Washington Redskins

, which folded after the 1930 season and was sold back to the NFL.

Initially the new team took the same name as their landlords, the Boston Braves, one of the two local baseball teams at the time. When the football team moved to Fenway Park (home of the Boston Red Sox) the next year, Marshall also changed the name of the football Braves to the "Redskins", to honor their head coach and further distinguish the team from their ex-landlords.

The Redskins in Washington, D.C.

The move to Fenway Park was unsuccessful and attendance was poor. The 1936 NFL title game, scheduled for Boston, was relocated to the Polo Grounds in New York City (the Redskins lost the game to the Green Bay Packers). Marshall decided to move the team to Washington, D.C. for 1937, retaining the name "Redskins" although it was now out of context. They shared Griffith Stadium with the Washington Senators baseball team. The team proceeded to win the league championship in their first year in DC. They also signed an innovative rookie quarterback from Texas Christian University: future Pro Football Hall of Famer Sammy Baugh. In an era where the forward pass was relatively rare, the Redskins used it as their primary method of gaining yards. "Slingin' Sammy" Baugh also played numerous other positions, including cornerback and punter.

The Redskins won Eastern Division Championships in 1937, 1940, 1942, 1943 and 1945, and won the NFL Championship in 1937 and 1942, defeating the Chicago Bears each time. They lost the 1940 and 1943 NFL Title Games to the Bears and the 1945 Title Game to the Cleveland Rams. The 1940 title game loss, 73-0, was the most one-sided loss in NFL history.

Integration and front-office disarray

The team's early success endeared them to the fans of Washington, D.C. However, after 1945, the Redskins began a slow decline. Marshall continued to refuse to integrate the team, despite pressure from the Washington Post and the Federal Government (a typical comment by Post writer Shirley Povich was "Cleveland Browns runner Jim Brown integrated the Redskins' end zone").

Under threat of civil rights legal action by the Kennedy administration, which would have prevented a segregated team from playing at the new District of Columbia Stadium, as it was owned by the U.S. Department of the Interior and thus federal government property, the Redskins became the final pro football franchise to integrate, in 1962, in their second season in the stadium. First, the team drafted Ernie Davis, the first black player to win the Heisman Trophy. Then, before signing Davis, they traded his rights to the Browns for wide receiver Bobby Mitchell. This was a lucky break, as it turned out that Davis had leukemia, and died without ever playing a down in professional football, while Mitchell was still in the first half of a career that would land him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Mitchell would be joined by black stars such as receiver Charley Taylor, running back Larry Brown (who had a hearing aid installed in his helmet due to near-total deafness) and defensive back Brig Owens. They would also pull off two of the best trades of the 1960s, gaining colorful quarterback Sonny Jurgensen from the Philadelphia Eagles and linebacker Sam Huff from the New York Giants. But even with these additions, the Redskins were still not performing up to expectations. Although the team became more popular than ever, particularly with the addition of Mitchell, they struggled through the 1960s.

One reason for the team's struggles was disarray in the front office. Team owner and President George Preston Marshall began a mental decline in 1962, and the team's other stockholders found it difficult to make decisions without their boss. Marshall died in 1969, and the remaining stockholders sold the team to Edward Bennett Williams, a Washington resident and one of America's most esteemed attorneys.

Also in 1969, D.C. Stadium was renamed Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, and the Redskins hired future hall-of-famer Vince Lombardi — who gained fame coaching with the Green Bay Packers — to be their new head coach. Lombardi led the team to a 7-5-2 record, their best since 1955, but died of cancer on the eve of the 1970 season.

Revival

Two years later Williams signed former Los Angeles Rams head coach George Allen as head coach. Partial to seasoned veterans instead of highly-touted young players, Allen's teams became known as the Over-the-Hill Gang. "The future is now" was his slogan, and his players soon proved him right.

Allen helped to foster the team's rivalry with the Dallas Cowboys, which has turned into one of the NFL's most renowned and contentious rivalries. The Redskins reached the NFC Conference Championship in the 1972 season, defeating Dallas 26-3, only to lose to the undefeated Miami Dolphins 14-7 in Super Bowl VII. In his 7 years as head coach, Allen's teams made the playoffs 5 times.

