Joe Gibbs Joe Jackson Gibbs ( November 25 , 1940 ) is a former American football coach , NASCAR Championship team owner , and two time NHRA Pro Stock team owner . He was the 20th and 26th head coach in the history of the Washington Redskins ( 1981 – 1992 , 2004 – 2007 ) . Well known for his long hours and work ethic , Gibbs constructed what Steve Sabol has called , " The most diverse dynasty in NFL history , " building championship teams with many players who have had mediocre to average careers while playing for other NFL teams . During his first stint in the National Football League , he coached the Redskins for 12 seasons and led them to eight playoff appearances , four NFC Championship titles , and three Super Bowl titles . After retiring at the end of the 1992 season , he switched focus to his NASCAR team , Joe Gibbs Racing , which has won three championships under his ownership , one with former driver Bobby Labonte and two with Tony Stewart . On January 7 , 2004 , Gibbs came out of retirement to rejoin the Redskins as head coach and team president , signing a 5 - year , $ 28 . 5 million contract . On January 8 , 2008 , Gibbs resigned as Redskins ' head coach and team president . Overall , during his 16 years with the team , Gibbs had only three losing seasons and led the team to 10 playoff appearances . He remains with the organization as " Special Advisor " to the team owner Daniel Snyder . Early career . Born in Mocksville , North Carolina , Joe graduated from Santa Fe High School , Santa Fe Springs , California , in 1959 where he was the star quarterback . Gibbs attended Cerritos Junior College and then San Diego State University ( SDSU ) , coached by Don Coryell . Gibbs graduated from SDSU in 1964 and earned a master ' s degree in 1966 . Gibbs began his career with a stint as offensive line coach at San Diego State under Coryell ( 1964 – 1966 ) . He held the same position at Florida State ( 1967 – 1968 ) before serving under John McKay at Southern California ( 1969 – 1970 ) and Frank Broyles at Arkansas ( 1971 – 1972 ) . Gibbs then rose up to the National Football League , hired as the offensive backfield coach for the St . Louis Cardinals ( 1973 – 1977 ) by head coach Don Coryell . After a season as offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ( 1978 ) under McKay , Gibbs rejoined Coryell with the San Diego Chargers ( 1979 – 1980 ) . As the offensive coordinator for San Diego , Gibbs spearheaded the highly successful " Air Coryell " offense . Using a sophisticated passing attack , the Chargers and quarterback Dan Fouts set multiple offensive records during Gibbs ' two seasons there . Remarkably , the Chargers averaged more than 400 yards of offense per game during their 1980 season . After 17 years of coaching as an assistant , in 1981 Gibbs was offered a job as the head coach of the Washington Redskins by Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke . First stint with Redskins ( 1981 – 1992 ) . After firing then - head coach Jack Pardee , Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke was on the lookout for candidates . When general manager Bobby Beathard pointed out the forty - year - old San Diego assistant coach , Cooke , who had a keen eye for spotting leadership talent ( he also gave Sparky Anderson his first managerial job ) , saw Gibbs ' potential during an interview at the Chrysler Building and hired him . Gibbs ' first season with the Redskins started inauspiciously when the team lost their first five games . Cooke famously expressed confidence in Gibbs , declaring that the team would finish 8 - 8 . The losses and Cooke ' s confidence served as a catalyst , and the newly - motivated team improved and reached an even 8 - 8 record in 1981 . Gibbs ' second season with the Redskins ( 1982 ) realized the dreams of the entire Redskins fanbase : an NFC Championship Game and a Super Bowl victory . In a strike - shortened season , the team advanced through the playoffs and eventually won Super Bowl XVII by beating the Miami Dolphins 27 – 17 , taking revenge for Washington ' s loss to Miami in Super Bowl VII . The following season ( 1983 ) , Gibbs ' surprising success continued with a 14 – 2 regular season record and a win against the Los Angeles Rams 51 – 7 at home , in the divisional round of the playoffs . The Redskins then once again won an NFC Championship , defeating the San Francisco 49ers 24 – 21 on a last - second field goal ( aided by a controversial pass interference call ) , advancing to Super Bowl XVIII . The Redskins were an overwhelming favorite going into the game , but were soundly defeated by the Los Angeles Raiders 38 – 9 . Some call this Redskins team one of the better teams to not win the Super Bowl . The 1984 Redskins won the NFC East with an 11 – 5 record and hosted a home playoff game against the Chicago Bears but lost 23 – 19 . Gibbs coached the 1985 Redskins to a 10 – 6 regular season record , but barely missed the playoffs . During the season Joe Theismann broke his leg during a Monday Night Football game against the New York Giants , but the Redskins still won the game with Jay Schroeder at quarterback . In 1986 , Gibbs coached the team to a 12 – 4 regular season record and defeated the Los Angeles Rams 19 – 7 in the wild card playoffs , then upset the defending champion Chicago Bears 27 – 13 in the divisional round , on the road , to get back to the NFC Championship game against