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Opening in 1961, RFK Stadium became the first multipurpose
stadiums ever built. By the early 1950s, Griffith Stadium, home
of the Washington Redskins (NFL) and Senators (MLB) was beginning
to show its age. The time had come for a new stadium to be built
in the nation's capitol. By the mid 1950s city leaders decided to
build a multipurpose stadium that could host both football and
baseball. Construction on the stadium began in 1959 near the Anacostia River. Completed in just over two years, the facility
was originally known as D.C. Stadium.
The Washington Redskins played their first game
at D.C. Stadium on October 1, 1961 in front of only 36,000 fans.
D.C. Stadium could seat more than 56,000 fans for football. Two
tiers of seats enclosed the entire field. By 1969, the facility
was renamed RFK Stadium in honor of Robert F. Kennedy. The
Washington Redskins shared RFK Stadium with the Washington
Senators (MLB) for ten years before the team moved to Texas.
Throughout the years, RFK Stadium changed very little with the
exception of the seats
being replaced. By the late 1980s, owner
of the Redskins, Jack Kent Cooke began lobbying for a new stadium
for his team. RFK Stadium lacked many amenities that newer
stadiums had such as luxury suites. By 1996, construction on a
state of the art stadium in Landover, MD begun. The Washington
Redskins played their last game at RFK Stadium on December 22,
1996 against the Dallas Cowboys. The following year the team moved
into FedEx Field. For three seasons, 2005-2007, the Washington
Nationals (MLB) played at RFK Stadium before moving to their new
ballpark in 2008. Today the stadium is the home of the DC United
soccer team.
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