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70/80s era: Was Jack Kent Cooke more lenient towards white players versus blacks?!

WhoRUSupposed2Be

By WhoRUSupposed2Be
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WhoRUSupposed2Be

WhoRUSupposed2Be

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Beside the three trophies that he bought to Washington, what were his strong and negative points in life?

I had a conversation with a former Redskins turned Cowboy fan this past weekend. Him and I were talking about some of the black players during his time... included was the discussion of how he proclaimed Jack Kent Cooke to be a racist "****." I being an African American as well as a 'Skins fan took the time to hear his argument on this subject matter.

He bought up one scenario where we had a RB by the name of Kelvin Brown (sp?) whom he said was a very productive runner... his words exact were "he used to average 10 yards a pop" and in between the series, they would take him out and put in Riggins. He also spoke of another "white" player (unsure if he was talking about Riggins also) whom the Redskins would bail out from jail and then put him into the starting line-up without any type of discipline. We spoke more about the constant derailment of black on this team but then turned to the incorporation between the ABA and NBA.

My question to him was... "Was this an influence of JKC or was this just Joe Gibbs wanting to win?"

I then responded that I still could never switch my home-town team with that of a team where I do not reside in the same city/ state. It still left a bitter taste in mouth considering I heard over time of how Doug Williams was done after he won the Super Bowl for this team.

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mtyquinn

mtyquinn

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I think your friend is mistaken. Kelvin Bryant was a 3rd down back in the 80's. He was productive but fragile. Riggins was a far superior every down back, but I think George Rogers was our starting running back at the time he played for us.

He was a reserve for the Redskins in 1986 and 1987. In 1988 he rushed for approx 500 yards before he suffered an injury which ended his season. He was out in 1989 due to the injury and came back briefly in 1990 before retiring. Bryant scored 14 touchdowns on catches in his NFL career. He was a part of the Redskins' Super Bowl XXII winning team.

George Preston Marshall was a notorious racist and the Redskins were the last team in the NFL to integrate and only did so under threat of governmental or court action.

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Skadden

Skadden

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Oh boy, whatever the merits of this thread may be, does it merit open discussion now? JKC hearkened back to a long-gone era. Can we just let that rest? If you really want, you can also bring up George Preston Marshall, an unabashed racist in his own right. For those of you that recall, he was the last owner to integrate his team, adding Bobby Mitchell as the first African American Redskins in franchise history (if memory serves me correctly). In fact, the version of HTTR then had the phrase "Fight for Old DC" as "Fight for Old Dixie." Having said all this, perhaps other current issues such as iffy nature of our 3-4 defense warrant discussion instead of this divisive topic.

Maybe, just, maybe this should be locked.

What sayeth the mods?

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jimster

jimster

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Cooke became majority owner in something like '73/'74 and also owned the Lakers and Kings at that time.

Kelvin Bryant was a former USFL player Gibbs picked up as a third down back and used George Rodgers on 1st and 2nd. Riggins never played on the same team as Kelvin Bryant.

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Riggo#44

Riggo#44

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I had a conversation with a former Redskins turned Cowboy fan

This should tell you all you need to know...

As for your friend saying only white players were given breaks and bailed out of jail, yadda, yadda, yadda. -- one name should blow the hull out of that theory: Dexter Manley. Your friend doesn't know what he's talking about.

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SonnyandSam

SonnyandSam

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Your cowboy friend has no clue what he is talking about. I recall no racial issues involving JKC. We had plenty of star black players on our team during his ownership reign, including Doug Williams who was the first black QB to win a Super Bowl game. Others have already pointed out Kelvin Bryant was fragile and often hurt.

Yes, GP Marshal was a jerk. By the way the phrase "fight for ol' Dixie" has nothing directly to do with racism. The Redskins were the southern most team in the NFL at the time and the entire south was considered Redskins territory until the cowgirls were allowed into the league. "Dixie" is just an old slang term referring to the southern states; nothing more, nothing less.

OP needs to get better friends.....

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Burgold

Burgold

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Yeah, I've heard complaints about Cooke, but not this one. And we would have long before now. I don't really buy it, esp. as they were refering to a Kelvin Brown. If you are going to do this at least get the names right.

Bryant was great btw. We were all really excited about him, but he was also one of those guys who was seemingly always hurt. Man, he was talented thought. I think Herschel Walker and Kelvin Bryant were the two big prizes of the USFL... certainly amongst the running backs anyway.

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headexplode

headexplode

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Oh boy, whatever the merits of this thread may be, does it merit open discussion now? JKC hearkened back to a long-gone era. Can we just let that rest? If you really want, you can also bring up George Preston Marshall, an unabashed racist in his own right. For those of you that recall, he was the last owner to integrate his team, adding Bobby Mitchell as the first African American Redskins in franchise history (if memory serves me correctly). In fact, the version of HTTR then had the phrase "Fight for Old DC" as "Fight for Old Dixie." Having said all this, perhaps other current issues such as iffy nature of our 3-4 defense warrant discussion instead of this divisive topic.

Maybe, just, maybe this should be locked.

What sayeth the mods?

