The Last Old School Team

[sport historian]

A site called Coldhardfootballfacts.com has a piece (http://coldhardfootballfacts.com/Articles/11_2257_The_Last_Old_School_Team.html) titled "The Last Old School Team." A subhead is "The last hurrah of the white running back." The subject is the 1982-83 Washington Redskins. John Riggins, of course, is the running back referred to.

The article doesn't ask why it is so, but says: "Today, the white running back is more endangered than the albino elephant" and "The white running back twisted in its death throes in 1985, when New England's Craig James rushed for 1227 yards and led the team to Super Bowl XX."

 

[whiteathlete33]

The white running back died when the caste system went into full strength during the 80's. I remember watching some football games during the 80's as a kid and the NFL was considerably more white than it is now. I would have to say that the league was around 40 percent white then or slightly higher as opposed to around 33 percent now.

 

[Don Wassall]

The NFL at the end of the 1980s was different than it was in the early '80s. The Caste System kicked in with a vengeance in the middle of the decade; the early '80s were more a continuation of the '70s (thelast daysof the "Old School" NFL), while the late '80s NFL was much more like the NFL of the '90s and now -- barren of White running backs and cornerbacks, almost no White WRs, and coal black defenses or nearly so had become commonplace. Thebiggest differences between the late '80s and noware thesteep decline in White offensive linemen, and moreblack QBs, though not anywhere near as many as the league and the media had expected.

 

[whiteathlete33]

I think there were also more white receivers during the early 80's. It may be have around 15 percent or so though I may be wrong. I think I remember a few white corners during that time as well.

 

[Don Wassall]

I think there were also more white receivers during the early 80's. It may be have around 15 percent or so though I may be wrong. I think I remember a few white corners during that time as well.

Yes, that was the point of my post.

 

[whiteathlete33]

It's been years now since we have seen an actual white cornerback in the league. Steve Gregory and Eric Weddle could be corners but are forced to play safety. Sehorn was the last white corner and eventually even he was moved to safety at the end of his career. Pretty sad stuff.

 

[Truthteller]

The NFL at the end of the 1980s was different than it was in the early '80s. The Caste System kicked in with a vengeance in the middle of the decade; the early '80s were more a continuation of the '70s (thelast daysof the "Old School" NFL), while the late '80s NFL was much more like the NFL of the '90s and now -- barren of White running backs and cornerbacks, almost no White WRs, and coal black defenses or nearly so had become commonplace. Thebiggest differences between the late '80s and noware thesteep decline in White offensive linemen, and moreblack QBs, though not anywhere near as many as the league and the media had expected.

I don't disagree with this, but if you look at the early rounds of the 1989 NFL draft, it seemed like white players were suddenly in vogue again -- perhaps like it was themid-70's for a single weekend in the spring'89?Then by the 1990 draft, all had changed dramatically -- only Jeff George and Bern Brostek (sp?) went in roundone -- and things have never reallychanged since.

I don't know what to make of the 1989 draft, but it always seemed as if that 1990draft was a obvious (and very dramatic)turning point going forward.


*** http://www.footballdb.com/draft.html?yr=1989&dtype=&rnd=1http://football.about.com/od/nfldrafthistory/a/1989draftresult.htm

P.S: Quarterbacks Steve Walsh (Dallas) and Timm Rosenbach (Phoenix) were first rounders in the Supplemental draft that year -- so tack on two more white 1st rounders for '89. I think that would bring the total to 14?Edited by: Truthteller

 

[Highlander]

The NFL at the end of the 1980s was different than it was in the early '80s. The Caste System kicked in with a vengeance in the middle of the decade; the early '80s were more a continuation of the '70s (thelast daysof the "Old School" NFL), while the late '80s NFL was much more like the NFL of the '90s and now -- barren of White running backs and cornerbacks, almost no White WRs, and coal black defenses or nearly so had become commonplace. Thebiggest differences between the late '80s and noware thesteep decline in White offensive linemen, and moreblack QBs, though not anywhere near as many as the league and the media had expected.

