His family announced on social media that he passed at the age of 83. R.I.P. to a great Jet who helped win our only super bowl.
I remember going to Hofstra as a young guy even though there was little fan involvement at the time - Philbin always was very friendly with whoever showed up. Twenty years or so ago I used to run into him in the summer at a local waterside spot where he was often with his neighbor who was a man I did business with. He was always very pleasant and kind of funny to be with. The first time I met him I was surprised at how much smaller he seemed than the NFL end I had first seen at Hofstra. He also had an almost life sized Leroy Nieman painting of himself in his home nearby. He did a great job as a Jet and will be missed.
He and Larry Grantham are the two members of the Super Bowl III team who deserve to be in the Hall of Fame, but never made it (along with Namath, Maynard, Hill, and Ewbank, who are in the HoF). He was undersized even for the times, relying on quickness (and a killer spin move) to get his sacks. RIP.
There are still a bunch of players from that team who are still alive, including important starters like Matt Snell, Emerson Boozer, Ralph Baker, John Schmitt, Al Atkinson, and Randy Beverly, but of course JWN is the face of that team.
