The Fun Bunch were the wide receivers and

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...

s of the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

during the early 1980s. It was also used as a nickname for the corps of talented offensive players during Ohio State's 2005 and 2006 football seasons.

Washington Redskins

Known for their choreographed group celebrations in the

end zone The end zone is the scoring area on the field, according to gridiron-based codes of football. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on an opposite side of the field. ...

(usually a group

high-five High five is a friendly gesture in which one individual slaps another's hand. High five (and variants such as Hi5, Hi-5, and Hi-Five) may also refer to: Music * Hi-5 (Australian group), an Australian children's musical group * Hi-5 (Greek band), ...

) following a

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...

, the Fun Bunch's actions eventually resulted in a league-wide ban of "excessive celebration" in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

. The members of the Fun Bunch included the Redskins' wide receivers Art Monk,

Virgil Seay Virgil LeVan Seay (born January 1, 1958) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins and the Atlanta Falcons. He played college football at Troy State University and was draft ...

, Charlie Brown, and Alvin Garrett, running back

Otis Wonsley Otis Wonsley (born August 13, 1957) is a former American football running back who played for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alcorn State University and was NFL Draft, drafted in the ...

and tight ends

Rick Walker Rick may refer to: People *Rick (given name), a list of people with the given name *Alan Rick (born 1976), Brazilian politician, journalist, pastor and television personality *Johannes Rick (1869–1946), Austrian-born Brazilian priest and mycol ...

, and

Don Warren Donald James Warren (born May 5, 1956) is a retired American football scout and former tight end who played his entire 14-year career with the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by them in the fourth round ...

. Each won a

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...

with the Redskins, and three were chosen for the

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

. Art Monk was inducted into the

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coach ...

. The first high-five leap performed by the Fun Bunch occurred after an Alvin Garrett touchdown in a 1982 first round playoff game against the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

. In the Fun Bunch, there was a sub-group nicknamed the Smurfs. The Smurfs consisted of Virgil Seay, Alvin Garrett, and Charlie Brown. The three were given the nickname because of their diminutive size (Garrett was 5'7", Seay known as Papa Smurf was 5'8", and Brown the tallest at 5'10"), comparing them to the tiny blue comic and cartoon characters in ''

The Smurfs ''The Smurfs'' (french: Les Schtroumpfs; nl, De Smurfen) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was first created and in ...

''.

Ohio State football

"The Fun Bunch" was also used for the offensive players during

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

's 2005 and 2006 football seasons: wide receivers Anthony Gonzalez,

Ted Ginn Jr. Theodore Ginn Jr. (born April 12, 1985) is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans S ...

, Santonio Holmes and quarterback Troy Smith. Although the nickname was initially employed only at the insistence of Columbus-based WSYX-TV sports anchor Clay Hall, its usage gained momentum in other media as the Buckeyes ran the table during the 2006 regular season leading up to their title-game loss to the

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as t ...

."Ohio State WRs Leave Foes Breathless." Metcalfe, Jeff. The Arizona Republic: Jan. 6, 2007

References

Nicknamed groups of American football players Washington Commanders {{WashingtonDC-sport-stub

Washington Redskins

Ohio State football

See also

References