"Plain & Simple - WE HATE DALLAS"

[Mark The Homer]

Washington - Dallas Rivalry Quotes, Stories, & Nostalgia






"I'm not in the mood."

-John Riggins to the press in July of 1980 before boarding a plane to Kansas. After a short time in training camp, a disgruntled John Riggins, who had finished two straight 1,000 yard seasons - decided he wanted a new contract for more money. He also wanted to be used less for blocking and more for running the ball. Finally, although he never mentioned names and didn't actually admit this until decades later, he was not happy with the current leadership and felt the team would never reach the ultimate goal with the current head coach. And so he decided to retire.






"Everybody has a bad decade."

-Larry Cole, Dallas Defensive Lineman, Nov. 23, 1980, when asked why the long time span between his third and fourth defensive touchdown. All four of his defensive touchdowns during his career were against the Washington Redskins - the last on Thanksgiving Day, 1980. Redskins QB Joe Theismann endured an injury late in the 2nd quarter causing him to limp and was replaced by Mike Kruczek. Cole intercepted Redskins' backup quarterback's Mike Kruczek's tipped pass in the backfield in the 4th quarter and scored. The (8-3) Cowboys had been favored in that game vs the (3-8) Redskins by 12 points. Dallas quarterback Danny White managed only seven completions in 16 attempts and finished the game with a 25.4 rating. The Redskins intercepted four Danny White passes and also acquired two fumbles for a total of six turnovers vs only two turnovers by the Redskins (one fumble, one interception), but no matter - Dallas won anyway, 14-10. The previous season, Cole was also responsible for making what was later regarded as the most important tackle in Texas Stadium history when he tackled John Riggins on third down and two yards to go for a two yard loss, forcing a punt by the Redskins at 4th and four which saved the season for Dallas in 1979 and ended the season for the Redskins. In 1980, the Redskins were swept by Dallas for the fifth time and the Redskins finished 6-10. It was the fourth season in a row that the Washington Redskins failed to make the playoffs. Dallas had finished the 1980 season 12-4, but lost the NFC Championship game @ Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Cole had played 13 seasons for Dallas, and retired after the 1980 season.






"The hardest thing will be no more locker rooms. No more Sundays. No more airplanes and training camps. You see each other happy, torn down, angry, injured. You shower with these guys, eat with these guys, sleep with these guys. ...You see these guys give up everything for you. You really get to love these guys. I know I’ll miss that.”

-Ken Houston, reflecting on his decision to retire, end of season 1980.






"John Riggins retired. That's all you need to know."

-Joe Theismann, to the press at the end of the 1980 season, when asked why the Redskins had such a bad year to finish 6-10. Riggins had retired the previous summer due to a contract dispute, partly because he wanted more money and partly because he felt he was used too often as a blocking back. By early December, the Redskins were 3-10 and Washington held their worst win-loss record since 1963. But Washington managed to win the last three meaningless games in a row. A notable victory was the December 7th game hosting the 9-4 San Diego Chargers. The Chargers were favored to win by seven points at RFK. The Redskins won the game 40-17. It was the lowest scoring game of the season for the Chargers, whose offensive coordinator was a man named Joe Gibbs. The Chargers went on to win the AFC West division and the #1 seed at 11-5 by the skin of their teeth having won the tie-break with the Oakland Raiders, but ironically, ultimately lost the AFC Championship hosting the same Raiders. The Oakland Raiders, who finished the season 11-5 and qualified for the playoffs as a wildcard team, worked their way to the Superbowl and became national champions, beating the Philadelphia Eagles. The Raiders became the first wildcard team to win a Superbowl. It was the Raiders second Superbowl victory in five years. Head Coach Jack Pardee was dismissed on Jan 5, 1981, having not made the playoffs in three years. The decision was made by team majority owner Jack Kent Cooke, as recommended by General Manager Bobby Beathard. Pardee still embraced George Allen's philosophy that veterans and defense would win championships. Beathard suggested abandoning that plan and beginning an immediate long-term rebuilding approach.






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"Joe Gibbs? Who the hell is Joe Gibbs?"

-Jack Kent Cooke, to Bobby Beathard in early 1981. Beathard wanted to hire San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator Joe Gibbs due to his success managing the "Air Coryell" offense. Cooke, with some reluctance, eventually signed off on the hire.






“He had a camouflage outfit on. He had been hunting, him and a buddy. He had a beer can in his hand. It was 10 o'clock in the morning and he's meeting his coach for the first time and I'm thinking, ‘This guy really impresses me.’”

-Joe Gibbs, describing meeting John Riggins for the first time during his mid-morning appointment at Riggins' farm in Kansas in early 1981.






“You need to get me back there. I'll make you famous.”

-John Riggins, at his farm in Kansas, as paraphrased by Coach Joe Gibbs later, referring to speaking with Redskins Head Coach Joe Gibbs for the first time. Gibbs says he didn't like his attitude or his demeanor, and so decided to take him back so he could trade him. Riggins apparently sensed this and so later insisted on a no-trade clause in his contract. Riggins, decades later, claims the quote was not quite correct, and that what he actually said as Gibbs was getting in his rental car to leave was that he's going to be a great coach with or without John Riggins.






"I'm bored, I'm broke, and I'm back."

-John Riggins, when interviewed on his first day at Redskins training camp, 1981, after having retired a year earlier






"Now, finally, I've got an offensive coach who... thinks like I do, and I'm really looking forward to it."

-Joe Theismann, training camp, summer, 1981. This is the first year the Redskins began wearing white jerseys at home as directed by new Head Coach Joe Gibbs. Gibbs, as offensive coordinator in San Diego, promoted the idea that the Chargers wear white at home. He believed the white jerseys reflected sunlight and therefore resulted in a cooler body temperature for the players, giving an edge. He also believed there was a psychological advantage when playing teams such as the Dallas Cowboys, who normally wore white at home and white on the road, but would be forced to wear their dark blue jerseys at RFK Stadium. As a new head coach in the NFL, Gibbs felt fortunate to have his first two regular season games scheduled at home at RFK Stadium. The Redskins, under head coach Joe Gibbs, wore white at home in week 1, forcing Dallas to wear their dark blue uniforms at RFK. Washington lost to Dallas anyway by a score of 26-10. They then hosted the New York Giants and Washington was favored by 6 points for that game but lost again. With two losses in a row at home, Week 3 brought another loss, this one on the road, making three losses in a row - all of them NFC East games - the third loss against the perennial basement-dwelling St. Louis Cardinals. Each loss was by at least ten points. Jack Kent Cooke, majority owner, called a meeting with General Manager Bobby Beathard and Gibbs. Cooke made it clear he was unhappy and that he was strongly considering firing Gibbs. But Beathard talked him out of the idea. The following weekend, the Redskins lost to the Philadelphia Eagles by a whopping 23 points, their worst loss of the season so far, making four NFC East losses in a row. In week 5, with the Redskins hosting the San Francisco Forty-Niners and favored by Vegas to win by two points at RFK, lost by 13 points earning an 0-5 record, holding the worst win-loss record in the National Football League. Washington's best game of the season at this point was a loss by ten points. They had not come close to making the Vegas point spread in any of the games. Going into week 6 winless, the Redskins were due to play on the road at Chicago with the Bears favored by four.






"It was a screen pass to Walter Payton. We had audibled to a man coverage right before the snap and I got between him and the quarterback, reached high and pulled it in and ran about 20 yards for a touchdown. It turned out to be Joe Gibbs' first win as a Redskin coach since we were 0-5 at the time and the rest is history!"

-Neal Olkewicz, reminiscing about the one and only touchdown of his career. Olkewicz's pick six was the first touchdown of the game and the (0-5) Redskins beat the (1-4) Chicago Bears at home by a score of 24-7 to break their five-game losing streak. The Redskins won eight of their final eleven games to finish the season 8-8, and stayed in playoff contention until the final week. However, the Redskins were swept by Dallas for the sixth time. And it was the fifth season in a row that the Redskins did not qualify for the playoffs. Dallas finished 12-4, but lost the NFC Championship game @ San Francisco. credit: NFL films and Rick Snider




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"It's not a coincidence the Cowboys have been in the playoffs 16 of the last 17 years."

-Richie Petitbon, Redskins defensive coordinator, Dallas week, Dec 1982.







"I don't know what Dallas will do this week, but I know what we have to do; play aggressive and make bodies fly"

Rich Milot, Redskins linebacker, Dallas week, Dec 1982.







"...(like) trying to beat a computer at chess."

-Mark Murphy, Redskins Safety, Dallas week, Dec 1982






"I can outrun Murphy!!!"

-Tom Landry, age 60, Dallas week, Dec 1982, speaking emphatically to his wide receivers, implying Mark Murphy, Redskins safety, was easy to beat.






"He would follow me after third downs. I'd turn around and he'd stand there on the hash mark and flip me the bird. And I was like 'Screw him,', he doesn't sign my paycheck."

-Mark May, guard and one of the original "Hogs," describing the personal rivalry he had with Dallas defensive tackle Randy White when White would mock him after the Dallas defense forced the Redskins to punt.






"Football is a game of consistency. And that's what Washington has more than anyone else. They do the same thing every week, and they do it against everybody."

-Tom Landry, Dallas week, early December 1982. The 4-0 Redskins met the 3-1 Cowboys at RFK Stadium on December 5, 1982. Although the Redskins were undefeated and playing at home, the Cowboys were favored by two points. Theismann threw three interceptions and was sacked seven times, losing 60 yards. The Redskins would not score until the 4th quarter. Cowboys win 24-10. It was the first and only regular season loss by the Redskins. The season in 1982 was shortened to nine regular season games due to a player strike mid-season which lasted nine weeks. Because of the short season, the league decided the playoffs would consist of eight teams from each conference (instead of the usual five), and all eight teams would play in the wildcard round - no team would get a bye. Washington would finish 8-1 and were the #1 seed.





"It was like a Hollywood script. You couldn't have written it any better."

-Mark Murphy, later reminiscing about the Redskins hosting the Giants on Dec 19, 1982. Washington needed this win to make the playoffs. On a damp sloppy field, the game did not start off well. Washington turned the ball over five times - four of those turnovers were interceptions by Joe Theismann and two of those interceptions were returned for touchdowns. The tension was high as Moseley had already missed an extra point in the third quarter, wide left, after a Joe Washington touchdown. With nine seconds on the game clock, the Redskins, down 14-12, called a time out and Mark Moseley was summoned to kick the game winner from 42 yards out on a wet muddy field while thick heavy snow fell all around him. Jeff Bostic's snap was perfect, Theismann's hold was perfect, and although the kick was nicked by the hand of a Giant defender, the ball sailed over the upright anyway. The kick was Moseley's 21st consecutive field goal which broke Garo Yepremian's NFL record, and the kick also guaranteed a playoff spot for Washington for the first time since 1976. A large photo of Theismann and Moseley on the field just after the kick, both players grinning with snow falling around them, graced the front page of the Washington Post the next morning. Theismann, who blamed himself for being behind against the Giants, jumped into Moseley's arms in a bear hug as the snow fell all around. Moseley would kick two more the following week before missing, making a total of 23 consecutive kicks, an all-time NFL record which would stand for more than a decade. As the 1982 season closed, Moseley had the distinction of being the first kicker ever to be voted AP NFL Most Valuable Player. Ironically, although Moseley was on the team in 1981, he was very inconsistent, hitting only 5 of 12 attempts from 40+ yards, and he also missed two field goals at Dallas from 27 and 47 yards. The Redskins had drafted kicker Dan Miller in the 11th round of the 1982 draft, and Moseley was almost cut from the team during competition in training camp. The Redskins had such little confidence in Moseley that Miller was kept on the taxi squad through week 1, when Washington played at Philadelphia. Moseley was perfect for that game, including the game winner in overtime. Miller was released the next day and the rest is history. The 1982 season was shortened to nine regular season games due to a player strike mid-season which lasted nine weeks. Because of the short season, the league decided the playoffs would consist of eight teams from each conference (instead of the usual five), and all eight teams would play in the wildcard round - no team would get a bye. Washington would finish 8-1 and earned the #1 seed. credit: Rich Tandler







"I'm really getting down the road and don't have many of these playoff games left. I've rested two weeks and I'm ready. Give me the ball."

-John Riggins, nicknamed "The Diesel," early January, 1983, just before the 1982 playoffs were to begin, speaking to head coach Joe Gibbs indirectly through offensive line coach Joe Bugel. With the #1 seed clinched after week 8 of the strike-shortened season, Riggins had rested the last game. Gibbs granted Riggins his wish. Riggins gained 119 yards on 25 carries in the wildcard game against the Detroit Lions. Redskins win 31-7. The following week in the divisional playoff game, Riggins ran over the Minnesota Vikings 38 times for a record-setting 185 yards at RFK Stadium. Gibbs motioned Riggins to the sidelines during a timeout as the Vikings game was about to end. Gibbs spoke into Riggins ear and Riggins took to the field. From the 50-yard line, with a tip of his helmet, John Riggins slowly bowed to his RFK Stadium fans - a formal deep bow of respect from the waist, first to the north, then to the south, with diesel horns blasting from all directions and raucous cheers raining down upon him. Redskins win 21-7. Dallas was next.






"My front four will be faced with the task of beating the sweat-hogs. It's my belief that to be a defensive lineman, you have to have a personal hate for your opponent."

- Ernie Stautner, defensive line coach, Dallas, describing his disdain for "the Hogs", the nickname of the Redskins offensive line.






"I respect them, but I don't like them. We need to win this game to get the respect we deserve."

-Dexter Manley, Dallas week, mid-January 1983






"We're going to beat the hell out of them."

-Tony Dorsett, Dallas week, mid-January 1983. Coach Gibbs made this bulletin board material for Washington's locker room that week.






"The most important thing now is to win Saturday and get to the Superbowl. Nothing is more important. Nothing."

-Joe Theismann, Dallas week, mid-January 1983






"Joe Theismann is a garbage-mouth little SOB. He's such a hot dog that all he needs is a bun."

-John Dutton, Dallas defensive tackle






"Our fans are unique. I think the emotional lift our fans give us is a very important part of our team. I remember we had to struggle in some of our games early in the season. Without our fans, the outcome of those games would have been different.

-Joe Gibbs, Dallas week, mid-January 1983






"Now we have to go into Washington and play before their crowd. Up there, you just hope you can hear the signal count."

-Tom Landry, Dallas week, mid-January 1983. The Dallas Cowboys were favored to win by two on the road in the NFC Championship at RFK Stadium.






"RFK's a place you don't want to go play, because of the fans. They don't like us. They're the kind of fans everybody ought to have. They're boisterous up there. It's tough. It's so loud. It's like the last day of your life."

-Tony Dorsett, Dallas week, mid-January 1983.






"People have real passion about the Redskins. It goes back from generation to generation. And they really care about this football team. They care about the Washington Redskins. And the 12th man was so important.

-Dexter Manley, retired, reflecting on his career






"They're a good team, but they're not better than us."

Randy White, Dallas defensive tackle, Dallas week, Jan 1983






"Everyone says we haven't beaten anyone, that we've been lucky. They point to the fact that we lost to Dallas the last time. That's why we wanted the Cowboys again this season. If we beat Dallas, what are they going to say? It'll prove what we already know — that we are a good team. They've been a thorn in our side since I've been here, and we'd like to do something about it. We don't like them, they don't like us."

-Russ Grimm, starting left guard and one of the original 'hogs,' Dallas week, mid-January 1983. Indeed, the Redskins had only beaten one winning team during the 9-game regular season - the 5-4 St. Louis Cardinals. The Redskins finished the strike-shortened season 8-1, having lost only to the Dallas Cowboys who were 3-1 at the time. Regarding the post-season, the Redskins had beaten Detroit in the wildcard round, but the Lions were a losing team which finished the regular season 4-5 but made the playoffs anyway. The Redskins had beaten Minnesota in the divisional round, but the Vikings were barely a winning team having finished the season 5-4. Many considered Washington to be untested or mediocre at best. Dallas was in the midst of a 6-game winning streak vs Washington going back to 1979. Dallas beat the Redskins by two touchdowns during the regular season. Dallas had been 6-1 and had clinched the #2 seed after week 7. Dallas then lost their last two games, but they were meaningless. In the post season, Dallas won both their playoff games at Texas Stadium. Although the Redskins were playing at home, and although the Redskins had an 8-1 record vs Dallas who had a 6-3 record, Vegas favored Dallas to win by two in the NFC Championship at RFK Stadium the following Sunday.






"We know how to win these games."

-Danny White, Dallas quarterback, Dallas Week, Jan 1983






"Be sure... you learn how to get to the airport, will you?"

-Tom Landry, Head Coach, Dallas, to his players prior to the 1982 NFC Championship game, implying he's previously had issues with his players making their flight.






"It was like walking into a dungeon of thieves..."

- Danny White, Dallas quarterback, describing entering RFK Stadium.






"We respect Washington, but we're prepared. We've got the better team."

-Tom Landry, Dallas head coach, pre-game, Jan 22, 1983






"John Riggins took to the field an hour and fifteen minutes before kickoff, just to jog. It was quiet. And then - from somewhere in the upper deck, the diesel horn went off. That was chilling."

-Rick "Doc" Walker, tight end and one of the founding members of the "Fun Bunch", describing the scene before the 1982 NFC Championship game at RFK Stadium against Dallas.






"That's the loudest the stadium's ever been. You could hear it in the locker room. 'We want Dallas! We want Dallas!' Everybody was pretty pumped up."

-Russ Grimm, describing the thundering crowd from the locker room - and the Redskins hadn't even taken the field yet.






"Plain & Simple - WE HATE DALLAS"

- homemade sign hung at RFK Stadium for the 1982 NFC Championship game






"We got there, and the stadium was already half-full an hour before the game. You never saw that many people in pre-game. When the Cowboys came out, the fans were chanting 'WE WANT DALLAS!' We were getting chills."

-Charlie Casserly, general manager, prior to the 1982 NFC Championship game






"They started rocking the place. I was thinking, 'Dallas has to be super-human to survive this.'"

-Doc Walker, tight end, describing the chanting fans






"They're loud now, but they'll be quiet by the 4th quarter."

-Drew Pearson, wide receiver, pre-game, Jan 22, 1983, interviewed briefly before kickoff, shouting to make himself heard above the crowd.









"This is 'DD Day.' That is, 'Defeat Dallas Today!'"

-Jack Kent Cooke, Jan. 22, 1983, just prior to kickoff of the NFC Championship, with the crowd noise thundering in the background






"We're standing there for the national anthem. When it's over, Joe (Bugel) looks over to the other sideline at Ernie Stautner, who's the Cowboys defensive line coach. Joe yells over to him and flips him off."

-Joe Jacoby, offensive tackle and one of the founding members of "the Hogs," discussing the 1982 NFC Championship






"WE WANT DALLAS! WE WANT DALLAS! WE WANT DALLAS"

-The temp at kickoff on Jan 22, 1983, was 35 degrees, the wind chill was 28 F. But the RFK Stadium crowd was unconcerned with the weather. They were on their feet and bellowing in perfect unison, causing the ground to shake.






"Dexter was hyperventilating. And at that point you can't hear anything because the crowd is going nuts."

-Rick "Doc" Walker, describing the crowd noise heard from the sidelines just before kickoff of the 1982 NFC Championship Game






"It's DOOMSDAY FOR DALLAS"

-homemade sign hanging from RFK Stadium shown by CBS. The sign was mocking the Cowboys' "Doomsday Defense."






"Hail To The Redskins!"

-the fans singing along with the Redskins Marching Band in the stands just after the Redskins scored on a Charlie Brown reception from Joe Theismann on their first possession to make the score 7-3 late in the first quarter of the 1982 NFC Championship vs Dallas. This was while The Fun Bunch - made up of the entire receiving corps - gathered in the endzone, pumped their arms twice, then leaped in unison to give each other an airborne high five. They had done this throughout the season each time a pass resulted in a touchdown.






"DALLAS - LAST THREE POSSESSIONS -

3 PLAYS, PUNT

3 PLAYS, PUNT

3 PLAYS, PUNT"

-CBS, on screen, 2nd quarter, 1982 NFC Championship






"...and the punts haven't been very good."

-Pat Summerall, referring to Dallas' string of three three-and-out punts in a row during the second quarter of the 1982 NFC Championship game. Danny White was punting for Dallas - his longest punt had been 33 yards






"RUSHING COMPARISON -

TONY DORSET, RUSHES 7, YARDS 16, AVG 2.3 -

JOHN RIGGINS, RUSHES 15, YARDS 86, AVG 4.5"

-CBS, on screen, 2nd quarter, 1982 NFC Championship, with the Redskins leading 14-3. Riggins had just scored a touchdown on a 1 yard run off left tackle, making the score 14-3.






"Danny White looks like he's knocked out! Ohhh, he's out!"

-Frank Herzog, WMAL AM 630, 1982 NFC Championship, late 2nd quarter, referring to the Dallas starting quarterback






"I wanted to just... put his lights out ....because, you know, ...Dallas sucks..."

- Dexter Manley, referring to Danny White whom he knocked out during the waning seconds of the first half of the 1982 NFC Championship game. White, with the Cowboys down 14-3 and only 57 secs left in the first half, had used the no-huddle offense to complete four passes in a row, each for a first down, driving from the Dallas 20 to the Redskins 32 yard line, using only 26 seconds of the game clock. Then, at first and 10, White threw the first incomplete of the drive as he became intimately acquainted with Dexter Manley, leaving 23 seconds on the game clock.






"WE WANT DALLAS!"

-The fans in the stadium in a thundering chant as Danny White was helped off the field due to a hit by Dexter Manley. Gary Hogeboom, Dallas' backup QB, came onto the field to take over with 23 seconds left in the half, ball on the Redskins 32 yard line, and no time outs. Score 14-3, Redskins lead.





14-GARY HOGEBOOM,

'82 - ATT 8 - COMP 3 - YARDS 45 - INT 1

-CBS, on screen, showing Hogeboom's 1982 stats, as the Dallas backup quarterback takes over with 23 secs left on the clock in the first half of the 1982 NFC Championship game






"It's a tough position for a young quarterback who's only thrown eight passes all season coming into a championship game."

-John Madden. With 19 seconds left in the first half, Hogeboom threw a 9-yard completion, but with no timeouts, he couldn't get the field goal unit on the field before time ran out. The first half ended, and Dallas had the ball on the Redskins 23 yard line with the score Redskins 14, Dallas 3. As the teams trotted towards the players tunnels, the thundering chants continued - WE WANT DALLAS!






"Then Hogeboom steps in. And, my God. It's not Gary Hogeboom. It's Roger Staubach in Gary Hogeboom's uniform!"

-Joe Theismann, retired, recalling the third quarter of the 1982 NFC Championship.






"So it was the highest of highs. Followed by - being at a wake. Our place was silent."

-Rick "Doc" Walker, tight end, describing RFK Stadium during the 3rd quarter of the 1982 NFC Championship with backup quarterback Gary Hogeboom marching the Dallas offense down the field repeatedly and scoring touchdowns repeatedly. The opening second half kickoff was to Washington. Redskins went three-and-out with a 33-yard punt from their own ten yard line followed by a 5 yard return. Dallas ball. Hogeboom completed the first Dallas drive of the second half for 38 yards and a touchdown, bringing the Cowboys to within four points. Score 14-10. But the Redskins then ultimately scored with the help of a 75 yard kickoff return by Mike Nelms all the way to the Dallas 20 yard line followed by an eventual touchdown by John Riggins. Hogeboom drove again 84 yards for another Dallas touchdown. Score 21-17. After the second Dallas touchdown, Redskins made one first down but then were forced to punt yet again, this time for 29 yards. Now the Cowboys were poised to take the lead. The next Hogeboom drive brought the Cowboys 32 yards to the Redskins 23 yard line early in the 4th quarter, but Dallas missed the field goal attempt. Redskins went three and out and were forced to punt for the third time in four possessions. Dallas ball. And with it, another opportunity for the Cowboys to take the lead.






"Then our defense - our DEFENSE - stepped up and made another play."

-Joe Theismann, retired, reminiscing about the second half of the 1982 NFC Championship. Early in the 4th quarter, on the fourth Dallas drive of the half, on the very first play, #55 Mel Kaufman intercepted a Hogeboom pass which finally brought cheers and prompted the Redskins Marching band to play. This was Dallas' second turnover of the game vs none by the Redskins (the first turnover was a muffed catch of a punt in the second quarter, Monte Coleman recovered at the Dallas 11 resulting in the second Redskins TD). This interception by Kaufman ultimately resulted in a field goal for the Redskins. This put the score at 24-17 with about seven minutes to play. At this point, two of the Redskins four scores were with the help of two turnovers and one was with the help of a 75 yard kickoff return. Washington's only legitimate long drive resulting in a score was their very first possession of the game during the first quarter. So, with the score 24-17, the Redskins kicked off to Dallas and the Cowboys returned the kickoff to the 20 yard line. First and ten, Dallas. Gary Hogeboom trotted onto the field. Hogeboom had already proven himself very capable of moving the ball. Total offensive yards at this point: Dallas 334, Washington 217. Total number of punts at this point: Dallas 3, Washington 5. This upcoming drive by Dallas could potentially tie the game.






“Play-action fake to Dorsett, hid the ball well. Set up a screen. BATTED IN THE AIR! PICKED OFF BY DARRYL GRANT!!!
TOUCHDOWN, WASHINGTON REDSKINS!!! I DON'T BELIEVE IT!!!"

-Frank Herzog, live on WMAL AM 630, shouting into the mic - with the pitch and volume of his voice rising in a crescendo as the play unfolded in front of him. With seven minutes to play in the 1982 NFC Championship and the score 24-17 Redskins leading, Dallas had the ball, 1st and 10 at their own 20, prepared to begin a new drive which could potentially tie the game. Back-up quarterback Hogeboom was playing the game of his life, having completed two long Dallas drives for touchdowns and another long drive for a missed field goal attempt while the Redskins offense was sputtering. His only miscue up to this point was one interception on the first play of the previous drive. On the first play of this drive, his fifth drive of the half, Hogeboom, from the shotgun, attempted a pass to Tony Dorsett. But Dexter Manley's tip of the pass caused the ball to shoot straight up into the air to set up Darryl Grant's interception return from the 10 yard line for a touchdown. A large close-up photo of Grant spiking the ball in the endzone would be featured on the front cover of Sports Illustrated later in the week.






"OHHHH, what a play! Dexter Manley tipped the pass! Darryl Grant got the interception! And NOW the stadium shakes!”

-Frank Herzog, live on WMAL radio. It was Hogeboom's second interception in a row, which ultimately gave Washington a two-possession lead, 31-17 in the 1982 NFC Championship. Grant's pick-six was a remarkable play for a defensive tackle who had been a rookie offensive guard for the Redskins the previous season.






"Oh, they're going crazy in RFK! Look at this! Look at this!"

-Frank Herzog, live on WMAL radio, 4th quarter, 1982 NFC Championship. The stadium - from the upper deck endzone sections to the lower deck 50 yard line seats to the luxury boxes - had come alive and was boiling over in an absolute frenzy.






"The stadium was unbelievable. Those stands were moving three feet ... up and down..."

-Redskins Head Coach Joe Gibbs, describing RFK Stadium during the 1982 NFC Championship






"You wanna know how to celebrate? LISTEN TO THIS CROWD!!!"

-John Madden, CBS color commentator, live on national TV, shouting into this mic so he could be heard about the roar of RFK Stadium's rocking, cheering, chanting crowd and the playing of "Hail to the Redskins" by the marching band with the crowd singing along in unison immediately after the Redskins' defensive touchdown in the 1982 NFC Championship.






"There's no one sitting down anywhere..."

-Pat Summerall, CBS, live on national TV, referring to the stadium fans late in the 4th quarter of the 1982 NFC Championship at RFK Stadium. Amidst the deafening cheering crowd, the Cowboys, down by two touchdowns, started their next drive at their own 28 yard line. With seven minutes to play, they managed to earn two first downs, but eventually stalled after four incompletions in a row and the Redskins took over at the Washington 38 yard line with 4:26 remaining. The fans, however, had no intention of calming down. Instead of becoming quiet, the cheering became louder.






"I felt the ground shake beneath my feet - literally."

- Joe Theismann, describing the 1982 NFC Championship and the stadium after Washington's defense held Dallas and the Cowboys were forced to give up possession on downs. Just when the players thought the stadium couldn't get any louder, the stadium got louder.






