Weeb Ewbank Win

Lore & Background

Raised in Indiana, Ewbank attended Miami University in Ohio, where he was a multi-sport star. 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. Ewbank was discharged in 1945 and coached college sports for three years before reuniting with Brown as an assistant with the Cleveland Browns.

The Browns won all four AAFC championships. Ewbank left the Browns after the 1953 season to become head coach of the Colts. He was fired three weeks after their final game of the 1962 season. He was soon picked up by the Jets.

The Jets won the AFL championship in 1968, and then went on to win Super Bowl III. Ewbank retired after the 1973 season and settled in Oxford, Ohio. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and died twenty years later in Oxford on November 17, 1998.

Reader's Guide

Ewbank was known as a mild-mannered coach who favored simple but well-executed strategies. He is the only coach to win a championship in both the National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL).

Did You Know?

• Ewbank's nickname 'Weeb' came from a younger brother who could not pronounce 'Wilbur' correctly.
• He played quarterback at Miami University and shared duties with Eddie Wohlwender on a squad that won the Ohio Athletic Conference championship in 1927.
• Ewbank coached the basketball team at Brown University in the 1946–47 season, his only season there.
• He guided Washington University in St. Louis to a 14–4 record in two seasons.