The Washington Redskins season was the franchise's 6th season in the National Football League (NFL) and their first in Washington, D.C. The Boston Redskins moved to Washington after their runner-up 1936 season and became the Washington Redskins. In 1937 they repeated as Eastern Division champions and played the NFL championship game on the road against the Chicago Bears at Wrigley Field. The Redskins won the championship game, 28–21.
The Boston Redskins had won the Eastern Division title the previous season, but had poor attendance, prompting the owner George Preston Marshall to move south to his hometown.The First Fifty Years: A Celebration of the National Football League in its Fiftieth Season, Simon and Schuster, Inc., Copyright 1969, ASIN: B0018NJUO0 The Redskins selected quarterback Sammy Baugh from TCU in the first round of the 1937 NFL draft, on December 12, 1936, while still in Boston. Rookie Baugh led the league in passing in with a then-record 81 pass completions, and halfback Cliff Battles led the NFL in rushing with 874 yards.
The Redskins were the first team to relocate and win a championship in their first year.
Draft
Preseason In the 1937 NFL draft, the Redskins selected Sammy Baugh with the sixth overall pick. Baugh went on to play sixteen years with the Redskins, retiring after the 1952 season; he was named to the NFL 1940s All-Decade Team and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. On September 6, 1937, the Redskins played their first Washington-area game following their move from Boston. Washington beat an American Legion All-Star team by a score of 50–0 in front of 1,000 at McCurdy Field in Frederick, Maryland.
Regular season
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap 1 Bye 2 Bye 3 September 16 New York Giants W 13–3 1–0 Griffith Stadium 25,000 Recap 4 September 24 Chicago Cardinals L 14–21 1–1 Griffith Stadium 22,367 Recap 5 October 3 Brooklyn Dodgers W 11–7 2–1 Griffith Stadium 16,000 Recap 6 October 10 Philadelphia Eagles L 0–14 2–2 Griffith Stadium 7,320 Recap 7 October 17 Pittsburgh Pirates W 34–20 3–2 Griffith Stadium 12,835 Recap 8 October 24 at Philadelphia Eagles W 10–7 4–2 Philadelphia Municipal Stadium 13,167 Recap 9 October 31 at Brooklyn Dodgers W 21–0 5–2 Ebbets Field 22,500 Recap 10 Bye 11 November 14 at Pittsburgh Pirates L 13–21 5–3 Forbes Field 12,242Recap 12 November 21 at Cleveland Rams W 16–7 6–3 Cleveland Stadium 3,500 Recap 13 November 28 Green Bay Packers W 14–6 7–3 Griffith Stadium 30,000 Recap 14 December 5 at New York Giants W 49–14 8–3 Polo Grounds 58,285 Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Playoffs Round Date Opponent Result Venue Attendance Gamerecap Championship December 12 at Chicago Bears W 28–21 Wrigley Field 15,878 Recap
Standings
Postseason
NFL Championship Game
Roster
1937 Washington Redskins final rosterBacks RB/CB RB/CB FB/LB RB/CB FB/LB RB/CB FB/LB RB/CB RB/S/K Linemen/Linebackers T/DT T/DT G/T/DG/DT T/DT G/DG G/DG C/LB C/LB G/DG G/DG C/LB T/DT Ends/Receivers
Reserve G/DG (inactive)
rookies in italics
References
External links Redskins on jt-sw.com