“Sam grabbed my arm with a look of fear in his eyes, and we were wondering, ‘Is this thing going to collapse’?

-Frank Herzog, WMAL AM 630, later describing the look on Sam Huff's face late in the 4th quarter of the 1982 NFC Championship with the violent vibrations cascading through the internal structure of RFK Stadium while they glanced at the walls and ceiling looking for any newly formed cracks.






"No. Fifty Gut."

-Russ Grimm, left guard and one of the founding member of "The Hogs, 1982 NFC Championship. After two Dallas first downs, Washington's defense held the Cowboys to four-and-not-out, and the Redskins offense took the field at their own 38 yard line. The crowd, sensing the victory was secured, would not stop cheering, regardless of the fact that the Redskins offense had taken the field. Theismann had to shout to be heard in the huddle. But as Theismann shouted out the play call of "Spread Wide, Sixty Outside,", Grimm had a better idea and interrupted Theismann.







"Randy - it's coming at you."

-Russ Grimm, Redskins left guard, to Dallas all-pro defensive tackle Randy White at the line of scrimmage during the 1982 NFC Championship, a few seconds after the huddle broke. Grimm had just urged Theismann to change the play from "Spread Wide, Sixty Outside" to "Fifty Gut." Theismann stood behind center Jeff Bostic, and with the fans still cheering loudly, motioned with his arms to the stadium crowd, asking for quiet so that his offense could hear the snap count. There was 4:26 left in the game. The first two running plays sent John Riggins up the middle off-guard, and the Redskins made their first first-down of the drive as the game clock ran uninterrupted.






"I'll tell you, there will be a lot of celebration in Washington with these fans and with this football team. Have to give out a lot of game balls. But it's the offensive line of these Redskins that really did the job today."

-John Madden, CBS, live on national TV, just after Riggins plowed ahead through the Dallas secondary for eight yards for Washington's first first-down of the drive with the clock moving quickly towards the three-minute mark.






"Riggins. 107 yards on 29 carries. 33 years old. 235 pounds. John Riggins."

-Pat Summerall, CBS, live on national TV during the 1982 NFC Championship with the game clock at about 3:30 and running. Riggins had just passed the 100 yard mark on the previous play, an eight yard run straight through the Dallas defensive line and secondary for the first first-down of the drive.






"I got to the line, and I said to Randy White, 'Our coaches love you. We're going to run it over you again and again.' Randy wasn't very happy, but after three or four times, he didn't say a word."

-Jeff Bostic, center, discussing the final drive by the Redskins late in the 4th quarter of the 1982 NFC Championship. After making their first first-down by running repeatedly straight up the middle, Bostic was prompted to begin his one-way conversation with Dallas all-pro defensive tackle Randy White at the line of scrimmage with a new set of downs and the clock running fast.






"Well, we were talking about what they had to do. John Riggins has carried the ball thirty times today. We had a feeling that if he could carry it 25 or more, that they would win. He did and they are. They're on their way to Pasadena."

-John Madden, CBS, live on national TV during the 1982 NFC Championship, with 2:30 showing on the clock as it continued to run. Riggins made another first down on the very next play which was his fourth carry in a row. After this, the Redskins second first-down of the drive, Dallas began burning their time outs in a desperate attempt to somehow coax a miracle.






"The left side of the offensive line started off doing a good job, and they're finishing their day's work. Look at that! BOOM! BOOM! And it (the Dallas defensive line) is going backwards! Then you give it to that big fullback right in behind you."

-John Madden, live on national TV, as CBS shows a slow-motion replay of John Riggins and The Hogs plowing ahead for another first down. This one was for a 12-yard gain to the Dallas 36 yard line. Russ Grimm was at left guard. Joe Jacoby was at left tackle. Randy White was playing right defensive tackle for Dallas. The Cowboys called their first time out with 2:09 showing on the clock.






"This had nothing to do with running the clock out. This was between Russ Grimm and Randy White. This was between the offensive line and Randy White. They wanted to bloody 'em, they wanted to beat 'em into the ground, they wanted to bury 'em."

-Joe Theismann, retired, reminiscing about the final drive of the 1982 NFC Championship. The Cowboys had been down two touchdowns with four-and-a-half minutes to play. But Landry knew he had a chance to win if they could get the ball back. After all, come-from-behind wins were routine for Dallas. But they needed to get possession of the ball. As the series of Redskins offensive plays unfolded, The Dallas Cowboys defensive line and secondary were the helpless victims of Washington's Hogs. Initially, the Redskins made two first downs in four plays up the middle as the clock ran rampant. After Washington's second first down, with 2:09 on the game clock - after more than half the remaining time in the game was lost in only four plays - it seems plausible that Landry had panicked. And so, Dallas called their first time out of the half, praying for a miracle. It was very important for Dallas to stop Washington now. Washington's next play took only five seconds, and Dallas burned their second time out with 2:04 showing on the game clock. Ironically, as Dallas wanted so desperately to stop Washington's advance, the Redskins achieved their third first-down on the very next play, and the clock was stopped due to the two-minute warning. At this point, the Cowboys had burned two time outs which had only saved nine seconds of the game. They could have let the clock continue to run at 2:09 so that the clock would stop at the two minute warning and they'd have had three time outs. but instead elected to burn two time outs to save nine seconds. And now Washington had a new set of downs at the Dallas 25-yard line. First and ten, Washington Redskins, with 1:59 showing on the clock. The Cowboys had one time out left. All Washington had to do was run a few plays and it would be over. Meanwhile, the RFK fans kept cheering and their cheers were getting louder. The crowd simply would not stop.






"HEY DALLAS - REMEMBER LITTLE BIG HORN! TODAY IS LANDRY'S LAST STAND"

-sign held up in the RFK Stadium crowd, shown on national TV by CBS during the two-minute warning during the 4th quarter of the 1982 NFC Championship. The sign turned out to be eerily prophetic.






DALLAS COWBOYS LAST THREE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES

1982 LOSING TO WASHINGTON 31-17 -

1981 LOST TO SAN FRANCISCO 28-27 -

1980 LOST TO PHILADELPHIA 20-17

-CBS, on screen, with clock running, showing 1:30 to play.






"You know, this is a great feeling from the Washington sideline. I know that when you know you're going to the Superbowl - all you have to do is finish it out - you've got a chance to enjoy it right now. Because AFTER this game, they're going to have to start thinking about the Superbowl and who they're going to be playing (Miami Dolphins or New York Jets). But now, this is true enjoyment on that sideline. You don't have to worry about the next one yet. You just enjoy. You congratulate each other, love. The whole doggone thing, man. This is a GREAT feeling and a great time."

-John Madden, CBS, live in national TV, with a little more than a minute to play in the 1982 NFC Championship.






"I think the Redskins have to be given all the credit they deserve. They came on the hard way. Joe Gibbs came in a year ago. Didn't have a lot to work with. Started off oh-and-five. And he just kept going, just kept fighting, fighting back. John Riggins came back. This offensive line developed. They did it the hard way and it was a tough year. Doggone it, they deserve the credit."

-John Madden, CBS, live on national TV, with a little more than a minute to play in the 1982 NFC Championship.






"Everyone in the huddle was laughing..."

-Don Warren, tight end, in reference to Russ Grimm and Jeff Bostic announcing the upcoming play to the Dallas defensive line in advance, and then running that play, "50 Gut," repeatedly, directly up the middle of the so-called "Doomsday Defense" and earning one first down after the other as the clock ticked down from 4:26 towards zero in the 1982 NFC Championship.






"Today's the day of the Washington Redskins."

-John Madden, CBS, commenting with the clock stopped showing 1:05 left to play in the 1982 NFC Championship. Dallas had just used their last time out. The Redskins had the ball, 3rd and 6, at the Dallas 21 yard line, leading by two touchdowns. The crowd's cheering continued to increase in volume.






"And when the clock ran down, the noise level increased. [The fans] were unbelievable. You could tell they were waiting for us and wanted us for a while, and they showed it. Their team delivered what they wanted. I wish our fans could be as boisterous as Redskins fans. (Dallas) Fans don't realize what that does for a team - to have that kind of support."

-Tony Dorsett, Dallas running back, later describing the 1982 NFC Championship and the ferocious vocal support of Redskins fans he had witnessed at RFK Stadium contrasting the lackluster support of Dallas fans when he had played at Texas Stadium






"Bobby Beathard was very instrumental in building this team. He knew he had an older team. He knew he had to do something about it. He went out and did it."

-John Madden, CBS, live on national TV, with less than a minute to play in the 1982 NFC Championship. At third and six yards to go at the Dallas 21 yard line, the Redskins ran Riggins up the middle for the 9th time in a row. He made two yards, bringing 4th down and four yards to go. The Cowboys were out of time outs and the Dallas players and coaches could only stand on the field and sidelines and watch helplessly as the crowd cheered and the clock ran.







"When you win a championship and you have 26 free agents on your roster, you've done something."

-Pat Summerall, CBS, live on national TV, with 40 seconds to play in the 1982 NFC Championship. Redskins ball, 4th and four, leading by two touchdowns. The clock continues to run. The crowd continues to cheer.








"If I was the Redskins, I'd want to take these fans to Pasadena with me - the whole stadium!"

-John Madden, CBS, with 35 seconds left to play. The crowd celebration was so loud, Madden had to shout to be heard as the clock continued to run. On 4th down and four, as the play clock ticked down, Theismann took the snap and had taken a knee, and at that moment, Redskins players, coaches, and media swarmed the field, quickly followed by a flood of fans. The players lifted Joe Gibbs on their shoulders. And the Cowboys walked off the field, dejected. Theismann held the game ball high in both hands and shook it over his head in celebration as he ran towards the players tunnel and exited the field - making his way to the locker room. Nobody seemed to notice that the game clock had stopped due to change in possession. And the RFK fans had already flooded the field in a massive wave from all directions. In the pandemonium of fans overtaking the field with 12 seconds on the clock, the Cowboys, their heads down, sulked off the field towards the visitors tunnel.







"There's one Cowboys player on the field. I think it's Drew Pearson still left on the field."

-Pat Summerall, with the clock stopped showing 12 seconds left in the game. The game had not ended, and yet, very few people knew it. The Cowboys were required to run a final play, but there was only one player to do it. The rest of the team had left the field. The field was jammed with fans, Redskins players, coaches, and media. Almost all of the Cowboys players had entered their visiting team locker room and many had already removed their shoulder pads and jerseys without the game officially ending. Theismann, also in his own locker room, realized the game wasn't over, and so he and the rest of the Redskins players in the locker room came back out onto the field. Theismann then began trying to wave fans and media off the field, angrily shouting at them to get off the field so that the last play could be run. And now, the Cowboys were required to return to the field amongst the jeering Washington crowd and run a play. But where were they? They wouldn't return, and there was talk that the game might have to be called in the Redskins favor due to a forfeit by the Cowboys. A forfeit had never occurred in NFL history.







"They were so demoralized. They were so pissed. The officials had to drag them out of the locker room, they wouldn't come out."

-Redskins offensive tackle George Stark, referring to what occurred after the final Redskins play of the 1982 NFC Championship. The Cowboys had retired to the visitors locker room before the final gun. There were 12 seconds left and the Cowboys were required to run a play. To summarize the last possession, Washington had moved the ball from the Redskins 38 yard line to the Cowboys 19 yard line in nine running plays - taking over four minutes off the game clock and forcing Dallas to burn three time outs - before Theismann took a knee at 4th down, finally relinquishing possession of the ball with a two-touchdown lead and 12 seconds on the clock. It was the most painful four minutes in Dallas Cowboys franchise history.






"And as they come out of the tunnel, it starts to rain. Here comes the Cowboys offensive unit. And it just started to rain a second ago."

-Pat Summerall, live, CBS, with 12 seconds showing on the game clock of the 1982 NFC Championship with the Redskins winning by two touchdowns. The Cowboys offense was obligated to return to the field. Later, some would say that it's likely that the reason it started to rain as Dallas emerged from the tunnel is because a Higher Power felt inclined to urinate on the Dallas Cowboys at precisely that moment. The depressed Dallas players were forced to come back out for one more play. The majority of them refused to come back onto the field. Drew Pearson, Dallas wide receiver, finally ended up taking the final snap and kneeling.* And at that point, with ten seconds left in the game and the clock running, the fans swarmed the field for the second time. The Cowboys players and coaching staff, surrounded by jubilant home field fans, were forced to accept the fact that this was the 3rd NFC Championship in a row they had lost - as the cold rain fell down.

*Drew Pearson attended and played football at South River High School in New Jersey, the same high school Joe Theismann had attended and played, although Theismann was two years ahead of Pearson. Quarterback Joe Theismann had thrown passes to Drew Pearson during the 1965 and 1966 seasons. Both were stand-out athletes, lettering in football, baseball, and basketball. When Theismann graduated in 1967, Pearson moved from the wide receiver position and played quarterback for his junior and senior years. Pearson led South River High to a perfect season in 1968, earning "First Team New Jersey All-State Honors."








"We can accomplish miracles. We're not real talented, we're not real bright, but dammit, we're the NFC Champions! Gotta tell you, this one makes up for it all. I'm the happiest man in the world. I never thought this would happen to us... This is the greatest moment of my life. We beat the Cowboys! We're going to the Superbowl! What else could you want?"

-Joe Theismann, during the post-game locker room interview. Regarding total yards, Dallas finished with 340 yards vs only 260 yards by the Redskins, but the Cowboys lost by two touchdowns anyway due to poor special teams play, being dominated by The Hogs, and turnovers: 3 vs 0. On the final drive, Riggins ran the ball up the middle for nine straight plays averaging 4.9 yards per carry while taking over four minutes off the game clock and forcing Dallas to burn three time outs.






"This is controlled delirium. This is a coagulation, a community of interest here that is astonishing in its depth. All over this city. The rich, the poor. The black, the white. The communists, the socialists. The affluent, the unpossessed. All are bound together in this city on this day by these Redskins."

-Jack Kent Cooke, moments after the NFC Championship victory against Dallas in January, 1983






"Never a 'Skins fan. ... But still, I remember as a kid watching this and always comparing it ever since as the wildest scene I've ever seen for a game ... because they truly HATED each other. That entire city was out for Dallas' blood. They chanted it all day long... Best sports scene ever...hands down. And I'm a Dawg Pound guy. No way Dallas was leaving there alive. Washington wanted them that bad. I'll just never forget an entire stadium calling out an opponent like that, telling them they're going to kick their asses, AND THEN DOING IT. Awesome, awesome stuff! "

-Anonymous Cleveland Browns Fan, many years later, posting online, referring to the nationally televised 1982 NFC Championship game at RFK Stadium which he had watched in Ohio as a young teen and which had left such an indelible impression on him for decades to come.





"I am the trustee for the best bloody fans on the face of the earth."

~ Jack Kent Cooke






"I was scared, I was elated, I was overwhelmed. People can't appreciate this, but it was the only time I actually felt the ground shake beneath my feet at that stadium. The fans were pounding on those metal stands with such force and with such great unison that as I stood on the field, and the clock wound down... I'm an emotional person anyway. And my emotions overwhelmed me. Tears came to my eyes and the ground was shaking. I thought, 'We're about to beat the vaunted Dallas Cowboys.' We were going to the Superbowl...The fact that we were going to the Superbowl was basically anti-climatic. We had beat the team that EVERYBODY hated with a passion. That moment is the moment that stands out the most in my career as a football player."

-Joe Theismann, later commenting on his career and the closing moments of the 1982 NFC Championship






The White House put a lid on all news just before the opening kickoff, and the Secret Service huddled around the press-room television set. Shoppers in a Chevy Chase Safeway who had been six-deep in the check out line suddenly disappeared. The emergency room at Arlington Hospital, busy all morning, emptied of sick people. At Lorton Reformatory, 1,237 inmates crowded around 25 TV sets and yelled as one. There was quiet concentration at Maryland homes. "No one's having parties for this one," said one Bethesda man. "It's much too important."

-excerpt from one of the two Washington Redskins articles on the front page of the Washington Post, above the fold, Sunday, Jan 23, 1983, the morning after the 1982 NFC Championship. The two articles were printed on either side of a large photo dominating page one of head coach Joe Gibbs being carried off the field on the shoulders of the players after beating the Dallas Cowboys, surrounded by fans - eerily similar to the front page of the Washington Post ten years earlier of George Allen being carried off the field after beating the Dallas Cowboys in the 1972 NFC Championship at the same stadium.*

*Interestingly, in the front page photo, Gibbs was missing his ball cap, although he had it on his head a few seconds earlier. Some may recall that, ten years earlier as shown on live TV, George Allen had his ball cap swiped off his head by a rogue fan while he was carried off the field. Although Gibbs is seen touching the top of his bare head with his hand on video with the game clock showing 3 seconds to play and running, there is no available film recording or photo or narrative of what happened to Gibbs' ball cap..







"1982 will always be known as the season with an asterisk."

-Dallas head coach Tom Landry, indirectly discounting the Washington Redskins 1982 NFC Championship win over the Dallas Cowboys because it was within a strike-shortened season. After losing to Washington, Landry would fly back to Dallas as a fragile shell of the man he had been: humiliated, depressed, and bitter. He had lost three NFC Championships on a row. If this was baseball, clearly, Landry would have had his head coach credentials confiscated. Nobody knew it at the time, but as it turned out, although the 1982 season was over for Dallas, The Hogs were not done with Tom Landry or the Cowboys. There was more brutality to come. Nobody could have guessed it at the time - but after he and his football team was so brutally assaulted and violated by The Hogs in the 1982 NFC Championship - Landry would never again win a playoff game in his lifetime. Tom Landry and his fedora would be justifiably fired with prejudice in 1989.






"It was probably the next morning before I knew where I was,... I must have gotten knocked out. ... I never did regain any memory of that game. From the trip up there, first quarter, second quarter, third or fourth."

-Dallas Quarterback Danny White. White had been knocked out of the 1982 NFC CHAMPIONSHIP by Dexter Manley at the end of the first half






"If you wanted to be the best, you had to beat them up. ...You had to take the ball and ram it down their throats. (We) closed the door on the Doomsday Defense and opened the door for the Hogs."

-Mark May, right guard. The Redskins offensive line cleared the way for John Riggins - he finished the 1982 NFC Championship with 36 carries for 140 yards and two touchdowns. After the brutal pummeling Dallas all-pro defensive tackle Randy White was forced to endure during the 1982 NFC Championship vs Riggins and The Hogs, he wouldn't experience a playoff victory again for the remainder of his career. Weakened and aged, he retired in 1988.






"The one game that really gave us confidence in the 1980s was that NFC Championship game against Dallas."

-Jeff Bostic, center, commenting after retirement






"We Redskin fans outnumber the Dolphin fans, 10 to 1, here. That's because we're more united than we were in '72. We're sure we're going to win this time."

-Jim Chatman, 42, an electrical contractor from Fairfax Station at the Rose Bowl parking lot in Pasadena before the game.






"I'm gonna call that the greatest incompletion in the history of the Superbowl."

-Joe Buck, interviewing Joe Theismann decades after the 1982 season Superbowl XVII. After having dismissed the Cowboys, the Redskins were in the Superbowl in Pasadena. It was late in the third quarter, Redskins ball, 1st and 10 at the Redskins 18-yard line, score 17-13 Miami's lead. Theismann took the snap from directly behind center, stepped back three paces and cocked his arm to pass. Theismann's hot read to his right was covered as the pocket began to collapse, and so Theismann scrambled back and to his left. From his own 8-yard line, he threw the ball towards an open man on his left. But the pass was blocked - batted straight up in the air by a Miami defender, eerily similar to the way the Danny White pass had been batted straight up in the air by Dexter Manley a week earlier which resulted in an interception by Darryl Grant and a Redskins touchdown. That play, which was also a first-and-ten pass play from deep in Dallas territory, put Washington ahead by two possessions and resulted in a Sports Illustrated cover photo of Grant spiking the ball in the endzone. The parallels were astounding - a nightmare coming to fruition. But Theismann kept his eyes on the ball as it popped up. He ran towards it as it came tumbling down to his left. Miami defensive end Kim Bokamper was there, positioned perfectly, running, with his eyes locked on the ball and his palms up, about to catch and cradle the ball in stride at the three yard line and score. But Theismann managed to dive towards the ball, both feet leaving the ground, and slap it away in mid-air, even as it was hitting Bokamper's open palms. The ball fell incomplete at the goal line.*

*Ironically, Bokamper was the player Miami drafted in 1976, using the first round draft pick they had acquired from Washington for surrendering the rights to Joe Theismann who Miami had drafted in 1971.






"Riggins just ran for 100 yards today - that's the first time an NFC runner has run for 100 yards in a Superbowl."

-Dick Enberg, live on NBC. Riggins had earned his 100th yard on a 2nd down and three to go from the Miami 45 yard line with about 11 minutes left in the 4th quarter. He had run off left tackle for one yard. He then came out of the game, replaced by Clarence Harmon. The next play, at third down and two to go, Harmon was handed the ball straight up the middle making about two yards, and it was close to a first down, but it was just short, bringing up 4th down.






"...And they'll put in the big man as Coach Joe Gibbs elects to gamble here - he's going to go for his first down. There they go..."

-Merlin Olsen, live on NBC, Superbowl XVII, early in the 4th quarter. Redskins ball, 4th down and less than a yard. Quarterback Joe Theismann had put up his two index fingers - vertical and parallel to each other - showing the coaches on the sidelines that the ball was short of a first down by about the length of a football. The Redskins coaches hand-signaled the next play without hesitation. The offensive unit stayed on the field as Riggins jogged back in to replace Harmon.






"Otis Wonsley comes in to block. Three tight ends in the game. Walker. Didier. Warren. The power back, Riggins."

-Dick Enberg, describing the Redskins on the field and beginning to huddle just prior to the 4th-down-and-one play. Wonsley was technically a running back but he rarely if ever got the ball in a given game. He was most often used as a power block in the backfield. He also played special teams.






"Got enough horses to pull a wagon in there, Dick."

-Merlin Olsen, live on NBC, adding color to Dick Enberg's comment describing the Redskins offensive unit as they were in a huddle for the upcoming 4th-and-one. The offense for this play included three tight ends, two power backs, The Hogs offensive line, and the quarterback.






"Goal Line, Goal line, I-Left, Tight Wing, 70 Chip on White. Ready?" <<<CLAP>>>

-Joe Theismann, January 30, 1983, in the huddle calling the play during Superbowl XVII vs the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins were favored by three and the Redskins hadn't held the lead at any time during the game. Fourth quarter, with just over ten minutes to play, it's fourth down with less than one yard to go at the Miami 42 yard line with the score 17-13.






"Ball is at the 42 of Miami so this could be a play they talk about during the off-season, if Miami stops the Redskins. They've forsaken the punt to try to pin Miami deep - they're going for the first down!"

-Dick Enberg, live in NBC TV, implying that going for the first down could end up being a disaster for Washington. The offense had broken huddle and had approached the line of scrimmage with the backs set in the I-formation. Joe Theismann was crouched directly behind center. Otis Wonsley was directly behind Theismann in the down position. John Riggins was the second back directly behind Wonsley, upright but crouched. Miami had six defenders at the line of scrimmage.






"...And the Dolphins call time out!"

-Dick Enberg, live on NBC TV. Superbowl XVII, 4th quarter, Redskins in I-Formation, 4th and one. Otis Wonsley hadn't touched the ball all day on offense, and so the Miami's defensive coordinator, Bill Arnsparger, called a time out to confer with his defense, knowing Wonsley would almost certainly be used as a lead block for Riggins as the two of them hit the defensive line head-on.






"They didn't have their right people in there defensively and decided to change."

-Merlin Olsen, live on NBC TV, commenting on Miami's defensive timeout at 4th and one - after seeing Washington's I-Formation.






"The inevitable is this: I'm gonna get the football. And I'm going to either go this way - or I'm going to go that way. And you've got, you know, like Dirty Harry. Do you feel lucky...?"

-John Riggins, decades later, describing the problem facing the Miami defense. It was 4th down and a foot with the Redskins backfield in the I-Formation directly behind Theismann. Miami called a time out. Riggins seems to be saying that Miami figures the best chance they have to stop him from achieving the first down is to anticipate where he is going to run in advance. In order to stop him from making the twelve inches he needed, their best chance is to guess which side of the center he is going to run, and then call the defense to act on that guess and plug that side of the line instantly at the snap - and hope they guessed correctly.






"HERE COMES THE Diesel! HERE COMES THE Diesel!"

-Sam Huff, live on WMAL, Jan 30, 1983, commenting after the time out just as the Redskins were setting up at the line of scrimmage for the second time. The Redskins offense lined up in the same formation they were in before the time out - the I-Formation - daring Miami to stop them. Meanwhile, in the small town of Harvey, North Dakota, a little old lady was sitting in her rocker darning a pair of socks. She wasn't sure who was going to be handed the ball after the snap. Everybody else in the country knew exactly who was going to end up with the football. Joe Theismann crouched behind center, put his hands in Jeff Bostic's crotch, and drew in a breath.






"YELLOW FORTY-ONE! YELLOW FORTY-ONE! HUT!"

-Joe Theismann, directly behind center, barks the signals as he turns his head - first to the left side, then to the right. Before the time out, there had been six defenders lined up at the line of scrimmage. Now there were eight. Of the eight on the line, six of them were in the down position. There was one linebacker in the secondary and the two cornerbacks. Nobody was in the safety positions. There were rumors after the game that Theismann considered calling an audible while under center, to counter the adjustment Miami's defense had made based on the offensive backfield I-Formation Miami observed before the time out. Theismann later commented on those rumors, saying they were complete nonsense. He never considered changing the play. They would run the play as called: 70 Chip.






"There’s the snap. Hand to Riggins. Good hole, he’s got the first down at the forty. HE'S GONE! THE THIRTY-FIVE! THE THIRTY! THE TWENTY! HE’S GONE! HE’S GONE! TOUCHDOWN, WASHINGTON REDSKINS!!!”
-Frank Herzog, live on WMAL radio. The nation had just witnessed the longest touchdown run in Superbowl history.
"WOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

-Sam Huff, live on WMAL, immediately after Riggins scored the go-ahead touchdown in Superbowl XVII. The Rose Bowl in Pasadena sounded like RFK Stadium. The cheers were deafening.






"HOLY COW! FORTY-TWO YARD TOUCHDOWN ON 4TH AND A FOOT! JOHN RIGGINS HAS GIVEN THE REDSKINS THE LEAD IN SUPERBOWL SEVENTEEN!"

-Frank Herzog, live on WMAL radio, January 30, 1983, summarizing what had just happened on the field.






"The BEES are DEAD!"

-Sam Huff, live on WMAL, after Riggins' 42-yard touchdown, putting the Redskins in the lead 20-17. The "Bees" he was referring to was the infamous Miami "Killer Bees" defense, named because six of the eleven defensive starters had last names which started with the letter "B." Regarding points allowed, Miami's defense was ranked second on the NFL in 1982. No team had scored more than 19 points on them in over two months. They had won each of their previous three playoff games by at least two touchdowns. They had shut out the New York Jets in the AFC Championship 14-0.






"70 Chip - we run it various ways. And the way we scored in the Superbowl is - Clint Didier was our wing back. We started him in motion across the formation. Faked him and brought him BACK. Now - Clint Didier is responsible for the end man on the line of scrimmage. So, he blocked the strong safety. John Riggins knows on 70 Chip, there's going to be one free man, it's going to be the corner. But we tell John, with a running start, if we capture the line-of-scrimmage, then John Riggins should beat any cornerback in the NFL."

