Joe Walton

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For other people named Joe Walton, see Joe Walton (disambiguation).
Joe Walton
refer to caption
Walton in 1956 at the University of Pittsburgh.
No. 81, 80
Position: End, defensive end
Personal information
Date of birth: (1935-12-15) December 15, 1935 (age 89)
Place of birth: Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania
Career information
High school: Beaver Falls (PA)
College: Pittsburgh
NFL draft: 1957 / Round: 2 / Pick: 14
Career history
As player:
As coach:
Career highlights and awards
Unanimous first-team All-American (1956)
Academic All-American (1956)
Career NFL statistics
Receiving yards: 2,628
Average: 14.8
Touchdowns: 28
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Joseph Frank Walton (born December 15, 1935) is a former American football player and coach who most recently served as the head football coach at Robert Morris University. Walton played eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and served as head coach of the New York Jets for seven seasons. He has also served as an assistant coach for the New York Giants, the Washington Redskins, the New York Jets and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Early life and playing career

Walton was born in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania in 1935, the son of former Washington Redskins guard Frank "Tiger" Walton. Walton attended the University of Pittsburgh on a football scholarship. While there, Walton helped lead the Pittsburgh Panthers to the 1956 Sugar Bowl following the 1955 season and then to the 1956 Gator Bowl in his senior season. In 1955, his junior year Walton was selected an All-American. In 1956 he was named the co-captain of Pitt's team, was a unanimous selection as a first-team All-American and was named the Academic All-American team. Walton was selected in the second round (14th overall pick) of the 1957 NFL Draft by the Redskins and played there from 1957 to 1960. In July 1961, he was involved in a three-team trade with the Redskins, Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants. The Giants received Walton and end Jim Podoley from the Redskins, the Redskins received Fred Dugan from the Cowboys and placekicker John Aveni, end Jerry Daniels, and defensive halfback Dave Whitsell from the Giants, and the Cowboys received placekicker Allen Green and a sixth round for the 1962 NFL Draft from the Giants that the team later used to draft George Andrie.[1] [2] Walton played for the Giants from 1961 to 1963.

Coaching career

NFL

Walton began his NFL coaching career as a scout for the New York Giants (1965–68), then transitioned to wide receivers coach (1969–73) before moving on to the Redskins as running backs coach (1974–77) and offensive coordinator from 1978 to 1980. Walton moved to the New York Jets and served as offensive coordinator there for the 1981 and 1982 seasons. Walton served as the head coach of the New York Jets from 1983 to 1989 and his teams achieved a 53–57–1 record. He served as the offensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1990 to 1991 under head coach Chuck Noll.

[3] Walton’s NFL protégés include Rich Kotite, Bud Carson, Joe Theismann, Fran Tarkenton, Norm Snead, Ken O’Brien and Richard Todd.

College

On July 27, 1993, Walton was named the head coach of the newly formed Robert Morris University football team. Walton created the team from scratch and turned the Colonials into an instant powerhouse. His teams won six Northeast Conference championships and two NCAA I-AA Mid-Major National Championships. Walton was included on the ballot of the 2004 College Football Hall of Fame.

An institution at Robert Morris and a legend in the Northeast Conference, Walton recently retired following a 47-year football coaching career in the college and professional ranks.

The only head coach in Robert Morris history, Walton was hired in 1993 to build the program from scratch. After posting 13 wins as an independent his first two years at the helm, Walton led the Colonials into NEC football in 1996 by winning the first of five consecutive conference championships. During the five-year run, Robert Morris posted a 39-13 overall record and 26-2 mark in league play, and recorded the only undefeated season in school history with a 10-0 mark in the 2000 campaign. The Colonials won back-to-back ECAC Bowls in 1996 and 1997, and were crowned NCAA I-AA non-scholarship national champions in both 1999 and 2000.

Under Walton, the Colonials would go on to win a sixth NEC title in 2010 and earn the first-ever FCS playoff bid for the conference.

The winningest coach in NEC history, Walton retired with 114 career victories and a 74-47 record against conference opponents during his 20-year run. He was recognized four times as NEC Coach of the Year (1996, 1997, 1999 and 2010), and was an Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year candidate in 2010.

Three of his players at Robert Morris reached the NFL. Running back Tim Hall played two years for the Oakland Raiders in 1996-97 and defensive back Robb Butler played with the San Diego Chargers in 2004. Offensive lineman Hank Fraley, a member of the NEC’s first Hall of Fame induction class in 2010, spent 10 years in the NFL from 2000-10 with the Philadelphia Eagles, Cleveland Browns and St. Louis Rams.

Walton is one of a select few coaches to win 50 games as both an NFL and collegiate head coach.

In 2005, Robert Morris University opened Joe Walton Stadium, the new home to the RMU Colonials. His contract to remain the head coach at Robert Morris runs through 2013.[4] In January 2012, Walton announced that he would retire at the end of the 2013 season, which will mark his 20th at Robert Morris. Assistant head coach and former Steelers defensive lineman John Banaszak is expected to replace him upon his retirement.[5]

Personal life and honors

After returning to the Pittsburgh area in 1990 to coach for the Steelers, Walton moved back to his hometown Beaver Falls with his late wife, Ginger, who died in September 2007 after 47 years of marriage. They have two daughters, Jodi and Stacy, and one son, Joe and six grandchildren.

Walton currently lives in Beaver Falls with his wife Patty Sheehan Walton, whom he married December 10, 2011.

Since retiring from coaching, Walton was inducted into the RMU Athletic Hall of Frame in November 2013. He was named to the Northeast Conference 2013-14 Hall of Fame class and was the 2014 Recipient of the Bob Prince Award presented to him by Steeler Owner Dan Rooney at the Art Rooney Award Dinner in Pittsburgh in April 2014. He is currently serving as a special assistant to the director of athletics at Robert Morris University. [6]

Head coaching record

NFL

Team Year Regular Season Post Season
Won Lost Ties Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
NYJ 1983 7 9 0 .438 5th in AFC East - - -
NYJ 1984 7 9 0 .438 3rd in AFC East - - -
NYJ 1985 11 5 0 .688 2nd in AFC East 0 1 .000 Lost to the New England Patriots in AFC Wild-card Game
NYJ 1986 10 6 0 .625 2nd in AFC East 1 1 .500 Lost to the Cleveland Browns in AFC Divisional Game
NYJ 1987 6 9 0 .400 5th in AFC East - - -
NYJ 1988 8 7 1 .533 4th in AFC East - - -
NYJ 1989 4 12 0 .250 5th in AFC East - - -
NYJ Total 53 57 1 .482 1 2 .333
Total 53 57 1 .482 1 2 .333

References

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External links

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