Joe Gibbs on the Commanders: ‘This is the greatest sports franchise in the world’

There is perhaps no one person more beloved in the 91-year history of the Washington NFL franchise than Joe Gibbs. Players come and go, so do executives and coaches, but Gibbs transcends every era of Washington football.

Over the past 24 years of Dan Snyder’s ownership, Gibbs would often pop up when Snyder needed him. After miraculously luring Gibbs out of retirement in 2004, where he coached four more seasons, those appearances weren’t as frequent in recent years. But when Gibbs came, Washington made sure the cameras found him.

Why? Because everybody loves Coach Gibbs — and rightfully so.

We learned in recent months that Gibbs has formed a relationship with new Washington owner Josh Harris. Harris spoke with Gibbs often, even investing in his NASCAR team with longtime business partner David Blitzer — also a minority owner of the Commanders.

So it was no surprise Friday when Gibbs was at FedEx Field for Harris’ introduction to the fans and media.

Gibbs spoke to Washington fans Friday at the team’s training camp pep rally. In his often humble nature, Gibbs thanked Washington’s fans. He spoke of building a relationship with Harris, telling fans they were in good hands.

“Over the past year, I’ve got a chance to build a friendship with Josh, David, and now I am getting to meet the rest of the team,” Gibbs said.

“Magic [Johnson], Mark [Ein], Mitch [Rales], you’ve got people that grew up here, care about the team. So I have told them this is the greatest sports franchise in the world. With the greatest fan base in the world. I’ve seen you guys. I think we’ve got something great that is going on here. I know you are going to do your part, and I know Josh and his team are committed to do his part.”

Harris, Ein and Rales know all about Washington’s fan base, having grown up in the area as fans of the Redskins.

Story originally appeared on Commanders Wire