page_title: History of the Washington Football Team
section_title: End of RFK and the death of Jack Kent Cooke
hierarchical_section_title: History of the Washington Football Team / Norv Turner era (1994 to 2000) / End of RFK and the death of Jack Kent Cooke
caption_attribution_description: Heath Shuler, member of the United States House of Representatives.
context_page_description: The Washington Football Team has played over 1,000 games. In those games, the club has won five professional American football championships including two NFL Championships and three Super Bowls. The franchise has also captured 15 NFL divisional titles and five NFC championships.
  The team won the 1937 and 1942 Championship games, as well as Super Bowl XVII, XXII, and XXVI. They also played in and lost the 1936, 1940, 1943, and 1945 Championship games, as well as Super Bowl VII and XVIII. They have made 24 postseason appearances, and have an overall postseason record of 23 wins and 19 losses. Only five teams have appeared in more Super Bowls than Washington: the New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos, and the San Francisco 49ers; Washington's five appearances are tied with the Oakland Raiders, Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, and Green Bay Packers.
  All of the franchise's league titles were attained during two ten-year spans. From 1936 to 1945, the Redskins went to the NFL Championship six times, winning two of them.
context_section_description: Turner's first two years as head coach were unimpressive, going 9–23 during the 1994 and 1995 season. One individual achievement that happened during these season occurred on October 9, 1994, when linebacker Monte Coleman played in his 206th career game with the Redskins, which broke Art Monk’s team record for games played (Coleman retired at season's end with 216 games played).
  On Christmas Eve 1994, the Redskins also became a part of NFL history: they were the last team to defeat the Los Angeles Rams before the latter team relocated to St. Louis for 1995.  A 24–21 victory at Anaheim Stadium was a highlight in an otherwise dismal 3–13 season, which was the last for Chip Lohmiller, Kurt Gouveia, Raleigh McKenzie, and Mark Schlereth, all of whom left the team via free agency following 1994.  (Gouveia, though, would return to the Redskins for one season in 1999 before retiring for good at season's end.  In between, he spent a season in Philadelphia and three more in San Diego.)
  The team did see modest improvement in 1995, which was the last for pass rusher Tim Johnson, who left for Cincinnati at season's end; and Jim Lachay, who retired after 1995.  The highlight of the season was arguably a season sweep over the hated Cowboys, including a shocking 24–17 upset in week 14 at Irving.
  By 1996, and of the 25 players starting for Washington (including kicker Chip Lohmiller and punter Kelly Goodburn) in Super Bowl XXVI, only running back/kick returner Brian Mitchell and cornerback Darrell Green had remained with the team continuously since then.  Salary cap problems gutted the Redskins; the attrition through free agency and retirements mentioned above was devastating, to say nothing of attrition of backups from the 1991 Redskins (e.g., backup quarterback Jeff Rutledge retired following the 1992 season, longtime offensive lineman Russ Grimm retired after Super Bowl XXVI, linebacker Monte Coleman retired after 1994.  Meanwhile, then-third-string quarterback Stan Humphries was traded to San Diego in training camp in 1992.)
  In hope of inspiring the team, on March 13, 1996, Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke, Maryland Governor Parris Glendening, and Prince George's County executive Wayne K. Curry signed a contract that paved the way for the immediate start of construction for the new home of the Redskins (now FedExField). The 1996 season was an improvement, with the Redskins going 9–7, but they were still unable to make the playoffs. However, in December 1996, two important events occurred. On December 16, 1996, the Redskins played their final game at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium against the Dallas Cowboys. The Redskins defeated the Cowboys 37–10, finished their tenure at the stadium with a 173–102–3 record, including 11–1 in the playoffs. The second achievement was on December 22, 1996, when Terry Allen rushed past Riggins’ single-season rushing record, gaining 1,353 yards (1,237 m). He also led the NFL with 21 touchdowns.
caption: Heath Shuler, quarterback for the Redskins between 1994 and 1995,[70] is a former 3-term member in the United States House of Representatives.[71]
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