the New York Giants . The Giants would win 17 – 0 . It was to be Gibbs ' only NFC championship game loss . The 1987 Redskins made the playoffs and again defeated the Chicago Bears 21 – 17 on the road in the divisional round , then beat the Minnesota Vikings 17 – 10 at home in the NFC Championship Game , then at Super Bowl XXII , they rode on the arm of quarterback Doug Williams to blow out the Denver Broncos 42 – 10 . Four years later , the Redskins won their first 11 games before finishing the season 14 – 2 , and cruised through the playoffs with home victories over the Atlanta Falcons ( 24 – 7 ) and Detroit Lions ( 41 – 10 ) . In Super Bowl XXVI , the Redskins were up 24 – 0 on the Buffalo Bills just sixteen seconds into the third quarter , and 37 – 10 with over eleven minutes to go when Gibbs pulled most of his starters . The Bills would score two cosmetic touchdowns for a final score of 37 – 24 . The victory gave Gibbs and the team their third Super Bowl title . The following year , Gibbs returned for the 1992 regular season to attempt to defend the Redskins ' Super Bowl crown from the previous year . The Redskins would finish with a lesser record at 9 – 7 and 3rd place in the NFC East . They needed a bit of help to make the playoffs and they got it after a loss by the Green Bay Packers allowed them into the playoffs as the last Wild Card entry . In the Wild Card round , the Redskins defeated the Minnesota Vikings on the road , by the score of 24 – 7 , however they would fall in the Divisional Round to the San Francisco 49ers in a road game by the score of 20 – 13 , ending the Redskins ' hopes of retaining their Super Bowl crown . Two months after Super Bowl XXVII , Gibbs suddenly retired in early 1993 , surprising many in the organization and around the league . A notorious workaholic , he had begun to suffer some health problems , and he cited a desire to spend more time with his family . From 1994 to 1997 Gibbs served as a color analyst on NBC Sports ' NFL pregame show . In 1996 , Gibbs was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame . He was one of the winningest coaches in NFL history , at that time having a record of 124 wins and 60 losses , and a post - season record of 16 wins and five losses . His combined winning percentage of . 683 was third all - time ( behind Vince Lombardi and John Madden ) . In his 12 seasons , the Redskins won 4 NFC East titles , reached the playoffs 8 times , and finished with a losing record only one season ( 7 – 9 in 1988 ) . Gibbs is also the only NFL coach to ever win three Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks and three different starting running backs . Style of play . Although Gibbs helped craft a passing - oriented attack during his time in San Diego , his Redskins teams were known to incorporate a smash - mouth , rushing - oriented attack like the counter trey . By building a strong offensive line ( known as " The Hogs " ) Gibbs was able to control the line of scrimmage , allowing workhorse running backs such as John Riggins , George Rogers , and Earnest Byner to power the ground game . Gibbs added a deep passing attack to this which complemented the ground game , utilizing agile receivers such as Art Monk , Gary Clark , and Ricky Sanders . Gibbs ' offense was aided during his tenure by aggressive defensive units under the direction of defensive coordinator Richie Petitbon . Gibbs ' system and offensive scheme were robust enough to be successful without a Hall - of - Fame - caliber quarterback at the helm . The Redskins ' Super Bowl victories were won featuring Joe Theismann , Doug Williams , and Mark Rypien — capable players who were very successful along with their strong supporting cast . Gibbs is credited with inventing the single back , double or triple tight end set . He used it to neutralize Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor , realizing that to successfully block him with a running back was impossible ; an extra tight end and a tackle were required as well . The extra tight end provided additional protection for the quarterback . Gibbs was also credited for creating the Trips formation ; stacking three wide receivers to one side . Gibbs incorporated the shifting and motions for which his offenses were known . The formations created mismatches and confusion for the opposing defenses that would then be exploited . He is also one of few coaches that utilized the H - back position prominently in his offense . NASCAR career ( 1992 – present ) . Gibbs created his NASCAR team , Joe Gibbs Racing in 1992 , a year before he first retired from the NFL . The first driver for his team was Dale Jarrett ( 1992 – 1994 ) , with the sponsor Interstate Batteries , and the number 18 . His son , J . D . Gibbs , is now the president of Joe Gibbs Racing and oversees daily operations of each of the teams since his father ' s return to the NFL . NHRA . Beginning in 1995 , Gibbs fielded three cars in the NHRA , one , in each professional category : Yates would bring home an NHRA championship in 1996 , followed by another in 1997 . Mcdonald was the primary sponsor on all three cars . Championships . Three NASCAR Championships , starting in : Points race . 