40 years ago, Monday, Jan. 30, 1983, the Washington Redskins won their first Super Bowl Championship, defeating the Miami Dolphins 27-17 in Super Bowl XVII at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
This week Commanders Wire will take several looks at that first Washington Super Bowl Championship victory.
Joe Theismann appeared this morning as a guest on the Al Galdi Podcast. Here are some of Theismann’s memories regarding SB XVII.
AG: “Do you ever get tired of talking about Super Bowl XVII? Or not really?
JT: “Oh, heavens, no!”
“That was such an incredible experience for us as a city, for us as a football team and for me personally. As kids growing up you dream about the opportunity to play in a Super Bowl.”
“To be a part of that football team and a part of that team in that era, it was an incredible run for us as a football team (Theismann played for Joe Gibbs 1981-85). To have the chance to be the quarterback for that football team was a fun ride.”
“I described ourselves as a bunch of characters with character. Tremendous different personalities, but when it came time to play, everybody absolutely did everything they could for one another.”
Galdi played the audio from NFL Films of Theismann talking with the team prior to kickoff.
“We’ve worked harder than anybody to get here. Nobody can beat us. And it’s worth 70,000 dollars and a big ring!”
Regarding the fourth quarter, 4th & 1 John Riggins 43-yard touchdown run:
“I remember it like it was yesterday. It was 4th and 1, it was 70 Chip.”
“Clint Didier started in motion, stopped and came back. As I handed the ball to John, I had the best seat in the house. I hand the ball to John, the hole opens up, I said, ‘we got the first down’ and Don McNeal hits him. It looked like butter just falling off of a hot knife. McNeal just sort of slid down his side, and then J.R. took off.”
“I saw Clint Didier running down the field, and I was running down the field yelling at Clint, ‘Don’t clip anybody! Don’t clip anybody!’ J.R. gets in the end zone and it is an unbelievable play.”
