Joe Theismann: A Football Life 

Seeing joe and Pearson having fun like that was nice, they’re like in their 70’s and still having fun

I met Joe in June, 2004 at the Mellow Mushroom pizza restaurant in Destin Florida. He was the nicest guy and treated me with total respect. I’ll always cherish that moment.

Our greatest quarterback in the history of our team

Drew Pearson is awesome...."let me take my rings off". Priceless. So great to see these two NFL legends reliving old times. And the fact that these two old friends and high school teammates played for Washington and Dallas makes it even better.

My favorite QB ever in Washington DC 🙌 Love this guy, his passion, his football IQ, and confidence 👏 👍

Some people don't like Joe. I like Joe a lot. And I'm a Raiders fan. 70's and 80's football was the best.

Lawrence Taylor with the sneaky jokes 🤣🤣🤣. That man is the goat

Joe Theimann...the personification of class. He led the Skins to back to back Super Bowls (won one), he's a former league MVP and he led the '83 Redskins in becoming the all-time leading scoring team in NFL history. For the love of God...will someone please explain to me why Theismann and the greatest left tackle (Joe Jacoby) in NFL history...a 3-time All-Pro and SB Champ aren't in the freakin' HOF. It's a crime that these old legends are forgotten and continue to be snubbed.

We immigrated to Canada from Scotland when I was a baby! My Father taught me the rules to Canadian football and Joe was the QB in Toronto! Loved Him! When he went back to the NFL I was already a life long fan and continue to be a skins fan now! Thanks Joe!!

That block that Theismann threw for RB Joe Washington at 3:57....probably the greatest block I've ever seen from a QB. He knocked the defensive player off his feet with a great cut block.

When I was a kid we used to eat at his restaurant in Falls Church and when he was there he was always approachable and willing to sign autographs. I even got to be on TV with him once when PM Magazine did a feature on his restaurant. I also met Mark May.

I’ve come to really enjoy these “A Football Life” segments but this edition has to be my clear favourite. I was a nine year rookie football fan in 1971 when I first became aware of Joe Theismann. He was the QB for the Toronto Argonauts and about to play my hometown Calgary Stampeders for the Grey Cup the for the championship of the Canadian Football League. Much respect to him.

As a Cowboy's fan growing up I never liked him...but I sure did respect him, and now I like him too. Never knew he was high school teamates with Drew Pearson. Very cool.

MAN I miss the days when they were a winning, championship team !! This was a GREAT episode !!

Drew Pearson's best quote was, "I'm so grateful to be alive, I better make someone's day." Joe's is, "My favorite word is opportunity". What legends!!!

I've seen many of these "A Football Live" video vignettes, and typical of NFL Films, they're all great. What really made this one special was seeing Joe with DP on their high school field, and him with LT, which was brilliantly done.

Mike Wilbon said it best about Theismann -- "He was the NFL MVP and the best player in the league in 1983". Theismann should be in the Hall Of Fame.

I still cant look at that play. I start to see the play i turn away. Then my stomach turned more when it happened again with Alex Smith.

I'm from DC born and raised wish I got to witness a lot of these highs with the Skins at RFK

Love the friendship between Joe and LT. Beautiful.

Ahhh No wonder why he was such tough qb, he's a Jersey boy! I'm glad they are doing a documentary episode about him. Joe T is inspirational and one of the brightest minds in the game of football. If it wasn't for the inamous injury in November of '85; He would definitely be a first ballot hall of famer.

Great guy in the booth never sugar coated anything , told the truth if play was bad from coaching and players he said it , todays booth rarely does that.

I never knew Theismann could have been with the Dolphins when they won those two Super Bowls. I love the information this documentary shares with us.

I was four years old when I saw it happen live. To this day that remains to be the only time I've watched that play. I cannot bear to watch it again.

He’ll always be our #7. #HTTR

Two old South River Guys and me from Woodbridge which is only 15 miles away. The Best are always from NJ. Franco Harris, MIke Trout Kareem McKenzie and Victor Cruz. Love the Giants and LT.

This may be the best "A Football Life."