In 1981, new Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke signed the offensive coordinator of the San Diego Chargers, Joe Gibbs, as their 20th head coach. He coached the team to four Super Bowls, winning three of them.

Quarterback Joe Theismann, running back John Riggins and receiver Art Monk got most of the publicity, but the Redskins were one of the few teams ever to have a famous offensive line. Line coach Joe Bugel, who would later go on to be the head coach of the Phoenix Cardinals, nicknamed them "The Hogs," not because they were big and fat, but because they would "root around in the mud" on the field. Among the regular Hogs were center Jeff Bostic, guards Raleigh McKenzie and Russ Grimm, and tackles Joe Jacoby, Mark May and Jim Lachey. Tight ends Don Warren and Clint Didier, as well as Riggins, were known as "Honorary Hogs."

The Redskins' first Super Bowl win, their first NFL Championship in 40 years, was in Super Bowl XVII, where the Redskins defeated the Miami Dolphins 27-17 on January 30, 1983, in Pasedena, California. Future Hall of Famer John Riggins provided the game's signature play when, on 4th and 1, with the Redskins down 17-13 with 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the coaches called "70 Chip" a play designed for short yardage. Riggins broke free for the then-longest run from scrimmage in Super Bowl history (43 yards). The image of Riggins running through would be tackler Don McNeal has become one of the all-time Super Bowl Highlights. One touchdown later, the Redskins won their first NFL title in 40 years by a 27-17 score.

The Redskins' 1983 season started off on the wrong foot as they lost to the Dallas Cowboys 31-30 on the Monday Night Football season opener, but they lost only one more time in the regular season, as they dominated the National Football League with a 14 win season that included scoring a then NFL record of 541 points, many of which came as a result John Riggins who scored 24 touchdowns. In the postseason, the Redskins beat the Los Angeles Rams 51-7. The next week, they cruised to a 21-0 lead over the San Francisco 49ers after 3 quarters in the NFC Champonship Game, but the Redskins weakness that season was their defense (they allowed 332 points that season). The 49ers fired off 3 touchdowns to tie the game, but Mark Mosley, who had had a bad day missing 3 field goals, made the one that counted as the 'Skins beat the 49ers 24-21. It was Washington's last win because two weeks later, the Raiders beat the Redskins 38-9 in Super Bowl XVIII.

The Redskins' won their second championship in Super Bowl XXII on January 31, 1988, in San Diego, California. The Redskins routed the Denver Broncos 42-10 after starting the game down 10 points. This was largest come-from-behind victory in Super Bowl history. This game is more famous for the stellar performance by quarterback Doug Williams who passed for four touchdowns in the second quarter en route to becoming the first black quarterback to lead his team to a Super Bowl victory. Rookie running back Timmy Smith had a great performance as well, running for a Super-Bowl record 203 yards.

The Redskins won their latest Super Bowl on January 26, 1992, in Super Bowl XXVI in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Redskins, the most dominant team in the NFL in the 1991 season, defeated the Buffalo Bills 37-24. On March 5th, 1993, Joe Gibbs retired after 12 years of coaching with the Redskins. In what would prove to be a temporary retirement, Gibbs pursued an interest in NASCAR by founding Joe Gibbs Racing.

The Redskins are one of only two teams in the NFL with an official marching band. The other is the Baltimore Ravens. The Redskins were also one of the first teams to have a fight song, "Hail to the Redskins."

The Snyder era

In 1997, Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke died on the eve of the opening of the new stadium in suburban Landover, Maryland that was to be named in his honor. In his will, Cooke left the Redskins to the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, with instructions that the foundation sell the team. His son, John Kent Cooke, was unable to raise sufficient funds to purchase the business, and the team was later sold to Daniel Snyder in a deal that was the most expensive in sporting history.

Snyder, who grew up as a Redskins fan and who made his money in marketing, has made many controversial moves since owning the team, including offering the name of the stadium up to corporate bidders. FedEx had the highest bid, and the stadium is now named FedEx Field. The most controversial habit Snyder has practiced is the continuous hiring and firing of head coaches, first firing incumbent coach Norv Turner, firing replacement Marty Schottenheimer after only one season, and in 2002, hiring University of Florida head coach Steve Spurrier to replace Schottenheimer. After two mediocre years, Spurrier resigned after the 2003 season with three years left on his contract.

