Joe Theismann still inspiring decades after horrific injury
WASHINGTON (BVM) – It’s been almost four decades since former Washington Redskins starting QB Joe Theismann suffered a horrific, career-ending leg injury. So many fans can recall the 1985 televised game that replayed Theismann, who was just 36 years old, getting sacked by 243-pound linebacker Lawrence Taylor. Millions witnessed Taylor’s punishing blow that gruesomely caused Theismann’s right fibula and tibia to openly fracture. A non-graphic viewing of Theismann’s injury can be seen below.
“Ever since that day in my life… I’ve tried to be a better person,” Theismann said in a 2019 interview with WUSA9.
So what is the 72-year-old Theismann up to now and how has he turned tragedy into tenacity?
Joe Theismann’s football career
Theismann played three sports in high school (baseball, football and basketball) before going on to play football at Notre Dame where he became the starting quarterback in his sophomore season. In his final year in 1970, he set program records for passing yards in a season (2,429) and touchdowns in a season (16). That same year, Theismann finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting.
Theismann was selected by the Miami Dolphins 99th overall in the fourth round of the 1971 NFL Draft. That same draft season, he was also selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 39th round of the MLB Draft. Even with two American professional opportunities before him, Theismann instead opted to sign with the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts after failed negotiations. He threw for over 6,000 yards and 40 touchdowns in three years in Toronto.
In 1974, Theismann left the CFL and joined Washington, but it wasn’t until 1978 that he became their starting quarterback. He led Washington to the 1983 Super Bowl and ultimately defeated the team that drafted him: the Dolphins. He was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player that same season.
Theismann, who wore jersey No. 7, played with Washington for the entirety of his NFL career (1974–1985). He ended his career with 160 touchdowns, 138 interceptions and 25,206 passing yards. Although he’s in the College Football Hall of Fame, he’s surprisingly not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Theismann finished with multiple career franchise records, including most wins by a quarterback (87), passing yards (25,206), career passing completions (2,044) and career passing attempts (3,602).
Joe Theismann moves past injury
Two decades after his injury, in 2005, Theismann sat down with a reporter from “The New York Times” to re-watch the ghastly incident years after stating that he would never watch the film. After some hesitancy, he was able to watch the play, and it’s noted that it was, “not as bad as he imagined, or as graphic as people told him.”
Theismann and Taylor have reunited multiple times since the incident. The two were questioned by “The NFL Draft Bible” and they ended up taking fun jabs at each other about the 1985 incident.
“You’ll notice I won’t let Lawrence on my left side,” Theismann joked.
The dark humor between the two didn’t stop there. In 2017, the two acted in a commercial for Thanksgiving Day football. Taylor, with a piece of chicken in hand, turns to Theismann and says, “You want a leg?”
Theismann has clearly been able to move on from the incident that ended his playing career.
“To Joe’s credit, he never blamed me for what happened,” Taylor details in his book, “My Giant Life”.
Joe Theismann becomes a motivational speaker
Theismann became a motivational speaker after his injury and continues to be one to this day. He uses his story to motivate others to persevere and set goals in life.
“In everyone’s life… there have been moments… we don’t understand why something has happened to us,” Theismann said in a speech at Liberty University. “… I had been consumed with the fact that I was great, that I was the reason we were successful. The team could not be successful without me – so I thought.”
Theismann noted that he “wasn’t a nice person,” but he changed his life around after the unfortunate incident that he now sees as a blessing.
“What I understand now as I go out and have a chance to talk to different people around the world — I understand that I am the vehicle,” Theismann continued. “[I was] blessed with skills, but… I was abusing those skills and it was time for me to not do that anymore.”
That same type of motivation can be found in his book, “How to be a Champion Every Day: 6 Timeless Keys to Success.” The book ends with a letter he wrote to his younger self. “First things first: On November 18, 1985, maybe take the night off,” reads the start of the letter. His letter ends with, “I’m proud of you.”
Over the years, Thiesmann has reinvented himself in the face of adversity. So where is Joe Theismann now? The answer to that is in a better place than anyone could have ever predicted.
Joe Theismann’s net worth
Theismann was the fourth-highest player in the NFL at the time of his injury; he was in his first year of a five-year, $5 million contract.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Theismann is now worth $8 million. Although his career ended early, Theismann was still able to take the name he made for himself to take on other projects.
He’s worked as an analyst on the NFL Network and was ESPN’s lead analyst on Monday Night Football. He’s also taken on acting roles, most recently in a 2014 episode of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” 2016’s “Love on the Sidelines,” (where he played the father of an injured professional football player) and “SnowComing” (2019).
He also has a restaurant to his name fittingly called Joe Theismann’s Restaurant, which is located in Alexandria, Virginia. On top of that, he’s a brand ambassador for easyMedicare.com and he frequently posts on his Twitter about available options.
Theismann hasn’t taken a long break from working since his days in the NFL and it doesn’t look like he’s stopping anytime soon in his mission to changing lives. Supporting him alongside in that journey is his wife, Robin, and they have homes in Virginia, Tennessee and Florida. He also had three kids, Joseph Jr., Amy and Patrick, who he had with his ex-wife. Amy passed away in 2016 and Theismann often talks about her in his motivational speeches.
