Hail to the Redskins!!!

Greetings Happy People,

The year was 1981. A 1st grader was having fun in the playground at an elementary school in Norfolk, Virginia. He noticed a couple of young kids gathered around talking about something. What were they talking about? Somewhere in the conversation, he heard the names of Joe Theismann, John Riggins, and Joe Gibbs. Many of these kids were wearing a very interesting color combination – Burgundy and Gold.

Some of them were also wearing shirts and caps with a picture of a Native American man wearing two large feathers on the back of his head. I asked them what were they talking about. They were talking about a football team. They were talking about the Washington Redskins!! When they talked about the players, the games, and the adventures of this team, I started becoming a Redskins fan!!

Throughout the 1980’s I followed the Redskins. I celebrated with them their Super Bowl victories and wept at the end of Joe Theismann’s career. It did not matter which part of the country I lived in, I cheered for the men in Burgundy and Gold. There were some amazing players that played on that team – Joe Thiesmann, Art Monk, Darrell Green, Ricky Sanders, Doug Williams, “The Hogs,” and John Riggins (just to name a few). These guys gave me and other Redskins fans something to cheer about back then!! One of my wishes as a kid was to go to RFK Stadium and check out a game.

Everything was going great for the Redskins, until the coach Joe Gibbs left the team in 1993. The 1990’s were not the best of time for the Redskins. Out of the twelve seasons, they only made the playoffs one time. Meanwhile, another team had great success. That team wore blue and white uniforms. They also have a blue star on their helmets. That team called themselves the Dallas Cowboys (BOOOOOO)!!

Despite that misfortunate period, I still continued to follow the Redskins. I could have jumped on someone else’s bandwagon, but chose to stay loyal to the Burgundy and Gold. When Joe Gibbs returned, the Redskins managed to have some success. When he left again, not too much success was happening. Hopefully in the future, the Redskins will have great success as they march onto the Super Bowl. They haven’t been there in 20 years!! I think they are long overdue!!

It’s great to be a fan of a team for a long period of time. You get to experience the highs and the lows. In another way, you also get to see what your mettle is made of as a fan. It doesn’t matter what sport you cheer for. It is always good to just be a fan!! Before I close this post, I have one final thing to say….

HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!!!
HAIL VICTORY!!
BRAVES ON THE WARPATH!!
FIGHT FOR OLD ‘DC!!

That is all I have for now. Take care and thank you for your time an attention.

Sincerely,

Jesse I-I-I