1970 Washington Redskins season

1970 Washington Redskins season
1970 Washington Redskins season
Owner	Edward Bennett Williams
Head coach	Vince Lombardi (offseason); Bill Austin (interim)
Home field	RFK Stadium
Results
Record	6–8
Division place	4th NFC East
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
	← 1969; Redskins seasons; 1971 →;

The

season was the franchise's 39th season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 34th in Washington, D.C. Vince Lombardi, who was hired the previous season, was diagnosed with terminal cancer in late June and died on September 3.^[1]^[2] In July, offensive line coach Bill Austin was named interim head coach.^[3]

The Redskins finished at 6–8 in 1970, fourth in the NFC East, but with a five-game losing streak in the second half of the season. The last loss was a 34–0 shutout at rival Dallas on December 6, and Washington fell to a 4–8 record and four games behind the Cowboys.^[4]

It was the 25th consecutive season that the Redskins did not advance to the playoffs. Austin's contract was not renewed after the season.^[5]^[6]

Offseason

NFL Draft

1970 Washington Redskins Draft
Round	Selection	Player	Position	College
2	43	Bill Brundige	Defensive tackle	Colorado
4	103	Paul Laaveg	Tackle	Iowa
5	114	Manny Sistrunk	Defensive tackle	Arkansas AM&N
5	121	Danny Pierce	Running back	Memphis State
7	173	Roland Merritt	Wide receiver	Maryland
7	178	Jimmy Harris	Cornerback	Howard Payne
8	199	Paul Johnson	Defensive back	Penn State
9	225	Ralph Sonntag	Tackle	Maryland
11	277	Mack Alston	Tight end	Maryland State
12	303	James Kates	Linebacker	Penn State
13	329	Joe Patterson	Tackle	Lawrence
14	355	Tony Moro	Running back	Dayton
15	381	Vic Lewandowski	Center	Holy Cross
16	407	Steve Bushore	Wide receiver	Emporia State
17	433	Earl Maxfield	Defensive tackle	Baylor

Roster

**1970 Washington Redskins roster**

	Quarterbacks 9 Sonny Jurgensen 13 Frank Ryan Running backs 43 Larry Brown 26 Bob Brunet 32 Henry Dyer 31 Charley Harraway FB 40 Dave Kopay 19 Danny Pierce Wide receivers 28 Jon Henderson 24 Bill Malinchak 47 Walter Roberts 42 Charley Taylor Tight ends 81 Mack Alston 88 Pat Richter 87 Jerry Smith		Offensive linemen 52 Gene Hamlin C 56 Len Hauss C 71 Terry Hermeling T 73 Paul Laaveg G 65 Vince Promuto G 76 Walt Rock T 66 Roy Schmidt G 62 Ray Schoenke G 74 Jim Snowden T 75 Steve Wright T Defensive linemen 83 Bruce Anderson DE 71 Frank Bosch DT 77 Bill Brundige DT 89 Leo Carroll DE 85 John Hoffman DE 64 Manny Sistrunk DE 78 Floyd Peters DT 72 Joe Rutgens DT		Linebackers 51 John Didion 55 Chris Hanburger 86 Marlin McKeever 53 Harold McLinton 54 Tom Roussel 67 Rusty Tillman Defensive backs 46 Rickie Harris FS 41 Mike Bass CB 37 Pat Fischer CB 26 Jimmy Harris CB 48 Jon Jaqua 23 Brig Owens S 29 Ted Vactor Special teams 4 Mike Bragg P 5 Curt Knight K		Reserve lists 25 IRTooltip Injured reserve) Practice squad 16 Gary Beban WR Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance	Recap
1	September 20	at San Francisco 49ers	L 17–26	0–1	Kezar Stadium	34,984	Recap
2	September 27	at St. Louis Cardinals	L 17–27	0–2	Busch Memorial Stadium	44,246	Recap
3	October 4	at Philadelphia Eagles	W 33–21	1–2	Franklin Field	60,658	Recap
4	October 11	Detroit Lions	W 31–10	2–2	RFK Stadium	50,414	Recap
5	October 19	at Oakland Raiders	L 20–34	2-3	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	54,471	Recap
6	October 25	Cincinnati Bengals	W 20–0	3–3	RFK Stadium	50,414	Recap
7	November 1	at Denver Broncos	W 19–3	4–3	Mile High Stadium	50,705	Recap
8	November 8	Minnesota Vikings	L 10–19	4–4	RFK Stadium	50,415	Recap
9	November 15	at New York Giants	L 33–35	4–5	Yankee Stadium	62,915	Recap
10	November 22	Dallas Cowboys	L 21–45	4–6	RFK Stadium	50,415	Recap
11	November 29	New York Giants	L 24–27	4–7	RFK Stadium	50,415	Recap
12	December 6	at Dallas Cowboys	L 0–34	4–8	Cotton Bowl	57,936	Recap
13	December 13	Philadelphia Eagles	W 24–6	5–8	RFK Stadium	50,415	Recap
14	December 20	St. Louis Cardinals	W 28–27	6–8	RFK Stadium	50,415	Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

