History of the Washington Commanders

The Washington Commanders are a professional American football franchise based in the Washington metropolitan area. They are members of the East division in the National Football Conference (NFC) of the National Football League (NFL). The Commanders were founded in 1932 as the Boston Braves, named after the local baseball franchise.^[1] The franchise changed its name the following year to the Redskins and moved to Washington, D.C. in 1937.^[1] In 2020, the team retired the Redskins name after longstanding controversies surrounding it and briefly became the Washington Football Team, before choosing the Washington Commanders as their permanent name in 2022.^[1]

The franchise has won three Super Bowl championships (Super Bowl XVII, Super Bowl XXII, and Super Bowl XXVI).^[2] They also played in and lost Super Bowl VII and Super Bowl XVIII.^[2] Before the AFL and NFL merged in 1970,^[3] Washington won two NFL Championships (1937 and 1942). They also played in and lost the 1936, 1940, 1943, and 1945 Championship games. Only five teams have appeared in more Super Bowls than Washington: the New England Patriots (11), Dallas Cowboys (eight), Pittsburgh Steelers (eight), Denver Broncos (eight), and San Francisco 49ers (eight); Washington's five appearances are tied with the Green Bay Packers, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, and New York Giants.^[4]

All of the franchise's championships were attained during two 10-year spans. The first period of success was from 1936 to 1945, when they went to the NFL Championship six times, winning two of them. The second period of success was from 1982 and 1991, when they appeared in the postseason seven times, captured four Conference titles, and won three Super Bowls. This period included the 1983 and 1991 seasons when the team won 14 games, the most the team has won in a single season.^[5]

Washington has also experienced periods of extended failure in its history. The most notable period of continued failure was from 1946 to 1970, when they posted only four winning seasons and did not have a single postseason appearance.^[5] During this period, they went without a single winning season between 1956 and 1968 and posted their worst regular-season record in franchise history, going 1–12–1 in 1961.^[5] Washington is currently experiencing its second period of failure, which began in 1993 and continued through the entire franchise ownership of Daniel Snyder. Since 1993, they have posted only eight winning seasons and six postseason appearances.^[5]

List of franchise owners

Image	Owner	Years	Notes
	George Preston Marshall	1932–1964	Founded the team in 1932 as the Boston Braves. Renamed them the Redskins the following year and relocated the franchise to Washington D.C. in 1937. Last owner in the NFL to integrate black players, refusing to do so until 1962 amid pressure from the U.S. government. Oversaw NFL Championships in 1937 and 1942.
	Edward Bennett Williams	1965–1978	Team president and minority stockholder appointed by Marshall in 1965 to run the team's daily operations following a decline in health. Acquired Marshall's stock in the team following his death in 1969. Oversaw an NFC Championship in 1972.
	Jack Kent Cooke	1979–1997	A minority stockholder since 1961, Cooke purchased majority interest from Williams in 1974 and replaced him as controlling owner in 1979. Led the construction of Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, now Commanders Field, which opened after his death in 1997. Oversaw Super Bowl wins in 1982, 1987, and 1991.
	Cooke's estate	1997–1999	Managed the team following Cooke's death, with son and team president John Kent Cooke representing the team at league meetings.
	Daniel Snyder	1999–2023	Acquired the team from Cooke's estate in 1999 for $800 million. Considered to be one of the worst owners in the history of professional sports, he was investigated by the U.S. government in the early 2020s for fostering a toxic workplace culture among allegations of personal sexual misconduct and financial improprieties. Dropped the controversial Redskins branding in 2020 amid economic pressure, with the franchise playing as the Washington Football Team before rebranding as the Commanders in 2022. Represented by his wife Tanya at league meetings following an indefinite suspension by the NFL in 2021.
	Josh Harris	2023–present	Acquired the team from Snyder in 2023 for $6.05 billion, the largest sales transaction for a sports team at the time. Managing partner of an investment group that includes limited partners Mitchell Rales, Magic Johnson, David Blitzer, Mark Ein, Lee Ainslie, Eric Holoman, Michael Li, Marc Lipschultz, Mitchell Morgan, Doug Ostrover, the Santo Domingo family, Michael Sapir, Eric Schmidt, and Andy Snyder.