I'm 61 and watched Joe from a kick returner and backup to Billy&Sonny to Super Bowl winning QB. Joe was the most prepared and played smart and maximized his abilities. Was a pleasure having him as the QB and leader of the Redskins. Wouldn't have it any other way....Thanks Joe! Love you MAN!

I was so blessed to live that whole rivalry, Dallas VS Washington, Cowboys/Redskins. 80s and 90s were the best of times. As a cowboy fan Joe was an enemy of enemies. The biggest rivalry in football. He was a great QB and today it’s such a shame the Redskins are gone

This was great.

Growing up a Washington fan, Joe Theismann will always be my favorite QB. Two of my favorite childhood memories are when Washington defeated Dallas in the 1982 NFC Championship game and then when they defeated Miami in Super Bowl XVII, which was a thrilling game.

Glad to see that Theismann and Taylor enjoy each other's company so. Both were tremendous players.

Joe was one of the best of his era ! Loved him my favorite!

Seeing LT/ and Joe talking was awesome

About 25 years ago I met Joe Theismann at the DCA airport one day where he was waiting for a flight. What a genuinely nice guy to everyone that wanted to talk to him. I always liked Joe, but he showed me he was more than just an athlete, but an honest to goodness nice person.

This brighten my day, a time of better times and ....

One of the best...we miss u Joe!

Joe's glory days was a fun time to be a Redskins fan. Glad to see he seems to be doing well at his current age. As much as I didn't like the Cowboys at the time, it was pretty cool to see him hook up with Drew Pearson and relive their time in high school.

Joe Theismann Best Quarterback For Washington Redskins From 1974 To 1985 Thanks For Uploading

I’ve been looking forward to this one

Joe T was my hero as a kid !!! HTTR.

Is anyone getting how amazing it is that high school buddies both go on to get super bowls an mvp and both hall of famers!! From same school!! That's amazing.. Especially in this woke era not seeing how they both had opportunities and both succeeded with hard work... From the same area

I remember watching the infamous leg break live. The replays went on and on. All angles. I couldn’t keep watching. I could feel it again every replay.

I always liked Theismann, played in the very first Superbowl I ever saw as a 9 year old kid in the UK, Superbowl XVIII. I always thought he was either very brave or completely crazy only having a 1 bar facemask. Seriously great QB and leader for great Redskins teams in 82 and 83.

As a Philly kid, I was petrified when they played the Eagles---but man did I freak out and started jumping up and down when I got his trading card in a pack of Topps Football cards back in '85....anyone else trade football cards as a kid? It was like playing poker for me!

I was a Redskins fan and watched that leg break Laurence Taylor was such great player, and really appreciated his reaction to Joe’s shattered leg - along with his Giant players Loved that era of football, and Joe T was truly awesome in those few years between 80-85 Pearson was a monster receiver hoo for Dallas; nice to see the history

LOVE IT. I love all Football Life's and Joe's a star....even more stoked my boy DREW PEARSON popped up to brighten my day....Lovin' it. I love Drew and couldn't be more certain they are responsible for each other going pro!!!

that was a good documentary the part about the injury and lt and joe in rfk stadium I got a little emotional watching that i'm trying to go down to rfk when the stadium gets demolished at the end of 2023. good production joe's a touch ombre.

My dad attended Notre Dame the same time as Theismann & for a brief time, he lived in the same dorm as Joe. I remember asking him about it one time & he said he never actually talked to Joe other than a friendly hello if the were to pass by each other but my dad said that he wished he had tried to form a friendship w/ JT. Apparently Joe had some very, very, good looking girls hanging around him or visiting him at his dorm room 24/7/365/366 (Leap Year)

Absolutely fantastic episode !!! I’ve been a Cowboys fan my whole life, but I’d take Joe Theismann any day ! A great player, hard worker, and a great dude! Enjoy Joe, you’ve earned it !!!

Man, did Snyder flush Washington's football history down the toilet.

Theismann is still my all-time favorite QB. Growing up a Washington fan in 1982 & 1983 as a young boy was just heaven for me. Watching this old footage, you can see Theismann's excellent footwork in the pocket. He made it look so easy and it was what made him such a stellar QB. Theismann was the best QB in the NFL for a couple of years in the early 1980s and he should be in the Hall of Fame. It's about time that the NFL Channel created this for Theismann.

