The Jack Pardee Years

[70Chip]

He was pretty popular with the fans because he was seen as a natural successor to Allen, having played for him. They had a great team in 1979. They just couldn't shut the door on Dallas in that final game. You talk about the town being depressed on the Monday after a loss. That Monday was X1000. After that, Riggins headed for Kansas and the wheels sort of came off the 1980 season. At the end of that year, Ken Houston lost his starting job, and Pardee wouldn't let him start the final home game even though he was retiring and the fans all thought it would be a nice gesture since the season was in the crapper anyways. He took a lot of heat in the press over that. At least that's how I remember it. Plus, I THINK that Mr. Cooke took over the day to day control of the team from Ed Williams AFTER Pardee had been hired, so I'm not sure he was ever Cooke's guy. I could be wrong about that. The exact details of the ownership and management and who owns what percentage of Pro Football Inc. and so forth is a part of the story that they never quite get around to telling.

[BringBackJoeT]

Originally Posted by LRT

I was a kid during the Pardee era. In fact, that's when I first became a serious Skins fan. I remember that folks were excited because he had been a part of the Over-the-Hill-Gang himself as was known for hardnose defense. He was also coming off a playoff year in Chicago.

His first season in Washington, the Skins started 5-0. It was, I believe, Theismann's first year as the fulltime starter and the fans really started to rally around Joey T during that run. Then, they finished 3-8 and fans started calling for Kilmer. (And the kids think a QB controversy in Washington is a new thing!)

I remember that during Pardee's run the defense tended to the star but the defense itself had no "big names". John Riggins was just starting to emerge as the running back he'd later become under Gibbs, but we wasn't yet the star.

In Pardee's first year, we had the famous 9-5 Monday night victory over the Cowboys. In his second year, we were within one blown timeout call by the refs of beating the Cowboys in the last game of the season and winning the division. Then, Riggins sat out his last year and that was that.

Finally, I remember that when JKC fired Pardee the fans were outraged. The outrage only grew worse when he hired some baby-faced offensive coordinator from the pass-happy San Diego Chargers. Everyone dreaded the idea that this kid - Joe Gibbs - would undo Pardee's hard work. Hmm... That sounds familiar somehow...

Yup, these were indeed the formative Redskin years for me, too, when Joe T became my hero. When Jack came on board, I was too young to have much of an opinion on whether it was a good choice. However, what was at least evident even to someone as young as me was that his personality was so starkly different from George Allen's (at least outside of the lockeroom). George Allen's last year is really as far back as my Redskin memories go--I remember the opening day comeback win agains the Giants, the 12-9 loss in their first visit to the Meadowlands, and the Saturday afternoon win against the Rams on the last day of the season, George's last game. With regard to Jack, I guess it's pretty telling, if you're looking for an overall analysis, that his 3 year record was 24-24. Pretty bland, although people with more vivid memories might take issue with that.

[LRT]

Originally Posted by 70Chip

He was pretty popular with the fans because he was seen as a natural successor to Allen, having played for him. They had a great team in 1979. They just couldn't shut the door on Dallas in that final game. You talk about the town being depressed on the Monday after a loss. That Monday was X1000. After that, Riggins headed for Kansas and the wheels sort of came off the 1980 season. At the end of that year, Ken Houston lost his starting job, and Pardee wouldn't let him start the final home game even though he was retiring and the fans all thought it would be a nice gesture since the season was in the crapper anyways. He took a lot of heat in the press over that. At least that's how I remember it. Plus, I THINK that Mr. Cooke took over the day to day control of the team from Ed Williams AFTER Pardee had been hired, so I'm not sure he was ever Cooke's guy. I could be wrong about that. The exact details of the ownership and management and who owns what percentage of Pro Football Inc. and so forth is a part of the story that they never quite get around to telling.

I think you're absolutely right about the day-to-day control. Growing up my family never had season tickets, so no regular season games, but my Dad and/or cousin always took me to a preseason game. I used to treasure the programs that they bought me at the games. I remember the '78 program highlighted Edward Bennett Williams as the "managing partner" or something like that. I don't even remember if Jack Kent Cooke was mentioned. Later, in '79 or '80, I remember the ownership page being all about the Squire. Of course, those are just the musty memories of middle-aged man.

[Hog1]

I would characterize it best as..........uneventful. Maybe,I have just blocked it out. Jack Pardee was a players coach, popular with the guys, and had a lot of cred because of his playing years.
However, (right or wrong) when I think of those years, I totally think of George Allen, Joe1, but no................Pardee
Good Guy................fair coach (for us)

[SmootSmack]

One day Daseal and Gmanc will regale the younger members of this board with tales of the Spurrier Years

[willyboy23]

A couple of thoughts...Pardee was placed in a mission impossible situation in DC. On the one hand he had a long history of team leadership both with the Rams and us (which I think led the owners to beleive he would be a good coach). Then, as has been posted here, he was the ultimate good 'ol boy, especially to his former teammates. They would have given their lives for him, but they didn't have the energy in their old bones to do it. He went on to become a far better coach later.

[SouperMeister]

Originally Posted by willyboy23

A couple of thoughts...Pardee was placed in a mission impossible situation in DC. On the one hand he had a long history of team leadership both with the Rams and us (which I think led the owners to beleive he would be a good coach). Then, as has been posted here, he was the ultimate good 'ol boy, especially to his former teammates. They would have given their lives for him, but they didn't have the energy in their old bones to do it. He went on to become a far better coach later.

He became a far better coach when he ditched his conservative ways and adopted the Run and Shoot. Having Warren Moon as QB certainly helped. I looked up Pardee's coaching record and the stats bear this out: an average passing ranking in the 20's with the Bears and Skins, and a number 1 passing yardage ranking his 1st three years in Houston, where finished there with a .581 winning percentage:

Jack Pardee Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks - Pro-Football-Reference.com