The first game he remembers watching happened to be Super Bowl XVII, when Washington defeated the Miami Dolphins 27-17, and game MVP John Riggins ran 38 times for 166 yards and a touchdown. It was the Redskins’ first franchise title.
“They win the game,” he said, “and I just latched onto that. My mom started buying me helmets and jerseys and things like that for Christmas and we would suit up and get in the yard and it was a lot of fun.”
Earnhardt Jr. naturally began latching onto the central figures of the 1980s and early 1990s dynasty teams, including Art Monk and Darrell Green, both Hall of Famers.