Joe Gibbs: Bio, Christian Faith and Quotes

Joe Gibbs is a very notable name in football. NFL fans recall his prolific career as the coach of the Washington Redskins. He is more than just though, as his life and career speaks for itself. If you want to learn a little bit more about Joe Gibbs, along with reading some notable quotes, than you have come to the right place. Here is Joe Gibbs: Bio, Christian Faith, and Quotes.

Brief Biography

In High School, Joe Gibbs fame began. While playing football, he was his team’s star Quarterback, which comes as no surprise. His love for the game and his love of winning were clearly evident by all who played with him, and especially those who played against him. Before becoming the Head Coach of the Washington Redskins, however, he had his humble beginnings as an offensive line coach in college. From there, Gibbs was able to gain a reputation and experience which allowed him to start gaining more responsibilities. When he entered into the NFL, he was the offensive backfield coach for the St. Louis Cardinals (a lot has changed since then, huh?). From there, his next leap was obtaining a job as an offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and then moving onto the San Diego Chargers.

In 1981 his career finally took off flying after being hired as the Head Coach for the Washington Redskins. He would spend the next 11 years (until 1992, in case you didn’t want to do the math!) there. While there, he was able to win 4 NFC championship titles, along with three SuperBowl titles.

By 1992, Gibbs decided to hang up the proverbial cleats and retire, but only from Football. From there, he went on to own and create his own NASCAR team, which has had a handful of notable drivers and a fair amount of success. However, the football kept calling his name; by 2004, he returned as the Head Coach of the Washington Redskins. Although he only stayed for a few years and did not see the same type of success, his entire coaching record is 172-101, a very impressive record. Today, he is still heavily involved in his NASCAR team, along with being a special advisor for Dan Snyder, the owner of the Washington Redskins.

Christian Faith

Joe Gibbs was never shy about his Christian Faith. In fact, he was quite open about it, yet without being abrasive. In 2009, Gibbs even wrote a book that talks about his personal life with football, but most importantly his faith (www.gameplaneforlife.com). In 2008, he came out and extended his support to John McCain for the presidency, hoping that his ticket would bring about a spiritual awakening to the nation. Once again, he was not shy about revealing his Christian faith. Whenever and wherever he tells his story, he always strives to make Jesus Christ the center, not himself. You can watch a powerful I Am Second video in the following Youtube link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvV2B9MkKho).

Quotes

“I didn’t earn any of it”

In stating this, Gibbs is giving all credit to God, the one who made him. Despite his success as a football coach, to say that he didn’t earn any of it is quite amazing. In today’s culture, more often than not you will hear celebrities and athletes puff themselves up, often being arrogant—yet Gibbs is a humble man, giving credit to the one who truly deserves it.

“God was preparing me”

Have you ever looked back in your life and saw all the wonderful ways that God had prepared you for different situation in your life? Joe Gibbs did! It’s a great practice to incorporate as frequently as possible.

“People who enjoy what they are doing invariably do it well.”

What a truth this is! If you really want to do something well, make sure you are doing something that you actually enjoy. It is very difficult to succeed in something if you dread every second of it.

“The further you go in life, the more you realize what you're going to leave this Earth. It's not going to be, 'It was a great platform. It was great to win the Super Bowl,' but really and truly what you're going to leave on this Earth is the influence on others.”

This speaks powerfully by itself! Without a doubt, you can clearly see Gibbs’ Christian worldview at work here. Despite all his legendary success as a coach, his main priority is to influence people positively for the Lord.

Conclusion

Joe Gibbs is a fascinating man. Despite being a star athlete in High School, he recognized that he was not built to play in the professional arena, so he chose coaching. This has, in turn, given him great success but an even great platform to preach the gospel to a world that so desperately needs it.

Resources- Youtube, photo credit: Hans J E via photopin cc