# 1969 Washington Redskins season

The 1969 Washington Redskins season was the franchise's 38th season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 33rd in Washington, D.C. In his only season with the franchise, the Redskins were led by head coach and general manager Vince Lombardi. The team improved on their 5–9 record from 1968 to finish at 7–5–2, their first winning season in 14 years. This was the final season to feature the lance logo on the helmet, and home games were played at RFK Stadium (formerly D.C. Stadium).

## Offseason

During the week preceding Super Bowl III in January, rumors had circulated that Vince Lombardi had job offers from the Philadelphia Eagles, Boston Patriots, and Washington Redskins. The night before the Super Bowl, Lombardi met with Redskins president Edward Bennett Williams for dinner at Tony Sweet's restaurant. He agreed to coach the Redskins after Williams offered him complete authority over all personnel and football operations, the position of "Executive Vice President", and a 5% ownership stake. Following the death of founding owner George Preston Marshall in August, Williams became the majority owner.

### NFL Draft

1969 Washington Redskins Draft :
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College |
| 2 | 46 | Eugene Epps | Defensive back | Texas-El Paso |
| 3 | 62 | Ed Cross | Running back | Pine Bluff |
| 5 | 114 | Bill Kishman | Defensive back | Colorado State |
| 6 | 139 | Harold McLinton | Linebacker | Southern |
| 7 | 166 | Jeff Anderson | Running back | Virginia |
| 7 | 173 | John Didion | Center | Oregon State |
| 8 | 191 | Larry Brown | Running back | Kansas State |
| 11 | 269 | Eric Norri | Defensive tackle | Notre Dame |
| 12 | 295 | Bob Shannon | Defensive back | Tennessee State |
| 13 | 322 | Michael Shook | Defensive back | North Texas |
| 14 | 347 | Rick Brand | Defensive tackle | Virginia |
| 15 | 374 | Paul Rogers | Tackle | Virginia |
| 16 | 399 | Mike Washington | Linebacker | Southern |
| 17 | 426 | Rich Dobbert | Defensive end | Springfield (Massachusetts) |

### Vince Lombardi

After stepping down as head coach of the Packers following the 1967 NFL season, a restless Lombardi returned to coaching in 1969 with the Washington Redskins, where he broke a string of 14 losing seasons. The 'Skins would finish with a record of 7–5–2, significant for a number of reasons. Lombardi discovered that rookie running back Larry Brown was deaf in one ear, something that had escaped his parents, schoolteachers, and previous coaches. Lombardi had observed Brown's habit of tilting his head in one direction when listening to signals being called, and walked behind him during drills and said "Larry." When Brown did not answer, the coach asked him to take a hearing exam. Brown was fitted with a hearing aid, and with this correction he would enjoy a successful NFL career.
Lombardi was the first coach to get soft-bellied quarterback Sonny Jurgensen, one of the league's premier forward passers, to get into the best condition he could. He coaxed former All-Pro linebacker Sam Huff out of retirement. He even changed the team's uniform design to reflect that of the Packers, with gold and white trim along the jersey biceps, and later a gold helmet. The foundation Lombardi laid was the groundwork for Washington's early 1970s success under former Los Angeles Rams Coach George Allen. Lombardi had brought a winning attitude to the Nation's Capital, in the same year that the nearby University of Maryland had hired "Lefty" Driesell to coach basketball and the hapless Washington Senators named Ted Williams as manager. It marked a renaissance in sports interest in the Nation's capitol.
Lombardi lasted only one season with the Redskins; he was diagnosed with terminal cancer after the 1969 season and died shortly before the 1970 regular season was to start.

## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
| 1 | September 21 | at New Orleans Saints | W 26–20 | 1–0 | Tulane Stadium | 73,147 | Recap |
| 2 | September 28 | at Cleveland Browns | L 23–27 | 1–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 82,581 | Recap |
| 3 | October 5 | at San Francisco 49ers | T 17–17 | 1–1–1 | Kezar Stadium | 35,642 | Recap |
| 4 | October 12 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 33–17 | 2–1–1 | RFK Stadium | 50,481 | Recap |
| 5 | October 19 | New York Giants | W 20–14 | 3–1–1 | RFK Stadium | 50,352 | Recap |
| 6 | October 26 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 14–7 | 4–1–1 | Pitt Stadium | 46,557 | Recap |
| 7 | November 2 | at Baltimore Colts | L 17–41 | 4–2–1 | Memorial Stadium | 60,238 | Recap |
| 8 | November 9 | Philadelphia Eagles | T 28–28 | 4–2–2 | RFK Stadium | 50,502 | Recap |
| 9 | November 16 | Dallas Cowboys | L 28–41 | 4–3–2 | RFK Stadium | 50,474 | Recap |
| 10 | November 23 | Atlanta Falcons | W 27–20 | 5–3–2 | RFK Stadium | 50,345 | Recap |
| 11 | November 30 | Los Angeles Rams | L 13–24 | 5–4–2 | RFK Stadium | 50,352 | Recap |
| 12 | December 7 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 34–29 | 6–4–2 | Franklin Field | 60,658 | Recap |
| 13 | December 14 | New Orleans Saints | W 17–14 | 7–4–2 | RFK Stadium | 50,354 | Recap |
| 14 | December 21 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 10–20 | 7–5–2 | Cotton Bowl | 56,924 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. ||||||||

### Season summary
#### Week 9 vs Cowboys

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 17 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 41 |
| Redskins | 7 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C.
* Date: November 16, 1969
* Game weather: 33 °F (1 °C)
* Game attendance: 50,474
* Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
DAL – Mike Clark 36-yard field goal. Cowboys 3–0.
WSH – Jerry Smith 27-yard pass from Sonny Jurgensen (Curt Knight kick). Redskins 7–3.
DAL – Lance Rentzel 65-yard pass from Craig Morton (Mike Clark kick). Cowboys 10–7.
DAL – Larry Cole 41-yard interception return (Mike Clark kick). Cowboys 17–7.
Second quarter
DAL – Calvin Hill 3-yard run (Mike Clark kick). Cowboys 24–7.
WSH – Charley Taylor 68-yard pass from Sonny Jurgensen (Curt Knight kick). Cowboys 24–14.
DAL – Mike Clark 14-yard field goal. Cowboys 27–14.
WSH – Jerry Smith 11-yard pass from Sonny Jurgensen (Curt Knight kick). Cowboys 27–21.
Third quarter
DAL – Calvin Hill 7-yard run (Mike Clark kick). Cowboys 34–21.
WSH – Jerry Smith 20-yard pass from Sonny Jurgensen (Curt Knight kick). Cowboys 34–28.
Fourth quarter
DAL – Dan Reeves 4-yard run (Mike Clark kick). Cowboys 41–28.
Top passers
DAL – Craig Morton – 8/17, 156 yards, TD, INT
WSH – Sonny Jurgensen – 24/35, 338 yards, 4 TD, 4 INT
Top rushers
DAL – Calvin Hill – 27 rushes, 150 yards, 2 TD
WSH – Larry Brown – 11 rushes, 38 yards
Top receivers
DAL – Lance Rentzel – 2 receptions, 84 yards, TD
WSH – Charley Taylor – 6 receptions, 155 yards, TD :
* President Richard Nixon was in attendance.

#### Week 12

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Redskins | 7 | 6 | 14 | 7 | 34 |
| Eagles | 7 | 9 | 3 | 10 | 29 |
* Larry Brown 19 Rush, 138 Yds

### Standings

NFL Capitol :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Dallas Cowboys | 11 | 2 | 1 | .846 | 6–0 | 9–1 | 369 | 223 | W3 |
| Washington Redskins | 7 | 5 | 2 | .583 | 3–2–1 | 6–3–1 | 307 | 319 | L1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 1–5 | 4–6 | 311 | 393 | W1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 4 | 9 | 1 | .308 | 1–4–1 | 4–5–1 | 279 | 377 | L4 |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.