Joe Walton Has Died: FROM THE SPORTS DEPARTMENT: Joe Walton, the former New York Jets coach who built Robert Morris University’s football program from the ground up, has died. He was 85. Robert Morris announced in an obituary posted on its website that Walton died Sunday. No cause of death was provided. Walton coached the Jets for seven years and went 53-57-1 while leading New York to the playoffs twice. A former NFL tight end for Washington and the Giants, Walton caught 178 passes for 2,628 yards and 28 touchdowns in seven seasons. The longtime NFL assistant was hired by Robert Morris in 1993 and 114-92-1 in 20 seasons. Photo courtesy of the Associated Press: FILE – in this Dec. 31, 1986 file photo, New York Jets coach Joe Walton smokes a cigar during an interview at Hofstra University in West Hempstead, N.Y. Walton, the former New York Jets coach who built Robert Morris University’s football program from the ground up, died Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. He was 85.
No cause of death confirmed yet, as no health issues or other causes of death have been learned to be associated with the passing.
This death has caused a lot of friends and family of Walton so much hurt. It is in that mourning spirit that the concerned persons have taken to social media to share tributes to the deceased and condolences to the affected family.
Tributes To Joe Walton
Across social media users’ timelines are statements that show respect, admiration, and gratitude towards Walton as people mourn the passing.
REMEMBERING THE LIFE AND CAREER OF FORMER JETS HEAD COACH JOE WALTON…
Former New York Jets head coach Joe Walton has passed away at the age of 85-years old. Even though Walton’s football career as a player, scout, and coach spanned seven decades in college and the pros with many different teams, in my memories, I will always see and think of him as the head coach of the Jets.
To paraphrase an old saying out there, “The saddest part of life is when the people who give you memories, become a memory.” That particular quote holds more resonance when it pertains to people you know personally. And while I never interacted with or knew Walton, he will always be part of a significant football memory in my life. On December 20th, 1987, I attended my first NFL game. Yes, even though I am a die-hard Raiders fan for over 30 years, my first and only (I haven’t been to an NFL game since) NFL game was the New York Jets versus the Philadelphia Eagles at Shea Stadium. The Jets lost the game, 38-27, the Jets record fell to 6-7. All I can remember as a 10-year old was that it was absolutely freezing outside. My Grandfather was a Jets fan, and we took in a game at Shea with my mother and two of my uncles. There was a very big blanket or two and a lot of hot chocolate. Now before I further reminisce about a nice family memory, this post is paying homage to Joe Walton, and on that day it was Walton walking the sidelines for Gang Green. Despite my loyalty to the Silver and Black, one fact is undeniable, the first coach I ever saw in a live game was Joe Walton. I am sure that many others reading this post could have had a very similar experience as Coach Walton patrolled the Jets sidelines for seven years. I am sure that a lot of memories for Jets fans provided plenty of heartaches, but Walton will always be the coach of the green and white.
The Jets in the early-to-mid-’80’s were an exciting team to watch. Like most coaches in the big city, Walton, who received a lot of heat for the team coming up short, was always a lightning rod for the media and fans. Sometimes the heat came from his own players. But those Jets teams back then were fun to watch. Thanks to Walton’s offensive innovations and some all-time greats like Freeman McNeil, Al Toon, Wesley Walker, Mickey Schuler, and Ken O’Brien, the Jets had an explosive team. And Gang Green’s ‘Sack Exchange’ was out of this world with Joe Klecko, Mark Gastineau, Marty Lyons, and Abdul Salaam. The franchise had a personality, and it matched their coach. If you were casting a Hollywood movie today about a pro football team and its head coach in the ’80’s, the Jets and Walton in that era would be the template to base it on. The team was unique and filled with characters. As offensive coordinator for two years and then head coach for seven seasons, Walton’s run with the Jets from 1981-1989 was filled with drama, excitement, and heartbreak, a familiar feeling for long-time Jets fans. And although his overall regular-season record was just 53-57-1 as Jets coach, as time has passed on, many fans look back on those teams more fondly now than they did back then. For many fans my age, their fandom for the green and white started with those Jets teams. For me, it was November 30th of 1987, that Bo Jackson ran over Brian Bosworth for a 91-yard touchdown on Monday Night Football in Seattle. It was the Auburn legend’s 25th birthday on that night as he finished with 221 rushing yards and three touchdowns for the Los Angeles Raiders as they defeated the Seattle Seahawks, 37-14. Sorry, I got sidetracked again. Back to Coach Walton.
