Stymietee
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I was waiting for some of the revisionists to chime in before responding. I knew that at some point there would be defenses of Theesman especially when compared to RGIII regarding ego and arrogance. So without further ado, I'll stop giving my input and let Theesman, Kilmer, Jurgensen, and reporters at the time give you all the real story. I'm providing you all with links to stories and excerpts from them.
Here's Theesman in his own words...(excerpts)
“And I talk too much,” Theismann says. “I was egotistical and self-centered in my early years. I’m not proud of that. After people actually meet me, they’ll say, ‘You’re really not the prick I heard you were.’ ”
But you and Billy and Sonny didn’t hit it off.
"To be honest, Billy and I never got along. We never liked each other. He had something I wanted, and he had something he didn’t want to give up. I think it got personal. Since then, it’s water under the bridge. We see each other places and play golf in tournaments. We’re cordial, but there was a competitiveness there."
What about you and Sonny?
"Sonny and I never had much of a relationship, good or bad. Sonny was the best passer I’ve ever seen. I distinguish between passers and throwers. Throwers are guys who throw the ball hard; passers are guys who are just poetic. He could throw it down the field perfect, or he could throw it five yards perfect."
Who kept order?
Dave Butz, one of the first 300-pound defensive linemen, was the enforcer. You didn’t mess around with Dave. If there was a guy screwing around, the players would come around and say, “You need to get your act together; we don’t tolerate this.” You want to create an environment where guys want to hang around. You build the character of a football team away from the field.
Here's the story of how he became a kick returner (he connived his way into the job)
"I returned punts the first two years as a Redskin. I snuck on the field. I snuck up behind George Allen—the regular kick returners Herb Mul-Key and Kenny Houston had gotten hurt—and I said, “Kenny’s hurt. You want me to go in and return punts?” And he said, “Yeah, go ahead.”
"So I ran by him, and he turned to Paul Lanham, the special-teams coach, and said, “What’s he doing out there?” Paul said, “You sent him in to return punts.” And George said, “No, I didn’t. Get him off the field.”
"I never came off."
...AND the Story link in case you or others want to read it in its entirety:
Washingtonian
https://www.washingtonian.com › joe-theismann-sounds-off
Joe Theismann Sounds Off - Washingtonian
Washington Times
https://www.washingtontimes.com › ne…
Joe Theismann once told me jokingly that he was responsible for their close friendship.
“It was their mutual hate for me that made them friends,” Theismann said.
“I know that. It is funny. One night at the Dancing Crab the two of them made a pact. In the beginning, George favored Billy over Sonny, and everyone knew Sonny was a better thrower of the football and was just more productive with the ball. I don’t think they were best of friends at the time, but they went out to dinner that night and made a pact that no matter who played, I would not play. I was referred to as “Him.” As long as “’him’ wasn’t playing, they were fine. I’m glad I was able to put two friends together. It was very rewarding to create a bond between two guys that has lasted as long as theirs has.”
There is no doubt they were united in their dislike of Theismann, who ruffled a few feathers when he first arrived in Washington. But that wasn’t until 1974 — Jurgensen’s final year — and their close relationship began long before that.
“They were close to start with,” center Len Hauss, who passed away in December 2021, told me. “(Tackle) Walter Rock and I got Sonny and Billy together after a practice and said, ‘Hey, let’s go sit down and talk.’ We had some pretty good heart-to-heart talks, and I think by the time we were through, we had gotten us all thinking together that the team was the most important thing and that these guys were good enough football players and strong enough individuals that regardless of who played, it would be to the advantage of the team that we could win with either one of them.”
Defensive tackle Diron Talbert told me Sonny and Billy were part of a “real tight group” on the team. “Me and Billy and Sonny and Ron McDole and Len Hauss would take our wives out every Thursday night,” Talbert said.
The best part of the day Sunday will likely be the retirement of Jurgensen’s jersey. The Sonny vs. Billy debate is part of Cowboys lore as well — after all, 50 years ago last week Kilmer led the Redskins to a 26-3 win over Dallas in the NFC title game — and hopefully the Dallas fans in the stadium will respect that.
It’s not just Washington football history. It’s NFL history. It’s history in the nation’s capital. It has stood the test of time because of the love and respect both men have had for each other.
“We’ve been friends ever since,” Kilmer said. “I’ve stayed at his house, he has stayed at my house. I’ve had his kids over at my house. We’ve been close ever since.”
You can hear Thom Loverro on The Kevin Sheehan Show podcast.
• Thom Loverro can be reached at [email protected].
Here's why Sonny and many of my generation still refer to him as "Theesman."
Washington City Paper
https://washingtoncitypaper.com › article › ...
During the Redskins’ win over the Eagles, play-by-play man Larry Michael announced that QB Jason Campbell just broke a longstanding franchise record for most consecutive passes without an interception.
“Was that yours?” color man Sam Huff asked his radio partner and former teammate and Skins legend, Sonny Jurgensen.
“No. Theese-mann’s,” Jurgensen huffed.
