1969 Washington Redskins season – Wikipedia

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NFL team season

The 1969 Washington Redskins season was the franchise’s 38th season in the National Football League. The team improved on their 5–9 record from 1968, 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 and finished with a record of 7–5–2. The team played its home games at RFK Stadium (formerly D.C. Stadium).

Offseason[edit]

During Super Bowl III, rumors 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[edit]

Vince Lombardi[edit]

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 Los Angeles 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[edit]

Schedule[edit]

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap
1 September 21 at New Orleans Saints W 26–20 1–0 Tulane Stadium 73,147 Recap
2 September 28 at Cleveland Browns L 23–27 1–1 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 82,581 Recap
3 October 5 at San Francisco 49ers T 17–17 1–1–1 Kezar Stadium 35,642 Recap
4 October 12 St. Louis Cardinals W 33–17 2–1–1 RFK Stadium 50,481 Recap
5 October 19 New York Giants W 20–14 3–1–1 RFK Stadium 50,352 Recap
6 October 26 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 14–7 4–1–1 Pitt Stadium 46,557 Recap
7 November 2 at Baltimore Colts L 17–41 4–2–1 Memorial Stadium 60,238 Recap
8 November 9 Philadelphia Eagles T 28–28 4–2–2 RFK Stadium 50,502 Recap
9 November 16 Dallas Cowboys L 28–41 4–3–2 RFK Stadium 50,474 Recap
10 November 23 Atlanta Falcons W 27–20 5–3–2 RFK Stadium 50,345 Recap
11 November 30 Los Angeles Rams L 13–24 5–4–2 RFK Stadium 50,352 Recap
12 December 7 at Philadelphia Eagles W 34–29 6–4–2 Franklin Field 60,658 Recap
13 December 14 New Orleans Saints W 17–14 7–4–2 RFK Stadium 50,354 Recap
14 December 21 at Dallas Cowboys L 10–20 7–5–2 Cotton Bowl 56,924 Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Season summary[edit]

Week 9 vs Cowboys[edit]

Game information

Week 12[edit]

1 2 3 4 Total
• Redskins 7 6 14 7 34
Eagles 7 9 3 10 29
  • Date: December 7
  • Location: Franklin Field
  • Game attendance: 60,658
  • Game weather: Sleet; 32 °F (0 °C); wind 10 mph
Scoring summary
Q1 PHI Keyes 2 yard run (Baker kick) PHI 7–0
Q1 WSH Taylor 12 yard pass from Jurgensen (Knight kick) Tie 7–7
Q2 PHI Jackson 29 yard pass from Snead (Baker kick) PHI 14–7
Q2 PHI Safety, Jurgensen tackled in end zone by Tom PHI 16–7
Q2 WSH Knight 12 yard field goal PHI 16–10
Q2 WSH Knight 43 yard field goal PHI 16–13
Q3 PHI Baker 47 yard field goal PHI 19–13
Q3 WSH Hoffman recovered fumble in end zone (Knight kick) WSH 20–19
Q3 WSH Smith 25 yard pass from Jurgensen (Knight kick) WSH 27–19
Q4 PHI Baker 19 yard field goal WSH 27–22
Q4 WSH Brown 1 yard run (Knight kick) WSH 34–22
Q4 PHI Jackson 10 yard pass from Snead (Baker kick) WSH 34–29

[4]

Standings[edit]

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

References[edit]

  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.