Position | Defensive End
Born | Sacramento, California
Date-of-Birth | April 12, 1961
Height | 6’6″
Weight | 250 lbs
College | Nevada
NFL Career | 12 seasons Teams | Washington Redskins 1983-1993, San Francisco 49ers 1994
Career Highlights
- Third-round pick (84th overall) of the Washington Redskins in the 1983 NFL Draft
- Became Washington’s starting left defensive end in his second season, opposite Dexter Manley
- Recorded a career-high 14.5 sacks in 1985, just his third season
- Retired with 82 sacks as a Redskin, second-most in franchise history (now 3rd)
- Set the franchise record with 17 forced fumbles
- 3x Super Bowl champion (XXII and XXVI with Washington, XXIX with San Francisco)
- Washington Redskins Ring of Fame
- 70 Greatest Redskins
- Nevada Athletics Hall of Fame (1995)
- Sacramento Sports Hall of Fame inductee
Awards
- 4x Pro Bowl (1987, 1988, 1989, 1991)
- 2x Second-team All-Pro (1987, 1991)
- Big Sky Conference Most Valuable Defensive Lineman (1981, 1982)
Charles Mann Built a Legacy in Washington, Then Never Left
Charles Mann spent 11 seasons terrorizing quarterbacks for Washington. He’s spent the three decades since building businesses and community programs in the same city, making him one of the rare stars who never really left.
A Late Bloomer From Sacramento
Mann’s path to the NFL started almost by accident. He didn’t play organized football until his senior year of high school, and when his mother caught him sneaking off to play Pop Warner as a kid, she made him quit outright, worried he’d get hurt.
He grew into his frame late, eventually walking into a standout career at the University of Nevada, where he led the Big Sky Conference with 14 sacks as a senior and earned conference Defensive Lineman of the Year honors twice.
Washington drafted him in the third round in 1983, 84th overall â hardly a can’t-miss prospect on paper, but exactly the kind of underrated Beathard-era pick that came to define the franchise.
The Other End of Washington’s Front Four
Mann became Washington’s starting left defensive end in just his second season, lining up opposite Dexter Manley to form one of the most feared pass-rushing duos in football. His breakout came fast: 14.5 sacks in 1985, still his career high, in only his third NFL season. He went on to record double-digit sacks four times in Washington, anchoring defenses that helped carry the franchise through its most dominant era.
Three Rings, Two Cities
Mann won Super Bowl XXII with Washington in the 1987 season and Super Bowl XXVI in 1991, leading the team with 10 sacks in the ’87 title run. He retired from Washington with 82 sacks, the second-most in franchise history, and 17 forced fumbles, still the franchise record. After 11 seasons, Washington traded him to San Francisco for what turned out to be one final act: a Super Bowl XXIX ring with the 49ers to close out his career with three championships total.
Staying Home
Unlike most players who scatter after retirement, Mann built his post-football life right where he made his name. He worked as a sports reporter for WUSA Channel 9 in Washington, D.C. through 2000, then turned entrepreneur, co-owning the credit card processing company Alliant Merchant Services and eventually opening the Charles Mann All Pro Grill inside Reagan National Airport.
He went back to school later in life too, earning a business administration degree from Strayer University in 2015.
Mann also stayed deeply involved in the community.
He co-founded the Good Samaritan Foundation alongside former Redskins teammates Earnest Byner, Tim Johnson, and Art Monk, an organization supporting D.C.-area youth that’s remained active for decades.
Legacy
Mann sits in Washington’s Ring of Fame and among the franchise’s 90 Greatest, and he’s been nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame more than a dozen times.
Reflecting on his unlikely path from a kid who wasn’t allowed to play football to a three-time Super Bowl champion, Mann summed it up simply: “It’s not how you start, but how you finish.”
Few players have finished as thoroughly rooted in Washington as Charles Mann.
Career Statistics
| Team | Year | G | GS | Int | FR | Sk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 1983 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 |
| Washington | 1984 | 16 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 7.0 |
| Washington | 1985 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 14.5 |
| Washington | 1986 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 |
| Washington | 1987 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 9.5 |
| Washington | 1988 | 14 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 5.5 |
| Washington | 1989 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 10.0 |
| Washington | 1990 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 5.5 |
| Washington | 1991 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 11.5 |
| Washington | 1992 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 |
| Washington | 1993 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 |
| San Francisco | 1994 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Career Total | 12 seasons | 177 | 145 | 0 | 7 | 83.0 |
G = Games played, GS = Games started, Int = Interceptions, FR = Fumble recoveries, Sk = Sacks. Mann recorded no career interceptions, typical for a pure pass-rushing defensive end. Note: Pro Football Reference’s official season log credits Mann with 13 career forced fumbles; some other sources cite 17 as a franchise record figure. Stats via Pro Football Reference.
Personal Note
I had the pleasure of interviewing Charles Mann at the Ken Harvey Fan Football Classic. What a treat. He was very engaging and told some great stories.
