Fans crowd around TVs to get glimpse of Gibbs

Talk about appointment television.

Football fans huddled around televisions wherever they could find them at 5 p.m. yesterday to watch Joe Gibbs talk with reporters for the first time since returning to the Washington Redskins as head coach.

Dozens of fans gathered outside the Best Buy store in Tenleytown, where management had set up five big-screen plasma television sets inside the storefront windows for fans to watch the press conference.

A few dozen fans braved the cold afternoon, and others leaving the nearby Metro station paused to take in the news.

Two women, who had been named Redskins Fans of the Year by the team in 1992, were decked out in burgundy and gold, replete with pins, pompoms and a sign that read: “Welcome back, Coach Gibbs.”

“I’ve been saying for years, ’Bring back Gibbs,’” said Adine “Shorty” Smith, lamenting that the years since his departure have not been easy for fans.

“This is good for the city,” she said, looking at the assembled crowd. “They’re all happy. They’re all smiling. Look at this: This is better than the Super Bowl.”

Derek Johnson, 45, of Friendship Heights, was among those who stopped in front of the store. A Redskins fan for 40 years, he might have been the only person in the city who had not heard about the legendary coach’s return.

“No, this can’t be true,” he said, dropping his duffel bag and settling in with the crowd. Mr. Johnson said he had given up on the team, but within moments of hearing the news, his optimism knew no bounds.

“It’s renewed all hope for our city,” he said.

Rob Rothstein, 18, of Rockville, said he remembered the Redskins’ glory days under Gibbs — but not well. Still, he expressed the sentiment of most Redskins fans.

“I think it’s awesome,” he said. “It means wins.”

In the break room of the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department’s Engine 2 in Northwest, firefighters who had been prepping their engine trickled in and paused before a television set broadcasting the live news conference.Sgt. Eric McGuire, a lifelong D.C. resident, said he always has been a fan and ticked off the names of Redskins greats from the past as he recalled attending the January 1983 NFC Championship game, in which the Redskins defeated the Dallas Cowboys on their way to their first Super Bowl victory.

He said he “thought somebody was joking” when he heard about Gibbs’ return yesterday.

“I don’t think anybody else around the country really realizes — this is a big deal,” he said. “I think it’s exciting. I think he’ll still know what to do. I don’t know if they’ll win the Super Bowl next year, but I think they will at least make the playoffs.”

Lt. Joe Rainwater said he isn’t a big football fan, but he paid attention because of the implications for what is his favorite sport.

“I mostly associate him with NASCAR now,” he said, referring to the career-leading auto-racing team on which Gibbs embarked when he left the Redskins after the 1992 season. “I think it’s a good thing. He’s respected. Hopefully he’ll do something.”