Washington Commanders

George Preston Marshall era (1932–1965)

American businessman George Preston Marshall founded a National Football League (NFL) franchise on July 9, 1932, in Boston, Massachusetts. The team was named after the Boston Braves baseball team, with whom they shared Braves Field, with the inaugural season coached by Lud Wray. The team saw several changes in 1933, including a name change to the "Redskins" and playing their home games at Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox. Wray was also replaced at head coach by Lone Star Dietz.

The situation faced by Marshall in Boston was difficult. In 1935, Joe F. Carr opined: "To the casual observer bred in the knowledge of New England's place in football's sun, because its cradle and nursery were there, the success of a Boston team in the professional ranks would be a foregone conclusion. Nothing could have been more erroneous. Boston finished the most forbidding ground for professional football of any large city in the country. The history of the game in Boston and New England was entirely associated with college, preparatory, and high school playing. Its eminence as an institution of sport grew in a hallowed atmosphere as an almost sacrosanct element of education which was to be kept ever free from commercial pollution." The Redskins appeared in the 1936 NFL Championship Game, their first championship appearance, but lost to the Green Bay Packers 21–6.

After five years in Boston, which Marshall said showed a lack of interest in the team, the Redskins moved to Washington, D.C., in 1937. The team arranged to share Griffith Stadium with the Washington Senators, an American League baseball team. In their first game in D.C., the season opener, the Redskins defeated the New York Giants. The same season, they earned their first division title in Washington with a 49–14 win over the Giants. Shortly after, the team won their first championship by defeating the Chicago Bears in the 1937 NFL Championship Game.

The Redskins met the Bears again in the 1940 NFL Championship Game. The result, 73–0 in favor of the Bears, remains the worst one-sided loss in NFL history. The Redskins won their second championship in 1942, defeating the Bears 14–6. In 1943, Dutch Bergman was named head coach and led the team to a return to the NFL championship game, however they were defeated by the Chicago Bears 41–21. That same season, Sammy Baugh led the NFL in passing, punting, and interceptions.

The Redskins played in the NFL Championship one more time before a quarter-century drought that lasted until the 1972 season. With former Olympic gold medalist Dudley DeGroot as their new head coach, the Redskins went 8–2 during the 1945 season. One of the most impressive performances came from Baugh, who had a completion percentage of 70.3. They ended the season by losing to the Cleveland Rams in the 1945 NFL Championship Game, 15–14. The one-point margin of victory came under scrutiny because of a safety that occurred early in the game. In the first quarter, the Redskins had the ball at their own 5-yard line. Dropping back into the end zone, quarterback Baugh threw to an open receiver, but the ball hit the goal post and bounced back to the ground in the end zone. Under the rules at the time, this was ruled as a safety and thus gave the Rams a 2–0 lead. Marshall was so upset at the outcome that he became a major force in passing a major rule change after the season, in which a forward pass that struck the goalpost was automatically ruled incomplete. This later became known as the "Baugh/Marshall Rule".

The Redskins had four head coaches from 1946 to 1951, including former players Turk Edwards and Dick Todd, plus John Whelchel and Herman Ball. Meanwhile, Marshall sought to make the Redskins the most profitable franchise in the league. On June 14, 1950, the team announced that it would become the first NFL team to televise all of its games in a season, thanks to sponsorship by the American Oil Company. In February 1952, Marshall hired former Green Bay Packers coach Earl "Curly" Lambeau., but fired him two seasons later after the Redskins lost in their exhibition opener to the Los Angeles Rams. Marshall hired Joe Kuharich, who in 1955, led the Redskins to their first winning season in ten years and was named Sporting News Coach of the Year and UPI NFL Coach of the Year.

