Washington celebrates its 90th anniversary as an NFL franchise

The Washington Commanders began life in July 1932 as the Boston Braves, The team name was the same as the existing baseball team that played on the same field.

In 1933, the team changed home fields, moving to Fenway Park, home of the Boston Redsox. No longer wanting to be associated with the Braves baseball team, but wanting to hold on to the links to Indian imagery, the team name was changed to the Redskins.

The Redskins won the Eastern Division Championship in ‘36, but did so in front of very small crowds; the final game of the season (a 30-0 win) was played in front of just over 4,000 fans. The low fan attendance was enough to convince the team’s owner, George Preston Marshall, that he needed to do something different.

Prior to the 1937 season, the team made two huge changes — they relocated from Boston to Washington DC, where they shared a home field with the Senators, and they drafted the only Washington player to ever wear #33, Sammy Baugh.

This week, the Washington Commanders are initiating the celebration of 90 years of NFL football.

Two major efforts were kicked off this weekend.

The anniversary patches

This season, every player will be wearing an anniversary patch on game day. The team is producing the patches in 3 colors to match the home, away and alternate uniforms unveiled in February.

From the team website:

It all started on a baseball field in Boston over 400 miles from our eventual home. Few could have predicted what we would become back in 1932. Over the last 90 years, the Burgundy & Gold has established itself as one of the most storied franchises in American football, forging a legacy highlighted by three Super Bowls and a total of five World Championships. Along with the hardware we’ve collected in our trophy case, we’ve spearheaded initiatives that have shifted the landscape of the game as we know it, including the NFL’s first fight song, marching band and radio network. In February 2022, we announced the identity that will carry us into the next 90 years and beyond: the Washington Commanders.

Command Legacy - the 90 Greatest

The franchise has a tradition of honoring its greatest contributors (players, coaches and executives) by naming them to a list, with ten names being added at the anniversary of each decade. That is, on the 70th anniversary, the list of “The 70 Greatest Redskins” was initiated, and ten years ago it was updated to “The 80 Greatest Redskins”.

With the recent name change so fresh, the team has avoided this year’s update “The 90 Greatest Commanders”, and is using the label “Command Legacy” for the list.

In June 2002, players and coaches who were significant contributors to the team’s storied history were hand-selected to become members of the franchise’s “70 Greatest” as a way of honoring Washington’s 70th anniversary. In April 2012, we added another 10 individuals to the prestigious list to create the “80 Greatest”.

There are 104 Super Bowl appearances among the 80 Greats, with 52 going once and 48 playing in more than one. Thirty-two members of the squad possess one Super Bowl ring; 29 have more than one. For the years prior to the Super Bowl, members of the 70 made 18 World Championship appearances; six participated in the team’s World Championship victories in 1937 and 1942. Every Washington player in the Pro Football Hall of Fame is represented among the 70 Greats and every player and coach in the team’s Ring of Fame at FedExField is on the list as well.

The time is now, as they say, to add ten new names to the list. The team has nominated 15 individuals for fan voting. While I initially thought the list would exclude any active players, it doesn’t, as Kirk Cousins, who is clearly still an active NFL player, is one of the nominees.

Stunningly, Trent Williams, who went to 7 Pro Bowls as a Redskin, is not.

The 15 names comprise both recent players and coaches and names from the past:

• Champ Baily, CB, 1999-2003
• London Fletcher, LB, 2007-2013
• MIke Sellers, FB, ‘98-00, ‘04-’11
• Ryan Kerrigan, OLB, 2011-2020
• Kirk Cousins, QB, 2012-2017
• Lavern Torgeson, player/coach, 1955-1983
• DeAngelo Hall, CB, 2008-2017
• Larry Peccatiello, co-Def Coordinator, 1984-1993
• Alfred Morris, RB, 2012-2017
• Joe Lavender, CB, 1976-1982
• Chip Lohmiller, K, 1988-1994
• Santana Moss, WR, 2005-2014
• Darryl Grant, DT, 1981-1990
• Chris Cooley, TE, 2004-2012
• Stephen Davis, RB, 1996-2002

If you want to vote, CLICK HERE

From the team website:

Help us select the next 10!

Select 10 individuals you would like to see added to the list as one of our “90 Greatest”, then fill out your information to cast your vote!

Tickets to two home games for $90

As part of the celebration, the team has announced a ticketing special as well.