1969 Washington Redskins season

1969 Washington Redskins season
Head coach Vince Lombardi
General manager Vince Lombardi
Owner Edward Bennett Williams
Home field RFK Stadium
Results
Record 7–5–2
Division place 2nd NFL Capitol
Playoff finish did not qualify

The 1969 Washington Redskins began with the team trying to improve on their 5–9 record from 1968, and they did so by hiring legendary Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi. Sam Huff (a future member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame) came out of retirement specifically to play for Lombardi.

Offseason

During Super Bowl III, rumours had circulated that Vince Lombardi had job offers from the Philadelphia Eagles, the Boston Patriots, and the Washington Redskins.[1] The night before the Super Bowl, Lombardi met with Redskins president Edward Bennett Williams for dinner at Tony Sweet's restaurant.[2] Lombardi agreed to coach the Redskins after Williams offered him complete authority over all personnel and football operations, the position of "Executive Vice President", and a 5% ownership stake in the team.[3]

NFL Draft

Round Pick Player Position School/Club Team
246Eugene EppsDefensive backTexas-El Paso
362Ed CrossRunning backPine Bluff
5114Bill KishmanDefensive backColorado State
6139Harold McLintonLinebackerSouthern
7166Jeff AndersonRunning backVirginia
7173John DidionCenterOregon State
8191Larry BrownRunning backKansas State
11269Eric NorriDefensive tackleNotre Dame
12295Bob ShannonDefensive backTennessee State
13322Michael ShookDefensive backNorth Texas
14347Rick BrandDefensive tackleVirginia
15374Paul RogersTackleVirginia
16399Mike WashingtonLinebackerSouthern
17426Rich DobbertDefensive endSpringfield (Massachusetts)

Vince Lombardi

After stepping down as head coach of the Packers following the 1967 NFL season, a restless Lombardi returned to coaching in 1969 with the Washington Redskins, where he broke a string of 14 losing seasons. The 'Skins would finish with a record of 7–5–2, significant for a number of reasons. Lombardi discovered that rookie running back Larry Brown was deaf in one ear, something that had escaped his parents, schoolteachers, and previous coaches. Lombardi had observed Brown's habit of tilting his head in one direction when listening to signals being called, and walked behind him during drills and said "Larry." When Brown did not answer, the coach asked him to take a hearing exam. Brown was fitted with a hearing aid, and with this correction he would enjoy a successful NFL career.

Lombardi was the first coach to get soft-bellied quarterback Sonny Jurgensen, one of the league's premier forward passers, to get into the best condition he could. He coaxed former All-Pro linebacker Sam Huff out of retirement. He even changed the team's uniform design to reflect that of the Packers, with gold and white trim along the jersey biceps, and later a gold helmet. The foundation Lombardi laid was the groundwork for Washington's early 1970s success under former L.A. Rams Coach George Allen. Lombardi had brought a winning attitude to the Nation's Capital, in the same year that the nearby University of Maryland had hired "Lefty" Driesell to coach basketball and the hapless Washington Senators named Ted Williams as manager. It marked a renaissance in sports interest in the Nation's capitol.

Lombardi lasted only one season with the Redskins; he was diagnosed with terminal cancer after the 1969 season and died shortly before the 1970 regular season was to start.

Regular season

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Attendance
1 September 21, 1969 at New Orleans Saints W 26–20
73,147
2 September 28, 1969 at Cleveland Browns L 27–23
82,581
3 October 5, 1969 at San Francisco 49ers T 17–17
35,642
4 October 12, 1969 St. Louis Cardinals W 33–17
50,481
5 October 19, 1969 New York Giants W 20–14
50,352
6 October 26, 1969 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 14–7
46,557
7 November 2, 1969 at Baltimore Colts L 41–17
60,238
8 November 9, 1969 Philadelphia Eagles T 28–28
50,502
9 November 16, 1969 Dallas Cowboys L 41–28
50,474
10 November 23, 1969 Atlanta Falcons W 27–20
50,345
11 November 30, 1969 Los Angeles Rams L 24–13
50,352
12 December 7, 1969 at Philadelphia Eagles W 34–29
60,658
13 December 14, 1969 New Orleans Saints W 17–14
50,354
14 December 21, 1969 at Dallas Cowboys L 20–10
56,924

Season summary

Week 12

1 234Total
• Redskins 7 6147 34
Eagles 7 9310 29
  • Date: December 7
  • Location: Franklin Field
  • Game attendance: 60,658
  • Game weather: Sleet; 32°F; wind 10

[4]

Standings

NFL Capitol
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Dallas Cowboys 11 2 1 .846 6–0 9–1 369 223 W3
Washington Redskins 7 5 2 .583 3–2–1 6–3–1 307 319 L1
New Orleans Saints 5 9 0 .357 1–5 4–6 311 393 W1
Philadelphia Eagles 4 9 1 .308 1–4–1 4–5–1 279 377 L4

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

References

  1. ↑ When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss,p. 452, Simon & Schuster, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3
  2. ↑ When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss,p. 453, Simon & Schuster, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3
  3. ↑ When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss,p. 457, Simon & Schuster, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3
  4. ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2016-Dec-17.
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