Commanders to Retire Hall of Fame Wide Receiver's Number This Season

Washington continues to engage with its most productive era.

Art Monk participates in a Pro Football Hall of Fame roundtable in 2008. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Three decades after his career ended, wide receiver Art Monk remains beloved by Washington Commanders fans—and this fall the team will celebrate him accordingly.

The Commanders plan to retire Monk's No. 81 this season, they said in a video Tuesday morning. Monk, 67, played for the team from 1980 to '93.

He will be the sixth Washington player so honored, joining quarterback Sonny Jurgensen (9), safety Sean Taylor (21), cornerback Darrell Green (28), quarterback and tailback Sammy Baugh (33), and flanker, halfback and wide receiver Bobby Mitchell (49).

Washington took Monk, a Syracuse product, 18th in the 1980 draft. He made three Pro Bowls and an All-Pro team with the squad, and helped it win three Super Bowls. Monk ended his career with 12,721 receiving yards to rank 23rd in league history.

The move comes amid increased engagement by the Commanders' new owners with their pre-Dan Snyder golden age, which includes three championships in a 10-year span from 1982 to '91.

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