Shortly before Super Bowl XXII, Clint Didier had a dream that his team, the Washington Redskins would be down, but come back to win, and that he would catch a touchdown pass. 

That dream came true.

Later that year, Didier dreamed that he would no longer be with the the Redskins and watch from afar as they played in another Super Bowl.

That dream also came true.

Now, Clint dreams of going back to Washington, D.C., this time as a U.S. Senator, to rein in what he sees as a government out of countrol.

Disgusted at the confirmation of Obama administration officials such as Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, who failed to pay social security or self-employment taxes from 2001 to 2004, and former "Green Jobs" czar Van Jones, who has Marxist affiliations and believes in 9/11 conspiracy theories, Didier announced at a Tea Party held last month in the Tri-Cities that he was considering running for the U.S. Senate next year against Democrat Patty Murray.  In his speech, he proclaimed that "I can honestly say I do not trust my government" and that "I, Clint Didier, want to answer the call to service. I want to work toward a return to the Constitution and its precepts."

I had an opportunity to speak with Clint last night in Kennewick following a meeting of his Senate exploratory committee.  The ruggedly handsome, 6'5" former tight end is an imposing presence.  Even at age 50, he looks like he could still suit up and throw the block that cleared the way for John Riggins' winning touchdown in Super Bowl XVII.   The overflow crowd at Tony Roma's was inspired as Didier passionately spoke of how we need to take back the Republican Party and get back to the common ground that Ronald Reagan once held.  His platform is simple:  Responsibility, accountability, and national security.  Didier is afraid Americans are losing their freedoms and their ability to make money and therefore, grow the tax base.  He has four kids, with his first grandchild on the way. Clint wants to make a difference for them and for our country.

In this day of multi-millionaire, primadonna sports stars who take performance-enhancing drugs and frequently have brushes with the law, Clint Didier is a throwback to a bygone era.

Didier's parents scratched out a hard living farming in the arid lands of the Columbia Basin.  The future two-time Super Bowl champion learned the values of hard work, discipline, dedication, and persistence while doing chores on the farm such as moving irrigation equipment. 

Didier played for a state championship at Connell High School, then went on to win a junior college state championship as a wide receiver at Columbia Basin College.  He was recruited by legendary "run-and-shoot" coach Darrel "Mouse" Davis to play at Portland State University.  At Portland State, Didier became one of the favorite targets of future St. Louis Cardinals quarterback Neil Lomax, who broke an NCAA record by throwing seven TD passes in one quarter.  It was Lomax that the NFL scouts came to see, not Didier.   No one ever thought Didier, a kid from rural Eastern Washington, could make it in the NFL.

But underdog Didier would prove them all wrong.  He hit the weight room religiously.  He visualized success.  He constantly pictured himself making one-handed catches, so that when the ball came his way, he just reacted.

When rookie head coach of the Washington Redskins, Joe Gibbs, came to Portland to work out Neil Lomax, Didier acted as the receiver.  He vowed to catch every ball Lomax threw to make him look good.  In the end, it was Didier that Gibbs wanted to talk to, not Lomax.  General Manager Booby Beathard ended up drafting Didier in the 12th round of the 1981 draft (the 1981 Redskins draft class has been been ranked seventh best of all time by the NFL.)   Didier said that he was blessed to have played for Joe Gibbs.  Gibbs brought tight ends into camp every year to compete for his job.  But, as Didier, pointed out, it was that competition that made him a better player.

Clint made only $35,000 his rookie year and was placed on injured reserve.  In his second year, Didier missed nine games because of a player's strike and he and his wife had to work odd jobs to make ends meet.  But by the end of the championship 1982 season, he had become a key part of the Redskins offense, both as a blocker and receiver.  Didier went on to play in three Super Bowls with the Redskins, gaining 1,815 receiving yards and catching 19 TD passes before finishing his career with the Green Bay Packers.

After football, Didier returned home to Washington to raise alfalfa, grass seed, wheat, and popping corn on an 1,100 acre farm in Eltopia and also operate an earthmoving business.  More importantly, he wanted to give back to the community.  He took a job as co-head football coach at his old high school in Connell, leading the Eagles to a state championship in 2002 and runners-up at state in 2006 and 2007.  Didier is proud of making a positive impact on these young men's lives, and says that is the thing he will miss most during his Senate campaign.

Since Didier had invoked Ronald Reagan, I asked him what he thought of the Gipper after meeting him twice following his Super Bowl victories.  Didier said he was impressed, although he didn't realize until later what a great leader Reagan was.  One of Didier's most prized possesions is an autograph of Reagan that he received after the President and First Lady greeted the Redskins on the runway after they flew home from Super Bowl XVII.

The last time I saw Didier was at the Super Bowl victory parade held on February 3, 1988.  I lived in the D.C. area during the Redskins glory years of the Eighties and early Nineties.  I've been a lifelong fan.  So, I had to ask Didier what his favorite moment as a Redskin was.  He said it was catching the only touchdown pass in Super Bowl history from an African-American quarterback (Doug Williams in Super Bowl XXII) to a white receiver.

Coincidentally, this is my favorite Redskin memory as well.  I watched Super Bowl XXII at my friend's house in Southeast D.C., a predominantly African-American area.  But after the Skins triumphant come-from-behind victory, there was no color bar in D.C..  We were all, however briefly, just happy fans.  Clint and I agreed on the unifying effect that sports can have.  He also talked of how he learned life's most important lessons on the gridiron; how to overcome adversity, how to stand up for yourself, how to measure a man by his worth and not the color of his skin, and how to tell right from wrong.  These are the principles that we as Republicans should stand for.

People tell Clint that he has no chance to beat Patty Murray.  But people have been underestimating Didier his whole life. 

Clint told me that you have to play football with "controlled rage."  And he plans to take that controlled rage back to Washington, D.C. to fight for limited government based on the Constitution.  Big time pro sports didn't change Clint Didier and neither will Capitol Hill.  We can count on Clint to uphold liberty and not succumb to the "Beltway Disease" that other elected Republicans suffer from.

But before Clint can go to D.C., he needs money to get his campaign off the ground and establish himself as a legitimate candidate.  I urge you to go to Clint's website www.clintdidier.org and contribute all you can.  Patty Murray already has $2 million in the bank.

One final note:  After my interview with Clint was over, he found out that my girlfriend's son plays football.  Clint took the time to give some tips to him on how to properly catch a football.  What an exciting and unforgetable moment it was for this young boy to get personal coaching from a man who owns two Super Bowl rings.  That, to me, says it all about Clint Didier.