Gerald John Philbin (born July 31, 1941) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

and four-year starter from the

University at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 1846 ...

where he earned several honors including second-team

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n, Little All-America, and All-American Academic team.Buffalo President Clifford C. Furnas congratulating Gerry Philbin for his athletic accomplishments in achieving All-East Team for the fifth time
" ''Clifford C. Furnas Collection'' - University at Buffalo Libraries Digital Collections. Drafted by both the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

and the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

of the

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference. ...

in the third round of the 1964 draft, he joined the Jets and became an immediate starter and perennial All-AFL selection at defensive end. He played stellar defense for them for nine seasons. He was selected as an

All-Star in 1968 and 1969. A ferocious pass-rusher, Philbin recorded sacks of opposing quarterbacks in 1968, helping the Jets win the AFL Championship. In the third

AFL-NFL World Championship Game The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...

, Philbin anchored the Jets defense in limiting the Colts to seven points. In 1973, he joined the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

for one season and finished his career in the short-lived

World Football League The World Football League (WFL) was an American football league that played one full season in 1974 and most of its second in 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest t ...

as a member of the

New York Stars New York Stars could refer to: *New York Stars (WBL), a team that played two seasons in the Women's Professional Basketball League before disbanding in 1980 *New York Stars (WFL), a team in the World Football League that relocated in 1974 and becam ...

in 1974 where he joined former

Super Bowl III Super Bowl III was an American football game played on January 12, 1969 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. It was the third AFL–NFL Championship Game in professional American football, and the first to officially bear the trademark name "Su ...

alumni

George Sauer, Jr George Henry Sauer Jr. (November 10, 1943 – May 7, 2013) was an American football wide receiver who played six seasons for the American Football League's New York Jets, and later played in the World Football League. He played college football ...

Randy Beverly Randy Beverly (born April 3, 1944) is a former professional American football player. He played cornerback for the American Football League's New York Jets and is best known for making two key interceptions that helped the Jets to their histor ...

John Dockery John Dockery (September 6, 1944) is an American sportscaster and former American football defensive back who played for the New York Jets and later the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1968 to 1973. He graduated from Brooklyn Preparatory a Jesuit High ...

, John Elliott, and

Vito (Babe) Parilli Vito "Babe" Parilli (May 7, 1930 – July 15, 2017) was an American gridiron football, football quarterback and coach who played professionally for 18 seasons. Parilli spent five seasons in the National Football League (NFL), three in the Canadia ...

. He was an All-WFL selection in 1974. Philbin is a member of the All-time American Football League Team.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Philbin, Gerry 1941 births Living people American football defensive ends American football defensive tackles American Football League players Buffalo Bulls football players Charlotte Hornets (WFL) players New York Jets players New York Stars players Philadelphia Eagles players American Football League All-Star players American Football League All-Time Team Sportspeople from Pawtucket, Rhode Island Players of American football from Rhode Island

See also

References