This story delights me to no end.
On Tuesday, word came out that the Washington Commanders will retire the No. 81 jersey of Syracuse football legend Art Monk, according to various media reports, including this article from Commanders' senior writer Zach Selby.
One number. Forever legendary.
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) July 15, 2025
Art Monk's number 81 will officially be retired this season pic.twitter.com/T1bLURR2Yg
Just love it. It's a double doozy for me, as Syracuse University is my alma mater, while Washington is one of my hometown NFL teams, along with the Baltimore Ravens.
Monk, the elite wide receiver and three-time Super Bowl champion, will have his number retired on November 2 when Washington hosts Seattle on Sunday Night Football. By the way, the play-by-play announcer for NBC's Sunday Night Football is SU alum Mike Tirico.
More fun things.
Let's have a look at Art Monk's career.
Monk, who is from White Plains, N.Y., played for the Orange from 1976 to 1979, earning first-team All-America honors in 1979, according to SU Athletics. He finished his career on the Hill with 1,174 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground. Through the air, he hauled in 1,644 receiving yards and nine more scores.
In 2012, Monk was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Per his bio there, he won the Lambert Trophy as the top player in the eastern United States during his freshman and senior seasons.
As fabulous as Monk proved in college, he was even better in the NFL. One of the greatest wide receivers ever, he played for 16 seasons in the pros, primarily with Washington, where he captured three world titles.
Art Monk was born with greatness in his gene pool.
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) February 22, 2023
Besides being one of the most durable and consistently excellent wide receivers of all-time, he's also the first cousin once removed of jazz legend Thelonious Monk. #GoldJacketSpotlight pic.twitter.com/2IcMpv5Tqa
An All-Pro on several occasions, Monk finished with 940 receptions, 12,721 receiving yards and 68 touchdowns through the air. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
Monk, in his interview with Selby, said in part: "I've been sitting here these last few days just trying to digest it all."
Undeniably, Monk is one of the NFL's best wide receivers of all-time, and he's also one of the top players to ever suit up for Syracuse football. I was a youngster when Washington won those Super Bowls in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Such a storied franchise that, more recently, had its issues under previous ownership but is trending in a positive direction, which makes me happy to see.