Question to the older Redskins Fans: What's it like to be a Champion?

[jtpop]

I can actually remember all the way back to Super Bowl VII when the Dolphins beat the Skins to complete their undefeated season I was 8 I think. The glory years were fun, RFK literally rocked first game I ever saw live was during the 1987 season it was quite an experience. Having not experienced any real success since the early 90's makes me appreciate those times during the 80's even more. I feel we are headed in the right direction just hope I am able to see it actually happen!

[paloosa]

It feels good to know that you don't have to hear from the Cowgirl fans and all the rest of the teams can't say anything. If this team wins the Super Bowl this year they will call it a fluke because the experts in the media can't be wrong. Or could they? The culture surrounding the Redskins is different because all the haedaches and distractions are gone. No more McNabb, Portis, Haynesworth or Raubach to point the finger at when things have gone bad. This team is more focused and won't be an easy out as in past years. Everyone is worried about the QB position but maybe, just maybe Shanahan has something that we don't know about. Maybe Beck is the real deal. Who ever thought that Tom Brady would turn out as good as he has. If they all saw it then they are lying. Brady wasn't even considered to be a top 20 QB coming out of college. Mel Kiper wasn't high on him and no one at ESPN was either. But now he is considered an elite QB in the same class as Peyton Manning. So it will feel good when they win a Super Bowl and you can silence the critics because they will start jumping on the bandwagon when they reach the Super Bowl.

[SKINSFAN87]

I was in my late teens when the skins were winning superbowls and let me tell ya, it was great! It was fun to watch a team that when it had the proper talent and staff, to be competitive and play well in every game. We will get there again and I think that the skins currently have the right coaching staff and gm in place to do that, and with the players they are signing now we are definitely moving in the right direction. HTTR!

[DC9]

I am lucky enough to have seen and lived through the glory years. Other teams hating to play in our house, confidence every Sunday, no team drama, talking smack with your friends..great stuff. The last super bowl, had a party at my house, tapped the keg at noon, celebrated and my wife found me naked on the bathroom floor....fun stuff!

I have made the pledge to repeat the performance if we get there again.

I lived through some great years and really took them for granted. I just ho e my daughter can see them good again as they have been bad all of her 11 years...yet she wears the jersey with dad every Sunday.

Hail

Agree, I am in the same boat as far as hoping they perform well so that my son (and soon to be son/daughter) will love the team as we do.

[duggiefresh265]

Im pretty sure a thread like this comes up every year. maybe you should search for it and read it instead of creating a redundant thread.

Cut the kid some slack. His post is like one of those scenes in a post-apocalyptic movie where the little kids keep asking the few adults who are still alive what ice cream tasted like.

[The Sean and Laron show]

My earliest memories of the Skins are from the Norv Turner Era.:doh: feelsbadman

Younger Skins fans should be commended, it's tough.

[skins island connection]

It was like having every playboy bunny drooling over you, begging for you every day, and having the coldest and freshest beer, the best bbq, every traffic light green, your trusty dog with no fleas, a full tank of gas, a refreshing cool pillow at night, oh, and did I mention playboy bunnies?

Yea, thats how it was. Being in Texas, where men are men and sheep are scared, I have to deal with a bunch of backwards-ass cowboy fans, and for them to be in hibernation for an entire decade was icing on the cake. Gibbs brought a change that other teams couldn't top; single back offense, the posse, Didier and Warren, there were so many weapons.

It was an era when we could hold our heads high, knowing we were the team everyone wanted to be, and did it all with class.

OK, who has the flux capacitor...

[December90]

UcpmwzeSkFE

jiqdrnk_yr4

[dadirtbags]

in "82" ...as a 14 year old....watching my team win it all....a team that was not suppose to have a winning season... let alone...win the superbowl was very special...we beat the cowboys to get to the superbowl...that game was amazing!!! I actually have a copy of that game on dvd...in the 70s...I stuck with my team even though the cowboys dominated the NFC...I also witnessed the Eagles lose to the Raiders in 80 and had to hear all of my friends tease me about being a skins fan,,,karma baby...karma...and it all started in 1982 for me

ps....I remember hearing the talking heads/news media that year...claim we were a long shot when we started winning that year...because we came out of nowhere...thankfully...we never turned back...we just kept winning and winning and winning....it seemed this same media had inked us as being very lucky...them being in shock due to end results made it that more exciting!!!

