Customer Reviews

Hail Victory: An Oral History of the Washington Redskins

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm not old enough to remember game details prior to 1978, but Loverro's game descriptions after that point have numerous errors/key omissions. For example, in the description of the '79 finale against Dallas, he fails to mention that Riggins scored on a 60+ yard run to put the Skins up 13 with under 7 minutes remaining, and that Staubach led Dallas on two touchdown drives in the final 5 minutes to snatch a division championship AND playoff berth from the Redskins in devastating fashion.

In Loverro's description of the '87 opener against Philly, he says that Doug Williams started the game, which was not true. Reggie White knocked starter Jay Schroeder out with a shoulder separation.

On the clinching play against Minnesota in the '87 NFC Championship, Loverro says that Wade Wilson's last ditch pass was intended for Anthony Carter - the pass was actually to Darrin Nelson, and Darrell Green broke it up to put the Skins in the Super Bowl.

Among the photos in the book, there is a picture of Joe Theismann scrambling from a Houston Oilers defender, yet the caption says that it is a Miami Dolphins defender.

There are others mistakes that I could comment on, but you get the idea that the editorial work was an absolute afterthought.

If you can get past inaccurate descriptions of games you remember, the anecdotes told by the players are BY FAR the best part of the book. It's a shame that Loverro did not put the same effort into his game research that he put into his interviews of coaches, players, and other staff, because this really could have been a 5-star book for Skins fans everywhere.

One of the original teams to form the National Football League and one of the few that has remained true to its name and city, this is a must read by anyone that claims the high honor of being a fan of the Washington Redskins - AMERICA's REAL TEAM
And, if you are a Dallas Cowboy Fan, you can go ...!!!

You don't really need to be a Redskins fan to enjoy this. The way the book is laid out is fantastic. Basically, various seasons or eras are approached interspersed with the oral history parts of players, coaches and owners talking about various events along the way.

I really enjoyed the discussion of how the Cowboys-Redskins rivalry developed over the Cowboys' exec Tex Schramm buying the rights to the 'Skins fight song to spite Redskins' owner George Preston Marshall, and how various 'Skins players were from Texas which gave the rivalry that extra edge. It just didn't start with the George Allen era in Washington although the animosity really did take off with the "Ramskins" of the '70s.

To learn why it took the Redskins so long to integrate their team after other NFL teams had done so was explained and it's not all on DC being a de facto "Southern" city.

Personally, just to read about Redskin great QB Sonny Jurgensen alone was worth the price of this.

I love the Redskins. And this book covers a great deal of the team's history going all the way back to the earliest days of the NFL and how Washington got its franchise. But the quality of the writing leaves a bit to be desired. At times it read more like the minutes of a board meeting than a treatment on sports history. And there were some obvious gaffes like the photo caption that describes a Houston Oiler as a Miami Dolphin. But if you can follow the storyline, you'll get a lot of information from this book. All things considered, I would recommend it to any Redskins fan.

Great overall review of the entire season and an awesome detailed account of each Superbowl. The special features portraying Joe Gibbs, John Riggins, The Fun Bunch, and Doug Williams is an added bonus. This video is a must have for any Skins fan! Hail to the Redskins!!