Redskins history marked by five titles and questionable ownership
Redskins history marked by five titles and questionable ownership
The Washington Redskins have become one of the most profitable and successful teams in the NFL. However, the franchise got its start more than 400 miles to the northeast.
Boston was given a team by the NFL in 1932, replacing the Cleveland Indians, which became a travel team after one season in the league. Before that, the Newark Tornadoes held the franchise rights. They had played for two seasons before ceasing operations.
An ownership group headed by George Preston Marshall named their team the Braves after the city’s baseball team. Marshall was the owner of the Palace Laundry chain which was founded by his father. He also coached a basketball team in Washington, D.C., called the Washington Palace Five, which was part of the original American Basketball League. The ABL was organized in 1925 by Joseph Carr, who was also President of the NFL.
The first coach of the Braves was James “Lud” Wray, a former professional football player and a Marine during World War I. Wray would last just one year before moving on to become the first head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1933.
After one season of financial loss, the minor partners dropped their investment, leaving Marshall as the sole owner. He changed the team’s name from Braves to Redskins and moved from Braves Field to Fenway Park, the home of the Red Sox.
Boston did not have a winning record until its fifth season in 1936. The team had a new head coach in former Giants player and Gonzaga coach Ray Flaherty. The Redskins won their final three regular season games to finish 7-5 and reach their first NFL Championship Game, where they lost to the Green Bay Packers, 21-6.
Although the team was now successful, Marshall moved the club to his hometown of Washington, D.C., and kept the Redskins moniker. Before the move was approved, Marshall drafted quarterback Sammy Baugh and installed a college-style offense that employed the forward pass, which was rarely used in the professional game at the time.
The new style worked, thanks to “Slinging Sammy” and running back Cliff Battles. The Redskins went 8-3 and then came from behind to defeat the Chicago Bears, 28-21, for their first championship. Baugh threw for 335 yards and three touchdowns, and he outgained the Bears (207 total yards) by himself in the game.
Washington reached the title game two more times under Flaherty. The Bears got their revenge in 1940, winning 73-0, the most lopsided score in NFL Championship Game history. Two years later, the Redskins went 10-1 and edged Chicago, 14-6, for the franchise’s second title.
Flaherty left the team soon after to become an officer in the U. S. Navy during World War II. His replacement was Arthur “Dutch” Bergman, who was a longtime coach at nearby Catholic University. The Redskins and Giants each went 6-3-1, and Washington won the Division game in New York, 28-0. The Bears won the league championship by a 41-21 score, and Bergman left after one season.
Two years later, the Redskins went 8-2 and returned to the NFL Championship Game under former San Jose State and University of Rochester (NY) coach Dudley DeGroot. The game was close, but Washington fell, 15-14, to the Cleveland Rams. The Rams moved to Los Angeles after the game.
The Redskins would not return to postseason play for another 25 years. The team would have just four winning seasons in that span, despite having Green Bay greats Curly Lambeau and Vince Lombardi and Hall of Fame player Otto Graham as head coaches.
Marshall faced scrutiny as well. Washington was the only team without an African-American player on its roster and Marshall was facing pressure from the government to integrate. The U. S. Department of the Interior owned the new District of Columbia Stadium (later called RFK Stadium), and Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall told Marshall that if he didn’t integrate, he would revoke the team’s 30-year lease.
Marshall drafted University of Syracuse star running back Ernie Davis, who was the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy. The Redskins traded Davis to the Browns for receiver Bobby Mitchell and a 1962 first round pick (which became running back Leroy Jackson). Davis was later diagnosed with leukemia and died the following year without appearing in a regular season game.
While Marshall’s refusal of segregation was meant to appeal to his team’s fans in the South, even that would be tested. The NFL wanted to expand to Dallas, but Marshall wanted to keep a stranglehold on the territory. He opposed the new team, but Dallas owner Clint Murchison Jr. got the better of the situation. He purchased the rights to Washington’s fight song, “Hail to the Redskins,” and threatened to not allow the team use of the song. Marshall finally relented, and the Cowboys started to play in 1961.
Marshall suffered a stroke in 1963, and he sold the team to attorney Edward Bennett Williams and Jack Kent Cooke, a Canadian-born businessman who owned media companies and sports teams in both Canada and the U. S.
In 1971, the Redskins hired George Allen as their new head coach. Allen had spent the past five seasons leading the Los Angeles Rams. Allen brought in several former Rams players to lead a veteran-heavy roster that was nicknamed the “Over-the-Hill Gang.”
Washington made the playoffs in Allen’s first four seasons at the helm. The Redskins lost to the 49ers in a Division game the first year, but advanced even further in 1972. Behind an offense led by quarterback Billy Kilmer and running back Larry Brown, as well as a defense that gave up the fewest points in the NFC, Washington knocked out the Packers and Cowboys to advance to their first championship game in 27 years.
