WASHINGTON, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Joe Gibbs, who has resisted a number of overtures in the past decade, is coming back to the NFL to coach his former team, the Washington Redskins.
His return, first reported by a number of media outlets, including Fox Sports and CBS Sportsline on Wednesday morning, was confirmed by the team on its Web site later in the day. Recently fired Buffalo Bills coach Gregg Williams will be defensive coordinator and Joe Bugel will be the lead assistant.
Gibbs, 63, who was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1996, led the Redskins to three Super Bowl titles before he retired in 1992. He later joined NASCAR as a team owner.
"The Redskins are very dear to me and my family," Gibbs said in a statement. "We're very excited about this opportunity to return to where we have so many loyalties and friends."
Gibbs currently is a minority owner of the Atlanta Falcons, and Sportsline has indicated that he already has spoken with Falcons owner Arthur Blank about giving up his shares of that team.
Gibbs has a career record of 124-60. He guided the Redskins to Super Bowl titles in 1983, '88, and 1992, and has a record of 16-5 in the postseason.
He succeeds Steve Spurrier, who resigned Dec. 30 with three years left on his contract after a two-year mark of 12-20. Reports are that Gibbs signed a five-year, $28 million contract. Spurrier had three years left on a five-year, $25 million deal.
