| 1969 Washington Redskins season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Edward Bennett Williams |
| President | Edward Bennett Williams |
| General manager | Vince Lombardi |
| Head coach | Vince Lombardi |
| Home stadium | RFK Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 7–5–2 |
| Division place | 2ndNFL Capitol |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
The1969Washington Redskinsseason was the franchise's 38th season in theNational Football League (NFL) and their 33rd inWashington, D.C. In his only season with the franchise, the Redskins were led by head coach and general managerVince Lombardi. The team improved on their 5–9 record from1968 to finish at 7–5–2, their first winning season in 14 years. This was the final season to feature the lance logo on the helmet, and home games were played atRFK Stadium (formerly D.C. Stadium).
During the week precedingSuper Bowl III in January, rumors had circulated that Vince Lombardi had job offers from thePhiladelphia Eagles,Boston Patriots, and Washington Redskins.[1] The night before the Super Bowl, Lombardi met with Redskins presidentEdward Bennett Williams for dinner at Tony Sweet's restaurant.[2] He 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.[3] Following the death of founding ownerGeorge Preston Marshall in August, Williams became the majority owner.
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 46 | Eugene Epps | Defensive back | Texas-El Paso |
| 3 | 62 | Ed Cross | Running back | Pine Bluff |
| 5 | 114 | Bill Kishman | Defensive back | Colorado State |
| 6 | 139 | Harold McLinton | Linebacker | Southern |
| 7 | 166 | Jeff Anderson | Running back | Virginia |
| 7 | 173 | John Didion | Center | Oregon State |
| 8 | 191 | Larry Brown | Running back | Kansas State |
| 11 | 269 | Eric Norri | Defensive tackle | Notre Dame |
| 12 | 295 | Bob Shannon | Defensive back | Tennessee State |
| 13 | 322 | Michael Shook | Defensive back | North Texas |
| 14 | 347 | Rick Brand | Defensive tackle | Virginia |
| 15 | 374 | Paul Rogers | Tackle | Virginia |
| 16 | 399 | Mike Washington | Linebacker | Southern |
| 17 | 426 | Rich Dobbert | Defensive end | Springfield (Massachusetts) |
After stepping down as head coach of thePackers following the1967 NFL season, a restless Lombardi returned to coaching in1969 with theWashington 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 backLarry 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 quarterbackSonny Jurgensen, one of the league's premier passers but notoriously lax on fitness, into the best condition he could.Sam Huff came out of retirement exclusively to play for Lombardi. 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 formerLos Angeles Rams CoachGeorge Allen. Lombardi had brought a winning attitude to the Nation's Capital, in the same year that the nearbyUniversity of Maryland had hired "Lefty" Driesell to coach basketball and the haplessWashington Senators namedTed 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.
| Quarterbacks(QB) Running backs(RB) Wide receivers(WR) Tight ends(TE) | Offensive linemen(OL)
| Linebackers(LB) Defensive backs(DB)
Special teams(ST) | Reserve × Taxi Squad only |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 2 | Chicago Bears | W 13–7 | 1–0 | RFK Stadium | 45,988 |
| 2 | August 8 | atBuffalo Bills(AFL) | L 17–21 | 1–1 | War Memorial Stadium | 37,012 |
| 3 | August 23 | atAtlanta Falcons | W 24–7 | 2–1 | Atlanta Stadium | 56,990 |
| 4 | August 30 | vs.Detroit Lions | L 20–21 | 2–2 | Tampa Stadium(Tampa, FL) | 42,477 |
| 5 | September 6 | Cleveland Browns | L 10–20 | 2–3 | RFK Stadium | 45,994 |
| 6 | September 14 | atPhiladelphia Eagles | L 17–26 | 2–4 | Franklin Field | 35,417 |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 21 | atNew Orleans Saints | W 26–20 | 1–0 | Tulane Stadium | 73,147 | Recap |
| 2 | September 28 | atCleveland Browns | L 23–27 | 1–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 82,581 | Recap |
| 3 | October 5 | atSan 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 | atPittsburgh Steelers | W 14–7 | 4–1–1 | Pitt Stadium | 46,557 | Recap |
| 7 | November 2 | atBaltimore 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 | atPhiladelphia 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 | atDallas Cowboys | L 10–20 | 7–5–2 | Cotton Bowl | 56,924 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are inbold text. | |||||||
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | 17 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 41 |
| Redskins | 7 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
atRobert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium,Washington, D.C.
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Redskins | 7 | 6 | 14 | 7 | 34 |
| Eagles | 7 | 9 | 3 | 10 | 29 |
| Q1 | PHI | Keyes 2 yard run (Baker kick) | PHI 7–0 | |
| Q1 | WSH | Taylor 12 yard pass fromJurgensen (Knight kick) | Tie 7–7 | |
| Q2 | PHI | Jackson 29 yard pass fromSnead (Baker kick) | PHI 14–7 | |
| Q2 | PHI | Safety, Jurgensen tackled in end zone byTom | 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 | |
| NFL Capitol | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Dallas Cowboys | 11 | 2 | 1 | .846 | 6–0 | 9–1 | 369 | 223 | W3 |
| Washington Redskins | 7 | 5 | 2 | .583 | 3–2–1 | 6–3–1 | 307 | 319 | L1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 1–5 | 4–6 | 311 | 393 | W1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 4 | 9 | 1 | .308 | 1–4–1 | 4–5–1 | 279 | 377 | L4 |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.