-Joe Bugel, Redskins offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, later describing 70 Chip as used in Superbowl XVII. It was the 4th quarter, Dolphins ahead 17-13, and the Redskins had a 4th down and one short yard to go at the Miami 42 yard line. Offense in the I-formation with Otis Wonsley behind Theismann and John Riggins behind Wonsley. Miami had eight men on the line of scrimmage after the time out - one directly over center, three to the right of the center, and four to the left of the center. Rookie tight end Clint Didier had gone into motion from his left to his right, and cornerback Don McNeal stayed with him, moving parallel to the line of scrimmage from his right to his left. Then, Didier, after passing between Theismann and Wonsley, abruptly reversed direction. McNeal tried to do the same, but slipped and fell - his body dropping completely to the ground, his right hip slamming hard into the turf. He bounced up instantly and sprinted to his right as the ball was snapped. Theismann, after taking the snap, pivoted clockwise - to his right - and continued to spin around 180 degrees before handing the ball to Riggins with his right hand as Riggins ran to the left side. Otis Wonsley had already taken a couple steps towards the left tackle and then launched himself like a missile - literally catapulting himself through the air - to take out (chip) the linebacker in the secondary. Riggins, following to the left of Wonsley, tore through the left end of the offensive line untouched, thanks to the blocking of Didier and Joe Jacoby, and roared past the line of scrimmage, angling to his left. McNeal was able to slam into Riggins face-to-face, helmet-to-helmet at the 41-yard line as they were both moving fast, angling towards the far sideline. Riggins' up-field progress was stopped for about a half second as he was hit by McNeal, even as they were both sprinting towards the sideline. For a brief moment, McNeal had his arms around the numbers of Riggins' jersey - his right-hand fingertips brushing against the football being carried in Riggins' left arm. But Riggins used his right arm to push McNeal away, and then used a stiff-arm to keep him at arm's length. McNeal, unable to wrap his arms around Riggins' waist, could only fall forward and - like grabbing at straw - claw desperately at Riggins' jersey at about waist level. McNeal was successful in slowing Riggins for a brief moment, as he had Riggins' jersey secured with both hands, but then could only allow himself to be dragged - still hanging on - using the weight of his body - hoping to at least slow Riggins down long enough for help to arrive. His left hand lost its grip first. But he still had a good grip with his other hand. Riggins' jersey stretched out like elastic as McNeal was dragged. From the first moment of contact, Riggins was in McNeal's flailing, desperate grasp for six paces before the jersey finally slipped out of the cornerback's right hand. Riggins never broke stride. After dismissing McNeal, Riggins had a clear sprint to the goal line as all the Miami defenders were either at the scrimmage line or in the secondary to Riggins' right. All except the strong safety. Miami strong safety Glenn Blackwood, who had been in the defensive end position and had been initially blocked by Didier, was chasing Riggins - with Didier following a step behind. Blackwood was closing the gap and was just on the heels of Riggins as they both ran downfield. But Blackwood couldn't catch him as Riggins accelerated towards the end zone. After the PAT, the score was 20-17, and the Redskins were in the lead for the first time.






"It was awesome. It was awesome just as the word was meant to be used. It was one hundred percent - pure - exhilaration."

-John Riggins, decades later, describing the emotion he felt after scoring the go-ahead touchdown in Superbowl XVII with the crowd cheering so loud it sounded like a home game. It was the longest touchdown run in Superbowl history and the Redskins had taken the lead for the first time.






"Neal Olkewicz gets in there on his 27th birthday! The middle linebacker, number 52, to make the tackle."

-Dick Enberg, live on NBC TV, January 30th, 1983. The Washington Redskins were leading 20-17 after Riggins' historic touchdown. As the Redskins kicked off, Miami had almost ten minutes to come back as they were only down by a field goal, and so, with plenty of time remaining, tried to establish the running game for what could be the game-winning drive. Enberg describes the tackle from the first offensive play of Miami's drive, first-and-ten from the Miami 22 yard line, which gained three yards to the 25 yard line. It was actually Olkewicz's third unassisted tackle of the game. 2nd down and seven resulted in a one yard gain. Unfortunately for Miami, a false start at third down and six put them back, and that was followed by an incompletion. The Dolphins ended up at 4th down and eleven yards to go. With nine minutes remaining, they were forced to punt and rely on their killer bee defense to get the ball back. So on this crucial possession, they went three-and-out. Miami's punt was not good, only 32 yards, and the Redskins Mike Nelms returned it for 12 yards, bringing 1st-and-10 for Washington at Miami's 41-yard-line. Redskins ball with excellent field position and 8:49 on the game clock. At this point, Washington's strategy was to finish the game running 50 Gut repeatedly, as they had against Dallas to close the game a week earlier. Riggins got the ball and ran between the center and the left end five times in a row, punishing the right side of Miami's defensive line while moving the ball up-field and running the clock. At the end of the fifth rush by Riggins, coach Joe Gibbs sensed Riggins was tiring, so took him out, planning to put Clarence Harmon in for at least one play. At third down and a short three yards to go, Washington allowed the play clock to run down, then called a time out, their first. Washington and Miami each had two time outs left. With Riggins standing on the sideline, the sixth play of the drive with Harmon brought the second first-down of the drive to the Miami 19 yard line with 5:15 left to play. Washington was in the red zone with a new set of downs. It was critical for Miami to hold Washington to a field goal to keep it a one-possession game. Miami's back-up quarterback, Don Strock, is seen warming up on the sidelines. Riggins went back in for the next play.






"Riggins slips! But he still gets up and gets a yard or two..."

-Dick Enberg, NBC, live. On Riggins' sixth carry of the drive, while trying to make a cut, he collapsed, untouched, about a yard shy of the line of scrimmage. He managed to quickly get back up and get about a yard past the scrimmage line before he was stopped, making it second down and nine. It wasn't clear whether Riggins actually slipped, or if his legs just gave out from acute muscle fatigue - on replay, there was no indication that either of his feet slipped on the turf.






"Oh, the punishment that he has taken. But when you think of the superlatives - a man having a great running day and he's approaching forty carries- the kind of punishment his OWN body is taking - but he LOVES to carry the football. It's interesting - he does NOT like to block. He said 'It takes more energy out of me to block than it does to carry the football. I'd rather carry the football forty times than to block twenty times...'"

-Merlin Olsen, live on NBC TV, January 30th, 1983, commenting after Riggins seemed to collapse near the line of scrimmage. After seemingly slipping on the turf, Gibbs sends Harmon in again, while Riggins comes out. Harmon ran into the line for no gain. At 3rd-and-nine from the 18-yard line, Harmon stayed in the game. But as Theismann took the snap from directly over center, he back-pedaled, looked to his right while cocking his arm, and then spun clockwise and rolled around to the left in a dead run. Theismann, still in a run, then threw towards the left sidelines to rookie Charlie Brown for nine yards, the first pass of the drive. Brown caught the ball and was forced out of bounds, stopping the clock at 3:19, just barely making the first down. First and goal at the Miami 9 yard line for Washington. Riggins, after standing on the sidelines for two plays, came back in. Riggins crashed into the defensive line for 3 yards. Ball is on the six yard line. On the next play, an exhausted John Riggins crashed into the line again, but lost the ball as he went down at the line of scrimmage. A Miami linebacker, Earnest Rhone, scooped it up and began to run up field with no one in front of him, but was held up by Theismann, with Theismann's arms wrapped tightly around the defender's hips, potentially making his second defensive game-saving play as the whistle blew. For a brief moment, it looked like Miami ball, but the play was ruled dead as Riggins hit the ground, bringing up third and goal at the six yard line.






"Dick, I hate to argue with you, but I think maybe that was a fumble! ...I think the ball is out - before his knee hits the ground."

-Merlin Olsen, live on NBC TV. Indeed, at second and goal from the six-yard line and after a hand off to a thoroughly exhausted John Riggins, a replay from one particular angle showed it had been a fumble - as it showed the ball coming out before Riggins' knee touched the ground. The ball popped loose because, as he was going down, he was hit from behind by the leading helmet of another Miami defender on the same arm he was carrying the ball. The ball slipped out and came loose, and Riggins' knee was not yet on the ground. The referee's view of the ball as it was held in Riggins left arm was obscured because the initial Miami defender who hit Riggins was between the ball and the ref - the referee could not see the ball as Riggins held it. He could only see it after Riggins hit the ground when it was already out. Nonetheless, the ref had blown the whistle and the play was dead. It was ruled Riggins was down for no gain. There were no red flag challenges or instant replay reviews in the early 80s. Enberg, who initially agreed with the ref that it was not a fumble, after looking at the replay as shown on national TV from several different angles, finally agreed with Olsen that the ball was fumbled, explaining "That replay appears to be a fumble, but we get to look at it in slow motion." Meanwhile, Gibbs, wearing his headset while on the sidelines, motioned Riggins to come out of the game. He would not return.






"WASHINGTON REDSKINS - HAVE FUMBLED ONE TIME IN THE LAST 300 OFFENSIVE PLAYS"

-On screen, NBC TV, just after Riggins' loose ball was called "already down." Score 20-17, 4th quarter, Washington leads. Redskins ball, 3rd and goal at the Miami 6-yard line. Riggins out, Harmon in. Theismann took the snap and rolled out to the right side and again, in a dead run, threw to Charlie Brown. This was almost a mirror diagram of the play they had run a few plays back. But this time, Brown caught it on the RIGHT side of the field - and for the SCORE, making it a two-possession game and leaving 1:48 on the clock. The stadium erupted in mad cheers. The entire offensive unit ran to the endzone and hugged and leaped onto each other in euphoria. In the insane jubilation, even one of the assistant coaches ran to the endzone and leaped onto the pile. It was rookie Charlie Brown's eighth touchdown of the season. About 20 seconds later, The Fun Bunch, made up of the entire receiving corps, did their customary celebratory 1-2-3 airborne high five in the endzone on national TV with the crowd cheering. All that was missing was confetti. It appeared the crowd at the Rose Bowl was made up of about 90% Redskins fans. Charlie Brown acknowledged the crowd by raising both arms from the back of the endzone while facing the fans in the endzone seats, and then pointing his index finger as if to say "We're number one." Miami's spirit was broken. The Dolphin's acclaimed defense, second best in the NFL, had allowed two 4th quarter touchdowns in a row while also allowing the clock to run unimpeded. The Dolphin's offense, at that point, had accumulated only 35 total yards in the second half. The Dolphin's special teams had completely blown their previous punt, both the punt itself and coverage of the punt returner. In summary, the Redskins' drive included eight running plays into the defensive line with Riggins, two running plays into the defensive line with Harmon, and two completed passes to Charlie Brown near the sidelines. No incompletions. Of the ten running plays, all of them were called deliberately to repeatedly crash into the Miami defensive line. Only one was to the right of the center, as coach Bugel relied on Hogs Jeff Bostic, Russ Grimm, and Joe Jacoby to further punish and weaken the exhausted right side of the Miami defensive. Washington's offense methodically moved the ball 41 yards while taking 12 plays to do it - scoring the second 4th quarter touchdown while taking a whopping seven minutes off the clock, leaving Miami with less than two minutes to come back while down by two possessions. Score 27-17.






"...And incomplete on 4th down. Miami did not complete a pass in the second half. Oh-for-eight for Woodley and oh-for-three for Strock. That's hard to believe. That really is hard to believe."

-Jack Buck, live, CBS Radio. After Washington kicked off following their second 4th quarter touchdown in a row leaving less than two minutes to play, Miami's back-up quarterback, Don Strock, came in to replace David Woodley who was deemed ineffective. The Dolphins had achieved only two first downs during the last two quarters (one with the help of an offsides penalty on Dexter Manley) and hadn't scored at all in the second half. It became Don Strock's job to pull off a miracle. From the Miami 35 yard line, the Dolphins first ran a running play for four yards, but then was forced to pass with less than a minute and a half to play, two timeouts left, and the clock running. Strock then threw three incompletions in a row. After 4th down, with 1:12 showing on the game clock, Washington took over on downs at the Miami 39 yard line. Riggins stayed on the sidelines. Following each of the next two Clarence Harmon running plays, again crashing into the defensive line, Miami burned their remaining two time outs. On third down and three-to-go with the game clock stopped at 59 seconds and Miami out of timeouts, Miami fans could only hope and pray for a stop. Theismann handed the ball to Harmon for the third time in a row who made four yards and a fresh set of downs. That was the stake through the heart. It was over. All three plays were up the middle or to the left, as Washington had continued to bloody the right side of Miami's physically-spent defensive line. The clock ran. At first and ten at the Miami 28-yard line with the game clock at 32 seconds and running fast, Theismann took a knee.






"JOE GIBBS, THE HOGS, AND MVP JOHN RIGGINS HAVE BEATEN THE MIAMI DOLPINS, 27 TO 17!"

-Frank Herzog, live on WMAL, shouting so that his voice could be heard above the cheering crowd of the Rose Bowl.








"Hail to the Redskins. Braves on the warpath. Victory for Old D.C."

-Merlin Olsen, live on NBC TV, as Superbowl XVII ended.






"How's the old song go? You have to have heart. That's exactly what this team has - they wear their heart on their sleeve."

-Hank Stram, live, CBS radio, as Superbowl XVII ended with a Redskins victory. Stram was referring to "(You Gotta Have) Heart" from the 1955 Broadway musical Damn Yankees which was made into a movie in 1958. The number is sung by the Washington Senators baseball team. In the play and film, the Senators beat the New York Yankees in the last game of the season and win the pennant. The song celebrates grit and optimism over talent. It's a reminder that determination matters as much as skill.






"...Ron's the President, but I'm the King."

-John Riggins, in the locker room after the Superbowl win vs Miami on January 30, 1983, following a phone call from President Ronald Reagan congratulating Joe Gibbs on the World Championship. Riggins had been voted Most Valuable Player of Superbowl XVII - gaining 166 yards on 38 carries. It was Riggins' fourth 100-yard game in a row, and all four were in the post-season. In this game, in addition to making the longest rushing touchdown in Superbowl history at 42 yards, Riggins also earned the most rushing attempts in a Superbowl - a record which still stands today - encompassing almost sixty years of Superbowls.






"This is the best day in the history of the world..."

-Washington Redskins Owner Jack Kent Cooke, January 30, 1983. Not only did Mr. Cooke's team become world champions, but he also achieved revenge for having lost to Head Coach Don Shula's Miami Dolphins in Superbowl VII ten years earlier. Although Edward Bennett Williams was the principal owner in 1972, Jack Kent Cooke was a 25% owner of the Washington Redskins from 1960 through the early 70s, and purchased majority interest in 1974.






"That was such an incredible experience for us as a city, for us as a football team and for me personally. As kids growing up, you dream about the opportunity to play in a Super Bowl."

-Joe Theismann, later reminiscing about the game. Beating the Dolphins was particularly sweet for Theismann and ironic for Miami, as Theismann should have been playing for the Dolphins. Miami was the team which had chosen him in the 1971 draft - 4th round. But during contract negotiations, Theismann felt he was undervalued and not adequately respected, as he had broken many records as quarterback at Notre Dame, and was a runner up for the Heisman Trophy, coming in second behind Jim Plunkett.* Contract discussions were not going the way Theismann expected and they broke down. Theismann, frustrated, rather than bend to Miami's weak contract proposal, chose to play in Canada for $50,000 per season where he stayed for three years and where he was a stand-out quarterback. The Redskins traded a 1st round 1976 draft pick with Miami for the rights to Theismann in 1974, and he became an NFL rookie for the Washington Redskins.**

*And that's why Theismann's name is today pronounced to rhyme with Heisman. Before college and up to his senior year, Theismann's surname had been pronounced "THEEZ-man." But Notre Dame's Sports Information Director Roger Valdiserri, in the fall of Theismann's senior year, advised Theismann that he should pronounce his last name to rhyme with Heisman because he felt it would psychologically enhance his chance of winning the trophy. After speaking with his paternal grandmother, she gave him her approval. And so, it was pronounced to rhyme with "Heisman" moving forward.

**Miami used the 1st-round Washington draft pick in the 1976 draft to acquire Kim Bokamper, a defensive end. He was chosen 19th overall. And ironically, it was Bokamper who was the Miami defensive player early in the 3rd quarter who had Theismann's batted pass in the palm of his hands at the Redskins 3-yard-line - just as Theismann, diving through the air, knocked it away, denying Bokamper his heroic, game-changing play.







"Well, that (50 Gut) is another play I liked. That used to be an off-tackle play designed to go basically behind Jeff, well, Jeff Bostic the center, because he always - a lot of times we'd have an odd man front and he'd have a guy on his nose, and then Russ Grimm and Joe Jacoby. And so, you know, and this, instead of taking a crossover, you take kind of a lateral step. Which kind of makes it difficult to get the bounce. Although when they really, you know, when they really come down inside, you can still DO that. But it really kind of lines you up. It's almost like the I-Formation where, you know, the tail back will step out and he's got SO many places you can go. You can cut that thing ALL the way back over to the STRONG side, because it was a weak, it was a weak side play. Or you can take it right off. And, and usually that's what I do, particularly at the beginning of the game. I just get behind Jacoby and, you know, they'd get under their guys, and then, then I'd hit him again, and whoever was there, I mean, you know, that was a lot of flesh going one way."

-John Riggins, decades later, describing 50 Gut, in an interview with Steve Sabol of NFL Films. The play was used to close out the Dallas game in the 1982 NFC Championship and was also used against the Dolphins to close out Superbowl XVII.






"The play "70 Chip," and the name John Riggins, will be forever linked with the most dramatic touchdown run in Superbowl history."

-NFL Films. In 2007, in celebration of Washington's 75th anniversary, the Redskins held a poll, and hundreds of thousands of Washington fans voted on Redskins.com, choosing the "Redskins Greatest Moment" in franchise history. The 42 yard touchdown run by John Riggins in Superbowl XVII, which occurred a quarter century earlier, easily won the voting. A distant second was the second quarter of Superbowl XXII with Doug Williams leading the Redskins to five unanswered touchdowns. The Santana Moss touchdowns during the Monday Night Miracle game at Dallas in 2005 came in third. All three of these "Greatest Redskins Moments," as chosen by fans for games dating back to 1932 were of Joe Gibbs coached teams.






"First of all, Vince Lombardi started the Five O'clock Club. Let's be straight about that. Everybody says John Riggins started that, but it didn't have nothin' to do with me. And from there, it went to the older guys. You know, that were there with George Allen, because basically he came in and replaced, you know, Vince Lombardi, when he passed. The Five O'clock Club was a bunch of guys getting together, drinking some beer after practice. And like I said, it was Vince Lombardi who invented it, because... after practice, doing two-a-days in Carlisle, I remember Joe Kuczo,* the old trainer, he would say everybody was expected to be where it was - in their meeting room having a cocktail before dinner with Coach Lombardi - and that was the Five O'clock Club. And somehow, I guess there was a spin-off of it that the players kind of thought maybe was a good idea. You know - the Diron Talberts and the Billy Kilmers and the Sonny Jurgensens and the Ron McDoles and the Len Hauses. So they just kind of kept the, uh, legacy going and then they passed it on up to us. So that's what it was. And we, you know, we get a couple, three cases of beer and usually it was myself and a couple, three of the Hogs and, you know, the equipment guys, and, and we had a fun time out there. I'm sure it was one of those things that caused a little consternation (with Joe Gibbs) but at the same time, he figured, well, we're winning, so, you know, let's not be too hasty. That's a great thing about Joe Gibbs, I think, because he understands. His ego doesn't get away from him. ...Why fix it if it ain't broke?"

-John Riggins, decades later, being interviewed by Steve Sabol of NFL Films, when asked about the Five O'clock Club. He described the custom of drinking beers in an old equipment shed after practice. Interestingly, neither George Allen nor Joe Gibbs drank alcohol, though the tradition survived through both eras. Late in the season, they had a kerosene heater, and the Hogs would stuff cardboard in some of the cracks around the small (roughly 10' x 10') wooden shed to keep the cold air out. Riggins is implying that a lot of the fellowship and faith that was formed with the offensive line stemmed from their time drinking beers together in the tiny equipment shed after practice - and that the camaraderie, trust, and brotherhood that evolved from the time spent in that little wooden shed was rooted from the leadership and vision of Vince Lombardi.

*Joe Kuczo was an assistant trainer for the Washington Redskins from 1953 through 1988.







********************************







"When you sign with Washington, you sign a contract to hate the Cowboys."

-Charles Mann, starting left defensive end opposite Dexter Manley. Mann was drafted in the third round in 1983.






"It showed our mindset. We honestly felt like we were going into battle."

-Neal Olkewicz, describing the team flying to Dallas two weeks before Christmas after having lost at RFK in early September. Washington flew in on the charter wearing Army surplus camouflage battle fatigues, black paratrooper combat boots and Special Forces berets as they arrived at Dallas International Airport on Saturday, Dec 10, 1983, dominating the Dallas television news that night. In the previous matchup three months earlier, the Redskins had squandered a 23-3 halftime lead to lose 31-30 at home. Now, Washington was to play the Cowboys again, this time at Texas Stadium. The Redskins record at Dallas was 1-9 over the past ten years. The Cowboys were favored by three at home. Both teams were 12-2, and the #1 seed for the playoffs was on the line. As game day approached, the media built this event up as if it were a championship game. The Redskins players considered it a tactical operation.






"This afternoon in Texas Stadium, pro football's GREATEST RIVALRY is raging once again."

-Pat Summerall, CBS, live, Sunday, December 11, 1983. At 4 PM sharp, a short pre-game script was shown including Redskins-Cowboys game highlights going back from the early Allen years to the present. Larry Brown, Diron Talbert, Roger Staubach, Clint Longley, Drew Pearson, Ken Houston, Dexter Manley, Darryl Grant, Danny White - great victories and devastating heartbreaks were all featured. The two minute highlight reel closed with the above quote. This upcoming Four O'clock contest was another nationally televised game, as most Washington-Dallas games were.






"Three hundred dollars a ticket ... to get into this contest - one that has everything. ...Dallas and Washington - the best in pro football at this point. Many say these are the two best teams in pro football... Good afternoon, this is Pat Summerall. And, indeed, it is a good afternoon. This is one that has everything... the NFC Championship at stake, the homefield advantage in the playoffs at stake, ...I can't remember a regular season game with this much hype..."

-Pat Summerall, Sunday afternoon, Four o'clock, December 11, 1983. The energy was intense. The atmosphere was electric. Virtually every football fan in America was tuned to this game.






"You know, this is the type of stuff you get in championships and Superbowls. And I've never seen Texas Stadium like this - it's just ROCKING today, with all the excitement. This is REALLY what it's all about."

-John Madden, live CBS. Dec 11, 1983. Washington Dallas. Biggest regular season game of the year. Everybody in Texas Stadium was on their feet as Dallas kicked off.






"...and the Redskins move out in front, very impressively, fourteen to nothing. I even think I saw a little smile on Joe Gibbs' face."

-Pat Summerall, live, CBS, Dec 11, 1983. By the middle of the first quarter, Washington had already scored touchdowns on their first two possessions which quieted the Texas Stadium crowd significantly. The first touchdown was John Riggins for one yard. After a Dallas punt, the second touchdown was first a pass to Art Monk for 22 yards followed by a bomb from Theismann to Clint Didier for 40 yards. Four plays total in the drive. The Fun Bunch enjoyed their customary high-five celebration in the endzone of Texas Stadium. The second possession by Dallas resulted in the second Danny White punt, but for only 33 yards and a 6 yard return. Three plays later, Washington was faced with 4th down and a short yard at about midfield.






"Joe Gibbs says, 'You know, if anyone ever wants to play against us in short yardage or goal line, all they have to do is key Riggins and go after him,' he said, 'because I'm not going to do anything else.'"

-John Madden, quoting Gibbs as the Redskins were in the huddle. At 4th down and about a foot, Coach Gibbs had kept the offense on the field at the Washington 48-yard line with less than two minutes left in the first quarter, with the Redskins leading 14-0. Washington was nine out of ten on 4th down conversions in 1983 up to this point. The offense broke huddle and set up with Otis Wonsley and John Riggins behind Theismann in the I-Formation, exactly the same formation that was used in Riggins' historic 42 yard touchdown run in Superbowl XVII. Riggins was handed the ball, but instead of running to the left as he did in the Superbowl, he crossed over and hit the right side. But he was stopped near the line of scrimmage. It was close. The chains came out and the officials measured. Short by about a foot. The Dallas crowd cheered madly as Dallas took over on downs. They scored a touchdown 90 seconds later, making the score 14-7. Dallas kicked off, and as the game continued into the second quarter, the Redskins meticulously drove all the way to the Dallas 22-yard line.






"You can't blame that on the tackle! They're wrong! Stark just blocked him, he didn't chop-block him!

-John Madden, live, CBS. At first and 10 at the Dallas 22, Theismann was sacked for a loss of 14 yards. Second down and 24 at the Dallas 36. Pass to Art Monk for 12 yards. Third and 12 at the Dallas 24. The play had been a completed pass to Charlie Brown for 12 yards at the Dallas 12 yard line just past the first down marker. However, a flag was thrown - a chop-block penalty was called which brought it back, and then adds a fifteen-yard penalty. Replay the down. George Stark was called for the chop-block, and the play was nullified. Madden, watching the slow-motion replay, did not agree with the call. Now, instead of first and ten from the 12, Washington was faced with third down and 27 from the Dallas 39 yard line. On the snap, Dallas sacked Theismann again, a loss of 9 yards this time, while violently knocking Theismann's helmet off his head.






"They're going after each other today!"

-John Madden, live, CBS. The hit on Theismann, which resulted in a sack of nine yards, knocked Theismann's helmet off his head with such force that it rolled five yards down the field. At 4th down and 36 yards to go, Washington was forced to punt from the Dallas 48 as the Cowboys fans, on their feet, cheered wildly. Being mindful of the touchback risk, Jeff Hayes' punt was high for about a 4.5 sec hang time, but the ball hit the turf short - at only the 23 yard line near where the line of scrimmage had been a few plays earlier. But it then bounced backwards dramatically, and the Redskins couldn't secure it until it had bounced all the way back to the 33 yard line. So the punt was recorded as only fifteen yards. Dallas began from their own 33 yard line and drove down the field before they were stopped close enough to kick a field goal with less than a minute left in the second quarter, making the halftime score 14-10, Washington's lead. It appeared momentum was beginning to shift in Dallas' favor.






"This is, without doubt, THE GAME of the YEAR for the football season, the NFL season, in 1983."

-Pat Summerall, halftime, live on CBS, Dec 11, 1983, Dallas vs Washington. Score 14-10, Washington leads. Washington was about to kickoff to start the second half.






"Dallas head coach Tom Landry has made the decision that Joe Gibbs had made earlier, 4th and inches, and now HE'S going for it!"

-Pat Summerall, live, December 11, 1983. Early in the 3rd quarter, with Dallas ball 3rd and five, Danny White had thrown a short pass to Dallas fullback Ron Springs, and Redskins starting strong safety Ken Coffey* had just slammed straight into him, a brilliant stop, keeping him just short of the first down. Coffey was badly shaken up though, and laid on the turf on his back unable to move. The officials stopped the clock as the Redskins medical unit ran onto the field, giving Dallas Coach Tom Landry an opportunity to discuss the next play with his quarterback. Coffey was eventually helped off the field and would not return. With the score 14-10 Redskins lead, it was now Dallas ball, 4th down and about a foot at the Dallas 49 yard line - almost exactly the same situation Gibbs' offense was in earlier. Landry, after discussing the situation with his quarterback Danny White, had decided to keep the Dallas offense on the field. The Cowboys lined up at the scrimmage line. White, crouched over center, began the snap count, with two power backs behind him to the left and right. The Redskins had six men on the line of scrimmage - five in the down position and a defensive end on the left side. Dallas fans were on their feet...

*Although Coffey had suited up and played intermittently since at least the middle of the season, this was Coffey's first game as a starter. The following week, he quickly recovered from his injury and went on to start all the remaining 1983 games in the regular and post season.






"They're not going to snap it! They're trying to draw the Redskins offsides! If they don't go, they'll take the penalty and punt."

-John Madden, live, CBS, Dec 11, 1983, during the long snap count by Danny White at 4th down and less than one from the Dallas 49 yard line.






"Nobody's going to move!"

-Pat Summerall, live, CBS, December 11, 1983. On 4th down and a very short yard, Danny White was hunched over center, still barking the snap count. The Washington defense quickly caught on to the ruse, and remained patiently at the line. White continued the cadence. This went on for a whopping 25 seconds - which may be an NFL record.