Spot on, Don. Spot on. I've said that to myself many times...the NFL at the end of the '80s compared to the early '80s. I was an avid fan of the NFL in 1980, but could hardly care anymore by 1989. To me, it changed radically from 1983 to 1985...from John Riggins of the 1983 Superbowl Champs, the Washington Redskins, to the 1985 Superbowl Champs, the Chicago Bears, and their "Superbowl Shuffle" tomfoolery...a big change. (To me, this short span of years also were huge in the overall cultural shift, with Rap becoming mainstream and prominent and the general "dumbing down" of the American populace going into overdrive.) The '83 Redskins still played and reminded me of an "old school" team, whereas the '85 Bears are still mostly the mould of today with William "The Refrigerator" Perry as the original "poster-boy" of the today's black Sumo lineman, albeit on defense. Fittingly (or fatefully), the "nail in the coffin" for the end of the '80's was before the 1989 season when Tom Landry was replaced by Jimmy Johnson. The rest is history.
Edited by: Highlander

 

[white is right]

I remember when the Bears were looking like they were going to make SB run in 85' and Perry was peaking as a star. Media members kept on reminding fans that the veteran Bears were going to keep Perry grounded. It worked for the season but after that the rubber chicken circuit and one too many diet coke adds killed his desire to be in shape. He was the Ghost of the NFL Future( sloth like D-tackles who can't be bothered to get into basic shape).

 

[white is right]

I think there were also more white receivers during the early 80's.  It may be have around 15 percent or so though I may be wrong.  I think I remember a few white corners during that time as well.   

It was higher than that maybe 30 odd percent. I noticed then that the percentages of White players in the speed positions kept on slipping on yearly basis. Productive veterans were kept around even if they were "slow" but any young players with similar traits weren't given much of chance to do what the veteran did x years before. Edited by: white is right

 

[Don Wassall]

Tracing Don Shula's coaching career is a good way of observing how theNFL was overtaken by the Caste System. His Colts teams in the '60s were predominantly White; the undefeated '72 Dolphins had just one black starter on defense and featured two White running backs and a White wide receiver on offense. In Dan Marino's only Super Bowl visit, after his second season in '84, the White RBs and WRs were gone but the defense was still majority White, one of the last of that now long extinct species. By the early '90s, Shula's Dolphins were coal black on defense. Even a star college receiver like Scott Miller (at UCLA) was relegated almost solely to punt return duties.

The mid-1980s indeed was a rapid tipping point toward the basic template that's been in place ever since. I've always considered 1985 the yearthe Caste Systemunofficially began, but of course the groundwork was laid long before that, going back to the late '60s when the permanent Cultural Marxist Revolution began in ferocious earnest.

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

Truthteller, welcome to the site. Interesting info on the 1989 to 1990 draft shift of the number of 1st round white players. Supplemental drafts happen every year though and are separate from the regular draft, so unless it was a different format back then- I wouldn't include the two supplemental draft choices, just the 12 white picks out of however many 1st round picks there were at the time.

You can see a huge shift with how in the early and mid 80s Larry Bird and the very white Celtics were dominating at basketball, Alan Wells and other white sprinters were very competitive at 100 meters, and John Riggins won Superbowl MVP in 1983. Then in 1988 Doug Williams became the first black QB to win a Superbowl and the media harped on it to death I hear (from my father). Yet no one asks the same questions about why white RBs aren't even allowed on the field to see if they produce, when the same questions were asked about black QBs in the early 1980s. How can a player who dominated at the lower levels, fail at the higher level if he is never even given a chance? Doug Williams should be upset that the same thing that happened to his people at QB is happening to whites at RB, but I doubt he has spoken out about that. In fact I think I remember a quote from him saying it is a completely different scenario when he was asked about it for the old Orlando Sentinel article...(what a jerk!)

