The New York Jets are a professional American football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). In a unique arrangement, the Jets share New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey with the New York Giants.
The team's training facility and corporate headquarters, which opened in 2008, are located in Florham Park. In addition, the team holds training camp on the campus of the State University of New York at Cortland (SUNY Cortland) in Cortland, New York. The team previously headquartered and trained at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York on Long Island for a span of 40 years.
The team was established in 1960 as the Titans of New York, a charter franchise of the American Football League. They adopted their current name in 1963 and joined the NFL in the merger of 1970. The Jets hold the distinction of being the first AFL team to defeat an NFL club in an AFL-NFL World Championship Game, when they defeated the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III.
Franchise history
All about: History of the New York Jets
The first organizational meeting of the American Football League took place on August 14, 1959. Harry Wismer, representing New York at the meeting, proclaimed the state was ready for another professional football team and that he was more than capable of running the daily operations. Wismer was granted the charter franchise that was later named the Titans of New York. Wismer secured the Titans' home field at the decrepit Polo Grounds where the team struggled financially and on the field during its first three years. By 1962, the debt continued to mount for Wismer, forcing the AFL to assume the costs of the team until seasons end. A five man syndicate, headed by Sonny Werblin, saved the team from certain bankruptcy purchasing the Titans for one million dollars. Renamed the Jets, the new owners hired Weeb Ewbank as the general manager and head coach. Ewbank and 1965 draftee Joe Namath led the Jets to prominence in 1969 when New York defeated the heavily favored Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III and solidified the AFL's position in the world of professional football.
When the AFL and NFL merged in 1970, the team fell into a state of mediocrity along with their star quarterback, Namath, who only had three successful post-merger seasons after injuries hampered much of his career. The Jets continued to spiral downward before enjoying a string of successes in the 1980s which, included an appearance in the 1982 AFC Championship game. The early 1990s saw New York struggling. After firing coach Bruce Coslet, owner Leon Hess hired Rich Kotite who led the team to the NFL's worst record for two straight years. Kotite stepped down at the end of his second season forcing the Jets to search for a new head coach. Hess lured disgruntled Patriots head coach Bill Parcells to the Jets in 1997. Parcells led the team back to relevance and coached them back to the AFC Championship game in 1998. In 1999, Hess passed away while the team, plagued by injuries, produced a four win record. At the end of the season, Parcells stepped down as head coach defering control to his assistant Bill Belichick who immediately resigned in order to accept the head coaching position with the Patriots. In spite of this period of instability, the franchise obtained a new owner in Woody Johnson. Additionally, though the 2000s the Jets visited the playoffs five times under the direction of three different coaches. The Jets' current head coach, Rex Ryan, was hired in January 2009. Ryan led the team to back-to-back AFC Championship appearances during his first two years.
Season-by-season records
New York Jets seasons
Rivalries
Division rivals
Since the inception of the American Football League, the Jets have maintained what is considered to be a marquee rivalry with the New England Patriots. The rivalry has escalated since 1996, when an unhappy Bill Parcells vacated his head coaching position in New England to accept the same position with New York. The following year, the Jets signed Pro Bowl running back Curtis Martin from the Patriots. After the Jets declined during Parcells' third year, Parcells decided to resign as the head coach of the team. His assistant head coach Bill Belichick infamously resigned the same day he was to succeed Parcells in order to become the head coach of the Patriots instead.
The critical turning point of the rivalry took place on September 23, 2001 when Jets linebacker Mo Lewis delivered a hit on Drew Bledsoe that left the quarterback with internal bleeding. This provided an opportunity for Tom Brady to take over as the starting quarterback and since then, Brady has successfully guided New England to three Super Bowl titles. In 2006, Eric Mangini, an assistant under Belichick, left New England to join the Jets as their head coach. Under Mangini, the infamous Spygate incident took place, further escalating tensions between both clubs.Since Rex Ryan has taken the Jets' head coaching position, the rivalry has further escalated due to the increased war of words between both teams.
For more information regarding the Jets-Patriots rivalry, see Jets-Patriots rivalry.
