe Klecko. On January 29, 1985, Joe Namath became the first New York Jet to be elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That same year, his number “12” became the first Jet jersey number to be retired by the team. However, that year, the Jets lost to the Patriots, 26-14, in the playoffs.
On December 28, 1986, the New York Jets defeated the Chiefs 35-15 in the Wild Card game. They went on to suffer a tough double-overtime playoff loss to the Cleveland Browns. Then, in 1987, Don Maynard became the second Jet to be elected to the Hall of Fame. Also that year, wide receiver Al Toon was named to a starting spot in the Pro Bowl. The New York continued to enjoy minimal success in the late 1980's and early 1990's.
In 1992, after suffering another concussion in the line of many, Al Toon announced his retirement. Later in that same season, in a freak accident, Dennis Byrd collided with a teammate, rendering him partially paralyzed. Dennis was not a quitter, however, and on February 12, 1993, Byrd, with the aid of two canes, walked into a press conference to announce that he was returning to Oklahoma to continue his rehabilitation. Later in the year, the Jets signed free agent Ronnie Lott. The Jets also acquired quarterback Boomer Esiason. The season in 1992 also saw the retirement of Freeman McNeil who finished his stellar, 12-year career with the New York Jets.
The Jets acquired two new exceptional talents in 1996. First, they signed quarterback Neil O'Donnell on February 28. They then selected wide receive Keyshawn Johnson as the first pick in the NFL draft. To add to their talent, the Jets hired Bill Parcells as head coach in 1997. In order to hire Parcells, who had guided the Patriots and the Giants to Super Bowl appearances, the Jets gave the Patriots four draft picks. In that same year, Aaron Glenn became the first ever Jets quarterback to be named a starter in the Pro Bowl. The Jets also had their first winning season in nine years.
Then, in 1998, the Jets announced that they would return to using their original logo and uniform designs. They signed quarterback Vinny Testaverde, who had a life-long dream of playing for the Jets. The Jets played their way into the AFC Championship Game where they were defeated 23-10 by the Denver Broncos. The Jets were not the Super Bowl contender that everyone thought they would be in 1999. Their roster was full of injuries. Despite winning their last four games, they missed the playoffs, finishing the season with a record of 8-8.
The Jets enjoyed success in the first part of 2000, starting off with a 6-2 record. However, they needed to win just one of their last three games to make the playoffs. They lost all three games, however, and failed to make the playoffs. The head coach, Al Groh, decided to leave the team after just one season. Also leaving was Bill Parcells, now the General Manager. Tampa Bay assistant coach Herman Edwards was hired to fill the coaching vacancy. In 2001, the Jets reached the playoffs for the first time since 1999. They were defeated in the first round by the Oakland Raiders, 38-24.
In 2002, the Jets had a surprising span of success when seldom-used backup quarterback Chad Pennington replaced the injured Vinny Testaverde. Pennington was instrumental in leading the Jets to an AFC East division title. Throughout the season, Pennington threw for 3,120 yards and 22 touchdowns. He led the Jets to a 41-0 win over the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Divisional round of the playoffs. In 2003, the Jets had high expectations for themselves. Instead of making a playoff run, however, the Jets finished the season with a record of 6-10. The Jets struggled through the injury-plagued season. One key injury was to Chad Pennington in the preseason. He would not rejoin the team until game seven.
Former New York Jets that have been elected into the Hall of Fame are Don Maynard and Joe Namath. Joe Namath has also had his number 12 jersey retired by the team.
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