The Washington Redskins announced today the 10 members of the organization selected to join the 70 Greatest Redskins named in 2002 and complete the 80 Greatest Redskins of All-Time. The 10 winners include LaVar Arrington, Bobby Beathard, Joe Bugel, Terry Hermeling, Jon Jansen, Roy Jefferson, Richie Petitbon, Clinton Portis, Chris Samuels and Sean Taylor.
The winning 10 members of the organization, selected by fans and a blue ribbon panel, were honored at the 51st Annual Welcome Home Luncheon at the JW Marriott Hotel in Washington, D.C., on Friday in celebration of the team's 80th Anniversary.
Arrington spent 2000-05 with the Redskins after the team selected the linebacker with the No. 2 overall pick of the 2000 NFL Draft. The Penn State product earned three consecutive Pro Bowl selections from 2001-03, setting different single-season career highs in each year — interceptions in 2001 (three), sacks in 2002 (11.0) and forced fumbles in 2003 (six). He was named second-team Associated Press All-Pro in each of those three seasons.
Beathard served as the General Manager of the Redskins from 1978-89, helping to construct and refine a roster that was one of the most dominant in the National Football League for more than a decade. In Beathard's 12 seasons as Redskins General Manager, the team won 126 combined regular season and postseason games, more than any other NFL franchise. Beathard's teams appeared in three Super Bowls, including winning titles in Super Bowls XVII and XXII.
Bugel became one of the most beloved position coaches in the history of professional football during multiple tenures overseeing the Redskins' offensive line from 1981-89 and 2004-09. Bugel, or "Buges" as he was affectionately known, was responsible for one of the most dominant offensive lines in NFL history as well as the creation of one of the most endearing nicknames in sports history: "The Hogs."
Hermeling grew from an undrafted prospect out of Nevada-Reno into a dominant tackle during his tenure with the Redskins from 1970-80. Hermeling appeared in 120 regular season games in his 11 seasons with Washington, blocking for backs such as Larry Brown and John Riggins. He helped lead the burgundy and gold to the 1972 NFC Championship.
Jansen appeared in 126 regular season games for the Redskins from 1999-2008, earning 123 starts on the offensive line. The Michigan product started in 80 consecutive regular season games plus two playoff games from 1999-2003. He and Chris Samuels formed one of the league's top tackle duos in the early 2000s, as both played a pivotal role in helping running back Clinton Portis set a team record for rushing yards in a single season in 2005 (1,516).
Jefferson was a dynamic threat at receiver for the Redskins from 1971-76, amassing 208 receptions for 3,119 receiving yards and 16 receiving touchdowns during his six seasons in burgundy and gold. During his time in Washington, he was second only to Pro Football Hall of Famer Charley Taylor for the team lead in receptions and receiving yards in that six-year span, as the duo helped propel the Redskins to their first Super Bowl appearance following the 1972 season.
Petitbon played safety for the Redskins for two seasons from 1971-72 but truly left his mark on the organization as a coach from 1978-93, including serving as the team's defensive coordinator from 1981-92. Petitbon is one of three members of the organization to have appeared in all five of the team's Super Bowl appearances as either a player or coach. In 2011, Petitbon was inducted as the 45th member in the team's Ring of Fame.
Portis spent seven years of his nine-year NFL career in Washington from 2004-10, compiling 6,824 rushing yards with the Redskins, the second-most in team history. Portis, who announced his retirement at Redskins Park on Thursday, is responsible for the two-most prolific rushing seasons in team history, posting a franchise-record 1,516 rushing yards during the 2005 season and putting together a 1,487-yard season in 2008.
Samuels was one of the game's most dominant left tackles during his career from 2000-09, all 10 seasons of which were spent in Washington. Drafted by the Redskins out of Alabama with the No. 3 selection in the 2000 NFL Draft, Samuels started every single one of the 141 regular games and three playoff games in which he appeared. Samuels is one of five players in Redskins history to be selected to at least six Pro Bowls, as he earned berths in 2002-03 and 2005-08.
Taylor played in parts of four seasons in Washington from 2004-07 before his tragic passing. The No. 5 overall pick by the Redskins in the 2004 NFL Draft, Taylor twice earned Pro Bowl honors, including becoming the league's first posthumous selection in 2007. The Miami (Fla.) product spent his three-plus seasons as one of the league's most-feared hitters and one of its most athletic safeties, notching 12 interceptions and eight forced fumbles in his 57 career combined regular season and postseason games.
The 10 winners join the 70 Greatest Redskins, selected in 2002 as part of the team's 70th anniversary. More information on those named as the 70 Greatest Redskins in 2002 can be found on Redskins.com.
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