The Story of the Washington Redskins

The Story of the Washington Redskins — page 3

The Story of the Washington Redskins — page 4 — redskins washington George Marshall and quarterback Sammy Baugh WASHINGTON REDHAWKS the early 1930s professional football was a relatively minor sport Several teams played their games in Major League Baseball parks Often they took the same name as the baseball team They felt it gave them more legitimacy In 1932 businessman George Marshall founded a National Football League NFL team in Boston The team played in the same stadium as the Boston Braves So he named it the Boston Braves The team finished just 4 4 2 Marshall wanted his team to improve He decided that it would play Indian football It had the reputation for being wide-open and exciting It was especially known for lots of passing and trick plays The NFL had even had an all-American Indian team the 11 in

The Story of the Washington Redskins — page 5 — washington redskins Oorang Indians They played in 1922 and 1923 Marshall hired one of the most famous American Indian coaches William Lone Star Dietz Dietz claimed that he was part Sioux He often stalked up and down the sideline wearing a Sioux headdress Before the 1933 season began Marshall moved the team He made an agreement with the Boston Red Sox to play at Fenway Park He had to change the team name But he was committed to keeping the American Indian theme However what to call the team soon became the hurdle It had to be a name in common usage That meant he couldn’t use any of the names of local tribes Hardly anyone outside the Boston area would have heard of them In addition most were too hard to pronounce Marshall couldn’t use Indians either Several short-lived Cleveland teams had taken that name Marshall narrowed his choices down to three Warriors Chiefs and Redskins He chose Redskins There were probably several reasons Marshall may have thought it would help make his team stand out more Hardly any other teams in the country had that name Also in 1929 a film called Redskin was praised for its sensitive portrayal of an American Indian athlete Marshall was a friend of the star In addition Redskins sounded somewhat similar to Red Sox And in that era Redskins didn’t have the negative associations it does now Several American Indian players joined the team Marshall photographed them wearing traditional native dress The team jerseys had an Indian head symbol on the Washington Redskins band member 12

The Story of the Washington Redskins — page 6 — washington redskins Sammy Baugh Quarterback Redskins seasons 1937 52 Height 6-foot-2 Weight 182 pounds GRIDIRON GREATS PRECISION PASSER Slingin Sammy Baugh was a football and baseball star in college Redskins owner George Marshall wanted Baugh to join the Redskins instead of a baseball team So he offered Baugh 8,000 It was a lot of money in those days But it proved to be a bargain At Baugh’s first training camp the coach marked a spot on the field He said When the receiver reaches this spot I want you to hit him in the eye with the ball Baugh responded Which eye He led the NFL in passing six times In 1963 he was part of the first group of players inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame 13

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