4/16-4/18 Happy Bdays
Happy birthday Wilber Marshall. Wilber played 5 seasons for the Redskins from 1988-92. Marshall played in all 80 games over that span, despite battling many injuries during that time. Marshall tallied 621 tackles, 24.5 sacks, 12 int’s and 13 forced fumbles during his Redskins career. I’ve written before about how I feel about Wilber, he had an 8 year span where he was one of the best linebackers in the game and is a Hall of Famer in my mind. Happy 48th Mr. Marshall.
Happy birthday Fred Smoot. Fred played 7 seasons for the Redskins from 2001-2009. Drafted in the 2nd round of the 2001 draft by Marty Schottenheimer, Fred would go on to appear in 104 games as a Redskin. Fred totaled 346 tackles and 18 int’s during his Redskins tenure. Although he was a fan favorite for his outgoing personality and quotable interviews, Fred’s skills had diminished the past couple seasons and he was released in March of this year. Happy 31st Mr. Smoot.
Happy birthday Richie Petitbon. Richie played 2 seasons at safety for the Redskins from 71-72. He’s more well known for spending 16 seasons on the Redskins coaching staff which included succeeding Joe Gibbs as head coach in 93’. Although the 93’ season was a disaster, Richie should be remembered as one of the great defensive coordinators of his time. For over a decade his teams ranked consistently in the top 10 each season in total defense. He was committed to the Redskins and turned down several head coaching jobs during his Redskins coaching career, that loyalty got him fired after 1 season at the helm. To my surprise, Richie has never coached in the NFL or football of any kind since then. Thought for sure some team would lure him back out of retirement. A quick look at his statistics as a player shows that he played 14 seasons in 3 different decades, intercepted 48 balls and was a 4 time Pro Bowler. He also returned an interception 101 yards for a touchdown…can you see old Richie lumbering 101 yards? Happy 72nd Mr. Petitbon.
Happy birthday Walt Williams. “The Wizard” played 4 seasons for the Terps from 1988-92. The fact that Walt stayed all 4 years is what makes him one of my favorite Terps of all-time. During his tenure the Terps were facing heavy NCAA sanctions and the program was in the dumps. Besides turning down the chance to transfer to another school, Walt also decided against turning pro early. This helped the Terps stay competitive and the program to start restoring its legacy on the national level. Walt was a forward/guard who wore #42. His game was similar, in my opinion, to Magic Johnson’s. Walt could pass, rebound and shoot well inside or outside. He averaged 26.8 ppg, 5.6rpg and 3.6 apg his senior season. Walt would take his high socks to the NBA and had a decent 11 year career. Happy 40th Mr. Williams.
Cheers and Hail
Editor’s note: I’m not 100% sure what the correct way to spell Wilber Marshall’s first name is, Wilber or Wilbur? Not sure, it’s spelled both ways in many diffrent publications on the net. I’m going with the Redskins spelling of his name, from their official website and his page on the 70 Greatest Redskins list. Surely the Redskins wouldn’t misspell the name of one of their greatest players would they? If someone is 100% sure of the correct spelling, let me know. Thanks
Posted by fatpickle Date: Sunday, April 18, 2010
Categories: Happy Birthday!
Tags: Fred Smoot, richie petitbon, walt williams, wilber marshall
Wilber Marshall: HOF Bad Ass
Wilber Marshall was inducted this past weekend into the College Football Hall of Fame, along with 19 others including Troy Aikman, Lou Holtz and Thurman Thomas. This seems like a good time to look back at Wilber’s NFL career and his post NFL days.
I am thankful that I got to watch Wilber Marshall play for the Washington Redskins and help them win a Super Bowl title in 1991. So thank you Wilber and congrats on your HOF induction. You’re one of the reasons I’m proud to be a Redskins fan.
Wilber Marshall was an incredible football player. He was fast and he was strong. He could seamlessly move from fighting off big offensive tackles for sacks to covering speedy running backs in pass coverage. He could hit…hit you hard. If you are a younger person and are trying to picture Wilber, picture LaVar Arrington…but a LaVar that actually made all the plays. He was a hybrid of Derrick Brooks and Lawrence Taylor. HE WAS A BAD ASS! Wilber’s 84 sacks/turnovers during his career are more than Hall of Famer’s Jack Ham and Ted Hendricks.
After playing for the Bears from 1984-87, Wilber signed with the Redskins as a free agent. No big deal in today’s game but in 1988 there was no free agency.
Wilber was to the NFL what Curt Flood was to baseball. He took on the system and was the first free agent in 11 years to switch teams. The Skins gladly gave up 2 1st round picks for the right to give him a 5 year 5 million dollar deal.Wilber played those 5 seasons in DC, played in all 80 games over that span. He played hurt, he played well. He roughly averaged 5 sacks, 3 int’s, and 125 tackles a year during that period. WOW! He was a big time player in big time games, he made big plays when they counted.
Wilber retired in 1995 after 12 seasons and 179 games. 2 Super Bowl titles, 3 Pro Bowl appearances and a broken body.
Retirement has been a struggle for Wilber. He fought with the NFL for years over disability benefits. Marshall has had or needed the following procedures: both knees and both shoulders replaced, 4 knee surgeries that left the knee bone on bone, fractured both ankles, nerve damage in both hands and wrist, and a compressed spine with bulging discs. He now walks with the aid of a cane, he’s only 47 years old.I am personally a huge proponent of the players that helped make the NFL what it is today. The guys that played before the billion dollar TV deals and the $100 million dollar player contracts. Players that had to take on 2ND jobs in the NFL off season, players that had to start working a regular 9-5 job the day they retired from the NFL. Players that made the NFL what it is today, a corporation that prints money. The players of yesterday deserve their share. I hope that the players of yesterday continue to fight until they get what they feel is a fair deal for them. I hope that people like
Mike Ditka and Gridiron Greats continue to support the players in need.I am thankful that I got to watch Wilber Marshall play for the Washington Redskins and help them win a Super Bowl title in 1991. So thank you Wilber and congrats on your HOF induction. You’re one of the reasons I’m proud to be a Redskins fan.
Cheers and Hail
Posted by fatpickle Date: Monday, July 20, 2009
Categories: Redskins
Tags: hof, washington redskins, wilber marshall
