Walt Michaels, a strong-willed and occasionally undiplomatic coach who led the Jets to the 1982 American Football Conference championship game but was ousted after they lost, died on Wednesday at a nursing home in Plains, Pa. He was 89.
The death was confirmed by his son, Walt Jr.
Michaels, a former N.F.L. linebacker, had been the Jets’ defensive coordinator when the team won Super Bowl III over the Baltimore Colts in 1969, a rare moment of glory in the team’s tortured history.
He took over as head coach from Lou Holtz in 1977 and guided the Jets to a 3-11 record in his first of six seasons in command.