New York has maintained a rivalry with the Miami Dolphins since the Dolphins' inception in 1966. One of the most infamous games in Jets history took place in 1994 when the infamous Fake Spike play occurred that gave the Dolphins an improbable victory and damaged the Jets' momentum that season, serving as a precursor to the Jets' next two infamous years under Rich Kotite. Since Rex Ryan became New York's head coach, there has been an increase war of words between both clubs culminating with Ryan flashing an obscene gesture to heckling Dolphins fans in January 2010.
For more information regarding the Jets-Dolphins rivalry, see Jets-Dolphins rivalry.
Historical rivals
The New York Jets previously maintained a high tension rivalry against their in-town counterparts, the New York Giants, that has since diminished in intensity as the years have passed. The pinnacle of the rivalry came on August 17, 1969 when both the Jets and Giants met for the first time, in a preseason game which was viewed as a "turf war" by both opponents. The Giants, considered a mediocre team at the time, were regarded as underdogs and were under much scrutiny by the media and their fans. Ultimately, the Jets would best their rival 37–14 that would result in the firing of Giants coach Allie Sherman. Since then, both teams have formed an unexpected and consequently strong partnership.
Upon the formation of the American Football League, the Jets developed a heated rivalry with the Oakland Raiders. For years, Al Davis had an enlarged photo of Joe Namath at Oakland's headquarters that depicted the quarterback sprawled out on the ground following a vicious hit from the Raiders defense; the personal rivalry between Davis and Weeb Ewbank carried over into games between both opponents. Former Jets linebacker Larry Grantham recalled that the Raiders defense often took every opportunity to cheap shot Namath. The rivalry escalated when Ike Lassiter broke Namath's jaw in 1967. In 1968, the Jets suffered a stunning loss against the Raiders during the Heidi Game however New York went on to defeat the Raiders in the AFL Championship to advance to Super Bowl III where the Jets won the Lombardi Trophy much to the ire of Raider fans. Following the merger, the rivalry waned in intensity as meetings between both teams were less frequent. There was a brief period between 2000 and 2003 when the rivalry was renewed due to playoff meetings that saw the Raiders remove the Jets from contention.
Logos and uniforms of the New York Jets
The Jets, who began as the Titans of New York, originally wore dark blue jerseys with gold stripes and lettering on the jersey combined with gold pants. The team's helmet was also dark blue with a gold stripe running down the middle of the helmet. The logo depicted a charging football player wearing the Titans uniform (though the logo depicted a gold helmet rather than the traditional blue helmet). The Titans would wear this uniform combination from their inception in 1960 until 1962 when the team was renamed the Jets.
In 1963, the uniform design was changed to a white helmet with a green stripe down the middle, white pants, and either green or white jerseys. The green jerseys had white stripes on the shoulders and white sleeves. The white jerseys had green stripes on the shoulders and green sleeves. The team's logo in 1963 consisted of a green airplane with the word "JETS" written on its side superimposed on a white helmet with a gray facemask. The Jets have often been nicknamed "Gang Green" throughout their history due to their uniform design and a possible play on words as well.
The logo would be changed twice over the course of the next three years. In 1964, the logo was changed to an egg-shaped circle with the letters "NY" superimposed, and superimposed over that both the word "JETS" and a football in green. In 1966, the shape of the logo became more oval and would resemble a football additionally, the colors of the logo would be inverted so that the oval itself was green while the word "JETS" and the football became white.
In 1978, the Jets changed both their logo and uniform design. The new logo consisted of the word "JETS" with a futuristic jet above it. The new uniform design consisted of kelly green helmets, white pants, and either kelly green or white jerseys. The uniform was modified in 1990, when the team added a black outline, green pants to the road uniforms and a black face mask.A subtle change took place in 1996 when the green helmet and road jerseys became a metallic kelly green instead of flat kelly green.
