The definitive account of the Washington Redskins' championship decade from 1981 to 1992, full of interviews with key inside sources.
"If there is one book to own about those glorious days, when Washington ruled the NFL world, this is it." -Mike Freeman, Bleacher Report's NFL Lead Writer and author of Undefeated: Inside the Miami Dolphins' Perfect Season
Based on more than ninety original interviews, here is the definitive chronicle of the famed Washington Redskins teams of the Joe Gibbs years-one of the most remarkable and unique runs in NFL history. Sportswriter Adam Lazarus masterfully charts the team's championship decade, from 1981 to 1992, when Gibbs coached the franchise to three Super Bowl victories, making the team the toast of the nation's capital, from the political elite to the inner city, and helping define one of the sport's legendary eras.
"Finally, a writer has put it all together in a work that will help you fully appreciate what Joe Gibbs and those around him accomplished during the greatest decade in Washington Redskins history. Hail to Adam Lazarus for a job well done!" -Frank Herzog, Washington Redskins play-by-play announcer, 1979-2004
"The wildly successful Joe Gibbs era comes alive in Adam Lazarus's riveting new book about the most important sports team in Washington. . . . [A] fascinating story." -Christine Brennan, USA Today columnist and author of Best Seat in the House
Autorentext
Adam Lazarus is a member of the Professional Football Writers of America and the author of three previous sports books, including Best of Rivals: Joe Montana, Steve Young, and the Inside Story Behind the NFL's Greatest Quarterback Controversy. His writing has appeared in ESPN The Magazine, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Bleacher Report, and USA Today. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife, Sarah, and sons, Aaron and Benjamin.
Klappentext
At last, the definitive account of the Washington Football Team's championship decade. A must-read for any fan, Hail to the Redskins is full of interviews with key inside sources to vividly re-create the plays, the players, the fans, and the opponents that shaped this unforgettable football dynasty.
Based on more than ninety original interviews, here is the rollicking chronicle of the famed Washington Football Teams of the Joe Gibbs years—one of the most remarkable and unique runs in NFL history. From 1981 to 1992, Gibbs coached the franchise to three Super Bowl victories, making the team the toast of the nation's capital, from the political elite to the inner city, and helping to define one of the sport's legendary eras.
Veteran sportswriter Adam Lazarus masterfully charts the Washington Football Team's rise from mediocrity (the franchise had never won a Super Bowl and Gibbs's first year as head coach started with a five-game losing streak that almost cost him his job) to its stretch of four championship games in ten years. What makes their sustained success all the more remarkable, in retrospect, is that unlike the storied championship wins of Joe Montana's 49ers and Tom Brady's Patriots, the Washington Football Team's Super Bowl victories each featured a different starting quarterback: Joe Theismann in 1983, the franchise's surprising first championship run; Doug Williams in 1988, a win full of meaning for a majority African American city during a tumultuous era; and Mark Rypien in 1992, capping one of the greatest seasons of all time, one that stands as Gibbs's masterpiece.
Hail to the Redskins features an epic roster of saints and sinners: hard-drinking fullback John Riggins; the dominant, blue-collar offensive linemen known as "the Hogs,” who became a cultural phenomenon; quarterbacks Williams, the first African American QB to win a Super Bowl, and Theisman, a model-handsome pitchman whose leg was brutally broken by Lawrence Taylor on Monday Night Football; gregarious defensive end Dexter Manley, who would be banned from the league for cocaine abuse; and others including the legendary speedster Darrell Green, record-breaking receiver Art Monk, rags-to-riches QB Rypien, expert general managers and talent evaluators Bobby Beathard and Charley Casserly, aristocratic owner Jack Kent Cooke, and, of course, Gibbs himself, a devout Christian who was also a ruthless competitor and one of the sport's most adaptable and creative coaching minds.