On New Year’s Eve 1972, Washington Redskins special teams stars Rusty Tillman and Bob Brunet walked into Duke Zeibert’s, the city’s legendary restaurant and gathering place, and were greeted like conquering heroes.
“The whole place gave us a standing ovation,” Tillman, who passed away in 2021, told me in an interview for my book, “Hail Victory: an Oral History of The Washington Redskins.”
They were conquering heroes. They had vanquished the hated Dallas Cowboys, 26-3, just a few blocks away at RFK Stadium in the NFC Championship Game, sending the Redskins to their first Super Bowl.
On Sunday at Ghost Town Field, you’ll be treated to another botched promotional campaign by the Washington Commanders, this one to allegedly honor the “Hogs” — five of whom, including Joe Jacoby and John Riggins — are boycotting the event and threatening to sue the team over the trademark rights of the nickname.