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Note: This thread originated on ES - probably around 2005. The idea for this thread came when I saw six quotes on the back of a book cover I own. The book was titled AMERICA'S RIVALRY - The 20 greatest Redskins-Cowboys Games! by Mickey Spagnola, John Keim, DavId Elfin and Rick Snider. I typed out those quotes and added a few others and made a thread - and over the years I began adding to them. I've been collecting these one by one from various places and posting these periodically preceding a meaningful (and sometimes an unmeaningful) Cowboys game. But after a recent google search, I was kind of amused to have noticed that these quotes have been copied and pasted on various other forums over the years, including a Cowboys forum.

credits: various sources including America's Rivalry by Mickey Spagnola, John Keim, David Elfin and Rick Snider; Stadium Stories by John Keim; Hail Victory: An Oral History of the Washington Redskins by Thom Loverro; A History Of Washington's Team by Washington Post Books; Washington Redskins - The Allen Triumph by Ken Denlinger, Great Teams' Great Years - The Washington Redskins by Jack Clary; Braves On The Warpath by Alan Beall; The Redskins From A To Z - Volume 1: The Games by Rich Tandler; 100 Things Redskins Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die, by Rick Snider; The Redskins Encyclopedia by Michael Richman; Sports Illustrated; A History of the Washington Redskins (news clippings) by the New York Times; The Washington Post; NFL Productions LLC; NFL Films; ESPN980, WMAL AM 630.

Edited December 6, 2015 by Mark The Homer

 

[Mark The Homer]

I rescued the OP and these quotes from a thread from ES last fall between blackouts and brought it up to date a bit. However, instead of dumping everything into one post, I'm going to just post one or two items or three at a time in the OP - every day or two - because it's really too much to read all at once. Please share any memories or stories you have from Redskins - Cowboys games, or any fun stories from any of the stadiums - Griffith Stadium, RFK Stadium, FedExField, Cottonbowl, Texas Stadium, or AT&T Stadium, or stories from tailgates at these stadiums, or stories from home, friends and family regarding the Redskins and the Cowboys or any other Redskins stories you might have...

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"Go to HELL!"

-Clint Murchison to George Preston Marshall, 1958. Marshall had initially agreed to sell the team to Murchison which would have moved the Washington Redskins to Dallas. The terms were verbally agreed upon although nothing was signed. But Marshall changed the terms just before the deal was announced. Hence, although Dallas didn't even have a football team, extreme animosity had quickly developed between the Redskins owner and the future owner of what would eventually become the Dallas Cowboys.






"If he thinks I'm obnoxious now, how will he feel when he meets me?"

-Clint Murchison, 1959, after being told that Redskins owner George Preston Marshall considered Murchison to be obnoxious. Murchison eventually gave up trying to buy an established team for Dallas and began proposing the idea for an expansion team. Marshall had no intention of allowing that to happen, and he knew there was nothing Murchison could do about it. An expansion team required an unanimous vote from the NFL owners, and Marshall intended to be the lone holdout. Marshall was not going to allow Dallas to have a team because at the time, Washington DC was the only team south of the Mason-Dixon line and most fans in the south were Redskins fans. Meanwhile, Redskins band leader Barnee Breeskin became disgruntled with Marshall. Breeskin was legal owner of the 1937 Redskins fight song "Hail To The Redskins" since he had written the music - even though Corinne Griffith, Marshall's wife, had credit for writing the lyrics. To get revenge, Breeskin quietly sold the rights for the song to Murchison for $2,000. Murchison then used the song as leverage to coax Marshall into agreeing to the Dallas expansion team. Marshall was not willing to give up his cherished fight song, and so reluctantly agreed in advance of the owner's meeting. However, Marshall was so incensed, he changed the lyrics to the team's fight song that fall. He replaced "Fight for old D.C." to "Fight for old Dixie" starting in the fall of 1959. On January 28, 1960, at an NFL owner's meeting in Miami, the Dallas football franchise was born by unanimous vote. But the lyrics to the Redskins' fight song continued to read "Fight for old Dixie" through the 1962 season. Marshall changed it back to "Fight for old D.C." in 1963. Source: America's Team: The Official History of the Dallas Cowboys.











“They say the Redskins’ scouting budget (under owner George Preston Marshall) was 50 cents…or the price of a Street and Smith’s and one other football magazine.”

-Eddie LeBaron, Redskins Quarterback, 1959. Later, the Redskins passed up future hall-of-famer Fran Tarkenton in favor of Norm Snead in the 1961 draft.






"'Goog' made the difference. ...This one was it! Great for the team, the town, everybody!"

-George Preston Marshall, Oct. 9, 1960. Marshall was thrilled to beat Murchison at their very first meeting for the home crowd at Griffith Stadium. 'Goog' was QB Ralph Gugliemi who had been promoted to starter because Washington lost their star QB Eddie LeBaron to the expansion Dallas Cowboys. LeBaron was lost because, since the new Cowboys franchise had missed out on the 1960 draft, the NFL commissioner declared that Dallas would be allowed to choose three players from each of the 12 NFL teams, and Marshall had somehow forgotten to include LeBaron on the "protected" list. Ironically, LeBaron threw three interceptions in the Dallas loss. This win, 26-14, put the Redskins at 1-1 early in the season. "Goog", however, was injury prone, and the Redskins offense sputtered as the season progressed. The victory over Dallas was Washington's only win of the season - the Redskins followed this game with two ties followed by eight losses in a row, finishing 1-9-2. 1960 was the worst season Washington had ever endured in their history, and much of the blame was placed on the new franchise because Dallas had taken the Redskins' highly regarded QB. Regardless, Tom Landry's Cowboys would finish their first season winless with an 0-11-1 record.






"...The Redskins took the field in their traditional colors--burgundy, gold and Caucasian."

-Shirley Povich, The Washington Post. The Redskins were the only team in the NFL that had not yet integrated.







"What's in there?"

-Redskins General Manager Dick McCann, Dec. 17, 1961. Unbeknownst to the D.C. Stadium staff, CCC (Cowboys Chicken Club) agents had snuck into the stadium overnight and spread chicken feed all over the playing field. The quote was the following morning, inquiring about what was in the covered wooden crates stashed in the baseball dugout near the Dallas bench before kickoff at the new DC Stadium. He was told by a CCC agent "ice cream," and when McCann didn't believe it, the CCC agent, not realizing McCann was the GM, offered him a $100 bill to go away. The police were called, and the plan to unleash 76 (75 white and one black) chickens at midfield at half time during George Preston Marshall's extravagant Christmas show - complete with a dog pulled Santa sleigh - was foiled. The lone black chicken was to mock Marshall's recent draft pick - under immense pressure from the Kennedy Administration. Washington chose Ernie Davis, who was the first Black player to win the Heisman Trophy (the draft took place in early December back then). Washington had been the only team in the league to have not integrated, and this pick would make the Redskins integrated the following season. In addition, Washington chose Ron Hatcher in the eighth round, another Black player. Although Dallas was 4-8-1 and Washington was winless entering the game, halfback Dick James scored four touchdowns to set the Redskins' single game scoring record, and Washington won the game, 34-24, giving them their first win of the season, which was, unfortunately, also their final game of the season. 1961 was Washington's worst season in history - finishing 1-12-1 - even worse than the previous season. The Dallas Cowboys finished 4-9-1, and although only in their second season since starting as an expansion team, were already finishing better than the segregated Washington Redskins. On the surface, this win over the Cowboys was meaningless, but the victory kept the Redskins from finishing the season winless, and it also kept the Redskins from being swept by Dallas.






"What a day to fall flat..."

-Redskins Head Coach Bill McPeak, Nov. 4th, 1962. The problems of the past seemed to have been resolved. The team was now integrated with, not one, not two, but three Black players: Bobby Mitchell, Leroy Jackson, and John Nimby. And they were winning. Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis had been traded the previous December after he announced he would not play for the segregated Redskins. In response, Marshall traded Davis to Cleveland in exchange for Mitchell and Jackson. He also traded for Nimby with the Steelers. And although Davis never actually played for the Redskins, he was technically a Redskin the moment he was drafted in the first round of the '62 draft. Another Black player, Ron Hatcher, was drafted in the 8th round and was the first Black player to actually sign with the team - ahead of everybody - but he didn't make the roster. Jackson was the first Black player to take the field and touch a football for the Redskins, since he took the opening kickoff in the 1962 season opener, ahead of Mitchell and Nimby. Both Mitchell and Nimby would make the pro bowl for 1962. So who was the first Black player for the Redskins? You decide. The Redskins had tied the Cowboys earlier in the season, 35-35, at the Cotton Bowl. At 4-1-2, the Redskins were on top of the Eastern Conference and having a remarkable season. The city was elated. For this home game against Dallas (3-3-1), DC Stadium boasted a sell out crowd of 49,888, the largest home crowd ever recorded. And to Marshall's delight, although in the past the Redskins had been one of the very worst teams in the league, Murchison's Cowboys had been the only team in the league unable to beat the Washington Redskins going back three years - the previous games ending in losses or ties. And this season, the Redskins were a significantly improved team. As such, the Redskins were favored by three and a half points for this game. Nonetheless, Dallas won 38-10, and knocked Washington out of first place in the NFL's Eastern Conference. This Dallas loss marked the end of a promising season for the Washington Redskins. Of the final six games, Washington would win only one. And this only fanned the flames of the growing contempt the Redskins owner had for Murchison and the Washington fans had for Dallas. Washington finished the season 5-7-2, just a half game better than the Dallas expansion team which finished 5-8-1. Source: 100 Things Redskins Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die, by Rick Snider






"In almost every game, Bobby Mitchell was a heap-big star in the Redskins teepee."

-Jim Leaming, 1963 NFL Review. Bobby Mitchell finished the season as the top receiver in the NFL, earning 1,436 yards on 69 receptions and he made the pro bowl. The two Dallas games were split. Cowboys finished 4-10. Redskins lost seven in a row mid-season and finished 3-11.






"When I left Philadelphia, the bartenders all wore black armbands."

-Sonny Jurgensen, later commenting on being traded from Philadelphia to Washington in 1964






"The Cowboys mount up as Jim Stiger gallops out of the endzone and stampedes through the Washington wigwam."

-Jim Gibbons, describing a play early in the game of Dallas @ Washington on Nov. 22, 1964. Redskins won this game 28-16. Dallas had won the previous Redskins game in week 2 by a score of 24-18. Cowboys finished 5-8-1. Redskins started 0-4 but finished 6-8. Redskins' first round draft pick (3rd overall) Charley Taylor won UPI's NFL Rookie of the Year in 1964, benefitting from the arm of Sonny Jurgensen who had been acquired via a trade with the Eagles in exchange for QB Norm Snead. Sam Huff also joined the Redskins in 1964 via a trade with the Giants in exchange for the fan-favorite Dick James. All three players, among others, were voted to the pro bowl in 1964.






"We fumbled too much and dropped too many passes. I got good protection and overall our line did a real good job . . . It was just those mistakes."

-Sonny Jurgensen, Sept. 26, 1965. The Redskins fumbled four times and lost 27-7 at Dallas. Halfback Charley Taylor (1964 rookie of the year) sat out with an ankle injury. Middle Linebacker Sam Huff was thrown out of the game for fighting, and was taunted by the sell out Cotton Bowl crowd as he walked to the locker room. The game extended Dallas' record to 2-0, while keeping the Redskins winless. The Redskins would continue their losing streak to five games in a row.






"We wondered why somebody didn't get Mr. Williams in after the first game instead of after five. The talk was the turning point for our team."

-Pat Richter, Punter, Nov. 7, 1965. The Redskins had started the season 0-5 when Edward Bennett Williams, who had been recently appointed to oversee daily operations by George Preston Marshall due to Marshall's declining health, ordered a closed-door players-only meeting. Nobody's sure what was said, but the following game, the Redskins upset the 4-1 St. Louis Cardinals 24-20, a team which was favored to win by 13 points. Jurgensen completed 12 of 14 passing attempts for 195 yards and no interceptions. Jurgensen presented Williams with the game ball. The Redskins went on to beat the Eagles and the Giants, making three wins in a row. The players-only meeting ordered by Williams turned the entire season around. The following year, Marshall named Williams as Team President.






"WE WANT SHINER!"

-The DC Stadium Crowd, in response to Sonny Jurgensen's lackluster start to the game vs Dallas on Nov. 28, 1965. Jurgensen had a cold start, throwing two interceptions and getting sacked six times while the Cowboys built a 21-0 lead before halftime. But halftime didn't arrive before Jurgensen completed a 26 yard touchdown pass to Charlie Taylor. Halftime score, 21-6. In the second half, Jurgensen came alive. With the score 31-20 and less than six minutes to play, Jurgensen threw for two more touchdowns for a total of over 400 yards passing to win the game 34-31. The game was so memorable that Edward Bennett Williams referred to it during Sonny Jurgensen's Pro Football Hall Of Fame Induction in 1983.






"Dallas had a 21-point lead and was kicking our butt. But Sonny pulled off a miracle. We scored so fast, it blew their minds."

-Charlie Taylor, Nov. 28, 1965








"It was one of the greatest quarterbacking exhibitions ever."

-Head Coach Bill McPeak, Nov. 28, 1965, after the Redskins, having been down 21-0, came back on Sonny Jurgensen's three touchdown passes and one touchdown QB sneak to beat the Cowboys 34-31. Jurgensen passed for over 400 yards. Redskins started the season 0-5 but finished 6-8. Cowboys had a five-game losing streak in October but finished 7-7. The win, technically meaningless, kept the Redskins from being swept by the Cowboys.






"He likes candy bars and milkshakes and I like women and scotch."

-Sonny Jurgensen, 1966, commenting on the Redskins' new head coach, Otto Graham, ordering him to a lettuce diet.







"I'm thinking: The game is over. I mean, the game is over. We had lost. No question about that. No time. No timeouts."

-Mel Renfro, Nov. 13, 1966, after Dallas (5-2-1) playing Washington (5-4) was faced with a first-and-ten at their own 3 yard line with only 1:30 left on the game clock and no time outs. The score was 30-28 when Don Meredith took the offense and drove the Cowboys downfield all the way to the Washington 12 yard line in a scant 71 seconds. And with 19 seconds left, Tom Landry ordered a Villanueva field goal. Cowboys win 31-30.







"Sure I hit him. I had a clear shot at him, so I hit him. It's my job to hit people... We were blitzing, baby."

-Sam Huff, December 11, 1966, when asked about the quarterback sack that knocked Don Meredith out of the game.






"You can run on a football field, but you can't hide..."

-Sam Huff






"The Cowboys may go on to the championship, but we should have beaten them twice. That was the most exciting game for me, since I've been playing in Washington."

-Sam Huff, December 11, 1966, after a 34-31 victory, beating the Cowboys in the Cotton Bowl. The (9-2-1) Cowboys had been 13 point favorites over the (6-6) Redskins. It was the first time Washington had played on national TV.







"You pass with your arm, not with your stomach."

-Sonny Jurgensen, in response to a question about his weight.






"When Jurgensen's right, there's no better quarterback in the league."

-Clint Murchison, owner, Dallas Cowboys. Dec 11, 1966. This was shown a few days later as the NFL Game Of The Week. Temp at kickoff was 30 F with a 9 mph wind from left to right and a wind chill of 23 F. This was a late game and it was nationally televised. It was the first time Washington had played on national TV. The (9-2-1) Cowboys needed a win or a tie in this game over the (6-6) Redskins to clinch the Eastern Division title. Dallas was playing at home at the Cotton Bowl and were 13.5-point favorites. Redskins Bobby Mitchell #49 started as a halfback for the first time since 1961. The Redskins missed a 44 yard field goal with the wind, wide right, early in the game. The Cowboys scored first in the 2nd quarter on a Don Perkins #43 rushing touchdown. With about 7 mins left in the first half, the Redskins would make a 42 yard field goal against the wind. The Redskins' first touchdown was a special teams score due to a Dallas blocked punt which resulted in a loose ball in the endzone late in the 2nd quarter with just over 2 mins left in the half. With less than two mins in the first half, Don Meredith #17 threw a touchdown which was called back due to an ineligible receiver downfield. On the next play, Meredith #17 was hit hard by Sam Huff #70 and had to be helped off the field. Cowboys missed the 42 yard FG attempt wide right with the wind which ended the half. Halftime score, Redskins leading 10-7. After halftime, it was determined Meredith would not return and so he would be replaced by Craig Morton #14 and Jerry Rhome #13 who Tom Landry would alternate. Jurgensen threw an interception which eventually resulted into a Dallas 19 yard field goal, tying the score at 10. Cowboys scored another touchdown late in the 3rd quarter making the score 17-10, Cowboys lead. With 4 mins left in the 3rd quarter, Jurgensen moved the offense down the field and he threw a touchdown before the end of the quarter. Score 17-17. Cowboys scored a touchdown early in the 4th quarter, score 24-17, Cowboys lead. Next possession, Jurgensen's touchdown pass to Jerry Smith #87 tied the score again at 24 with a little less than 8 mins in the game. Cowboys scored next making the score 31-24 with 4 mins left to play. Jurgensen answered with a 65 yard touchdown pass to Charlie Taylor #42 tying the game at 31 with a little over 3 mins to play. His last pass, a 65 yard touchdown to Charlie Taylor, was his 235th completion of the season, tying his own NFL record while also tying the game at 31 points. After forcing the Cowboys to punt and two minutes showing on the clock, the Washington offense took the field. Jurgensen handed off to A. D. Whitfield who provided a 30 yard run to the Dallas 26 yard line. Another hand off put the ball on the 22. After the play, Jurgensen calmly stood near the official as the time wound down, then called a time out with four seconds showing on the game clock. Charlie Gogolak trotted out and kicked the 29-yard game winner. Redskins win 34-31. Jurgensen threw for three touchdowns during the game - all three were broken plays that Jurgensen made good while on the run. Redskins finished the season 7-7. Jurgensen would extend his NFL single-season completions record to 254 the following week. Cowboys finished 10-3-1 having clinched the Eastern Division the following week with a win over the Giants. After a two week break, the Cowboys would lose at home to the Green Bay Packers in the NFL Championship on Jan 1, 1967. After another two week break, the Packers, coached by Vince Lombardi, would go on to beat the Kansas City Chiefs on Jan 15, 1967 and win the AFL-NFL World Championship Game, which would later become known as the first Superbowl.









"The last four games between the Redskins and the Cowboys had been settled by a total of ten points in the total time of one minute and 41 seconds. Every meeting between these two teams is a guarantee for wide-open anything-goes football."

-1967 NFL Review, describing the upcoming Nov 19th game @ The Cotton Bowl. Cowboys were 7-2 coming into this game, and the Redskins had only a 3-4-2 record and had lost the previous meeting at DC Stadium. The Dallas Cowboys were favored to win at home by nine points. Redskins started off throwing and took the initial lead. By early in the 4th quarter, Redskins led by 21 points on four Sonny Jurgensen touchdown passes to Jerry Smith, A.D. Whitfield and Bobby Mitchell. Cowboys attempted a comeback but Redskins held on to win 27-20. This was the second game in a row that the Redskins beat the Cowboys at the Cotton Bowl. Redskins finished the season 5-6-3. Sonny Jurgensen, Charley Taylor, Jerry Smith, and Chris Hanburger all made the Probowl in 1967. Jurgensen set new NFL passing records for most attempts, most completions, and most yards. Taylor, Smith, and Bobby Mitchell finished the season 1st, 2nd, and 4th highest in yardage in the National Football League. Cowboys finished 9-5, made the playoffs, but lost the NFL Championship Game to the Green Bay Packers for the second year in a row. The Packers went on to win the AFL-NFL World Championship Game for the second year in a row.






“I had as much fun playing as anyone. But on the field, it was serious business. I was interested in winning. All I ask of my blockers is 4 seconds. I try to stay on my feet and not be forced out of the pocket. ... I beat people by throwing, not running. I won't let them intimidate me into doing something which is not the best thing I can do."

-Sonny Jurgensen








"WE WANT MORTON!"

-the Cotton Bowl crowd, Thanksgiving Day, 1968. This was the third year Dallas hosted on Thanksgiving. QB Don Meredith had been knocked out of the game temporarily, and backup Craig Morton, who was only in for 3 plays, had performed exceedingly well, throwing a 41 yard pass and setting up a touchdown. The Cowboys were at the top of the Conference and were 21 point favorites for this game as they had only lost one game all season. The Cowboys had taken a 17-0 lead early, but with the return of Meredith, the Redskins put themselves ahead early in the 4th quarter, 20-19, even with backup QB Jim Ninowski, as Jurgensen was out with the flu. Meredith had been sacked five times and threw an interception. The unhappy Cotton Bowl crowd, who had harsh memories, having already endured two losses in a row at home hosting the Redskins the previous two years, chanted "WE WANT MORTON!" But Meredith stayed in, the Cowboys came back to win, 29-20, and the Redskins were swept by Dallas for the first time. Redskins finished the season 5-9. Cowboys finished 12-2, won the NFC East, were favored by three to beat Cleveland but lost in the first round @ the 10-4 Cleveland Browns by a score of 31-20. Cleveland hosted because of the playoff home field rotation system used in the early NFL. The following weekend, Cleveland lost to the Baltimore Colts in the NFL Championship round. In the Superbowl, the Colts, were favored to win by 19 points, but Joe Namath, the AFL NY Jets quarterback, "guaranteed" that the underdog Jets would win, which sent NY Jets fans into a frenzy - Namath's prediction making headline news nationwide. Baltimore lost to Joe Namath and the New York Jets by a score of 16-7. This was the first year the word "Superbowl" was used when referring to the NFL AFL World Championship Game. The word was first coined by Lamar Hunt in the mid 1960s, owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, inspired by his children's toy, the "Super Ball." He wrote to commissioner Rozelle, suggesting - half kiddingly - the name change from NFL AFL World Championship Game. The NFL owners apparently thought "Superbowl" was a silly name, and voted to keep the name NFL AFL World Championship Game. But the media eventually heard about the name Superbowl, and began calling it Superbowl. And the name stuck.







"It's not true that I can walk across the Potomac."

-Vince Lombardi, February, 1969, opening his first press conference at the Ritz Carlton Hotel after being hired as head coach of the Washington Redskins






"(Washington) is the capital of the world. And I have some plans to make it the football capital."

-Vince Lombardi, Feb 1969, opening press conference, after being hired by minority owner and team president Edward Bennett Williams






"I'd like to have a winner the first year, if possible..."

-Vince Lombardi, February, 1969, as the Redskins new head coach, answering a question from the media at his first press conference. The Redskins had not had a winning season in fourteen years. But Lombardi had never coached a team that didn't finish with a winning season. Lombardi had the second winningest percentage in pro-football, second only to George Allen of the Los Angelas Rams. Sonny Jurgensen reported to camp in the best shape of his career. Sam Huff, who had retired after the 1967 season, came out of retirement for the opportunity to play for the legendary coach.






"I thought to myself, 'Nothing can stop us now.' "

-Redskins minority owner and team president Edward Bennett Williams, referring to his new head coach hire, Vince Lombardi






"I saw myself as a man who had applied himself diligently to professional football for 12 years and never really got the most out of it. I saw them as frustrating years. I was up to here in records. What did they mean? Nothing. One year I threw 508 passes. One year I threw 32 TD passes. But we never won anything."

-Sonny Jurgensen in early 1969, when asked to comment on his career leading up to the Lombardi hire. Jurgensen would start all fourteen games under head coach Vince Lombardi, and would achieve the highest completion percentage of his career up to that point - 62%. He also threw for more yardage than any other quarterback in the league that year - 3,102 yards.






"Jurgensen is a great quarterback. He hangs in there under adverse conditions. He may be the best the league has ever seen. He is the best I have seen."

-Head Coach Vince Lombardi








"A certain magic still lingers - just from the very name."

-NFL Films, referring to Vince Lombardi. The Redskins finished 7-5-2 under head coach Lombardi. It was the Redskins' first winning season in 14 years. Lombardi and Landry had worked together as assistant coaches with the New York Giants from 1954-1958. New York never had a losing season with these two assistants. The Giants won the Championship in 1956, beating the Chicago Bears 47-7. Lombardi left to join the Packers as head coach in 1959. When Lombardi was with the Packers, Lombardi had never lost to the Cowboys. He was 6-0. Landry was 0-6 vs a Lombardi-coached team. However, the Cowboys swept the Lombardi-coached Redskins in 1969. Cowboys finished 11-2-1, winning the NFC East for the second year in a row. Dallas played Cleveland in the first round of the playoffs for the second year in a row, but at the Cotton Bowl this time. Cowboys were favored by 7, but managed to lose at home anyway, 38-14. This was the second year in a row Dallas played Cleveland in the first round of the playoffs, it was the second year in a row Dallas was favored to beat Cleveland in the first round of the playoffs, and it was the second year in a row Dallas lost to Cleveland in the first round of the playoffs.






"Happy Anniversary - I love you."

-Vince Lombardi, to his wife, Marie, Aug 31, 1970. It was their 30th Anniversary. He would pass away three days later at Georgetown University Hospital. He had been first admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with cancer just 71 days earlier, on June 24, 1970. The players would come out and practice during the summer of 1970 in a field adjacent to the hospital - just so that Lombardi could watch them from his hospital room window. The Redskins head coach position was filled by Bill Austin, who took over from offensive line coach to fill Lombardi's absence.






"(The memory of) ...his death always lingered throughout the season and we played like it. All we could think about was he was the leader and he's not here and we were lost a bit. That whole season revealed just how much he meant to us in how much we missed him."

-Mike Bass, referring to the 1970 season. The Redskins sported a large "R" on their helmets, which had been ordered by Vince Lombardi the previous spring to emphasize fundamentals and to emulate the success of the Green Bay Packers. The Lombardi "R" was carried into the 1971 season as well. In 1970, the Cowboys swept the Redskins for the third season in a row, including a 34-0 December blowout. On a bright note, Larry Brown broke 1,000 yards rushing in 1970, the first Redskins player to do so. Redskins finished 6-8. 1970 was the 25th consecutive season the Redskins failed to make the playoffs. Bill Austin was dismissed by telephone by Redskins team president and majority owner Edward Bennet Williams the first week of January 1971, and George Allen was immediately hired. 1970 was the year the NFL and AFL merged to become one organization - The NFL, made up of the NFC and AFC. The Dallas Cowboys closed the 1970 season with five straight wins to finish 10-4. The Cowboys lost in the Superbowl to the Baltimore Colts by a score of 16-13, which included a 75 yard touchdown pass by Johnny Unitas.





"The future is now."

-George Allen. Allen is the winningest head coach in the NFC, and is hired to be Redskins head coach, as well as general manager, on Jan 6, 1971. Allen was told by Redskins team president and majority owner Edward Bennett Williams that he would have an unlimited budget. Allen built a brand new training facility surrounded by thick woods with tall trees on three sides which became known as the best facility in the league. An interesting note is that Lombardi only lost to four teams in 1969, and one of them was the LA Rams which Allen was coaching. Allen was very much defensive minded. He had filled the Redskins roster with seasoned veterans, most of whom were proven defensive players. Many who Allen traded for came from Allen's previous team, the Los Angelas Rams, including Jack Pardee, Richie Petitbon, Myron Pottios, and Ron McDole. The press often referred to this new team as "The Ramskins." He engineered 19 trades in his first season as head coach in 1971 and more than 80 during his tenure. He was such an eager wheeler dealer that he once traded the same guy twice. There was not a single rookie who had made the 1971 roster. Allen recognized Dallas as the team to beat to achieve a championship, and so he embraced and promoted the Redskins Cowboys rivalry at every opportunity.






“I gave him an unlimited budget and he exceeded it.”

-Redskins’ team president and majority owner Edward Bennett Williams on coach George Allen.






"`Tommy, I remember you had a cheese omelet. We can't change. You've got to get the same thing. We've got something going here.' So I'd get a lousy cheese omelet."

-Tommy McVean, equipment manager, quoting George Allen while describing his superstitious nature. McVean was invited to eat dinner with Allen during week 1, and although he had already eaten pizza, politely accepted Allen's dinner invitation to eat at the nearby Marriot near Dulles Airport. Allen had ordered lobster and steak, and McVean, who wasn't hungry, ordered a simple omelete. The Redskins won the following weekend vs Arizona, making them 1-0 while keeping intact Allen's distinction of never having lost an opening game. And since the Redskins had won during week 1, Allen insisted they eat together every week, and that they must order the same thing every week as long as the win streak continued. And so they did and won again in Week 2. Week 3 was Dallas week, the Redskins were undefeated at 2-0, and so McVean, who was getting tired of omelets, was obligated to eat an omelet for dinner with Allen again during Dallas week, whether he wanted it or not. source: sports illustrated






"Nobody gave us a chance, but we thought we could win if we played our game...a great, great victory. A COMPLETE TEAM VICTORY!"

