No, I did not cover the Redskins last Super Bowl team. I didn’t start covering the team until the Norv Turner era. By then the franchise was only a few years removed from its last title, though it felt like a much longer period considering how much had changed. Now it feels like an eternity.
Has it really been 20 years?
But I have spoken with numerous players about that 1991 team, which won its Super Bowl 20 years ago Thursday.
Here are three memories, pulled from two Redskins books, one that I wrote –Washington Redskins: Stadium Stories — and one that I authored with Rick Snider and David Elfin — Hail to RFK! 36 Seasons of Redskins Memories.
Anyway, here are a few things guys remembered.
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 Daryl Talley and Andre Reed and Jim Kelly. These guys were awesome. We had a bunch of blue-collar guys. But we knew we were as godo 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. We spent more time talking about that stuff than who’s going to win the game.”
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.”
Joe Jacoby looked back on the seat cushion game, the win over Atlanta. He has a picture of the scene in his basement. First, he was taken aback by Atlanta’s attitude led by coach Jerry Glanville. “You’re thinking, ‘This guy is a lunatic.” But 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.”
