Analyzing the Washington Football Team’s retired numbers

So everyone makes up their own rules. Including the Washington Football Team.

Along with the two officially retired numbers, the Washington Football Team currently has ten other numbers out of circulation. Of these, the following have never been worn during a regular season game since the associated player ended his career:

• No. 9 – Sonny Jurgensen (1974)
• No. 21 – Sean Taylor (2007)
• No. 28 – Darrell Green (2002)
• No. 42 – Charley Taylor (1977)
• No. 43 – Larry Brown (1976)
• No. 44 – John Riggins (1985)
• No. 65 – Dave Butz (1988)
• No. 81 – Art Monk (1993)

Two others have not been worn in a regular season game for at least the last decade and are effectively out of circulation. They are:

• No. 27 – Kenny Houston (1980)
• No. 70 – Sam Huff (1969)

Joe Theismann’s No. 7 was out of circulation until it was given – with Theismann’s blessing – to Dwayne Haskins in 2019.

Should any of the above-referenced numbers be moved from the “out of circulation” category to official retirement? I don’t see a compelling reason to so, provided there is enough institutional memory in place to prevent the type of boneheaded decisions that were characteristic of the Steve Spurrier years in the early 2000s.

One of the reasons it was nice to see Mitchell’s number officially retired was that Spurrier, who came into the organization with little knowledge of or concern for its storied history, gave a journeyman tight end named Leonard Stephens Mitchell’s number in 2002.

No offense to Mr. Stephens, who starred at Howard University in college, but this was an affront to many long-time Washington Football Team supporters, including Bobby Mitchell himself. Spurrier had briefly toyed with the idea of awarding both Theismann’s and Jurgensen’s numbers to a couple of the Florida Gator QBs he had coached in college – Danney Wuerffel and Shane Matthews – when he brought them to Washington for what would predictably be dreary, short-lived careers. Fortunately, the decisions on the QB jerseys was reversed before the regular season.

It is hard for me to understand why Houston’s number was not immediately pulled from circulation. He was, for my money, the greatest defensive player in franchise history until the arrival of Darrell Green. And though players like Fred Smoot and Brad Edwards did nothing to tarnish its image in ensuing years, it always seemed a slight. No. 27 has not been worn by a Washington Football Team player in a regular season game since Larry Johnson wore it in 2010.

I am less bothered by Huff’s No. 70 being worn by others. Huff’s on-field career with Washington was good, but certainly not worthy of retirement. However, Huff did become a fixture in the broadcast booth and is beloved by a good portion of the fan base. His No. 70 was awarded sporadically since his retirement in 1969. It was last worn by Kipp Vickers in 2002.

Sean Taylor occupies a special place in Washington Football Team history. He seemed destined for a potential Hall of Fame career when he was tragically murdered in 2007. Many other teams have recognized tragedy with a retirement ceremony, and to many fans, especially younger ones, this seems like an appropriate tribute. Others have suggested that the number could be partially retired – never to be worn by a defensive player again, but still available to running backs. Before Taylor’s tenure, running backs Terry Allen and Ernest Byner wore the number proudly for WFT.

Then there are the numbers that have never been pulled from circulation but have a certain segment of fans who would support such a move. Most notable is the fact that the Washington Football Team – a team largely defined by its offensive line in its most glorious years – has never pulled an offensive lineman’s number out of rotation. Hall-of-Famer Russ Grimm’s No. 68 was worn as recently as 2017 by Tyler Catalina. Joe Jacoby’s No. 66 has been in constant use since his retirement. From an earlier era, Len Hauss’ No. 56 has also been in constant rotation.

Several Hall of Fame numbers have never been pulled from circulation. Perhaps it is not surprising that players from the 1930s like Cliff Battles (20) and Turk Edwards (17) have never received this honor. But Chris Hanburger, who played his entire 14-year career with Washington, making the Pro Bowl nine times and eventually landing in the HOF, has never seen his No. 55 taken out of circulation. Indeed, it has been worn by a host of decent linebackers the likes of Mel Kaufman and Andre Collins.

It is also hard to distinguish why Butz’s No. 65 has been unofficially retired while his defensive line mates Charles Mann and Dexter Manley have had their No. 71 and No. 72 worn by a number of players since they ended their careers. Were it not for the ugly manner in which Trent Williams left Washington, there may have one day been a move to pull No. 71 from circulation, as a tribute to both Williams and Mann.

And Manley’s No. 72 may be the closest thing Washington has to Dallas’ No. 88. Defensive linemen Joe Rutgens, Diron Talbert, and Manley have all worn it well. James Smith-Williams wore it at the start of the offseason, but has since switched to No. 96. Now offensive tackle David Sharpe wears No. 72.

There are some who have argued that Monte Coleman’s No. 51 should be pulled from rotation, given his long, successful career with Washington, but it is very difficult to justify that move while Hanburger’s No. 55 remains in circulation.

I am fine with the current setup: Two official retirements with 8-10 unofficially retired. If I had a vote, Darrell Green’s No. 28 would be the next one to receive the honor of official retirement. Green was an outstanding player on the field. He played his entire career in Washington. And he was a credit to the franchise in the community as well. Finally, he was beloved by the fanbase. He has all the ingredients you look for when considering retiring a number. He would also represent a player from a distinct era from the other two retired numbers – Washington’s golden age.

If I knew how to create a poll, I would ask you to vote on which number – if any – should be retired next by the Washington Football Team. But I’m too old to learn how to do that. I can barely attach a photo to this blog. So I’ll just ask you, if you have an opinion, to spell it out in a comment.

Now that I think about it, you probably would have known to do that without me telling you.