In 1961, the Redskins moved into D.C. Stadium, which would be renamed Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in 1969. The first game in the new stadium occurred on October 1 in front of 37,767 fans. The Redskins failed to hold a 14-point lead and lost to the New York Giants 24–21. That same year, Bill McPeak became the head coach and had a record of 21–46–3 over five seasons. During his tenure, he helped draft future stars: wide receiver Charley Taylor, tight end Jerry Smith, safety Paul Krause, center Len Hauss, and linebacker Chris Hanburger. He also helped pull off two important trades, gaining quarterback Sonny Jurgensen from the Philadelphia Eagles and linebacker Sam Huff from the New York Giants. In 1966, Otto Graham was hired as the new head coach. Graham coached the Redskins for three seasons for a record of 17–22–3. He resigned after the 1968 season, and the team hired former Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi for the same role.

Integration controversy

During most of this unsuccessful period, Marshall continually refused to integrate the team, despite pressure from the U.S. government. Two months into the Kennedy administration on March 24, 1961, Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall warned Marshall to hire black players or face federal retribution. For the first time in history, the federal government had attempted to desegregate a professional sports team. The Redskins were under the threat of civil rights legal action by the Kennedy administration, which would have prevented a segregated team from playing at the new federally-owned D.C. Stadium, managed by the U.S. Department of the Interior. The Redskins' previous venue, Griffith Stadium, was owned by the Griffith family, owners of the Washington Senators, who moved and became the Minnesota Twins in 1961.

In 1962, Washington became the final professional American football franchise to integrate. First, the Redskins selected running back Ernie Davis of Syracuse with the first overall pick in the 1962 NFL draft; Davis was the first black player to win the Heisman Trophy and the first to be the top selection in an NFL draft. Washington also took fullback Ron Hatcher of Michigan State in the eighth round, who became the first black player to sign a contract with the team.

In December 1961, Marshall announced he had traded the rights to Davis to the Cleveland Browns, who wanted Davis to join the league's leading rusher, Jim Brown, in their backfield. Davis was traded for veteran running back Bobby Mitchell, who became a wide receiver in Washington, D.C., and 1962 first-round draft choice Leroy Jackson of Western Illinois. The move was made under unfortunate circumstances – as it turned out that Davis had leukemia, and died without ever playing a down in professional football. The Redskins ended the 1962 season with their best record in five years: 5–7–2. Mitchell led the league with 11 touchdowns, and caught 72 passes and was selected to the Pro Bowl. In time, Mitchell would be joined by other black players like receiver Charley Taylor, running back Larry Brown, safety Brig Owens, and guard John Nisby.

Edward Bennett Williams era (1965–1979)

Marshall appointed board member Edward Bennett Williams to run the team's daily operations in 1965 due to declining health. He acquired controlling interest in the franchise following Marshall's death on August 9, 1969. In 1969, Williams hired former Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi for the same role, granting him a 5% stake in ownership and full control over football operations as the team's executive vice president. Lombardi coached the Redskins to a 7–5–2 record, their first winning season since 1955, but died from cancer shortly before the start of the 1970 season. Bill Austin, appointed earlier by Lombardi, served as interim head coach for the season.

George Allen years (1971–1977)

On January 6, 1971, Williams hired former Los Angeles Rams head coach George Allen as head coach and general manager. Partial to seasoned veterans instead of highly touted young players, Allen's teams became known as the Over-the-Hill Gang. That season, the Redskins made the playoffs for the first time since 1945 with a 9–4–1 record with Redskins first-year head coach George Allen winning the 1971 NFL Coach of the Year award, the second of his career, having won his first in 1967 as head coach of the Los Angeles Rams. However, they lost in the Divisional Playoffs to the San Francisco 49ers, 24–20.

The following season, the Redskins hosted their first postseason game in Washington since 1942, where they beat the Green Bay Packers 16–3 in the NFC Divisional Playoffs. The Redskins reached the NFC Championship Game against Dallas Cowboys, the Redskins kicker Curt Knight kicked an 18-yard field goal in the second quarter to get the scoring underway, after which Redskins quarterback Billy Kilmer connected with wide receiver Charley Taylor on a 15-yard touchdown pass giving Washington a 10–3 lead at halftime. In the fourth quarter, Kilmer again went to Taylor, this time for a 45-yard touchdown. Knight added three more field goals during that period and so-called "The Over-The-Hill-Gang" defense allowed only a second quarter field goal. The final score was Washington 26, Dallas 3. After winning the NFC Championship, the Redskins went on to lose to the undefeated Miami Dolphins 14–7 in Super Bowl VII. Redskins running back Larry Brown was named the 1972 NFL MVP. The Redskins again made the playoffs in 1973, 1974, and 1976, only to lose all three times in the first round. After the team failed to make the playoffs in Redskins despite a 9–5 record, Allen was fired and was replaced at head coach by Jack Pardee.

