Hail Victory: An Oral History of the Washington Redskins

Washington, D.C., remains among the most politically and socially divided cities in the country. But for the past 70 years, the National Football League's Washington Redskins have united its citizens. In fact, Washington Times columnist Loverro argues in this team history that the Redskins rival the White House, Congress and the Supreme Court as institutions in the capital. It's that fan-boy tendency toward hyperbole, however, that sometimes gets in the way of telling an objective history of this storied franchise. Nevertheless, his thorough coverage includes the team's humble Boston origins, the golden days of the '30s and '40s, the Vince Lombardi and George Allen coaching eras, and the rise and return of current Redskins coach Joe Gibbs. Loverro also examines such inflammatory issues as racism and homosexuality in the League, and he notes how the changing pro football landscape impacted the Redskins organization. The author's style-paragraphs of narrative interspersed with quotation blocks from players and coaches such as Sam Huff, Sonny Jurgenson, Dexter Manley, Mark Moseley and Joe Theismann-is unexceptional but effective. Though it's frustratingly unclear whether Loverro conducted interviews himself or intercepted them from other sources, there are few franchises in professional sports that command an oral history as compelling as this, the narrative carries itself. For those who worship at the Redskins altar, Loverro's history makes a fitting gospel.