Former Giants Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride to be Inducted into New Haven Gridiron Club HOF

Former Southern Connecticut State University head football coach and student-athlete Kevin Gilbride will be among eight former area athletes who will be inducted into the New Haven Gridiron Club Hall of Fame on Sept. 17.

Gilbride, a North Haven native, retired this past January after 24 seasons as a coach in the National Football League and 39 total seasons in the profession.

The event will be held at 7 p.m. at the Cascade Banquet Facility in Hamden. Tickets, priced at $50 for the public, $45 for club members, must be ordered by Sept. 10 by sending checks to the New Haven Gridiron Club, Box 32, New Haven, 06501. No tickets will be sold at the door.

Gilbride was the first Southern graduate to become a head coach in the National Football League when he took the reins of the San Diego Chargers in 1997. He represents North Haven High, where he played quarterback under coach Mike Vanacore.

Most recently, he spent 10 seasons as a member of the staff of the New York Giants (2004-13), during which the team won two Super Bowl titles. The Giants set numerous records during his tenure as offensive coordinator. Three of the top five single-season team point totals in team history came under Gilbride’s watch, including a 429-point effort in 2012. That year’s club also set a new team record with 278 points scored at home. In 2011, the Giants gained a franchise-record 6,161 yards. Under his watch, the team also had the only two 4,000-yard passing seasons in Giants history.

Prior to his stint with the Giants, Gilbride also served as offensive coordinator and assistant head coach with the Houston Oilers (1989-94), offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars (1995-96), head coach of the San Diego Chargers (1997-98), offensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers (1999-2000) and offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills (2002-03).

In Gilbride’s first year in Buffalo, the Bills set seven offensive team records, including most net passing yards (3,995), while quarterback Drew Bledsoe set 10 team records.

Gilbride entered the NFL as the quarterbacks coach of the Houston Oilers in 1989. He was promoted to offensive coordinator from 1990-93 and then to assistant head coach/offense in 1994. The Oilers ranked first in the NFL in passing yards in 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1993. Houston also ranked first in the league in total offense in 1990, second in 1991, third in 1992 and second in 1993.

Gilbride took over as the offensive coordinator of the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars in 1995 and the following year, the Jaguars led the NFL with 259.7 passing yards per game and were second in total offense with 360.2 yards per contest, a performance that helped Jacksonville to the AFC Championship Game in just its second year of existence.

After two years in Jacksonville, Gilbride was named the 10th head coach in San Diego Chargers history. He spent the 1999 and 2000 seasons as offensive coordinator with the Pittsburgh Steelers. In 2001, Gilbride was an analyst with ESPN.

Prior to joining the NFL, Gilbride spent two seasons (1985-86) in the Canadian Football League as an assistant with the Ottawa Rough Riders.

A tight end and quarterback for the Owls, he went on to assistant coaching positions at Idaho State University, Tufts University and American International College before returning to Southern as head coach in 1980.

Gilbride led his teams to a 35-14-2 record in five seasons as the Owls were ranked among the nation’s top 10 Division II teams. His 1982 team registered a 9-1 record and was ranked No. 9 in Division II.

He was inducted into the SCSU Athletic Alumni Hall of Fame in 1997.