Who Wore It Best? Part 5

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June 5, 2020

By Noonefromtampa

Welcome to Part 5 of my new offseason column that will reflect back on the history of the Redskins franchise by looking at former and current players and the jersey numbers they wore.

This week, it’s jerseys numbered from 40 to 49.

Jersey #40

Jersey #40 has seen some highs and lows, including free agent bust Adam Archuleta (S), Reggie Brooks (RB), Josh Harvey-Clemons (LB), George Nock (RB) and Alvin Walton (S). Walton is the player who wore it best.  Here are his key stats:

  • Twelve career interceptions as a Redskin with two returned for touchdowns
  • Five sacks
  • Member of 1987 and 1991 Super Bowl teams

Jersey #41

The #41 has been a popular number, worn by Mike Bass (CB), Will Blackmon (CB/S), Danny Johnson (CB), Brian Kozlowski (TE), Kareem Moore (S), Phillip Thomas (S) and Madieu Williams (S). The player who wore it best goes to Mike Bass, who scored the Redskins’ only touchdown in Super Bowl VII off Garo Yepremian‘s botched pass following a blocked field goal attempt. Bass is 4th all-time on the Redskins career interception list with 30 interceptions.

Jersey #42

Now we get to numbers that are not usually issued to players today because they are associated with hall of fame players or all-time Redskin greats. Charley Taylor is the best who wore this number. Sometimes forgotten is that Taylor was the wide receivers coach under Joe Gibbs and was responsible for developing a number of players such as Charlie Brown and Art Monk. Here are his key stats:

  • 1964 NFL Rookie of the Year
  • 70 Greatest Redskins
  • Pro Football Hall of Fame
  • Was on 1972 Super Bowl team
  • 2nd All-time Redskin leading receiver with 649 receptions
  • 1st All-time Redskins leading touchdown scorer with 90, 79 receiving and 11 rushing

Jersey #43

Number 43 it has not been issued to another player since Larry Brown wore it between 1969 and 1972. Vince Lombardi noticed how the rookie was late starting on every play and it led to Brown having his hearing tested. Brown became the first NFL player to have a hearing aid device in his helmet to help him better hear the snap count. Brown was also the first Redskins player to rush for over 1,000 yards in 1970 and is the third on the Redskins all-time rushing yards list. Brown is a member of the 70 Greatest Redskins. Here are his key stats from the 1972 season:

  • NFL Most Valuable Player
  • Bert Bell Award winner
  • NFC Offensive Player of the Year
  • Led the NFL in rushing and set a then franchise record of 1,216 yards
  • Played on 1972 Super Bowl team

Jersey #44

Now, we’ve gotten to a famous running back at #44 and I’m not talking about Moses Denson from Maryland-Eastern Shore.  Super Bowl XVII MVP and Pro Football Hall of Famer John Riggins is the player here. He is the all-time Redskins leader in rushing yards and touchdowns. Riggins is in the Redskins Ring of Honor and on the list of 70 Greatest Redskins. He has the record for Most Rushing Attempts and Rushing Yards in a single postseason: 136 attempts, 610 yards; 4 playoff games (1982). He also holds 19 of the NFL records in the “Oldest Running Back to . . .” category.

Jersey #45

The player I first noticed wearing #45 was Leslie “Speedy” Duncan, who George Allen brought in as a return man and nickel back. Other players to this number were Josh Evans (S), Sidney Johnson (CB), Jerome Murphy (CB), Brian Walker (S), Jeris White (CB), Mike Sellers (FB/TE) and Barry Wilburn (CB). White played on the 1982 Super Bowl team, but Wilburn wore it best. He finished with 19 career inceptions as a Redskin placing him 13th all-time and was a member of the 1987 Super Bowl team.

Jersey #46

There are some good level players who wore this number. Ladell Betts (RB), Frank Grant (WR), Rickie Harris (DB) and Alfred Morris (RB) all sported #46. Harris had 12 interceptions on the defensively lacking teams of the 1960’s. Betts is surprisingly 10th on the Redskins all-time rushing list. Grant is the team’s 22nd all-time reception leader with 141 catches and 18 touchdowns. The player who wore it best goes to Morris, who is the 5th all-time leading rusher with 4,713 yards, and his 4.4 yards per attempt is the best among players with 500 or more rushing attempts.

Jersey #47

Quinton Dunbar started out with #47 before switching to #23. Former Cowboy Duane Thomas wore #47 during his two years with the Redskins. AJ Johnson also wore #47 for his six years with the team, but the player who wore it best was Captain Chaos aka Chris Cooley. Cooley finished 9th on the all-time Redskins receiving list and remains a huge fan favorite to this day.

Jersey #48

There are some interesting players here, especially for a long-time follower like me. Jon Jaqua was a key special team player for George Allen’s teams in the early 70’s. Chris Horton had several great games in his short stint with the Redskins as did other bit players such as Ken Coffey (S) and Steve Gage (S). The player who wore is best goes to running back Stephen Davis. Davis is 4th on the Redskins all-time rushing list.

Jersey #49

I’ll never understand why tight end Leonard Stephens was given this number. Hall of Famer Bobby Mitchell, who also helped integrate the Redskins team in the early 1960s, should be the last player to wear this number. Mitchell is the 5th all-time leading receiver for the Redskins. Bobby also had a long career as a front office executive with the team. Sadly, he passed on April 5th of this year. Interestingly, he is tied with two other players for longest Redskins (and NFL) touchdown reception at 99 yards with fullback Andy Farkas (a 70 Greatest Redskins selection, also credited as the first NFL player to wear eye black) and running back Gerry Allen.

Next week, we will review jersey numbers fifty through fifty-nine.