[TD_washingtonredskins]

It was great. It made walking uphill both to and from school (in the snow) more bearable. Back when a coke was a nickel, there was nothing like coming in from Sunday chores to listen to the Redskins on the talking box.

Seriously though, it was incredible. We had a great and classy organization. It didn't matter if it was the ****y Cowboys, the brash Bears, or the classless Eagles...they'd talk during the week and, more often than not, we'd kick their ass on Sunday. I remember watching Super Bowl XVII but I wasn't really a fan yet (it was the first game I watched and I was 5). I was hooked after that. I watched every game after that...so that 10-year run (for me) from 1983-1992 was insane.

With one exception (1988) our down years consisted of 9 or 10 wins and either barely making or barely missing the playoffs. Obviously we're all aware that every single "successful" season we've had since that era has been just like that (even in 1999 when we won the division we only clinched with one game left). It's funny...I look back at how good we were and I don't think it's a stretch to say that we COULD have won another 2-3 championships in that run. We won in 1982, 1987, and 1991...but you could make a case that we were right there in 1983, 1984, 1986, and 1990. Obviously, other teams were good and deserving then too...I just mean that the Redskins winning the Super Bowl in any of those years wouldn't have shocked anyone.

Oh well, enough for the trip down memory lane...hopefully we're righting the ship and getting back to some sort of respectability.

[ucfSKINS]

like warm apple pie.....

[Skins_Fan82]

Born in 1982, I was about 9 when we won the last superbowl. It's been tough times ever since, but I still represent like there's no tomorrow.

My father tells me what it was like to be a Redskins fan in the 1980s. I'm so freakin' jealous.

[rdsknbill]

I went to my first game almost 41 years ago. Yea, i was 4. My grandparents lived in G-town and my Grandfather had season tix. I went to every home game until he passed in 82. Unfortunately he never saw the Skins win a a SB. I have always been a diehard , as are my wife and 3 kids (They sort of didn't have a choice)

I remember the days of RFK and how I thought that old relic was going to collapse when the Skins fans really got going. The JACK, now FedEX seems to still have some of that magic. Not at the same level, but close

in 91, my best friend (A Bills fan) and I were working for Frito-Lay. The week before that SB, we were on the dock, and I asked him :Hey, where are we watching the Superbowl?" His answer "I'm not watching it with you!" That put a big smile on my face and I let it go. That feeling is one that I won't ever forget. And the following week when I got to work, I simply walked by him, smiled and gave him a wink.

My son is also 20 and in the exact same boat as you. He watched DG play his final game, met slot of players and got tons of autos. But he also witnessed some horrific seasons, along with the rest of us. So he waits, right there with you young man. But it will happen, stay the course

[Crazy Levi]

Honestly it's not that big a deal, seriously. I mean, it makes the playoffs and the Super Bowl WAY more fun, but when it's over, it's over. Just ask Giants fans.

It's not like it makes every day your birthday, and you start crapping platinum pellets and pissing dom peringon 1955.

Bascially, it's about the same thrill you get from winning a grudge match on Madden.

I kinda feel bad for you young'ins. I mean - you've built this up in your mind to such ridiculous levels that in the event the Skins ever win another Super Bowl, it's going to be hard for it to live up to this fantasy you've created.

---------- Post added August-19th-2011 at 11:11 AM ----------

Im pretty sure a thread like this comes up every year. maybe you should search for it and read it instead of creating a redundant thread.

Oh SNAP!

---------- Post added August-19th-2011 at 11:14 AM ----------

'91 was just plain fun. We destroyed teams that season, and nothing ever really felt stressful. No nail-biter playoff games, but after so many cardiac seasons, it was welcome.

