Liz Taylor once ticked off Joe Gibbs.
Taylor, who died Wednesday, was at midfield for the coin flip of a 1989 Redskins-Cowboys game in Dallas. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones joined her.
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Referee Pat Haggerty allowed Taylor to call the coin toss, and the movie star called heads; the referees signaled Dallas had won the toss. But the Redskins’ captains — Reggie Branch, Terry Orr and Darryl Grant — protested, saying the visiting team is supposed to call the toss. This time the Redskins called heads and won the toss — and the game 30-7.
“I thought she was calling it for us, and then they’re giving the ball to them,” Gibbs said. “At first I was cheering for Liz Taylor, but that’s the first time I’ve ever gotten mad over the coin flip.”
Players said Haggerty was nervous.
“I respect their owner and Liz Taylor, but this isn’t [HBO football drama] ‘First and 10.’ This is the real game,” Branch told reporters afterward. “She’s a beautiful, young lady. I think she hypnotized the ref.”
