NY Jets great and Super Bowl III winner Gerry Philbin passes away at 83

The NY Jets and their fanbase suffered a huge loss on Wednesday afternoon, as one of the greatest players in franchise history and a member of the team's lone Super Bowl run in Gerry Philbin has passed away. Philbin, a Ring of Honor inductee, was 83 years old.

Philbin is in the Jets' Ring of Honor for his tremendous career between 1964 and 1972. Philbin was perhaps the premier Jets defensive player of their first few decades of existence, recording 48.5 sacks in a 55-game span at one point.

Philbin's two finest seasons with the Jets came back-to-back in 1968 and 1969, when he was named a Pro Bowler and All-AFL while amassing 26 sacks. Philbin was maybe the finest individual defensive player on a team that held a mighty Baltimore Colts offense to just seven points in Super Bowl III.

Former Jets pass rush great Gerry Philbin passes away at 83

While sacks were not an official stat until 1982, Philbin has been retroactively credited with 66.5 quarterback takedowns in his 10 seasons with the Jets and Philadelphia Eagles. Keep in mind that these numbers came in an era where teams played 14 games and threw the ball much less than they do now.

Philbin's 14 sacks led the AFL in 1968, and he was a deserving member of the league's All-Time team after he retired. While the star power of Joe Namath hovering over the franchise overshadowed his contributions, Philbin's pass rushing was an invaluable tool for New York.

To this day, Philbin's unofficial sack tally would rank fourth in Jets history. Only Mark Gastineau, Hall of Famer Joe Klecko, and Shaun Ellis can claim to match or exceed Philbin in terms of pass rush prowess.

Philbin may not have the resume for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but he remains one of the best defensive linemen the Jets have ever played host to. He was more than deserving of a Ring of Honor induction, and no fans should be upset if the team eventually retires his No. 81.