LANDOVER, MD
Russ Grimm is among 62 Redskins alumni who are being honored today at the first annual Alumni Homecoming Game at Fedex Field. The former "Hog," recently inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio receives his HOF ring tonight at halftime.
Grimm, one of the most colorful characters in Redskins lore, shared some reflections with the media prior to Washington's tilt with Indianapolis this evening. Grimm is currently coaching with the Arizona Cardinals, but he fondly rekindled some Burgundy and Gold memories
On Joe Bugel's coaching and his Redskins teammates:
"This is the same guy that would cuss us up one wall, and down the other. I've been in coaching, I think it's been going on for 20 years, so I know what it's likeon the other side right now. When you play for somebody that really kind of not only wants you to do it right, but enjoys the things that you enjoy. He got depressed when you didn't play well, and he got excited when you played well. We were lucky we had a good group of guys and we had a lot of fun together. That makes it special."
On his greatest Redskins memories:
"I remember putting on the pads at old RFK [Stadium]. You could hear the fans in the stands, banging up and down, 'We want Dallas.' I can remember the pouring down rain against Atlanta when the seat cushions went flying. The fans in DC, Northern Virginia, and Maryland are special. They created an atmosphere that to me was second-to-none at the time. You played in front of these people and if you didn't play well, you got your butt booed, and that's the way it should be. And if you played well, they really appreciated it. Those are the memories. I remember [John Riggins'] run. I remember some of the passes that Joe [Theismann] made, that Doug [Williams] made, that Mark Rypien made. You remember all the guys that probably never got the notoriety. It takes a lot of guys to make up a football team. It's not always the guys that get the headlines and get to the Hall [of Fame]. I tell people all the time that I didn't get here without the help from [Coach Bugel], without playing beside the great players that I played beside, and playing with some good players on both sides of the ball. We had some good teams that got some recognition. A lot of that goes to those guys."
Bugel on Grimm in the Hall:
"It's maybe one of the greatest thrills I've had in coaching. I've been coaching in the National Football League for 32 years. I've coached some great football players. This is the greatest player I've coached. It was well deserved, that honor in the Hall of Fame. He's a great leader. He was a very, very physical football player, and the player loved him both on and off the field. So I can't say enough about him. He was like a son to me. I treated him ugly for many, many years, and he responded quite well. The bottom line is that he's a Hall of Famer."