November 19, 2005 [LINK]
Theisman's career-ending injury
Yesterday's Washington Post marked the 20th anniversary of the awful day when Redskins quarterback Joe Theisman suffered a broken leg that put an end to his stellar career. It was a Monday Night Football game in RFK Stadium against the New York Giants, and linebacker Lawrence Taylor sacked Theisman, and then threw his hands up in a panic, summoning the medics after realizing what he had inadvertently done. I was watching the game on TV and will never forgot seeing his angle twisted grotesquely out of shape as he lay on the ground. Backup quarterback Jay Schroeder then came in and led the Redskins to an unlikely win. After the game I drove over to Arlington Hospital, and waited for an hour or so with a group of fans in hopes of getting some first-hand news about his condition. Theisman put a lot of effort into rehabilitation, but his attempt at a comeback did not work out. I saw him once when I was dining in the restaurant that bears his name, on the west side of Alexandria, Virginia. He was very nice, and came up to our table to greet us. We were all too much in awe to say very much. He caught flak over the years for being too egotistical, but standards for athletes' behavior were a lot higher back then. He was a classy guy and a great leader, taking the Redskins to a Super Bowl victory in 1983.