Tag: Super Bowl XVII Champs

Remembering Washington’s first Super Bowl win part 2

Some of the numbers from Washington’s Super Bowl triumph over Miami 40 years ago.

Jan. 30, 1983 (40-year anniversary), 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, CA.

This week Commanders Wire will take several looks at that first Washington Super Bowl Championship victory.

Part one

Game Highlights

Remembering some of the numbers of Super Bowl XVII:

The Dolphins, having routed the Jets 28-0 in the AFC championship, were a 3-point favorite.

Washington entered the game 11-1, while Miami was 10-2.

Miami’s head coach Don Shula was coaching in his 5th Super Bowl, while Joe Gibbs was only in his first season of playoff competition.

When Washington pulled even 10-10 late in the half, the Redskins then gave up Fulton Walker’s 98-yard kickoff return putting Miami up 17-10.

Washington absolutely shut down the Miami offense, outscoring the Dolphins 17-0 in the second half for their 27-17 win.

Washington took its first lead (20-17) in the final quarter when John Riggins ran for 43-yard touchdown.

Many actually forget, but Washington drove again and scored when Joe Theismann rolled right and found Charlie Brown from six yards for the final 27-17 margin.

The Redskins defense held the Dolphins to a mere 9 first downs and 176 total yards from scrimmage.

Washington pounded the Dolphins on the ground all day, rushing 52 times for 276 yards, 166 by John Riggins, voted Super Bowl MVP.

John Riggins’ 38 rushing carries remains a Super Bowl game record.

John Riggins’ 166 rushing yards set a new Super Bowl game record. It has since been surpassed by Marcus Allen (191) in SB XVIII and Timmy Smith (204) SB XXII.

The Washington defense rattled Miami QB David Woodley that with the exception of his 76-yard touchdown pass to Jimmy Cefalo, Woodley completed a mere 3 of 13 passes for 21 yards.

John Riggins’ run of 43 yards was actually not the longest Washington rush of the day. In the third quarter, Joe Theismann handed to John Riggins, running to his right, who then handed to Alvin Garrett, coming back to the left. Garrett gained 44 yards on the play.

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Former Washington QB Joe Theismann to be featured by NFL Network

Joe Theismann will be featured on “A Football Life.”

Former Washington Redskins quarterback and Super Bowl champion Joe Theismann will be featured Friday, Sept. 16 at 9 p.m. ET on the NFL Network, “Joe Theismann: A Football Life.”

Theismann quarterbacked every game of Washington’s three consecutive seasons winning the NFC East (1982-1984). Under his leadership, Washington defeated Miami 27-17 in Super Bowl XVII becoming the NFL champions for the 1982 season.

Theismann had his best NFL season in 1983 leading Washington to another NFC championship before they lost to the Raiders in Super Bowl XVIII. In that 1983 season, Theismann was voted the AP Offensive Player of the Year and MVP.

Washington went 11-5 in 1984, again winning the NFC East as Theismann quarterbacked receiver Art Monk to a then all-time NFL record 106 receptions for 1,372 receiving yards.

Theismann was with Washington from 1974-1985. He started games in 1976 and 1977, became the full-time starter in 1978 then never missed a game until his career ended in 1985.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Theismann. It’s as flattering as anything I’ve ever had happen to me in the world of sports,” Theismann told J.P. Finlay and Brian Mitchell on 106.7 the Fan, Tuesday.

Theismann revealed that during the episode, he traveled back to his hometown in South River, New Jersey, to his old family home, and to RFK Stadium, where he won so many games with Washington and where his career suddenly was ended during a MNF game against the New York Giants in 1985.

“This stirred up memories that I guess had been filed away in my life, going back to my hometown. Seeing some of the guys I played high school football with and going into the stadium… And going back to RFK and seeing the old clock that was in the stadium, and I still remember laying on the field and looking up at the clock, and it was like 10:06 pm.”

As a starter at Notre Dame, the Irish were 20-3-2 in games started by Joe, as he passed for 4,411 yards and 31 touchdowns. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003.

Notre Dame sports information director Roger Valdiserri informed Theismann (then pronounced (Thees mun) they were going to launch a campaign thus altering the pronunciation to Theismann (rhyming with Heisman). He would finish second to Stanford’s Jim Plunkett in the 1970 voting. The damage being done to his name and the nation thinking it was Theismann, he has remained Theismann to this day.

Theismann was a fourth-round draft choice in 1971 by the Miami Dolphins. After playing in the Canadian Football League, he was then traded from Miami to Washington on January 25, 1974, for Washington’s first-round choice in 1976 (#17 Larry Gordon).