He signed a card I sent him. Nicest guy ever

I'm a big-time Cowboys fan but this was good. Brought back some good and bad memories of the Cowboys/Redskins rivalry.

I'm a longtime 49er fan but I've always liked Theismann. A fine QB and leader, and a class act. I remember that terrible MNF play in 11/85 like yesterday.

Hail to the REDSKINS!

I have great respect for Joe Theismanns comments on the pi no call saints/rams playoff game.

Thank you for coming to Toronto.

There was a holiday Inn in Fairfax, Va. Downstairs was a lounge called the "Fox and Hounds" room. Every Friday evening a bunch of Redskins would come in, push a few tables together, order up a few pitchers, and hold a team meeting. Back then, Billy Kilmer was leader of the pack. I remember him holding court, and Joe sitting at the far end watching, listening, and keeping his mouth shut. Shout out for Kilmer. One evening, a bunch of teen boys showed up at the door, peeking in. The waitress came up to Kilmer and asked if she could get an autograph for the high school team just outside. Kilmer said loud enough for all to hear "Which one is the quarterback? Send him in. I want to talk to him"! Pure class, made the kids day, and a lot of days to come.

That’s cool that Lawrence Taylor and theismann are good friends

Seeing these two together is awesome!

The fact that Joe theisman passed on being drafted by the Miami Dolphins and then later on plays against the Miami Dolphins in the Super Bowl... And he would have been on the Miami Dolphins in 1972 to play the Washington Redskins and here he is playing against Miami to win the Super Bowl with the Washington Redskins I mean that's full circle

Excellent… Great times back then to be a Redskin Fan. 👍🏻👍🏻🇺🇸🇺🇸

I remember all this and I watched the game he broke his leg but what sticks with me about Joe was his toughness.

Always liked Theismann as a QB & in media.

Note they don't mention the name of the team during Joe 's time there it's like the Washington Football Team in the 70s and 80s( only announcers and players)

One of the best Football Life episodes!

I was in the 1st grade when I moved to Alexandria, Virginia coinciding with my dad’s assignment at the Pentagon in the fall of 1980. I didn’t really understand pro football initially, so I didn’t start paying attention to the sport on tv until the following season in the fall of ‘81 (and that was primarily because of Dan Fouts). The following season, though, (‘82…3rd grade), I started paying attention to the ‘Skins in preseason. The red uniforms finally caught my eye, but by game 1 of the regular season there were a couple of developments that garnered my attention. First, there was a guy on the team named Charlie Brown (a great way to get a kid’s attention back then)and lo and behold Theismann went deep to him almost immediately in game 1. The same thing happened the following week; I was HOOKED! Then I found out there were some little guys on the team called “The Smurfs.” That was another attention-grabber. Then I found out about the Hogs and the Diesel. It was on FOR REAL! So I connected with this team on a VERY EMOTIONAL level as a kid, and Theismann was at the center of all it. They won their first Super Bowl that season, and as much as I loved it, I definitely felt like them beating the Cowboys in the NFC championship meant more. In December of 1983 (4th grade) we moved back overseas. The Redskins had kicked ass all that season, and the playoffs had just started. I was living in TLF when I learned we’d be playing the Raiders. I remember thinking, “ Well, they already beat the Raiders this year. This oughtta be easy.” Well, what happened was ultimately-and still IS nearly 40 years later-my lowest moment as a sports fan. It was bad enough I didn’t get to watch live, but the result was splashed across the front page of the Stars and Stripes the next morning. I was CRUSHED. A videotape from the States arrived a few days later to add insult to injury. My golden age as a football fan ended in the fall of ‘85 (6th grade). By then we were getting live telecasts of sporting events courtesy of AFRTS. The problem was that Monday Night Football was actually “ Tuesday Morning Football” (coming on at 3:30 in the morning). I got up one morning, and my Dad informed me that Lawrence Taylor had broken Theismann’s leg, that his career was most likely over. It was hard to process. Theismann was the only Redskins QB I’d ever known. How could they carry on without him? I didn’t actually see footage of “The Break” until I was in college. The great thing about that is that it was never my lasting image of Joe Theismann. Rather, the image that pops into my head most frequently is him knocking the ball out of Bokamper’s hands…that along with him running off the field triumphantly with ball in his hands after Super Bowl 17.

