Super Bowl XXII was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Washington Redskins and American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1987 season. The Redskins defeated the Broncos by the score of 42–10, winning their second Super Bowl. The game was played on January 31, 1988 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, California, which was the first time that the Super Bowl was played there. It was the second consecutive Super Bowl loss for the Broncos, who had lost to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl the year before.
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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays its home games at FedExField 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", which is played by their marching band after every touchdown scored by the team at home. The franchise was valued by Sportico in 2022 at roughly US$4.78 billion, making it the league's eight-most valuable team.
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, commonly known as RFK Stadium and originally known as District of Columbia Stadium, is a defunct multi-purpose stadium in Washington, D.C. It is located about two miles (3 km) due east of the U.S. Capitol building, near the west bank of the Anacostia River and next to the D.C. Armory. Opened 61 years ago in 1961, it was owned by the federal government until 1986.
Christian Adolph "Sonny" Jurgensen III is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983.
LaVar RaShad Arrington is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football at Penn State and was drafted second overall by the Washington Redskins of the 2000 NFL Draft. He was also a member of the New York Giants.
Brian Collins Westbrook is a former American football running back who played for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft after playing college football for Villanova University. Following an eight-year career with the Eagles, in which he earned two Pro Bowl selections in 2004 and 2007, Westbrook signed with the San Francisco 49ers, for whom he played in 2010.
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 drafted 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.
Robert John Riggins, nicknamed "Riggo" and "Diesel", is an American former professional football player who was a fullback in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Jets and Washington Redskins. He played college football for the Kansas Jayhawks. He was known for his powerful running style and productivity well into the latter years of his career: in 1983 at age 34, he rushed for an NFL single-season record 24 touchdowns and again led the league in rushing touchdowns the following year 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 the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XVII where he scored one touchdown and rushed for 166 yards in a 27–17 win for the Washington Redskins over the Miami Dolphins. Riggins was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992.
Robert Cornelius Mitchell was an American professional football player who was a halfback and flanker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cleveland Browns and the Washington Redskins. Mitchell became the Redskins' first African-American star after joining them in 1962, when they became the last NFL team to integrate. A four-time Pro Bowl selection, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983.
Lawrence Brown Jr. is a former professional American football player in the National Football League (NFL) who played running back for the Washington Redskins from 1969 to 1976.
Charles Robert Taylor was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver for 13 seasons with the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for the Arizona State Sun Devils, he was selected by Washington in the first round of the 1964 NFL Draft. With Taylor, the Redskins made the playoffs five times and reached the Super Bowl once (VII), after the 1972 season. A six-time All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowl selection, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1984.
Brian Keith Mitchell is a former American football running back and return specialist in the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Washington Redskins in the fifth round of the 1990 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisiana where he was a quarterback. Mitchell is considered one of the greatest return specialists in NFL history.
Michael Thomas Bass is a former American football player.
George William Wilson, Sr. was a professional football end and later a coach for the National Football League (NFL)'s Detroit Lions and the American Football League (AFL)'s Miami Dolphins. Wilson attended and played football at Northwestern University. He went undrafted in 1937, before being signed by the Chicago Bears. Wilson played for ten seasons with the Bears, compiling overall record of 111 pass receptions, 1,342 receiving yards, and fifteen touchdowns. He was a member of the Bears during their five appearances in the National Football League Championship Game from 1940–1943 and 1946. Additionally, he was selected for the NFL All-Star Game from 1940–1942. He also played one season of professional basketball for the Chicago Bruins in 1939–40. Wilson won seven championships combined as a player and coach.
The Commanders–Cowboys rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the Washington Commanders, formerly known as the Redskins, and the Dallas Cowboys. In 2005, Sports Illustrated called it the top NFL rivalry of all time and "one of the greatest in sports." ESPN ranked it the best rivalry in the NFL. The Sportster has ranked it the 17th biggest rivalry in the world. During the tenure of this rivalry, the two franchises have won 32 combined division titles and eight combined Super Bowls. They are two of the wealthiest franchises in the NFL. The rivalry started in 1960 when the Cowboys joined the league as an expansion team. During that year they were in separate conferences, but played once during the season. In 1961, Dallas was placed in the same division as Washington, and from that point on, they have played each other twice in every regular season.
The Washington Commanders, an American football team belonging to the National Football League (NFL), were formerly known as the Boston Braves, Boston Redskins, and Washington Redskins. Founded in 1932, the team has won five professional American football championships including two NFL Championships and three Super Bowls. Washington has also captured 15 NFL divisional titles and five NFC championships. The Redskins branding used by the team from 1933 to 2019 was seen as pejorative by various Native American groups and was retired in 2020 due to pressure from several NFL and team sponsors as part of a wave of name changes in the wake of the George Floyd protests. The team played as the Washington Football Team for two seasons before rebranding as the Commanders in 2022.
Joe Dan Washington Jr is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Diego Chargers, Baltimore Colts, Washington Redskins, and Atlanta Falcons.
George Carroll "Spike"Thomas, Jr. was an American football halfback and defensive back in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants.
Timothy Michael Hightower is a former American football running back. He played college football at the University of Richmond and was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He also played for the Washington Redskins, New Orleans Saints, Florida Blacktips and San Francisco 49ers. He was named director of alumni relations for the Washington Commanders in 2020.
Antonio Gibson is an American football running back for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). A native of Georgia, he played college football at East Central Community College in Mississippi for two years prior to transferring to Memphis in 2018.
