A WINNING DRIVE First-time head coach positioned to return Dolphins to NFL’s elite
AT THE HELM
of a storied NFL franchise that has not seen a Lombardi Trophy since its unmatched perfect season in 1972, Head Coach Joe Philbin ’84 is positioned to usher in a new era for the Miami Dolphins, returning the aqua and orange to the NFL’s elite.
of developing people,” said Philbin, who often compares coaching to teaching. “The average teacher just tells a student what to do, the good teacher explains it and the really good teacher demonstrates it,” he said. “But the great teachers inspire their students to higher levels of learning and accomplishment.”
The stakes are high for Philbin who, as the former offensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers, has an opportunity to make his mark as a first-time head coach in the league. After helping lead the Packers to a Super Bowl championship two seasons ago, he recognizes the tremendous amount of work that goes into becoming a title contender.
Finding his way
“All 32 teams start out with the same goal,” Philbin said. “When you’re able to go from the first practice in training camp and ultimately culminate in a Super Bowl championship, it helps you create a vision for what it takes to get there and gives you an idea of some of the roadblocks that occur along the way.” While the new head coach is confident that a Super Bowl victory is in the Dolphins’ future, bringing the Lombardi Trophy back to Miami is not his only ambition. “Everyone coaches for different reasons and everyone has different motivations, but we’re really in the business 12
SUMMER 2012 MAGAZINE
It is a philosophy that the former sociology major picked up in the classrooms of Washington & Jefferson College, where he was influenced by faculty members who “really cared about their students.” “W&J had a small-classroom atmosphere where the professors got to know you as individuals,” Philbin said. “They weren’t afraid to push you and challenge you, but they were always very helpful and offered good insight.” One of those professors, Nicholas Cavoti, Ph.D., remembers Philbin as a student who showed “great intellectual curiosity,” often staying after class to discuss the material presented that day. When Philbin told his professor that he planned to pursue a career in coaching, Cavoti said he tried his best to dissuade him. “I pointed out that football probably did not provide much promise as a potential career,” the psychology
professor recalled in between laughs. “Joe politely took my advice and promptly ignored it—much to his credit.” Coaching was not always Philbin’s intended profession. The football and baseball player from Worcester Academy in Massachusetts, where Philbin completed a post-graduate year after high school, came to W&J with an interest in law. However, he decided to hone his focus on sociology because of its application to a wide range of careers, including coaching. “I think that’s one of the great things about W&J—you don’t have to necessarily have your whole life mapped out when you go there,” he said. “There are enough good classes and good professors that will get you going in the right direction, wherever that might be.”
Laying the groundwork Philbin quickly found his stride on the W&J football field; however, an injury suffered during the tight end’s sophomore year prompted Head Coach John Luckhardt to offer him a volunteer position on the Presidents’ coaching staff. “He coached my receivers and took on the opportunity as though he was a full-time assistant,” said Luckhardt, who was particularly impressed with Philbin’s knack for recruiting. In