A sack specialist, he led the American Football League in taking down quarterbacks in the 1968 regular season, which was capped by the Jets’ upset win in Super Bowl III.

Gerry Philbin, a star defensive end for the New York Jets during the AFL days and a member of the 1968 Super Bowl champion team, died Wednesday at the age of 83, the team announced.

Gerry Philbin, a defensive end who helped the New York Jets shock the Baltimore Colts in the Super Bowl after the 1968 season, has died, the team announced Friday. He was 83. The cause of death was dementia,