55 Facts About The Washington Redskins

1.

Team was founded in 1932 as the Boston Braves, changing its name to the Redskins the following year before relocating to Washington, DC, in 1937.

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2.

The The Washington Redskins branding was seen as pejorative by many for decades.

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3.

The Washington Redskins won the 1937 and 1942 NFL championship games and Super Bowls XVII, XXII, and XXVI.

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4.

The Washington Redskins has finished a season as league runner-up six times, losing the 1936,1940,1943, and 1945 title games and Super Bowls VII and XVIII.

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5.

All of The Washington Redskins's championships were attained during two 10-year spans.

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6.

From 1946 to 1970, The Washington Redskins posted just four winning seasons and never reached the postseason.

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7.

In 1940, the The Washington Redskins met the Bears again in the 1940 NFL Championship Game.

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8.

The Washington Redskins played in the NFL Championship one more time before a quarter-century drought that lasted until the 1972 season.

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9.

Team's early success endeared it to the fans of Washington, DC However, after 1945, the Redskins began a slow decline that they did not end until a playoff appearance in the 1971 season.

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10.

However, the The Washington Redskins failed to hold a 14-point lead and lost to the New York Giants That same year, Bill McPeak became the head coach and had a record of over five seasons.

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11.

The Washington Redskins helped pull off two important trades, gaining quarterback Sonny Jurgensen from the Philadelphia Eagles and linebacker Sam Huff from the New York Giants.

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12.

The Washington Redskins resigned after the 1968 season in favor of Vince Lombardi, and became athletic director of the Coast Guard Academy before retiring at the end of 1984.

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13.

The The Washington 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 DC Stadium, managed by the US Department of the Interior.

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14.

In 1962, The Washington Redskins became the final professional American football franchise to integrate.

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15.

The Washington Redskins took fullback Ron Hatcher of Michigan State in the eighth round, who became the first black player to sign a contract with the team.

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16.

The The Washington Redskins ended the 1962 season with their best record in five years: Mitchell led the league with 11 touchdowns, and caught 72 passes and was selected to the Pro Bowl.

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17.

In 1969, the The Washington Redskins hired Vince Lombardi—who gained fame coaching with the Green Bay Packers—to be their new head coach.

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18.

The The Washington Redskins reached the NFC Championship Game, and in a much-anticipated match-up against the archrival Dallas Cowboys, the The Washington Redskins would not disappoint.

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19.

The Washington Redskins running back Larry Brown would be named the 1972 NFL's Most Valuable Player.

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20.

The Washington Redskins again made the playoffs in 1973,1974, and 1976, only to lose all three times in the first round.

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21.

The Washington Redskins chose well during the 1979 NFL Draft, where they drafted future stars Don Warren and Monte Coleman.

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22.

Also during the off-season, the The Washington Redskins acquired Mark May, Russ Grimm, and Dexter Manley in the 1981 NFL Draft, all of whom became significant contributors to the team for the next few years.

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23.

The The Washington Redskins finished 3rd in the NFC East behind the Cowboys and missed the wild card to the Giants by virtue of tiebreakers.

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24.

The The Washington Redskins have the distinction of being the only team with no players crossing the picket line.

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25.

The The Washington Redskins won their second championship in Super Bowl XXII on January 31,1988, in San Diego, California.

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26.

The The Washington Redskins returned to the playoffs in 1990 as a Wild Card team, but lost in the Divisional round to the 49ers.

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27.

The 1991 The Washington Redskins offense dominated under the brilliant coaching of offensive-minded head football coach Joe Gibbs, scoring 485 points which was the most by any team in the 1991 NFL season.

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28.

The 1991 The Washington Redskins defense was dominant under the coaching of defensive coordinator and guru Richie Petitbon, giving up only 224 total points which was second-best of any team in the NFL in 1991, while not allowing a single point to opponents in 3 of the 16 games played that season.

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29.

The 1991 Washington Redskins are widely considered one of the best teams in NFL history.

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30.