-George Allen, Oct 3, 1971, after coaching the Redskins to a win at the Cotton Bowl. The Cowboys, who had scored 91 points in their first two games, didn't score a touchdown in this game until the final minutes. A lot of optimism was invested in the Redskins with their new head coach and the "Over The Hill Gang," although some fans still had reservations. But having started up 2-0, a victory against the undefeated NFC Champion Dallas Cowboys on the road at the Cotton Bowl was almost too much to hope for. After all, this was only the third game Washington would play under their new head coach, George Allen. The Cowboys had previously beaten the Redskins six straight times, including a 34-0 shutout the previous December. Dallas had won 9 of their previous 10 games over all (their one loss was the Superbowl) and had only lost one of their previous sixteen games at The Cotton Bowl going back three years. And if that wasn't enough, Vegas rated the Redskins as 10-point underdogs. But the Redskins flew to Dallas and shocked the nation by beating the defending NFC Champions for the first time since 1967, score 20-16. The game included a sack of Roger Staubach by Diron Talbert which resulted in a loss of 29 yards - the longest sack in NFL history at the time. It also included a 57 yard touchdown run by Charlie Harraway - and a 50 yard Billy Kilmer to Roy Jefferson touchdown pass. Washington improved to 3-0, making them the only unbeaten, untied team in the National Football League, while simultaneously crushing the reputations and the egos of the Dallas Cowboys. This game was featured as the NFL Game Of The Week.








"DEFENSE! DEFENSE! DEFENSE! WE'RE NUMBER ONE!"

-Redskins supporters chanting in unison in the late evening of Oct 3, 1971, including singing the fight song Hail To The Redskins with the Redskins Marching Band as eight thousand fans jammed Dulles International Airport that night to welcome their heroes home from Dallas. Handmade signs stated "KEEP THE FAITH" and "WE LOVE YOU #1." The Washington Redskins had the best win-loss record in the National Football League. The undefeated Redskins were for real and the coals of an already-hot decade-long rivalry burst into flames. The Washington victory at the Cotton Bowl sparked a thrilling and contagious exhilaration which swept the entire DC metro area and beyond. Suddenly, it was Redskins-mania everywhere you looked.






"You should have seen the crowd at the airport when we got back from beating Dallas. Eight thousand people! The cars were backed up five miles!"

-Edward Bennett Williams, Redskins owner, talking to an associate, very likely minority owner Jack Kent Cooke, describing the scene after he returned from Dallas on the evening of Oct 3, 1971. Quote source: Sports Illustrated






"We could see all those cars from the air. It was just amazing. You can't really explain the feelings we had to see all those people and how much we meant to them."

-Roy Jefferson, describing the scene below, from the charter plane approaching Dulles Airport, source: Redskins Encyclopedia by Michael Richman







"What Hath George Allen Wrought?"

-Headline, front page of the Washington Star, Monday afternoon, Oct 4, 1971.






"For our defense to do the job right, I feel we have to get the ball three-four times a game."

-Ron McDole, Oct 10, 1971, week 4, in the RFK stadium locker room post-game, referring to the two fumbles and three interceptions the Washington defense acquired against the Houston Oilers, including one by McDole for a touchdown. When the team came out of the tunnel for the opening kickoff of its first home game of 1971, it was already week 4, and the Redskins were the only undefeated team in the league - a remarkable record, especially after having to open the season playing three road games in a row. Washington had just beaten the NFC Champion Dallas Cowboys at the Cotton Bowl the previous Sunday, and the Redskins were finally playing at home. The RFK Stadium crowd for this opening home game was the largest audience to ever attend a sporting event in the history of Washington DC. Washington was favored to win this game by ten and a half points. Allen treated the event as if it was a college homecoming game. Allen had all 40 players formally introduced to the RFK Stadium crowd, one at a time, with the band playing and the Redskinettes cheering. The crowd reacted with a seemingly endless standing ovation at RFK Stadium as the players were introduced - a very emotional and rare scene of mass elation experienced by every person in the stadium. As the minutes passed, the crowd simply would not stop - clapping and cheering and hooting and hollering - it went on and on and on. The celebratory cheering ovation lasted seven whole minutes without a pause. It was, by far, the most emotional seven minutes in RFK Stadium history. The Houston Oilers, although winless, played hard, but Washington fought back and the Redskins went on to beat Houston 22-13, extending their record to 4-0. It was the first time in 28 years the Redskins had won the first four games of the season. Since the game was blacked out locally, Allen called Channel 9 after the game and requested them to play the introduction of the players over again, but on local TV, so the home fans who didn't have season tickets could get an intimate view of their new religion. Additionally, the game was featured by the league as the "NFL Game Of The Week." Having had only one winning season in the previous sixteen years, the undefeated 1971 Washington Redskins were the talk of the National Football League.






"Head Coach George Allen's Redskins now owned a fat two-game lead over the faltering Cowboys and things were looking up in the nation's capital."

-NFL Films, describing the Redskins shutout of the St. Louis Cardinals, score 20-0, in week 5. Jack Pardee had intercepted the ball three times. The RFK Stadium crowd had shouted "PARDEE, PARDEE, PARDEE" in unison. Pardee was named AP Defensive Player Of The Week. It was the Redskins fifth win in a row, sweeping the Cardinals, bringing their record to 5-0. It was the first time the Redskins had opened a season winning the first five games in thirty-one years, including their 1942 World Championship season.








"Washington D.C was going absolutely nuts. You walk into a restaurant, I couldn't buy a drink or something to eat because of the fans. It was just crazy."

-Bill Brundige






"Hello, Ed - Tell you what, last night the President had Etty and I over and, uh, with Mr. Agnew, and the Prime Minister of Australia, and Kissinger, and this was the first time I've gone out in all the years, during the week, so I didn't get home until, uhhh, midnight which is, uh, not late but kinda late for me and, uh, that's why - I'm probably a little tired. But all these politicians, uh, are interested in gettin' on the bandwagon and being seen and, you know, and the Muskie's have been coming to every game down here and he hasn't gone in the past, you know. And so, and they all want tickets. And the Governor of Virginia brought in eight last week. And the Kennedy's are all coming. And Mike Mansfield - and Kissinger. And what's the guy from South Dakota, I've forgotten his name..."

-George Allen, November, 1971, on the phone with Redskins team president and majority owner Edward Bennett Williams. By mid-season, the Redskins were still undefeated at home, and Redskins tickets at RFK Stadium (or Kennedy Stadium, as it was often called back then) had been sold out since 1967. Everybody in town wanted tickets and would go to any length to get them - particularly since the NFL's blackout rules forbade broadcasting NFL games within a home team's market, even if the stadium seats were sold out. Quote credit: NFL Films






"Everybody wants tickets to the games. We could sell 100,000 seats if we had them. I don't have room in my box for enough people. I can't keep Ed Muskie away. Ethel and the kids were there Sunday. Chief Justice Warren was bubbling. My wife says she can't go anywhere without being stopped by people wanting to talk about the Redskins. When the man came to fix the refrigerator, he said he'd fix it if she'd give him two tickets."

-Team President and majority owner Edward Bennett Williams. "Ethyl" was very likely Ethyl Kennedy, widow of Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Quote credit: Sports Illustrated






"We're still #1"

-hand made sign held high, as well as a sign that read "Hail To The Redskins" while a crowd of ten thousand fans met the Redskins at Dulles Airport in the rain and fog, even after having lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. Star receiver Charley Taylor broke his ankle scoring his second touchdown , giving the Redskins a 17-6 lead at halftime. Taylor was lost for the season. And without Taylor, the Redskins could only manage a field goal in the second half. The Redskins lost their first game of the season, 27-20. The Redskins were now 5-1. This was chosen as the "NFL Game Of The Week."






"Gentlemen, we didn't play well enough to win, we made too many mistakes. We don't have any excuses, we lost to a better football team. That's all I have to say..."

-George Allen, Nov. 21, 1971, to the press after losing the Dallas game at home. It was the Redskins' first loss at home.






"There is no defense for the scramble. If you try to set up your defense just for that, you throw off the rest of your defense."

-Coach George Allen, Nov. 21, 1971, commenting on Roger (the dodger) Staubach who scrambled 29 yards for the only touchdown by either team. The Cowboys achieved their revenge for being beaten earlier at the Cotton Bowl, by beating the Redskins at home 13-0, and knocking them out of first place in the NFC East by half a game. It was the first home game the Redskins had lost in 1971. But this only intensified the rivalry between the two teams. The Redskins dropped to 6-3-1






"Every time you lose, you die a little bit. You die inside. A portion of you. Not all your organs. Maybe just your liver."

-George Allen, NFL Films Music CD





"I LIKE SONNY"

-the bumper sticker Redskins fans sported on their vehicles who wanted Coach Allen to play Sonny Jurgensen rather that Billy Kilmer starting late in the 1971 season. Jurgensen was unavailable for most of 1971 due to an Achilles tendon injury suffered during the pre-season. Allen began putting Jurgensen in for games sporadically starting mid-November, 1971, when it seemed Kilmer was struggling. This excited the fans and promoted a quarterback controversy regarding who to play. Jurgensen was flashy, aggressive, and loved the long ball. Kilmer was more conservative but tough. Both were great quarterbacks and great leaders. Kilmer fans had the exact same style bumper sticker, but it read "I LIKE BILLY." Sonny was more popular among fans and so the Sonny sticker was more prevalent. The bumper stickers were burgundy & gold, and were the result of an idea by a college student who was a business major and had ten thousand bumper stickers printed and sold for a dollar each late in the season. Large metal buttons with pins were also made./ Attorney and Redskins team president and majority owner Edward Bennett Williams eventually found out who was printing them and intimidated him enough to shut him down, even though there were no trademark or copywrite violations with the sticker. Nonetheless, the bumper stickers were already popular, and were already out and about just about everywhere. credit: Rick Snider






"We're gonna, we're gonna go for it! Goddamn we're gonna GO for it! GO for it!"

-George Allen, Dec 26, 1971, on the sidelines during the divisional playoff game @ San Francisco, talking to his QB, Billy Kilmer during a time out. Coach Allen had already been voted NFL Coach of the Year for 1971. Redskins had finished the season 9-4-1 behind Dallas but earned a playoff spot as the NFC wildcard @ SF. Dallas had already won their first playoff game on Christmas Day, beating the Minnesota Vikings at Minneapolis. The Washington Redskins knew that if the Redskins win this game, it would set up a confrontation with the Dallas Cowboys at their brand new stadium in Ft Worth for the NFC Championship the following Sunday. Redskins were leading 10-3 in the 3rd quarter when Washington had the ball on the Niners 14 yard line with 4th down and three inches to go. Allen could have taken an easy field goal to put the game up by two possessions, but instead elected to go for the first down, to some of his assistant coaches' dismay.






"This is the ball game right here."

-George Allen, Dec 26, 1971, kneeling on the sidelines, muttering to no one in particular, just before the ball was snapped. With a 7-point lead, Larry Brown was given the ball on 4th down and three inches at the Niners 14-yard-line and was tackled behind the line of scrimmage. SF answered with a 78 yard bomb - from John Brodie to Gene Washington - to tie the game.






"I'm only going to say this once. I'm very proud of our football team. We had a great season. We overcame a great deal of adversity to get this far. We made too many mistakes and they didn't make any. That's why we lost."

-George Allen, to the press, post-game, Dec. 26, 1971. The Redskins had a blocked field goal attempt, a bungled snap on a punt, an interception and two fumbles late in the game as SF went on to win 24-20. The team knew before kickoff that beating the Niners would have set up a showdown with the Cowboys for the NFC Championship. After the game, defensive tackle Diron Talbert wept loudly in a corner of the locker room, his body shaking with sobs. Dallas had completed the season with a seven game winning streak, finishing 11-3. The Cowboys won the divisional playoff vs Minnesota on Christmas Day and then beat the Niners at Dallas the following weekend in the NFC Championship Game. Dallas went on to beat Miami in the Superbowl. Quote credit: NFL Films





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"I'd like to see an Indian on your helmets."

-Walter "Blackie" Wetzel, 1971, President of the American Congress of American Indians and Chairman of the Blackfoot Tribe. He had written a series of letters to the team which urged the Redskins to replace the Lombardi "R" logo on their helmets with the head of an Indian chief. The front office - i.e. George Allen - thought this was an excellent idea. After all, the team's logo starting in 1932 and continuing into the 40s and 50s, was an Indian head profile, almost exactly the same profile as the Indian head profile on the Buffalo nickel, which was minted from 1913 up to 1938, until it was phased out by the Jefferson nickel. But the Indian head logo of the Washington Redskins was never placed on a Redskins helmet. So, from photos Wetzel presented to team officials of Blackfoot Nation Chief John "Two Guns" White Calf in full headdress, and from the team's historic use of a profile of an Indian chief - a composite was developed which gave birth to a new team logo which was placed on Redskins helmets and elsewhere for the 1972 season. Wetzel later explained to the Washington Post in 2002, "It made us all proud to have an Indian on a big-time team. It's only a small group of radicals that oppose those names. Indians are proud of Indians." The new logo, which was a combination of updated revamped logos from previous decades and photos presented by Wetzel, celebrated and honored Native Americans nationwide and later promoted the idea that the Washington Redskins were the real "America's Team." The new updated logo on Redskins helmets survived nearly a half century with almost no modification. If we include the older version of the logo starting in 1932, the Indian head logo survived nearly a century (interestingly, for the twelve years spanning 1960 through 1971, the Indian head logo was apparently only used in 1962, evidenced by the media guides for those years). Owner Dan Snyder removed the logo along with the team name in 2020. Quote source: Redskins Encyclopedia, by Michael Richman






"Dallas is the best overall team in the league. They've got experience, speed, and depth. We'll have a championship-type game against the Cowboys Sunday. The winners will be in the driver's seat. I only wish we had a 100,000 seat stadium this week."

-George Allen, Dallas week, Oct, 1972. Dallas was 4-1 entering this sixth game of the season against the 4-1 Redskins. To the fans' delight, this was the third game in a row Allen would choose Sonny Jurgensen to start. The Cowboys had made the playoffs each of the previous six years, and they were the defending Superbowl Champions. This was a huge game. Tickets for this game were in extremely high demand as the NFL blackout rules were still in effect.






"They lined up funny, so I called an audible."

-Sonny Jurgensen, Oct 22, 1972. At the time, Dallas was up 13-0, but the Redskins had the ball at the Dallas 19 late in the 2nd quarter. Jurgensen suspected a blitz, so sent Larry Brown to where the linebackers would normally be. Brown was wide open and caught the pass in stride at the 6-yard line and scored.






"Time and time again, we've scored on them in the last minutes - and time and time again, they've scored after us to beat us. After we got ahead today, we were aware this was a 60 minute game."

Sonny Jurgensen, Oct 22, 1972, post game, after beating the Cowboys 24-20 at RFK Stadium.






"We could feel the ground trembling down on the sidelines... (the fans) were worth at least three points."

-George Allen, Oct 22, 1972, post game, referring to when the Cowboys were on offense






"I can't think of a more gratifying win than this one. I really can't. We finally got around to getting it together and did what we started out to do. It's something we worked hard for. ... We're going to be champions."

-Sonny Jurgensen, Oct 22, 1972, at age 38, finally saying something he had never dared say before, something he had waited 16 years to say. The Redskins were 5-1 and had the best win-loss record in the NFC. Fans were in a frenzy all over the DC area.






"Sonny had caused Dallas grief so many times, and at 38, he was clearly too old to change."

-George Solomon, Washington Post Sports Writer, Oct 22, 1972. Cowboys had been leading 20-7 midway through the 3rd quarter when Jurgensen led two 80-yard drives for touchdowns. Add a 42-yard Kurt Knight field goal and the Redskins won, 24-20.






"Sonny doesn't have to put the ball in the air 35 times now, and he has a defense for the first time... he's been reborn."

-George Allen, Oct 23, 1972, quoted while enjoying Cordon Rouge champagne in his office while celebrating the 24-20 win over the Cowboys the day before. The very next game, on his very first pass, without a defender anywhere near him, Jurgensen tore his Achilles tendon in a divot at the Giants stadium field which would end his season.






"He wins because he refuses to understand the possibility of losing."

-Jack Kent Cooke, minority owner, referring to Head Coach George Allen







"The people were crazy. You'd be driving around the beltway, and someone would be leaning out the window with a piece of paper wanting an autograph, and you're going 60 to 70 mph. Those people really are the greatest football fans in the country."

-Diron Talbert







"I've been here a long time. The Redskins fans have matured along with our team. They know ALL the players, not just the stars. When they do boo, I can accept it, because maybe they know more than other fans around the league. You might say, they know what they're doing."

-Charley Taylor







"Our fans are super. Sometimes they surprise me. I KNOW they surprise our opponents - and those signs! Man, do we love those signs."

-Len Hauss






"Yeah, but only after he went for my knees three times."

-Jack Pardee, after being accused of trying to knee Dallas receiver Lance Alworth in the head during a loss vs the Cowboys, Dec 9, 1972. The Redskins were 11-1, and Coach Allen had rested many of his starters the final two games of the regular season because the Redskins had clinched the NFC East title and the #1 seed the previous week.







"To lose a game like that is like a death in the family."

-George Allen, Dec 17, 1972, after losing two in a row at the end of the 1972 regular season - the last to the 3-9-1 Buffalo Bills. At 11-1, the #1 seed was secure and the last two games of the season were technically meaningless. The lone loss earlier in the season was against the New England Patriots in week 3 due to two bad calls by the refs, each of which negated game-winning plays. There was no "instant replay" available to the refs back then to change bad calls. Post-game film study and photographs proved that the calls by the refs were indeed bad calls and cost the Redskins the game - twice. If not for that, the Redskins would have been undefeated going into December. At 11-1 and with the #1 seed secured, Allen rested several of his starters. As a result, the Redskins lost both their final games - the Dallas game and the Bills game - and finished the season 11-3. The Redskins were scheduled to host the Green Bay Packers in the divisional playoffs the following weekend.






"The folks should be able to see the goddam games on television! Playoff games! Playoffs -- all playoff games should be available!"

-President Richard M. Nixon, venting to White House aide John D. Ehrlichmann, as later revealed in the Nixon tapes, referring to the 1972 playoffs. Nixon was a huge Redskins fan. He was friendly with George Allen, had Allen over to the White House for dinner, would visit Redskins Park, and would talk to Allen often on the phone. Nixon was incensed that he'd have to leave town to watch his beloved Washington Redskins at home, and so tried to negotiate a deal with Pete Rozelle the week before the 1972 playoffs. Source: nfl.com






"...the closest station carrying the game will be WMAR-TV, Channel 2, in Baltimore."

-NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle, in response to President Nixon's request. Broadcasting the game in Baltimore was an exception to the 75-mile blackout rule, as Baltimore is only 30 miles from Washington. Baltimore's Colts were already being routinely blacked out at home, and Rozelle apparently felt blacking out two NFL teams in one city was unreasonable. Baltimore had broadcast all the home Redskins games, allowing a few lucky DC area residents the ability to watch home games on home TVs, albeit a very poor signal in most cases. Some residents purchased and installed super-sensitive directional TV antennas for their homes mounted with long tall masts and motors to rotate the antenna to aim perfectly in the direction of the transmitting TV station antenna to acquire and maximize TV reception from Baltimore, resulting in a fuzzy but somewhat watchable television signal. Audio could be heard via WMAL AM 630.





"The Redskins have a five-man defensive front!!!"

-WMAL AM 630, Dec 24, 1972, announcing with exhilarated excitement the surprise defense that George Allen had secretly installed for the 1972 Divisional Playoff game against the Green Bay Packers. Practice the previous week had been closed to the press.






"Manny had a hell of a game! He jammed them. Manny is big and strong and he could push people around. He was manhandling their center all day. They weren't prepared for it."

-Ron McDole, post game, Dec. 24, 1972, referring to Manny Sistrunk, and the surprise 5-man defensive front Allen had installed to hold back Green Bay's rushing game. The starting front four, consisting of Ron McDole, Verlon Biggs, Bill Brundige and Diron Talbert, added Manny Sistruck by removing the middle linebacker. The score was tied at zero by the end of the first quarter, followed by a 17-yard field goal by Green Bay early in the second, giving them the lead. The Packers would not score again.






"We had five big defensive guys just charging upfield and the offense is wondering 'What in the hell do they have going on here?' It was a hell of a defense because you can barely block it. We caught them by surprise. We whipped the hell out of them."

-Diron Talbert, post game, Dec. 24, 1972.




"Now we bring down those goddamn Cowboys next!"

-George Allen, in the locker room just after beating the Green Bay Packers 16-3 with a surprise five-man defensive front in the 1972 divisional playoffs.






"I hate the Redskins. I just like to knock them down and pound them."

-Dallas all-pro guard John Niland, Dallas week, late December, 1972






"...a good leader but not a great quarterback."

-Dallas Coach Tom Landry, describing Billy Kilmer to the press, Dallas week, late December, 1972. The Redskins' other quarterback, Sonny Jurgensen, was injured with a torn Achilles tendon, so Allen was forced to stick with Kilmer. Landry had to choose between proven QB Craig Morton, and promising QB Roger Staubach. Landry chose Staubach. Landry's comment to the press, which became national news leading up to the game, seemed to imply Kilmer was weak relative to Jurgensen, and brought a personal incentive to Kilmer to do everything he could to utterly humiliate Landry's Cowboys in the 1972 NFC Conference Championship.






"Just remember this: Forty men together - CAN'T LOSE!"

- George Allen, December 31st, 1972, in a team huddle on the sidelines just before the NFC Championship coin flip. The stadium was packed, and the NFL's blackout rules were still in effect. Because all home games were blacked out, Washington DC politicians - including President Richard Nixon, a devout Redskins fan - were not able to watch their favorite team's home games or playoff games, as the primary carrier for such games, CBS affiliate WTOP-TV (now WUSA) was forced to black out the games and carry alternate programming. This led to changes in the blackout rules starting in early September, 1973. Since local TV stations were not permitted to broadcast the game due to NFL blackout rules, many Redskins fans were forced to listen to the 1972 NFC Championship game on the radio.






"DALLAS IS GOING BACK - JUST LIKE THE PACK"

-Handmade sign hung at RFK Stadium just before kickoff of the 1972 NFC Championship






"The stands were rocking. You could literally feel the sound cascading through your body. It was incredible. Jack Pardee was calling signals in the huddle. I was about a foot and a half from him, and he was yelling as loud as he could, and I couldn't hear a thing he said. When the Cowboys trotted to the line, you could see their heads turning left and right. And you could see it going through their minds, 'What in the hell am I doing here?'"

-Bill Brundige, describing the Redskins defensive huddle and the crowd noise after Kilmer had thrown a touchdown pass to Charley Taylor early in the 4th quarter, making the score 17-3.






"Die you dogs, die! Die you Dallas dogs! DIE!"

- Sam Wyche from the sidelines, while the Redskins had the lead late in the game, but the Cowboys were still fighting. The Cowboys had a reputation for coming back from behind late in the game and winning.






"I went down and made the biggest tackle of my career on Cliff Harris, inside the 15. The crowd went wild, I went wild, we all knew it was over."

-Bob Brunet, running back, describing playing special teams - kickoff team - late in the 4th quarter with the score 26-3.






"FIVE... FOUR... THREE... TWO... ONE..."

-the RFK Stadium crowd - in unison - loudly shouting down the final seconds of the game clock at the 1972 Washington - Dallas National Football Conference Championship game with the scoreboard reading WASHINGTON 26, DALLAS 3. The jubilant crowd ran onto the field as if a dam broke - a huge unstoppable mass. The players lifted Coach George Allen onto their shoulders and held him high above the rising flood of rabid fans and carried him off the field to safety, but not before losing his ballcap to a rogue fan.






"We came to Washington thinking we'd just float by the Redskins, but they had something for us. They beat us soundly..."

- Mel Renfro, referring to the 1972 NFC Championship.






"We were all on top of the world after that game."

- Ron McDole, referring to the 1972 NFC Championship.






"We were a bunch of guys who weren't supposed to be able to play. But we fooled America."

-Charley Taylor






"Give some credit to the Washington fans. All year we had that enthusiasm. We saw it in the stadium, we saw it in our locker room, we saw it on the sidelines among the players — a thing called togetherness."

-Larry Brown, reflecting on how the team beat the Dallas Cowboys in the 1972 NFC Championship






"I'm finally, finally in the right place after all these years!"

-Former Redskins right tackle Fran O'Brien, Dec 31, 1972, after the game. O'Brien had played offensive line for the Redskins from 1960 through 1966, before being traded to the Steelers. He retired in the DC area in early 1969 and later started two successful and popular restaurants - one on 16th St. in DC and another in Annapolis.






"Now we have to have THREE CHEERS FOR THE REDSKINS!"

-George Allen, Dec 31, 1972, in the locker room after winning the NFC Championship. The Redskins had won a world championship in 1937 and had an opportunity to win a second world championship in 1941, but lost to the Chicago Bears by a score of 73-0. The following year, 1942, the Redskins were again matched against the Chicago Bears in the Championship game. Odds makers placed the undefeated Chicago Bears as 20-point favorites. But the Washington Redskins, with the help of Sammy Baugh at Griffith Stadium, won the 1942 World Championship by a score of 14-6. Three decades later, this 1972 NFC Championship victory marked the first time Washington DC had won a championship of any kind in any sport in thirty years.






"Lord, please help us to be humble."

-Team Chaplin James Skinner, Dec 31, 1972, in a post-game prayer in the locker room. Being humble was a very difficult thing for players and fans to do after beating Dallas in the 1972 NFC Championship.






"Credit to the Redskins - they did a hell of a job - a hell of a job!"

-Bob Lilly, Dallas defensive tackle, Dec 31, 1972.





"It was pretty close to perfect."

-George Allen, Dec 31, 1972, describing the 1972 NFC Championship game






"The locker rooms are dank and dark and musty, and the one thing an athlete looks forward to after a game is a warm shower. And typically, it would start to snow at the end of the game there. It was real cold, you were beat up, and you were covered with green (paint from the field) and the black stuff under your eyes. So, you're beaten up, you go in the shower to wash off, and you're freezing to death, you want a hot shower, and it's a cold shower. So you try your best to wash the green off and the black stuff, but your hair is matted. And you fly back to Dallas on the charter covered with green, with dark smudges all under your eyes, and your hair still has grass in it and you had your tail beaten. Man - and the fans had thrown stuff on you on the way out."

Cliff Harris, describing the typical end of a game at RFK Stadium






"I mean, nothing but cold water! Damn Redskins. And you KNOW they've got hot water. You know they're showering GOOD!"

-Harvey Martin. Billy Kilmer later confirmed that Allen had ordered Redskins Equipment manager Tom McVean to turn off the hot water leading to the visiting locker room when Dallas was in town.






"The Cowboys got Kilmer exactly where they wanted him, only to discover it was not Kilmer they were facing at all. It was Sammy Baugh in his golden prime. ... No hero in history - not Baugh, not Unitas, not Graham, nor Layne - has ever completed such a high percentage of passes in a playoff game."

Blackie Sherrod, Dallas Times Herald, Dec 31, 1972. Kilmer had completed 14 of 18 passes for 194 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. Two weeks later, although the Redskins were favored to win by three, Redskins lost to Miami in the Superbowl, 14-7. The Redskins scored one touchdown on a Mike Bass interception. Another potential Kilmer touchdown pass hit the goal post at the goal line and is one of the reasons the posts were moved to the back line in 1974.






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"WASHINGTON REDSKINS, 1972 NFC CHAMPIONS"

-a large plaque hung by Coach Landry in the locker room of the Cowboys 1973 practice facility, along with a replica of a Redskins helmet featuring the Indian head logo. The Cowboys players were forced to see it every day and knew the only way to get it down was to displace the Redskins as NFC Champs.






"George Allen never used to say 'the Dallas Cowboys', it was always 'the goddamn Dallas Cowboys.' It's the Cowboys' uniform. It strikes hate and loathing in my mind, almost in a Pavlovian sense."

-John Wilbur





"Roger Staubach can't read defenses and wears skirts..."

- Ron McDole to the press, when asked during Dallas week about what he thought of the Cowboys quarterback






"We think about the Redskins every day. I don't know if that's good or bad. But that's the way it is. The Redskins game is everything. We're on top now. We can't afford to go down."

