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

[jergyrulz]

Once the players strap on the helmets and uniforms (not in that order), they are all one color: Burgandy and Gold (or yellow in actuality).

Its a well known fact about GPMarshall. JKC on the other hand was a wonderful team owner and made this team a dynesty in that era. I don't know how anyone would even begin to consider calling him a racist.

[jnhay]

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.

Have you ever been to the tailgate? We're all (actually mostly) adults here.

[Skadden]

Have you ever been to the tailgate? We're all (actually mostly) adults here.

I have not. Perhaps I shouldn't incorporate incidents from my family's past where the West Virginia branch of my family raises a ruckus during Thanksgiving dinner when talking about religion and politics. Good to know that people can keep things civil.

[Kelvin Bryant]

As my nickname suggests, I was a Kelvin Bryant fan. However, the suggestion that playing Riggins (an eventual Hall of Famer) over Bryant indicates some sort of racial bias is too dumb to merit serious discussion.

[MustangSteve]

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.

And we need to be the 2nd team to do this again, it's time for McNabb to get his ring. When we get our running game going, not if we get it going, and when our defense really gets this 3-4 system down, we can beat anyone in the NFC and maybe the NFL. I know it takes time, but God I hope it's soon.

We're giving up alot of yard on D, but so what, we are the 1st defense to keep Greenbay to 13 points in 30 games and were #9 ranked in points allowed. Thats the only stat that matters and that's a stat I'm loving!

[Oldfan]

About George P. Marshall... I think the man was more capitalist than racist. The Redskins owned the South in his day. Radio stations throughout the South provided income for the franchise from a predominantly white audience that Marshall didn't want to lose.

[Ryman of the North]

Noone who was ever a Redskins fan ever became a cowboy fan, unless they had a lobotomy or there were boob involved (which amounts to the same thing).

This team has never been racist other than the early years and with GPM who was a serious racist but no more than the average person of his time. the Thing I loved about JKC is he was all about winning football games. The only other balck QB who would have ever had a shot at wining a superbowl is Warren Moon who had the talent to almost do it on his own, the other guys were mostly talented athletes who were just good enough as Qbs to get beat in big games.

[zoony]

There is no doubt that JKC was a ****. Few people have walked the earth who were nastier human beings than him.

That said, he was no racist. He hated everyone equally.

[hail2skins]

The only other balck QB who would have ever had a shot at wining a superbowl is Warren Moon......

The guy who is currently under center for the Skins did get to one.....

[MustangSteve]

As my nickname suggests, I was a Kelvin Bryant fan. However, the suggestion that playing Riggins (an eventual Hall of Famer) over Bryant indicates some sort of racial bias is too dumb to merit serious discussion.

Kelvin Bryant was our 3rd down back and he was a damn good one. We used his strength to help this team win, and the man did his job well. He scored our 1st TD in the 87 NFC Championship game blowing past the Vikings defense, and dayum that was a beautiful play.

[THEREALTOR1]

Noone who was ever a Redskins fan ever became a cowboy fan, unless they had a lobotomy or there were boob involved (which amounts to the same thing).

This team has never been racist other than the early years and with GPM who was a serious racist but no more than the average person of his time. the Thing I loved about JKC is he was all about winning football games. The only other balck QB who would have ever had a shot at wining a superbowl is Warren Moon who had the talent to almost do it on his own, the other guys were mostly talented athletes who were just good enough as Qbs to get beat in big games.

I certainly agree with you regarding Moon, but I think i'd put Cunningham, McNabb, (and I forgot McNair from my list above), over some guys like Dilfer, Hostetler, and maybe a few other SB winners, but they had some good teams around them on both sides of the ball depending on the teams.

[OnlySkins4ever]

What is the point in this thread? I can see if something like this was happening now.

[Ned Flanders]

I stopped reading at "I had a conversation with a former Redskins turned Cowboy fan "

[scruffylookin]

As others have mentioned, your friend needs to have his facts right if he wants his points to be even considered.

I will say one thing though about the Riggins comments, while he butchered Kelvin Bryant's name and was incorrect in him even being on the same team as Riggins, he did stumble onto one thing. The Redskins did in fact do fine when Riggins was out during the Gibbs 1 era, proving just how good the Oline was during that era.

In the game Riggins missed in 82, the team (Joe Washington and Clarence Harmon) ran 34 times for 108 yards and a touchdown.

In 1983 in the game Riggins missed, Joe Washington ran 22 times for 147 yards (the team ran 46 times for 209 yards and 3 touchdowns).

In 1984 Riggins missed two games. In one, Keith Griffin ran 32 times for 114 yards. In the other, Keith Griffin and Joe Washington combined for 25 carries for 108 yards.

In 1985 (Riggins' last year) Riggins played in 12 games. In the 4 games he sat out here are the numbers.

Game 1 Keith Griffin 16 carries 164 yds 2 TDs, George Rogers 16 carries 124 yds 1 TD

Game 2 George Rogers 36 carries 150 yds 1 TD

Game 3 George Rogers 24 carries 95 yds 2 TD

Game 4 George Rogers 34 carries 206 yds 1 TD

The Redskins won each and every one of these 8 games.

However for JKC to have been considered a racist with regards to Riggins, he would have had to veto the trade that brought George Rogers to DC in 1985. Something of course he did not do.