Agreed. Why should we ever discuss anything that ever happened before today?

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MustangSteve

MustangSteve

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Cooke opened the door for great players of every nationality. Cooke brought in some great players and some of the best players to ever play this game, black and white. Monk, Clark, Sanders, Dexter Manley, Darrell Green, John Riggins, Joe Theisman who blew the NFL up in 83 breaking the scoring record. Then Doug Williams to win us another Super Bowl, being the first black QB to do so. I think it's obvious Cooke trusted Gibbs to bring in anyone he wanted to help this team win, and we were a beast for a decade. Im a white man and I love this team, and everyone on this team. I don't care what color they are, as long as their not green, then I will keep my distance from them. But seriously, who couldn't love Darrell Green, Art Monk and so many more as a player and a person, these were true super stars and great idles for all nationalities.

As Joe Jacoby said to Doug Williams after winning Super Bowl 22, Black, white, red or yellow, your our QB! Cooke boasted on Williams as a player and a person, he loved his whole team. This is how I feel toward Williams and now DMac, 2 beautiful souls with a great gift. I pray that God grants McNabb a Super Bowl ring for all the hard work, the test and trials he went through in Philly, and because that man deserves it. I can't wait to see this board the day we win another Lombardi, to see every Redskin fan come together from "every nation".

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Skadden

Skadden

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Your cowboy friend has no clue what he is talking about. I recall no racial issues involving JKC. We had plenty of star black players on our team during his ownership reign, including Doug Williams who was the first black QB to win a Super Bowl game. Others have already pointed out Kelvin Bryant was fragile and often hurt.

Yes, GP Marshal was a jerk. By the way the phrase "fight for ol' Dixie" has nothing directly to do with racism. The Redskins were the southern most team in the NFL at the time and the entire south was considered Redskins territory until the cowgirls were allowed into the league. "Dixie" is just an old slang term referring to the southern states; nothing more, nothing less.

OP needs to get better friends.....

I've heard that too about the Dixie reference, but that's a minority opinion amongst those who speak to what the term Dixie meant. As someone from Dixie, that sounds good enough for me, though. :)

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Skadden

Skadden

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It wasn't Cooke, it was Marshall. Cooke opened the door for great players of every nationality. Cooke brought in some great players and some of the best players to ever play this game, black and white. Monk, Clark, Sanders, Dexter Manley, Darrell Green, John Riggins, Joe Theisman who blew the NFL up in 83 breaking the scoring record. Then Doug Williams to win us another Super Bowl, being the first black QB to do so. I think it's obvious Cooke trusted Gibbs to bring in anyone he wanted to help this team win, and we were a beast for a decade. Im a white man and I love this team, and everyone on this team. I don't care what color they are, as long as their not green, then I will keep my distance from them. But seriously, who couldn't love Darrell Green, Art Monk and so many more as a player and a person, these were true super stars and great idles for all nationalities.

As Joe Jacoby said to Doug Williams after winning Super Bowl 22, Black, white, red or yellow, your our QB! Cooke boasted on Williams as a player and a person, he loved his whole team. This is how I feel toward Williams and now DMac, 2 beautiful souls with a great gift. I pray that God grants McNabb a Super Bowl ring for all the hard work, the test and trials he went through in Philly, and because that man deserves it. I can't wait to see this board the day we win another Lombardi, to see every Redskin fan come together from "every nation", and I hope its McNabb who bring that to us.

Don't forget Shar Pourdanesh, a Persian. Too bad he couldn't he hack it here.

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THEREALTOR1

THEREALTOR1

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including Doug Williams who was the first black QB to win a Super Bowl game.
Then Doug Williams to win us another Super Bowl, being the first black QB to do so.

I sometimes find it ironic, that some of those who wish to label the Skins as a racist team, forget that #17 was the first, and still the only, black QB to win an NFL Superbowl.

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Skadden

Skadden

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Why, oh why are you posting in it? He's asking a question, and you're not even bothering to respond. You have the option of correcting any facts you disagree with.

It's potentially divisive as it can take a football-related issue and steer it clear into other many other skeins of thought. Not good when you're talking about things like race, politics, and religion. And this isn't to speak to the substantive merits of the OP's points, just the fact that it has potential to devolve into a nasty exchange of views of things that don't involve the Redskins.

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Skadden

Skadden

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I sometimes find it ironic, that some of those who wish to label the Skins as a racist team, forget that #17 was the first, and still the only, black QB to win an NFL Superbowl.

Remember when a reporter asked him "how long have you been black?"

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THEREALTOR1

THEREALTOR1

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Remember when a reporter asked him "how long have you been black?"

Most say that the story of a reporter asking him how long he's been a black QB is untrue. God I would hope someone couldn't be that damn stupid. :doh:

EDIT: It does however perhaps point to a bias that existed 30 years ago and longer, that suggested that a black QB couldn't sucessfully lead a team to win the superbowl. However, I think if you look at some of the black QB's that have played since #17, ie, Moon, Cunnigham, Mcnabb, Vick and Campbell, all had plenty of capable talent, that with a proper team around them, could easily have won/or win, a superbowl.

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