Product Description

"Hail to the Redskins" and Redskin-mania have consumed the nation's capital since 1937, the Redskins' first year in Washington. And the fervor remains as strong, if not stronger, today.

Amply illustrated with 200 photos of players, coaches, and fans, The Redskins Encyclopedia recounts the franchise's first 75 seasons, re-living the great-and not so great-moments in the team's storied history, and the men who helped make Sundays memorable.

Fans will read about:

*Coaches like George Allen, the eccentric, passionate man who left a legacy as an NFL pioneer, and Joe Gibbs, who formed a D-Y-N-A-S-T-Y.

*Players like star running back and all-time Redskins ground-gainer John Riggins, who once memorably told Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Conner to "loosen up, Sandy baby," and Doug Williams, the first black quarterback to win a Super Bowl and Super Bowl MVP honors.

*The franchise's golden run of four Super Bowl appearances-and three wins-in the 1980s and early 1990s

*The legendary Redskins-Cowboys rivalry

But wait, there's more-The Redskins Encyclopedia also includes:

*A year by year history of the team-from 1932 to the present, with stats from each season

*Individual profiles of more than 100 Redskins players-from Sammy Baugh to Darrell Green to Art Monk to Sonny Jurgensen to Charley Taylor to Joe Theismann

*A statistical chapter that provides all of the Redskins records-a complete roster and every draft pick

With an unparalleled collection of anecdotes, quotes, trivia, and hard-to-find information, The Redskins Encyclopedia is a must-have book for any fan who has ever bled burgundy and gold.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #240283 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 432 pages

Review
"For Redskins fans, this book is a treasure-trove of stories, facts, anecdotes and quotes ... It's as detailed as a Joe Gibbs game plan, as far-reaching as a Jurgensen to Taylor post pattern, and as enjoyable as a victory over the Cowboys!" -- --Steve Sabol, President of NFL Films

About the Author
Michael Richman is a veteran journalist who has covered sports for more than two decades. His articles on Redskins nostalgia have appeared in Sports Illustrated magazine and Redskins team media outlets, and he has contributed to many other publications. In 2003, he received an award from the Pro Football Researchers Association for feature writing. He works at the Voice of America in Washington.

Customer Reviews

Lifelong Cowboys Fan Sez "Not Bad"
Though my family's from Texas, I spent a lot of time growing up in the Washington, DC, suburbs, so I certainly appreciate the history and occasional runs of glory of the Redskins franchise and the integral role the team plays in the city's identity and sense of itself (far more than, for example, the Seahawks do here in Seattle). So from that basis, I can comfortably say that 'Skins fans of most any vintage will find a lot in this "encyclopedia" to treasure. It's a book that lends itself both to random open-up-and-reading and serious research.

The bulk of "The Redskins Encyclopedia" is a season-by-season look at the team's performance on the field. More attention is paid, naturally, to the most successful seasons, with certain specific games, including Super Bowls, analyzed in some depth. Less successful campaigns are generally given less ink, but the coverage is still satisfying. Following that are two chapters on notable 'Skins players, coaches, execs, and owners. The book concludes with an exhaustive appendix listing records, draft picks, year-by-year results, a roster of everyone ever to wear the burgundy and gold, and more.

I thought the best chapter was the one devoted to the Redskins' rivalry with the Dallas Cowboys.

At the same time, though, there are a number of important omissions.

The most obvious of these is the lack of color photographs -- or indeed, color of any kind. Apart from one small text box on page 87 discussing the origins of the Indian-head logo, there is no discussion ... and still less any depiction ... of the team's uniforms or logos over time (small print on the book's cataloguing page says "This book is not sanctioned by the NFL or its teams," so presumably the author couldn't get the rights to reproduce any of the 'Skins' livery). There is no index. And the cover is practically generic.

As you'd expect from an "encyclopedia," this is a very text-heavy, photo-light book. The sections read -- and look -- like newspaper articles, and often even have newspaper-like headlines ("Resourceful Redskins Put Muzzle on Ditka, Bears" on page 148, for example). Given Michael Richman's journalistic background, I suppose that isn't surprising, but I often found the style uninspiring. That combined with the lack of color almost led me to give this three stars instead of four.

What salvaged the four-star rating was largely the remarkable amount of information available to the reader here. I'm sure my lovely bride, a lifelong Redskins fan, and any number of football fans in general, will enjoy having this around.

THE Book for the Serious Redskins Fan!
At this point, some fifteen years after the serious glory days ended, Redskins fans are used to spin. In that light, the Redskins Encyclopedia by Michael Richman is a real breath of fresh air. The simple fact that the final part of the team history section of this book is titled "Mediocrity Redskins Style" should tell you all you need to know about the editorial independence.

Richman tells the stories of triumph, tragedy and (always) hard work with verve. And while he doesn't explicitly engage in discussing what-ifs, his stories invite one to wonder such matters as what would have happened in 2000 if Norv Turner had been allowed to finish the season rather than being fired when the team was 7-6. Add to that biographies on the Redskins' greatest players and coaches and full records of team statistics up through the 2006 season, and the result is a treasure trove for the dedicated Redskins fan.

As I write this, the Redskins are 4-2, and by the time the holiday season rolls around, fans will have a pretty good idea of whether the team is a play-off contender or another also-ran team. Either way, this book belongs in their hands.

An excellent reference . . .
. . . for fans of one of the most storied franchises in NFL history.

The aptly named "Redskins Encyclopedia" takes the reader all the way back to the founding of the team in Boston, through its move to Washington, DC in the early 1930's, and on through the present (the Joe Gibbs era, round 2). Every season is described in detail, as is every playoff game. Also featured are biographies of Redskins greats (and near-greats -- a nice added feature) throughout the decades. Along the way, I learned quite a bit of interesting Redskins trivia.

While this book is an immense project, I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 because of the lack of color throughout the book. This is a "coffee table" sized volume, and in the opinion of this reviewer, would have benefited from a few full-color glossies. But that's my only complaint.

This book would be a treasured gift for any Redskins fan on your gift list.

Recommended.