Goodbye Joe

Washington Redskins Head Coach Joe Gibbs is announcing his retirement at a press conference as I type this. Most people do not know how special of a person and a coach he is. Let me tell you a little bit about him.

He was hired by the Washington Redskins in 1981 and initially retired in 1992. When he retired in '92, he had the third best overall winning percentage, behind only Vince Lombardi and John Madden.

Most coaches win multiple Super Bowl games with franchise quarterbacks (i.e. John Elway, Joe Montana or Tom Brady). Not Joe Gibbs, he is the only head coach to win three Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks at the helm.

Under the leadership of Joe Gibbs, the Redskins won Super Bowl XVII by beating the Miami Dolphins 27-17, Super Bowl XXII by beating the Denver Broncos 42-10 and finally Super Bowl XXVI by beating the Buffalo Bills 37-24.

In 1996, Coach Gibbs was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

In 2004, Joe Gibbs was lured out of retirement by Redskins owner Dan Snyder to restore hope and tradition to a once proud franchise who had fallen on bad times. Gibbs signed a five year contract to become the organization's head coach and team president.

Coach Gibbs led the team to the playoffs twice, in 2005 and 2007. While Gibbs did not return to play in the Super Bowl he has indeed turned around the Redskins and has restored hope in the hearts of his fans.

It is been a trying year for Coach Gibbs. His 2-year-old grandson was diagnosed with leukemia. Then there was the sudden murder of Sean Taylor only weeks ago. Gibbs somehow managed to unite the team and lead them to four consecutive victories in December the team needed to earn a playoff birth.

Gibbs will always be remembered as a winner on the field. What he also need to be remembered for is the way he lived his life. He has a quite demeneanor and an unwavering faith in God that was a part of everything he did. He was a class act on and off the field and someone who I have always aspired to be like.

He is a hero, a legend, and an amazing human being who will be truly missed. Thank you Joe Gibbs.