Super Bowl XVIII

In the depths of having an aging roster and a battle with the NFL over a move to the City of Angels from their roost in Oakland, Raiders owner Al Davis and his team fought their way through the AFC to have the right to take on the defending Champions, the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII. Author Rich Shmelter covers the entire 1983 season through the lens of these two title teams and the results of their meeting in the Big Game in his latest book Championship Diary: Super Bowl XVIII.

The drama of the 1983 season unfolded as the Washington redskin under Coach Joe Gibbs were seeking to defend their Super Bowl Crown, while out west, Raider Owner Al Davis was having his arguements with then NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle over the franchise's move from Oakland to Los Angeles. 

Rich Shmelter is on a mission to write a series of books on some of the greatest title runs in not only football history but in sports history as well. The inaugural launch is released and it is called Championship Diary:  SuperBowl XVIII, The Los Angeles Raiders vs.  Washington Redskins January 22, 1984.

Author Rich Shmelter

Learn more about this talented researcher, historian, and writer, Richard J. Shmelter

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Super Bowl XVIII, as Rich points out, had some incredible players participating in it. Here are just a few that made the 1983 season and the Big game in January 1984 so special:

• Ted Hendricks
• Lester Hayes
• Mike Haynes
• Jim Plunkett
• Marcus Allen
• Joe Theismann
• Matt Millen
• Russ Grimm
• Todd Christensen
• Cliff Branch
• Marc Wilson
• Darrell Green
• John Riggins
• Lyle Alzado
• Art Monk
• Bruce Davis
• Charlie Hannah

Please enjoy the information above much of it supplid by Ricj Shmelter, as well as some help on players info from Pro-Football-Reference.com.

The image in the banner is courtesy of Rich Shmelter and the hard work of  Cody Haggard.

For the purpose of historic gridiron preservation and enjoyment, here are some more related stories associated with this subject and some associated people mentioned above.

How the Washington NFL Franchise Originated

The story of George Preston Marshall and a Boston franchise in the NFL that would make history.

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Art Monk

Born December 5, 1957 - White Plains, New York - The University of Syracuse legendary wide receiver Art Monk was born. Monk played at Syracuse from 1976 through 1979 and won the Lambert Trophy for being the top college player in the East according to his bio on footballfoundation.org. His great athleticism earned him First Team All-America honors for the 1979 season. Art Monk entered into the prestigious College Football Hall of Fame in 2012. After he left Syracuse Art was a first round pick by the Washington Redskins in the 1980 NFL Draft. He played 16 seasons in the NFL in Washington as well as with the New York Jets and as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. The Pro Football Hall of Fame states that his career catches were counted at 940 and that he played 183 straight games where he caught at least one pass. Monk was an All-Pro twice and was voted into three Pro Bowls. The Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined Art Monk in 2008.

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Jim Plunkett

Born December 5, 1947 - Santa Clara, California - The former quarterback of the Stanford Cardinal, Jim Plunkett was born.  The NFF states that Jim Plunkett set a record in the PAC-8 Conference in passing in his sophomore season of 1968 only to reset it two more times in his junior and senior seasons. In the  1970 season, Jim won 28 awards, including the Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award and consensus All-America honors.  The National Football Foundation voted Jim Plunkett into their College Football Hall of Fame in 1990.

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Marcus Allen

The history of this very dynamic running back from USC that played ball at the pro level with the Raiders and the Chiefs.

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