In July of 1932, the NFL awarded a team to the city of Boston. The ownership group for the new franchise was headed by a man with little football background, George Preston Marshall, who owned a chain of laundromats in Washington, DC. Marshall was known for his flair for promotion and his persuasive communication skills. The team would play at Braves Field, home of Boston's National League baseball team, and so they took the name 'Boston Braves'.

The team lost money in it's inaugural season prompting Marshall to take sole ownership of the team the following year, He moved the team to Fenway Park in July of 1933, and changed the team's official name to the 'Boston Redskins'.

The team's first success came in 1936 when they won the NFL's Eastern Division and earned the right to host Green Bay in the NFL championship game. Marshall was angry with Boston fans for their poor attendance in the team's final home game and in protest, he moved the game to the Polo Grounds in New York. The Redskins gave up their home field advantage and lost 21-6. The team would never play another game in Boston.

In 1937 Marshall moved the Redskins to Griffith stadium in Washington, D.C. Under the glow of floodlights, the Washington Redskins would become a resounding success story. Marshall's ingenuity and foresight would bring about many new innovations such as the first ever marching band and the first ever fight song 'Hail to the Redskins'. The band still plays to this day and are the only remaining commissioned marching band in the NFL. The song is still heard every time the Redskins score a touchdown. (Read more about the Redskins Fight Song)

The 1937 season would also see the debut of "Slinging Sammy" Baugh from Texas Christian University. The Skins sixth overall draft pick would throw many passes that year and for many years to come.

Baugh revolutionized the look of pro football offenses forever. He would play 16 seasons, most of it going two ways and for 60 minutes a game, and he would pass for more than 22,000 yards.

Marshall's ingenuity coupled with Sammy's arm, would earn the Redskins their first NFL championship in 1937. In their first nine seasons in Washington, they never had a losing season. In that time they won 5 NFL Eastern Division championships and the NFL championship again in 1942.

The Redskins drew a large following not only in the Washington, D.C. area but around the country. In 1944 they became the first NFL team to have a radio network, and in 1950 they made history again by unveiling its new television network. Fans in many states who didn't have a pro football team to call their own listened to or watched the Redskins at home.

The Redskins moved out of Griffith and into D.C. Stadium in 1961. The stadium would later have it's name changed to Robert F. Kennedy and would remain the Redskins home until 1996. At RFK stadium, the Redskins would start a string of unprecedented sold out games, that still continues today at Fed Ex Field.

1969 was a year juxtaposed with glory and tragedy. Washington hired legendary coach Vince Lombardi in February, and he would guide the Redskins to their first winning record in 15 years. But along the way they would lose George Preston Marshall, the man who had molded the Redskins. They would also lose Lombardi to cancer before the start of the 1970 season.

George Allen took over in 1971 and was named NFL coach of the year in his first season. The following season, the Redskins made it to the Super Bowl (VII) where they lost to the Miami Dolphins 14-7. The Redskins' best players of that era were quarterback Sonny Jurgensen and wide receiver Charley Taylor, who set a record for most passes caught in a career.

On October 12, 1981, the Redskins hired San Diego Chargers' mastermind offensive co-ordinator Joe Gibbs to take over for Jack Pardee. He became the 17th coach in Redskins history and would go on to become the most successful.

In 1982, the NFL Players Association announced the beginning of a union strike. It was the first work stoppage in league history. The regular season resumed on November 20 after eight weeks of games were not played. A total of 98 games were erased as a result of the 57 day strike. Because of the shortened season, the NFL adopted a format of 16 teams competing in a Super Bowl Tournament for the 1982 playoffs. The NFC's number-one seed, Washington, defeated the AFC's number-two seed, Miami, 27-17 in Super Bowl XVII at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, January 30.

In 1991 the Redskins dominated competition going 14-2 in the regular season. With Mark Rypien at the helm and the Hogs smashing huge holes for Earnest Byner, Washington rolled right into Super Bowl XXVI. They outclassed the Buffalo Bills 37-24 in a game only made close by two late Buffalo TD's when the game was already out of reach. That game capped off a record breaking season for the offensive line who allowed an almost unbelievably low 9 sacks all season long (including playoffs)

Art Monk caught a 10 yard pass on October 12, 1992 and stepped out of bounds. It moved Monk into first place on the all time receptions list. He would go on to finish his career with 920 receptions although his record would eventually be broken by, who else, but the incomparable Jerry Rice.

On March 5, 1993 Joe Gibbs, who led the Washington Redskins to 3 Super Bowl victories and 8 playoff appearances in 12 NFL seasons, resigned and was replaced by his longtime assistant, Richie Petitbon. It was the end of an era.

In 1997 the Redskins moved into a new state-of-the-art stadium named after Jack Kent Cooke, who passed away in April 6,1997, twenty-three years after becoming the team's main owner. Cooke's son John took over the team.

On August 10, 1998 the Redskins were purchased by a team of investors headed by communications tycoon Daniel Snyder for a record 800 million dollars. The stadium was renamed after Fed Ex paid 200 million dollars for the naming rights.