The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team based in the Washington, D.C. area. The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, which is in Prince George's County, Maryland. The team's headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn, Virginia, a community in Loudoun County, Virginia, near Dulles International Airport. They are members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL).
According to Forbes Magazine, the Redskins are the second most valuable franchise in the NFL, valued at approximately $1.538 billion, having been surpassed by their rivals the Dallas Cowboys in 2007. Despite being the second most valuable franchise, the Redskins remain the highest grossing team in the NFL with $327 million in revenue during the 2007 season. They have also broken the NFL's mark for single-season attendance eight years in a row.
Overall, the Redskins have played for eleven NFL Championships and have won five, including three of the five Super Bowls in which they have played. Four of the five Super Bowl appearances were under the leadership of Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs.
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."
Franchise History
In Boston
The Boston "Football" Braves, owned by George Preston Marshall, entered the National Football League in 1932 after the Newark Tornadoes franchise folded and played at Braves Field, home of Boston "baseball" Braves. They had tried to base the team in New York, but were blocked by the NFL's territorial rule. The Braves were coached by Lud Wray and were led by Hall of Famers Cliff Battles (Running Back) and Turk Edwards (Offensive Tackle). Their first game was held on October 2, 1932 in which they lost to the Brooklyn Dodgers. The next week, the Braves would gain their first franchise victory, with a 14-6 win over the New York Giants. The Braves would complete their first season with a 4-4-2 record.
In 1933, the team moved into Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, and changed their name to the Redskins. They also changed their head coach. The team was now led by Lone Star Dietz, as Lud Wray moved to Philadelphia to head up its new franchise, the Eagles. The Redskins finished the 1933 season with a 5-5-2 record. In 1934, the Redskins finished in second place with a 6-6 record. In 1935, under head coach Eddie Casey, the Redskins had a dismal season, scoring only 65 points and finishing with a 2-8-1 record. In 1936, under their fourth head coach, Ray Flaherty, the Redskins won their final three games, outscoring their opponents 74-6, and captured the Eastern Division Championship with a 7-5 record. However because of extremely poor attendance, highlighted by only 4,813 fans coming out to Fenway Park to see the Redskins trounce the Pittsburgh Pirates, 30-0, George Preston Marshall elected to give up home field advantage and played the NFL Championship game against the Green Bay Packers at the Polo Grounds. Battles was injured on the tenth play of the game and the Packers won the championship with a 21-6 victory. The Redskins moved to Washington the following season due to lack of fan support in Boston.
The Baugh Era
In their early years in Washington, the Redskins shared Griffith Stadium with the Washington Senators baseball team. In 1937, they signed an innovative rookie quarterback from Texas Christian University, 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.
With Sammy Baugh at the helm, the Redskins won the Eastern Division title and went back to the NFL Championship game in their first year in the Nation's Capital. The 1937 NFL Championship game pitted them against the Chicago Bears. Sammy Baugh threw three touchdown passes and the Redskins prevailed, 28-21. The two teams would meet again in the 1940 Championship, and the Bears handed the Redskins the most lopsided defeat in NFL history, 73-0. The Redskins struck back in 1942, as George Preston Marshall used the 1940 humiliation as a rallying point and the Redskins upset the Bears to spoil their try for a perfect season, 14-6. The teams clashed again the following season and the Bears would even the series at 2-2, capturing the 1943 NFL title, 41-21. The Redskins challenged for the NFL title again in 1945, but fell a point short to the Cleveland Rams, 15-14.
Source: Wikipedia
