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 Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland; its headquarters and training facility are in Ashburn, Virginia. The Commanders have played more than 1,300 games and have won more than 600. Washington was among the first NFL franchises with a fight song, "Hail to the Commanders", which is played by their marching band after every home game touchdown. The Commanders are owned by a group managed by Josh Harris, who acquired the franchise from Daniel Snyder in 2023 for $6.05 billion.
LaVar RaShad Arrington is an American former football linebacker who played for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions and was selected with the second overall pick by the Washington Redskins of the 2000 NFL draft. He was also a member of the New York Giants.
Douglas Lee Williams is an American football executive and former quarterback and coach. Williams is best known for his performance with the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XXII against the Denver Broncos, making him the first black quarterback to both start and win a Super Bowl. He was named Super Bowl MVP after breaking two Super Bowl passing records: 340 yards total, and being the first to throw four touchdowns in a single quarter.
George Herbert Allen was an American football coach. He served as the head coach for two teams in the National Football League (NFL), the Los Angeles Rams from 1966 to 1970 and the Washington Redskins from 1971 to 1977. Allen led his teams to winning records in all 12 of his seasons as an NFL head coach, compiling an overall regular-season record of 116–47–5. Seven of his teams qualified for the NFL playoffs, including the 1972 Washington Redskins, who reached Super Bowl VII, losing to Don Shula's Miami Dolphins. Allen made a brief return as head coach of the Rams in 1978, but was fired before the regular season commenced.
Clinton Earl Portis is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes. He was selected by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2002 NFL draft. Portis was best known for being the starting running back for the Washington Redskins for seven seasons, in which he gained an average of 81.2 yards rushing per game, for which a select panel of celebrities included him as one of the 80 Greatest Redskins.
Sean Michael Maurice Taylor was an American professional football safety for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected fifth overall in the 2004 NFL draft by the Redskins, where he played four seasons until his murder in 2007.
Donald James Warren is an American former professional football player and scout in the National Football League (NFL). He played as a tight end for his entire 14-year playing career with the Washington Redskins, winning three Super Bowls.
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.
Raymond Paul Flaherty was an American professional football player and coach who spent 18 total seasons in the National Football League (NFL) as both a player and a coach. He played college football for the Gonzaga Bulldogs and played for three NFL teams, most notably the New York Giants. After Flaherty's playing career ended, his jersey number 1 was retired by the New York Giants in 1935, making it the first jersey number to be retired in NFL history. He was a member of three NFL championship teams, one as a player and two as a head coach. Flaherty was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1976.
Marco Antonio Battaglia is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). Battaglia played college football for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, earning unanimous All-American honors in 1995. He was chosen in the second round of the 1996 NFL draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, and he played professionally for the Bengals, Washington Redskins, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers of the NFL.
James Martin Michael Hanifan was an American professional football player and coach. He served as the head coach for the St. Louis Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) from 1980 to 1985 and as interim head coach for the NFL's Atlanta Falcons for four games in 1989, compiling a record of 39–53–1.
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represents Rutgers University in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). Rutgers competes as a member of the Big Ten Conference. Prior to joining the Big Ten, the Scarlet Knights were a member of the American Athletic Conference from 1991 to 2013. Rutgers plays its home games at SHI Stadium, in Piscataway, New Jersey. The team is currently led by head coach Greg Schiano. The Scarlet Knights football team is notable for playing in the first ever collegiate football game in 1869, in which the Scarlet Knights won 6–4.
Jay Michael Gruden is an American football coach and former quarterback. He previously served as the head coach of the Washington Redskins from 2014 to 2019 and as offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals and Jacksonville Jaguars. During his time in the Arena Football League (AFL), he won four ArenaBowls as a player and two more as a head coach. Gruden is the younger brother of former NFL head coach Jon Gruden and was an assistant coach of the 2002 Buccaneers team that won Super Bowl XXXVII.
LaVern Earl "Torgy" Torgeson was an American football player and coach. He played college football for Washington State from 1948 through 1950. Torgeson played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons, principally as a linebacker, for the Detroit Lions from 1951 to 1954 and for the Washington Redskins from 1955 to 1957.
Stanley Anthony Woods is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker and defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Seattle Seahawks from 1987 to 1992, as well as the Los Angeles Rams and the Washington Redskins. He played college football at the University of Pittsburgh.
Robert Lee Griffin III, nicknamed RGIII or RG3, is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons, most notably with the Washington Redskins. He played college football for the Baylor Bears, winning the Heisman Trophy as a senior, and was selected second overall by the Washington Redskins in the 2012 NFL draft.
Nico Johnson is a former American football linebacker. He was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL draft. He played college football at Alabama, where he was a member of National Championship teams in 2009, 2011, and 2012.
Jawan Jamison is a former American football running back. He played college football for Rutgers University. He was selected in the seventh round of the 2013 NFL draft by the Washington Redskins.
Dwayne Haskins Jr. was an American professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, setting Big Ten Conference records for single-season passing yards and passing touchdowns as a sophomore. His success earned him the Sammy Baugh Trophy and Kellen Moore Award, along with several conference honors.
James Willie Rowe III is an American football coach who is the defensive passing game coordinator and safeties coach for the University of South Florida. In 2021, he was the cornerbacks coach for the Indianapolis Colts. A 15-year coaching veteran, Rowe has four seasons of experience in the NFL. He was a three-year letterwinner (2005–07) as a baseball player at South Florida.
