Bama in the NFL: Long Washington Commanders Legacy Topped by Chris Samuels

From Jonathan Allen to Harry Gilmer and Riley Smith, the franchise has drafted and had the most former Crimson Tide players of any NFL team.

Author:
Christopher Walsh
Publish date:
Aug 26, 2023 7:00 AM EDT

In this story:

Alabama Crimson Tide

The organization now known as the Washington Commanders has an interesting history with Alabama football, and not just because of the 27 drafted Crimson Tide players and 39 who had participated in a regular-season game through the 2022 season, both the most of any NFL franchise.

It goes back to the first NFL draft, held on Feb. 8, 1936, at the Ritz-Carlton in Philadelphia, where Jay Berwanger, the first Heisman Trophy winner, from the University of Chicago, was the first-overall pick by the Eagles. But Berwanger reportedly wanted $1,000 a game, an unheard of sum then, and didn’t sign with either the Eagles, who selected him, or the Chicago Bears after they traded for his rights.

The second player selected was Alabama's Riley Smith by the Boston Redskins. He ended up being the top pick to actually play.

“I signed because I wasn’t ready to quit playing ball,” Smith told the Professional Football Researchers’ Association in 1983. “I just wanted to keep playing. I signed for $250 a game and a little bonus. We won the Eastern Division championship twice and the NFL championship once in the three years I played and the most I ever got was $350 a game. I made more money in the offseason.

“I quit in 1938 and took a coaching job at Washington and Lee for a lot more money. But we had it good because some of those fellas down in Philadelphia were playing for $60 and $70 a ball game.”

Washington didn't use another first-round pick on an Alabama player until 1948, when it made Harry Gilmer the first-overall selection. Other notable players with the franchise have included defensive lineman Fred Davis, who played on two NFL champions (1942, 1946), and defensive end Jonathan Allen.

But any discussion about the Crimson Tide's legacy with the franchise has to begin with the left tackle who anchored the offensive line from 2000-09, Chris Samuels.

While blocking for Shaun Alexander, among others, Samuels was Alabama’s first recipient of the Outland Trophy for best interior lineman, and also took home the Southeastern Conference’s Jacobs Trophy as best blocker. During his senior year, Samuels didn’t give up a sack or a quarterback pressure, and was consequently the No. 3-overall draft pick by Washington in 2000.

He was named to six Pro Bowls before revealing that he'd played his entire NFL career knowing that he had a spinal condition which put him at risk of paralysis with every hit to the head.

After losing feeling several times during his career doctors told him it was time to hang it up after banging heads with a defensive player from the Carolina Panthers and his body went limp. The temporary upper-body paralysis was due to the compression of his neck, and determined to be related to spinal stenosis, a condition that he was diagnosed with as a child. He retired from the NFL on March 4, 2010, and subsequently got into coaching.

“A lot of people, they've been praying for me to receive a miracle, but they really don't realize that I received my miracle when I got up off the field in North Carolina,” Samuels said during his retirement announcement. “It's going to be hard to walk away from the game I love, but it's the best thing for me and my family."

The Franchise

National Football Conference

East Division

Team Colors: Burgundy and Gold

Founded: 1932 as the Boston Braves. The team changed its name to the Redskins the following year before moving to Washington, D.C., in 1937. The controversial nickname was removed and the team played as the Washington Football Team for two seasons (2020-21) before changing to the Commanders in 2022.

Stadium: FedExField, Landover, Md. (capacity 67,617)

Playing Surface: Natural Grass

Training Camp: OrthoVirginia Training Center at Commanders Park

All-Time Alabama Players

Includes Boston Braves/Boston Redskins, Washington Redskins and Washington Football Team

