For years, Danny Hartke, his dad Dan Sr. and friend Michael Moss used to spend hours fishing around Kent Island together. The boat they used for these cherished excursions was a 37-foot Topaz Sportfisherman called "Persistence." Dan Sr. gave the vessel its name, noting it took a level of doggedness and patience to be successful at their favorite hobby. Often the only thing that would cut their nautical outings short was their favorite football team.
"We would actually have to come home early from fishing," Moss recalled with a laugh. "He [Dan Sr.] would say, 'Well the game starts!' I'd say, 'Well the fish are biting.' He'd say, 'Well the game starts!' Him [Danny] and his dad are diehards."
There was perhaps no greater symbol of that fandom than Dan Sr.'s truck: a 1986 Ford F-150 John Riggins Signature Series. The Hogs and the Super Bowl-winning teams of Washington's golden era had brought so much joy to the Maryland native. Riggins, in particular, had been a favorite of Dan Sr.'s.
"John Riggins was a regular man, and it was the love for John Riggins," Danny said of his dad buying the truck.
Each of these limited-edition trucks is painted in Washington's iconic burgundy and gold and features John Riggins' signature on the sides next to the taillights. Ford released the line to commemorate the Hall of Fame running back's retirement after the 1985 season. Dan Sr., a longtime electrician, was on the precipice of a new chapter himself when he bought the vehicle.
"This was his last big purchase before he retired," Danny said.
Though special in design, the truck melded into the mundane of Dan Sr.'s life for the next decades. It was his everyday vehicle, used for fishing trips, shuttling grandkids and running errands. When Dan Sr. passed away, it sat for some time in his old driveway. A few years later, his wife, Sylvia Hartke, was ready to sell it.
"Jim, the grass cutter, was cutting my mom's grass, and he asked to purchase the truck," Danny said. "It wasn't in the condition it's in now. It needed painting. It had a transmission leak. Tires, brakes. I said, 'Sell it to Jim for $1,200.' She said, 'Danny, you don't think the truck is worth more than $1,200?' I said, 'Jim's a good guy, mom. He takes care of you. He does more than cut your grass.'"
Right after he got off the phone, Danny felt a niggle that told him he shouldn't part with his dad's truck.
"I called her right back," Danny said. "I said, 'Hey, mom. I'll give you $1,200 dollars' for the truck.' so I went over after work. My mom said, 'What are you gonna do with a truck? You already have a truck.' I said, 'I'm gonna restore it.'"
His mom told him to keep the $1,200 and put it into the restoration. With Danny's elbow grease, the Riggins truck was completely transformed.
"When I last saw it, I remember being it being so faded. You could barely tell it was a Riggins truck unless you were really paying attention," Moss said. "Danny takes it, makes it so perfect."
Restoration complete; A proverbial bow could have been put on the story here. Except, Moss, so struck by what his friend was able to do with his late dad's truck, felt that the final flourish on this work of art should be Riggins' signature.
"I went to his house, looked at it and I said out loud, 'Man, the only thing that would make this thing better is if John [Riggins] signed the dashboard.' And Danny was like, 'Boy wouldn't that be something,'" Moss said. "In my brain I just knew, 'I gotta track John down. I believe he's in the area. I gotta make this happen one way or another.'"
So, a different kind of "persistence" journey began. In his quest to get connected with Riggins, Moss posted on LinkedIn, met Washington Legends out in the DMV area and got their advice and talked to friends and neighbors who knew Riggins through a few degrees of separation.
At some point, he got ahold of what he thought was the Super Bowl MVP's address, wrote a letter and included pictures of the truck as well as his business card. On another occasion, he learned he'd missed Riggins by 15 minutes at a supply shop they both frequented. So many leads "died on the vine," to use Moss' words. Yet, he kept going.
"I just never stopped," he said.
Meanwhile, Danny was in the dark about what his friend had been up to.
"Danny has no idea, no clue, because I don't want to let him down. This is about him and his pop and everything he put into the truck," Moss said.
However, there was also something Moss didn't know about on this odyssey: his request had gotten in the right hands. John's wife, Lisa Marie Riggins, had received the letter Moss had sent and saved it. When the organization started working with the Riggins' family on the jersey retirement weekend, Lisa Marie knew there was a special opportunity here for these two friends. The Commanders reached out to Moss and told him how they wanted him and Danny to be included in the weekend for the Washington Legend.
"God is good! I've been praying for this moment, and it finally happened," Moss said. He then described the experience of connecting with the Commanders as "like a game show." He just wanted a signature, but the Commanders had all these unexpected gifts in store.
"'We want you to come to the party and go to the game and you're gonna meet John,'" Moss said. "It just kept getting better and better and better."
With what was in motion now, Moss felt like it was the time to tell Danny about what he'd been up to.
"I waited a couple of days. I went to go see him on false premises that I was going to see a client, and I said, 'Danny, sit down, because I just got hold of the Washington's director of marketing, and this is what's happening,'" Moss said.
After hearing about the plan, Danny was "pinching himself all night." On Saturday, Nov. 7, the two friends brought the truck to the 5 O'clock Club Reception in Washington, D.C., a special pre-jersey retirement event with Riggins, the Hogs offensive line and more. Here, Riggins finally stood in front of the beloved truck.
"He looked at it, put his hands on the hood and said it was better than new," Danny said.
Moss' hope was fulfilled; the legendary No. 44 climbed into the passenger seat and signed the dashboard.
"It's still very surreal that, after all that work and tracking him, he actually sat there and signed it. I always dreamed of him doing it," Moss said. "Very gracious about it, very cool about it."
The following day, Danny and Moss were welcomed as VIP guests of the Riggins' family to the jersey retirement game versus the Rams. Danny described the whole experience as "unbelievable."
"I mean what can you say? We live everyday lives, and all of a sudden we're at a John Riggins' jersey retirement party and guests of his at the game," Danny said. "Who would ever have thought?"
Ever since Danny took over his dad's truck, he had kept his dad's electrician "monkey suit" in the passenger side door. On this unforgettablele weekend the uniform is a reminder that Dan Sr. was there watching everything unfold. His love for Riggins lived on, and through the power of persistence and friendship, memories that will be valued forever were made.
"He's here with us right now. He was there with us last night," Danny said. "Absolutely looking down on us smiling.
