The commanders were founded in 1932 and were located in Boston at the time. At this time they went by the Braves, but they would eventually relocate in 1937 to Washington D.C. and change the name to the Redskins. They would then draft one of the highest anticipated quarterbacks that year in Sammy Baugh. Sammy Baugh would go on to win the Redskins a championship in his rookie season and set numerous passing records throughout his career. He would win the Redskins their second NFL championship in 1942 against the Bears. The Redskins had played the Bears in the championship 2 years before but they lost in humiliating fashion 73-0. At the time the Redskins were one of the most wealthy franchises, and had a huge significance in sports broadcast media. From 1946-1970the Redskins only had 4 winning seasons, but in 1950 the Redskins whole season was televised. in 1971 the Redskins hired George Allen as their new head coach.
In his first season as head coach George Allen led the Redskins to the playoffs. His most successful year as head coach would come the following year in 1972. During the 1972 season the Redskins would go on to win their first NFC championship, but go on to lose to the Dolphins in the Super Bowl. The Redskins found their most successful era under head coach Joe Gibbs.
Joe Gibbs was hired as the Redskins head coach in 1981 and would retire in 1993. Gibbs would win the Redskins 3 Super bowls, 4 NFC championships, and 8 playoff appearances. His coaching ability was unquestioned due to the fact that in each of his super bowl wins he had a different quarterback at the helm: Mark Rypien, Joe Theismann, and Doug Williams. Some other hall of fame players from this era include: Darrell Green, John Riggins, and Art Monk. But during this era the Redskins were most notable for their nasty offensive line, also known as “the hogs”. After Gibbs retired the Redskins future did not look too bright until they drafted standout safety Sean Taylor in 2003.
Sean Taylor looked like he was going to be the Redskins franchise player for years to come, but sadly his career was cut short when he was murdered in his home in 2007. The fans were devastated to hear the tragic news of his death. The Redskins did not have a winning season after his death until they drafted heisman winning quarterback Robert Griffin lll. Griffin had a 10-6 record his rookie season leading the Redskins to the playoffs, but he would end up getting injured in the playoff loss. After this injury Griffin was not the same player. There has been lots of debate about the name “Redskin” and it was disbanded in 2020 and replaced with “Washington Football Team”. After about a year and half the organization decided on a new name, “Commanders”.