Every great NFL team has stars, but only a special few teams have nicknames that outlive the players themselves. Washington’s history is packed with them — but ask any longtime fan what the best group nickname in Redskins history is, and you’ll spark a debate that never really ends. The Hogs. The Over-the-Hill Gang. The Fun Bunch, the Smurfs, the Posse.
Each one captured a specific era, a specific identity, and a specific brand of Redskins football. Below, we break down where each nickname came from, who wore it, and why it still means something decades later.
The Hogs
The Hogs is arguably the most famous group nickname in franchise history — in fact, it may be the best group nickname in league history. No bias. 🙂
They were the offensive line (plus a couple of others) of the Washington Redskins during the 1980s and early 1990s. The units were renowned for controlling the line of scrimmage and paving the way for three Super Bowl championships under head coach Joe Gibbs.
Offensive line coach Joe Bugel coined the name in 1982 almost by accident — during a training camp practice, he told the linemen to head to the blocking sled and called them Hogs to get them moving. The name stuck instantly, and Gibbs reportedly told the group, “Once you establish a nickname, you’d better back it up.” They did exactly that.
Core members over the run included Jeff Bostic, Russ Grimm, Joe Jacoby, Mark May, Raleigh McKenzie, George Starke, Jim Lachey, Ed Simmons, Mark Schlereth, and tight ends Rick Walker and Don Warren, with four different Pro Bowlers among them: Grimm, Jacoby, Bostic, and May. Grimm was later enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Hogs became a cultural phenomenon — doing commercials and posters, and inspiring fans to dress up as “Hogettes” at games. Their legacy is still remembered today.
Read Everything You Want To Know About The Hogs Here.
The Over-the-Hill Gang
The Over-the-Hill Gang was the nickname for George Allen‘s Washington Redskins of the 1970s. They were so named for the large number of veteran players on the roster. The average age of starters was 31, almost unheard of by NFL standards. Many of these veterans had played for Allen previously with the Los Angeles Rams in the late 1960s, and he brought them to Washington to build a win-now roster the moment he took over in 1971.
Rather than build through the draft, Allen traded away picks aggressively for proven players. Of the Redskins’ first five picks in the 1971 draft, only one was actually used. The biggest deal sent seven draft choices and linebacker Marlin McKeever back to the Rams in exchange for linebackers Jack Pardee, Myron Pottios, and Maxie Baughan, defensive tackle Diron Talbert, guard John Wilbur, and a special teamer. Other trades brought in Boyd Dowler, Verlon Biggs, Richie Petitbon, Ron McDole, and Rosey Taylor. Quarterback Billy Kilmer, acquired via trade, became the group’s on-field leader.
The gamble paid off fast: Washington jumped to 9-4-1 in 1971 and 11-3 in 1972, reaching Super Bowl VII. Seven future Hall of Famers wore the nickname at some point — Sonny Jurgensen, Dave Robinson, Ken Houston, Deacon Jones, John Riggins, Chris Hanburger, and Charley Taylor.
The Fun Bunch
The Fun Bunch were Washington’s wide receivers and tight ends of the early 1980s. They were best known for their choreographed group high-fives in the end zone after touchdowns — leaps so exuberant and over-the-top that the celebrations eventually led the NFL to ban “excessive celebration” league-wide in 1984.
Core members included wide receivers Art Monk, Virgil Seay, Charlie Brown, and Alvin Garrett, running back Otis Wonsley, and tight ends Rick Walker and Don Warren. Each won a Super Bowl with Washington. Monk and Warren earned rings on all three championship teams, and three of the group made the Pro Bowl. Monk, of course, went on to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The tradition actually started almost by accident: the first high-five leap came after an Alvin Garrett touchdown in the 1982 first-round playoff game against the Detroit Lions — and it was originally meant as a tribute to Monk, who’d been injured in the regular-season finale and couldn’t play in the postseason. The gesture caught on, the group leaned into it, and it became one of the signature images of that early-80s Redskins era.
The Smurfs
The Smurfs were a small sub-group nested inside the Fun Bunch — wide receivers Virgil Seay, Alvin Garrett, and Charlie Brown, who earned the nickname purely because of their size. Garrett stood 5’7″, Seay was 5’8″ (and picked up the personal nickname “Papa Smurf”), and Brown, the “tall” one of the trio, topped out at 5’10”. Against the era’s bigger, more physical NFL corners, the comparison to Peyo’s tiny blue cartoon characters practically named itself.
All three were core Fun Bunch members and part of Washington’s Super Bowl XVII championship team under Joe Gibbs. Seay, a 10th-round pick out of Troy State, spent 1981–1984 with Washington after brief time with Denver. Garrett, a 9th-rounder from Angelo State who’d bounced from San Diego and the Giants, gave the group its signature moment. His touchdown catch in the 1982 playoff win over Detroit sparked the very first Fun Bunch high-five celebration. Brown rounded out the group as the trio’s biggest target. Together they gave Joe Theismann a trio of undersized, overachieving weapons who became fan favorites during Washington’s early-80s championship run.
The Posse
The Posse was the nickname for Washington’s late-1980s/early-1990s wide receiver trio. Art Monk, Ricky Sanders, and Gary Clark are arguably one of the best three-man receiving corps in LEAGUE history. Together they gave Doug Williams, and later Mark Rypien, a deep, versatile group of targets. They helped carry Washington to Super Bowl XXII and XXVI championships.
Monk was the steady, sure-handed veteran and eventual Hall of Famer. Clark brought speed and a fiery competitive edge. Sanders was a converted USFL sta. He added big-play ability, famously torching Denver for a Super Bowl record 193 receiving yards in Super Bowl XXII. All three were key contributors on both of Washington’s championship teams in that stretch.
Unlike the Fun Bunch or Smurfs, the Posse wasn’t built around a gimmick or celebration . The name reflected pure respect for their production and chemistry as a trio. In 1989, they were one of just four NFL trios in history to have over 1000 yards receiving EACH.
George H.W. Bush
It’s telling that even a sitting U.S. president name-checked them by nickname: George H.W. Bush referred to “members of the ‘Posse,’ wide receivers Ricky Sanders and Gary Clark” alongside Monk when honoring the Super Bowl champions at the White House.
So, what’s the best group nickname in Redskins history? The Hogs will always have the loudest case. Three Super Bowl rings, a Hall of Famer, and a mascot named in their honor will do that. But the Over-the-Hill Gang built the blueprint, the Fun Bunch and Smurfs brought personality to the receiving corps, and the Posse quietly was the best trio of pass-catchers the franchise has ever had. That’s the beauty of it — there’s no wrong answer, only decades of burgundy and gold history to argue about.
What do you think? What’s your favorite? Hit me up on X and let me know.