How did you become a Redskins fan?

I've lived in NY since I was a year old and my father is a HUGE Cleveland Browns fan. Back in the early 80s when the Redskins were successful, they were on TV a lot more than the Browns were. My father was a fan of Art Monk because he went to Syracuse and also John Riggins. I got to watch the Redskins on a semi-regular basis and fell in love with the uniform. It didn't take long to become a true fan and follow the team's every move. They obviously got national exposure beating Miami in the Superbowl in '83. I was devastated the following year when Marcus Allen decided to make the Redskins look slow on that amazing touchdown run in Superbowl 18. My best memory was when they beat the Broncos in Superbowl 22. My mother's side of the family was visiting us from the Denver area and they were giving me a lot of crap when the skins were down 10-0. I obviously got the last laugh when the skins rattled off 42 straight points after that. My wife thinks I'm a little obsessed with the skins but she's learned to accept it and I've even converted her from being a Bills fan. Hopefully the next few years will be brighter with Coach back.

if you grew up anywhere in the metro area in the '80s, how could you NOT be a diehard Skins fan?

i went to elementary school in south Arlington, where all the local kids would run over to the community center after school to get these football cards with colorful superheroes on them. Art Monk, Gary Clark, Joe Jacoby, Wilber Marshall, Charles Mann, Dexter Manley... they were the coolest things i'd ever seen outside of a comic book and the kids wanted them all, carrying their huge stacks around.

there's no way you could avoid wild superbowl parties in the '80s, seeing these heroes in action, making everyone around go crazy. in the middle of this superhuman squadron was this completely unassuming guy with glasses, Joe Gibbs, who couldn't be meeker, and couldn't inherit more earth.

i could barely comprehend the game, but i knew it was good when Art Monk caught a long pass in the end zone, or Riggins ran over somebody. these guys were gods in my most formative years. something pure and positive about my childhood when i wasnt hearing about scary things called the Soviet Union and Nuclear War.

seems like forever ago and i've long sinced moved to NYC, but the imprint went far too deep. an unfading brand for an unfading fan, way behind enemy lines.

Like many in the DC metro area, I was also a diehard fan from day one. I grew up in Falls Church, VA....Pimmit hills to be exact. Pimmit Hills is blue collar type of community with I would say at least 80% of the residence being Skins fans. I remember looking at my Kindergarten class pic and I was wearing a yellow "Super Bowl champs" t shirt back in 83. My father was a huge skins fan. I remember that he was in tears when Gibbs retired. I think that's what made a fan.......it was my dads passion for the Skins. He would really take it personal when they lost.

I was 8-9 years old when my father rooted for the Skins because Theisman was a Notre Dame Alumnus. I stayed with the Skins (and never became an Eagles or Giants fan despite my proximity to both teams) and my Dad seems to root for whoever has ND players on it, but doesn't seem to have a clear cut favorite. He's more into college than pro football.
A Cowboy hater was born when (correct me if I am wrong) when around 1980 The Skins played Dallas needing a win to get into the playoffs and they were up by 13 with 2 minutes left and Staubach led Dallas back to win by one, eliminating us from the playoffs (also leading to Jack Pardee's firing) and breaking one young 9 year old's heart. And I've been a Dallas HATER since!

Like many others I grew up in a Redskin family. I used to watch my dad watch it every weekend and couldn't fathom how he could spend hours watching football on Sundays. Now I eclipse him in football watched. I really don't know that much about football, but thanks to the warpath I'm really starting to pick things up. Only been a serious fan since last year.

I was born and raised in a small town in PA, where just about everybody and there brother are Steeler fans. I was 8 years old when the Redskins were led by Doug Williams to defeat the Denver Broncos. That was it. I started to pay more attention to football and have ben a fan ever since.

I also think that when I was little my dad used to take me to the home town football game beteeen the public and catholic school. The Catholic school has the same colors that the Redskins have. So when I was little I would associate them with the Redskins and I thought that they played on tv and stuff like that. Needless to say I did play for the catholic school too.

I was a football fan from a very early age. I loved 'Inside the NFL' as a kid almost as much as cartoons. I didn't really have a team until SB XVII. Riggins and the 'Skins won me over that day and I've been a die hard ever since.

Living in NY I get quite a few 'Skins games a year so it's not as bad as you would think, plus there's always the sports bars. Both Giants games are always on, and with the Philly and Dallas games usually at least one game each of the series is on TV. Then there's the usual 2-3 primetime games and a couple of national games.

Growing up my parents ran a bar and we had a couple of satellite dishes. So on sunday's I'd hang out in the bar and watch the Skins. I think the old guys got a kick out of this little kid decked out in Skins gear glued to the TV.

thanks, probably innate geekness showing up again... I apologize, I can't help it :D
That's good!! :stop: :rofl: Your a funny guy!!


I became a Redskins fan in 1982 on one of our familey trips to Virgina for X-Mas. My Uncles and Grandpa are big fans and I wanted to hang out and watch the games with them. The Skins were getting ready for the playoffs and my Grandpa was really into the games back then. I really didnt like pro sports yet, but I liked haging out with my Uncles. So John Riggins and the Redskins became the frist and only football team I would root for. And the rest is history... :httr: