AUTOGRAPHS

Washington Redskins

The coming of Joe Gibbs towards the Washington Redskins organization was not an earthshaking occurrence at the time he was hired in 1981. For the Redskins’ quite a few longsuffering fans, the hope was uncomplicated: that the new Coach could make the team at least respectable and competitive within its division plus the NFC. Owner Jack Cooke and also the team’s general manager both recognized something even greater in Gibbs, though, when they observed him in his role as an assistant while using San Diego Chargers. It is doubtful that even they understood the true greatness from the man they had been hiring.

Setting the tone

Gibbs’ very first season as coach with the Redskins set the tone for his tenure. Correct after losing the 1st five games he coached, there were quite a few fans who wondered exactly what their beloved team had done when they hired the man. Gibbs was bolstered, however, by the unwavering support from the team’s owner, and a spark was lit when Cooke declared that he had no doubt his group would finish eight and eight on the season due to the fact he just knew Gibbs would turn points around. As it turned out, he was proper. Washington rallied around their new coach and did finish that season with an 8-8 record. That was just the start in the wonderful issues to come.

Super Bowl XVII

In just his second season while using franchise, Gibbs led his team towards the NFC title game, and then into the Super Bowl against the Dolphins. The Redskins fans felt that it was too much to expect that their group could win the game – they were happy just to be there! They would win it though, as they topped Miami in a 27-17 game.

Continued success

In 1983, the Redskins posted a 14-2 record and once again fought their way through towards the Super Bowl. This time, however, they have been beaten handily by the Raiders – despite being odds-on favorites to win. Immediately after a few much more successful seasons that saw the team post eleven, ten, and twelve win records, the Redskins found themselves back within the Super Bowl as soon as as soon as more, this time facing the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXII. The Broncos never even had a chance to obtain going as the Washington team crushed them by 32 points. It was the team’s 2nd Super Bowl win, and had the Gibbs-era Washington Redskins firmly entrenched among the NFL’s elite.

The end with the road

Four years would pass before the Redskins would see the Super Bowl again, this time in Super Bowl XXVI. Gibbs’ team dominated the Buffalo Bills throughout the game, plus the final score of 37 to 24 is no real indication of how wide the gulf had been, since the coach pulled most of his starters early within the fourth. Gibbs would then retire proper after the 1992 season ended. A second stint using the Redskins several years later would prove far less effective, but would not mar his legacy as one of the best coaches ever to grace the game.

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