Weeb Ewbank

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Weeb Ewbank
Position (s):
Head Coach
Jersey number (s):
-
born May 6, 1907 in Richmond , Indiana
died on November 17, 1998 in Oxford , Ohio
Career information
Active : 1949 - 1973
College : Miami University
Teams

Head coach

Career statistics
Victory: Defeat: Draw     130: 129: 7
Wins in percent     50.2
Games     266
Coaching stats at pro-football-reference.com
Career highlights and awards

as head coach

Pro Football Hall of Fame

Wilbur Charles "Weeb" Ewbank (* 6. May 1907 in Richmond , Indiana ; † 17th November 1998 in Oxford , Ohio ) was an American American football trainer in the National Football League (NFL).

Career before the NFL

Ewbank was born to Stella Dickerson and Charles Ewbank in Richmond and grew up in the city of his birth, where he also attended high school . After graduating from school, he studied at Miami University in Oxford. He played as a quarterback for the college football team there . After completing his studies, he was a trainer at various schools. In 1939 he worked as a basketball coach at his alma mater . In 1943 he did his military service in the United States Navy , where he was assistant coach to Paul Brown with a naval team . In 1947 and 1948 Ewbank was Head Coach at Washington University .

NFL career

Cleveland Browns

In 1946 Paul Brown took over the coaching position with the Cleveland Browns . In 1949 he brought Ewbank to Cleveland as an assistant coach . The Browns were one of the top teams in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) at the time. In the 1949 season, the Browns became champions. In the final, they beat the San Francisco 49ers 21-7. In the same year, the AAFC had to stop playing due to financial problems. The Browns were taken over into the NFL and had a supremacy there too. In 1950 they won the title again, this time in the NFL. In the NFL Championship Game they prevailed against the favored Los Angeles Rams with 30:28. By 1953, three more qualifications for the play-offs followed .

Johnny Unitas

Baltimore Colts

In 1954, the Baltimore Colts were looking for a coach and asked Paul Brown if he would consider his assistant coach Blanton Collier suitable. Brown referred to Ewbank and they signed a contract in Baltimore shortly afterwards . The Colts developed into a top team under his leadership. Ewbank not only managed to improve the team, he also had a feel for young talent and led them to top performances. In 1956, a young quarterback was looking for a new job after he had not been used by his previous employer, the Pittsburgh Steelers . Ewbank found a backup for quarterback George Shaw , made a phone call for 80 cents, and Johnny Unitas found a new job after borrowing the petrol money for the trip to Baltimore for the trial training. He went on to become one of the best playmakers in NFL history. In his first year in Baltimore, Unitas was able to take over the role of starting quarterback after the fourth day of the injured Shaw .

After the game rounds from 1954 to 1956 were still disappointing for the Colts - more games were lost than won, Ewbank was able to make 1957 a positive year for the first time. The Colts won more games than they lost for the first time in four years. In the 1958 season, Ewbank moved with his team after a season with nine wins in the NFL Championship Game and they were able to defeat the New York Giants 23:17 in the game . Unitas threw passes in this endgame for a space gain of 314 yards and thus clearly surpassed the performance of his counterpart Charlie Conerly . Nevertheless, the game between the two teams was a draw until the end. Only in overtime was Unitas able to make the decisive pass, which was caught a yard before the Giants' end zone . The game was the first football game to be decided in overtime. The Sporting News named the game the best football game ever played a day later. Because of its exciting gameplay and the fact that it could be watched by the general public on national television, that still applies to many football fans today.

In the 1959 season, the Colts moved back into the final. Again the Giants were the opponents and again they were beaten by the Colts. Unitas also performed well in this 31:16 win for the Colts. In the years 1960 to 1962 the Colts did not manage to move into the final, which the owner of the team took as an opportunity to dismiss Ewbank and replace it with Don Shula .

Joe Namath

New York Jets

In 1963, the New York Jets signed Ewbank as their new head coach . The Jets, which were based in the American Football League (AFL) founded in 1960 , were not among the league's successful teams. That shouldn't change for the time being, even under Ewbank. It was not until 1967 that Ewbank succeeded in winning more games than losing with his team for the first time. In 1965 the Jets had drafted a charismatic young quarterback in Joe Namath , who soon caused a sensation with his achievements, but also with his exalted behavior off the field. Namath had a good wide receiver in Don Maynard and Matt Snell, a good running back who could also catch passes. The young wide receiver George Sauer should also develop into a top player. In 1967 Ewbank was able to win eight out of twelve games. In 1968 he succeeded for the first time in the AFL championship game , where the Oakland Raiders were defeated 27:23. The Raiders quarterback Daryle Lamonica had a good day and scored 401 yards with passes, but Namath threw three touchdown passes and was able to decide the game. In the AFL-NFL Championship Game , which was later renamed Super Bowl III , the highly popular Baltimore Colts were the opponents. Namath "guaranteed" a victory for his team in public before the game and then kept his word. The Jets, which were excellently set up by Ewbank, won in one of them played almost flawlessly with 16: 7. George Sauer alone caught eight passes from Namath for a gain of 133 yards. Ewbank remained the coach of the Jets until 1973. However, he could no longer celebrate successes with his team.

Honors

Ewbank has been a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame since 1978 and was named NFL Coach of the Year in 1958 . He is a member of the Indiana Football Hall of Fame , the AFL All-Time Team, and the Miami University Athletic Hall of Fame. The New York Jets honor him on the Ring of Honor .

Off the field

Ewbank was married and had three children. He is buried in Oxford Cemetery in Oxford, Ohio.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Annual statistics of the Browns 1949
  2. AAFC endgame statistics 1949
  3. Annual statistics of the Browns 1950
  4. ^ Endgame statistics 1950
  5. Annual statistics of the Colts 1958
  6. ^ Endgame statistics 1958
  7. Annual statistics of the Colts 1959
  8. ↑ Endgame statistics 1959
  9. Annual statistics of the jets
  10. Annual statistics of the jets 1968
  11. ↑ Endgame statistics 1968
  12. Super Bowl III statistics
  13. Ewbank's tomb

Web links