Celebrating Joe Bugel, who spent two stints as the Redskins offensive line coach and was best known for developing "The Hogs" in the 1980s.
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Former Redskins offensive line coach Joe Bugel turned 75 today.
He spent two stints with the Redskins in his career, the first developing an offensive line that helped lead the team to two Super Bowls. Back then, the line consisted of Russ Grimm, Joe Jacoby, Mark May, Jeff Bostic and George Starke, among a few others.
They became "The Hogs" during the team's 1982 Training Camp.
"It was a really hot day in Carlisle, [Penn.], everybody was soaking wet," Bugel told Mike Richman in 2013 about the nickname's origins. "Joe [Gibbs] said [for] everybody to get to their areas so I said, 'Ok you hogs, let's go.' Well it caught on fire. Everyone started calling them hogs. The best thing about that is when you get a nickname, there's no jealousy on a football team. So the guys loved it."
Bugel retired in 2010 after 32 seasons in the NFL, 15 with the Redskins.
"It has been a great, great privilege for the Bugel family and myself to be able to retire as a Washington Redskin," he said at his retirement press conference. "That means a lot to a lot of people, and it means a lot to me."
Grimm, who was drafted in Bugel's first season and played under him until he left for the Cardinals in 1990, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010 and paid his respects to Bugel upon the announcement.
"Joe Bugel, I love the guy. He is a big reason that I will be going to Canton in August," Grimm said. "I still think about those days when we had great times. There were tough times but you have to be able to stick through it and I think that is what got us to stick together for all those years."
Even new offensive line coach Bill Callahan is excited to carry on the tradition of "The Hogs," especially because he remembers watching those hot days in Carlisle.
"With free agency and the difficulty to hold on to your top players: that's unique," Callahan said of re-creating a similar offensive line. "Of course everybody needs to be paid these days. So, it's hard to keep those five together, especially the five they had here. They were tremendous."
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