Washington Redskins Team History

After the disappointing 1936 NFL title game, George Preston Marshall had the team moved to his home in Washington, D.C. on February 13, 1937, retaining the name “Redskins” although it was now out of context. They then shared Griffith Stadium with the Washington Senators baseball team.

On August 9, 1937, the Redskins marching band was founded. The all-volunteer ensemble formed when Marshall brought the Redskins to Washington, with the goal of entertaining fans from the moment they walked into the stadium until the time they left it. The Redskins are now one of only two teams in the NFL with an official marching band. The other is the Baltimore Ravens.

In 1961, Jack Kent Cooke purchased a 25 percent interest in the Washington Redskins after team owner and founder George Preston Marshall became incapacitated by a stroke, becoming majority owner in 1974 and sole owner in 1985.

In 1997, Cooke completed a stadium deal near Landover, Maryland, for a new home for his team. This community was named Raljon—a name devised by Cooke by combining the names of his sons Ralph and John. Shortly afterwards, he died of cardiac arrest. The stadium was posthumously named Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, which was changed under subsequent ownership to FedExField in 1999.

The Redskins defeated the Dolphins by the score of 27–17 to win their first Super Bowl. The game was played on January 30, 1983 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Riggins was named Super Bowl MVP. He finished the game with 2 Super Bowl records: the most rushing yards in a Super Bowl game (166), and the most rushing attempts (38). His performance was also his fourth 100-yard rushing game in a row in a postseason game, a postseason record. Riggins also recorded a reception for 15 yards, giving him more total yards than the entire Miami team.

The Redskins defeated the Broncos by the score of 42–10, winning their second ever Super Bowl. The game was played on January 31, 1988 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, California, the first time that the Super Bowl was played in that city. Williams, who was named the Super Bowl MVP, completing 18 of 29 passes for a Super Bowl record 340 yards and four touchdowns, with one interception. He also became the first player in Super Bowl history to pass for four touchdowns in a single quarter, and four in a half. Williams was the first African American starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl. The 10-point deficit remains the largest deficit overcome by a Super Bowl victor.

The Redskins defeated the Bills by the score of 37–24, becoming the fourth team after the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Oakland Raiders, and the San Francisco 49ers to win three Super Bowls. The Bills became the third team, after the Minnesota Vikings (Super Bowls VIII and IX) and the Denver Broncos (Super Bowls XXI and XXII), to lose back-to-back Super Bowls. The game was played on January 26, 1992 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the first and only time the Super Bowl was held in that city.