Yeah that was really something. It was so easy, and hardly any game was even close. I went to three games that year - MNF against the Eagles, The Oilers nail-biter (it was kinda fun when it was always the OTHER team whose kicker choked) and one other which I don't remember.

They playoffs were ridiculous - thanks in part to the fact that we got the Falcons and the Lions, two teams that weren't really very good. I was TERRIFIED we'd have to play the Cowboys again, but thankfully the Lions beat them.

Anybody remember the only real loss that season? The Cowboys beat us...I think we were 11-0 at the time. Same weekend Freddie Mercury died (lol how you remember those things).

It was CRUSHING (losing to the boys, not Freddie, though that sucked too). I mean, I REALLY expected that this team was going to go undefeated! But in the end you gotta lose one, and it helped the team regain its focus.

[Skins_Fan82]

I'm not sure how much the Washington Redskins mean to everybody else, but if the Skins win a superbowl, it will be one of the greatest moments of my life...

[TD_washingtonredskins]

Crazy...I kind of disagree. I tend to compartmentalize the big categories of my life. Obviously the Redskins winning it all (or even winning on a given Sunday) doesn't change the way things go at work or with my kids, but it's awesome for that specific piece of my life (entertainment).

Just the same as going on a week-long vacation doesn't allow you quit your job or buy a yacht, it's fun and enjoyable to experience and provides lasting memories. That's how I feel about success of a sports team I follow.

Granted, when I watched us win 3 Super Bowls, I was between 5-14, so that aspect of my life was much more prevalent than it is now (what else does a 10-year old really have going on other than playing with friends, doing some math homework, and watching/playing sports?) so those wins probably resonated more than they will if I get to witness them again. Then again, I'm probably better positioned to appreciate them more than I did then.

[Crazy Levi]

Granted, when I watched us win 3 Super Bowls, I was between 5-14, so that aspect of my life was much more prevalent than it is now (what else does a 10-year old really have going on other than playing with friends, doing some math homework, and watching/playing sports?) so those wins probably resonated more than they will if I get to witness them again. Then again, I'm probably better positioned to appreciate them more than I did then.

I REALLY did appreciate the last one. I was 16...and it was only the second season that I had REALLY followed the Skins the entire season. I also knew that you don't win the super bowl every year, so I should enjoy the run.

It really was a crazy year...the "the media hates and has always hated the Skins" crowd would have had their mind blown. From day 1, most experts (including the annual Sports Illustrated Dr. Z preview, which was a big deal back then) picked us to go to the Super Bowl. The Matt Millen pickup in the offseason was considered huge. And then we were favorites all year, and we just crushed people. Opening the season with a 45-0 win kinda set the tone.

It really was fun, but like I said, it's not exactly going to be a life-changer for most people. The fact of the matter is, it's the journey, not the destination, and I STILL have almost as much fun watching the Skins every week, even though we've sucked for 20 years. It's still about getting together with friends, having a few drinks, eating wings, and watching the game. If the Skins are ever actually any good again, it will just up the ante and make it more fun.

There's also something fun about watching the Super Bowl, with YOUR team in it, and knowing the entire country is watching YOUR team on the big stage.

[blueskin]

Great times. I was 7 for XVII, 12 for XXII, and 16 for XXVI. I really remember XVII, I watched it with the fam (it was just after we moved from DC-- to rural Iowa-- for good). Super Bowl XXII was literally the day after I arrived in the country from Nigeria; imagine my joy turning on the TV that afternoon and seeing the buildup to the SB talking about, I believe, Doug williams and the Skins. That was a beautiful day. I missed the years between SBXVIII and SBXXII (being in Africa, where updates were hard to come by- I watched a lot of footba- I mean soccer). Even then, it didn't seem we got any respect (those tools on Inside the NFL really pissed me off those years).

It has been too long.

[Destructis]

like warm apple pie.....

Dude, you are going to get me in trouble at band camp for laughing out loud.

