Tag: Tony Dorsett

Looking back at one of the most significant wins in Washington history

Looking back to one of the most memorable wins in franchise history.

This weekend marks the 40-year anniversary of one of the most significant Washington Redskins-Dallas Cowboys games in the rivalry’s storied history.

Both teams were at the top of the NFL. Washington was the defending Super Bowl champion. Dallas had been to the NFC championship game three consecutive seasons (1980-82), losing to Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington.

The Redskins had defeated the Cowboys at RFK Stadium 31-17 in the 1982 NFC title game before defeating the Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII 27-17.

The 1983 season opener pitted Dallas against Washington in a rematch of the NFC championship game. Washington raced out to a 23-3 halftime lead. But Dallas played a near-perfect second half, storming back to shock the Redskins and the RFK fans, winning 31-30.

All season long, Washington had to think about how they had blown a 20-point halftime lead to their most hated rivals. Week 15 came on Dec. 11. The game buildup was huge as both Dallas and Washington were owning the NFC, both sharing 12-2 records. Washington players boarded the plane for Dallas dressed in Army fatigues.

The winner of this game would no doubt be the winner of the NFC East and earn the home-field advantage for the NFC playoffs. The rematch of the season opener would, this time, be played at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas. Dallas was made a three-point favorite.

Washington and the Cowboys were dominant that season. It was only the second time since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970 that two teams within the same division had won 12 games. Dallas and Philadelphia had also accomplished the feat in 1980, then met in the NFC championship game in Philadelphia.

Dallas star running back Tony Dorsett had rushed for at least 100 yards in three consecutive games, and when he gained 100 yards at home, Dallas was an astonishing 25-0.

Dallas had been held to 21 points only once all season — until this day. The Washington defense dominated the line of scrimmage, holding Dorsett to only 34 yards on his 14 carries (2.4 YPC). The Cowboys finished with a franchise low in their history 33 yards on 20 rushing attempts (1.65 YPC).

Meanwhile, Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann attempted only 17 passes. But he did complete 11 for 203 yards (11.9 YPA), including touchdown passes of 40 yards (Clint Didier) and 43 yards (Art Monk).

First Half

Second Half

The lopsided outcome was a surprise to all involved. Washington manhandled Dallas 31-10 for their first win at Dallas since the 1976 team coached by George Allen.

John Riggins (27-89) and Joe Washington (8-44) led a running attack that produced 166 yards on 42 carries (3.9 YPC). Washington generated 366 yards and Dallas only 205, and Washington won the turnover battle 4-1.

Greg Williams, filling in for injured starting safety Mark Murphy, came up with two interceptions, and cornerback Darrell Green added another.

The loss shattered the Cowboys’ season. They never recovered, losing in the season finale to San Francisco and then at home to the Rams in the playoffs.

Washington defeated the Giants in the season finale, then the Rams 51-7 at RFK in the divisional round. The Redskins then beat the visiting 49ers 24-21 in the NFC championship game before losing to the Raiders 38-9 in Super Bowl XVIII.

Cowboys legends Tony Dorsett, Drew Pearson team with Washington rival for special HS practice

From @ToddBrock24f7: The Cowboys icons partnered with Washington Hall of Fame cornerback Darrell Green to lead a special high school practice in New Mexico.

Albuquerque, New Mexico is just six hours from Glendale, where the Arizona Cardinals play. It’s about the same distance to Denver, home of the Broncos. But a recent poll shows that most of the Land of Enchantment actually roots for the NFL team that resides 650 miles to the east.

No surprise, then, that past Cowboys icons Tony Dorsett and Drew Pearson would be treated like royalty during a stop in Albuquerque. And even though the former rival who brought them there to serve as their teammate for a day may feel like an odd mismatch, it was all for a great cause.

Seven-time Pro Bowler and Washington football icon Darrell Green hosted a special football practice last week for the city’s Highland High School team. The three Pro Football Hall of Famers and the University of New Mexico Lobos coaching staff not only led the Hornets squad through drills on the field at UNM’s University Stadium, they also spent time with the youngsters to focus on the importance of physical and mental health, higher education, and suicide prevention.