NFC East
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Dallas Cowboys	10	4	0	.714	5–3	7–4	299	221	W5
New York Giants	9	5	0	.643	6–2	6–5	301	270	L1
St. Louis Cardinals	8	5	1	.615	5–3	6–5	325	228	L3
Washington Redskins	6	8	0	.429	3–5	4–7	297	314	W2
Philadelphia Eagles	3	10	1	.231	1–7	1–9–1	241	332	W1

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

References

^ "Lombardi dies of cancer". Milwaukee Journal. wire services. September 3, 1970. p. 1, part 1.
^ "State to mourn Lombardi in rites". Milwaukee Sentinel. September 4, 1970. p. 1, part 1.
^ "'Skins tab Bill Austin". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. Associated Press. July 17, 1970. p. 11.
^ "Cowboys rip Skins, 34-0". Milwaukee Sentinel. UPI. December 7, 1970. p. 3, part 2.
^ "Allen replaces Bill Austin; Cardinals dismiss Winner". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. W-P. January 7, 1971. p. 13.
^ Lowitt, Bruce (January 7, 1971). "George Allen replaces Bill Austin as Redskin coach". The Day. New London, Connecticut. Associated Press. p. 25.

This article relating to a Washington Commanders season is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[mjldoc-1] "Lombardi dies of cancer". Milwaukee Journal. wire services. September 3, 1970. p. 1, part 1.

[stmlir-2] "State to mourn Lombardi in rites". Milwaukee Sentinel. September 4, 1970. p. 1, part 1.

[stbbla-3] "'Skins tab Bill Austin". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. Associated Press. July 17, 1970. p. 11.

[cripsk-4] "Cowboys rip Skins, 34-0". Milwaukee Sentinel. UPI. December 7, 1970. p. 3, part 2.

[cdsmsswnr-5] "Allen replaces Bill Austin; Cardinals dismiss Winner". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. W-P. January 7, 1971. p. 13.

[repgawa-6] Lowitt, Bruce (January 7, 1971). "George Allen replaces Bill Austin as Redskin coach". The Day. New London, Connecticut. Associated Press. p. 25.

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v t e Washington Commanders
Formerly the Boston Braves (1932), Boston Redskins (1933–1936), Washington Redskins (1937–2019), and Washington Football Team (2020–2021) Based in Landover, Maryland Headquartered in Ashburn, Virginia
Franchise	History Seasons Players Coaches Draft first-round picks Starting quarterbacks Records Broadcasters
Stadiums	Braves Field Fenway Park Griffith Stadium RFK Stadium Commanders Field
Ownership group	Managing partner: Josh Harris Limited partners: Mitchell Rales, Magic Johnson, David Blitzer, Mark Ein, others
Key personnel	Team president: Jason Wright General manager: Adam Peters Head coach: Dan Quinn
Culture	"Hail to the Commanders" Marching Band Major Tuddy Hogettes Chief Zee Redskins name controversy Name change advocates Opinion polls Trademark dispute Original Americans Foundation "Go Fund Yourself" The Replacements Everybody's All-American
Lore	Bears 73, Redskins 0 The Hogs The Fun Bunch The Over-the-Hill Gang Body Bag Game Raljon, Maryland Redskins Rule Ricky Williams trade
Rivalries	Dallas Cowboys New York Giants Philadelphia Eagles
Division championships (15)	1936 1937 1940 1942 1943 1945 1972 1983 1984 1987 1991 1999 2012 2015 2020
Conference championships (5)	1972 1982 1983 1987 1991
League championships (2)	1937 1942
Super Bowl championships (3)	1982 (XVII) 1987 (XXII) 1991 (XXVI)
Hall of Famers	Cliff Battles Sammy Baugh Bill Dudley Turk Edwards Joe Gibbs Darrell Green Russ Grimm Chris Hanburger Ken Houston Sam Huff Deacon Jones Stan Jones Sonny Jurgensen Paul Krause Vince Lombardi Wayne Millner Bobby Mitchell Art Monk John Riggins Bruce Smith Charley Taylor
Affiliations	League: National Football League Conference: National Football Conference Division: East Division

v t e Washington Commanders seasons
Formerly the Boston Braves (1932), Boston Redskins (1933–1936), Washington Redskins (1937–2019), and Washington Football Team (2020–2021)
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Bold indicates NFL Championship or Super Bowl appearance