Walt Michaels
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Walter Edward Michaels (originally Majka) (October 16, 1929 – July 10, 2019) was a professional
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 ...
player and coach who was best remembered for his six-year tenure as
head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...
of the NFL's
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 ...
from 1977 to 1982. In 1977, Michaels was inducted into the
Virginia Sports Hall of Fame The Virginia Sports Hall of Fame honors athletes, coaches, administrators, journalists and other contributors to athletics. Many of the more than 350 inductees since 1972 were born in Virginia or enjoyed success in college, professional, amateur or ...
, the National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame and into the
Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame The Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame is an American sports hall of fame based in Suffolk County on Long Island, New York. The non-profit was established during 1990 to honor outstanding people, living or deceased, who have gained prominence and made s ...
on
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in the Baseball Category with the Class of 1997.


Early life and playing career


Collegiate and early NFL career

Michaels was born to a Polish family, son of a coal miner from Swoyersville, Pennsylvania. The family's surname is originally Majka, but was anglicized to Michaels in school. Michaels was a two-sport athlete at the local high school, then went on to play collegiately as a fullback at
Washington & Lee University Washington and Lee University (Washington and Lee or W&L) is a private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts university in Lexington, Virginia. Established in 1749 as the Augusta Academy, the university is among the Colonial col ...
. During the 1950 season, he helped the Generals reach the
Gator Bowl The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game held in Jacksonville, Florida, operated by Gator Bowl Sports. It has been held continuously since 1946, making it the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first one ever televised natio ...
, but was unable to play in the contest due to an
appendicitis Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a rup ...
attack he suffered one week before the New Year's Day game. In the 1951
NFL draft The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...
, he was selected in the seventh round by the
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
, but was traded to the Green Bay Packers during the summer training camp. Michaels was used primarily on special teams during his rookie season in Green Bay.


Return to Cleveland Browns (1952–61)

On April 29, 1952, Michaels was traded back to the Browns for three offensive linemen, and played a key role in the team's defense over the next decade at
linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...
. Often used to call the defensive signals, Michaels intercepted 11 passes, including four in 1952, and also returned two of them for touchdowns. In those 10 years, Michaels helped the Browns play in five NFL Championship games, winning consecutive contests in 1954 and 1955.


Coaching career


Oakland Raiders assistant (1962)

On April 3, 1962, Michaels entered the coaching ranks when he was hired by 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. ...
's
Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
as the team's
defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...
s coach. He would spend only one season there, with the success he enjoyed with the Browns nowhere to be found. The Raiders lost their first 13 games before winning the season finale, playing in
Frank Youell Field Frank Youell Field was a American football, football stadium on the West Coast of the United States, west coast of the United States, located in Oakland, California. It was the home of the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League for ...
, a temporary stadium.


New York Jets assistant (1963–73)

After the 1962 season, Michaels joined the staff 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. ...
's
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 ...
as defensive line coach. He played as an emergency fill-in at linebacker in the opening game of the 1963 season versus Boston. In 1967, with the departure of J.D. Donaldson, Michaels's responsibility shifted to linebackers and the secondary. He also became the "unofficial" defensive coordinator, creating the team's defensive game plans. The Jets defeated the Baltimore Colts in
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 ...
, with Michaels seemingly the heir apparent to replace
Weeb Ewbank Wilbur Charles "Weeb" Ewbank (May 6, 1907 – November 17, 1998) was an American professional football coach. He led the Baltimore Colts to consecutive NFL championships in 1958 and 1959 and the New York Jets to victory in Super Bowl III in Janu ...
, following the departure of fellow assistant
Clive Rush Clive Harold Rush (February 14, 1931 – August 22, 1980) was an American football player and coach at both the professional and collegiate levels. He served as the head football coach at Toledo University from 1960 to 1962. Rush was the hea ...
.


