Flashback: Doug Williams & the 1987 Super Bowl Run

The year is 1987. I'm 4 years old and from my dad's memory I was the biggest Redskins fan, even more a fan of  Journeyman quarterback Doug Williams. He is on the brink of becoming the 1st black quarterback to play in the Super Bowl.  He's been here before though. In 1979, Williams from Grambling, led the surprise Tampa Bay Buccaneers from the worst football team in the history of the game to being a game away from meeting the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XIV. Unfortunately, his team was shut out by then L.A. Rams 9-0, in a game where he tore his right bicep.  Saying that Williams took the road to glory by going through personal & professional hell would be an understatement.

After the loss, Williams led Tampa Bay back to the playoffs twice but taking early exits.  Then, he received a rotten watermelon with a racist note to come along with it. Then, 1983 happened.  First, he got married and had his 1st child, then tragedy struck.  His wife would pass away three months later and then he became embroiled in a heated contract negotiation with then owner Hugh Culverhouse.  He didn't want to pay Williams for his past accomplishments, so Williams decided to sit out and play in the upstart USFL team the Oklahoma Outlaws.  After the league folded in two seasons, Williams was on the market and his former coach in Tampa, Joe Gibbs brought him to the Redskins as a backup to rising star Jay Schroeder who had a strong arm with great accuracy.

 The turning point in Williams' tenure with the 'Skins was the 1986 NFC Championship Game with division rival New York Giants.  The Giants had swept the 'Skins in the regular season & was meeting them for the third time.  Schroeder was taking a beating according to my dad's memory & from film I seen.  At one point, Schroeder was knocked out and Gibbs sent Williams to relieve him. Schroeder waived Williams off in which embarrassed him more than anything & made Williams furious. The 'Skins lost 17-0 & the Giants went on to win Super Bowl XXI. The team had more questions going into the 1987 season & Williams had demanded a trade to Coach Gibbs. He was almost traded to the L.A. Raiders but Coach Gibbs & owner the late Jack Kent Cooke pulled the plug on the trade. Gibbs told Williams he had a feeling that he would win Super Bowl XXII for him. A funny thing happened along the way though. Schroeder got hurt in the season opener & Williams won the game in relief.  Two weeks later, the league went on strike. After the 3 week strike, the 'Skins went on to a 11-4 record, winning the NFC East & the 3rd seed in the NFC Playoffs. Many times, Williams rallied the 'Skins from defeat in relief, winning the support of the team & led them into Chicago to play the Bears who had a great defense & legendary running back the late Walter Payton.

Down 14-0 on the road in freezing Chicago, Williams rallied the team once again & led them to a 21-17 win, earning them a home game against the Minnesota Vikings. The title game was a ugly classic NFC game with both teams playing very physical. Williams threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Gary Clark and the defense held on a classic goal line stand to earn their third appearance to the Super Bowl in the 1980s.

Williams believed that he went through every obstacle in his path to glory but there was one more: Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway & the Denver Broncos. Denver jumped on the 'Skins early 10-0 in the first quarter, then Williams got hurt, twisting his knee.  Williams made a promise to himself that he wasn't gonna let Jay Schroeder play at all in that Super Bowl and he returned in the second quarter. What happened next was Super Bowl history. Williams hooked up with Ricky Sanders for an 80 yard touchdown pass and at the end of the second quarter, he led the 'Skins to 35 unanswered points in one of the greatest moments in football history. A 42-10 victory, giving Joe Gibbs; his second of his three championships Williams' numbers for Super Bowl XXII: 18-29 for 340 yards, 4 touchdowns,1 interception and a Super Bowl MVP. Williams is now on his second stint as head coach for his Alma mater Grambling State. This upcoming Tuesday will mark the 24th anniversary of Williams one shining moment. I was four years old and to this day, Doug Williams is still one of my favorite football players. Not because he was the first black quarterback to win a Super Bowl, but since I got older, I gotten to appreciate his road through hell and have a greater appreciation for what he had to go through to win on and off the field. . If your wondering how I know so much about the 1987 Redskins, its simple. It's when I fell in love with football.