1970 Washington Redskins season
OwnerEdward Bennett Williams
Head coachVince Lombardi (offseason)
Bill Austin (interim)
Home fieldRFK Stadium
Results
Record6–8
Division place4th NFC East
Playoff finishDid not qualify

The 1970 Washington Redskins season was the franchise's 39th season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 34th in Washington, D.C. Vince Lombardi, who was hired the previous season, was diagnosed with terminal cancer in late June and died on September 3.[1][2] In July, offensive line coach Bill Austin was named interim head coach.[3]

The Redskins finished at 6–8 in 1970, fourth in the NFC East, but with a five-game losing streak in the second half of the season. The last loss was a 34–0 shutout at rival Dallas on December 6, and Washington fell to a 4–8 record and four games behind the Cowboys.[4]

It was the 25th consecutive season that the Redskins did not advance to the playoffs. Austin's contract was not renewed after the season.[5][6]

Offseason

NFL Draft

Main article: 1970 NFL draft
1970 Washington Redskins Draft
Round Selection Player Position College
2 43 Bill Brundige Defensive tackle Colorado
4 103 Paul Laaveg Tackle Iowa
5 114 Manny Sistrunk Defensive tackle Arkansas AM&N
5 121 Danny Pierce Running back Memphis State
7 173 Roland Merritt Wide receiver Maryland
7 178 Jimmy Harris Cornerback Howard Payne
8 199 Paul Johnson Defensive back Penn State
9 225 Ralph Sonntag Tackle Maryland
11 277 Mack Alston Tight end Maryland State
12 303 James Kates Linebacker Penn State
13 329 Joe Patterson Tackle Lawrence
14 355 Tony Moro Running back Dayton
15 381 Vic Lewandowski Center Holy Cross
16 407 Steve Bushore Wide receiver Emporia State
17 433 Earl Maxfield Defensive tackle Baylor

Roster

1970 Washington Redskins roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists
  • 25 Roland Merritt WR (IRTooltip Injured reserve)


Practice squad


Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap
1 September 20 at San Francisco 49ers L 17–26 0–1 Kezar Stadium 34,984 Recap
2 September 27 at St. Louis Cardinals L 17–27 0–2 Busch Memorial Stadium 44,246 Recap
3 October 4 at Philadelphia Eagles W 33–21 1–2 Franklin Field 60,658 Recap
4 October 11 Detroit Lions W 31–10 2–2 RFK Stadium 50,414 Recap
5 October 19 at Oakland Raiders L 20–34 2-3 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 54,471 Recap
6 October 25 Cincinnati Bengals W 20–0 3–3 RFK Stadium 50,414 Recap
7 November 1 at Denver Broncos W 19–3 4–3 Mile High Stadium 50,705 Recap
8 November 8 Minnesota Vikings L 10–19 4–4 RFK Stadium 50,415 Recap
9 November 15 at New York Giants L 33–35 4–5 Yankee Stadium 62,915 Recap
10 November 22 Dallas Cowboys L 21–45 4–6 RFK Stadium 50,415 Recap
11 November 29 New York Giants L 24–27 4–7 RFK Stadium 50,415 Recap
12 December 6 at Dallas Cowboys L 0–34 4–8 Cotton Bowl 57,936 Recap
13 December 13 Philadelphia Eagles W 24–6 5–8 RFK Stadium 50,415 Recap
14 December 20 St. Louis Cardinals W 28–27 6–8 RFK Stadium 50,415 Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

NFC East
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Dallas Cowboys 10 4 0 .714 5–3 7–4 299 221 W5
New York Giants 9 5 0 .643 6–2 6–5 301 270 L1
St. Louis Cardinals 8 5 1 .615 5–3 6–5 325 228 L3
Washington Redskins 6 8 0 .429 3–5 4–7 297 314 W2
Philadelphia Eagles 3 10 1 .231 1–7 1–9–1 241 332 W1

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

References

  1. ^ "Lombardi dies of cancer". Milwaukee Journal. wire services. September 3, 1970. p. 1, part 1.
  2. ^ "State to mourn Lombardi in rites". Milwaukee Sentinel. September 4, 1970. p. 1, part 1.
  3. ^ "'Skins tab Bill Austin". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. Associated Press. July 17, 1970. p. 11.
  4. ^ "Cowboys rip Skins, 34-0". Milwaukee Sentinel. UPI. December 7, 1970. p. 3, part 2.
  5. ^ "Allen replaces Bill Austin; Cardinals dismiss Winner". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. W-P. January 7, 1971. p. 13.
  6. ^ Lowitt, Bruce (January 7, 1971). "George Allen replaces Bill Austin as Redskin coach". The Day. New London, Connecticut. Associated Press. p. 25.


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