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Position: Defensive tackle
Team: Washington
Game played: Oct. 4, 1987: Washington vs. Rams
Notable stats: 1 sack
The first thing Ted Karras Jr. remembers about his first NFL game is everyone hated him.
And not just him, but the entire Washington football team -- at least the version that walked into RFK Stadium on Oct. 4, 1987.
A defensive tackle on Washington's roster of replacement players during the 24-day player strike, Karras vividly remembers the jeering fans and protesters, including guys he once called teammates.
"Everyone was against us to begin the game," said Karras, now the head football coach at Marian University in Indianapolis. "The Cardinals came to Washington, and there was a crowd there and there were picket lines. Everything and everyone was kind of against us."
But not for long.
Karras recorded a sack, replacement wide receiver Anthony Allen set a franchise receiving record and Washington beat the St. Louis Cardinals 28-21.
"I thought it was the greatest feeling in the world," Karras said of his third-quarter sack. "I was fired up. The fans were fired up. The team was fired up.
"... At the end of the game, the fans were all yelling to everyone outside to stay on strike, which I found to be fascinating."
Undrafted out of Northwestern, Karras came from a football family. His dad, Ted Sr., played nine seasons and won a championship with the Chicago Bears, and his uncle Alex was named to four Pro Bowls with the Lions. Another uncle, Lou, played for Washington until an eye injury ended his career. Karras looked to join the family business, but after being signed by Washington as an undrafted free agent, he got cut when the team reduced the roster to 60 during training camp. With the prospects of continuing a football career narrowing, Karras began studying for the Series 7 exam to become a licensed stockbroker. Then he got another call from Washington, and he put the books down.
"I talked to my dad about it, and he was like, 'Yeah, you've got to go,'" said Karras whose son Ted III is currently the Bengals center. "Football's not a right; it's a privilege. We were all getting another opportunity -- and with the team that I was with for the prior six months."
It was an opportunity, sure, but it came with its own set of risks. A throng of angry protesters and players greeted Karras and his teammates -- derogatorily nicknamed the "Scabskins" for crossing the picket line -- when they arrived by bus to the facility for their first practice. Defensive tackle Darryl Grant, one of the Washington players on strike, punched and broke a window of the bus.
"I'm all for adventure," Karras said. "It didn't curtail really any of us. We were a pretty resolute group. We were just like, 'Hey, we're getting our shot, these games count, we want to do a good job,' and ended up doing that."
Officially, Karras played in one of Washington's three games with replacement players, but he remembers suiting up for two and getting in for a play during Washington's improbable win against the Dallas Cowboys.
When the strike ended and the original players rejoined the team, Karras' football career was over, and he watched from home as Washington finished the season under Super Bowl confetti.
But more than three decades after stepping on the field at RFK Stadium, Karras got a Super Bowl ring when the organization decided to recognize the replacement players following the release of ESPN's 30 for 30 documentary on the season.
"Three games constitutes a year in the NFL," Karras said. "We got some of the money, but we never got the rings. And then this 30 for 30 [2017's "Year of the Scab"] came out, and yes, it was beautiful. We went out there, saw all the guys, got our rings 30-some years later. It was unbelievable.
"I had a cup of coffee, but it was the best damn cup of coffee I ever had."
'Best damn cup of coffee I ever had': Seven ex-players discuss their only NFL game
Their NFL careers lasted a single game. Seven members of a unique professional club discuss their journeys.
'The Replacement'
Name: Ted Karras Jr.Position: Defensive tackle
Team: Washington
Game played: Oct. 4, 1987: Washington vs. Rams
Notable stats: 1 sack
The first thing Ted Karras Jr. remembers about his first NFL game is everyone hated him.
And not just him, but the entire Washington football team -- at least the version that walked into RFK Stadium on Oct. 4, 1987.
A defensive tackle on Washington's roster of replacement players during the 24-day player strike, Karras vividly remembers the jeering fans and protesters, including guys he once called teammates.
"Everyone was against us to begin the game," said Karras, now the head football coach at Marian University in Indianapolis. "The Cardinals came to Washington, and there was a crowd there and there were picket lines. Everything and everyone was kind of against us."
But not for long.
Karras recorded a sack, replacement wide receiver Anthony Allen set a franchise receiving record and Washington beat the St. Louis Cardinals 28-21.
"I thought it was the greatest feeling in the world," Karras said of his third-quarter sack. "I was fired up. The fans were fired up. The team was fired up.
"... At the end of the game, the fans were all yelling to everyone outside to stay on strike, which I found to be fascinating."
Undrafted out of Northwestern, Karras came from a football family. His dad, Ted Sr., played nine seasons and won a championship with the Chicago Bears, and his uncle Alex was named to four Pro Bowls with the Lions. Another uncle, Lou, played for Washington until an eye injury ended his career. Karras looked to join the family business, but after being signed by Washington as an undrafted free agent, he got cut when the team reduced the roster to 60 during training camp. With the prospects of continuing a football career narrowing, Karras began studying for the Series 7 exam to become a licensed stockbroker. Then he got another call from Washington, and he put the books down.
"I talked to my dad about it, and he was like, 'Yeah, you've got to go,'" said Karras whose son Ted III is currently the Bengals center. "Football's not a right; it's a privilege. We were all getting another opportunity -- and with the team that I was with for the prior six months."
It was an opportunity, sure, but it came with its own set of risks. A throng of angry protesters and players greeted Karras and his teammates -- derogatorily nicknamed the "Scabskins" for crossing the picket line -- when they arrived by bus to the facility for their first practice. Defensive tackle Darryl Grant, one of the Washington players on strike, punched and broke a window of the bus.
"I'm all for adventure," Karras said. "It didn't curtail really any of us. We were a pretty resolute group. We were just like, 'Hey, we're getting our shot, these games count, we want to do a good job,' and ended up doing that."
Officially, Karras played in one of Washington's three games with replacement players, but he remembers suiting up for two and getting in for a play during Washington's improbable win against the Dallas Cowboys.
When the strike ended and the original players rejoined the team, Karras' football career was over, and he watched from home as Washington finished the season under Super Bowl confetti.
But more than three decades after stepping on the field at RFK Stadium, Karras got a Super Bowl ring when the organization decided to recognize the replacement players following the release of ESPN's 30 for 30 documentary on the season.
"Three games constitutes a year in the NFL," Karras said. "We got some of the money, but we never got the rings. And then this 30 for 30 [2017's "Year of the Scab"] came out, and yes, it was beautiful. We went out there, saw all the guys, got our rings 30-some years later. It was unbelievable.
"I had a cup of coffee, but it was the best damn cup of coffee I ever had."
