Head Coach
"The coal miner's son. Hard as ore on the outside, soft as a pillow down on the inside.
Michaels was passed over once for the Jets' head coaching job after 10 years as an assistant. He took his damaged pride to Philadelphia, where he was an assistant for three years. He returned to New York in 1976 under Lou Holtz, then received his first head coaching job when Holtz took his pipe rack and college ways to the University of Arkansas.
The last football star to come out of Washington & Lee, where he majored in psychology, Michaels was drafted seventh by the Browns in '51 and became a standout linebacker until his retirement after the '61 season. His brother Lou was an NFL kicker for years and was there when Joe Namath guaranteed that the Jets would beat Lou's Colts in the Super Bowl.
Walt, 47, is building for the future- if Jets' management is patient."
-Dave Newhouse, The Complete Handbook of Pro Football (1978 Edition)
"Our improvement should come from plain experience. The hustle and energy were there last year, but this year we need to channel those things in the right direction. We are starting to develop players at key positions. Eventually, we'll get to the point where we can suddenly rise off the floor."
-Walt Michaels, from News, Quotes & Comments (Football Digest, October 1978)
