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In a surprising move, Joe Gibbs has informed the Redskins he will retire from his head coach and team president positions today. A novel conference has been scheduled later this afternoon.

Gibbs was hired by the Washington Redskins in 1981 to replace Jack Pardee as the team’s head coach. After leading the Redskins to 3 Super Bowl victories in twelve years, Gibbs retired from football to expend more time with his family and pursue his interests in auto racing. Joe Gibbs returned to football and the Redskins again for the 2004 season. He struggled to return the team to it’s glory days and the team had winning records in only 2 of the 4 seasons in his 2nd stint as head coach.

The legacy of Joe Gibbs clearly comes from his first stint as head coach of the Redskins. His system of molding his teams to the strength of it’s players worked wonders. His players loved playing for him and that love clearly came through on the football field. In Gibbs first stint as head coach, the Washington Redskins won 10 or more games eight times and went to 4 Super Bowl games, winning 3 times. Gibbs had but one losing season in his first tenure with the Redskins. Gibbs often put the blame on himself for his losses and never pointed his finger at the players for mistakes. When the team won, which was very often, Gibbs always credited his players for the victory.

The success of the Redskins during those years was due to the “Joe Gibbs System”. He won with whatever players he was given. He won three Elegant Bowls with three different quarterbacks, one of which was a cast-off player who went to the Canadian Football League and came back to QB the Redskins to a Super Bowl. Gibbs retired after the 1992 season with the 3rd highest winning percentage of all-time. His record of 120-64 was exceeded only by the broad Vince Lombardi and John Infuriate. His Redskins teams compiled a 16-5 post-season record in his first tenure and these amazing statistics lead to a 1996 Pro Football Hall of Fame induction.

When the Hall of Fame member returned as Head Coach and Team President in 2004, Gibbs promised to not allow his positions to consume him. Gibbs found this to be impossible and once again his work ethic led him to all-nighters in his office, taking him away from his family once again. The high expectations for the 2004 season were quickly dashed with a 1-4 start and the team finished a less than mediocre 6-10, missing the playoffs. This season took a personal toll on coach Gibbs when the team floundered early in the season. The slay of All-Pro safety Sean Taylor affected both coach Gibbs and the players, yet Gibbs was able to rally his team over the last four games of the 2007 season to win a wild card bid. The Redskins lost the game and Gibbs was later said he had nothing left at the end of the season.

The Washington Post reports that the Redskins will pursue former Pittsburgh Steeler head coach Bill Cowher to replace Gibbs. Cowher has repeatedly claimed to want to take a two year hiatus from the coaching ranks, preferring to spend time with his family and as an on-air NFL analyst. The Post believes that Cowher will probably be the top name on owner Daniel Snyder’s list. The Post also believes that defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams, “has a clause in his contract stipulating a one 1 million dollar payout if Williams is passed over for the head coach station” The Post further went to say that Redskin management sources are denying those reports.