The Making of the Washington Redskins

Boston, Massachusetts was awarded an NFL franchise on July 9, 1932.  This franchise was under the ownership of George Preston Marshall, Vincent Bendix, Jay O'Brien, and Dorland Doyle.  Initially, they were called the Boston Braves.  This name came from one of the two local baseball teams at the time.  The Braves played their first game on October 2, 1932, under coach Lud Wray.  Under Wray the team won some games and lost some games.  The franchise lost $46,000 by the end of the first season and Bendix, O'Brien, and Doyle backed out of the investment, leaving Marshall the owner of the Braves.

In 1933, the team moved to Fenway Park and Marshall changed the name to the "Redskins."  This was in honor of then-coach Lone Star Dietz, an American Indian.  Their team colors became burgundy, gold and white.  And the team logo is a yellow circle with two feathers surrounding the head of a Native American with two feathers in his hair.  

On February 13, 1937, Marshall had the team moved to Washington, D.C., where they kept the name "Redskins."  On August 9, 1937, the Redskins marching band was founded.  It was an all-volunteer ensemble formed when Marshall brought the Redskins to Washington, with the goal of entertaining fans from the moment they walked into the stadium until the time they left it.  This was also his idea of creating revenue for the team.  

On September 16, 1937 they played their first home game and prevailed against the Giants.  This game has sparked the history of the Washington Redskins.  Over the course of time they have won twelve division championships.