New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The Jets play their home games at MetLife Stadium (which they share with the New York Giants) in East Rutherford, New Jersey, 5 miles (8.0 km) west of New York City. The team is headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey. The franchise is legally organized as a limited liability company under the name New York Jets, LLC.[6]
New York Jets
Woody Johnson
Woody Johnson
Hymie Elhai
The team was founded in 1959 as the Titans of New York, an original member of the American Football League (AFL); later, the franchise joined the NFL in the AFL–NFL merger in 1970. The team began play in 1960 at the Polo Grounds. Under new ownership, the current name was adopted in 1963 and the franchise moved to Shea Stadium in 1964 and then to the Meadowlands Sports Complex in 1984. The Jets advanced to the playoffs for the first time in 1968 and went on to compete in Super Bowl III where they defeated the Baltimore Colts, becoming the first AFL team to defeat an NFL club in an AFL–NFL World Championship Game.[7] Since joining the NFL in 1970 as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) the Jets have won the AFC Eastern Division twice, in 1998 and 2002; appeared in the playoffs 12 times, and in the AFC Championship Game four times, most recently losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2010.[8] However, the Jets have never returned to the Super Bowl, making them one of two NFL teams to win their lone Super Bowl appearance along with the New Orleans Saints, and one of five teams (along with the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans) never to win a conference championship since the AFL–NFL merger in 1970. The franchise currently holds the longest active playoff drought in the NFL and in all "Big 4" North American sports leagues, having not qualified for the playoffs since the 2010 season.[9] The Jets also have the longest championship drought among New York's major professional sports franchises, having eclipsed the New York Rangers' 54-year drought (from 1940 to 1994) in 2023.
The team's training facility, Atlantic Health Jets Training Center,[10] which opened in 2008, is located in Florham Park.[11]
Ownership[edit]
Harry Wismer[edit]
Harry Wismer, a businessman, had been interested in sports for much of his life when he was granted a charter franchise in the American Football League.[30] Wismer was a three-sport letterman in high school, and went on to play football for the University of Florida and Michigan State University before a knee injury ended his playing career.[30] Undeterred, Wismer began his career as a broadcaster with Michigan State and became a pioneer of the industry. Later, as the Titans owner, Wismer formulated a league-wide policy which allowed broadcasting rights to be shared equally among the teams.[30]
Wismer, who had previously had a 25% stake in the Washington Redskins, was interested in the American Football League and was given a franchise to develop in New York. Wismer, whose philosophy was who you knew mattered most, tried to make the team and the league a success.[30] His efforts began to accrue debt as the Titans' first two seasons were mediocre with attendance dropping in the team's second year.[30] The franchise was sold for $1 million to a five-man syndicate headed by Sonny Werblin of the Gotham Football Club, Inc., in February 1963.[30]
Sonny Werblin syndicate[edit]
Sonny Werblin graduated from Rutgers University and was employed by the Music Corporation of America, eventually becoming president of the company's television division.[31] With a vast knowledge of media, Werblin was determined to put the spotlight on the team.[31] His first order of business, after changing the team's name and jerseys, was to sign Joe Namath to an unprecedented contract.[31] Werblin's gamble would later pay off as Namath, who became a public star, led the Jets on to victory in Super Bowl III, though by then Werblin had sold his stake in the team.[31]
Werblin's partners, Townsend B. Martin, Leon Hess, Donald C. Lillis, and Philip H. Iselin, had a falling out with Werblin over the way the team was run—though the franchise had begun to make a profit, Werblin was making all the policies and decisions himself with little or no input from his partners, much to their dismay.[32] Though Werblin initially resisted their ultimatum to dissolve the partnership,[32] Werblin agreed to be bought out in 1968.[31] Werblin remained involved in the sports community and became the first chairman and CEO of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority where he helped to create the Meadowlands Sports Complex, including Giants Stadium.[31]
Leon Hess[edit]
Leon Hess became well known for his Hess Corporation gas stations; however, he also played an instrumental part in the development of the Jets during his tenure as co-owner and eventual sole owner. Hess had often fought for improvements while the team was a tenant at Shea Stadium but generally stayed away from football operations, allowing his coaches and general manager to make football-related decisions.[33]
Becoming the team's majority stockholder in 1973, Hess bought Philip H. Iselin's share upon his death in 1976 after which only two of Hess' partners remained, Townsend Martin and Helen Dillon, who had inherited the stake from her father Donald Lillis, upon his death.[34] Hess began to buy out the remaining partners in 1981 when he bought Martin's 25% stake for $5 million.[35] Hess bought Dillon's stake three years later for another $5 million, acquiring sole control of the team.[35]
Hess had a passion for his team and took losses hard.[33] In 1995, following a mediocre 6–10 season under Pete Carroll, despite generally shying away from football operations, Hess announced "I'm 80 years old, I want results now" during a conference in which Rich Kotite was introduced as the team's new coach.[33] After two unsuccessful years with Kotite, Hess heavily involved himself in hiring Bill Parcells in hopes to see his team again reach the Super Bowl. He did not live to see his dream realized, dying on May 7, 1999.[33]