-Rayfield Wright, Cowboys Offensive tackle, Dallas week, Oct, 1973, referring to his undefeated 3-0 Cowboys.







"I don't really like to talk to anybody the week before a Dallas game. I even find it hard to communicate with my wife."

-John Wilbur, Redskins Guard, Dallas week, early October 1973. The Cowboys were 3-0 and the Redskins were 2-1 as game day approached. The Redskins, with major Superbowl aspirations, had inexplicably lost in week 2 to the hapless St. Louis Cardinals, a team which had finished the 1972 season 4-9-1 and would later finish the 1973 season 4-9-1 as well. The Redskins had been 10.5 point favorites for that NFC East division game at St. Louis. On paper, it should have been an easy win. The loss was chalked up to the team not being emotionally "up" for the game. Now in week 4, after having beaten the Eagles in week 3, Dallas was next. The game was viewed as a must-win.






"This pro-football rivalry is uglier, bloodier, and only more civilized than a cock fight."

NFL Films, describing the Washington Dallas rivalry before kickoff of the Oct 8, 1973 Monday night game at RFK Stadium. This was to be the first Redskins Monday Night Football home game to be locally televised.






"I was very hot at being taken out. The game wasn't out of control. We were leading, and I'd thrown a touchdown pass. Coach Landry said I was hurt, but there were at least a half dozen guys on the field who were a lot more hurt than I was."

-Roger Staubach, commenting on being replaced against his will in favor of Craig Morton late in the Oct 8, 1973 game. Staubach was limping, and after his seventh sack which forced another punt, Landry elected to replace him with Craig Morton.







"I picked him up and pushed him back... It wasn't a smooth play, it was a desperation play. It was such an eerie feeling when it happened. There wasn't any noise in the stadium for maybe three seconds. All of a sudden... the place went crazy! I had never seen anything like it."

-Ken Houston, commenting on undefeated Dallas' "4th and four on the four" play with 29 seconds left in the Monday Night Football game on October 8, 1973 at RFK Stadium. The game was a national broadcast on ABC with Frank Gifford calling play-by-play and Howard Cosell doing color. The stadium was packed with 54,314 fans - a couple hundred more than on opening day and the most fans who had ever attended a Redskins home game in Washington DC history. The game was physically punishing for both sides, and the brutality was taking its toll on the players late in the second half. The Redskins had trailed 7-0 late in the game. Dallas was leading, but after Roger Staubach's seventh sack and the Cowboys once again being forced to punt, Head Coach Tom Landry felt Staubach was too badly beaten up to continue effectively, and so advised Staubach that Craig Morton would be replacing him moving forward. Staubach disagreed, and angrily let his opinion be known. Meanwhile, the Redskins offense moved down the field, and finally scored a tying touchdown with less than four minutes left in the game on a Sonny Jurgensen to Charley Taylor pass in the endzone. After the kickoff, when Morton and the Dallas offense took the field, Morton almost immediately threw an interception to Brig Owens early in the drive from deep in Dallas territory, who ran it in for a second touchdown while holding the ball high with one hand in victory. Suddenly, the Redskins' fortunes were reversed as players from the field and the bench ran to Owens and celebrated wildly in the far corner of the endzone. Washington went from sure-to-lose to sure-to-win in less than a minute. And it seemed Landry's decision to replace Staubach with Morton late in the game was much of the reason. After the ensuing kickoff, with Staubach still fuming on the sidelines, RFK stadium fans chanted DEFENSE as loud as they could as Craig Morton and the Dallas offense took the field once again. There were about two-and-a-half minutes to play. Three passes. Three incompletions. The Cowboys elected to punt at 4th down and ten yards to go with about two minutes on the clock. But the punted ball hit the turf and took a funny bounce - hitting Jerry Smith - and the Cowboys punting team recovered at the Redskins 31 yard line. At this point, Morton still had not completed a forward pass out of more than a half dozen attempts. Yet Landry, with Staubach ranting on the sidelines, still refused to let Staubach back into the game. Morton finally managed three completions - the third earning a first down and goal-to-go at the 4-yard-line with little time remaining. Three incompletions later, Dallas was faced with 4th down on the 4 yard line with the clock stopped showing 29 seconds left to play. RFK stadium fans were on their feet and yelling as loud as they ever had before as the Dallas offense broke huddle and trotted up to the line of scrimmage. Morton approached the line and leaned over center with the ground shaking beneath him. He took the snap. The crowd noise was deafening. He quickly threw over the middle towards and inside of Walt Garrison at the 2-yard line just outside the right hash mark as Garrison angled in towards the goal post. With the ball airborne, the screaming stadium abruptly fell dead silent as the RFK Stadium crowd watched in horror. The ball streaked towards Garrison. Garrison was open and the pass was perfect. Garrison caught the ball in full stride at the one-yard line for what would obviously be a sure touchdown. But he was immediately grabbed around the hips by Houston. Houston swung his own body backwards - like a giant sand bag - and leveraged his own body-weight to lift Garrison off the ground - and then threw him back - seemingly defying physics, with Garrison's legs and feet flailing helplessly like those of a rag doll. RFK Stadium exploded in wild cheers. Although the Cowboys had significantly better stats in virtually every category and dominated the entire game, the Redskins won 14-7. The proud Cowboys were forced to suffer their first loss of the season as well as surrender their position as the lone NFC East leader. Tom Landry and the Dallas Cowboys boarded the charter for the long flight back to Dallas, beaten, battered, and in shame, knowing they had once again been humiliated by the Washington Redskins on national television in a manner which was quickly becoming routine.






"It was dead silence. And I remember calling for Brig to come help me. And I caught him. And I wouldn't let him put his feet down. It seemed like a lifetime, but, probably about - five or ten seconds - you could hear the stadium coming back alive. It was like a staccato effect."

-Ken Houston, later commenting on his career and his stop of Walt Garrison at the goal line with the entire stadium being devoid of sound






"Kenny was strong and he was vicious. So when I, I seen him actually get his hands around Garrison, I knew it was all over. But that was a great play. Kenny - I love you for that one."

-Brig Owens






“That’s the biggest tackle I’ve made in my life."

-Ken Houston, later retired, commenting on his career and his '4th and four on the four' tackle at the goal line on Oct 8, 1973.






"That tackle stands as one of the most treasured moments in Redskins history."

-Michael Richman, Redskins historian, referring to Ken Houston's '4th and four on the four' tackle with less than half a minute left on Oct 8, 1973. Allen had acquired Safety Ken Houston in a trade during the off-season, swapping five solid players in exchange for superstar Ken Houston of the Houston Oilers.






“Every play in the game was like a civil war. Every play we gave a little more blood. Every play meant the game. … I don’t think we’ve ever had a team that showed more character than tonight. We’re so proud of the Redskins, and what a game for the nation to see!”

- Redskins Coach George Allen, Monday night, Oct 8, 1973. This was the first Redskins Dallas game played on Monday night. The game resulted in the two teams being tied for first place in the NFC East at 3-1. Starting quarterback Sonny Jurgensen had been badly beaten up during this game and endured a knee injury which would haunt him for much of the remainder of the season.






"I remember how awful I felt after the cocaine and xylocaine wore off. I couldn't move that (next) day, Hell, I could hardly walk."

-Sonny Jurgensen, later commenting on how badly he had been beaten up during the Oct 8, 1973 Dallas MNF game. He had suffered a knee injury in that game which bothered him for the rest of the season. But Head Coach George Allen had allowed Jurgensen to start the following week vs the Giants - a game where Jurgensen, his knee still in significant pain, threw only eight completions for 52 yards, threw three interceptions, as well as suffering three sacks and no touchdown passes. It was his worst performance of the season. The Redskins managed to win anyway, 21-3, largely due to the Giants' quarterback Norm Snead throwing four interceptions coupled with the team losing two fumbles making a total of a whopping six turnovers. One of the Redskins' three touchdowns was a defensive score by Dave Robinson after his interception. Ken Houston grabbed two more interceptions, and Pat Fischer got one interception which was returned 67 yards but stopped short of the goal line. Allen started Billy Kilmer the following week.






“Their linebackers, blitzing or covering a run, did not support the cornerbacks...”

-Head Coach George Allen, Nov 11, 1973, post-game, after beating the San Francisco Forty-Niners at RFK Stadium, 33-9. The temp at kickoff was 38 degrees. With Billy Kilmer starting, Sonny Jurgensen, knowing he wasn't favored by Allen, felt dejected as he sat on the bench, even though he knew he still had a bad knee from the Dallas game five weeks earlier. But in the first drive by the Redskins, Kilmer was knocked woozy and was temporarily forced out of the game. Jurgensen's services were required. Directly off the bench, facing third down and long with the ball on the San Francisco 18-yard-line, Jurgensen removed his burgundy & gold stocking cap, grabbed his helmet, fastened the chin strap, and #9 trotted out onto the cold field for the first time in a month, much to the fans' delight. Allen had instructed Jurgensen, who hadn't had a chance to warm up, to call a draw play to center the ball between the hashmarks for the upcoming go-ahead Kurt Knight field goal But in the huddle, as Jurgensen realized this would likely be his only chance he'll get to make a contribution, called his own play. At the snap, he stepped back a few strides and threw a rocket to Larry Brown for a touchdown. He stayed in as holder for the successful Kurt Knight extra point. Knowing Allen was unhappy with him, Jurgensen trotted back to the sidelines saying nothing as Allen ignored him. He removed his helmet, replaced his burgundy & gold stocking cap, and sat back down on the bench with a grin. Jurgensen's end-of-game stats showed Passing: Attempts 1, Completions 1, TDs 1.






"(Larry) Brown's bold strides brought a head-on meeting with the Giants' cornerback, number 45, Pete Athas. Having collapsed Athas, Brown blew through one more attempted tackle until his assault was brought violently to rest inside the New York ten-yard-line. Two plays later, Jurgensen once again called upon his light tank, the indomitable Larry Brown, and Brown crashed in with a tremendous effort. Runs like these will undoubtedly abbreviate Larry Brown's career. But for anyone who is ever thrilled to number 43's abandon and bravery, there can be no doubt that his spot in the Hall of Fame is already won."

-Ray Scott, narrator for NFL's Game Of The Week, shown the week following the game played on December 2, 1973 at RFK Stadium, hosting the New York Giants. The Redskins had fallen behind early in the game by a score of 21-3. Later in the 3rd quarter, starting Quarterback Billy Kilmer twisted his ankle and was forced to leave the game. Kilmer's stats at that point showed six completions of 15 attempts, and also an interception. Sonny Jurgensen took over. Later in the 4th quarter, Brown's touchdown described above brought the Redskins to within four points, 24-20. On the Redskins next possession, Jurgensen completed his 11th pass in a row, this one to Larry Brown for the winning touchdown. With the come-from-behind victory, the Redskins retained their one-game advantage over the Dallas Cowboys as the NFC East leader. Jurgensen's end of game stats showed 12 completions of 15 attempts for 135 yards, 1 TD, and a QB rating of 126.4. Larry Brown's stats showed 18 rushing attempts for 71 yards (3.9 yard avg) and 2 TDs, coupled with 3 pass receptions for 61 yards and 1 TD. Brown had been named 1972 NFL MVP the previous year, was a four-time Pro Bowler, a two-time All-Pro, and led Washington to Super Bowl VII. Inexplicably, a half century later, Brown has still not been inducted into the Pro Football Hall Of Fame.






"I wouldn't shake hands with him, but I shook hands with everyone else, just to irritate him..."

Diron Talbert, on when Talbert and Staubach gathered at midfield with the other captains before kickoff






"Staubach hurt us rolling out."

-George Allen, Dec 9, 1973. There was no score until the last 29 seconds of the first half when the Cowboys kicked a field goal, making the halftime score 3-0. In the second half, the Redskins' only score was late in the 4th quarter on a special teams touchdown from a blocked punt, preventing an embarrassing shutout. Cowboys win 27-7. Both teams finished the season 10-4, but Dallas won the tie break and the NFC East. The surprise loss Washington endured vs the 4-9-1 St.Louis Cardinals in week 2, a game the Redskins had been favored to win by 10.5 points, effectively cost the Redskins the NFC East title. The Redskins were forced to settle for the wildcard spot. The Redskins lost in the first round of the playoffs on the road to Fran Tarkenton and the Minnesota Vikings. Dallas lost in the second round - the NFC Championship - at home vs the Vikings. Vikings lost the Superbowl to Miami.





****************************************






"Sometimes I get the feeling that I am a member of the staff at Georgetown University Hospital... Maybe I sound like a broken record, but I do not want to end my career in a hospital bed. You cannot imagine how frustrated I've been - getting hurt these last three years. I remember when we'd score 37 points but the other team would score 42. Now when we have the defense, I keep getting injured."

-Sonny Jurgensen, early 1974.






"Any helicopter that came over (the 1974 Dallas training camp), the coaches would look up and say 'Damn, that's George Allen up there with a notebook.'"

-Walt Garrison






"We'll kill 'em."

-Roger Staubach, post-game comment, after losing to the Redskins on Nov. 17th, 1974 and referring to the next matchup on Thanksgiving Day. The 6-3 Redskins had run up a 28-0 halftime lead at RFK Stadium. In the first quarter after trading punts, Kilmer took the offense to the Cowboys 11 yard line. Two plays later, it was third down and two yards to go at the Cowboys three yard line. Kilmer was then replaced by the more-mobile Joe Theismann. At the snap, Theismann ran to the right side, then cut sharply inside for the first NFL touchdown of his career. The second touchdown was a Charlie Evans run. The third came from a Ken Houston 58-yard punt return. Kilmer threw to Roy Jefferson for the 4th touchdown. But the 5-4 Cowboys came back in the second half with three unanswered touchdowns. On a 4th Dallas drive with the score 28-21, the Redskins' #1 defense in the league held the Cowboys with a goal line stand. At 4th down and six yards to goal, Staubach threw to Drew Pearson just inside the goal line. It was very slightly underthrown but catchable. The pass hit Pearson in the forearms but Pearson couldn't hang on. Cowboys lose 28-21. Staubach's comment came after the game to the press, referring to the upcoming Thanksgiving Day matchup.






"We owe them plenty."

-Jethro Pugh, Dallas Defensive Tackle, Dallas week, Thanksgiving week, 1974, after losing to the Redskins on Nov. 17th.






"This team is going all the way! That's right - all the way. I feel it. We feel it. It's gonna happen."

-Redskins Defensive End Deacon Jones, Dallas week prior to the Thanksgiving Day game, 1974. Jones revolutionized the defensive end position and was the first person to coin the word "sack" as it applied to tackling the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage. He explained that sacking the quarterback was as devastating to an offensive drive as when a military force sacked a city (such as Berlin being sacked by the Soviets in 1945). He was the NFL sack leader for five seasons and was known as "The Secretary of Defense." Jones had played for the Los Angelas Rams for eleven years. George Allen, former Rams head coach, called him "the greatest defensive end of modern football." Jones had missed only six out of 196 games - 14 seasons. Jones intended to retire after the 1974 season, and during the final regular season game against the Chicago Bears, which was a blowout, Jones asked Coach Allen if he could kick an extra point after one of the upcoming 4th quarter touchdowns. After all, he had been a back-up kicker in high school, he explained. Coach Allen, who held a lot of admiration and respect for Deacon Jones, relented. So after another touchdown and with the score 41-0 late in the 4th quarter, Jones trotted onto the field. With Joe Theismann holding for the 19-yard extra point attempt, he kicked. The ball flew awkwardly before it hit one of the uprights, bounced off it, and then barely cleared the cross bar. Good! That extra-point conversion was the only point Jones had scored in his entire NFL career. He did not score any safeties or touchdowns from interceptions or fumble recoveries in his fourteen seasons. Jones would be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980. George Allen would give the induction speech.






"This is the year that will give us a character test. A lot of guys are thinking about getting out of football. So this is the year to go all the way. Everyone has to evaluate himself and dedicate himself to the cause."

-Offensive Captain Charley Taylor, Dallas week, 1974. The Redskins were in 2nd place in the NFC East after winning six of their last seven games, and at 8-3, needed just one more win to secure a guaranteed wild card spot in the playoffs. And with three games remaining, they were only one game away from the St. Louis Cardinals who were 9-2 and in best position to win the NFC East. Dallas was 6-5 but was still in the running for the wildcard spot. The Vegas line for this Thanksgiving Day game was "pick 'em."






"If Roger Staubach wants to RUN, he's going to do it at his OWN RISK!"

-Head coach George Allen, to the press during Dallas week, Thanksgiving week, 1974, intimately aware of the difficulty of defending against the scrambling quarterback, and hoping to put an element of doubt in Staubach's head.






"If Staubach runs, you like to get a shot at him and knock him out of the game. You try to get a scrambling quarterback to scramble into the arms of somebody who's going to hurt him. If you knock him out, you've got that rookie facing you. That's one of our goals. If we do that, it's great. He's all they have. They have no experienced backup."

- Diron Talbert, Dallas week, 1974, outlining one of the Redskins' defensive strategies to the public. Talbert made this point repeatedly to the press during Dallas week and his comments were widely broadcast to Dallas fans via the Dallas / Ft. Worth area media. The fact that the Redskins' defensive captain was deliberately and willfully directing his defense to cause their beloved star quarterback a disabling injury put Dallas fans in a manic frenzy in the days leading up to the Thanksgiving Day matchup.






"SCALP TALBERT'S TRIBE OF TURKEYS"

-Homemade sign hung up prior to kickoff at Texas Stadium on Thanksgiving Day, 1974.






"DALLAS WILL SHUT YOUR (BIG MOUTH) TALBERT"

-Homemade sign seen at Texas Stadium during the Thanksgiving Day game, 1974. Opening kickoff was to the Redskins who were forced to punt. Dallas scored first with a 24-yard Efrén Herrera field goal in the first quarter. But a fumble and an interception by Dallas helped the Redskins achieve three Mark Moseley field goals from 45, 34, and 39 yards respectively. The first half ended with the score 9-3, Redskins lead. The second half opened with a kickoff to Dallas, and on the first play of the 2nd half, Walt Garrison broke straight up field and ran for 15 yards, but then fumbled as the Redskins recovered at the Dallas 39 yard line. The Redskins drove down the field and scored the first touchdown of the game on a 9-yard Kilmer pass to Duane Thomas. Redskins lead, 16-3. Kickoff to Dallas. With 2nd and 7 from the Dallas 44, with no one open, Staubach had an opening straight ahead and ran for 9 yards and a first down before colliding with linebacker Dave Robinson. With no slide rule in effect back then, Staubach was vulnerable to a brutal hit by the Redskins linebacker. The starting Dallas quarterback, whoozy, was helped to the sidelines, conscious but not knowing where he was. Staubach's stats at that point, which was mid-way through the 3rd quarter, were 3 completions of 11 attempts for 31 yards passing, no touchdowns, one interception, 2 sacks and a QB rating of 1.7 (not a typo). He would not re-enter the game. Source: Rich Tandler - The Redskins A To Z






"Longley, get your helmet."

-Someone on the Dallas coaching staff, 3rd quarter, Thanksgiving Day, 1974. With the Cowboys star quarterback Roger Staubach knocked out of the game by linebacker Dave Robinson after running up field for a first down, Head Coach Tom Landry, with his Cowboys losing 16-3, had no choice but to put in Staubach's only backup, a rookie quarterback named Clint Longley. Longley had never taken a snap in an NFL game. Longley, taking over for an offense which under Staubach's leadership had only managed to put up three points in 36 minutes of play, somehow led his team to three touchdowns in 24 minutes and brought the Dallas Cowboys' lethargic butter-fingered offense back to win. Longley's end-of-game stats showed 11 completions out of 20 attempts for over 200 yards passing, two touchdown passes, and no interceptions in less than one-half of play. He finished the game with a QB rating of 123.5. This win by the Cowboys was viewed as the most improbable comeback in National Football League history. The idea that a 22-year-old rookie quarterback with no NFL experience from tiny Abilene Christian College - a school Longley had attended with no scholarship and a campus population of about 2,000 students - called to enter the game straight off the bench, who had never thrown a pass in his short NFL career — could join the biggest game of the season ice cold and come back from a 16-3 deficit facing the #2 defense in the NFC and throw multiple touchdowns, including the final one - a last-gasp 50-yard touchdown pass against double-coverage - deliberately and without authorization - with time running out and no timeouts - ignoring the medium-range over the middle pass play sent in by Head Coach Tom Landry and calling a modified play in the huddle as abruptly suggested by Drew Pearson who basically drew the play in the dirt - all in front of a sold-out Texas Stadium crowd while in front of a national television audience. The final, unscripted, undocumented, brazen touchdown bomb left only 28 secs on the clock and ultimately resulted in giving the Cowboys a 1-point lead. The Cowboys win, 24-23.






"Who in the hell is Longley???"

-Diron Talbert to the press after the game, Thanksgiving Day, 1974. The media later reported that Longley's nickname was "The Mad Bomber" because he once launched a mortar in training camp which clanged off an upper rung of Tom Landry's coaching tower. This Thanksgiving Day contest was featured as the NFL Game Of The Week. More than thirty years later in 2008, with Cowboys scheduled to move into their sparkling new AT&T Stadium, Frank Luksa for ESPN ranked this 1974 Redskins-Cowboys Thanksgiving game as the 2nd most thrilling game in 37 years of Texas Stadium history - 2nd only to another Redskins-Cowboys game played five years later. The final 50-yard touchdown pass by Longley and the Cowboys was later ranked as the All-Time #1 Thanksgiving Day Moment by NFL Films.






"I still have no idea who Clint Longley is..."

-Joe Theismann, himself a third-string back up rookie quarterback in 1974, and also a punt returner, commenting on that fateful Thanksgiving Day game twenty years later.






"A triumph of the uncluttered mind."

-Blaine Nye, Dallas right guard, Thanksgiving Day, 1974, referring to his rookie quarterback Clint Longley. After Roger Staubach was knocked out of the game, the Cowboys were forced to resort to a quarterback who had never stepped foot on an NFL field to come back from two possessions behind to win against the #2 defense in the NFC on Thanksgiving Day, 1974.






"Get 'em, Bomber."

-One of Longley's teammates shouting encouragement to Clint Longley, mid-way into the 3rd quarter on Thanksgiving Day, 1974, as he was trying to find his helmet. A few weeks earlier, the Cowboys' veteran quarterback Craig Morton would have gone in to replace Staubach. But Morton repeatedly told the Cowboys he was tired of being a back-up behind Roger Staubach, and then one day refused to report for practice. Morton was quickly traded to the New York Giants, leaving rookie Longley as Staubach's only backup. Longley took the field on Thanksgiving Day, 1974, and in less than nine minutes, the Mad Bomber led Dallas to two touchdowns in a row, one of them a 35-yard pass to Billy Joe DuPree. The Cowboys are ahead, 17-16, as the fourth quarter begins. Texas Stadium is rocking with emotion. Even the people in the private boxes are jumping up and down and screaming with cocktails and turkey sandwiches in their hands. After the kickoff, the Redskins offense drives down the field to bust in for another touchdown and a 23-17 lead. Dallas ball. Unbelievably, the Redskins get yet another gift from the Dallas offense, after Walt Garrison fumbled for the second time in the half. Redskins recovered in Dallas territory. This is the third fumble of the game that the Redskins recovered. Several plays later, Washington is faced with a 4th down at the Dallas 7 yard line with a six point lead and five minutes to play. Mark Moseley confidently trots onto the field and attempts what should have been a routine 24-yard field goal to make it a two-possession game, but the kick is blocked by rookie Ed "Too Tall" Jones, the NFL's #1 draft pick in 1974, and the ball bounces into the endzone. Dallas ball on the 20.






"Stay cool, Bomber, don't get rattled. We'll take it on in."

-John Fitzgerald, Dallas center, Thanksgiving Day 1974. The Dallas offense had just taken over following a blocked Redskins field goal attempt with Dallas down by six points and five minutes left to play with the ball on the Dallas 20 yard line.






"We don't want to score yet, there's too much time left."

-Clint Longley, replying to his center John Fitzgerald, Thanksgiving Day 1974, with Dallas down by six points. Dallas ball. The game clock showed five minutes left to play. The goal line is eighty yards away.






"Don't get down, we're still in it."

-Bob Hayes, Dallas wide receiver, to Drew Pearson, on the field and walking to the sidelines as Pearson was extremely upset with himself. Late in the 4th quarter, Pearson had just caught a pass from Clint Longley which would have been a first down, but then after a few steps up field, fumbled it away to the Redskins with the score 23-17, Redskins lead. Incredibly, this was the fourth fumble Dallas had committed and the fourth fumble Washington had recovered. It appears Christmas had come early in Washington. The Redskins have a six point lead with less than 4 mins to play and Washington has been gifted the ball once again. But the Dallas defense holds and the Redskins are forced to punt after using two minutes of the clock. Cowboys ball deep in Dallas territory with less than two minutes to play. Several plays later with the Redskins defense playing strong, it was Dallas ball, 3rd down and seven at the Dallas 42 yard line. Longley, back to pass, couldn't find anybody open and so scrambled to the right still looking for a receiver, and then continued to run towards the sidelines to gain a yard and stop the clock. 4th down and six yards to go at the Dallas 43 yard line. At 4th down with less than a minute left in the game, a punt was out of the question. The desperate 4th down play call was a button hook designed to get seven yards and a first down. If they could just convert this 4th down, they would have a chance to move the fall further up field. But time was running out. Obviously a passing situation, Longley crouched down behind center and barked the signal count - as the shotgun formation was not yet popular in the NFL in the 1970s. Longley took the snap, stepped back seven paces, and threw. The pass was barely completed to Bob Hayes with a Redskins defender practically draped all over the Dallas receiver. Had the pass been incomplete or short by a yard, the game would have been effectively over. But with a new set of downs just short of midfield and the game clock ticking down at 35 seconds and counting, Dallas was forced to use their last time out. Quote source: Sports Illustrated






"I was in the huddle when he called basically the last play of the game, and we all knew it wouldn't work. So it was, 'OK, let's get this over with.' Who's going to throw a 50-yard pass for a touchdown? They'll have Drew covered like a blanket. He'll probably throw a 5-yard out to me (or Billy Joe) and hope one of us can run for a touchdown. Hell, I hadn't run 40 yards in my life."

-Walt Garrison, later commenting on Longley's last play call on Thanksgiving Day, 1974.






"Okay. What have we got to lose?"

-Clint Longley, in the huddle after calling the last play, Thanksgiving Day, 1974. Down six points with 35 seconds left on the stopped game clock, 1st and 10, and the ball at midfield with no time outs, Head Coach Tom Landry sent in a play that required Drew Pearson to run a down-and-in 20 yards deep. In the huddle, after hearing the play call, Pearson suggested he cut inside as called - try to split the two defensive backs who will be covering him (Washington had seven defensive backs in the game at this point) - and then turn and race for the end zone. Longley liked the idea and agreed to give it a try. At the snap, Longley dropped back to the Redskins 40 yard line, paused for a moment, and then launched a missile, just over the outstretched fingertips of charging Diron Talbert. The perfectly thrown ball traveled 56 yards in the air before it was caught by Drew Pearson in full stride at the Dallas 4-yard line. Dallas wins. Quote source: Sports Illustrated






"Losing to Dallas is the worst feeling in the world. You'd rather have your arm cut off."

-Diron Talbert






"Next time they'll have to kill me."

-Roger Staubach, Thanksgiving Day 1974, when asked his thoughts of being targeted in a future Redskins game.






"I don't have very much to say. It was probably the toughest loss we ever had."

