Walt Michaels
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Walter Edward Michaels (originally Majka) (October 16, 1929 – July 10, 2019) was an American professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
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 responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...
of the
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(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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...
from 1977 to 1982. In 1977, Michaels was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, the National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame and into the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame on
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
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 college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States. Established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, it is among ...
. 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, usually contested on or around New Year's Day. It has been held continuously since 1946, making it the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first televise ...
, but was unable to play in the contest due to an
appendicitis Appendicitis is inflammation of the Appendix (anatomy), appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, fever and anorexia (symptom), decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these t ...
attack he suffered one week before the New Year's Day game. In the 1951
NFL draft The NFL draft, officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reve ...
, he was selected in the seventh round by the
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...
, 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 typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...
. 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, AFL–NFL merger, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Foot ...
's
Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...
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, 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, AFL–NFL merger, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Foot ...
'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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...
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 The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from 1953 to 1983, when owner Robert Irsay moved the franchise to Indianapolis. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breeding and racing. It w ...
in
Super Bowl III Super Bowl III was an American football championship game played on January 12, 1969, at the Miami Orange Bowl, Orange Bowl in Miami, Miami, Florida. It was the third AFL–NFL Championship Game in professional American football, and the fi ...
, with Michaels seemingly the heir apparent to replace Weeb Ewbank, following the departure of fellow assistant Clive Rush.


Philadelphia Eagles assistant (1973–75)

However, Michaels' career fortunes changed dramatically on February 1, 1973, when Ewbank hired his son-in-law, Charley Winner, 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
, 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. 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.


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)

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. The 1979 season was another 8–8 campaign that was marred by a quarterback controversy. Starter Richard Todd 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. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...
. 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 professional American football, football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the New York Jets. He played college football fo ...
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 led a game-tying Browns drive, and in overtime Robinson, unable to grip the ball, threw a sloppy pass for Wesley Walker that was intercepted and turned into a Browns game-winning field goal. Michaels never used Robinson again even after Richard Todd 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...
in the
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; 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!" 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
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writer Bill Verigan an hour before the press conference, then in the ensuing conference Michaels' eyes were described as "glazed" and his speech "slurred." Despite this the Jets surged to win ten games, securing their first playoff berth since
1969 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the ...
, also their first berth since joining the NFL in 1970. The year's success ended with a 31–27 defeat to the
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in the AFC wild card game. During the strike-shortened 1982 NFL season, 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 of the National Football League (NFL). The Raiders played in Los Angeles from 1982 to 1994 before relocating back to Oakland, California, where the team played from its inaugural ...
the following week, the Jets pulled off a 17–14 upset. Michaels dealt with a phone call at halftime that upset him to the point where he launched into a verbal attack onto who he thought did it: Raiders managing general partner
Al Davis Allen R. Davis (July 4, 1929 – October 8, 2011) was an American professional football executive and coach. He was the managing general partner, principal owner and ''de facto'' general manager of the National Football League (NFL) Oakland Rai ...
, although this was proven false. One game away from
Super Bowl XVII Super Bowl XVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Miami Dolphins and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Washington Redskins to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...
, 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. Played annually since 1935 Orange Bowl, January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in ...
on January 23, 1983, to find that the field had not been covered, despite a heavy rainstorm. The subsequent
AFC Championship The AFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the American Football Conference (AFC) and one of the two semifinal playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the wo ...
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. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...
. 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. Reportedly, owner Leon Hess pressured Michaels into resigning due to his tiring of Michaels and his temper problem, which included an outburst on the flight out of Miami with team president Jim Kensil and a shoving match at La Guardia Airport with a bus driver; a meeting with Kensil after the Pro Bowl led to the push to resign.


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 is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
after the team merged with the Houston Gamblers. 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) was a professional American football league that functioned as the List of developmental and minor sports leagues, developmental minor league of the Nati ...
and
NFL Europe NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa) was a professional American football league that functioned as the List of developmental and minor sports leagues, developmental minor league of the Nati ...
.


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 This is a list of players who appeared in at least one regular season or postseason game in the American Football League (AFL). A * Bud Abell * Ray Abruzzese * Ken Adamson * Tom Addison * Ben Agajanian * Harold Akin * Ted Alflen * Bruce Alford ...


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 New Jersey Generals coaches Eastern Conference Pro Bowl players People from Swoyersville, Pennsylvania Players of American football from Luzerne County, Pennsylvania American people of Polish descent American Football League players NFL Coach of the Year winners