Notre Dame Legend
Joe Theismann hails from South River, New Jersey where he was raised by immigrant parents from Eastern Europe. While attending high school, Theismann lettered in baseball, basketball, and football. Then, he accepted a football scholarship to the University of Notre Dame.
Following Theismann’s dominant college career, the Miami Dolphins selected him in the fourth round of the 1971 NFL Draft. However, negotiations fell through, and Theismann went to the Canadian Football League to play for the Toronto Argonauts. In the CFL, Theismann still shined. He was named an all-star in 1971 and 1973.
NFL Career
In 1974, Theismann left the CFL and joined the Washington Redskins. It took time for him to adjust to the team. But once he became the Redskins’ starting quarterback in 1978, he never looked back.
During his career, Theismann set franchise records for passing attempts, passing completions, and passing yards. He led Washington to back-to-back Super Bowl appearances and the team’s first Super Bowl victory in 40 years at Super Bowl XVII. He was also selected to two Pro Bowls and named the NFL’s MVP in 1983.
Despite his legendary career, Theismann is most well-known for the one play he had no control over. In a 1985 game against the New York Giants, he suffered a compound fracture in his right leg while being tackled by Lawrence Taylor. The play not only ended Joe’s career, it massively changed the NFL. The left tackle position went from being an obscure offensive lineman to the second-highest-paid player on the field. No team in the NFL wanted to lose their star QB because they couldn’t protect his blind side.
The Injury
Here are some of the many things people have said about Theismann’s injury:
- “All of a sudden, I heard, out to the left, it sounded like two muzzled gunshots. Pow! Pow! I didn’t realize where it came from.” – Joe Theismann
- “I knew right away. I heard the leg pop…I remember just trying to get off of him because I knew it was bad, real bad. I started waving to the bench to get the training staff out on the field.” – Lawrence Taylor, Giants linebacker
- “Joe’s just laying on his back motion-less. From maybe four or five inches above his ankle, his foot and leg are at about a 15-to-20-degree angle from each other, and he’s got this bone popping through his sock.” – Jeff Bostic, Redskins offensive lineman
- “I’ve been asked many times, did it hurt? It absolutely did hurt. The pain was excruciating—both bones were shattered. It was an open fracture, so it came through the skin. And it gave me an appreciation for just how great the human body is, because by the time the trainers and the doctors got to me, I had no feeling from the knee down. My leg was completely numb.” – Joe Theismann
- ESPN viewers voted it as the “Most Shocking Moment in History.”
- The Washington Post called it “The Hit That No One Who Saw It Can Ever Forget.”
Sportscasting
Despite the horrific injury, Theismann wanted to return to football. The compound fracture led to insufficient bone growth during his recovery, leaving his right leg shorter than his left. As a result, in July 1986, eight months after he took the hit from Taylor, Theismann failed his physical. He was released by the Redskins and forced to retire.
However, Theismann couldn’t stay away from the game he loved. Afterward, he became a renowned sportscaster and analyst with ESPN for nearly 20 years. He was heard on Monday Night Football, Thursday Night Football, and ESPN’s weekly show Playbook.
Since 2011, he has worked with the NFL Network as an analyst on a variety of programs. Additionally, he is the owner of Theismann’s Restaurant and Bar in Alexandria, Virginia. Today, organizations hire Joe Theismann for his motivational speaking at corporate events.