Jack Kent Cooke era (1979–1998)

Canadian-American businessman Jack Kent Cooke, who had owned minority shares of the Redskins and been a board member since 1960, purchased majority interest from Edward Bennett Williams in 1974. Due to NFL rules at the time disallowing controlling ownership in other leagues, he allowed Williams to operate the team until selling his other properties, the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers and the NHL's Los Angeles Kings, to Jerry Buss in May 1979. Cooke became the team's sole owner in 1985 after purchasing the remaining shares from Williams for around $9 million.

Joe Gibbs years (1981–1992)

Jack Pardee, the 1979 NFL Coach of the Year, was fired following a 6–10 record in 1980. On January 13, 1981, Cooke hired San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator Joe Gibbs as head coach. During the offseason, the Redskins acquired players such as Mark May, Russ Grimm, and Dexter Manley in the 1981 NFL draft. After starting the 1981 season 0–5, the Redskins won eight out of their next 11 games and finished the season 8–8 but fourth in the NFC East.

Super Bowl XVII champions (1982)

Starting on September 21, 1982, the NFL faced a 57-day long players' strike, which reduced the 1982 season from a 16-game schedule to nine. Because of the shortened season, the NFL adopted a special 16-team playoff tournament in which eight teams from each conference were seeded 1–8 based on their regular season records. After the strike was settled, the Redskins dominated, winning six out of the seven remaining games to make the playoffs for the first time since 1976.

In January 1983, during the second round of the playoffs against the Minnesota Vikings, John Riggins rushed for franchise playoff record 185 yards, leading Washington to a 21–7 win. The game is perhaps best known for a moment when the stadium physically shook as a crowd chanted "We Want Dallas!", which later became a rallying cry of sorts for Redskin fans before games against the Cowboys. In the NFC Championship Game against them at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Redskins defensive end Dexter Manley knocked Cowboys' quarterback Danny White out for the rest of the game and sent him into the locker room shortly before halftime. Later in the game, Redskins defensive tackle Darryl Grant intercepted a tipped pass that he returned for a 10-yard touchdown off of Cowboys' backup quarterback Gary Hogeboom. John Riggins rushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns on 36 carries and the Redskins went on to defeat the Cowboys' by a score of 31–17. The Redskins' first Super Bowl win and their first NFL Championship in 40 years was in Super Bowl XVII, where the Redskins defeated the Miami Dolphins 27–17. Riggins provided the game's signature play on 4th and inches with the Redskins down 17–13 when the coaches called "70 Chip", a play designed for short yardage. Riggins instead gained 43 yards (39 meters) by running through would-be tackler Don McNeal and getting the go-ahead touchdown. The Redskins ended up winning by a 27–17 score with John Riggins winning the Super Bowl MVP.

After the 1982 season Redskins kicker Mark Moseley was the first and only kicker in NFL history to be named the NFL's Most Valuable Player; Moseley made 20 of 21 field goals attempted in 1982. Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs also won his first NFL Coach of the Year award in 1982, which was the first of his back-to-back NFL Coach of the Year awards, his second coming in the 1983 NFL season.

Cornerback Darrell Green and defensive end Charles Mann were selected in the 1983 NFL draft and became key contributors for the team; Green would play his entire 20-year career with the Redskins. On October 1, 1983, the Redskins lost to the Green Bay Packers 48–47 in the highest-scoring Monday night football game in history, in which both teams combined for more than 1,000 yards (910 m) of total offense. Then during the regular season finale on December 17, 1983, Moseley set an NFL scoring record with 161 points while Riggins' total of 144 points was second. This marked the first time since 1951 that the top two scorers in a season played on the same team. They dominated the NFL with a 14-win season which included scoring a then NFL record 541 points, many of which came from Riggins, who scored 24 touchdowns. Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann would also be named the 1983 NFL's Most Valuable Player, finishing the season with 3,714 yards passing and 29 touchdown passes while throwing only 11 interceptions. In the postseason, the Redskins beat the Los Angeles Rams 51–7. The next week, Washington beat the San Francisco 49ers 24–21 in the NFC Championship Game. It was their final win of the season because two weeks later, the Raiders beat the Redskins 38–9 in Super Bowl XVIII.