However, the Redskins ran into the Miami Dolphins, which came into Super Bowl VII looking for the first perfect season in modern NFL history. Miami was up 14-0 late in the fourth quarter and called on kicker Garo Yepremian to put the game out of reach with a field goal. The kick was blocked by Bill Brundige, but rather than falling on the ball, Yepremian tried to pass to fullback Larry Csonka.
The attempt was knocked up into the air and Yepremian tried to knock the ball out of bounds. Instead, it fell into the hands of Mike Bass, who returned it 49 yards for a touchdown. Washington had one final attempt to tie the score, but Kilmer was sacked and time ran out on the 14-7 Dolphins victory.
Cooke became majority owner in 1974. Washington reached the postseason three more times under Allen, but failed to make it past the Division round. Allen left the Redskins in 1977, and he was replaced by one of his favorite players from his days with the Rams, Jack Pardee, who had since led the Bears to their first playoff appearance in 14 years.
Pardee was fired after three seasons of failing to make the playoffs. The new head coach was Joe Gibbs, who was the coordinator that helped install the high-powered “Air Coryell” offense with the Chargers.
In Washington, Gibbs relied more on the running game, building a strong offensive line called “The Hogs,” to block for talented backs like John Riggins, George Rogers, and Earnest Byner. In addition, the Redskins featured quarterback Joe Theismann and talented receivers Art Monk, Gary Clark, and Ricky Sanders.
The Redskins went 8-1 and returned to the Super Bowl in the strike-shortened 1982 season. Riggins ran for 166 yards and a touchdown, as Washington defeated the Dolphins, 27-17, for their first championship since 1942.
Washington went 14-2 and led the league in points scored the following year on the way to another Super Bowl appearance. However, Marcus Allen ran for 191 yards and two scores, and the Raiders won, 38-9.
Williams sold his shares in the team to Cooke in 1985, making Cooke the sole owner. Meanwhile, Washington was in the midst of a decade-long run of success. The Redskins had double-digit wins five straight years, but they were shut out by the Giants in the 1986 NFC Championship Game after a 12-4 regular season. The next year, Washington won close games over the Bears and Vikings to reach Super Bowl XXII.
Denver jumped out to a 10-0 lead, but Washington set a record with 35 points in the second quarter in the 42-10 victory. Timmy Smith ran for 204 yards and two touchdowns and Sanders had nine catches for 193 yards and two scores, but Doug Williams was the MVP. He threw for 340 yards and four touchdowns to become the first African-American quarterback to lead a team to a championship.
After a two-year hiatus, the Redskins returned to the postseason in 1990. They beat the Eagles in the Wild Card round before losing to the 49ers. The following season, Washington had an NFL-best 14-2 record then blew past the Falcons and Lions to reach Super Bowl XXVI.
The Redskins started off strong, thanks to the running game. Byner caught a pass in the flat from Mark Rypien and completed the 10-yard touchdown, and former Falcon Gerald Riggs scored twice for a 24-0 lead. Riggs’ second touchdown came just moments into the second half. Bills quarterback Jim Kelly was intercepted by linebacker Kurt Gouveia, who returned it to the two-yard-line. Rypien threw a touchdown to Gary Clark, and the Redskins withstood two late Kelly scoring passes to win 37-24 for their fifth title.
After a Division round loss in 1992, Gibbs retired to spend time with his family, work as an NFL analyst and create his own NASCAR racing team. In the 26 years since then, Washington has had just eight winning seasons and gone to the postseason five times. The Redskins have only won two playoff games in that span. They defeated the Lions in the Wild Card game under former Cowboys offensive coordinator Norv Turner in 1999, and beat the Buccaneers in the same round in 2005 when Gibbs came out of retirement.
Cooke died of congestive heart failure in 1997, and his estate took over control of the team, with his son, John, managing day-to-day operations. John was unable to raise the necessary funds to buy the team outright, so two years later, he sold the Redskins and the rights to the new Jack Kent Cooke Stadium to advertising company owner Daniel Snyder.
Snyder’s tenure has seen several issues. The team has faced backlash from advocacy groups and politicians about the Redskins name, which Snyder has refused to change, despite claims of prejudice against Native Americans. Also, rising prices and a lawsuit against ticket holders who were hurt by the 2008 economic recession has alienated fans.
Another tragedy occurred in November 2007, when safety Sean Taylor suffered a knee injury. While Taylor was at home resting, four armed robbers broke into his house and shot him, severing his femoral artery. He went into a coma and died the next day.
The Redskins have a losing record (139-180-1) during Snyder’s reign. The team has used eight coaches since 2000, including college legend Steve Spurrier, professional greats Marty Schottenheimer and Mike Shanahan, and current coach, Jay Gruden, a former Bengals offensive coordinator who won four titles in the Arena Football League.
Washington heads into the 2019 season with Case Keenum and first-round pick Dwayne Haskins at quarterback after Alex Smith fractured his tibia and fibula last season. Other offensive weapons include running back Adrian Peterson and tight ends Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis. On defense, former Giant Landon Collins joins end Jonathan Allen, linebackers Ryan Kerrigan and Mason Foster and cornerback Josh Norman.
-By: Kevin Rakas