Joe Jackson Gibbs (born November 25, 1940) is an American football coach, NASCAR Championship team owner, and two time NHRA Pro Stock team owner. He was the 20th and 26th head coach in the history of the Washington Redskins. Well known for his long hours and work ethic, Gibbs constructed what Steve Sabol has called, "The most diverse dynasty in NFL history," building championship teams with many players who have had mediocre to average careers while playing for other NFL teams. During his first stint in the National Football League, he coached the Redskins for 12 seasons and led them to eight playoff appearances, four NFC Championship titles, and three Super Bowl titles. After retiring at the end of the 1992 season, he switched focus to his NASCAR team, Joe Gibbs Racing, which has won three championships under his ownership, one with former driver Bobby Labonte and two with Tony Stewart. On January 7, 2004, Gibbs came out of retirement to rejoin the Redskins as head coach and team president, signing a 5-year, $28.5 million contract. On January 8, 2008, Gibbs resigned as Redskins' head coach and team president. Overall, during his 16 years with the team, Gibbs had only three losing seasons and led the team to 10 playoff appearances. He remains with the organization as "Special Advisor" to the team owner Daniel Snyder..

Born in Mocksville, North Carolina, Joe graduated from Santa Fe High School, Santa Fe Springs, California, in 1959 where he was the star quarterback. Gibbs attended Cerritos Junior College and then San Diego State University (SDSU), where he played tight end, offensive guard and linebacker on the football team, coached by Don Coryell. Gibbs graduated from SDSU in 1964 and earned a master's degree in 1966.

Gibbs began his career with a stint as offensive line coach at San Diego State under Coryell (1964–1966). He held the same position at Florida State (1967–1968) before serving under John McKay at Southern California (1969–1970) and Frank Broyles at Arkansas (1971–1972). Gibbs then rose up to the National Football League, hired as the offensive backfield coach for the St. Louis Cardinals (1973–1977) by head coach Don Coryell. After a season as offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1978) under McKay, Gibbs rejoined Coryell with the San Diego Chargers (1979–1980).