“We’re not playing anymore,” Green said. “We use the memories- the nostalgia, whatever you want to call it, we use that- to come and stand before young people and tell them all the knots, bumps, and scars that we have on our lives so that you don’t get the knots and bumps and scars on your life. That’s what this is really all about.”

Green helped establish the Strong Youth, Strong Communities initiative alongside the Pro Football Hall of Fame and managed care company Centene Corporation several years ago to equip and assist youth and youth-serving organizations across America.

He travels the country for events like last Wednesday’s practice session, using connections he made during his playing days and as a Hall of Fame member to bring a little added star power to each stop.

For the team from Highland High, an under-served Title 1 school, it was important to hear from the visiting Super Bowl legends that it’s not where they start out that determines the impact they can have, it’s where they choose to go.

“They need to understand [for] themselves,” Dorsett said, “the fact that they have leadership qualities, that they can lead what’s going on and make a difference in what’s happening in their schools. Take this platform and make it a positive thing.”

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Highland High was chosen for the event, organized by Western Sky Community Care, because of the Hornets’ performance both on the field and in the classroom, with the team’s players reaching 100% eligibility for the upcoming football season.

Dorsett, Green, and Pearson shared some of their own stories of overcoming adversity, in lessons that they hope will stick with the young players long after they unlace their cleats.

“We all know football’s a tough game,” Pearson told the group. “And that’s why the people that come out of the game, whether you’re in the Pro Football Hall of Fame or not, when you come out on the other side of playing this game, you become a better person.”

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Upcoming ‘The Perfect 10’ documentary features 3 Raiders greats to go from Heisman to Hall

Only 10 people have ever won a Heisman and gone onto the Hall of Fame. And 3 of them are Raiders greats. Set your DVRs Raider Nation.

“This is an amazing feat, man. Only ten guys have been able to accomplish this. More men have walked the moon than to have been able to accomplish what we’ve accomplished,” said Tim Brown in front of six other NFL legends to open the upcoming FOX documentary ‘The Perfect 10’.

Those seven legends all have something special in common. They’re being called ‘The Perfect 10’ because they make up the ten men in the world have hoisted both the Heisman Trophy and have a bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

‘The Perfect 10’ will premiere on FOX this Saturday, February 11 at 5 pm Pacific (8pm ET). And if you’re a Raiders fan, you will want to set your DVR.

No team is more well represented in this exclusive club than the Raiders.

Of the seven NFL legends in that room, three are Raiders greats.

The first to join the club was Marcus Allen. Then it was Tim Brown in 2015. And Charles Woodson completed the ten in 2021.

“To have this individual type of accomplishment and to have it be so few who have done it is really mind boggling, you know,” Woodson told Raiders Wire. “I was thinking earlier about the amount of kids who played little league football, high school football, college football, the few that make it to the NFL, and then to just carve that down to just ten guys that have done something like that with the history of the game, that is really quite amazing and hard to put it into words.”

Woodson said as a kid he had imagined himself winning the Heisman Trophy and winning championships (something he also did) but the Hall of Fame was not something he grew up imagining. And even the Heisman seemed out of reach once he switched to defense at Michigan.

“When I got to college and chose to play defense, that dream was pretty much…that was a wrap. Because defensive players don’t win that award,” Woodson said of his Heisman hopes. “So, for me to get to my junior year and to have the success we had as a team, to make the plays at the right time that I made as an individual player, when those things start to happen, that’s when it’s like ‘oh man’ and that dream that was kind of a fleeting thought in my mind was back. . . Then to be invited to the ceremony and ultimately have my name called, holy cow, that was an incredible moment.”

The four other NFL legends on hand for ‘The Perfect 10’ include Earl Campbell, Tony Dorsett, Barry Sanders, and Roger Staubach. The three not present are OJ Simpson, and Doak Walker (deceased), and Paul Hornung (deceased).

Israel Abanikanda’s 320 rushing yards break Tony Dorsett’s Pitt single-game mark

Tony Dorsett’s Pitt single-game rushing record was broken

Israel Abanikanda made a name for himself on the national scene Saturday … in a huge way.

Pitt defeated Virginia Tech, 45-29, much of it thanks to Abanikanda.

The running back broke Tony Dorsett’s school record for rushing yards in a single game.

Dorsett rushed for 303 against Notre Dame in 1975. In 2022, Abanikanda went for 320 yards on 36 carries.