The Jets’ were relevant and a genuine contender during parts of Walton’s run on top. The Jets fans that I knew back then, specifically my Grandfather and Uncle Ed, really enjoyed watching those Jet teams. Longtime Jets fans remember, or would rather forget, the four-hour 1986 Divisional Round double-overtime playoff loss to the Cleveland Browns dubbed the “Marathon by The Lake.” The game took place on January 3rd of 1987, but it certainly wasn’t a happy new year for Jets fans back then. The Jets were up 20-10 with 4:14 left in the game, just minutes away from the AFC Championship Game. The play that lives in infamy in Jets lore is an inexcusable roughing the passer penalty on Mark Gastineau. Thanks to the dubious call, the Browns used it as a catalyst to rally and tie the game with seven seconds left and then would win in double overtime 23-20. The result was exhilarating for Brown’s supporters, but it was traumatic for Jets fans. Joe Walton and the Jets never really recovered from that loss. The team was good enough that year to get to a Super Bowl and face the New York Giants, but it wasn’t to be. In 1988, it looked like Walton, and the Jets were going to turn things around. The team went with a youth movement, going 8-7-1 by knocking the Giants out of the playoffs on the final day of the regular season. But the following year, the team went 4-12, which led to Walton’s departure and a new era for the franchise. Under Walton, the Jets were a legitimate contender in the 1985 and 1986 seasons. Walton was a big part of that. In many ways, there are some similarities between those two Jets teams and the Rex Ryan-led Jets teams in 2009 and 2010. For those brief times in history, the Jets were ever so close to reaching the mountain top, and it was a fun ride seeing them try to get there.
Joe Walton was a football lifer. It was in his bloodline. The son of former Washington guard, Frank Walton, followed in his dad’s footsteps and became a star player in his hometown before starring as an All-American and team captain at the University of Pittsburgh at tight end, and then eventually was drafted by Washington in the second round of the 1957 NFL Draft. The Beaver Falls native who shared the same birthplace as Jets icon Joe Namath played eight seasons in the NFL, recording 178 receptions for 2,628 yards and 28 touchdowns in his time with Washington and the Giants. After his playing career was over, Walton transitioned into scouting for the Giants but quickly rose into the coaching ranks. First under the legendary George Allen as a running backs coach and then as offensive coordinator for Washington before making his way to the Jets. With Washington, Walton’s disciple, quarterback Joe Theismann, credited his former coach with helping him develop into a Pro Bowl player.
After his nine-year run with New York, which saw the team make the playoffs on four separate occasions, Walton would finish his NFL career working under the legendary Chuck Noll with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Perhaps his biggest and best contribution to football came after moving on from the NFL. In the twilight of his lengthy football career, back in Pittsburgh, Joe Walton helped build the Robert Morris University football program from scratch in 1993. “The architect of RMU football” was the Colonials’ first head coach and led the program to a 115-92 record for two decades from 1993-2013, winning back-to-back NCAA I-AA non-scholarship national championships in 1999 and 2000. The coach, who many football greats considered to be ahead of his time and an offensive architect by NFL legends like Y.A. Tittle and Pat Summerall, built an entire football university from the ground up. The very stadium he coached in is named after him. That is quite a legacy to leave behind. Jets great Marty Lyons said of Joe Walton’s passing, “Joe Walton made his mark in life.” He certainly did. Thanks for the memories, Coach Walton. Rest In Peace. Float on. This Raiders fan respects Joe Walton and his contribution to the gridiron.
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