Redskins fans show up en masse for ‘a special time for us’ as Green, Monk inducted into Hall
Their inductions mattered as much to others as it did to them. Art Monk and Darrell Green symbolized an era, one that saw the Redskins win three Super Bowls and compete in a fourth; one that saw the Redskins win without much flash, but with lots of substance.
Recommended Stories
That’s why 90 percent of the 16,654 in attendance Saturday were connected to the Redskins, showing their allegiance by donning jerseys, booing every Cowboy and giving a standing ovation to every ex-Redskin Hall of Famer who was introduced — Joe Gibbs, Charley Taylor, Ken Houston and Bobby Mitchell.
“It’s a special time for us,” Gibbs said.
“Deacon Jones said I would cry,” Green said in his emotional 24- minute speech, “you bet your life I’m gonna cry … . Thank God. What a great day.”
Green’s speech — he was the fourth Hall of Famer presented — centered around family, relationships and faith. His son, Jared, served as his presenter just as Monk’s son, James, was his.
The ex-cornerback started by thanking his parents, the first time tears rolled down his cheeks. He worked his way through his entire family, then to college teammates and Redskins players, coaches and personnel staff.
“I can tell you today, at the expense of sounding real self-righteous,” said Green in closing, “I belong here. I belong here because I know what to do with God’s fame.”
Monk, inducted in his eighth year of eligibility, received the longest applause, cameras flashing as fans stood and cheered.
For three minutes the crowd stood and cheered. It started to subside after a minute or so only to rise again. The former receiver stood stoic, soaking it in and managing a “Thank you” now and then.
“Standing up here on this platform is much different than I imagined,” said Monk in his 18-minute speech. “To stand next to [the other Hall of Famers] as one of them is truly an honor and an awesome, awesome moment in my life.”
Monk spoke as he played: under control.
“This is the icing on the cake for me,” Monk said, “and I take it very seriously. I will wear the banner with pride and I will represent it well.”
Monk defined the grace of that era for Washington. He wasn’t about fl ash; he was about coming through when it mattered most.
In the Super Bowl win over Denver, it’s easy to forget that Washington trailed 10-0 — four years after getting crushed by the Raiders in the ultimate game.
“The offense is going nowhere,” former Redskins general manager Charley Casserly recalled. “It was like, ‘Uh, oh, here we go again.’ You could see that starting to happen. All of a sudden Monk made a big catch to get us a first down and the confidence took a step up and then we took off.”
Green changed the way Washington played defensively and stuck around 20 years.
“His longevity was mind-boggling,” Casserly said. “There were some great corners, but no one played at a high level like him for that long. You go walk around Tysons Corner and almost everyone you see is bigger than him. To play 20 years was unbelievable.”
