Yes, it has been 20 years since the Redskins played in and won a Super Bowl. From 1982 to 1992, the Redskins played in four and won three. Since 1993, the Redskins have appeared in five playoff games and won only twice. The present hasn’t been great, which is why the memories of that decade run remain strong. Here’s a look back at three memories from each of those Super Bowl triumphs, with the help of quotes from John Keim’s book “Washington Redskins: Stadium Stories.” Super Bowl XVII
Redskins 27, Dolphins 17
1 During the week, John Riggins asked running backs coach Don Breaux what the record was for rushing yards in the Super Bowl. Breaux eventually found the answer: Pittsburgh’s Franco Harris held it with 158 yards. “That pointed out to me that he was thinking about doing something great,” Breaux said. Riggins did just that, setting a new record with 166 yards rushing in a 27-17 win over Miami. The highlight: the most famous run in Redskins history, Riggins’ 43-yard go-ahead scoring dash on fourth-and-1, capped with a stiff arm of cornerback Don McNeal. After the game Riggins received a call from President Reagan and later said, “At least for tonight Ron’s the president, but I’m the king.”
2 The Redskins dominated the statistics, outgaining Miami 400 to 176. They also had 24 first downs to nine for the Dolphins. But Miami managed 17 points in part because of Fulton Walker’s 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. The Dolphins’ offense, though, was shut down and had only 80 yards passing as the Redskins successfully blitzed all game. Safety Tony Peters said afterward, “They just weren’t that complicated on offense. If we could force [quarterback David] Woodley to pass, it was all over.”
3 Arguably the best defensive play in the game was made by Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann. From his own 18-yard line in the third quarter with the Redskins trailing 17-13, his pass was tipped and about to be intercepted by linebacker Kim Bokamper inside the 5-yard line. Instead, Theismann reached out and knocked it away, preventing a certain touchdown.
Super Bowl XXII
Redskins 42, Broncos 10
1 The Redskins worried how rookie running back Timmy Smith would handle being the starter. So they opted not to tell him that would be the case. Clearly, Smith had an idea based on the week of practice. But nothing official was said. Teammates knew what would happen, and they wanted to make sure Smith was right. Quarterback Doug Williams said he told defensive end Darryl Grant to hang out with Smith in San Diego. “We baby-sat him the whole way down there,” Grant said. “We’d get the limo out when we’d go to dinner just to make sure everything was straight.”
2 Williams is obviously remembered as the first black starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl. But his memory of the day before the game had nothing to do with the color of his skin. Rather, it was the pain in his mouth. He endured a three-and-a-half hour root canal. He also had to battle a first-quarter knee injury. While teammates celebrated after the game, Williams stayed in his hotel room; he was on too many painkillers and couldn’t move.
3 Williams and Smith combined to have two of the greatest days in Super Bowl history. During the Redskins’ 35-point, six-minute outburst in the second quarterback, Williams threw for 228 yards of his 340 yards and Smith rushed for 122 of his 204 yards. How well was it working? Smith scored on a 58-yard run in which he started the wrong way. To get him going in the right direction, “Doug handed the ball off and slapped him on the butt,” Breaux said.
Super Bowl XXVI
Redskins 37, Bills 24
1 Defensive end Charles Mann recalled the days leading up to the Super Bowl, which showed a difference between the Redskins and the Bills: “They had Thurman Thomas and Bruce Smith and Darryl Talley and Andre Reed and Jim Kelly. We had a bunch of blue-collar guys. But we knew we were as good or better. Bruce and them were arguing about who was going to say they’re going to Disneyland and who would be MVP. That leaked back to our camp. Most of the questions I answered [that week] were, ‘So tell me about the Christian thing in sports.’ We had the 700 Club asking us questions.”
2 Running back Earnest Byner remembered the Week 2 win over Dallas: “We’re in the locker room after the game, and [Richie Petitbon] said, ‘We’re going to the Super Bowl.’ You hear it but you don’t pay attention to it. It was a great game, back and forth. But when he said that, you’re thinking, ‘OK, really?’ But then those things start to happen … and we’re like, ‘Hey, what else can happen?’ Everything just fell into place. It was a dream season.”
3 Joe Jacoby looked back on the seat cushion game, the win over Atlanta. He has a picture of the scene in his basement. After Gerald Riggs’ TD late in the game, Jacoby said, “All of a sudden I look up and see those yellow things flying down. I’m lucky I had my helmet on. The fans were paying Mr. Glanville some respect. We rubbed it back in his face.”