He meant Joe Theismann, whose name Jurgensen has mispronounced intentionally for decades.
Here's Theesman in his own words...(excerpts)
“And I talk too much,” Theismann says. “I was egotistical and self-centered in my early years. I’m not proud of that. After people actually meet me, they’ll say, ‘You’re really not the prick I heard you were.’ ”
But you and Billy and Sonny didn’t hit it off.
"To be honest, Billy and I never got along. We never liked each other. He had something I wanted, and he had something he didn’t want to give up. I think it got personal. Since then, it’s water under the bridge. We see each other places and play golf in tournaments. We’re cordial, but there was a competitiveness there."
What about you and Sonny?
"Sonny and I never had much of a relationship, good or bad. Sonny was the best passer I’ve ever seen. I distinguish between passers and throwers. Throwers are guys who throw the ball hard; passers are guys who are just poetic. He could throw it down the field perfect, or he could throw it five yards perfect."
Who kept order?
Dave Butz, one of the first 300-pound defensive linemen, was the enforcer. You didn’t mess around with Dave. If there was a guy screwing around, the players would come around and say, “You need to get your act together; we don’t tolerate this.” You want to create an environment where guys want to hang around. You build the character of a football team away from the field.
Here's the story of how he became a kick returner (he connived his way into the job)
"I returned punts the first two years as a Redskin. I snuck on the field. I snuck up behind George Allen—the regular kick returners Herb Mul-Key and Kenny Houston had gotten hurt—and I said, “Kenny’s hurt. You want me to go in and return punts?” And he said, “Yeah, go ahead.”
"So I ran by him, and he turned to Paul Lanham, the special-teams coach, and said, “What’s he doing out there?” Paul said, “You sent him in to return punts.” And George said, “No, I didn’t. Get him off the field.”
"I never came off."
...AND the Story link in case you or others want to read it in its entirety:
Washingtonian
https://www.washingtonian.com › joe-theismann-sounds-off
Joe Theismann Sounds Off - Washingtonian
Washington Times
https://www.washingtontimes.com › ne…
LOVERRO: Storied Jurgensen-Kilmer rivalry shaped …
Joe Theismann once told me jokingly that he was responsible for their close friendship.
“It was their mutual hate for me that made them friends,” Theismann said.
“I know that. It is funny. One night at the Dancing Crab the two of them made a pact. In the beginning, George favored Billy over Sonny, and everyone knew Sonny was a better thrower of the football and was just more productive with the ball. I don’t think they were best of friends at the time, but they went out to dinner that night and made a pact that no matter who played, I would not play. I was referred to as “Him.” As long as “’him’ wasn’t playing, they were fine. I’m glad I was able to put two friends together. It was very rewarding to create a bond between two guys that has lasted as long as theirs has.”
There is no doubt they were united in their dislike of Theismann, who ruffled a few feathers when he first arrived in Washington. But that wasn’t until 1974 — Jurgensen’s final year — and their close relationship began long before that.
“They were close to start with,” center Len Hauss, who passed away in December 2021, told me. “(Tackle) Walter Rock and I got Sonny and Billy together after a practice and said, ‘Hey, let’s go sit down and talk.’ We had some pretty good heart-to-heart talks, and I think by the time we were through, we had gotten us all thinking together that the team was the most important thing and that these guys were good enough football players and strong enough individuals that regardless of who played, it would be to the advantage of the team that we could win with either one of them.”
Defensive tackle Diron Talbert told me Sonny and Billy were part of a “real tight group” on the team. “Me and Billy and Sonny and Ron McDole and Len Hauss would take our wives out every Thursday night,” Talbert said.
The best part of the day Sunday will likely be the retirement of Jurgensen’s jersey. The Sonny vs. Billy debate is part of Cowboys lore as well — after all, 50 years ago last week Kilmer led the Redskins to a 26-3 win over Dallas in the NFC title game — and hopefully the Dallas fans in the stadium will respect that.
It’s not just Washington football history. It’s NFL history. It’s history in the nation’s capital. It has stood the test of time because of the love and respect both men have had for each other.
“We’ve been friends ever since,” Kilmer said. “I’ve stayed at his house, he has stayed at my house. I’ve had his kids over at my house. We’ve been close ever since.”
You can hear Thom Loverro on The Kevin Sheehan Show podcast.
• Thom Loverro can be reached at [email protected].
Here's why Sonny and many of my generation still refer to him as "Theesman."
Washington City Paper
https://washingtoncitypaper.com › article › ...
Sonny Jurgensen vs. Joe Theese-man? - Washington City Paper
an excerpt:During the Redskins’ win over the Eagles, play-by-play man Larry Michael announced that QB Jason Campbell just broke a longstanding franchise record for most consecutive passes without an interception.
“Was that yours?” color man Sam Huff asked his radio partner and former teammate and Skins legend, Sonny Jurgensen.
“No. Theese-mann’s,” Jurgensen huffed.
He meant Joe Theismann, whose name Jurgensen has mispronounced intentionally for decades.
