Great moments in rivalry: Redskin scabs beat Dallas Cowboys October 19th, 1987

by Skin Patrol on Jul 2, 2007 11:52 AM EDT

Post inspired -- or provoked -- by Bleeding Green Nation's nostalgia over the "Body Bag Game". Nothing more will be said about that here.

Anyways, during the 1987 strike-shortened season, the "SubSkins", or the guys replacing the strikers, made a name for themselves by going 3-0 and winning a huge game against Dallas despite the fact that many Cowboys had already crossed the picket line. Definitive word on the subject belongs to Rick Snider, who wrote a great article on it in preparation of the (then) upcoming movie, "The Replacements" which was loosely based on that 1987 team. Here come the entertaining anectodes:

But fiction can't match the bizarre "SubSkins." A former prisoner, a 7-Eleven security guard and a lineman so out of shape that climbing the stairs proved too taxing were among those quickly signed to replace the striking regulars.

"I thought the guy had just finished taking his treadmill test," said Redskins general manager Charley Casserly, who was then assistant GM. "He could barely breathe and had only come up the steps. Still, we had to sign him."...

Conditioning was so poor that offensive line coach Joe Bugel put his fist in an overweight player's stomach during a blocking drill and said he couldn't get it back out...

But the SubSkins became legendary against the Dallas Cowboys at Texas Stadium on Monday Night Football. The "Rhinestone Cowboys" included starting quarterback Danny White, defensive tackle Randy White and running back Tony Dorsett. Gibbs delivered a pregame talk to rival Mel Gibson´s rousing pre-battle speech in "Braveheart": Where would you rather be than right here, right now? The Redskins responded with a 13-7 victory.

And of course, my personal favorite was Charley Jackson expressing his support for the team in an odd manner:

"I´m proud to represent the state of Washington," safety Charles Jackson said.

So long as the Cowboys were defeated, he could've called it a province for all I care: