List of Washington Commanders broadcasters

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The Washington Commanders are a professional American football franchise based in the Washington metropolitan area. They are members of the East division in the National Football Conference (NFC) of the National Football League (NFL). The Commanders were founded in 1932 as the Boston Braves, named after the local baseball franchise. [1] The franchise changed its name the following year to the Redskins and moved to Washington, D.C. in 1937. [1] In 2020, the team retired the Redskins name after longstanding controversies surrounding it and briefly played as the Washington Football Team before becoming the Commanders in 2022. [1]

The team's flagship station is WBIG-FM (Big 100.3), having been selected as the team's broadcast partner after following a partnership with iHeartMedia in 2022. [2] The team's previous longtime broadcast home was previously WTEM, by virtue of previously being owned by Red Zebra Broadcasting, a group co-owned by Snyder. [3]

List of team broadcasters
YearPlay-by-playAnalyst(s)
1937 Tony Wakeman [4]
1938
1939
1940
1941 Harry Wismer
1942
1943 Jim Gibbons
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948
1949
1950
1951
1952 Mel Allen
1953 Mel Allen [5] and Jim Gibbons [6] Jim Gibbons and Bill Malone
1954 Jim Gibbons Bill Malone [7]
1955 Eddie Gallaher [8] Charlie Justice
1956 Arch McDonald
1957
1958 Dan Daniels [9]
1959
1960
1961 Bill McColgan [10] Morrie Siegel [11]
1962
1963
1964Steve Gilmartin Chuck Drazenovich [12]
1965
1966
1967
1968Mal Campbell
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974Mal CampbellLen Hathaway
1975Len Hathaway [13] Sam Huff
1976
1977Dan Lovett
1978
1979 Frank Herzog
1980
1981 Sonny Jurgensen and Sam Huff
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005Larry Michael
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013 Chris Cooley and Sonny Jurgensen
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019 Chris Cooley
2020 Bram Weinstein DeAngelo Hall and Julie Donaldson
2021
2022 London Fletcher and Julie Donaldson

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington Commanders</span> American football team based in the Washington, DC, area

The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays its home games at Commanders Field in Landover, Maryland; its headquarters and training facility are in Ashburn, Virginia. The team has played more than 1,000 games and is one of only five in the NFL with more than 600 total wins. Washington was among the first NFL franchises with a fight song: "Hail to the Commanders", played by their marching band after every touchdown scored by the team at home. The Commanders are owned by a group managed by Josh Harris, who acquired the team from Daniel Snyder in 2023 for $6.05 billion.

"Hail to the Commanders" is the fight song of the Washington Commanders, an American football team belonging to the National Football League (NFL). At home games, the song is performed by the Washington Commanders Marching Band when the team scores a touchdown. Composed in 1937, the song was performed as "Hail to the Redskins!" until 2019, when the team retired the Redskins name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commanders Field</span> American football stadium

Commanders Field, originally Jack Kent Cooke Stadium and formerly FedExField, is an American football stadium located in Landover, Maryland, 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Washington, D.C. The stadium is the home of the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). From 2004 until 2010, it had the NFL's largest seating capacity: over 91,000. In 2021, the capacity was reduced to 58,000. The stadium is owned and operated by the Commanders, with non-NFL events being managed by team owner Josh Harris's company Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE). FedEx relinquished its naming rights to the stadium in 2024, and the franchise temporarily applied the team name to the stadium while seeking a new sponsor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSBN</span> ESPN Radio affiliate in Washington, D.C.

WSBN is a commercial AM sports radio station licensed to Washington, D.C., and serving the Washington metro area. It operates with 10,000 watts in the daytime and 2,700 watts at night using a directional antenna around the clock. WSBN's studios are on Jenifer Street in Northwest Washington. The transmitter is located off Black Rock Road in Germantown, Maryland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Snyder</span> American businessman (born 1964)

Daniel Marc Snyder is an American businessman who formerly owned the Washington Commanders, an American football franchise belonging to the National Football League (NFL). He bought the team, then known as the Redskins, from the estate of Jack Kent Cooke in 1999. Snyder is widely considered to be one of the worst owners in the history of professional sports, with the team managing only two playoff wins and six playoff appearances in his 24 years of ownership. Snyder's ownership of the team was also marred by the enablement of a toxic workplace culture, financial improprieties, and allegations of sexual misconduct.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Riggins</span> American football player (born 1949)

Robert John Riggins, nicknamed "Riggo" and "Diesel", is an American former football fullback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Jets and the Washington Redskins. He played college football for the Kansas Jayhawks. Riggins was known for his "bell cow" running style and productivity well into the later years of his career. In the 1983 season, at age 34, he rushed for a then-NFL record of 24 touchdowns, a record which stood for almost 20 seasons. Riggins again led the league in rushing touchdowns during the 1984 season at age 35. Although he earned only one Pro Bowl appearance in his career, Riggins had his greatest success in the postseason and was named MVP of Super Bowl XVII where he scored one touchdown and rushed for 166 yards in a 27–17 win for the Redskins over the Miami Dolphins. Riggins was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WJFK-FM</span> Sports radio station in Manassas, Virginia, serving Washington, D.C.