For the 2004 season, Snyder successfully lured former coach Joe Gibbs away from NASCAR to return as head coach and team president. His employment came with a promise of decreased intervention in football operations from Snyder. Snyder also expanded FedEx Field to a league-high capacity of 91,665 seats. Gibbs' return to the franchise did not pay instant dividends as the Redskins finished the 2004 season with a record of 6 wins and 10 losses.

Despite an impressive defense, the team struggled offensively. Quarterback Mark Brunell—an off-season acquisition from the Jacksonville Jaguars—struggled in his first season, and was replaced midway through the season by backup Patrick Ramsey. On the other hand, some of Gibbs' other new signings, such as cornerback Shawn Springs and linebacker Marcus Washington did very well. The Redskins also picked Sean Taylor from University of Miami during the draft in Gibbs' first season, who has since emerged as a talented player, though he's had some off-field trouble; he was charged with felony assault in Miami, Florida and had been awaiting trial (he later pled no contest to lesser misdemeanor charges on June 1, 2006).

Partly because owner Dan Snyder has turned the Redskins into the greatest revenue producer in pro football, he has spent a lot of money on free agents. These moves did not work out well in the beginning (Bruce Smith, Deion Sanders), but the quality of free agents signed under Coach Gibbs has improved by signing or trading for stars such as Cornelius Griffin, Marcus Washington, Shawn Springs, Santana Moss, and Clinton Portis.

The Redskins still found a way to turn heads, however: at the 2005 NFL Draft, the team drafted with the ninth pick cornerback Carlos Rogers of Auburn. The team then traded away multiple picks to move up in the draft and select quarterback Jason Campbell from Auburn University. The move leaves the team's future at the vital quarterback position in some question, considering Mark Brunell remains on the roster. Brunell played very well in the 2005 season, having apparently recovered from injuries that hampered him in the 2004 season. The team won its first three games, including a Monday Night Football victory over Dallas, but then fell into a slump, including three straight losses in November, which lessened the chances of the team making the playoffs. However, five consecutive victories at the end of the season secured a berth in the playoffs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Furthermore, their victories over Dallas meant the Redskins won both head-to-head meetings with the Cowboys for the first time since the 1995 season.

In retrospect, the 2005 season validated many of the Redskins' 2004 acquisitions. Springs and Washington continued outstanding defensive contributions, and Portis broke the Redskins' single-season rushing record for 100-yard games in 2005 with nine, rushing for a total of more than 1,500 yards. Brunell's performance silenced his critics, and Taylor had an impressive season, despite his off-the-field troubles.

It should be noted that during Gibbs' first tenure with the Redskins, he did not have a franchise quarterback, so many have attributed his success to his superior coaching ability. Gibbs is the only coach to have won three Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks.

As of 2005, Forbes Magazine values the franchise at over $1.3 billion, the highest in the NFL. The only sports team valued higher is soccer's Manchester United F.C. ($1.47 billion). The Redskins are worth nearly twice as much as the New York Yankees, the highest valued professional team of any other sport in the United States.

The Redskins' season ticket line is the second longest in the NFL to the Green Bay Packers. Fans have been known to wait 35 years to get season tickets, although some have received tickets after only 3 years on the list.

2005 Season

During the 2005 offseason, the Redskins traded back WR Laveranues Coles to the New York Jets and acquired WR Santana Moss from them, which would help boost their offense. During the 2005 Draft, the Redskins used their first pick on the solid Auburn University Cornerback Carlos Rogers. Then, they would use their next first round draft pick (acquired from the Denver Broncos) on Auburn Quarterback Jason Campbell who some fans say resembles the Redskins Hall of Fame Quarterback, Doug Williams, who led the Redskins to a victory in SuperBowl XXII.[1] The rest of their picks included UCLA Fullback Manuel White, Jr., Louisville Linebacker Robert McCune, Stanford Linebacker Jared Newberry, and Citadel College Fullback Nehemiah Broughton.