Washington Head Coach George Allen, Thanksgiving Day, 1974. Indeed, it can be argued that this loss by Washington can be viewed as possibly the most catastrophic regular-season loss in Redskins history. Dallas committed five turnovers in this game (4 fumbles and an interception) compared to only one turnover by Washington (an interception), and yet, with an inexperienced rookie quarterback and being down by thirteen points in the second half, Dallas still managed to come back and win. There were many ironies in this loss by Washington - one of them being that Allen's celebrated veteran defense was beaten by a rookie - as Allen had a history of going to extreme lengths to avoid signing rookies as he believed experienced veterans were the key to winning. The Cowboys would finish the season 8-6 and miss the playoffs for the first time since 1965. However, this unlikely comeback win with a rookie quarterback against the #2 defense in the NFC on Thanksgiving Day 1974 after being down by two touchdowns cost the Redskins the opportunity to humiliate their rival by breaking the Cowboys winning-record streak going back to 1966. And so the unlikely victory effectively allowed the vaunted Dallas Cowboys to achieve their ninth winning season in a row. In addition, the loss denied the Redskins the opportunity to sweep the Cowboys for the first time ever - since the Cowboys were founded in 1960. Washington finished 10-4, but this loss effectively cost the Redskins the NFC East title to the 10-4 St. Louis Cardinals, and Washington was forced to settle for a wildcard spot in the playoffs for the second year in a row. Had the Redskins beaten Dallas on Thanksgiving, they would have finished 11-3 and would have had the best win-loss record in the NFC, making them the #1 seed meaning they'd host both playoff games at RFK Stadium, giving them a tremendous advantage on the way to their 2nd Superbowl appearance in three years. Instead, as the wildcard team, they would have to play both playoff games on the road - the first against the #1 seed Los Angeles Rams after traveling all the way to the other side of the continent into a hostile environment for the second time in fourteen days.






"George Allen always said that if you can get six turnovers in a game, you'll win it."

-Merlin Olson, all-pro defensive tackle, Los Angeles Rams, who had played during the Allen era in Los Angeles. Ironically, even though the Rams were a younger team overall, they statistically had a better defense than Washington, as they were ranked #1 in the NFC. Washington had beaten the Rams @ L.A. two weeks earlier, and although Washington was leading at halftime 10-7 in this playoff game, the Redskins committed a whopping five turnovers in the second half alone - those being two fumbles and three interceptions. With the game tied at the beginning of the 4th quarter, the Rams had possession and managed a field goal. With the Rams ahead by 3 points, Allen felt Kilmer was struggling, having completed only 7 passes of 18 attempts, and so gave Sonny Jurgensen an opportunity to play in the first playoff game of his career. Still very early in the 4th quarter with the score 13-10, Rams winning, Jurgensen's first pass was a completion to Charlie Taylor for 27 yards. Next play, Jurgensen was hit while releasing a pass and it was intercepted for a 59 yard touchdown (2-pt pass attempt failed), giving the Rams a nine-point lead. Jurgensen, in an effort to force a win, would throw two more interceptions. The Redskins lost 19-10, and Washington's promising season came to an abrupt end.






"While the young Rams are a team of many tomorrows, there may not be so many Sundays left for the Washington Redskins. They are a veteran team, brimming with pride and character, and this dwelling loss will chill their spirits through a long winter of discontent."

-NFL Films, implying that the veteran-heavy over-the-hill gang Redskins may be in need of a rebuilding period. Indeed, Sonny Jurgensen, Verlon Biggs, Charlie Evans, Deacon Jones, Herb Mul-key, Duane Thomas, Bill Malinchak, and John Wilbur would not return in 1975. The Rams, after their playoff victory over the Redskins, would lose the following weekend in the NFC Championship to Fran Tarkenton and the Vikings at Minnesota. The Vikings would lose in the Superbowl to Terry Bradshaw and the Pittsburgh Steelers.






"If I had to pick one highlight, it would have to be the year 1969. Out of all the things that happened to me in football, (the highlight) was the year under Vince Lombardi."

-from Sonny Jurgensen's Pro Football Hall Of Fame induction speech in 1983. Jurgensen chose to retire after the close of the 1974 season. Jurgensen had broken and held many NFL passing records during his career and was idolized by the fans. In his first year as a full-time starter in 1961, Jurgensen tied Johnny Unitas’ single-season record for touchdown passes with 32. He led the NFL in passing yards five seasons and touchdown passes twice. In 1967, he had thrown fifty passes in one game, completing thirty - an NFL record at the time. Also in 1967, Jurgensen had thrown 31 touchdown passes and only 16 interceptions, which earned him the lowest interception/touchdown percentage in the National Football League. Jurgensen played in the highest scoring game ever recorded in the NFL when the Redskins beat the Giants in 1967 by a score of 72-41. Jurgensen, with his receivers Charlie Taylor, Bobby Mitchell, and Jerry Smith, made the 1967 Washington Redskins passing game one of the best of all time. A five-time Pro Bowl selection, Jurgensen completed 2,433 passes for 32,224 yards and 255 touchdowns during his career. In his final season in 1974, at age 40, Jurgensen held the best regular season stats of any active quarterback in the NFC with a passer rating of 94.5. He had started more games in one season, 1969, under Head Coach Vince Lombardi than he had totaled in all four seasons he had played under Head Coach George Allen combined. He would decide to retire after having started only 13 games out of 62 during the previous four years under Allen. Jurgensen retired having never started in a playoff game during his entire eighteen-year professional football career.






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"He would call me Dulles or Berkeley."

-Dallas Hickman, rookie defensive end from the University of California-Berkeley - describing 1975 training camp and telling of how George Allen would never utter the word "Dallas" out loud. Hickman was chosen by the Redskins in the ninth round of the 1975 NFL draft and played for the Redskins through the 1981 season. He was special teams captain during the latter part of the Allen years.






"That stuff about Dallas rebuilding this year, I never bought it in the first place. As far as I'm concerned, Dallas is the team to beat, whether they're in first place, second place, or whatever. We have to play our best game of the year all the way around."

-George Allen, Dallas week, late October 1975. The previous year, Dallas finished 8-6 and had missed the playoffs for the first time since 1965. But in 1975, the Cowboys were 5-1 heading into this game, and the Redskins, at 4-2, needed the win.






"It just seemed to stay up there forever."

-Ken Houston, commenting on his interception during overtime, Nov 2, 1975. This was the first overtime game in Redskins Cowboys history. Although the Cowboys won the overtime coin toss and elected to receive, Chris Hanburger blitzed from the right side, and Roger Staubach's forced throw was intercepted by Ken Houston who returned the ball to midfield. Staubach was so enraged, he punched cornerback Pat Fischer, and was penalized an additional 15 yards, putting the ball at the Dallas 35. Redskins drove their way towards the goal line, and earned a first down at the Dallas one yard line.






"I'm coming over you."

Billy Kilmer, Nov 2, 1975, to right guard Walt Sweeny in the huddle during sudden-death overtime. At first-and-goal at the Cowboys 1-yard-line, Kilmer called an awkward diving sneak, a play which hadn't been used all year because it wasn't even in the playbook. At the snap, Kilmer dove head-first and went airborne over Sweeny's back and scored. Although Dallas had been favored to win @ Washington by two-and-a-half points, Redskins win 30-24, resulting in a three-way tie for first place in the NFC East. Kilmer ran off the field and into the tunnel with the game ball held aloft as the RFK Stadium fans cheered wildly.






"McLinton got my ribs pretty good. I felt like I'd been shot."

-Roger Staubach, Dec 13, 1975, Texas Stadium. With both teams at 8-4 and the NFC East on the line, this was a must-win for Washington. A loss would eliminate them from the playoff picture. Redskins had led early in the game, 10-0, but wouldn't score again. Staubach later commented on the hard hit he took from linebacker Harold McLinton as he crossed the goal line to put the Cowboys ahead for the first time just prior to halftime. Staubach was visibly shaken up and wincing in pain, and it took him a full minute to get up on his feet and stagger to the sidelines. In the second half, Staubach was in fine form, but Kilmer was knocked out of the game by a blindside blitz which would end his season. He would be scheduled for surgery on his right shoulder and his left foot, partly due to the street mugging he suffered from the Dallas defense. Kilmer's replacement, 10-year veteran Randy Johnson, on his first pass, threw an interception for a touchdown. Johnson would finish the game with two completions of eight passing attempts and two interceptions and a QB rating of 0.5. The (8-4) Cowboys won at Texas Stadium 31-10. The loss kept the Redskins out of the playoffs for the first time in the Allen era. The Redskins finished the season 8-6 after losing the last game of the season to the 3-10 Philadelphia Eagles - a relatively meaningless game at RFK Stadium where Washington was favored by eight and a half points. Johnson had started in that game but threw only eight completions of twenty attempts for only 64 yards and also threw four interceptions, one for a touchdown. In the third quarter after Johnson's fourth interception, Allen finally lost his patience and pulled Johnson and inserted 2nd-year-man Joe Theismann who threw only eight completions of twenty attempts for only 55 yards but also threw three interceptions, one for a touchdown. In addition, the Redskins fumbled twice, losing one. Eight turnovers total. Eagles won, 26-3, and finished the season 4-10. Johnson was released after the game. One bright spot during the Eagles game is that Charley Taylor caught his 634th career reception (thrown by Joe Theismann) which broke the all-time NFL career receptions record previously held by Don Maynard of the New York Jets. Taylor held the ball high and raised his arms in thanks as he received a standing ovation by the fans at RFK Stadium. He caught one more pass to make 635 catches to close out the year. He spent 1976 on Injured Reserve with a shoulder injury (source: Redskins 1978 media guide, courtesy BGO) but would return in 1977 and add 14 more receptions for a career total of 649. His reception record stood until 1984, long after the league had expanded to a 16-game season. The Cowboys finished the 1975 season 10-4, earned the wildcard spot (St. Louis Cardinals won the NFC East), and worked their way to the Superbowl after two playoff victories on the road. The Cowboys were the first wild card team to make it to the Superbowl. Dallas lost to Terry Bradshaw and the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was the Steelers' second Superbowl win in a row.


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"It's all in our hands; we're in control of our own destiny. It's a matter of who wants it the most in Dallas. If we want it as a team, we'll get it. If we don't, we won't make the playoffs."

-Billy Kilmer, Dallas week, final game of the season, early December, 1976. Washington was 9-4 and had previously lost at home to Dallas in October. Washington needed one more win in the final game of the season on the road to secure a wildcard spot in the playoffs as they had the tie-break advantage over the St. Louis Cardinals who were also 9-4. Dallas was 11-2 and had clinched the NFC East, but the #1 seed was on the line. The Redskins had won four of their previous five games leading up to the final game of the season. But they had lost seven of their last eight games played at Dallas. This game @ Dallas was a must-win.






"To win, we just have to go out there and out-hit them."

-George Allen, Dallas week, December, 1976. Final game of the season. Redskins needed a win @ Dallas to make the playoffs. The game was a must win.






"...So one time in a meeting during Dallas week, all of a sudden we heard a GONG, ... and here came George (Allen), who was wearing his karate garb .... The whole locker room went crazy. We were shouting, 'GEORGE, GEORGE, GEORGE...' It was electric. He talked about Dallas week and how he wanted to fly to Dallas and meet Tom Landry at midfield and fight him, and if he could beat Landry, we would win. ....Now he had these boards with him, and these other guys were holding the boards. He was going to break two boards with his hands, and two others with his feet, and if he could break those boards, we were going to beat Dallas! The place was going nuts, chanting, 'GEORGE, GEORGE, GEORGE!' Now he started to warm up and was making all kinds of noises and taking deep breaths. It was unbelievable. All of a sudden he screamed, came down, and broke the two boards with his hands and the other two with his feet, and the place went nuts! ..."

- Rusty Tillman, from Hail Victory: An Oral History of the Washington Redskins by Thom Loverro. Allen had learned karate from Jhoon Rhee personally, who had several karate studios in the Washington area.






"People had been cool to us all year. They wrote us off. I just want to show people that we're a playoff team. It's more than the financial thing. This game won't be for money. It's a game you have to play from your heart."

-Harold McLinton, Redskins middle linebacker, early December, 1976. Redskins had been only 6-4, but were now on a three-game winning streak, hoping to extend it to four. To make the playoffs, this game is a must-win for Washington @ Texas Stadium.






"If we win this game, we've got both our playoff games at home. That's plenty of incentive. Anytime the Redskins and Cowboys go on the field, we kill each other. I don't expect it to be any different on Sunday. I know they're coming down here with fire in their eyes. We'll be ready for them."

-Lee Roy Jordan, Dallas Middle Linebacker, Dallas week, early December, 1976. Dallas had played and lost in the Superbowl the year before and fully expect to return. The Cowboys had already clinched the NFC East, but the #1 seed was on the line. Dallas has no intention of losing this game at Texas Stadium. But the Redskins need the win to make the playoffs.






"We have to win this week. Everybody knows it. It's our season."

-Billy Kilmer, Dallas week, early December, 1976. Last game of the season. The Cowboys at Texas - it was a must-win for Washington.






"Anyone who isn't ready now, whether he's a new man or a veteran, will never be ready for anything."

-Coach George Allen, Dallas week, early December, 1976. It was a must-win for Washington at Texas Stadium.






"The demon is a liar - but he will mix his lies with the truth, to confuse us."

-Father Merrin, The Exorcist, 1973


"Dallas will do a lot of motion - but they will show different sets, to confuse us."

-Ralph Hawkins, Redskins Secondary Coach, 1976






"This support reminds me of 1972. I hope we can reach the same heights!"

-George Allen, December 11, 1976, commenting on the 2,500 shouting fans who showed up at Redskins Park to send them off that Saturday as they were leaving on the team bus for Dulles Airport to fly to Dallas. The Cowboys were favored to win the next day at Texas Stadium by four-and-a-half points. It was a must-win for Washington.






"The play of the game."

-Billy Kilmer, December 12, 1976, describing a 4th quarter play. It was Washington's ball on the Dallas 38 yard line with six minutes left to play, third and ten. Dallas was leading 14-13. Dallas called an all-out blitz, and even safety Cliff Harris joined those coming at Kilmer. The quarterback barely got off a wobbly pass, but it somehow found running back Mike Thomas in the middle of the field at the ten yard line in the area Harris had vacated. Thomas was tackled at the four yard line. A couple plays/penalties later, it was 2nd and goal at the Dallas 15-yard line. Ex-Cowboy Calvin Hill, now playing for the Redskins, carried the ball as he followed John Riggins around the left side and both players entered the endzone for the go-ahead score. On the ensuing Dallas drive, with 4:34 left, Staubach was sacked by Ron McDole. On his next play, Staubach had his pass nicked by Diron Talbert. The ball hit a couple lineman, bounced up, and was intercepted by defensive end Dennis Johnson who ran the ball to the Cowboys three yard line. Redskins ball. Riggins powered into the endzone untouched thanks to some brutal blocking. Redskins win 27-14 at Texas Stadium and had their wildcard playoff spot secured with a 10-4 record.






"Roger Staubach, hahahha... Tom Landry, hahahaha... Tex Schram, hahhaha.."

-George Allen, giddy, laughing in front of an off-line television camera, after beating Dallas at Texas Stadium on December 12, 1976. The loss by Dallas cost the Cowboys the #1 seed and assured the Redskins a wildcard spot.






"LOSERS"

-a twelve foot wide white sign with large blue letters which Dallas fans had hung over the visiting tunnel at Texas Stadium on December 12, 1976. After the victory, Redskins Head Coach George Allen was filmed tearing it down while laughing.






"We were written off, pronounced dead and buried, but we've got some gutsy guys who just kept coming back. We overcame so much today. So many times it looked like we'd score, and we couldn't. It would have been easy to give up. But time after time we came back. That is what winning is all about. The Giants game really hurt us. But the last month, I could feel us coming together. I like the feeling of this team. I like what I see. I see a lot of good things. And that's what makes a champion."

-George Allen, post-game locker room, Texas Stadium, Dec 12, 1976, the last game of the regular season. The Cowboys were favored by four-and-a-half. But the Redskins had won the game on national television, 27-14. The defense had played superbly, sacking Staubach five times, and hurrying him so often he could only complete five out of 22 passes for 54 yards. Dallas won the NFC East at 11-3, but had to settle for the #2 seed due to the final game loss to the Redskins. The Redskins finished 10-4 and earned the wildcard spot. Washington had won four in a row and was ready to make a run for the Superbowl.






"It was one of those things..."

-Ken Houston, December 18, 1976, discussing the divisional playoff round loss and a Fran Tarkenton pass he tipped which was completed anyway which resulted in a 27 yard touchdown for the Minnesota Vikings. Both the Redskins and the Cowboys would lose this first weekend in the divisional playoffs. The Redskins lost to Tarkenton and the Vikings 35-20. The Vikings were leading 35-6 late in the third quarter, at which point Tarkenton retired for the remainder of the afternoon and relaxed on the bench, arms spread on top of the back rest, smiling for the television camera, resting up for the NFC Championship. The next day, the Cowboys would host the #3 seed Los Angeles Rams, coached by Chuck Knox, and Dallas would lose at Texas Stadium for the second week in a row. The following weekend, Conference Championship weekend, Christmas weekend, the Vikings would beat the Rams in Minneapolis. Two week later, The Al Davis owned Oakland Raiders would beat the Minnesota Vikings in the Superbowl on January 9th, 1977.






"In those playoff games, I never felt like we lost, we were just never in sync for some reason. We were just half a step off for some reason. We never clicked in those games."

-Bill Malinchak, special teams star, who retired after the 1976 season, discussing the Allen era. The Redskins' loss against the Minnesota Vikings in the 1976 playoffs was the 4th opening round loss as a wildcard team during the Allen era - 1971, 1973, 1974, and 1976.


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"We loved to play them. It was always the perfect setting - Monday Night, Thanksgiving Day, a 4 o'clock start, RFK. Those kinds of games still give me goose bumps."

- Ken Houston, discussing Redskins-Cowboys games.






"It was a bitter rivalry, and both teams were really intense. We didn't like them, they didn't like us. But there was a lot of respect."

- Roger Staubach, Dallas starting quarterback, referring to the Washington Redskins






"...And I've got this huge scar on my face to this day. Charley Taylor kicked me in the mouth, and I've got this L-shaped scar in front of my face and jaw. I got 30 stitches, and because they stitched me on the field so I could finish the game, it left a nice scar. Every day I looked in the mirror, I'd be pissed off at Charley Taylor and the Redskins. It's forever."

-Charlie Waters, safety, Dallas Cowboys.






"If you came out of the (Dallas) game and you weren't bleeding, you hadn't played."

- Ken Houston, post-game, Oct 17, 1977. This was the first year Washington's Head Coach George Allen lost the season opener. Now in week 5 with the undefeated Cowboys hosting at Texas Stadium, The 3-1 Redskins were physically and brutally beaten up. Starting QB Billy Kilmer was knocked out of the game early with an injury, so Allen was forced to use backup Joe Theismann who struggled, throwing only three completions of ten attempts for 19 yards and one interception and four sacks which lost 33 yards. Bob Brunet, fullback, suffered an injury in the first quarter which ended his career. Almost immediately afterwards, John Riggins suffered a season-ending injury. Nonetheless, the score was manageable at halftime, Dallas leading 14-13.






"DOOMSDAY IS HERE"

-a homemade sign hung over the visiting player's tunnel as the players staggered to the locker room of Texas Stadium at halftime after being physically pummeled the first half, Oct 17, 1977. Both Bob Brunet, fullback, and John Riggins had suffered season-ending injuries and the 2nd half hadn't even started. Kilmer, after being knocked out of the game was somehow able to return in the 2nd half, although he was limping. Dallas completely dominated the 2nd half. Kilmer's end of game stats showed four completions of fifteen attempts for 45 yards and four sacks which lost 29 yards. Kilmer's stats were slightly better than Theismann's stats in the first half which included an interception. The Redskins lost 34-16. As the season eventually ended, Washington was swept by Dallas for the first time in the Allen era but for the fourth time overall. A sweep was something the Redskins had been unable to achieve vs the Cowboys since the new franchise was founded in 1960. The Redskins won the last three games of the season and finished the season 9-5 but were forced to relent the wildcard spot to the 9-5 Chicago Bears due to the NFL's tiebreak rules. It was the second time in three years the Redskins did not qualify for the playoffs. Dallas finished the season 12-2, earned the #1 seed in the NFC, hosted both playoff games with victories, and went on to beat the Denver Broncos in the Superbowl.






“I just reached the point where I couldn't wait any longer for George to make up his mind and have so advised him of our decision to look for a head coach and general manager. Our negotiations with George Allen are concluded. ...I thought we reached an agreement. Last Saturday was six months since we made the announcement (of Allen's contract extension) — with his approval — and nothing happened. I gave George Allen unlimited patience and he exhausted it. In all fairness to the people I will be negotiating with, I could not be talking to someone else about a job and allow Allen the option of changing his mind. No one could say I did not give George sufficient time to say yes to us.”

-Team President and minority owner Edward Bennett Williams, referring to his dismissal of George Allen in mid January, 1978. Allen was the most winningest Redskins coach since the 1940s, having won 69% of his regular season games, while making the playoffs five out of seven seasons, including a Superbowl appearance. Allen had a history of winning every opening game - as head coach of the Rams and head coach of the Redskins - until the opening game of 1977. Allen had never led a team to a losing season in his entire NFL career as head coach - not initially with the Rams, and not with the Redskins. Allen would never coach a regular season game again. Williams would hire Jack Pardee for his new Head Coach and he would hire Bobby Beathard as his new general manager. Jack Pardee was a linebacker for the Los Angelas Rams and later for the Washington Redskins. He retired from playing in 1972. He became head coach of the Chicago Bears for three years, leading them to their first playoff berth in 14 years. Bobby Beathard was a starting quarterback and defensive back in college leading his team to back-to-back 9-1 seasons. After college, he had been a scout for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Atlanta Falcons before becoming Director of Player Personnel for the Miami Dolphins from 1972 to 1977, working closely with head coach Don Shula. 1972 and 1973 were both Superbowl victory years for the Dolphins, including a perfect season.


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"I shouldn't have done that."

-Joe Theismann, Oct 2, 1978, post-game, Monday Night Football, Redskins hosting Dallas. The 3-1 Cowboys were averaging 27 points per game entering the 5th week, but that was before meeting Jack Pardee's undefeated Redskins' celebrated defense. Late in the 4th quarter with three seconds left on the game clock and the Redskins leading 9-3, at 4th down and 13 at the Redskins 14 yard line, Head Coach Pardee instructed Theismann to use up the three seconds by simply running through the back of the endzone which would run the clock out, thereby allowing the Cowboys a meaningless safety which would end the game and ensure the Redskins a victory. Theismann took the snap and began jogging backwards towards the endzone. The plan was to simply run out the clock and end the play. But as the game clock ticked down to zero, instead of running through the back line which would have ended the play and the game which would have guaranteed an instant victory, Theismann inexplicably stayed in the endzone and held the ball high in the air with one hand. As live play continued and was broadcast coast to coast on national TV, Theismann deliberately stayed inbounds keeping the game alive, running along the back of the endzone from right to left, still holding the ball up, as he was met by Dallas all-pro defensive tackle Randy White.* At this point, Theismann was about two yards from the back line, still running parallel to it. White placed his arms around Theismann's waist and swung Theismann in to keep him in the endzone without knocking him down. In doing so, White positioned himself between the back line and Theismann, with both players still inbounds. Meanwhile, Theismann was still precariously holding the ball high in the air with one hand, even with White's arms around his waist. Theismann, still inbounds, still holding the ball aloft with one hand, then tried to tuck the ball to his belly with one arm and with White's arms still around his waist. White then began to try to bat the ball out of Theismann's one-handed grip at his belly as the ball and Theismann were still inbounds in the endzone at that moment. However, White did this just as he stepped on the turf past the back line. Both players then fell to the turf on top of and perpendicular to the back line. The play and the game ended at that moment at the back line, where the ball then slipped out of Theismann's one-handed grip. The ball tumbled onto the white turf marking the back line. Dallas scored an instant safety as the game ended. Theismann got up but lost track of the ball. He looked left, looked right, found the ball, picked the ball back up off the white turf and held it high, ran back into the endzone, and then spiked the ball as hard as he could at the back of the endzone. Redskins guard Ron Saul instantly appeared in White's face, shoving him back a step as he had some choice words for White for assaulting his quarterback, and a heated exchange followed as White pushed Saul's arms away. Several players from both sides then ran to the back of the endzone for what appeared to be the beginning of a possible all-out brawl as the television cameras turned away. Redskins win, 9-5.

*Randy White, in addition to making the pro-bowl, was also named 1978 NFC Defensive Player Of The Year.






"He's a hot dog and a showboat and I hate him."

-Randy White, Dallas all-pro defensive tackle, referring to Redskins starting quarterback Joe Theismann






"We just whipped them at the line."

-Head Coach Jack Pardee, Oct 2, 1978, commenting after his undefeated Redskins beat the Superbowl Champion defending 3-1 Dallas Cowboys at RFK Stadium Monday night with President Jimmy Carter in the owner's box. The Cowboys had been favored by four-and-a-half points. With this win, the Redskins remained undefeated at 5-0, and were at least two games ahead of the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Giants, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the St. Louis Cardinals in the NFC East. Washington was 6-0 after beating Detroit the following weekend. It was the first time the Redskins had won the opening six games in thirty-eight years and the Redskins now held a nine-game winning streak going back to the previous season. The casual fans were jumping on the bandwagon. Clearly, a playoff spot was all but assured as the NFC East title began to gleam from the horizon.






"In football, if you can't stay healthy, you can't win... A lot of things didn't go our way."

-Joe Theismann, describing the 1978 season. 1978 was the year the NFL expanded the season to sixteen games, added a second wildcard team opportunity to each conference, and also created a third playoff weekend - the wildcard round - giving the three division winners (East, Central, and West) a bye. But after the best start in thirty-eight years at 6-0, Washington would collapse in what would later become classic Redskins fashion. Washington flew to Dallas on Thanksgiving Day with an 8-4 record for a showdown with the 8-4 Cowboys, but were utterly humiliated on national TV, with the score 37-3 late in the 4th quarter before Washington finally scored a touchdown. The Redskins would lose every game on their schedule for the remainder of the season, losing the last five games in a row to finish the season 8-8. Washington averaged 2.8 turnovers per game for the last ten games of the season. It was the first time Washington did not finish with a winning season since 1970. Although the Allen era never experienced a non-winning season, the Allen era was bookended with non-winning seasons by other coaches. Dallas finished at 12-4 and went on to the Superbowl. It was the Cowboys' fifth Superbowl appearance in nine years. Dallas lost to Terry Bradshaw and the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was the Cowboys' second Superbowl loss to the Steelers in four years. It was the Steelers' third Superbowl win in five years.


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"We were ALL pissed off. But you've got to understand, with the Cowboys and the Redskins playing each other, and the Redskins get up on you, why NOT kick a field goal? I'd do the same thing to them. Same thing. Get them down and keep beating them."

-Harvey Martin, commenting on the Nov 18, 1979 game at RFK Stadium when the (7-4) Redskins were leading the (8-3) Cowboys 31-20. With the Redskins having possession of the ball and the final fourteen seconds ticking away, the Redskins called a time out. Mark Moseley then casually trotted onto the field as the Dallas defense watched in disbelief, their mouths agape. With Theismann as the holder, Moseley stood back and waited for the snap. He breathed in, held his breath for a moment, and then exhaled slowly. The temp was 56 F with light winds, so this would be a fairly routine 45-yard field goal by Moseley standards. It was a perfect snap and the hold was good. As the ball was kicked, an incensed Dallas rusher came around the left side and deliberately slammed into Moseley so hard, he left both Moseley and holder Joe Theismann sprawled on the ground. A flag was thrown for roughing the kicker as the ball sailed through the uprights. Redskins win 34-20.






"They gave us no excuses last year after what they did to us, and I'm not going to make any excuses for kicking that field goal."

-Mark Moseley, Nov. 18, 1979, after the Redskins called a time out and kicked a field goal making the score 34-20, leaving nine seconds left in the game. The previous Thanksgiving, the Cowboys at Texas Stadium had run the score up to 37-3 in the 4th quarter, thoroughly embarrassing Washington in front of a national television audience.






"When the Redskins come down here, we'll bite their head off!"

-Harvey Martin to the press, immediately after getting off the charter plane at Dallas, coming home after the Nov 18, 1979 RFK Stadium game when Redskins called a timeout with fourteen seconds on the game clock so they could kick a 45 yard field goal and win 34-20. The Cowboys had been favored by four points for this game. The Redskins were scheduled to fly to Texas in December.






"BEAT DALLAS! BEAT DALLAS! BEAT DALLAS!"

-The RFK crowd, Dec 9, 1979, chanting in unison while the Redskins hosted the Bengals as the game was drawing to a close with Redskins winning 28-14. The Bengals game would be the Redskins' fourth win in five games but was of little importance to Washington fans as the Redskins were flying to Dallas the following weekend.






"To be in this position — to have the sixteenth week determine the division title — was beyond anyone's dreams before the season. I thought we'd have a good shot at the playoffs, but with Dallas coming off the Superbowl, I thought they'd have the division wrapped up by now. Now, everything is ours —— if we are good enough."