I think it is your friend who might be the racist. Just because Riggins was white, there had to be a better player?

Reminds me of the time when some columnist inferred that there was some sort of racism in the fact that Joe Gibbs stuck with Jay Schroeder as his QB after lighting up the Giants in the 4th quarter in 1987 and not going back to Doug Williams. He cited the whole "can't lose your job due to injury" excuse, never mind the fact that Jay was the starter for much of that season to begin with and was still a guy who was coming off a pro bowl season. Of course the guy had to shut up when Gibbs turned back to Williams after Jay struggled in Minnesota and stuck with him when many of us thought a QB change was needed after the pathetic game in the NFC Title game.

How about when Mark Rypien lost the job in 1988 after being hurt and Williams given the job despite the fact that Ryp was clearly the better QB. If JKC was a racist, wouldn't he have demanded that Ryp return to the starting lineup? In fact wouldn't he have demanded to have Williams dumped in the offseason and to go with Ryp full time. Instead they kept Williams around with a fat contract for another season despite getting hurt in the offseason.

Sorry just don't see it.

[thebluefood]

The only response you need to make is Dexter Manley. God only knows what he was doing during his free time and yet he was a starter for this team for the Redskins for 8 years.

I get SO tired of hearing that excuse from Washingtonians about hating the Redskins. Marshall was a racist prick, we know; but think about the pantheon of great black players we've had play for the 'Skins; from Bobby Mitchell all the way up to Clinton Portis (though I'm not putting him in the same league as Mitchell. I'm just saying he has been a solid performer for the 'Skins). George Allen and Joe Gibbs were both beloved by their players, white and black.

Furthermore:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf3gW8Ygk7k

Liberal, black man in the booth with Cooke for the NFC Title game against the 'Boys.

Your friend doesn't know a damn thing about anything. I can see why he likes the Cowboys so much.

[NavyDave]

Oh Jeez. You actually bought that nonsense. I have heard of Misguided local residents who have used the George Preston Marshall era for their excuse of rooting for the cowpokes but JKC?

[aREDSKIN]

Kelvin Bryant was our 3rd down back and he was a damn good one. We used his strength to help this team win, and the man did his job well. He scored our 1st TD in the 87 NFC Championship game blowing past the Vikings defense, and dayum that was a beautiful play.

Not only was KB just a 3rd down back but it was one Mr. Cooke twho paid him 400k for doing just that. At the time it was considered one of the most lucrative contracts for just a one down player. I remember a Joe Gibbs interview that talks about how generous JKC was in getting ( via $'s) the players the coaches wanted.

[REDALERT]

Sounds to me your friend is probably around the same age as yourself and doesn't have a clue what went on during that era.

kelvin and Riggo never played together for one.

Also, Jack kent Cooke wasn't a racist. All he wanted to do was win and didn't give a sh@t what color the player was that was producing. By the way, Doug Williams help win a SB for Cooke and didn't give a rats arse that Doug was black. The Gibbs/Cooke era consisted of many great players that had much unity within the Organization "Unity" something that I think Allen and Shanny are trying to instill in this current core of players.

[Riggo-toni]

JKC also provided millions for scholarships for underprivileged kids in his will.

[ddub52]

The 1972 championship Lakers team that JKC owned had like 2 white players. Or does your friend think that JKC was racist for having those two white guys on the squad?

From your friend's point of view, I could argue that Roger Goodell and the entire staff of the NFL are racist against white people since there arent nearly as many white players in the NFL as there are black players.

Come to think of it, Im mad that the Redskins are starting Kareem Moore at safety instead of Reed Doughty! Its clear that the racist "****s" in this organization have a bias towards black players!

[ouvan59]

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.

So who were the black players that they disciplined?

Your "friend" is completely full of ****. He is a typical lemming Cowboy fan who has resorted to making crap up to justify being a Cowboy/Bulls/Yankees fan. If you see him again tell him we are happy to be rid of him.

[Dan T.]

Kelvin Bryant had an upright running style that reminds me a lot of the way Ryan Torain runs. He was a bit tall as a running back, like Torain, but less bulky than Ryan.

Cooke wasn't any more of a racist than any other early 20th century-born rich white transplanted Canadian in the US.

[IrepDC]

The 1972 championship Lakers team that JKC owned had like 2 white players. Or does your friend think that JKC was racist for having those two white guys on the squad?

From your friend's point of view, I could argue that Roger Goodell and the entire staff of the NFL are racist against white people since there arent nearly as many white players in the NFL as there are black players.

Come to think of it, Im mad that the Redskins are starting Kareem Moore at safety instead of Reed Doughty! Its clear that the racist "****s" in this organization have a bias towards black players!

"Was Jack Kent Cooke more lenient towards white players versus blacks?"

Your response doesn't match the question lol

[Dan T.]

Here's a clip of Kelvin Bryant running the ball, albeit from his USFL days. Tell me it doesn't remind you of Ryan Torain:

http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/1377-55

[ouvan59]

I had a conversation with a former Redskins turned Cowboy fan this past weekend

I never understand African-American's reasoning for rooting for the Cowboys because the Redskins were the last team to integrate. Dallas didn't integrate their schools until after the Skins integrated their roster.