Players you have met: Cool or uncool?

[rome108]

One day, my sister and I went to the OLD Redskins Park and hung out trying to get autographs. That was a year of two after the season the Skins beat Denver (Doug Williams MVP) in the SB, so I guess it was like '89 or '90. We got all the players as they were coming out of practice. They signed authographs, but you could tell they weren't pleased and wanted to get home, two guys I especially remembered - Wilbur Marsall and Dave Butz didn't look happy, but they signed.

But the two best of that day were Dexter Manley and Coach Joe Gibbs. Dexter came out in a suit and was interviewed by George Michael. The NBC tv crew let us sit in their van and watch the taping. Coach Gibbs came out about an hour later. NO, he wasn't going home, trust me on that, just doing a quick interview! He came out a side door and was super cool and humble like he still is. We asked for his autograph and he said, "you guys sure you want it? considering the way I coached last Sunday?" (The Skins had gotten clobbered pretty good the Sunday before that's why he said that).

Also, I use to work at a car wash near the NEW Redskins Park back in the early 90's. Brian Mitchell came in and got his car washed all the time (it was a lexus) and he was cool, I told him he was the redskins secret weapon and he just laughed. Cool guy, it sucked the way he got run out of town, he's a guy who should have retired a Skin like D. Green.

Jim Hanifan (offensive line coach who replaced Buges after he split to Phoenix) and his wife came into the carwash all the time, too. They drove Ford Tempos and the ashtrays were full of cigarrette butts and there was cat hair all over the car (they let the cats roam freely in the cars). Kinda gross, but they were super nice people, too.

Skins would come by the carwash all the time - Chip Lohmiller (also drove a lexus) and a bunch of other guys, whose names I don't even remember (special teamers who lasted a year).

Finally, I saw Joe Theismann at Hertz rent-a-car at Dulles Airport once in the early 90's (long after he retired from the Skins and he was working for ESPN), he was real friendly, smiled, shook hands. He liked the attention, just like he still does.