Philadelphia Eagles assistant (1973–75)

However, Michaels' career fortunes changed dramatically on February 1, 1973, when Ewbank hired his
son-in-law Son-in-Law (22 April 1911 – 15 May 1941) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and an influential sire, especially for sport horses. The National Horseracing Museum says Son-in-Law is "probably the best and most distinguished stayer this co ...
,
Charley Winner Charley Winner (born July 2, 1924) is a former American football player and coach. Winner was born in Somerville, New Jersey and, during World War II, flew seventeen missions in a B-17 Flying Fortress plane, spending six weeks in a German pri ...
, and designated him his successor after the upcoming season. Michaels immediately resigned and within two weeks later had signed to become the defensive coordinator of 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 ...
, working under former Browns' teammate Mike McCormack. Three mediocre seasons in Philadelphia followed, with McCormack and his staff dismissed at the end of the
1975 NFL season The 1975 NFL season was the 56th regular season of the National Football League. Instead of a traditional Thanksgiving Day game hosted by the Dallas Cowboys, the league scheduled a Buffalo Bills at St. Louis Cardinals contest. This was the fi ...
. After Winner was also dismissed as Jets head coach, Michaels returned to New York, again resuming his role as the main coach on defense under new head coach
Lou Holtz Louis Leo Holtz (born January 6, 1937) is an American former football player, coach, and analyst. He served as the head football coach at The College of William & Mary (1969–1971), North Carolina State University (1972–1975), the New York ...
.


New York Jets assistant (1976–77)

Holtz's one season at the professional level turned out to be a disaster, leading him to resign in the days prior to the last game of the season. On January 4, 1977, Michaels was officially selected as head coach of the Jets, beginning six seasons of wildly contrasting results.


New York Jets head coach (1977–83)

''1977 & 1978 Seasons'' Michaels' first season saw the team win only three of 14 games, but over the next two years, the Jets managed to split their 16 contests in each year. The five-game improvement in 1978 was good enough to win Michaels the AFC Coach of the Year award. ''1979 Season'' The 1979 season was another 8–8 campaign that was marred by a quarterback controversy. Starter
Richard Todd Richard Andrew Palethorpe-Todd (11 June 19193 December 2009) was an Irish-British actor known for his leading man roles of the 1950s. He received a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer – Male, and an Academy Award for Best Actor n ...
was demoted and new starter Matt Robinson was named for the season opener against the
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
. But days before the game, Robinson injured his throwing-hand thumb during horseplay with
Joe Klecko Joseph Edward Klecko (born October 15, 1953) is an American former football player, of Polish descent, best remembered for his days as a defensive lineman, a member of the New York Jets' famed " New York Sack Exchange." Temple Owls Before goin ...
and tried to hide the injury, but was forced to reveal it the night before the game. The thumb was treated and the Jets took a 22–19 lead in the final quarter. Robinson had the tape on his injured thumb removed thinking the game was over, but
Brian Sipe Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish and Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world. It is possible that the name is derived from an Old Celtic word me ...
led a game-tying Browns drive, and in overtime Robinson, unable to grip the ball, threw a sloppy pass for
Wesley Walker Wesley Darcel Walker (born May 26, 1955) is a former professional American football wide receiver who played for the New York Jets from 1977 to 1989. Walker graduated from Carson High School in Carson, California, where he set many recei ...
that was intercepted and turned into a Browns game-winning field goal. Michaels never used Robinson again even after
Richard Todd Richard Andrew Palethorpe-Todd (11 June 19193 December 2009) was an Irish-British actor known for his leading man roles of the 1950s. He received a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer – Male, and an Academy Award for Best Actor n ...
got injured. Another incident during 1979 illustrated the fragile dynamic of Michaels' tenure with the Jets. On November 26 when the Jets were crushed 30–7 by the
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
in the
Kingdome The Kingdome (officially the King County Stadium) was a multi-purpose stadium located in the Industrial District, Seattle, Industrial District (later SoDo, Seattle, SoDo) neighborhood of Seattle, Washington (state), Washington, United States. O ...
; one Seahawks score was set up as cornerback Cornell Webster blocked a Chuck Ramsey punt which followed a Jets turnover on a mishandled snap. Following the game Michaels called out Ramsey in front of teammates by snarling, "I can fart farther than you can kick!" ''1980 & 1981 Seasons: A losing season, then first playoff year since 1969'' A rough 4–12 season in 1980 was followed by an 0–3 start in 1981. Following a 31–30 loss to the Bengals an ugly Monday press conference occurred. Michaels angrily confronted
New York Daily News The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...
writer Bill Verigan an hour before the press conference, then in the ensuing conference Michaels' eyes were described as "glazed" and his speech "slurred."Eskenazi, ''Gang Green'', pp. 173-76. Despite this the Jets surged to win ten games, securing their first playoff berth since 1969, also their first berth since joining the NFL in 1970. The year's success ended with a 31–27 defeat to the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
in the AFC wild card game. ''1982 Season: Jets march to AFC title game'' During the strike-shortened
1982 NFL season The 1982 NFL season was the 63rd regular season of the National Football League. A 57-day-long players' strike reduced the 1982 season from a 16-game schedule per team to an abbreviated nine game schedule. Because of the shortened season, th ...
, the Jets went 6–3, then pounded the Cincinnati Bengals 44–17 in the first round of that year's expanded playoff system. Traveling to face the top-seeded
Los Angeles Raiders The Los Angeles Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Los Angeles from 1982 to 1994 before relocating back to Oakland, California, where the team played from its inaugural 1960 season to the 1981 season and then agai ...
the following week, the Jets pulled off a 17–14 upset. One game away from
Super Bowl XVII Super Bowl XVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 1982 Miami Dolphins season, Miami Dolphins and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion 1982 Washington Redskins season, Washington Reds ...
, the Jets arrived at Miami's
Orange Bowl The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game ...
on January 23, 1983, to find that the field had not been covered, despite a heavy rain storm. The subsequent
AFC Championship The AFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the American Football Conference (AFC) and one of the two semi-final playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world. ...
game became known as the "Mud Bowl", where the Jets lost 14–0 to the
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
.


