15 Years Ago, There Was Duke's -- and a Dynasty

By George Solomon
Sunday, February 4, 2007

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.

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."

Winning is how Jordan, a native Washingtonian and a graduate of Carroll High School (1973) and Rutgers University (1977), became the first Bullets/Wizards coach to direct an all-star team since Dick Motta did it 28 years ago. "Furthest thing from my mind," is how Jordan described his vision of one day coaching an NBA all-star game.

Of Motta, who coached in the NBA for 25 seasons, Jordan said, "I hope I last as long as he did." Washington's other all-star coaches were Gene Shue (1969) and K.C. Jones (1975).

Wizards assistant Tom Young, who coached Jordan at Rutgers, is not surprised at Jordan's success. "He always understood the game," Young said. "You never know how far someone will go, but he's always had the ability to relate to players."

Fallen Star

The euthanizing of Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro on Monday -- eight months after breaking his right hind leg in the first few yards of the Preakness last May -- upset millions of people this week. Some might ask why so many felt compassion for this horse, especially since the sport has been in decline for years.

"He appealed to people beyond the sport," said Laura Hillenbrand, Washington author of the best-selling "Seabiscuit: An American Legend.''

"Many of the people who felt compassion for this horse did not tune into the Breeders' Cup last year," she said. "But the sport isn't in as bad a shape as some think, except for wrapping itself too much in the Triple Crown series."

Lone Star

Life moves fast, but where was I last year when Kevin Durant was playing basketball for Stu Vetter at Rockville's Montrose Christian School? The 6-foot-9 Durant, 18, averaged nearly 24 points a game last year before signing with Texas. Through Friday, the freshman Durant is averaging 25 points and 11.6 rebounds a game for the 16-5 Longhorns. "He's the most talented basketball player out there," said Maryland Coach Gary Williams, who signed Durant's teammate, point guard Greivis Vasquez. "Durant has put Texas on his back."

Texas Tech's Bob Knight, not given to casual praise, told reporters after Durant single-handedly destroyed Knight's team last week: "He's really good." Added Texas Coach Rick Barnes to ESPN, "When he gets going, the other players just let him have the ball."

Under the NBA's rule of players having to be one year out of high school before making themselves eligible for the draft, look for Durant to go pro after the current season. Durant and Ohio State 7-footer Greg Oden likely would be the top two picks in the June draft.

Finally

· Congratulations to Dave Kindred, who was named this week to the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame in Salisbury, N.C. Kindred, a former sports columnist at The Post, writes columns for the Sporting News and Golf Digest and is the author of "Sound and Fury: Two Powerful Lives, One Fateful Friendship." The book details the relationship between Muhammad Ali and Howard Cosell.

· "Friday Night Lights" update: Even with Smash Williams back in the starting lineup, the Dillon (Tex.) Panthers will be underdogs for Wednesday's Texas high school playoff game (Channel 4, 8 p.m.). There is too much dissension surrounding the team. It centers on beleaguered Coach Eric Taylor, Taylor's wife, Terri, their daughter Julie and a lot of wacko fathers. Last week, quarterback Matt Saracen did a photo shoot for the high school calendar in a hot tub. Who wouldn't want to be the student sportswriter at this school?

· Ad review: How about WTEM-980 running spots for the CIA recruiting "clandestine" agents? Only in Washington. Feinstein would make a good spy. But for whom?

Have a comment or question? Reach me at talkback@washpost.com.