The Most Notorious Offensive Line In NFL History
The Hogs were the offensive line of Washington in the eighties and early nineties. While offensive linemen are generally less famous, this burly group of brutes achieved a fair amount of notoriety.
People still talk about The Hogs some four decades later. And with reverence.
Deservedly so. They changed the whole game. The line was so big at the time – averaging more than 270 pounds – that defenses would ultimately be forced to respond and use bigger defensive linemen. The league hasn’t looked back since.
It took time for that defensive transition to occur though. For much of that time, The Hogs dominated the trenches and their competition. They helped pave Washington’s way into three Super Bowl victories in ten years.
The Name
Do you know where The Hogs name came from?
It all started at the Redskins 1982 training camp. Joe Bugel was working with his line, a chunky bunch, and wanting them to hit the blocking sleds, he said, “Okay, you Hogs, let’s get running down there.” That’s really all there was to it.
The guys embraced the nickname and the monicker stuck. T-shirts were made up with razorback hogs on them and The Hogs were required to wear the shirts one day each week – or pay a $5 fine to Joe Bugel’s Hog Feast fund.
Read more in the History of the Hogs section.
The Original Hogs
Joe Bugel – “Boss Hog”
Offensive Line / Asst. Head Coach, 1981-89, 2004-09
Washington Super Bowl XVII, XXII
The man who founded, taught, inspired and was responsible for the Hogs and their dominance.
Joe Bugel Full Profile
Joe Jacoby – “Jake”
Right Tackle, # 66, 1981-1993
Super Bowl XVII, XXII, XXVI winner
Arguably the best undrafted NFL player ever, he was the anchor of the Hogs for over a decade.
Joe Jacoby Full Profile
Russ Grimm – “The Grimm Reaper”
Left Guard, # 68, 1981-1991
Super Bowl XVII, XXII, XXVI winner
The only Hog inducted into the Hall of Fame (2010), Grimm logged 140 games in a Redskin uniform.
Russ Grimm Full Profile
Jeff Bostic – “Bosco”
Center, # 53, 1980-1993
Super Bowl XVII, XXII, XXVI winner
An undrafted free agent out of Clemson, Bostic would play all 14 years of his NFL career with the Redskins.
Jeff Bostic Full Profile
Mark May – “May Day”
Right Guard, # 73, 1981-1989
Super Bowl XVII, XXII winner
Drafted in the 1st round in 1981 (20th overall), May won Super Bowls in ’82 and ’87 with Washington.
Mark May Full Profile
George Starke – “Head Hog”
Left Tackle, # 74, 1973-1984
Super Bowl XVII winner
The ‘senior’ member of the group, and subsequent Head Hog, Starke was a steadying influence.
George Starke Full Profile
Don Warren – “The Dutchman”
Tight End, # 85, 1979-1992
Super Bowl XVII, XXII, XXVI winner
Warren received honorary membership in the Hogs because of his blocking prowess.
Don Warren Full Profile
Rick Walker – “Doc”
Tight End, # 88, 1977-1985
Super Bowl XVII
Like Warren, Walker also earned honorary inclusion because of his blocking.
Rick Walker Full Profile
John Riggins – “Ground Hog, Diesel”
Running Back, # 44, 1976-1979, 1981-1985
Super Bowl XVII
One of the most colorful figures in Skins’ history, Riggins was granted honorary membership as a Hog.
Fred Dean
Tackle / Guard, #63, 1978-1982
Super Bowl XVII
Solid reserve, and an original Hog – he jumped to the new USFL in 1983.
The Hogs v2.0
Many people feel that despite some different members, the offensive line that rolled the Redskins into Super Bowl XXVI was the greatest offensive line ever. They wore the name Hogs deservedly.
Jacoby was at right tackle, Bostic was at center, and Grimm was now a reserve. Jim Lachey took Starke’s spot at left tackle, Raleigh McKenzie was at left guard, and Mark Schlereth was at right guard.
Jim Lachey
Left Tackle, # 79, 1988-1995
Super Bowl XXVI winner
Acquired from the Raiders in 1988 for Jay Schroeder, Lachey’s injuries are all that kept him from the HOF.
Jim Lachey Full Profile
Raleigh McKenzie
Left Guard, # 63, 1985-1994
Super Bowl XXII, XXVI winner
McKenzie personified diversity and played every single position along the offensive line at some point.
Raleigh McKenzie Full Profile
Mark Schlereth – “Stinky”
Right Guard, # 69, 1989-1994
Super Bowl XXVI winner
Schlereth holds the distinction of being one of the most operated on players in NFL history.
Mark Schlereth Full Profile
Ed Simmons
Right Tackle, #76, 1987-1997
Super Bowl XXII, XXVI winner
A reserve early on, but two Super Bowls and 10 years on the Washington offensive line
Ray Brown
Tackle / Guard, #61, #67, 1989-1995, 2004-2005
Super Bowl XXVI winner
Played with Hogs v2.0 – returned late in his 20-year NFL career – then coached Washington’s O-Line in ’06.
Quotes on the Hogs
… on the versatility of the Hogs
“They were blitzing everybody from weak-side safety to strong safety to linebackers.
First, Joe Jacoby went out and I went from right tackle to left tackle.
Then Joe came back and I went back to right tackle.
Then Russ got hurt and (right guard) Ken Huff went to left guard and I went to right guard. George came back in at right tackle.
It was like a chinese fire drill.”
More great quotes about The Hogs.
Articles on The Hogs
We maintain a small collection of original articles on The Hogs. This page used to just be links, but over time, those links died off as did some of the sources. We put them into the blog in the hopes of preserving them.
Visit the Hogs Articles section.
The Hogs Graphics
Looking for a wallpaper celebrating the Hogs, or some graphics for a social network post?
Visit the Hogs Graphics section.
More Hogs Content
Hogs Player Profiles
