Hogettes to hang up snouts for good
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| The Hogettes announced their retirement Friday, hanging up their trademark snouts after 30 years. (US Presswire) |
Over the past 30 years, few fan groups around the NFL have been as ardent in their support of their team as the Hogettes in Washington D.C.
Donned in polka-dot dresses and yellow and red striped socks, the passionate group gained a reputation for their enthusiastic post-touchdown celebrations as “Hail to the Redskins” echoed through RFK Stadium and FedEx Field. The Hogettes appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in their colorful dresses and filmed a popular Visa commercial in 2001. On Friday, the Hogettes hung up their pig snouts for good. Days after a disappointing defeat to the Seahawks, the group announced its retirement.
“We will forever be Redskins' fans and cheer for our beloved team,” Hogettes founder Mike Torbert wrote on the group's Facebook page. “It is a new era and we will continue to support RG3 and his teammates.”
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The origins of the group dates to the early 1980s when the Redskins had a scrappy assemblage of players on the offensive line led by former guard Russ Grimm and tackle Joe Jacoby. One day during a sled drill in practice, former offensive line coach Joe Bugel came up with the legendary nickname.
"They are short guys with big bellies," Bugel told the Washington Post. "I started to say to the whole line at practice, 'Okay you hogs, let's go down in the bullpen and hit those sleds.' Some guys might have resented it, but these guys loved it."
The Hogettes plan to remain active in charitable causes. Since 1983, the Hogettes have reportedly raised more than $100 million for local and national charities, including the Ronald McDonald House and the Children's Miracle Network.
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