Washington Commanders

The franchise began in 1932 as the Boston Braves, named after the baseball team whose Braves Field they shared. After one season, new head coach Lone Star Dietz renamed the team the Redskins, and the franchise moved its home games to Fenway Park. The early years were competitive—the team reached the 1936 NFL Championship Game—but poor attendance in Boston convinced owner George Preston Marshall that the franchise needed a new home.

Marshall, a flamboyant showman who pioneered many of the NFL's entertainment and marketing innovations, recognized that the nation's capital offered a larger and more prestigious stage. His decision to relocate the franchise to Washington, D.C. in 1937 would prove transformative, establishing the team as one of the NFL's flagship organizations for decades to come.

Before leaving Boston, the team had already begun to establish an identity, with Marshall introducing the team's famous fight song and marching band—innovations that were ahead of their time and helped create the game-day atmosphere that would become a hallmark of NFL culture.

The move to Washington was immediately validated when the franchise won the 1937 NFL Championship in their first season in the capital, defeating the Chicago Bears 28-21 behind rookie sensation Sammy Baugh. "Slingin' Sammy" was the most revolutionary player of his era—a prototype for the modern passing quarterback who could also punt and play defensive back. His arrival transformed both the franchise and the sport itself.

The team became a powerhouse under coach Ray Flaherty, reaching the championship game five times between 1937 and 1945, winning titles in 1937 and 1942. The 1940 NFL Championship Game, however, remains the most lopsided game in league history—the Bears humiliated Washington 73-0, a score so devastating that it prompted Marshall to completely overhaul his approach to the game.

Washington's success during this era, combined with Marshall's showmanship and the team's location in the nation's capital, made them one of the NFL's most prominent franchises. Griffith Stadium became a gathering place for politicians, military leaders, and celebrities, establishing the team's connection to American power that would persist for decades.

The post-war decades were marked by George Preston Marshall's stubborn refusal to integrate the team. Washington was the last NFL team to sign a Black player, not doing so until 1962 when the Kennedy administration pressured Marshall by threatening to revoke the team's lease at the new D.C. Stadium (later RFK Stadium). Bobby Mitchell, acquired from the Cleveland Browns, became the team's first Black player and went on to have a Hall of Fame career.

Marshall's resistance to integration cost the franchise dearly on the field. While other teams were signing talented Black players from historically Black colleges and universities, Washington was limiting its talent pool and falling behind. The team posted mostly losing records throughout the 1950s and 1960s, a stark contrast to their championship years.

The coaching carousel spun frequently during this era, with no one able to replicate the success of the Baugh years. Vince Lombardi's hiring as head coach in 1969 briefly raised hopes, but his tragic death from cancer after just one season—in which he led the team to their first winning record in 14 years—left the franchise once again searching for direction.

George Allen's arrival in 1971 brought instant credibility and a unique philosophy—he traded away draft picks for proven veterans, earning his team the affectionate nickname "The Over-the-Hill Gang." Allen's approach was unconventional but effective. He transformed a moribund franchise into an immediate contender, going 9-4-1 in his first season and reaching the Super Bowl after the 1972 season.

Super Bowl VII was a disappointment—the Miami Dolphins completed their perfect season with a 14-7 victory—but the game represented the franchise's return to the sport's biggest stage for the first time since the 1940s. Allen's teams were built on defense and toughness, featuring veterans like Jack Pardee, Diron Talbert, and Chris Hanburger.

Allen's tenure produced five playoff appearances in seven seasons, a remarkable turnaround for a franchise that had been irrelevant for over a decade. His emphasis on veteran leadership and defensive prowess laid the foundation for the championship culture that would emerge in the next decade under Joe Gibbs.

Joe Gibbs's first tenure as head coach produced one of the most remarkable championship runs in NFL history. What made Washington's dynasty unique was that Gibbs won three Super Bowls with three different starting quarterbacks—Joe Theismann, Doug Williams, and Mark Rypien—proving that the system and the roster were more important than any individual player.

The first championship came after the 1982 strike-shortened season, when the team went 8-1 and demolished the Miami Dolphins 27-17 in Super Bowl XVII behind John Riggins's legendary 43-yard touchdown run. The second title, following the 1987 season, was historically significant: Doug Williams became the first Black quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl, throwing for 340 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-10 demolition of the Denver Broncos.

The third championship came after the 1991 season, when many consider the Washington team to be one of the greatest in NFL history. With Mark Rypien at quarterback and an offensive line known as "The Hogs," the team went 14-2 and crushed the Buffalo Bills 37-24 in Super Bowl XXVI. Gibbs's offensive innovations—particularly his use of multiple tight end formations and a counter-gap running scheme—influenced the sport for decades.

Daniel Snyder's purchase of the franchise in 1999 for $800 million—then a record for a professional sports team—ushered in one of the most turbulent periods in NFL franchise history. Snyder's tenure was defined by constant coaching changes, questionable personnel decisions, workplace scandals, and a bitter debate over the team name that eventually led to the franchise rebranding.

On the field, the results were mostly dismal. Joe Gibbs returned for a second stint (2004-07) and won a playoff game, but his second tenure couldn't recapture the magic of the first. The franchise cycled through coaches including Steve Spurrier, Jim Zorn, Mike Shanahan, Jay Gruden, and Ron Rivera without finding sustained success. Robert Griffin III's explosive 2012 rookie season provided a brief flash of hope before injuries derailed his career.

Off the field, a series of scandals rocked the organization, including allegations of workplace misconduct that led to a congressional investigation. In 2020, the team retired the Redskins name amid growing social pressure, initially becoming the Washington Football Team before adopting the Commanders name in 2022. Snyder was eventually forced to sell the franchise in 2023, ending a deeply unpopular ownership era.