-Head Coach Jack Pardee, Dallas week, mid-December, 1979. Washington at 10-5 was in a three-way tie for the NFC East title with Dallas and Philadelphia. And with a victory, both the Redskins and Cowboys had the tie break advantage over the Eagles for the division title. However, if both the Redskins and Eagles lose and Cowboys take the NFC East title, Eagles would have the advantage for the 4th seed wildcard spot. But the Redskins had the advantage for the 5th seed wildcard spot over the Chicago Bears. The 10-5 Redskins were due to face the 10-5 Cowboys for an NFC East showdown in this final game of the season. The goal was simple: win. With a victory, the Redskins would win the NFC East and earn the #1 seed and a first round bye in the playoffs the following week followed by hosting two playoff games at RFK Stadium. The #1 seed was something the Redskins hadn't earned since 1972. The good news was, even if they lost and the 9-6 Chicago Bears won, Washington held a 33-point wildcard tie break advantage over the Bears for the fifth seed.






"Even though the game was not a playoff game, it certainly felt like a playoff game because everything was on the line for both teams."

-Safety Mark Murphy, the Redskins' leading tackler in 1979, years later reflecting on the upcoming 1979 Dallas game, the last game of the season. Source: Redskins Encyclopedia by Michael Richman






"The Redskins Cowboys rivalry is more intense now than during the George Allen era in Washington. It has transcended dislike and bitterness into absolute hatred."

-NFL Films, describing emotions pre-game, Texas Stadium, Dec 16, 1979. This final game of the season would decide the winner of the NFC East and earn the #1 seed. The Cowboys were favored by eight.






"As the Redskins hugged on the sidelines in celebration of their likely victory, the Dallas faithful started filing out of Texas Stadium in droves. Their decision to leave seemed justified when the Dallas offense took the field and Staubach was sacked by Joe Jones and Dallas again had to punt - this time from the Dallas 8 yard line. 40 yard punt. Fair catch. Washington took over on the Cowboys 48 yard line with a 13 point lead with 5:21 on the game clock."

-Paul Attner, Washington Post Staff Writer, Dec 16, 1979, describing the scene. Washington's John Riggins had previously run down the right sideline for a 66-yard touchdown with 6:34 left in the 4th quarter making the score 34-21, causing the Texas Stadium crowd to head for the exits. Now, after a Dallas three-and-out with the Redskins having possession of the ball again and winning by almost two touchdowns, the NFC East Division Title seemed all but secured.






"Nobody gave them a chance at the beginning of the year, to do much - 500 at best. Now - looks like they're going to be the champion."

-Pat Summerall, live on CBS, referring to the Washington Redskins, with the score 34-21, and six minutes left to play, Dallas ball. The winner of this game would be the #1 seed in the NFC. Two plays later, Staubach was sacked and the Cowboys were forced to call Danny White to punt from their own 8 yard line. 40 yard punt. Redskins fair catch the ball on the Dallas 48 yard line. Redskins have first-and-ten with a thirteen point lead and 5:21 left to play.






"Riggins fumbled on the (second) play but Redskins Ron Saul recovered. Then (Clarence) Harmon fumbled on third down, Randy White recovered, and Staubach was given new life..."

-Paul Attner, Washington Post Staff Writer, Dec 16, 1979. Washington was leading 34-21 with four minutes to play. Riggins' fumble was actually picked up by Dallas' Cliff Harris. Harris ran two steps, was hit, and lost the ball himself, allowing Ron Saul to recover and retain possession for the Redskins. On the very next play, the ball was fumbled for a third time - this time by Harmon, recovered by White. Roger Staubach, gifted with the fumble recovery, took to the field at the Cowboys 42 yard line with all three time outs available and 3:49 left in the game.






"Three perfect strikes by Roger Staubach..."

-Tom Brookshier, live on CBS, December 16, 1979. With Dallas down 34-21 and less than four minutes to play, Staubach threw three passes without a miscue covering 59 yards, the last one a quick pass to Ron Springs for a touchdown with 2:20 left on the game clock. As the Redskins' acclaimed defense guarded the sidelines, none of Staubach's passes were towards the sidelines and no timeouts were used, but a minute and 30 seconds were burned with three plays. After the PAT, the Redskins were leading by only six. On Washington's ensuing possession, as the two minute warning passed, a simple first down would force Dallas to squander their timeouts which would go far to securing the NFC East title. But at third down and two yards to go, Riggins was somehow caught from behind after a leaping tackle attempt from the scrimmage line into the backfield by Larry Cole. Cole had propelled himself into the backfield like a missile, grabbing Riggins around the shins for a two-yard loss, causing the Redskins to be faced with 4th and four. Dallas called their first time out. The Redskins were forced to punt. Dallas ball. Cowboys started from their own 25 yard line with 1:46 left to play. Staubach picked apart the defense once again with completions of 20 yards and 25 yards. As the defense guarded the sidelines, each of Staubach's passes were near the hashmarks. Staubach used his second time out. Another completion by Staubach. A few plays later with the ball at the Redskins' 30 yard line, Staubach had a sure sack coming right at him, but somehow ducked under the upper body of Redskins tackle Perry Brooks which sailed over him like an ultra-light, leaving Brooks grasping at air. Staubach then righted himself, sidestepped, glanced down field, then threw a rocket to Drew Pearson for 22 yards. Cowboys ball on the 8 yard line. Dallas Head Coach Tom Landry ordered his third and final time out. With first and goal at the 8 yard line with 45 seconds on the game clock and no timeouts, Landry and Staubach calmly discussed the next series of plays. The Redskins defense expected Staubach would put the ball in the air. The first pass was inside the five yard line on the left side and was incomplete. Second down and goal. As the ball was snapped, the drive ended with a perfectly thrown fade pass to Tony Hill in the right corner of the endzone which ultimately resulted in a score of 35-34 with 34 seconds on the clock. After the kickoff and several quick pass plays, Joe Theismann successfully completed a pass to the Dallas 42 with two seconds on the game clock as he immediately signaled time out.






"Game is over! Game is over! Wait a minute - the scoreboard clock says the game is over, but it may not be. They may have one second left to play."

-Pat Summerall, Dec 16, 1979. After completing a pass with two seconds on the clock, Theismann immediately signaled a timeout. But the Texas Stadium game clock continued to run.






"He told me to get out of his face."

-Joe Theismann, Dec 16, 1979, referring to the referee Bob Frederick's retort to Theismann with the Redskins down by one point and Theismann insisting he successfully called a time out with 1 second on the clock in order to allow Mark Moseley a chance to try a 59-yard field goal. The referee claims he didn't see Theismann as he was distracted by other players who were also signaling time out without the authority. After a referee huddle, the refs decided the game was over, and the Redskins were denied the opportunity to attempt a 59-yard Mark Moseley division-title-winning field goal. The Cowboys won the game 35-34, won the NFC East title, and earned the #1 seed in the playoffs. The leaping tackle of John Riggins behind the line of scrimmage by Larry Cole at third-and-two with less than two minutes to play which forced the Redskins to punt was later regarded as the most important tackle in Texas Stadium history.






"The Lord giveth and He can take it away in a hurry; that's the only way to understand what took place here... This was the most disappointing loss I've had as a player or a coach. It hurts and it hurts deeply. To have the division title won with 40 seconds to go and then to be eliminated completely, well, it's tough."

-Coach Jack Pardee, Dec 16, 1979, post game, near tears, still stunned by a Cowboy comeback that erased a 13-point Redskin lead they enjoyed late in the 4th quarter.






"We thought we had the title. Then to have this happen. When we had the ball with a 34-21 lead, I thought we were in."

-Neal Olkewicz, Dec 16, 1979, rookie starting middle linebacker, signed as free agent from University of Maryland. At Maryland, Olkewicz led the defense with 188 tackles, a record that still remains today.






"Where is the justice in this world? This is a team that started from absolutely nowhere and accomplished a lot. But not nearly as much as we thought we should. Everyone wanted this so badly. I've never seen anyone play with such heart. Know what this is like? It's like when you fall in love... you fall hard when it's over."

-Joe Theismann, after losing to Dallas, Dec. 16, 1979. Ted Fritsch, Redskins center, openly sobbed at midfield at Texas Stadium as he slowly walked to the tunnel. A few minutes later in the locker room, Redskins linebacker Monte Coleman broke down and cried - the first and only time he said he has ever wept after a game.






"I remember this game vividly as a huge Cowboy fan and, as giddy as I was about the comeback, Theismann clearly called timeout right in the refs face with 1 sec on the clock. I'm glad the Cowboys won, but the Redskins should have been given a chance at the field goal. And although Mosley [sic] had never hit one from that far, he was one of the best place kickers in the league at that time and deserved a shot at it."

-anonymous Cowboys fan, years later, commenting online about the game he watched on television, played at Texas Stadium on Dec 16, 1979






"Take this damn thing back to Washington with you!"

-Harvey Martin, Dec. 16, 1979, shouting at the Redskins in the visiting locker room while throwing a funeral style wreath in the middle of their post-game prayer while the Washington players were on one knee, heads bowed, still trying to process their catastrophic heart-wrenching loss. The wreath had been sent earlier in the week from a florist in Rockville, Maryland to the Cowboys practice facility with a card and a note from the Redskins offensive linemen wishing "sympathy" for their impending loss.* The large, heavy wreath, thrown recklessly by Martin into the crowd of crouched Washington players, hit kicker Mark Moseley in the knee, creating a bloody open wound which required three stitches to close. Although the Redskins jumped to a 17-0 lead in this game against the Cowboys, and although the Redskins' star running back John Riggins gained 152 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries averaging 6.9 yards per carry, and although Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann threw 12 completions of 23 attempts for 200 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions for a 93.0 rating, and although the Redskins turned over the ball only once (fumble) vs the Cowboys who turned the ball over three times (two fumbles and an interception), and although the Redskins held a 13 point lead with less than two-and-a-half minutes left in the 4th quarter, Roger Staubach and the Cowboys somehow came back from thirteen points behind and won 35-34 after two late 4th quarter touchdowns. In addition to losing the game and the NFC East title and the #1 seed, the Redskins also lost the final wildcard spot. Incredibly, earlier on the same day, although the Redskins held a 33 point advantage in the NFC wildcard playoff tie-break with the Chicago Bears, and although the Bears' dismal offense had only averaged 18 points per game through the season, Chicago's hapless offense had suddenly somehow become an unstoppable scoring juggernaut, spitting out unanswered touchdowns one after the other in a seemingly endless scoring streak on their final game of the season. The Bears beat the lame duck Cardinals 42-6, changing their 33-point disadvantage to a 3-point advantage for the NFC point spread differential needed to edge Washington out of the final wildcard spot (Chicago would lose by ten points the following weekend in the wildcard round). The Cardinals statistically played the worst game of their season against the Bears and were accused of deliberate lackluster play in their meaningless final game of the season in order to improve their draft position. To add to the heartbreak, the ref of the Redskins-Cowboys game claims he didn't see Theismann call a time out with one second on the game clock. A slow-motion replay did indeed show the final play ended with a tackle at the Cowboys 42-yard line with two seconds left on the game clock, allowing Joe Theismann two seconds to signal a time out, which he did, instantly, directly in the referee's face. The Redskins' season was over. It was the third season in a row that the Washington Redskins failed to make the playoffs. This game created much debate over the fairness of the NFL's playoff tie-break rules regarding point-spread differentiation. The game was also another wasted opportunity by the Redskins to sweep the Cowboys for the first time ever. This contest was featured as the NFL's Game Of The Week. Decades later, in 2008, ESPN ranked this game as the #1 most thrilling game in Texas Stadium history.

*It was later determined that the wreath which was shipped from Rockville to Dallas was actually ordered and sent by a Dallas fan with a fake message as a means to motivate the Cowboys.






"Absolutely the most thrilling 60 minutes I ever spent on a football field."

-Roger Staubach, regarding the Dec 16, 1979 game against the Washington Redskins which saved the Cowboys' season and ended the season for the Redskins. The game featured a series of wild surges. Washington scored the first 17 points, Dallas the next 21, Washington 17 more in succession and Dallas the final 14. The final score was an 8-yard fade pass from Staubach to Tony Hill with 34 seconds left to play. It was Staubach's 21st 4th-quarter comeback and his 14th come-from-behind win in the final two minutes. The game was later ranked by ESPN as the #1 most thrilling game in Texas Stadium history. The proud Cowboys, after crushing the hopes and dreams of Washington after a series of extremely unlikely events, finished the season 11-5, earned the #1 seed in the NFC, enjoyed a wildcard round bye the following weekend, and then promptly lost in the divisional playoff round at home, hosting the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams would advance to the Superbowl and lose to Terry Bradshaw and the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was the Steelers' second Superbowl victory in a row and the fourth Steelers' Superbowl victory in six years. After eleven seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, Staubach announced his retirement in April, 1980, due to concerns about concussions and the physical toll of the game. Staubach's last pass of his Hall of Fame career was to guard Herb Scott, an ineligible receiver. Quote source: Frank Luksa for ESPN






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[Boone]

Love it - very cool! Thanks Mark, I look forward to these

 

[Mark The Homer]

First game at RFK Stadium -

My first game was in the early 70s. I did not go to a lot of games - only a few. My friend down the street - his dad had season tickets. But they had five kids - two sons - and so the dad would go and take one kid with him. So I was never able to go to a game with him back then. But my Dad, who was not a sports fan, would get tickets from work sometimes. He worked on Nebraska Ave., and the work place had season tickets. There was some kind of drawing where the winner would get the tickets, and so he got them once and gave them to me. And my friend Pete and I went to the game. It was Redskins vs Chargers in week 1 of 1973.

My memory is not perfect, given that this was over fifty years ago, so I'll describe this the best I can. Neither of us were driving yet, so we had to take a bus. There was no metro rail back then. We took a bus from the newly formed WMATA bus system which had recently taken over the DC Transit system. The cost of a bus ride was forty cents. We took the bus from Goldsboro Rd in Bethesda straight up Mass Ave and then changed buses somewhere, I assume it was probably Union Station. Then we caught another bus, another 40 cents, to RFK Stadium.

I remember the bus inching along some narrow road in SE DC. We were in game traffic moving along very slowly. I was on the right side, looking out the window, and these African-American girls, young girls, were skipping rope. And I had never seen anybody skip rope that way before. They had multiple ropes - two of them were holding two ropes, one in each hand. And the ropes were going in different directions. And other young girls were running into the ropes and jumping around in perfect rhythm. And they'd do different tricks with the ropes. And they'd spin the ropes at different speeds. I'd never seen anything like it. I was thinking, they should be on stage! I later learned this was called "double Dutch." The kids in my neighborhood can't skip rope like that! That scene of watching them skip rope on the sidewalk stands out in my memory to this day. They were amazing!

Eventually we got to the stadium. As we were walking, this guy was selling ball caps. Of course I had to buy one. It was the very first Redskins item I had ever bought!

Our seats were on the lower level, underneath the upper deck, on the home side. The ceiling was kind of low. As I recall, it wasn't unlike the ceiling in "the cave" at FedExField, but I think we could see the whole field. No obstruction. My friend, who was used to sitting in his Dad's seats in the upper deck, didn't like these seats very much. He didn't like the low ceiling. And he didn't like the sight lines. I didn't even know what he was talking about. Sight line? What is that?

My next memory is seeing Johnny Unitas on the field. In my childhood, I had read paperbacks about the NFL, and of course, I read about the early championship games with Johnny Unitas with the Baltimore Colts. So, to actually see Johnny Unitas on the field was a treat. I never dreamed that I would see Johnny Unitas playing live in the NFL with my own eyes!

Redskins won. It was kind of a blow out. The final score was 38-0.

My next memory is the end of the game. Pete and I had already agreed that we would storm the field. Pete never had a chance to do it before, because he was always on the upper deck. So this was his opportunity. And mine.

Technically, the public was not allowed on the field. Not before the game, not during the game, not after the game. But the first row seats were at the playing field level, and access to the field was easy. However, they did have the DC police standing guard all around the field. They knew we were coming. Their job was to grab you and stop you. Our job was to cut sharp and dodge the DC officer like Speedy Duncan. And so we were standing there at row 1. A lot of people were leaving already. So we're there and the cop is there. And he's looking at us. He knows our plan.

When the final whistle blew, we ran onto the field. My friend was in front and cut to the right around the cop. I was behind him and cut to the left. The cop reached for me but I was quick. But when I made my cut, the binoculars strapped around my neck swung around and looped around my head and the strap came off my neck. The binoculars landed in the grass. Fortunately, the cop already gave up on me and tried to grab somebody else.

So there we were, on the field, with the 1973 Redskins. The same Redskins that had been in the Superbowl the year before. I remember looking up at them and they were so big. They towered over us like mountains. It was really cool.

My next memory, we were outside the stadium walking towards the bus. We were going through one of the pedestrian tunnels and we decided to wrestle. There was a grassy hill there near the tunnel. So we started wrestling. That's what teenage boys do, you know. We wrestled, and I was pretty good at wrestling. I knew about half nelsons and full nelsons and stuff like that. But dammit, I could not pin him. He was too strong and wiry. And he couldn't pin me. And neither of us was going to give up. Neither was going to quit. Because, if you quit, you lose. And then you're a loser. And neither one of us were going to be a loser. So we didn't quit. We just kept wrestling. People were walking by and laughing at us. We probably wrestled for 20 minutes straight. Maybe a half hour.

There came a point where our energy was completely spent and we just couldn't move anymore. We managed to get on the bus and head home. Another forty cents.

The next morning, I woke up and every muscle in my body was shredded. I had muscles that I didn't even know existed. Even my face muscles hurt. My ear muscles. Everything. It took me three days to recover completely.

But I did. And I had a new hat.

 

[Mark The Homer]

The Redskins won their first Superbowl in the 1982 season. It was a strike-shortened season. The team was 2-0 when the strike started, and we, the fans, had to endure nine weeks with no football. The strike finally ended in mid-November, and the Redskins went on to finish the season with an 8-1 record, having lost only one game to Dallas, and Washington enjoyed the #1 seed in the NFC. The Redskins played three playoff games at home including beating Dallas in the NFC Championship - great game - then won the Superbowl beating Miami. I don't recall attending any games that year. I watched the Superbowl at my friend's house in Rockville, the same friend described in the post above. A great game! The next morning, it was over. The season was over, and I was not happy about it. I had a sort of Redskins hangover. There's nothing I could do, right? But there was one thing I could do! Put my name on the waiting list!

So that Monday morning, I got the phone book out and looked up the number for the Redskins ticket office. I called the ticket office and talked to somebody. He said I could put my name on the list if I wanted to, but he explained I would not get season tix until they built a new, larger, stadium, because only about 100 people failed to renew their seats each year and the waiting list was already over 13,000. And back then, there was no discussion about a new stadium. The guy said if I still wanted to be added to the list, I had to write a letter requesting to be added to the list, mail it to them, and then, after they received my letter, they'd add me to the list and send me the info. So I did. They sent me my info. I was number 13,867. Something like that. It was two numbers for two seats written on a card with the Redskins logo embossed on it and the number and my name written with an ink pen. Woo Hooo! At least now, I had some sort of connection with the team, as weak as it was.

 

[Mark The Homer]

My friend described above would bring me to a game periodically - about once a season, when he could get tickets from his Dad. So I'd go to a game about once a season. I had another friend whose Dad had three tickets, and so I went to the game with him a few times - not often. And I had yet another friend who was from Connecticut and who had some sort of connection with the New York Giants, and he had acquired four tickets to a Giants game because of that connection. These were not luxury seats - just normal stadium seats.

So once we were making our way up the ramps, and this guy is shouting from the outside edge of the ramp, "HEY JOE! HEY JOE!" I peered over the edge. It was Joe Thiesmann. He was down below entering the stadium. He wasn't playing at that point (retired), but he was attending the game and entering the stadium through some VIP entrance. He looked up at us and gave us a big grin.

 

[Mark The Homer]

Meanwhile, we bought a house in late 1986, and we were living there just over a year. 1987 was a great year for the Redskins, and sure enough, they're in another Superbowl which is to be played on Jan 31st! I have two weeks to get ready! So I decide now is a GREAT TIME to buy me a new TV. This old Sony 20" deal was nice, but it's time to trade it in for a bigger and better one. So I do all the research and decide on a monster 26" RCA. And I'm gonna buy it at EROL'S because they had the best deal. So I'm all excited. I get everything ready. I go down there with my wife and buy the TV. Muscle it into the back of the truck. Drive home. Muscle it into the house. It was pretty damn big and pretty damn heavy. Finally get it in place. Hook everything up. Finally get it all set up. Everything is perfect! And now I'm gonna watch the Redskins play in the SUPERBOWL in my own house with a brand new color RCA TV! And nothing can possibly go wrong!

And then Sunday morning, guess what happens? My neighbor next door calls and invites us over to watch the Superbowl! We've been in town only a year and truth is, we know them (but just barely), they're nice, he's a doctor, you know. But I don't want to be nice! I want to watch the mother ******' football game!

The problem is I am very animated when I watch the Redskins. I am usually very reserved - except when I watch the Redskins. I have this bad habit of shouting really loud without warning. I shout things like CATCH THE BALL or TACKLE HIM. I shout other things too. It's completely involuntary and I cannot help myself. Little children and infants tend to burst into tears when they are in the same room and I'm watching the game. It's not my fault!

So my reply is, no, no, no, not only no, but **** no! I have a BRAND NEW COLOR TV, it's ALL HOOKED UP, it's PERFECT, and I'm going to WATCH THE GAME HERE!

But my wife says we have to be good neighbors and go over there and be cordial.

**** THAT! NO NO NO NO NO.

I was like that kid during the Charlie Don't Surf beach landing, "I'M NOT GOING, I'M NOT GOING, I'M NOT GOING!"

Well, guess what? I'm going. She won the discussion. And so I had to ABANDON my brand new RCA 26" color TV and go over there and sit there with people who were basically strangers and politely watch Doug Williams throw five touchdown passes in the second quarter, all the while, smiling quietly while nibbling on a cracker with a thin cheese slice.

 

[Chris]

Nice blog, Mark. 😎

 

[burgold]

Been there, Mark. Visiting family thinks they are being supportive when they want to watch the game with me. Inside I'm like, "No do your thing. I don't want to be civilized!" but, of course, I always say "yes."

It's like having to press the mute button on yourself.

 

[Mark The Homer]

Thanks for the bumps, guys. It's lonely out here

 

[RedWolf]

Mark The Homer why disappointed?

 

[Mark The Homer]

1991 arrives. It was truly a magical season. It seemed the Redskins could do no wrong. We seemed to dominate in every way. If there was a tipped ball, a Redskins player was under it. If there was a fumble, the ball would somehow bounce into a Redskins players arms. Redskins mania was everywhere. I remember I was at the grocery store one day, and at the deli counter, I ordered some thin sliced corned beef. And the guy behind the counter nodded and said "How 'bout them 'Skins?" He grinned. I grinned back.

Yeah.

So here come the playoffs. Washington is the #1 seed, of course. After the bye, my buddy has two tickets to the divisional game against Atlanta. But he had already asked me to a game earlier in the season, and he wanted to spread the wealth so-to-speak and bring somebody else. He asked all his close friends, and he asked people at work. Nobody was interested. The day was forecast to be a gloomy drizzly foggy cold day, and people had better things to do than sit out there in the weather and watch the Redskins beat the hapless Falcons. What's the big deal? The Redskins would win. Everybody knew it. They would watch on TV.

I know it seems unbelievable, but this was the situation. And now, he's actually worried he's going to have to go by himself!

So he calls me. I have the flu. My stomach aches badly and I have diarrhea - bad enough where I have to go about every hour or so. So what's my reply?

"Let's go!"

"You're the coolest!", he said.

So off we go.

We walk up to the entry gate and we were given a free seat cushion! It was bright gold with the Redskins Indian head logo on the front and "Go Skins" on the back side in the classic Redskins font. Awesome. This would be added to my collection of free items I had been given over the years from Jack Kent Cooke. Another free favorite stadium gift was a burgundy & gold Redskins neck warmer which became one of my most treasured items when it got brutally cold - later when I had season tickets.

So, amidst the drizzle and fog, we watch the game. Our seats were in the back corner of the upper deck under cover, so that was nice. I want to say the seats were located up in something like Row 23.

The game proceeds as expected. Washington was favored by 11-and-a-half points. The Redskins score the first two touchdowns, and the Falcons never had a chance. Just another routine win, even if it was a playoff game. No real drama. Nothing going on. A divisional playoff game at RFK Stadium. Meh.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to enjoy the game but I'm sitting there holding my gut going "uhhhh" with my stomach ache. My friend knows I'm sick and thinks it will make for a good story later.

At the end of the third quarter, I take the opportunity to go downstairs and sit on the can.

When I'm done, I come out of the concourse into the walkway which kind of ringed the bowl which they had on the upper level there - just as they started to fly.

Seat cushions! The Redskins had just scored another touchdown! And the seat cushions began cartwheeling - airborne - out from the stands. And it was the entire bowl throwing them.

If you have ever been to Niagra Falls, you know the falls are kind of in a half-circle, and the water pouring down is very dramatic.

This was kind of like that. Except it wasn't water. It was seat cushions. But the seat cushions behaved like falling water. And it was in a FULL circle. And I was under the falls, looking up. The gold seat cushions contrasted against the grey drizzly sky. And I was under them. They flew over my head and it was three-dimensional. They floated and flew like frisbees. They filled my entire vision of view - a full 180 degrees from side to side, and a full 180 degrees vertical. Thousands of them! And the wave which flew overhead had depth! And they just kept coming, cascading over my head and landing, bouncing on the field below, just like a huge waterfall would streak overhead and splash down if you were under it. It seemed they would never stop.

It was a celebration. It was the fans giving back to the team, as they had done all through the 70s and 80s. These people who filled this stadium on this day were the very best fans in the NFL, and it was not a cliché.

But as I watched, I realized what I was witnessing wasn't a celebration of the touchdown. It wasn't even a celebration of the game victory. It was a celebration of this 1991 Washington Redskins team. It was a celebration of the season. It was a celebration of the city. It was a celebration of the owner. It was a celebration of the Gibbs era. All of this was wrapped up in this moment.

I acknowledged this to myself - even as they were still flying overhead.

And my eyes welled up and began to overflow down my cheeks. I couldn't help it.

Maybe you've heard of the phrase "mass rage," such as what happens when a people storm a castle during a revolution. This was the opposite. This was mass euphoria. It was an overwhelming emotion, and it was amplified somehow - by everybody around me. It's like we could feel the emotions of others around us, and we all fed off of it and absorbed it and emanated it. It was the most intense emotional "high" I had ever experienced - created by 50,000 people - strangers - who were together all at once celebrating pure unadulterated glory. And at the time, as the seat cushions were still flying, I said to myself, "I will never experience this level of extreme joy again in my life."

And I was right.

Note: My buddy up in upper deck row 23 winged his seat cushion and mine - I bought this one on eBay years later, I had to have it.

 

[Boone]

Just an awesome awesome post!

 

[Mark The Homer]

"Aww, how cute. You bumped your own thread!"

-Blondie

 

[Chris]

Somewhere Rock Cartwright is smiling.

 

[burgold]

And as it turned out, a celebration of an era.

 

[SkinsFTW]

It's great that the entire stadium got to celebrate like that in the 91 playoffs, because they've had almost nothing to celebrate since.

 

[Mark The Homer]

So the next five years passed. After winning the Superbowl for the third time, Head Coach Joe Gibbs led the Redskins to the playoffs once again, won the wildcard round, but lost the divisional round. He retired after that 1992 season. But the next few years brought exciting news! Jack Kent Cooke was going to build a new stadium! And he was going to do it with his own money! It would add roughly 24,000 seats from the existing 54,000 seats at RFK Stadium. Pretty exciting if you're on the waiting list. But unfortunately, my number, 13,000 something, would not come up. Why? Because thousands of those new seats would be made into luxury club and suite seats, and another 5,000 seats were to be reserved for PG county residents on the waiting list who would be given priority over others on the waiting list such as myself. However, those on the waiting list would be given priority for purchasing club seats. Hence, in the spring of 1996, packets were sent out to waiting list fans.

 

[Mark The Homer]

 

[Mark The Homer]