The Redskins finished the 1984 season with an 11–5 record and won the NFC East for the third consecutive season. However, they lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Chicago Bears, 23–19. On November 18, 1985, while playing against the Giants, Theismann broke his leg during a sack by Lawrence Taylor. The compound fracture forced him to retire after a 12-year career, during which he had become the Redskins' all-time leader in pass attempts and completions. The Redskins finished 3rd in the NFC East behind the Cowboys and missed the wild card to the Giants by virtue of tiebreakers.

The 1986 offseason's major highlight occurred during the 1986 NFL draft when the Redskins picked up future Super Bowl MVP Mark Rypien in the sixth round. The Redskins defensive end Dexter Manley also set a franchise record when he got 18.5 sacks while earning All-Pro honors. In 1986 season, the Redskins made the postseason as a wild-card team despite having a regular season record of 12–4. They won the Wild Card playoff against the Rams and then against the Bears in the Divisional playoffs. This game was Gibbs's 70th career win, which made him the winningest head coach in Redskins history. The season ended the next week, however, when the Redskins lost to the eventual Super Bowl XXI Champion Giants 17–0 in the NFC Championship game.

Super Bowl XXII champions (1987)

The 1987 NFL season began with a players' strike that reduced the 16-game season to 15. No Redskins players crossed the picket line—the only such team—and the games for Weeks 4–6 were won with all-replacement squads. Those three victories, often credited with getting the team into the playoffs, are the basis for the 2000 movie The Replacements. 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 10–0. This game is also noted for Super Bowl MVP quarterback Doug Williams, who threw four touchdowns in the second quarter en route to becoming the first black quarterback to start for his team to win a championship, and for rookie running back Timmy Smith, who ran for a Super Bowl–record 204 yards (187 m).

In 1988, the team missed the playoffs with a 7–9 record. The 1989 Redskins finished with a 10–6 record but missed the playoffs. The team is best remembered for "The Posse"—Art Monk, Gary Clark, and Ricky Sanders—the first trio of NFL wide receivers to post more than 1,000 yards apiece in a single season. Also, Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs achieved his 100th career victory in a week-14 win against the San Diego Chargers. The Redskins returned to the playoffs in 1990 as a Wild Card team, but lost in the Divisional round to the 49ers.

Super Bowl XXVI champions (1991)

The 1991 season started with a franchise-record 11 straight wins. "The Hogs", under the coaching of Redskins offensive line coach Joe Bugel, allowed a franchise-record nine sacks, the third-lowest total in NFL history. The offense also dominated under head football coach Joe Gibbs, scoring 485 points, more than any other team that year. The defense was also dominant under defensive coordinator Richie Petitbon, giving up 224 total points, second-best of any team that year, while holding opponents scoreless three times. After posting a 14–2 record, the Redskins dominated the playoffs, beating the Falcons and Lions by a combined score of 64–17. On January 26, 1992, the Redskins won Super Bowl XXVI by defeating the Buffalo Bills 37–24; QB Mark Rypien won the Super Bowl MVP award. After the Super Bowl, the Redskins set another franchise record by sending eight players to the Pro Bowl. The 1991 Washington Redskins are widely considered one of the best teams in NFL history.

In 1992, the Redskins reached the playoffs as a wild card team, but lost in the Divisional playoffs to the 49ers, 20–13. On October 12, 1992, Art Monk became the NFL's all-time leading pass receiver by catching his 820th career reception against the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football. The era ended on March 5, 1993, when Gibbs retired after 12 years of coaching with the Redskins. Gibbs later founded Joe Gibbs Racing.