2007 . Gibbs continued to field three full time cars in the NEXTEL Cup , driven by : Aric Almirola made his NEXTEL Cup debut in the # 80 Car in Las Vegas . In the Busch series , there are two cars , with driving duties split among Denny Hamlin , Aric Almirola , Brad Coleman , Kevin Conway and Tony Stewart . As of August 2007 , Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin are both in the 2007 Chase , with Stewart winning at Chicago , Indianapolis and Watkins Glen and Hamlin winning at New Hampshire . The 2007 season ended with Stewart in 6th place , Hamlin in 12th and Yeley in 21st in the overall standings . Second stint with Redskins ( 2004 – 2008 ) . Throughout his retirement , many NFL owners approached Gibbs hoping to lure him out of retirement , but to no avail . Some owners even offered to move his entire NASCAR racing team to their team ' s city if he came back . The only team he seriously considered coming back for was the Carolina Panthers when they first joined the NFL as an expansion in 1995 . However he did not believe he would be able to manage his time between his race team and coaching . In 1999 , he was part of a group that was trying to buy the Redskins but ultimately failed . In 2002 , Gibbs and a small group of investors bought five percent of the Atlanta Falcons from owner Arthur Blank for $ 27 million . It wasn ' t until late 2003 when Gibbs really started to catch the football fever again . Arthur Blank and his general manager , Rich McKay moved quickly to interview him for the Falcons ' s vacant head coaching position due to the firing of Dan Reeves . However when Gibbs found out that Steve Spurrier resigned as the Redskins ' head coach , they realized that even though Gibbs was one of the team ' s minority owners , his loyalty still lies with the Redskins . It is well documented that Daniel Snyder had been turned down by Gibbs several times before . On December 31 , 2003 , Snyder ' s private plane ( Redskin One ) was spotted at an airport outside of Charlotte , North Carolina . After spending 11 years in retirement from the NFL , Snyder successfully lured Gibbs out of retirement . Gibbs ' change of heart was quite a surprise to the football and NASCAR worlds . During his January 7 press conference , a visibly emotional Snyder welcomed him back . Gibbs then stated that even though he enjoyed NASCAR immensely , he had missed coaching in the NFL even more . And although he had fielded offers in the past , he could only see himself coaching for the Redskins . Because of his credibility and a very resourceful owner , Gibbs was able to assemble one the largest and most experienced coaching staffs in the NFL . Many coaches from his previous tenure with the team returned with Gibbs as well , including offensive line coach / assistant head coach Joe Bugel , offensive coordinator Don Breaux , quarterback s coach Jack Burns , and tight end s coach Rennie Simmons . Gibbs was able to lure former Buffalo Bills head coach Gregg Williams to join the Redskins to run the defense . Overall , many of his assistant and position coaches were either former head coaches and / or held top assistant coaching positions with other NFL teams . Gibbs left his racing team in the hands of his eldest son , J . D . , while his other son , Coy , joined him as an assistant with the Redskins . 2004 season . In 2004 , Gibbs had what was , up to that point , the worst season of his career with a 6 - 10 finish . However , the team did finish the season on a high note with a 21 - 18 victory over playoff - bound Minnesota . The defense also finished the season ranked third in yards allowed . 2005 season . Hoping to improve on the previous season ' s dismal passing attack , Gibbs added former Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave as his quarterbacks coach . Having coached new Redskins quarterback Mark Brunell when they both were in Jacksonville , they easily formed a rapport . Musgrave ' s input allowed the Redskins add a few new wrinkles to their playbook . For the first time under Gibbs , the Redskins offense utilized the shotgun formation . In the wild - card playoff game , Gibbs led his team to a 17 – 10 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , to whom the Redskins suffered a 36 – 35 defeat earlier in the year . In the next round of the playoffs , however , the Redskins could not replicate their early - season victory over the Super Bowl - bound Seattle Seahawks , and lost to the eventual NFC Champion by the score of 20 – 10 . 2006 season . During the 2006 off season , Gibbs hired Kansas City Chiefs ' offensive coordinator Al Saunders to be Associate Head Coach - Offense for the Redskins . Saunders came from a similar background as Gibbs , as both learned under Don Coryell . Saunders experienced great success at the helm of the Chiefs ' offense and took over for Gibbs as the team ' s primary play - caller upon joining the Redskins . This allowed Gibbs to focus more on his role as Head Coach and CEO and devote more time to personnel matters , defense , and special teams . Gibbs also added former Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Jerry Gray to his staff as Secondary / Cornerbacks Coach . However , Gibbs did lose quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave to the Atlanta Falcons over the summer of 2006 . The 2006 season was disappointing for Gibbs . The Redskins finished 5 – 11 , the team ' s worst regular season record under Gibbs ' leadership thus far , and placed near the bottom in the NFL in defense . On the bright side , though the ' 06 Redskins boasted the league ' s 4th best rushing offense despite losing starting tailback Clinton Portis to injury and saw continued improvement from young starter Jason Campbell , who capped off 2006 with a strong performance against the Giants , in which he posted a QB rating of 96 . 