Shaun Alexander, RB, 2008
Jonathan Allen, DE, 2017 - 2022
Ryan Anderson, LB, 2017 - 2020
Don Avery, T, 1946 - 1947
Anthony Bryant, DT, 2010
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, DB, 2018
Landon Collins, DB, 2019 - 2021
Fred Davis, OT/DT, 1941 - 1942, 1945
Reuben Foster, LB ,2018 - 2020
Robert Foster, WR, 2020
Harry Gilmer, QB/RB, 1948 - 1952, 1954
Cornelius Griffin, DT, 2004 - 2009
Shaun Dion Hamilton, LB, 2018 - 2020
Darius Hanks, WR, 2012
Hale Hentges, TE, 2019
Dixie Howell, RB, 1937
Wilbur Jackson, RB, 1980 - 1982
Mike Katrishen, G, 1948 - 1949
Arie Kouandjio, OG, 2015 - 2017
Tony Leon, OG/LB, 1943
Ken MacAfee, TE/OE, 1959
Phidarian Mathis, DT, 2022
Curtis McGriff, DE, 1987
Mark McMillian, DB, 1999
Michael Moore, G, 2000
Da'Ron Payne, DT, 2018 - 2022
Ross Pierschbacher, C, 2019 - 2020
Brian Robinson Jr., RB, 2022
Jeff Rutledge, QB, 1990 - 1992
Ed Salem, DB/QB, 1951
Chris Samuels, OT, 2000 - 2009
Sandy Sanford, E, 1940
Willard Scissum, OT, 1987
Sam Shade, DB, 1999 - 2002
Cam Sims, WR, 2018 - 2022
Ben Smith, OE/DE, 1937
Riley Smith, QB, 1936 - 1938
Steve Wright, OT,1970
Bill Young, OT, 1937 - 1942, 1946

Crimson Tide Drafted Players


Year	Player	Pos.	Round	Pick	Overall
1936	Riley Smith	B	1	2	2
1939	Charley Holm	B	3	8	23
1940	Heyward Sanford	E	15	8	138
1941	Fred Davis	T	3	10	25
1941	Ed Hickerson	G	10	10	90
1943	Tony Leon	G	8	10	70
1945	Bobby Tom Jenkins	B	17	6	170
1946	Fay Mills	T	29	9	279
1948	Harry Gilmer	QB	1	1	1
1948	Lowell Tew	B	1	4	4
1949	Dick Flowers	T	6	7	158
1950	Ed White	E	19	5	240
1951	Eddie Salem	B	2	1	15
1951	Elliot Speed	C	22	2	257
1962	Billy Neighbors	T	4	1	43
1962	Tommy Brooker	E	16	1	211
1972	Steve Higginbottom	S	16	21	411
1990	Thomas Rayam	DT	10	22	270
2000	Chris Samuels	T	1	3	3
2015	Arie Kouandjio	G	4	13	112
2017	Jonathan Allen	DE	1	17	17
2017	Ryan Anderson	LB	2	17	49
2018	Da'Ron Payne	DT	1	13	13
2018	Shaun Dion Hamilton	LB	6	23	197
2019	Ross Pierschbacher	C	5	15	153
2022	Phidarian Mathis	DT	2	15	47
2022	Brian Robinson Jr.	RB	3	34	98

Super Bowl Appearances

Super Bowl XVII (Jan. 30, 1983)

The Dolphins led at halftime, but the Redskins scored 17 unanswered points in the second half en route to posting a Super Bowl record 276 rushing yards in the 27-17 victory. John Riggins had 38 carries for 166 yards and a touchdown. Wilbur Jackson played in the game, but didn't have any statistics due to suffering an injury. Meanwhile, the Dolphins were limited 176 total yards, 76 of which came on one play, on 47 offensive snaps.

Super Bowl XXVI (Jan. 26, 1992)

Washington dominated from the start, building up a 17-point lead by halftime en route to the 37-24 victory over Buffalo. Forced to put the game in Jim Kelly's hands, the quarterback was intercepted four ties and sacked four times. Backup quarterback Jeff Rutledge was credited with a fumble when he couldn't handle the snap on a Chip Lohmiller field goal attempt from the Buffalo 2 in the first quarter.

Major Awards/Honors

All-Pro

None

Pro Bowl

Chris Samuels (6): 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

Jonathan Allen (2): 2021, 2022

Harry Gilmer (2): 1950, 1952

Da'Ron Payne (1): 2022

Fred Davis (1): 1942

Washington Commanders Ring of Fame

Chris Samuels

Washington Commanders defensive tackles Jonathan Allen (93) and Daron Payne (94) wrap up New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley during the third quarter at FedExField in 2022.
Geoff Burke / USA Today Sports

In conjunction with our revamped Bama in the NFL Database, this is the 32nd story in a series examining the team-by-team history of Alabama's former players in the NFL.

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