Oh, and he scored 6 touchdowns.

Abanikanda is a 5-foot-11, 215-pound running back from Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, N.Y. In 2021, he led Pitt in rushing yards (651) and rushing touchdowns (7) on 123 carries.

He came into the Virginia Tech game with 524 yards on the season and 6 touchdowns. Abanikanda doubled his TD total in one game.

 

History of Notre Dame’s rivalry with Pittsburgh

Here’s a rivalry worth talking about.

Everyone knows about the rivalries Notre Dame has with USC, Navy and Michigan, although that last one currently is on hiatus. However, a lot fewer fans seem to realize that Pittsburgh is another program the Irish have played frequently. Ever since the Irish won a 6-0 decision during their first meeting in 1909, the Panthers have been a semi-regular opponent. Like with most rivalries, the Irish have the all-time edge, this one to the tune of 50-21-1.

The series isn’t fading away anytime soon as the programs currently are scheduled for seven future meetings. It’s time to give this rivalry the prestige and hype it deserves. To help fans appreciate the Irish’s history with the Steel City’s flagship university, let’s take a look at some of its most memorable moments to date. Diehard Irish fans undoubtedly remember many of these, but for the uninitiated, here is what to keep in mind during the programs’ future matchups:

‘SNL’ great Tracy Morgan makes unforgettable appearance on latest ManningCast

Tracy Morgan was an absolute riot on the ManningCast!

Should it really be that surprising that Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock alum Tracy Morgan was an instant hit on ESPN’s Monday Night Football ManningCast?

Morgan, the man behind Tracy Jordan, Brian Fellows and Astronaut Jones, joined Peyton and Eli Manning for their broadcast of the uninspired Week 3 matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants.

Donning a Giants jersey, Morgan brought the laughs during his segment with the Manning brothers. Why did Morgan’s best joke involve Cowboys great Tony Dorsett? We’ll let you find out below.

Alongside claiming that former Georgia running back and Republican senator candidate Herschel Walker was his third cousin, he referred to Dorsett as “his biological father,” and “daddy,” which naturally caught the Manning brothers, and, well, Dorsett off-guard.

On top of that, Giants fan Morgan also claimed that he went to high school with Saquon Barkley’s father, asked Peyton Manning what it was like to go up against Giants great Lawrence Taylor and got the name wrong of former Giants running back Joe Morris.

Morgan also threw out a very familiar catchphrase as he celebrated an unnamed quarterback who may or may not have been Giants starter Daniel Jones.

Look, at this point, you know you’re not here for Morgan’s Xs and Os analysis.

Between calling Dorsett his long-lost father and yelling Peyton Manning’s signature “Omaha” call, Morgan’s segments on this week’s ManningCast won’t soon be forgotten.

And, hey, maybe if we’re lucky, the SNL great will let us take a spin in one of his Ferraris.

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America’s Team: Cowboys 10 most memorable Thanksgiving Day games

With 52 Thanksgiving games on their resume, the Cowboys have plenty of holiday memories to choose from. Cowboys Wire picks out the 10 best.

America’s Team is as much a part of the All-American holiday as parade floats and candied yams. The Dallas Cowboys will host their 53rd Thanksgiving Day game in 2020. This season’s edition will mark the tenth time Dallas has welcomed their division rivals from Washington for the traditional late afternoon tilt. That’s the most of any Cowboys Thanksgiving opponent.

Over the years, the club’s Thanksgiving Day series has created some of pro football’s most memorable moments, including several chapters that are absolutely indelible within the Cowboys’ own storied history. To celebrate, Cowboys Wire takes a look back through the archives to dish out the ten quintessential Thanksgiving games that have meant the most to the team.

But the feast can’t be all deep-fried turkey and pumpkin pie; mixed in with some of the franchise’s most satisfying wins are also a few standout games that didn’t go Dallas’s way. Consider them the unpleasant cranberry sauce that your weird aunt brings every few years and makes you have at least a small helping of.

News: Trevon Diggs appears on Cowboys injury report, Elliott talks ToP battle

Also, the inside story on Dak Prescott and Hayden Hurst’s viral moment, defensive concerns, and Tony Dorsett pays tribute to an all-time RB.