2 . 2007 season . The Redskins qualified for the playoffs in 2007 , for the second time in 3 years , following the completion of a 9 – 7 regular season . They advanced as the sixth - seeded team in the NFC , and were defeated by the NFC West Division champions Seattle Seahawks in the first round of the playoffs . The team suffered a notable tragedy when star safety Sean Taylor was murder ed in his home the night after game eleven . Shot during a burglary attempt during the early hours of Monday , November 26 , 2007 , Taylor died the following day . Taylor ' s funeral was held on Monday , December 3 , 2007 , between games 12 against Buffalo ( Sunday , December 2 ) and 13 against Chicago ( Thursday , December 6 ) . The Redskins concluded the season with four straight victories . Prior to the run , the Skins were 5 – 7 and , in addition to suffering through the Taylor tragedy , the team had lost starting OG Randy Thomas , OT Jon Jansen , CB Carlos Rogers , OLB Rocky McIntosh , and QB Jason Campbell to injury . Despite all this , Gibbs led Washington to the playoffs . In what has been referred to as Gibbs ' finest month of coaching ever , many players credited Gibbs ' will , leadership and inspiration to guide the team on their late season winning streak . Second retirement . Gibbs retired as head coach and president effective January 8 , 2008 after completing four years of his five year contract . His retirement came three days after a first round playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks , which concluded the 2007 – 2008 season . The last game he coached at Fedex Field in Washington was on December 30 , 2007 ; the Redskins had a key victory over the Dallas Cowboys to send Joe Gibbs and the Redskins to the playoffs . He will remain with the team as an adviser to team owner Daniel Snyder . During Gibbs ' four - year return to the Redskins , the team qualified for the playoffs twice , once more than it qualified for the playoffs during his eleven - year absence . He was succeeded as head coach by Jim Zorn . Starting the " classic " Redskins look . When Joe Gibbs was the offensive coordinator of the San Diego Chargers under Don Coryell in 1979 & 1980 , Coryell would have the Chargers wear white uniforms for home games in San Diego . So , during both of his stints as Washington ' s head coach , Gibbs started the tradition of having the Redskins wear white uniforms over burgundy pants for all their home games . The Redskins also sported white over burgundy on the road whenever the opposing home team decided to wear dark colored jerseys . This uniform combination is considered to be the team ' s " classic " look . His teams almost exclusively wore their burgundy uniforms over white pants for road games at Texas Stadium against their archrivals , the Dallas Cowboys . The Cowboys , like the Redskins , primarily wore their white uniforms for their home games . The only time Washington wore the white over burgundy combo at a road game in Texas Stadium during Gibbs ' tenure was in 2005 . That year , the Redskins recorded a 14 - 13 victory over the Cowboys , who were wearing their blue throwback uniforms . However , in all of Gibbs ' 16 seasons as coach of the Redskins , the team never wore its burgundy jerseys at home . Personal life . Gibbs currently resides in Virginia with his wife Pat , but they live at their home in Charlotte , North Carolina during the NASCAR season . They have two sons , J . D . Gibbs and Coy Gibbs and eight grandchildren . J . D . Gibbs and wife Melissa have four sons : Jackson , Miller , Jason , and Taylor . Coy Gibbs and wife Heather have three sons Ty , Case , Jet , and daughter Elle . In January 2007 , Gibbs revealed that Taylor was diagnosed with leukemia , adding that his grandson had undergone surgery and received chemotherapy treatments . Joe Gibbs is a devout Christian . Politics . On September 5 , 2008 , Gibbs addressed the 2008 Republican National Convention , during which he offered his support for John McCain and his hope that the McCain - Palin ticket would lead to a ' spiritual awakening ' in the United States . Gibbs has long been open about his Christian faith , but notoriously reserved about articulating his political positions , because , as the old Washington joke goes , " The Redskins are the only thing that unites the town . " As one of the most sought after A - List figures in Washington social circles for over a quarter - century ( and even being referred to as " the most popular man in Washington " by the " Washington Post " ) , Gibbs admitted being uneasy addressing the convention , stating that it was " a little awkward to put on a partisan hat . " Writing career . In 1992 Gibbs co - authored " Joe Gibbs : Fourth and One " , and in 2003 he co - authored " Racing to Win " . The books resemble a business and life how - to book and motivational guide as he discusses his successes and mistakes in his career , offering the lessons he learned as tips to the readers . In 2009 , Gibbs wrote the book " Game Plan for Life " which discusses his life in football and outside of the sports and key topics that are important to today ' s men and women . www . gameplanforlife . com .