[TD Riggo]

Skins fan since birth. Although I'm a fourth generation Floridian, my Dad and Granddad were both Skins fans. A lot of native Floridians from those years were. Florida had no NFL teams, and the nearest was the Skins. I inherited the Skins-love as a result, but when my Dad was transferred from Florida to Reston back in the early 70s, and Charley Harraway lived two doors down, Charley Taylor and Bill Brundige were on my Washington Star paper route .. well, let's just say that I became the world's greatest Skins fan. :pfft:

They went to the Bowl in 72, got beaten, and although I moved away in the late 70's, I thoroughly enjoyed the Gibbs era! Let me just say that those were great years to be a Skins fan, and the last 20 years have been mostly painful! You just expected them to win every week. It's still hard to believe the crap sandwich we've been eating since '91 (except it WAS fun to have Gibbs come back for those few years .. if only we didn't have Snyderrato to screw things up for him!)

[Skinsfan1311]

It's fan-friggin-tastic!!!!

[allannis]

It's not as great as wanting it....or thinking that it might be coming.

It's like revenge on the bully who used to shove you around, you end up being his friend more than any sort of perpetual euphoria from the act of conquest.

True

[Chachie]

It's overrated but what else is there?

[Coloradoskin]

Grew up in Florida and my dad was a huge Packers fan because of Lombardi.. when he went to Washignton, my dad went with him. I grew up a huge Redskins fan. While they always played well, they never really had much. I was a junior in HS when we beat the Dolphins in the Super Bowl. I can't describe the way I felt... I had been hounded by a lot of Cowboy fans growing up so it was my time to hound them. the best way I can descibe it... "a week long orgasm!" then in 87 against the Broncos was great.. in 1991 I drove from FLA to see my first game at RFK. I got lucky and was in the area where the players go into the stadium and met SO many of my favorite players. Gibbs, Monk, JAcoby, Millen, D. Green, Wilber Marshall... we were playing the Oilers and were unbeaten. It was an overtime game we won because of Darrell Green. I could not hear my buddy next to me in the endzone where Green intercepted the ball. the stadium was SHAKING! That season with Mark Rypien to Monk and Clark was awesome!! Nothing beats the feeling of us winning that first one against the Dolphins though.. when Riggins broke the 4th and 1 play I knew we were going to be Champions... for all you young guys that support our team.. I SO wish that you get to feel that feeling cause there is NOTHING like it !!!!

[Brotherz]

I'm proud of you for sticking around even though lots of other teams have won multiple championships. Lots of douchey people your age bail on their "teams" for winners. You have integrity.

I agree completely. I am a lunatic Redskins fan. I love em. Everything about em' but then again I have seen them in 4 superbowls and win three of them! I was pretty young for the Miami one where Riggins ripped it on 4th and 1. I remember crying like a baby at 9 years old when Joey T threw that jet screen to end the first half of the Raiders debacle.

In 87' I was in high school and that 35 point quarter was just one of the most unbelievable moments of my life. It was fantastic.

In 1991 I was a "rat" at VMI (ie freshman) and it was just awesome to watch them do it again and in such incredible fashion from wire to wire that whole season.

Saying "I love the Skins" is easy. They have already given me a LIFETIME of great memories. If they never made the playoffs again (as horrible as that would be) I would consider myself blessed for having chosen this team to be "mine".

But YOU, are a rare and awesome breed buddy. I want to see another one for guys just like you. Those whose greatest memory is 2005. I can't even fathom the fortitude it must take for a young fan to stick with this team. Especially when you can watch and root for any other team so easily now. Now there is a Ravens team right up the road and you could still have tons of local coverage. You can get the swag from any team in the click of a button (yea, once you had to be in the area and go to Modell's to get your teams colors!). Now with direct TV and the internet you can know a team in Seattle as easily as your local team.

I give you credit buddy. YOU are a real Skins fan and that makes you aces in my book!

---------- Post added August-19th-2011 at 12:35 PM ----------

I'm not sure how much the Washington Redskins mean to everybody else, but if the Skins win a superbowl, it will be one of the greatest moments of my life...

Yea I get this man. I really do.