Washington Redskins

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Lore & Background

The Commanders play their home games at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, and have a headquarters and training facility in Ashburn, Virginia. The team will begin playing at the New Stadium at RFK Campus in 2030. The Commanders have played more than 1,300 games and have won more than 600. Washington was among the first NFL franchises with an original fight song, 'Hail to the Commanders', which has been played by their marching band after home game touchdowns since 1937. The franchise won NFL championships in 1937 and 1942 and Super Bowls XVII (1982), XXII (1987), and XXVI (1991). The Commanders have finished a season as league runner-up six times, losing the 1936, 1940, 1943, and 1945 title games and Super Bowls VII (1972) and XVIII (1983). Washington has 14 NFC East division titles and 26 total playoff appearances. All of Washington's championships were attained during two 10-year spans. From 1936 to 1945, the team went to the NFL Championship six times, winning two of them under general manager Jack Espey and head coach Ray Flaherty. Washington appeared in four Super Bowls and won three under owner Jack Kent Cooke, general managers Bobby Beathard and Charley Casserly, and head coach Joe Gibbs from 1982 to 1991. From 1946 to 1970, Washington posted just four winning seasons and never reached the playoffs. They went without a single winning season from 1956 to 1968 and achieved their worst regular season record, 0–14, in 1960. Since their last Super Bowl victory in 1991, the team has won just five playoff games and four division titles.

In Their Own Story

The controversy intensified in July 2020 when investors worth $620 billion pressured sponsors like Nike, FedEx, and PepsiCo to demand a name change. On July 2, 2020, FedEx called for the change, and Nike removed Redskins apparel from its website. By July 3, Amazon, Target, and Walmart withdrew merchandise. On July 7, it was acknowledged that the team had no contact with Native American groups petitioning for a name change. Head coach Ron Rivera stated the team wanted to continue 'honoring and supporting Native Americans and our Military.' The review led to retiring the name and logo. On July 12, 2021, Team President Jason Wright announced the new name would have no connection to Native Americans, noting that research showed anything other than a clean break was a slippery slope. In January 2022, the team considered names like Armada, Presidents, Brigade, Red Hogs, Commanders, RedWolves, and Defenders before announcing Washington Commanders on February 2, 2022.

Reader's Guide

The franchise was founded by George Preston Marshall as the Boston Braves in 1932, renamed the Boston Redskins in 1933, and moved to Washington, D.C., in 1937, becoming the Washington Redskins. The team played as the Washington Football Team from 2020 to 2021 before rebranding as the Commanders in 2022. The original logo is not described in the source; the source only states that the logo for the NFL Braves was similar to the Redskins logo, but does not specify the original logo's design.

Did You Know?

• The franchise was originally named the Boston Braves in 1932, sharing the name with the Boston Braves baseball team.
• The team's fight song 'Hail to the Commanders' has been played by their marching band after home game touchdowns since 1937.
• Washington's worst regular season record was 0–14 in 1960.
• The team was the last NFL franchise to integrate, doing so in 1962.