1. In 1977, Michaels was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, the National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame and into the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame on Long Island in the Baseball Category with the Class of 1997.
16 Facts About Walt Michaels
1. 2.
Walt Michaels was born to a Polish family, son of a coal miner from Swoyersville, Pennsylvania.
3.
Walt Michaels was used primarily on special teams during his rookie season in Green Bay.
4.
In those 10 years, Walt Michaels helped the Browns play in five NFL Championship games, winning consecutive contests in 1954 and 1955.
5.
Walt Michaels would spend only one season there, with the success he enjoyed with the Browns nowhere to be found.
6.
Walt Michaels played as an emergency fill-in at linebacker in the opening game of the 1963 season versus Boston.
7.
In 1967, with the departure of JD Donaldson, Walt Michaels's responsibility shifted to linebackers and the secondary.
8.
Walt Michaels became the "unofficial" defensive coordinator, creating the team's defensive game plans.
9.
Walt Michaels immediately resigned and within two weeks later had signed to become the defensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles, working under former Browns' teammate Mike McCormack.
10.
On January 4,1977, Walt Michaels was officially selected as head coach of the Jets, beginning six seasons of wildly contrasting results.
11.
Walt Michaels never used Robinson again even after Richard Todd got injured.
12.
Walt Michaels dealt with a phone call at halftime that upset him to the point where he launched into a verbal attack onto who he thought did it: Raiders managing general partner Al Davis, although this was proven false.
13.
On February 10,1983, just 17 days after the loss to the Dolphins, Walt Michaels unexpectedly resigned, citing a need for a break from football.
14.
Walt Michaels had been under severe emotional strain during the last weeks of the 1982 regular season, taking time each week to visit his terminally ill mother in Pennsylvania.
15.
Reportedly, owner Leon Hess pressured Walt Michaels into resigning due to his tiring of Walt Michaels and his temper problem, which included an outburst on the flight out of Miami with team president Jim Kensil and a shoving match at La Guardia Airport with a bus driver; a meeting with Kensil after the Pro Bowl led to the push to resign.
16.
On December 21,1989, Walt Michaels was hired as coach of the Helsinki franchise in the new International League of American Football, a developmental league and the forerunner of the now defunct World League of American Football and NFL Europe.