1980 Redskins Photos

When I was 15, I spent a lot of time on photography. We also had pretty regular tickets to Redskins games. So here is the convergence of those two activities: a set of shots I took of various Redskins games in the 1980 season (a rather awful 6-10 season that got Jack Pardee fired and ushered in the era of Joe Gibbs.) They are rather pedestrian shots, and clearly I didn't leave them in the fixer long enough when printing them, since they have gone unintentionally sepia in places. I think most of the soft focus is due to how much I had to enlarge the images when printing....

Anyway, here are a few from the Nov 16th game against Eagles, which the Redskins lost 24-0. First, Coy Bacon (79) attempting to chase down Ron Jaworski:

While Jaworski was no spring chicken by this time, neither was Coy Bacon, so I'm guessing this resulted in something like a 5 yard gain.

And then one of Carl Hairston leading the Eagle in a massive gang tackle of the ever-forgettable Wilbur Jackson (40):

Jackson led the Redskins with only 57 yards rushing that day, and I think you can see why. Jeff Williams (73) looks on, probably pondering the block that he missed. I can't quite tell who that Eagle is that is airborne-- maybe it was Herm Edwards...

And finally, a shot of Mike Connell punting against the St. Louis Cardinals in the Oct 19th game, won by the Redskins 23-0 (the Cardinals obviously stunk worse than the Redskins):



I like that last one, I've caught Connell at maximum extension, with the ball caught in midair, having just come off his foot and about to cross the scoreboard clock. That's Clarence Harmon (38) back blocking for Connell, and Ken Stone (23) trying to block the punt.

Thanks, of course, go to Dear Old Dad, for taking me to the games and supporting my photography habit with cameras, lenses, and a darkroom...