The Washington Redskins season was the franchise's 28th season in the National Football League (NFL). The team failed to improve on their 4–7–1 record from 1958 and finished 3–9.

The Redskins continued their ongoing strategy of establishing themselves as dominant NFL franchise for the Southern United States, licensing television broadcast of their games to a network of 40 stations spread across Virginia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida. They also licensed radio broadcasts of their games to a network of 94 stations across the aforementioned eight states, as well as Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Louisiana. The Redskins: 1959 Facts Book and History for Press, Radio and Television. Washington, DC: The Redskins, 1959; p. 3.

The team also continued their "Days for Dixie" halftime shows, which highlighted two Southern states each year, marking "Georgia Day" on October 18 and "North Carolina Day" on December 6. Each of these dates featured a guest marching band from the featured state which provided halftime entertainment.

Related to this regional marketing appeal, the Redskins remained the last bastion of racial segregation in the NFL in 1959, with the team standing alone in not including a black player on its roster from 1955 until 1962.Ryan Basen, "Fifty Years Ago, Last Outpost of Segregation in NFL Fell," New York Times, Oct. 6, 2012.

Offseason

NFL draft

Round Pick Player Position School/Club team

Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 at San Francisco 49ers L 24–27 0–1 Kezar Stadium 21,101 2 at Los Angeles Rams W 23–21 1–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 85,888 3 at Baltimore Colts L 10–23 1–2 Baltimore Memorial Stadium 22,409 4 vs. Chicago Bears L 14–52 1–3 Gator Bowl Stadium 28,245 5 vs. Green Bay Packers L 13–20 1–4 Bowman Gray Stadium 15,000 6 at Detroit Lions L 14–52 1–5 Briggs Stadium 28,245

Regular season The Redskins offered seats for $5.00 and $4.50, with very few of the premium seats remaining ahead of the season.E.J. O'Malley, "Purchasing NFL Tickets: A Guide to Ticket Information," Sports Forecast, vol. 2, no. 2. Chicago: E.J. O'Malley Publishing Co., 1959; p. 78. Season tickets cost $30 for the upper and South boxes and $25 for all others.

Schedule Game Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap Sources 1 September 27 at Chicago Cardinals L 21–49 0–1 Soldier Field 21,892 Recap 2 October 4 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 23–17 1–1 Forbes Field 26,570 Recap 3 October 11 Chicago Cardinals W 23–14 2–1 Griffith Stadium 25,937 Recap 4 October 18 Pittsburgh Steelers L 6–27 2–2 Griffith Stadium 28,218 Recap 5 October 25 at Cleveland Browns L 7–34 2–3 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 42,732 Recap 6 November 1 at Philadelphia Eagles L 23–30 2–4 Franklin Field 39,854 Recap 7 November 8 Baltimore Colts W 27–24 3–4 Griffith Stadium 32,773 Recap 8 November 15 Cleveland Browns L 17–31 3–5 Griffith Stadium 32,266 Recap 9 November 22 at Green Bay Packers L 0–21 3–6 New City Stadium 31,853 Recap 10 November 29 at New York Giants L 14–45 3–7 Yankee Stadium 60,982 Recap 11 December 6 Philadelphia Eagles L 14–34 3–8 Griffith Stadium 24,325 Recap 12 December 13 New York Giants L 10–24 3–9 Griffith Stadium 26,198 Recap Note: Intra-conference opponents are in bold text.

Standings

Personnel

Staff

Roster

Statistics

Passing Player Comp Att Pct Yds TD Int Rate Eddie LeBaron 77 173 44.5% 1,077 8 11 61.4

Rushing Player Attempts Yards Average Long Touchdowns Don Bosseler 119 644 5.4 41 3

Receiving Player Number Yards Average Long Touchdowns Bill Anderson 35 734 66.7 70 6 Joe Walton 21 317 35.2 41 3

Awards and records

Milestones

References

External links 1959 Washington Redskins at Pro-Football-Reference.com 1959 Washington Redskins season statistics, Pro Football Archives.com 1959 Washington Redskins Highlight Film at youtube.com