 

[icsept]

The NFL at the end of the 1980s was different than it was in the early '80s.  The Caste System kicked in with a vengeance in the middle of the decade; the early '80s were more a continuation of the '70s (the last days of the "Old School" NFL), while the late '80s NFL was much more like the NFL of the '90s and now -- barren of White running backs and cornerbacks, almost no White WRs, and coal black defenses or nearly so had become commonplace.  The biggest differences between the late '80s and now are the steep decline in White offensive linemen, and more black QBs, though not anywhere near as many as the league and the media had expected.

Spot on, Don.  Spot on.  I've said that to myself many times...the NFL at the end of the '80s compared to the early '80s.  I was an avid fan of the NFL in 1980, but could hardly care anymore by 1989.  To me, it changed radically from 1983 to 1985...from John Riggins of the 1983 Superbowl Champs, the Washington Redskins, to the 1985 Superbowl Champs, the Chicago Bears, and their "Superbowl Shuffle" tomfoolery...a big change.  (To me, this short span of years also were huge in the overall cultural shift, with Rap becoming mainstream and prominent and the general "dumbing down" of the American populace going into overdrive.) The '83 Redskins still played and reminded me of an "old school" team, whereas the '85 Bears are still mostly the mould of today with William "The Refrigerator" Perry as the original "poster-boy" of the today's black Sumo lineman, albeit on defense.  Fittingly (or fatefully), the "nail in the coffin" for the end of the '80's was before the 1989 season when Tom Landry was replaced by Jimmy Johnson.  The rest is history.

The "Fridge" was the first morbidly obese black man to be touted as a super-afflete. I remember him being hyped for being able to dunk a basketball. This was all to show that even a fat slob black man was better than a well-conditioned white man.

 

[Highlander]

You would think that, with Riggins' success during the early-to-mid '80s, it should've proved to the NFL PTB that a White man could be a big-time running back and even take them to the Superbowl. The proof was right there before all of their eyes. The fact that it did not proves their deliberate attempt, complicity and success in establishing a wholesale Caste system. After the first four games of the 1985 season, Riggins had three 100 yard games. He was then benched and replaced by George Rogers and Riggins retired at the end of that season. Sound familiar?
Edited by: Highlander

 

[forty-four]

Thanks for the info Highlander. I didn't realize that happened to Riggins in 1985!

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Good post, Highlander. Riggins wasn't a favorite of Joe Gibbs either. Gibbs had no qualms about benching Riggins and said so to the press. Riggins had sat out of training camp for a while. Still, no reporters seemed to care when Riggins was benched. Rogers only lasted through the 1987 season. What a joke!

Here's an SI article about John Riggins from August 1985, headline "has to prove himself anew."

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1119782/1/index.htm

Just in case anyone cares to see the stats for the two players in '85, here they are. Riggins actually had his 3 100 yard games in the middle of the season, but didn't play at all in the last 3 games. Rogers also had 3 100 yard games and a 200 yard game, but they were scattered throughout the season.

Riggins

Rogers

Edited by: Colonel_Reb

 

[sport historian]

You would think that, with Riggins' success during the early-to-mid '80s, it should've proved to the NFL PTB that a White man could be a big-time running back and even take them to the Superbowl.  The proof was right there before all of their eyes.  The fact that it did not proves their deliberate attempt, complicity and success in establishing a wholesale Caste system.  After the first four games of the 1985 season, Riggins had three 100 yard games.  He was then benched and replaced by George Rogers and Riggins retired at the end of that season.  Sound familiar?

No, Riggins didn't have three 100 yards games in the first four games of the 1985 season. He had none in the first five. Then he had two 100 yards games, then 35, then 112 in 30 carries. Riggins then faded the rest of 1985 but was not benched until the last 3 weeks of the season. Rogers did pretty well, with a 200 yard game the last week of the season and an average of 4.7 for the year. See pro football reference.

 

[white is right]

Riggins was benched because he was 36 and constantly in the hospital with traction for his bad back. Gibbs claimed he couldn't rely on Riggins. Near the end of the season when it looked like Riggins might not have a chance to break Jim Brown's record of rushing touchdowns the media speculated that he might get goal line carries but Gibbs kept Rodgers in the game instead.