United States
The Washington Football Team play in the NFL’s National Football Conference (NFC) in the East Division. Although they have competed in various divisions, they have been members of the NFC East since 1970 when the AFL and NFL merged.
George Preston Marshall established the franchise in 1932. The team’s first home was in Boston, Massachusetts, where they were known as the Boston “Football” Braves. The term “football” was inserted into the name informally to differentiate the football team from the Boston Braves baseball team. They became the Boston Redskins in 1933, and in 1937, due to a lack of fan support, the club moved to Washington, D.C.
The team has played in the NFL’s Eastern Division (1933-1949), American Conference (1950-1952), Eastern Conference (1953-1969) and Capitol Division (1967-1969).
The franchise won 12 Division Championships, five Conference Championships, two NFL Championships and three Super Bowls. The Redskins earned six NFL East titles (1936, 1937, 1940, 1942, 1943, 1945) and six NFC East crowns (1972, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1991, 1999). Five NFC titles have been earned with the club’s first coming in 1972. Washington won three conference championships in the 1980s (1982, 1983, 1987) and one in the 1990s (1991).
In the 1980s, the Redskins captured two of three Super Bowls, winning their first in 1982 when they beat the Miami Dolphins 27-17 in Super Bowl XVII. They returned to the Super Bowl the following year, losing to the Oakland Raiders 38-9. After winning the NFC in 1987, they met the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXII, winning by a score of 42-10. Their last Super Bowl appearance was at the 1991 contest. In that game, Super Bowl XXVI, the team beat the Buffalo Bills 37-24.
A total of two-dozen Redskin players, coaches and executives have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. These include quarterbacks Sammy Baugh (1937-1952) and Sonny Jurgensen (1957-1963 Philadelphia Eagles and 1964-1974 Redskins), running back John Riggins (1971-1975 New York Jets; 1976-1979 and 1981-1985 Redskins) and head coach Joe Gibbs (1981-1992 and 2004-2007).
Baugh played for the Redskins his entire career. Finishing with a QB rating of 72.2, “Slingin’ Sammy” was a five-time All-Star and nine-time All-Pro. He was selected to the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team and the NFL 1940s All-Decade Team.
After helping to establish the Eagles as a contender, Jurgensen went to the Redskins where he had some of his most productive years. Four of his five Pro Bowl and All-Pro seasons were with the Skins. Over his career, the signal caller threw for 255 touchdowns. He earned a QB rating of 82.6, accumulating a total of 32,224 passing yards.