Great guy ! Love the Redskins . From Sonny, Mitchell, Charlie Taylor , Riggins and too many to mention ! ☮️🏈

That interception he thwarted in the super Bowl that would have been a touchdown by Kim Bokamper was huge still believe to this day the Dolphins win had that happened

Wow so cool to see those guys together!

Thank you, Joe, for the greatest moment in TV history. "Danny Woodcock."

He's a hall of famer. Best qb the skins have had in the super bowl era. Maybe the best small qb to play. Only 6 feet tall, and just 192 pounds. An average qb is like 6'3, and 220 pounds

As gutsy and driven a quarterback as I have ever seen, Dan Pastorini should have A Football Life segment as well.

Growing up in DC we loved the Redskins but used to think Theismann was a cocky blowhard. But I grew to appreciate him. Plus he was the speaker at my high school graduation. Thanks for making the team fun to watch, Joe.

I knew all about joe and have always expected for the way he played … but one things is clear after watching this . He was good ! Lively arm ,accurate on the move could throw well from any body position , great skill ,great athlete. Really surprised by his arm strength. Really needs consideration for the hall, Between his career on and of the field.

Drew and Joe , Jersey Boys and HS teammates

Joe was a great quarterback/athlete. Watching him as a kid in the late 70's-80's was fun. Hopefully one day, the pro football hall of fame senior committee will give him some consideration.🏀🏀

Can’t believe joe theisman and drew pearson are from n.j,big up to the garden state

26:12 underrated pep talk here. Fired up. Back when a $70k bonus was a massive financial incentive for NFL players

this is a great story of course that led to the movie Blind Side and Michael Orr. But in typical NFL fashion they gloss over the Argonauts and the CFL. It was great to see Drew Pearson, but I never heard Lawrence Taylor apologize for what happened and ending Joe Theeesmans career.

As a Bears fan I didn't really cheer for Drew Pearson and Joe to do well, but I appreciated them both for the fantastic footballers they were and both are footballing legends today. After Walter Payton, Lawrence Taylor was my hero. Great to see all 3 on Joe's footballing life story.

Thanks NFL for covering CFL Toronto Argonauts years...He is my all-time favourite player(any league) from seeing him at CNE Stadium in Toronto

That punt was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen

I remember as a young boy I bought a pack of football cards and Joe was included in the pack. All the kids were a little jealous.

This episode of a Football Life was a long time coming. I don't know why the NFL Network waited so long to profile one of the biggest NFL stars from the 1980s.

LT being messy!!😂😂

Thats wild about Drew and Joey T

Thank you….

When I saw LT react the way he did to Joe's injury I knew it was serious. Back then nobody cared about the replay being seen over and over again soon after it happened.

Pennsylvania and New Jersey QBs....some of the toughest SOBs God made to play football!

That 1 yard punt scenario was hilarious 😂

Joe and LT. Memories

I was just about to send him something in the mail to get an autograph. Excited to watch this video! I know nothing about him.

LEGEND !!! ......... HOF ......... Washington Redskins (1974-1985) Super Bowl champion (XVII) (1983) NFL Most Valuable Player (1983) NFL Offensive Player of the Year (1983) NFL Man of the Year (1982) First-team All-Pro (1983) 2× Pro Bowl (1982, 1983) Bert Bell Award (1982) Washington Commanders 90 Greatest Washington Redskins Ring of Fame College Football Hall of Fame (2003) How is He Not in the NFL Hall of Fame ???

I loved Joe he was a great player and announcer far better than Tony Romo. Tough as nails and he knows what he is talking about.

Heh! That Thanksgiving commercial was great.

I want Josh charles to narrate my life story love his voice

I remember that game Notre Dame vs So Cal in 1968 21-21 tie

I kinda of thought Joe was in the HOF. I mean he was one of the best QB’s in the 80’s and there’s not really a doubt about it. This from a Cowboys fan.