Joseph Frank Walton (December 15, 1935 – August 15, 2021) was an American football player and coach who retired after 20 years as the head coach and creator of the football program at Robert Morris University. Walton played eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL) as a pass catching tight end for the Redskins and Giants. He served as head coach of the New York Jets for seven seasons, guiding them to the playoffs twice. He also served as an assistant coach for the New York Giants, the Washington Redskins, the New York Jets and the Pittsburgh Steelers during a 20-year period. Early life and playing career Walton was born in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, in 1935, the son of former Washington Redskins guard Frank "Tiger" Walton. Like his father, Walton was a football star at Beaver Falls High School; both also starred at the University of Pittsburgh before playing in the NFL for the Washington Redskins, followed by coaching the Redskins and Pittsburgh Steelers. After initially enrolling at Indiana University Bloomington, Walton attended the University of Pittsburgh on a football scholarship. While there, Walton helped lead the Pittsburgh Panthers to the 1956 Sugar Bowl following the 1955 season and then to the 1956 Gator Bowl in his senior season. In 1955, his junior year Walton was selected an All-American. In 1956, he was named the co-captain of Pitt's team, was a unanimous selection as a first-team All-American and was named to the Academic All-American team. Walton was selected in the second round with the 14th overall pick of the 1957 NFL Draft by the Redskins and played with them from 1957 to 1960. In July 1961, he was involved in a three-team trade with the Redskins, Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants. The Giants received Walton and end Jim Podoley from the Redskins, the Redskins received Fred Dugan from the Cowboys and placekicker John Aveni, end Jerry Daniels, and defensive halfback Dave Whitsell from the Giants, and the Cowboys received placekicker Allen Green and a sixth round for the 1962 NFL Draft from the Giants that the team later used to draft George Andrie. Walton played for the Giants from 1961 to 1963. He was placed on injured reserve due to shoulder and knee injures during the 1964 season. He announced his retirement as an active player on June 21, 1965. Walton scored three touchdowns catches as a TE