15 Years Ago, There Was Duke's -- and a Dynasty
Sunday, February 4, 2007; Page E02
Has it been 15 years since the Redskins played in the Super Bowl? It was 1992, Joe Gibbs's fourth Super Bowl appearance in nine years and his third Vince Lombardi Trophy, which in those days were placed in a case in the front of Duke Zeibert's Restaurant at Connecticut and L streets NW.
Who would put a Super Bowl trophy in the lobby of a restaurant? Jack Kent Cooke would, because he enjoyed the food and the company of the restaurant's owner and knew Washington's power brokers would never pass those trophies without staring at them.
  Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann, left, owner Jack Kent Cooke, running back John Riggins and Coach Joe Gibbs reveled in the team's first Super Bowl victory 24 years ago. (Associated Press) |
Cooke often sat in the front room of that restaurant, dissecting the game and holding court with friends, including the late Washington sportswriter Morris Siegel. "I don't like the food here," Siegel would complain to Cooke, "but who wants to go out to dinner?"
In the 1992 season, Gibbs retired after taking the Redskins to the NFC semifinals and moved to NASCAR full-time. "Burned out," we said. Cooke and Zeibert died in 1997; the restaurant became a Morton's. The Lombardi trophies were moved to the lobby of Redskins Park, and Cooke's estate sold the franchise in 1999 to Daniel Snyder for $800 million.
In 2004, we came full circle, with Gibbs returning to coach the team, signing a five-year contract worth more than $5 million per. Of course, the Hogs are gone, as are Mark Rypien, Darrell Green, Art Monk, Gary Clark, Monte Coleman and the rest. The running back from 1991, Earnest Byner, is now one of 20 coaches on Gibbs's staff that still includes Joe Bugel and Don Breaux.
It hasn't been the same these past three years (21-27) despite the playoff run of 2005. Losing some good players via free agency and acquiring some bad ones hasn't helped. The draft hasn't been very productive and the swagger is missing. Too many current players talk a great game but don't deliver once the whistle blows.
"I've got a five-year contract," Gibbs, 66, told reporters at a recent NASCAR news conference. "But if we don't start winning, we won't have to worry about that fifth year."
I think Gibbs was kidding. I hope so. But as he should know -- with due credit to "Casablanca" -- we'll always have Duke's.
What we don't have, however, is a reason to go to Canton this summer for the Hall of Fame inductions. For the seventh time since he became eligible, Art Monk was not elected to the Hall by the 40 voting members of the media. This, despite having Hall of Fame credentials on and off the field. I'll try to follow Monk's classy response to yesterday's results by noting that in my view the selectors are rejecting the best of the best.
All-Star
Even with Antawn Jamison out three to six weeks with a knee injury, the Wizards were giddy at their Verizon Center practice Friday. Why not?
Gilbert Arenas was voted by fans to start for the East in the All-Star Game on Feb. 18, Caron Butler was chosen as a reserve and Eddie Jordan will coach the East because his team is atop the conference.
"Just look at how they're enjoying practice," said Ernie Grunfeld, Washington's president of basketball operations. "That's what winning does."