WJFK-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to serve Manassas, Virginia, and serving the Washington metropolitan area. WJFK-FM airs a sports radio format and is owned and operated by Audacy, Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTEM</span> Sports radio station in Washington, D.C.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Mitchell (running back)</span> American football player (born 1968)

Brian Keith Mitchell is an American former football running back and return specialist who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football as a quarterback for the Southwestern Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns and was selected by the Washington Redskins in the fifth round of the 1990 NFL draft. Mitchell is considered one of the greatest return specialists in NFL history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Washington Commanders</span> Sports team history

The Washington Commanders are a professional American football franchise based in the Washington metropolitan area. They are members of the East division in the National Football Conference (NFC) of the National Football League (NFL). The Commanders were founded in 1932 as the Boston Braves, named after the local baseball franchise. The franchise changed its name the following year to the Redskins and moved to Washington, D.C. in 1937. In 2020, the team retired the Redskins name after longstanding controversies surrounding it and briefly became the Washington Football Team, before choosing the Washington Commanders as their permanent name in 2022.

Red Zebra Broadcasting was a sports marketing company headquartered in Rockville, Maryland. The company owned and operated four radio stations in the greater Washington, D.C. radio market, one in Hampton Roads, VA, and two stations in Richmond, Virginia.

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Bram N. Weinstein is an American sportscaster who is the play by play broadcaster for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He previously worked at ESPN from 2008 to 2015, most notably as a host for SportsCenter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirk Cousins</span> American football player (born 1988)

Kirk Daniel Cousins is an American football quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans and was selected by the Washington Redskins in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL draft as a backup to fellow rookie Robert Griffin III. Cousins occasionally appeared in games during his first three seasons before replacing Griffin following an injury in 2015, where he remained the team's starter until 2017. With the Redskins, Cousins set numerous franchise records and was named to the 2017 Pro Bowl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWRC</span> Radio station in Bethesda, Maryland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commanders–Giants rivalry</span> National Football League rivalry

The Commanders–Giants rivalry between the Washington Commanders, formerly known as the Redskins, and the New York Giants of the National Football League began in 1932 with the founding of Washington's predecessors, the Boston Braves, and is the oldest rivalry in the NFC East Division. This rivalry has seen periods of great competition such as the Giants and Redskins' competition for conference and division titles in the late 1930s, early 1940s and 1980s. Experts deem the 1980s as the most hotly contested period between these teams, as the Redskins under Joe Gibbs and the Giants under Bill Parcells competed for division titles and Super Bowls. During this span the two teams combined to win 7 NFC East Divisional Titles, 5 Super Bowls and competed in the 1986 NFC Championship Game with the Giants winning 17–0. This rivalry is storied and Wellington Mara, long time owner of the Giants, always said that he believed the Redskins were the Giants' truest rival.

WLZV – branded K-Love – is a non-commercial contemporary Christian radio station licensed to serve Buckland, Virginia. Owned and operated by the Educational Media Foundation, WLZV does not broadcast any local programming, functioning as the Northern Virginia network affiliate for K-Love; WLZV also services the southwestern portion of the Washington metropolitan area.

James Leo Gibbons (1914–2001) was an American sportscaster who called Washington Redskins games from 1943 to 1967.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Washington Commanders Team History". Pro Football Hall of Fame . Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  2. Jhabvala, Nicki. "Commanders announce new radio deal to air games on BIG 100 FM". The Washington Post. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  3. Farhi, Paul (July 17, 2008). "Snyder's Simulcast Plans Center on WTEM". Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 26, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2008.
  4. "Wakeman, Irvin To Again Serve Redskins". The Washington Star. June 6, 1939. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  5. "(Ad) Washington Redskins vs. Chicago Bears". Evening Star. November 15, 1953. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  6. "(Ad) Washington Redskins vs. Chicago Cardinals". Evening Star. September 27, 1953. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  7. "(Ad) Football Today". Evening Star. October 24, 1954. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  8. Yorke, Jeffery (October 31, 1995). "75 Years of Making Radio Waves". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
  9. Washington Redskins 1958 Yearbook (PDF). 1958. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  10. Washington Redskins 1961 Yearbook (PDF). 1961. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  11. Washington Redskins 1963 Yearbook (PDF). 1963. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  12. "50 Stations on WMAL's Redskin 19-Game Network". Sponsor. August 10, 1964.
  13. Shapiro, Leonard (November 22, 1981). "More Than Just a Pretty Voice". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 26, 2017.