Walter Edward Michaels was an American professional football player and coach who was best remembered for his six-year tenure as head coach of the National Football League (NFL)'s New York Jets from 1977 to 1982. In 1977, Michaels was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, the National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame and into the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame on Long Island in the Baseball Category with the Class of 1997.

The 1977 NFL season was the 58th regular season of the National Football League. The two second-year expansion teams switched conferences, with the Seattle Seahawks moving from the NFC West to the AFC West, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers transferring from the AFC West to the NFC Central.