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1932 to today
Name history
The franchise has had five names in two cities. Here is each one, when it changed and what happened, told straight.
Five names, in order
Boston Braves
Boston, Massachusetts
The NFL awarded the franchise to George Preston Marshall, Vincent Bendix, Jay O'Brien and Dorland Doyle on July 9, 1932. The team took the name of baseball's Boston Braves, whose Braves Field it shared.
Boston Redskins
Boston, Massachusetts
Renamed in 1933 when the team moved to Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox.
Washington Redskins
Washington, D.C. (Landover, Md., from 1997)
Marshall moved the team to Washington on Feb. 13, 1937. Home games were in D.C. through 1996 and in Landover, Md., from 1997.
Washington Football Team
Landover, Maryland
The team announced on July 13, 2020, that it would retire its former name and logo, and adopted 'Washington Football Team' as a temporary name on July 23, 2020.
Washington Commanders
Landover, Maryland
Announced Feb. 2, 2022. The finalists were Armada, Presidents, Brigade, Red Hogs, Commanders, RedWolves, Defenders and Football Team. A new stadium on the RFK Stadium site in D.C. is planned for 2030.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, profootballhof.com
Name history FAQ
What were the Commanders called before?
The Boston Braves (1932), Boston Redskins (1933-36), Washington Redskins (1937-2019) and Washington Football Team (2020-21). The Washington Commanders name was announced on Feb. 2, 2022.
When did Washington become the Commanders?
The team announced the Washington Commanders name on Feb. 2, 2022, after two seasons as the Washington Football Team.