Joseph Robert Theismann (/ˈθaɪzmən/; born September 9, 1949) is an American former professional football player, sports commentator, corporate speaker, and restaurateur.

In the Redskins' 11th game of the 1985 NFL season, he suffered a gruesome and catastrophic fracture to his right leg that ended his career.

Theismann also worked as a color analyst on NFL Network's Thursday Night Football package with play-by-play voice Bob Papa and Matt Millen.

Theismann accepted a college football scholarship to attend the University of Notre Dame, where he lived in Zahm Hall.

[6] At Notre Dame, Theismann became the starting quarterback in his sophomore year, after Terry Hanratty was injured late in the season.

[7] He was the eighth Notre Dame quarterback enshrined into the hall, joining former Heisman Trophy winners Angelo Bertelli, John Lujack, and Paul Hornung.

[11][12] After prolonged negotiations with the Dolphins failed, Theismann elected to sign with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League for $50,000 per season.

He threw two touchdowns and, with the Redskins trailing 17–13 in the third quarter, made arguably the most important defensive play of the game – after his pass was deflected by Dolphins lineman Kim Bokamper, causing what appeared to be an interception and sure touchdown (which would have given Miami a two-score lead and effectively taken MVP running back John Riggins out of the game), Theismann himself was able to knock the ball out of Bokamper's hands to have it result in an incompletion rather than a catch.

Substituting for an ineffective Billy Kilmer against the Dallas Cowboys on October 16, 1977, Theismann entered the game wearing a facemask similar to the style worn by Ken Stabler at the time.

[22] On November 18, 1985, Theismann suffered a comminuted compound fracture of the tibia and fibula in his right leg when he was sacked by linebackers Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson.

[23] The injury took place during a Monday Night Football game against the New York Giants telecast by ABC from RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.

The injury was later voted the NFL's "Most Shocking Moment in History" by viewers in an ESPN poll,[24] and the tackle was ultimately dubbed "The Hit That No One Who Saw It Can Ever Forget" by The Washington Post.

Initially, many Redskins personnel thought Taylor was taunting after the play before quickly realizing that Theismann was seriously injured, but it was later confirmed that Taylor knew immediately that something had happened and was trying to signal for help from the emergency medical technicians,[27] something the Monday Night Football announcer team of Frank Gifford, O. J. Simpson, and Joe Namath had correctly inferred from the start.

[27] ABC's decision to screen the reverse-angle instant replay several times despite its palpably graphic content shocked millions of viewers, with some describing it as "the most horrific professional sports injury of all time"; the repeated screening of this replay remains one of the most controversial in-game television production decisions in NFL history.

[29] As the replays were shown, Gifford repeatedly urged viewers at home to exercise discretion: "If your stomach is weak, just don't watch.

"[27] The compound fracture of the tibia and fibula led to insufficient bone growth during Theismann's recovery, leaving his right leg shorter than his left.

On September 16, 2009, the NFL Network announced that Theismann would analyze game films on the show Playbook, airing Thursday and Friday nights at 6 p.m. Eastern.

On January 9, 2010, Theismann and his former head coach Joe Gibbs served as color commentators, along with play-by-play man Tom Hammond, for the Saturday AFC wild card game between the New York Jets and the Cincinnati Bengals.

On September 6, 2010, NFL network announced that they added Theismann to their Thursday Night Football broadcast crew alongside Bob Papa and Matt Millen.

[40] Theismann appeared as himself, as part of a buyer group for the fictional "New York Hawks" football team on the TV series Necessary Roughness (2013) and on the post-Super Bowl episode "Operation: Broken Feather" of Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2014).

On September 5, 2014, Theismann was honored by the Ride of Fame as they christened a double decker sightseeing bus in Washington DC dedicated to him and his achievements.

[51] Theismann expressed disappointment at the way he was treated during his time in the league and left the team when it was folded into the Virginia Destroyers in January 2011.