Joe Gibbs Net Worth

What is Joe Gibbs's Net Worth?

Joe Gibbs is an auto racing team owner and former football coach who has a net worth of $100 million. Joe Gibbs is best known for his extraordinary success with the Washington Redskins and later as the founder of Joe Gibbs Racing, one of NASCAR's most dominant teams. Widely regarded as one of the greatest coaches in NFL history, Gibbs built his reputation on adaptability, leadership, and an innovative offensive mind that thrived across eras.

After beginning his career as an assistant coach at San Diego State under Don Coryell, Gibbs worked for several NFL teams before being named head coach of the Washington Redskins in 1981. Despite a rocky 0–5 start, he quickly turned the franchise into a powerhouse. Over 12 seasons, Gibbs led Washington to four Super Bowl appearances and three championships (in 1982, 1987, and 1991), remarkably winning each with a different starting quarterback—Joe Theismann, Doug Williams, and Mark Rypien. His teams were known for their "Hogs" offensive line, power running game, and creative passing schemes that defined 1980s football. Gibbs retired after the 1992 season with a 154–94 regular-season record and a reputation as one of the sport's great motivators and tacticians.

In 1992, Gibbs shifted his focus to motorsports, founding Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), which grew into a NASCAR juggernaut. Under his leadership, JGR won multiple Cup Series championships with drivers like Bobby Labonte, Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, and Denny Hamlin. Gibbs briefly returned to the Redskins in 2004, guiding the team to two playoff appearances before retiring for good in 2007.

Across two elite careers, Gibbs became the rare figure to reach the top of both professional football and auto racing. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996 and the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2020, cementing his place as one of the most accomplished sports figures of all time.

Early Life and Education

Joe Jackson Gibbs was born on November 25, 1940, in Mocksville, North Carolina, to Jackson and Winnie Gibbs. He grew up with his younger brother, Pat, in a modest household that emphasized hard work and faith—values that would later define his coaching philosophy. When Joe was still a boy, the family moved to Santa Fe Springs, California, where he attended Santa Fe High School and graduated in 1959. Gibbs was an avid athlete who played quarterback and defensive back but was more admired for his discipline and leadership than raw athleticism.

After high school, he attended Cerritos College, a junior college in Norwalk, California, before transferring to San Diego State University. Under the guidance of innovative offensive coach Don Coryell, Gibbs developed a fascination with football strategy that would shape his coaching career. He earned both bachelor's and master's degrees from San Diego State, where he also began laying the foundation for the high-powered offenses he would later unleash in the NFL.

Football Coaching Career, 1964–1980

Gibbs began coaching in 1964 as an offensive line coach at San Diego State, working under Don Coryell. After two seasons, he moved through a series of college programs—Florida State, USC, and Arkansas—earning a reputation as a meticulous strategist with a knack for developing offensive schemes. At Arkansas, he served as running backs coach and worked with future NFL talents like Ron Calcagni and Ben Cowins.

His success at the college level led to an NFL opportunity in 1973 with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he coached running backs and helped refine an explosive offense built around Terry Metcalf. He later spent a year as offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before reuniting with Coryell in San Diego as the Chargers' offensive coordinator. Together, the pair revolutionized modern football with the "Air Coryell" system—a vertical passing attack that set numerous league records behind quarterback Dan Fouts. Gibbs's creativity and ability to tailor game plans to his personnel made him one of the most respected offensive minds in the league, setting the stage for his first head coaching job.

Washington Redskins

In 1981, after 17 years as an assistant, Gibbs was hired as head coach of the Washington Redskins. His first season began disastrously with an 0–5 start, but Gibbs turned the team around by simplifying the offense and emphasizing the power running game that would become his hallmark. The next year, the Redskins won the NFC Championship and captured the franchise's first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XVII, defeating the Miami Dolphins.

Gibbs led Washington to four Super Bowl appearances and three championships (1982, 1987, 1991), each with a different starting quarterback—Joe Theismann, Doug Williams, and Mark Rypien—an unmatched achievement in NFL history. His teams were built around the legendary "Hogs" offensive line, punishing ground attacks, and creative passing formations that kept defenses guessing. He was twice named NFL Coach of the Year and finished his first tenure with a 124–60 regular-season record.

Retirement & $28 Million Return

After retiring in 1993 to focus on family and new business ventures, Gibbs was repeatedly courted by NFL owners to return to coaching. He finally did so in 2004, signing a five-year, $28.5 million deal to return to Washington. Though the league had changed dramatically, Gibbs adapted again, implementing shotgun formations and leading the team to two playoff appearances (2005 and 2007) before retiring for good in January 2008. He left football as one of only a handful of coaches with three or more Super Bowl victories and a reputation for discipline, humility, and faith-based leadership.

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Joe Gibbs Racing

Even before his first retirement from football, Gibbs had been quietly building a new empire in motorsports. In 1992, he founded Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), which quickly became one of NASCAR's premier teams. Working alongside his son J.D. Gibbs, he launched the team with sponsorship from Interstate Batteries and fielded its first car in the 1992 Daytona 500. Under Gibbs's leadership, JGR claimed its first NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2000 with Bobby Labonte, followed by additional titles with Tony Stewart in 2002 and 2005.

In 2008, the team switched from General Motors to Toyota, a controversial move that paid off handsomely. With drivers like Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and Martin Truex Jr., JGR captured more championships in 2015 and 2019 and became one of the sport's most consistently successful organizations. The team also excelled in the Xfinity Series, winning championships in 2016, 2021, and 2022.

Beyond NASCAR, Gibbs expanded into drag racing with the NHRA from 1995 to 2000, winning two Winston Pro Stock titles, and later launched JGRMX, a motocross and supercross team managed by his son Coy until Coy's passing in 2022. Despite personal losses, Gibbs's racing organization remains a dominant force, respected for its professionalism, faith-driven culture, and competitive success.

Personal Life

Joe Gibbs and his wife, Patricia, have shared a lifelong partnership rooted in faith and family. They live in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area, close to the headquarters of Joe Gibbs Racing. The couple had two sons, J.D. and Coy, both of whom followed their father into the family business. Tragically, J.D. passed away in 2019 after battling a neurological condition, and Coy died unexpectedly in 2022. Gibbs has eight grandchildren, including Ty and Jackson Gibbs, who both work for the racing team.

Outside of sports, Gibbs has written several books on leadership and faith, including "Game Plan for Life," reflecting the same values of integrity, teamwork, and perseverance that defined his dual careers. Inducted into both the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1996) and the NASCAR Hall of Fame (2020), Gibbs stands as one of the rare figures to reach the pinnacle of two major American sports.

Charlotte Mansion

In 1995, Joe and Patricia paid $675,000 for a 1.2-acre plot of land in Cornelius, North Carolina. They proceeded to construct an 8,000-square-foot mansion. Construction was completed in 1996. Today, their property is worth $6-7 million.

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