Thought the Dallas DB unit was looking like a skeleton crew with Chidobe Awuzie suddenly set to miss time? Impressive rookie Trevon Diggs has now found himself on Wednesday’s injury report, too. Not an encouraging nugget heading into a showdown with early MVP candidate Russell Wilson.

Elsewhere in Cowboys Nation, more accolades for Dak Prescott after his Week 2 wizardry, concern over the lack of a Dallas pass rush, and what Ezekiel Elliott plans to do to win the time of possession game. We also have a look back at Cowboys-Seahawks history, the good reason DeMarcus Lawrence was absent on Wednesday, and what past Dallas rallies can predict about the team moving forward. Also, the inside story on that moment Dak Prescott and Hayden Hurst shared on the field just after Week 2 went final. All that, plus Coach McCarthy plans to stay behind the mask, and a legendary Cowboys running back pays tribute to one of the all-time greats. Here come the News and Notes.

Trevon Diggs sat out practice with shoulder injury :: NBC Sports

The Cowboys secondary is getting thinner by the day. Hot on the heels of the news that cornerback Chidobe Awuzie would miss multiple weeks with a hamstring issue, word out of Frisco is that rookie Trevon Diggs is also dinged. The second-round draft pick missed Wednesday’s practice session with a shoulder injury after playing all 75 defensive snaps against Atlanta.

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott wins NFC Player of Week 2 :: Cowboys Wire

Yeah, three rushing touchdowns, 450 passing yards, and spearheading a comeback win for the ages deserves a little bit of hardware. Prescott won the award twice last season, too.

‘Respect the hell outta you’: Inside Dak Prescott, Hayden Hurst’s intimate exchange after Cowboys-Falcons game :: USA Today

Jori Epstein talks with the Atlanta tight end to learn more about his now-viral moment after Sunday’s Week 2 game. Hurst sought out Prescott to thank him for his recent public comments about the seriousness of treating mental health issues. Hurst shared his own struggles from 2016 and says he hopes he and Prescott can make good on the quarterback’s offer to collaborate on some sort of future initiative.

Kurt Warner’s Top 5 QBs of Week 2 :: NFL.com

Obviously after making NFL history with his performance on Sunday, Prescott is on this list. But the Hall of Famer somehow found two other quarterbacks who he thinks had a better outing in Week 2.

The Nolan Report: Cowboys defense stuck in neutral without stops and big plays :: The Athletic

Take a deep dive into coordinator Mike Nolan’s unit to dissect why it’s ranked in the bottom third of the league in all the major categories. From takeaways to sacks to allowing explosive plays to third down stops, it’s a sobering look at the unit who’ll be tasked with stopping Russell Wilson this Sunday.

Everson Griffen to adjust technique after slow start for Cowboys pass rush :: Cowboys Wire

The Cowboys’ new defensive end says he’ll switch back to the three-point stance he’s played out for his previous ten seasons after an upright experiment has resulted in just one sack for the four-time Pro Bowler.

Film room: The real reason Cowboys DE DeMarcus Lawrence isn’t meeting expectations as a pass rusher :: Dallas Morning News

John Owning gets into the nitty-gritty of defensive techniques and explains why a few minor tweaks to something as simple as body positioning is having a negative impact on DeMarcus Lawrence’s play thus far this season. Griffen’s proposed cure (as mentioned above) could well be the fix for Lawrence, too.

Zeke: Time of possession ‘starts with me’ :: The Mothership

Russell Wilson is only dangerous when he’s on the field. So the Cowboys are looking to turn around a two-game trend of losing the time of possession battle. Elliott says his focus in Week 3 will be on ball security and converting third downs, especially early in the game.

How come-from-behind wins have altered Cowboys’ past seasons :: ESPN

Is Week 2’s wild win a foreshadowing of greatness to come in 2020? Todd Archer looks back at signature rallies by the Cowboys under Bill Parcells, Wade Phillips, and Jason Garrett to see how each of those squads responded to snatching a victory from the jaws of defeat.

Know your history: The Cowboys-Seahawks matchup :: Blogging the Boys

From Tony Romo’s bobbled hold in 2006 to Dak Prescott’s somersault in the 2018 playoffs and several memorable meetings in between, big things have often happened when Dallas and Seattle have hooked up over the past two decades.

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