“History.”
That’s the first word Mark Rypien thinks about when he recalls the magical Super Bowl XXVI season that culminated in glory 25 years ago Thursday. But not history in the general sense. Not history strictly because it was Washington’s third title in the last decade, nor because he won the big game’s MVP award.
This was history because, for the first time in Washington’s existence, the team won a championship in a full 16-game season. Take nothing away from the previous two Lombardi Trophies, which came during strike-shortened years, but there is a sense of pride that comes from Rypien’s voice when he considers what his team did during the 1991-1992 season that might never be replicated again.