The Redskins' 2005 campaign got off to a good start. First, they won their Week 1 home-opener against the Chicago Bears 9-7, in which starter Patrick Ramsey was benched in favor of Mark Brunell after suffering a minor neck injury. Then, on a Week 2 road trip to Texas Stadium, the Redskins played a hard-fought Monday night match-up against their long-time rivals, the Dallas Cowboys, during the NFL's Hurricane Relief Week. After getting pushed around for most of the game, the Redskins entered the 4th Quarter trailing 13-0. However, the Redskins would come back and win the game with two Mark Brunell touchdowns passes to newly-acquired WR Santana Moss and beat their hated rival 14-13. Then, after their Week 3 Bye, the Redskins would keep the eventual NFC Western Division and Conference Champion Seattle Seahawks in check by winning 20-17 in overtime. Unfortunately, the Redskins would lose their next two games (both on the road and against the AFC West). First, they lost to the eventual AFC West Champion Denver Broncos 21-19 and then, they lost a hard-fought match-up with the Kansas City Chiefs 28-21. The Redskins would get redemption at home, as they man-handled the San Francisco 49ers 52-17. Unfortunately, they would end up getting shut-out at Giants Stadium against a division-rival, the New York Giants 36-0, who were playing with emotion after the loss of longtime owner Wellington Mara. On Sunday Night, the Redskins won against the defending NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles (another division rival) under the prime-time lights at home with a final score of 17-10. However, things started to look grim as the 'Skins lost their next three games. First, they lost a close road game to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 36-35 on a last second two point conversion on which Tampa coach Jon Gruden went for the win after an offsides penalty on the extra point attempt. Then, they lost their next two home games to the Oakland Raiders (16-13) and the San Diego Chargers (23-17 in OT).

The Redskins got back on track with a five-game winning streak to end the regular season. First, they won their next two road games against the NFC West (24-9 against the St. Louis Rams and 17-13 against the Arizona Cardinals). They then went home and won the rematch against their much-hated rival, the Dallas Cowboys, 35-7. This marked the first time since 1995 that the Redskins were able to sweep the season series with Dallas. Afterwards, the 'Skins avenged the earlier loss to the Giants with a 35-20 victory in their last regular-season home game. The Redskins solidified their first playoff birth since 1999 a week later with a 31-20 victory over the Eagles in Philadelphia.

Finishing the season 10-6, they qualified for the playoffs as a wild card team. They opened the playoffs on the road against the NFC South Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday, January 7, 2006. They won the rematch by a final score of 17-10, after taking an early 14-0 lead, which they later seemed to have squandered until replay evidence showed that a touchdown that would have tied the game was in fact an incomplete pass. In that game, the Redskins broke the record for fewest offensive yards (120) gained in a playoff victory, with one of their two touchdowns being from a defensive run after a fumble recovery. The following weekend, they played the Seattle Seahawks, who received a bye for round one. The Seahawks defeated the Redskins 20-10, ending the Redskins' hopes of reaching their first NFC Championship Game since 1991.

Three team records were broken during the 2005 season. Clinton Portis set the Redskins record for rushing yards in a season with 1,516 yards, breaking Stephen Davis's 2001 mark of 1,432 yards and Santana Moss's 1,483 receiving yards broke Bobby Mitchell's 1963 record of 1,436 yards. Chris Cooley's 71 receptions broke Jerry Smith's season record for a Redskins tight end.

2006 Season

After the end of the 2005 season, the Redskins were reportedly to be 20 million dollars over the salary cap. However, due to the NFL and NFL Players' Union agreement, the salary cap was raised to 102 million dollars. Due to this and the subtraction of players like 3-time Pro Bowl Linebacker LaVar Arrington, and safeties Ryan Clark and Matt Bowen, the Redskins were able to afford high profile free agents such as, Antwaan Randle El (formerly with the Pittsburgh Steelers), Brandon Lloyd (formerly with the San Francisco 49ers), Adam Archuleta (formerly with the St. Louis Rams), and Christian Fauria (formerly with the New England Patriots). Because of these solid additions, the Redskins are now among the teams considered the best in the NFC.