In 1998, Bill Parcells, the head coach at the time, made the decision to create a new uniform and logo. The previous logo simply read "JETS" with a green Jet wing connected with the "J." Alumni of the Super Bowl team felt the design change tampered with history. Parcells, who sought to form an identity for the team, changed the logo reverting to the 1967 logo, or rather, a modified version of the logo, since the oval was now more rounded at the ends and no longer resembled a football.For both the logo and uniforms, the kelly green of old had been abandoned in favor of a darker shade, essentially forest green. In addition, the facemask color became green.
In 2002, the team introduced an updated away uniform that consisted of white pants and a white jersey. Additionally, the team would also introduce an alternative away uniform completely green with white sleeves. In 2003, the team would once again introduce an alternative away jersey which featured a white jersey with green pants.
On October 14, 2007, the New York Jets celebrated their heritage with a special "Titans Throwback Day."The Jets wore the navy and gold uniforms, in honor of the Titans of New York (their previous incarnation) during their home game against the Philadelphia Eagles. They also honored the four original Titans, Don Maynard, Bill Mathis, Larry Grantham and Curley Johnson, who played as Jets in Super Bowl III. New York would wear the throwback uniforms once more in December when the team played the Miami Dolphins at Dolphins Stadium. The Jets went 1–1 in their throwbacks, dropping a 16-9 decision to the Eagles on October 14, 2007 only to defeat the Dolphins, 40-13, on December 2, 2007.
The throwback uniforms would make another appearance in 2008. Originally scheduled for the home opener against the Patriots, the throwback days were changed to the second and third home games, against the Arizona Cardinals and Cincinnati Bengals, respectively. Victories over the Cardinals (56-35) and Bengals (26–14) improved the Jets to 3–1 in Titan throwbacks. On October 26, 2008, the Jets would honor the 1968 championship team having the players wear a commemorative 40th anniversary Super Bowl III patch on their left chest.The team would also hold a halftime ceremony to honor many of the championship alumni.
In 2009, the Jets would introduce a modified version of the Titan's throwbacks, a white jersey with gold pants. The Jets would wear the white Titans uniforms against the Oakland Raiders on October 25, 2009 and then once again against the Dolphins on November 1, 2009. In addition the Jets would wear their blue Titans uniforms once against the Tennessee Titans, who would also wear their Oilers uniforms, on September 27, 2009. The Jets would also don their 50th anniversary patch for the entire season while wearing a commemorative AFL patch during the three weekends the team wore their Titans throwbacks.According to the team's official Twitter account, the Jets will not be wearing the Titans throwbacks in 2010.
Cheerleading squad
Jets Flight Crew
A flag crew was officially established in 2006 under the name of the Jets Flag Crew. In 2007, the Jets officially created a cheerleading squad named the Jets Flight Crew. In 2008, the Jets would partner with Marc Ecko, founder of Eckō, to design the Flight Crew uniforms. Since the Flight Crew's inception in 2007, auditions have been held annually in order to attain more members.
A first ever Jets Junior Flight Crew will be held for the 2010 season. The Junior Flight Crew is a program that offers children the opportunity to train with the Flight Crew while improving their "talent and abilities in a non-competitive environment."
Pro Football Hall of Famers and retired numbers
New York Jets Pro Football Hall of Famers & Retired Numbers
Number Name Positions Seasons Year elected Number Name Positions Seasons Year elected
12 Joe Namath QB 1965–1976 1985 13 Don Maynard WR 1960–1972 1987
44 John Riggins RB 1971–1975 1992 81 Art Monk WR 1994 2008
42 Ronnie Lott DB 1993–1994 2000 73 Joe Klecko DL 1977–1987 ----
Jacket Weeb Ewbank Coach 1963–1973 1978 -- Bulldog Turner Coach 1962 1966
Enshrined in Pro Football Hall of Fame
Uniform number officially retired by team
Ewbank, Maynard, and Namath are recognized based upon their achievements with the Jets, although Ewbank previously coached the Baltimore Colts to NFL championships in 1958 and 1959. Riggins is recognized primarily for his seasons with the Washington Redskins (1976–79, 81–85), as is Monk (1980–93), who won three Super Bowl championships with Washington. Lott is in the Hall of Fame primarily for his exploits as a member of the San Francisco 49ers.
