After their team’s whiplash-inducing start to this NFL season, Commanders fans are doing deep breathing exercises and getting fitted for metaphorical neck braces. An opening-day loss to Philly contained whispers of hope but ended in frustration. And then came the Dallas game—a sluggish start, moments of excellence, and then a horrible moment of deja vu as quarterback Jayden Daniels went down clutching his left elbow. As highly rational fans, we won’t overreact. Instead, we’ll take a long view of this season and hope we can hang in, get our star player healthy, and start firing on all cylinders.
To get some perspective, ahead of the Sept. 27 home opener, let’s go deep and consider a few plot points from our franchise’s long, storied history. In honor of this new season—the team’s 95th since its 1932 founding in Boston—we present a Washington Football Team nod to the Harper’s Index with all the usual apologies and disclaimers. (Editor’s note: City Paper owner Mark Ein is part of the Commanders’ current ownership group.)
Number of seasons Washington football team has been in existence as of 2026: 95
Number of those seasons played under the name Washington Redskins: 83 (1937–2019)
As a moniker, Washington Commanders has a ways to go to catch the old one—it’s barely out of its infancy at 5 years (2022–2026). For what it’s worth: Boston was attached to the racist moniker for 4 years (1933–1936); it was the Washington Football Team for 2 (2020–2021 – #embarrassing), and Boston Braves only for that inaugural 1932 season.
Number of times a Washington running back fell asleep under a table in close proximity to a Supreme Court Justice: 1 (that we know of)
John Riggins, Jan. 30, 1985: Washington Press Club dinner. The Justice was Sandra Day O’Connor and, yes, he did famously tell her to “loosen up.” The cause, according to Riggo in a USA Today article from Feb. 1, 1985, was boredom and an unexpectedly strong reaction to multiple glasses of wine while on prescription drugs. He may have also knocked over the chair of John Glenn’s wife, Annie, but she probably left it out in the aisle.
!["Slingin Sammy" Baugh, Washington, D.C., Sept. 11, 1937. Photo by Harris & Ewing [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress](https://i0.wp.com/newspack-washingtoncitypaper.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2026/09/service-pnp-hec-29000-29022v.jpg?resize=780%2C978&ssl=1)
Sammy Baugh’s 1937 rookie contract: one year, $8,000
Albert Haynesworth’s 2009 contract: seven years, $100 million
Not to go all Moneyball on you but Sammy Baugh was pretty good value. He was elite at three different positions (quarterback, safety, and punter) and led Washington to two NFL titles in 16 seasons. All for the cost of a 2006 Honda Civic. Some years later, Albert Haynesworth took the bag (including $41 million guaranteed) and proceeded to have fitness issues, effort issues, and relationship issues with his coaches. He produced just 6.5 sacks in two seasons before getting shipped out in 2011.
Number of press conference alter egos running back Clinton Portis adopted during his time in Washington: at least 11
Honk if you’re old enough to remember Bud Foxx, Southeast Jerome, Dr. I Don’t Know, Sheriff Gonna Getcha, Dolla Bill, Reverend Gonna Change, Bro Sweets, Inspector 2-2, Angel of Southeast Jerome, Coach Janky Spanky, or Dolemite Jenkins. Legend has it that Southeast Jerome was “killed” after a bad loss to the Giants and Sheriff Gonna Getcha was assigned to investigate his disappearance. Not sure how that was resolved.
Super Bowl appearances under Nixon, Reagan, and the first Bush: 5 (3 championships)
Super Bowl appearances under Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Carter, Clinton, Obama, and Biden: 0
On the other hand, the number of Nixon aides and associates convicted of Watergate-related crimes: 19. And the number of Reagan aides and associates convicted of Iran-Contra or HUD-related crimes: at least 24—that we could find, but the numbers are slippery. So it’s a wash.
Number of times 1950s running back and future Washington Ring of Fame member Charlie “Choo Choo” Justice embarrassed the Philadelphia Eagles: 2 (that we know of)
First Charlie Justice helped a 1950 college All-Star Team roast the Eagles in an exhibition game. He carried 11 times for 133 yards and was named MVP. Later he declined an offer from those same Eagles and instead chose to join Washington’s hometown team. Burn.
Years between Jackie Robinson integrating Major League Baseball and Washington integrating its football team: 15
Numbers of NFL teams that still had no Black players in 1961: 1 (Guess who!)
We all love our team but let’s take a moment to acknowledge its racist past under onetime owner George Preston Marshall. While Jackie Robinson made his Major League Baseball debut in 1947, Washington’s first Black player (the great Bobby Mitchell) didn’t take the field until 1962. That was no accident. Marshall’s 1946 handshake agreement with other owners kept the NFL White for an additional 15 years and, when other owners eventually started drafting Black players, Marshall still refused to integrate. On the field, the team was awful during that era and a 17-game losing streak in 1960-61 led famed local columnist Shirley Povich to quip that Washington’s colors were “burgundy, gold and Caucasian.”
Washington finally integrated in 1962 but only because Interior Sec. Stewart Udall threatened to void the team’s lease at federally owned D.C. Stadium. What a shame that Marshall wasn’t around to see Doug Williams—the first Black quarterback in Super Bowl history—lead our team to glory in Super Bowl XXII in 1988.
Art Monk career receptions in Washington: 888
Art Monk interest in becoming a celebrity pitchman: 0
Washington fans grew used to seeing Sonny Jurgensen selling Natural Light beer on TV or Joe Theismann hawking Canon cameras. Riggins peddled Ford trucks. Super Bowl hero Williams went to Disney World, then snagged Champion and Wheaties deals.
Art Monk though? Not so much. Arguably the classiest Washington player of all time, Monk preferred doing work on the field to seeking the spotlight off it. Famously shy, he turned up in one or two ads (a local spot for Pizza Hut is one memory) but declined to do more even when he was one of the faces of the league. The unassuming Monk deservedly had his jersey retired last year.
Consecutive home sellouts at RFK Stadium (1967–1996): 229
Number of people on season-ticket waiting list in 1978: 10,000
Average wait for season tickets in 1984: 13 years
In the halcyon days of the late ’70s and ’80s, season tickets were treated as treasure. So few people moved off the waitlist each year, it was common to hear of fans who’d waited 35 to 40 years for their turn. Washington-area courts often settled arguments over season tickets. Wills were contested, divorces made uglier, and friendships ruined.
The move to a larger stadium in 1997 eased the shortage, as did the team’s dismal form. The front office continued to claim sellouts and hype a long waiting list but it was a facade. A 2009 Washington Post investigation revealed that the team’s ticket office employees had been selling thousands of tickets to more than a dozen brokers. The scam quietly kept the streak mythology going while filling our stadium with opposing fans. Yuck. It wasn’t until the team’s 2018 home opener that the front office admitted the sellout streak was over.
Super Bowl appearances under Jack Kent Cooke: 5 (with 3 wins)
Super Bowl appearances under every Washington owner since Jack Kent Cooke: 0
The guy loved the team so much too.
Playoff wins during Daniel Snyder’s 24-season regime: 2
Playoff wins in Josh Harris’ first two seasons as owner: 2
Karma is real.
The Commanders’ home opener against Super Bowl champ Seattle Seahawks takes place Sept. 27 at Northwest Stadium. Tickets.