In the 2006 NFL Draft, the Redskins did not have a first round pick due to a 2005 trade used to acquire Jason Campbell with the 25th overall pick. However, they traded up in the second round to draft linebacker Rocky McIntosh out of the University of Miami, who seems to be the replacement for Arrington and would most likely become a starter immediately. The Redskins then used their next pick on Minnesota DT Anthony Montgomery. The rest of their picks included Northern Colorado Safety Reed Doughty, Georgia DT Kedric Golston, Arizona Guard Kili Lefotu, and Tennessee LB Kevin Simon.

Racial controversy over name and logo

There is considerable controversy over the team's name and logo because various Native American groups view them as disrespectful and offensive. For most of the team's history, the Redskins logo has consisted of a profile of a stereotypical Native American. The team then briefly used a white and gold arrow for its logo during the late 1960s, and a maroon-colored "R" inside a white circle with long feathers from 1970 to 1971, a design that was inspired by Vince Lombardi. In 1972, the team introduced an updated version of the Native American profile logo that is currently used today.

In 1933, George Preston Marshall, the owner of the team, which was then located in Boston, renamed it from "Braves" to "Redskins" after transferring from Braves Field to Fenway Park. It is sometimes claimed that the team was named the Boston Redskins in honor of the head coach, William "Lone Star" Dietz, an American Indian.[2]

Several newspapers and radio commentators in the United States have joined these Native American groups in calling for a new name, using circumlocutions such as "The Washington football team." (Former ESPN.com and current NFL Network columnist Gregg Easterbrook, a D.C. resident, humorously calls the team the "Potomac Drainage Basin Indigenous Persons". [3])

Similar complaints have been raised about the Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Braves, and various college level teams. See also: List of sports team names and mascots derived from indigenous peoples.

Uniforms

The Washington Redskins' colors are burgundy and gold. They are one of the three NFL teams that primarily wear their white jerseys at home (the others being the Dallas Cowboys, and the Miami Dolphins). The tradition of wearing white jerseys at home was started by Joe Gibbs when he took over as coach in 1981. Gibbs was an assistant for the San Diego Chargers in 1979 and 1980, and the Chargers wore white at home during the tenure of coach Don Coryell in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Their burgundy jersey (which is primarily used for when the opposing team decides to wear white at home, which comes mostly against the Dallas Cowboys) consists of burgundy jerseys and white pants. The other combination were burgundy jerseys and gold pants, which were used mostly in the past and for one year in the 2002 season when the Redskins celebrated their 70th anniversary and wore it at home.

The Redskins' current uniform design was introduced by coach Jack Pardee in 1979. From 1972 through 1978, the Redskins wore gold pants with both the burgundy and white jerseys. Gold face masks were introduced in 1978 and remain to this day.

Their white jersey consists of three combinations. One is the white jerseys and burgundy pants, which is considered the "classic" look. The other (and lesser known) combination is the white jerseys and gold pants, which was used in the past when they weren't wearing their burgundy jersey. The last combination consists of both white jerseys and pants. That particular combination surfaced in the first game of the 2003 season on a nationally televised game against the New York Jets, which led to many sports fans and Redskin faithful alike to point out that they have never seen that particular combination. That year the Redskins wore it two more times. That look didn't appear again until midway through the 2005 season when the Redskins wore it on a road game against the St. Louis Rams. The Redskins won six games (including one in the playoffs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wearing that combination) and the local media jokingly pointed out that the reason why the Redskins were winning was because of the white on white combination. In the NFC Divisional Game against the eventual 2005 NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks, the Redskins wore the all white jerseys, in hopes that they could keep their luck going; however, they lost 20-10.

Although the Washington Redskins always wore their white jerseys during home games, there were a couple of exceptions where the Redskins wore their burgundy jerseys. One was during the 2001 season where Marty Schottenheimer had the team wear burgundy, another one during the 2002 season with Steve Spurrier where they celebrated the teams' 70th anniversary, and the last one during the 2003 season where Spurrier had the team wear burgundy in some of the home games.

Season-by-season records