Resignation from Jets job

On February 10, 1983, just 17 days after the loss to the Dolphins, Michaels unexpectedly resigned, citing a need for a break from football. He had been under severe emotional strain during the last weeks of the 1982 regular season, taking time each week to visit his terminally ill mother in Pennsylvania.


New Jersey Generals, USFL (1984-85)

Michaels would then coach the
New Jersey Generals The New Jersey Generals were a franchise of the United States Football League (USFL) established in 1982 to begin play in the spring and summer of 1983. The team played three seasons from 1983 to 1985, winning 31 regular season games and losing ...
in the
USFL The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...
for two years beginning in 1984. One month after the conclusion of the 1985 season, Michaels and his staff were let go by Generals' team owner
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
after the team merged with the
Houston Gamblers The Houston Gamblers were an American football team that competed in the United States Football League in 1984 and 1985. The Gamblers were coached by veteran NFL head coach Jack Pardee in both their seasons. They were noteworthy for introducing ...
. The Generals never played another game, however, as the 1986 season was cancelled and the league folded after winning a mere $1 verdict in its antitrust lawsuit against the NFL.


ILAF (International League of American Football)

On December 21, 1989, Michaels was hired as coach of the Helsinki franchise in the new International League of American Football, a developmental league and the forerunner of the now defunct
World League of American Football NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa League) was a professional American football league that functioned as the developmental minor league of the National Football League (NFL). Originally f ...
and
NFL Europe NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa League) was a professional American football league that functioned as the developmental minor league of the National Football League (NFL). Originally f ...
.


Head coaching record

* Note: The 1982 season was reduced to 9 games due to an 8-week player strike.


See also

*
List of American Football League players The following is a list of men who played for the American Football League (AFL, 1960–1969). Players A B C D Elbert Dubenion E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z Notes Player notes 1,398 ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Michaels, Walt 1929 births 2019 deaths American football linebackers Cleveland Browns players Green Bay Packers players New York Jets coaches New York Jets head coaches New York Jets players Philadelphia Eagles coaches Oakland Raiders coaches Washington and Lee Generals football players United States Football League coaches Eastern Conference Pro Bowl players People from Swoyersville, Pennsylvania American people of Polish descent Players of American football from Pennsylvania American Football League players