The Washington Redskins's estate, headed by son John Kent Cooke, took over ownership of the Redskins and at his memorial service, John Kent Cooke announced that the new stadium in Landover, Maryland would be named Jack Kent Cooke Stadium.

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31.

On January 3,2001, the The Washington Redskins hired former Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs head coach Marty Schottenheimer as head coach.

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32.

On September 13,2001, the The Washington Redskins announced the establishment of the The Washington Redskins Relief Fund to help families of the victims of the attack at the Pentagon.

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33.

The Washington Redskins's employment came with a promise of decreased intervention in football operations from Snyder.

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34.

The The Washington Redskins picked Sean Taylor from University of Miami during the draft in Gibbs' first season.

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35.

In that game, the The Washington Redskins broke the record for fewest offensive yards gained in a playoff victory, with one of their two touchdowns being from a defensive run after a fumble recovery.

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36.

The The Washington Redskins picked up future starters Rocky McIntosh, Anthony Montgomery, Reed Doughty, and Kedric Golston in the 2006 NFL Draft.

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37.

The The Washington Redskins managed to upset the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 16, but were eliminated from playoff contention.

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38.

The troublesome After cutting the injury-rattled Clinton Portis, the The Washington Redskins had no important offensive players left except for Santana Moss.

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39.

In 2012, the The Washington Redskins traded several high draft picks to the St Louis Rams in order to take Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III second overall in the 2012 NFL Draft.

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40.

The The Washington Redskins fired Shanahan and most of his staff after the season.

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41.

Team's former The Washington Redskins branding, used from 1933 until 2020, was one of the leading examples of the Native American mascot controversy as the term redskin has been defined as offensive, disparaging, and taboo.

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42.

In 2014 when the franchise was entangled in a legal trademark protection case, the Washington Post announced their editorials would no longer use the "Redskins" name, and subsequently other news outlets would informally call them by their geographically related area such as "the Washington pro football team" or avoid publishing their nickname, altogether.

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43.

From 1961 through 1978, The Washington Redskins wore gold pants with both the burgundy and white jerseys, although details of the jerseys and pants changed a few times during this period.

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44.

From 1981 through 2000, The Washington Redskins wore their white jerseys over burgundy pants at home almost exclusively.

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45.

The The Washington Redskins won six straight games, including one in the playoffs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, wearing that combination.

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46.

In celebration of the franchise's 75th anniversary, The Washington Redskins wore a one-time throwback uniform for a home game against the New York Giants, based on their away uniform from 1970 to 1971.

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47.

The The Washington Redskins, starting in 2010, began to wear the burgundy jersey paired with the gold pants reminiscent of the George Allen era.

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48.

The Washington Redskins wore the same combination against the Giants on the road two weeks later.

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49.

In 2011, the The Washington Redskins wore the burgundy jersey and gold pants for five home games and a road game at Dallas, the burgundy jersey with white pants for three home games and a road game at Miami, the white jersey and burgundy pants for five road games, and the white jersey and gold pants for a Bills game in Toronto.

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50.

That year, the The Washington Redskins removed the burgundy collar from their white jerseys in order to have better consistency with the new Nike uniforms that had debuted the previous season.

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51.

In 2017, The Washington Redskins resurrected the all-burgundy ensemble as part of the NFL Color Rush.

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52.

In 2018, The Washington Redskins replaced the gold pants with white for the majority of their home games.

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53.

The Washington Redskins wanted revenge after the failed negotiations with Marshall.

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54.

The Washington Redskins approached Tom Webb, Murchison's lawyer, and sold the rights for $2,500.

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55.

The exceptions include in 2004, when Republican incumbent George W Bush won re-election despite the Green Bay Packers beating the Redskins, in 2012, when Democratic incumbent Barack Obama won re-election despite the Redskins losing to the Carolina Panthers, in 2016, when Republican candidate Donald Trump won the election despite the Redskins defeating the Eagles, and in 2020, when Democratic candidate Joe Biden won despite Washington's win.

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