Washington Redskins honor 1987 replacement players with SB rings

In a classy move, the Washington Redskins have chosen to honor replacement players from the 1987 NFL Championship season with Super Bowl rings.

Keanu Reeves isn’t the star of this redemption story, but the tale is just as captivating, and today, a positive resolution was achieved.

The 1980s were the golden years for the Washington Redskins. From 1982 to 1992, the Washington Redskins amassed a record of 116-52, and appeared in four Super Bowls, winning three.

It was the time in which the Washington Redskins were as close as they’ve ever come to being a football dynasty, although in 1987, their routine winning ways seemed to hit a snag, when a player strike forced teams to find replacement players for Weeks 4 through 6 of the regular season.

The Washington Redskins went 3-0 in that stretch, and in a strike-shortened season, those three wins ended up being more than one quarter of the Washington Redskins’ total wins. Strong performances from players such as Ed Rubbert, Anthony Allen, Craig McEwen, and more players helped the Washington Redskins stay afloat through that midseason stretch. The Washington Redskins carried that momentum, and the players’ efforts eventually culminated in a Super Bowl victory.

For years, the replacement players have been seemingly forgotten, but today, they finally received the recognition they deserved for leading Washington in times of uncertainty, embodied in Super Bowl rings for each player.

The replacement players are reminiscent of a brighter era for the Washington Redskins. In the 1980s, it took a lot to stop the burgundy and gold, headed by legendary coach Joe Gibbs, and the team almost always found a way to cement itself in the playoff conversation. In the twenty-first century, that kind of success has been more elusive.

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The replacement players ceremony, first and foremost, is a necessary event to hold for players who gave their part in working toward legacy, despite legacy’s unforgiving indifference to their efforts. But underneath the surface, it’s a reminder that success and hope can come from unlikely sources. It’s a reminder that Redskins fans cherish in this day and age.