November 17, 1998(1998-11-17) (aged 91) Oxford, Ohio, U.S.
Career information
High school:
Richmond (Richmond, Indiana)
College:
Miami (OH)
Career history
As a coach:
Van Wert HS (OH) (1928–1929)
McGuffey HS (OH) (1930–1943)
Great Lakes Navy (1943–1945) (assistant)
Brown (1946) (assistant)
Washington University (1947–1948)
Cleveland Browns (1949–1953) (assistant)
Baltimore Colts (1954–1962)
New York Jets (1963–1973)
Columbia (1975) (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
Super Bowl champion (III)
2× NFL champion (1958, 1959)
NFL Coach of the Year (1958)
New York Jets Ring of Honor
New York Jets Jacket retired
Indiana Football Hall of Fame
Miami University Hall of Fame
Washington University in St. Louis Hall of Fame
Career NFL statistics
Regular season:
130–129–7 (.502)
Postseason:
4–1 (.800)
Career:
NFL: 134–130–7 (.507) NCAA: 14–4 (.778)
Coaching stats at PFR
Pro Football Hall of Fame
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 January 1969. He is the only coach to win a championship in both the National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL).
Raised in Indiana, Ewbank attended Miami University in Ohio, where he was a multi-sport star who led his baseball, basketball, and football teams to state championships. He immediately began a coaching career after graduating, working at Ohio high schools between 1928 and 1943, when he entered the U.S. Navy during World War II. While in the military, Ewbank was an assistant to Paul Brown on a service football team at Naval Station Great Lakes outside of Chicago. Ewbank was discharged in 1945 and coached college sports for three years before reuniting with Brown as an assistant with the Cleveland Browns, a professional team in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). The Browns won all four AAFC championships. They joined the NFL with the league's merger in 1950, winning the championship that year.
Ewbank left the Browns after the 1953 season to become head coach of the Colts, a young NFL team that had struggled in its first season. In 1956, Ewbank brought in quarterback Johnny Unitas, who quickly became a star and helped lead a potent offense that included wide receiver Raymond Berry and fullback Alan Ameche to an NFL championship in 1958. The Colts repeated as champions in 1959, but the team's performance slipped over the next three seasons and Ewbank was fired three weeks after their final game of the 1962 season.[1][2][3] He was soon picked up by the Jets, a team in the still new AFL. While his first few years were unsuccessful, Ewbank helped build the Jets into a contender after signing Alabama quarterback Joe Namath in 1965. The Jets won the AFL championship in 1968, and then went on to win Super Bowl III in one of the biggest upsets in NFL history.
Ewbank, who was known as a mild-mannered coach who favored simple but well-executed strategies, retired after the 1973 season and settled in Oxford, Ohio. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1978, and died twenty years later in Oxford on November 17, 1998, the 30th anniversary of the "Heidi Game".
^"Ewbank to resign as Baltimore coach". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. January 8, 1963. p. 15.
^"Colts fire Ewbank, pick Shula". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. January 8, 1963. p. 29.
^"Colts' grid shift boss' own idea". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. January 9, 1963. p. 16.
Wilbur Charles "Weeb" Ewbank (May 6, 1907 – November 17, 1998) was an American professional football coach. He led the Baltimore Colts to consecutive NFL...
first winning record until the 1957 season. However, under head coach WeebEwbank and the leadership of quarterback Johnny Unitas, the Colts went on to...
approach of his team. The Jets' owners hired WeebEwbank as the general manager and head coach. Ewbank and quarterback Joe Namath led the Jets to prominence...
from 1972 under head coach WeebEwbank. The Jets finished with a record of 4–10 in the final season under head coach WeebEwbank, with their only wins coming...
championships under Coach WeebEwbank. In the following years, however, the Colts failed to make the playoffs, and the Colts dismissed Ewbank after a 7–7 record...
following the 1962 season. In 1967, the Jets, under the guidance of coach WeebEwbank and third-year quarterback Joe Namath, posted their first winning record...
and Matt Snell led the Jets to the Super Bowl victory under head coach WeebEwbank, who had previously won two NFL Championships with the Colts. Rosenbloom...
Wismer replaced him with Clyde "Bulldog" Turner. In terms of tenure, WeebEwbank has coached more games (158) and more complete seasons (11) than any...
he transferred to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he followed WeebEwbank as the school's starting quarterback. Under Coach Chester Pittser, Brown...
Tom Landry were later inducted as head coaches. Baltimore head coach WeebEwbank led the Colts to a second straight championship game win over New York...
Earl Blaik, Paul Brown, Woody Hayes, Bill Arnsparger, George Little, WeebEwbank, Sid Gillman, Ara Parseghian, Bo Schembechler, John Pont, Carmen Cozza...
Pardee, Rea Scheussler 1991 – Morten Andersen, James Brooks, Dave Butz, WeebEwbank, Doug Williams 1992 – Franco Harris, Mike Holovak, Sam Huff, Dan Marino...
different position with the team following the season. In terms of tenure, WeebEwbank has led the team for more games (112) and more complete seasons (nine)...
returned to civilian life. Davis cultivated the Colts' head coach, WeebEwbank, hoping Ewbank's connections would lead to a coaching job for Davis, and these...
Baltimore continued to struggle the following year under new head coach WeebEwbank, a former Browns assistant. The team again finished 3–9 for last place...
team trying to improve on their 5–8–1 record from 1965 under head coach WeebEwbank. The Jets finished the season 6–6–2. Note: Tie games were not officially...
NFL season. Unhappy being relegated to a reserve role under head coach WeebEwbank, Vessels retired after the 1956 season to take up the construction business...
team trying to improve on their 6–6–2 record from 1966 under head coach WeebEwbank. The Jets finished with an 8–5–1 record (their first winning season)...
and earning Ryan his first Super Bowl ring. Seeing the emphasis that WeebEwbank placed on protecting Joe Namath and his fragile knees, Ryan created multiple...
Brooks, Paul "Bear" Bryant, Charlie Callas, Dick Butkus, Angie Dickinson, WeebEwbank, David Janssen, Rich Little, Audrey Meadows, Don Meredith, Corbett Monica...
the team in the National Football League. Under third-year head coach WeebEwbank, the Colts posted a record of 5 wins and 7 losses, fourth in the Western...
maintain or improve upon its 10–4 record from 1969 under head coach WeebEwbank. The Jets finished with a record of 4–10. One of the highlights of the...
team trying to improve on their 5–8–1 record from 1964 under head coach WeebEwbank. The Jets finished the season 5–8–1, their third consecutive season with...
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