Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium

Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, informally known as RFK Stadium, is a sports stadium that opened in the fall of 1961. Originally called D.C. Stadium, it served as home to the Washington Senators of Major League Baseball from the spring of 1962 through 1971, when the team moved to Arlington, Texas. The stadium was also the home of the Washington Redskins, a team in the National Football League, from 1961 until 1996, when they moved to FedEx Field in suburban Maryland.

The stadium was renamed for the slain presidential candidate Robert Kennedy in 1969.

Concerts featuring renowned rock bands and performers still take place at the stadium. It has also hosted World Cup matches in 1994 and Women's World Cup matches in 2003.

The stadium now serves mainly as the home of the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball as well as the D.C. United of Major League Soccer. A complex conversion is necessary to switch the stadium seating from baseball to soccer configuration and back again. This includes rolling the 3rd-base lower-level seats into the outfield along a buried rail, dropping the hydraulic pitcher's mound 3 feet into the ground, and laying sod over the infield dirt. In 2005, this conversion will be done over 20 times.

RFK Stadium is most remembered for being home to the Redskins, whose return to prominence as a football power really began the same year the Senators left town. The Redskins' first game in RFK Stadium was a 24-21 loss to the New York Giants on October 1, 1961. The team's first win in the stadium was over its archrival, the Dallas Cowboys on December 17, 1961. The Redskins' last win at RFK Stadium was a 37-10 trouncing of the Cowboys on December 22, 1996

As a baseball park, RFK Stadium was unique in having only an upper deck across the outfield, atop a high wall. Burly slugger Frank Howard (6'7", 270 lbs) hit a number of tape-measure home runs in his career, a few of which landed in the center field area of that upper deck. Another memorable baseball moment, which had nothing to do with the Senators, occurred in a Cracker Jack Old Timers game in the early 1980s, when 75 year old Hall of Famer Luke Appling smacked a home run.

With its revival as a major league baseball facility, RFK Stadium now displaces Dodger Stadium as the fourth oldest major league ballpark, behind Fenway Park, Wrigley Field and Yankee Stadium.

New developments

On September 29, 2004, Major League Baseball announced its intentions to move the Montreal Expos to Washington, DC and rename them the Washington Nationals. RFK Stadium has undergone a $13 million dollar renovation, and will be used for a total of three years for the new baseball team, while a $440 million dollar state-of-the-art stadium is built on the north bank of the Anacostia River at South Capitol Street. Their first regular-season home game at RFK was April 14, 2005, vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks.

On April 14, 2005, just before the Nationals' home opener, the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission announced an agreement with the Department of Defense under which the military would pay the city about $6 million for the right to place recruiting kiosks and signage in the stadium. In return, the stadium would be dubbed Armed Forces Field at RFK Stadium. The Washington Post reports that a private group is offering to re-name the stadium "ProFunds Stadium at RFK" after the slain civil rights Senator.

Memorable games/moments at RFK Stadium

• After trailing the Cowboys 24-6 halfway through the third quarter on November 28, 1965 quarterback Sonny Jurgensen leads the Redskins to 21 fourth quarter points and a 34-31 comeback victory.
• The Redskins beat the New York Giants 72-41 on November 27, 1966. The 113 combined points are the most ever scored in an NFL game.
• In the Washington Senators' final home game, on September 30, 1971, the Senators lead the New York Yankees 7-5 with two outs left in the top of the ninth. Fans storm the field and tear up bases, grass patches, and anything else they can find for souvenirs. The Senators forfeit the game, 9-0.
• On December 31, 1972 the Redskins defeat the Cowboys 26-3 in the NFC Championship game to earn a trip to Super Bowl VII.
• In a Monday Night Football game on October 8, 1973 Redskins safety Ken Houston stops Cowboys' receiver Walt Garrison at the goal line as time expired to secure a win.
• December 17, 1977 - the Redskins defeat the Los Angeles Rams 17-14 in what would be head coach George Allen's final game with the team.
• October 25, 1981 - the Redskins narrowly beat the New England Patriots 24-22 to earn head coach Joe Gibbs his first win at RFK Stadium.
• January 22, 1983 - a capacity crowd of 54,000 chant "We Want Dallas" taunting the hated Cowboys and making the stadium shake in the NFC Championship game. The Redskins go on to defeat the Cowboys 31-17 to earn a trip to Super Bowl XVII where they beat the Miami Dolphins 24-17.
• September 5, 1983 - Redskins' rookie cornerback Darrell Green chases down Cowboys' running back Tony Dorsett from behind to prevent him from scoring. The Redskins go on to lose the game 31-30.
• November 18, 1985 - Giants' linebacker Lawrence Taylor sacks Redskins' quarterback Joe Theismann breaking his leg and ending his NFL career. Backup quarterback Jay Schroeder comes in and leads the Redskins to a 23-21 victory.
• January 17, 1988 Cornerback Darrell Green knocks down a Wade Wilson pass at the goal line to clinch a victory over the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship game. The Redskins go on to defeat the Denver Broncos 41-10 in Super Bowl XXII.
• January 4, 1992 - in pouring rain the Redskins beat the Atlanta Falcons 24-7 in the Divisional round of the playoffs. As time winds down in the fourth quarter the fans shower the field with the free yellow seat cushions given them when they entered the stadium.
• January 12, 1992 - the Redskins destroy the Detroit Lions 41-10 in the NFC Championship game earning a trip to Super Bowl XXVI where they beat the Buffalo Bills 37-24.
• December 13, 1992 - Redskins coach Joe Gibbs coaches what would be his last game at RFK Stadium. The Redskins defeat the Cowboys 20-17.
• October 30, 1996 - Ten days after winning the first Major League Soccer title, D.C. United defeats the Rochester Rhinos 3-1 in the U.S. Open Cup final, achieving the first "double" in American soccer history.
• August 16, 1998 - D.C. United defeats C.D. Toluca of Mexico 1-0 to win the CONCACAF Champions' Cup, becoming the first American team to do so and marking their first victory in an international tournament.
• October 26, 1997 - D.C. United defeats the Colorado Rapids 2-1 to win their second consecutive MLS Cup.
• October 15, 2000 - the Kansas City Wizards defeat the Chicago Fire 1-0 to win their first MLS Cup.
• April 14, 2001 - the Washington Freedom defeat the Bay Area CyberRays 1-0 in the inaugural match of the Women's United Soccer Association.
• November 6, 2004 - D.C. United win Eastern Conference final.
• April 14, 2005 - Washington Nationals defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-3, before a crowd of 45,596, to win their first home opener in Washington, DC. They go on to sweep the 3-game series.

Food vendors inside the stadium

RFK is home to to such eateries as Forescore Grill, The Diamond Club, and Stars and Stripes Brew.

External Links

• USGS aerial of RFK Stadium and The Armory (http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=4&S=11&Z=18&X=822&Y=10765&W=1&qs=%7cwashington%7cdc%7c)

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