Joe Washington
Encyclopedia
Joe Dan Washington, Jr is a former American football
running back
in the National Football League (NFL)
for the San Diego Chargers
, Baltimore Colts
, Washington Redskins
, and Atlanta Falcons
.
where his father coached football. Washington had a stellar college football
career in the University of Oklahoma
where Washington was a two time First-team All-America
n and finished third in the Heisman Trophy
balloting in 1974 and fifth in 1975. He finished his career at Oklahoma with 4,071 career rushing yards. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame
.
fourth overall in the first round of the 1976 NFL Draft
by the Chargers. A month prior to the start of the 1978 season
, he was traded to Baltimore for Lydell Mitchell
. Washington was with the Colts when he made his lone Pro Bowl
appearance in 1979
. He led the NFL that season with 82 receptions for 750 yards, and had 242 carries for 884 yards and seven touchdown
s.
His most memorable performance was on September 18, 1978 in Baltimore's 34–27 victory over the New England Patriots
on Monday Night Football
, when he had a hand in three of the four touchdowns scored by the Colts in a fourth quarter in which both teams combined for 41 points. He helped lead off the scoring by throwing a 54-yard option pass to Roger Carr
. Washington followed that up with a 23-yard touchdown catch from Bill Troup
. Washington broke a 27–27 deadlock by scoring the gamewinner with a 90-yard kickoff return
in a rainstorm.
With the Redskins, Washington played in Super Bowl XVII
and Super Bowl XVIII
.
Washington was reportedly the only player who did not wear the 1982 Redskins logo on his helmet. He used the logo the Redskins had used from 1972–1981 and 1983 to present.
Washington retired with 4,839 rushing yards and 3,413 receiving yards and 30 touchdowns in his career. He currently works as a financial adviser
for Wells Fargo
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
in the National Football League (NFL)
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
for the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Baltimore Colts
History of the Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls....
, Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
, and Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Early career
Washington graduated from Lincoln High School in Port Arthur, TexasPort Arthur, Texas
-Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 57,755 people, 21,839 households, and 14,675 families residing in the city. The population density was 696.5 people per square mile . There were 24,713 housing units at an average density of 298.0 per square mile...
where his father coached football. Washington had a stellar college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
career in the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
where Washington was a two time First-team All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n and finished third in the Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
balloting in 1974 and fifth in 1975. He finished his career at Oklahoma with 4,071 career rushing yards. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
.
Professional career
Washington was draftedNFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
fourth overall in the first round of the 1976 NFL Draft
1976 NFL Draft
The 1976 National Football League Draft was an annual player selection meeting held on April 8–April 9, 1976. It lasted 17 rounds, with the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks making the first two selections. The expansion teams were also given a pair of extra picks at the end of...
by the Chargers. A month prior to the start of the 1978 season
1978 NFL season
The 1978 NFL season was the 59th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded the regular season from a 14-game schedule to 16. Furthermore, the playoff format was expanded from 8 teams to 10 teams by adding another wild card from each conference...
, he was traded to Baltimore for Lydell Mitchell
Lydell Mitchell
Lydell Douglas Mitchell , is a former professional American football player. He played running back in the National Football League for the Baltimore Colts, San Diego Chargers and Los Angeles Rams spanning 1972-1980....
. Washington was with the Colts when he made his lone Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
appearance in 1979
1979 NFL season
The 1979 NFL season was the 60th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XIV when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Rams...
. He led the NFL that season with 82 receptions for 750 yards, and had 242 carries for 884 yards and seven touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s.
His most memorable performance was on September 18, 1978 in Baltimore's 34–27 victory over the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
on Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
, when he had a hand in three of the four touchdowns scored by the Colts in a fourth quarter in which both teams combined for 41 points. He helped lead off the scoring by throwing a 54-yard option pass to Roger Carr
Roger Carr
Roger Dale Carr is a former National Football League wide receiver who played mainly for the Baltimore Colts...
. Washington followed that up with a 23-yard touchdown catch from Bill Troup
Bill Troup
William Troup was a former professional American football player. An undrafted quarterback from the University of South Carolina, Troup played in 7 NFL seasons from 1974-1980 for 2 different teams....
. Washington broke a 27–27 deadlock by scoring the gamewinner with a 90-yard kickoff return
Kickoff (American football)
A kickoff is a method of starting a drive in American football and Canadian football. Typically, a kickoff consists of one team – the "kicking team" – kicking the ball to the opposing team – the "receiving team"...
in a rainstorm.
With the Redskins, Washington played in Super Bowl XVII
Super Bowl XVII
Super Bowl XVII was an American football game played on January 30, 1983 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the strike-shortened 1982 regular season...
and Super Bowl XVIII
Super Bowl XVIII
Super Bowl XVIII was an American football game played on January 22, 1984, at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida, deciding the National Football League champion following the 1983 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Los Angeles Raiders defeated the National Football Conference...
.
Washington was reportedly the only player who did not wear the 1982 Redskins logo on his helmet. He used the logo the Redskins had used from 1972–1981 and 1983 to present.
Washington retired with 4,839 rushing yards and 3,413 receiving yards and 30 touchdowns in his career. He currently works as a financial adviser
Financial adviser
A financial adviser, is a professional who renders financial services to individuals, businesses and governments. This can involve investment advice, which may include pension planning, and/or advice on life insurance and other insurances such as income protection insurance, critical illness...
for Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational diversified financial services company with operations around the world. Wells Fargo is the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by assets and the largest bank by market capitalization. Wells Fargo is the second largest bank in deposits, home...
.