Ring of Honor
The Jets announced the creation of a Ring of Honor on July 20, 2010, in order to celebrate memorable alumni in the team's new stadium.Each season players will be nominated by an internal committee and then inducted into the Ring. There is no required amount of players that need to be selected each year.
New York Jets Ring of Honor
Number Name Positions Seasons Year elected Number Name Positions Seasons Year elected
12 Joe Namath QB 1965–1976 2010 13 Don Maynard WR 1960–1972 2010
28 Curtis Martin RB 1998–2006 2010 75 Winston Hill T 1963–1976 2010
73 Joe Klecko DL 1977–1987 2010 -- Weeb Ewbank Coach 1963–1973 2010
American Football League All-Time Team
The following Titans/Jets were selected to the American Football League All-Time Team on January 14, 1970. The first and second teams were determined by a panel of members of the AFL's Hall of Fame Board of Selectors:
First Team
Joe Namath (QB) • Don Maynard (WR) • Gerry Philbin (DE) • Weeb Ewbank (Coach)
Second Team
Winston Hill (T) • Larry Grantham (LB) • Jim Turner (PK) • Art Powell (WR) • Bob Talamini (G)
All-Time Four Decade Team
New York announced their official All-Time Four Decade team in 2003 which, was determined by the fans:
Offense Defense
Joe Namath QB Mark Gastineau DE
Curtis Martin RB John Abraham DE
Matt Snell FB Marty Lyons NT
Don Maynard WR Joe Klecko NT
Al Toon WR Greg Buttle LB
Wesley Walker WR Kyle Clifton LB
Mickey Shuler TE Mo Lewis LB
Kevin Mawae C James Hasty CB
Jason Fabini T Aaron Glenn CB
Marvin Powell T Victor Green S
Winston Hill T Bill Baird S
Randy Rasmussen G
Jim Sweeney G
Special Teams
Bruce Harper (KR), Pat Leahy (PK), Chuck Ramsey (P)
All-Time first-round draft picks
List of New York Jets first-round draft picks
Coaches and staff
Defensive Coaches
Defensive Coordinator – Mike Pettine
Defensive Line – Mark Carrier
Senior Defensive Assistant/Linebackers – Bob Sutton
Outside Linebackers – Jeff Weeks
Defensive Backs – Dennis Thurman
Coaching Assistant, Assistant Defensive Backs – Jim O'Neil
Special Teams Coaches
Special Teams Coordinator – Mike Westhoff
Assistant Special Teams – Ben Kotwica
Strength and Conditioning
Head Strength and Conditioning – Vacant
Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Kyle Thorne
Coaching Assistant, Strength and Conditioning – Bryan Dermody
Radio and television
New York Jets broadcasters.
The Jets' flagship radio station is WEPN, 1050 ESPN, with "The Voice of the Jets," Bob Wischusen as the play-by-play announcer and former Jet Marty Lyons as the color analyst. Wischusen, who joined WABC in 1997, took over the play-by-play role in 2002 after Howard David left the organization earlier in the year. Lyons would join Wischusen the same year after the team began a re-evaluation of the broadcasting booth that would result in the surprising firing of Dave Jennings, "a smart and credible analyst," after fourteen years in the booth.
WABC, which served three separate stints as the Jets' radio flagship, simulcasted WEPN's coverage over its airwaves from 2002 until 2008.Jets radio broadcasts have also been carried over WCBS, which also served two stints as the Jets' flagship and last carried games over the air in 1992, and WFAN, which aired games from 1993 through 1999.
Any preseason games not nationally televised are shown on WCBS-TV. Ian Eagle, who was previously the radio voice of the Jets, calls the action on those telecasts. SportsNet New York, which serves as the home of the Jets, airs over 250 hours of "exclusive, in depth" material on the team in high definition.
Notable past play-by-play announcers for the Titans/Jets include the legends Howard Cosell, Bob Murphy, Merle Harmon, Marty Glickman and Howard David, who has called the Super Bowl and the NBA Finals for Westwood One and ESPN Radio.
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