Part four of our interview with Frank Herzog: “The broadcaster of DC champions.”
Washington trailed Miami 17-13 in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XVII, facing a 4th & 1 at the Miami 42.
This is the fourth of five installments in our Commanders Wire feature on Washington broadcast legend Frank Herzog.
Part one. Part two. Part Three
January 30, 1983, Frank Herzog was in his fourth season (1979-2004) as the Redskins play-by-play announcer and gave this now legendary call.
“There’s the snap. Hand to Riggins. Good hole, he’s got the first down at the 40. He’s gone! The 35! The 30! The 20! HE’S GONE! HE’S GONE! TOUCHDOWN, WASHINGTON REDSKINS!!”
Just one week earlier, in the NFC Championship game at RFK, Washington led Dallas 24-17 in the final quarter. Dallas had the ball at their own 20.
“Play-action fake to Dorsett, hid the ball well. Set up a screen, batted in the air. Picked off by Darryl Grant! TOUCHDOWN, WASHINGTON REDSKINS! I Don’t believe it! Unbelievable! Oh, what a play! Dexter Manley tipped the pass! Darryl Grant got the interception, and NOW the stadium shakes!”
Chatting with Herzog last week, he relived the extraordinary moment. “What I have always remembered about that play was the crowd; how the noise increased and the stadium literally shook. So, that is what I said, “And NOW the stadium shakes.”
“Sam (Huff) grabbed my arm with a look of fear in his eyes, and we were wondering, ‘Is this thing (stadium/press box) going to collapse’?
In the 1987 NFC Championship game at RFK, the Redskins led the Vikings 17-10 but were holding on for dear life, as the Vikings had driven all the way to the Washington 6-yard line, where it was 4th & 4, 1:03 remaining.
“One down to the Super Bowl! From the six-yard line, it’s fourth down and four. Wilson takes the snap, looking left, throws it into the end zone – batted away! Incomplete! Redskins are going to the Super Bowl!”
The 1991 season saw Washington in Super Bowl XXVI against Buffalo. Washington led 24-10 with the ball at the Buffalo 30 in the third quarter.
“Back he (Rypien) goes, good protection again. He’s going deep, he’s got Clark in the end zone, Touchdown Washington Redskins!”
Broadcasting winning seasons is one thing. Being respected as a professional is another, and Herzog’s work certainly is praised.
Sonny Jurgensen, a broadcast partner of Herzog’s (1981-2004) has expressed over the years that because of Frank’s background as a reporter, “Frank made the work fun because of his preparation”.
Sam Huff, an aggressive, assertive linebacker in the NFL, was with Herzog for 25 years in the booth. He spoke of Frank as the professional of the trio. “He was the voice. You never over-talk the man with the microphone, and he was the man.”
John Feinstein recently expressed to me, “Frank was such a class act and so good at what he did. He was a homer without being a homer. What I mean by that is you knew he was pulling for Bullets/Redskins, but he never said, ‘we,’; never whined about officiating calls, and never made excuses…A pro’s pro and a really good guy.”
“Frank is the broadcaster of DC champions. He was glib and smart, the perfect setup man for Sonny and Sam. At Redskins Park, you would see him always with a smile. And humble. He never bragged about all of his championship rings. He’s a winner,” said Tom Friend.
