Goodbye RFK - Washingtonian https://www.washingtonian.com The website that Washington lives by. Thu, 29 Jun 2023 15:03:06 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.washingtonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/cropped-washingtonian-favicon-gigantic-138x138.png Goodbye RFK - Washingtonian https://www.washingtonian.com 32 32 Goodbye, RFK Stadium https://www.washingtonian.com/2023/04/26/goodbye-rfk-stadium/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=goodbye-rfk-stadium Wed, 26 Apr 2023 11:00:54 +0000 https://www.washingtonian.com/?p=1632061 Curtain Call In many ways, Washington exists as an idea: a beacon of democracy, a special-­interest swamp, an amorphous concept that our politicians love to rail against—especially when they’re running to get or stay here. But RFK Stadium? It was a real place, wood and grass, steel and concrete, its signature swooping roof resembling a […]

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A Brief History of RFK Stadium’s Most Notable Events https://www.washingtonian.com/2023/04/26/a-brief-history-of-rfk-stadiums-most-notable-events/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-brief-history-of-rfk-stadiums-most-notable-events Wed, 26 Apr 2023 10:59:01 +0000 https://www.washingtonian.com/?p=1632410 OCTOBER 1, 1961 OPENING DAY Called “America’s most plush sports palace” by the Washington Post, DC Stadium opens with a National Football League game pitting the hometown team against the New York Giants, at a cost of $24 million—$18 million over budget. APRIL 9, 1962 PLAY BALL! President Kennedy throws out the ceremonial first pitch […]

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How RFK Stadium Helped Integrate the NFL’s Last All-White Team https://www.washingtonian.com/2023/04/26/how-rfk-stadium-helped-integrate-the-nfls-last-all-white-team/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-rfk-stadium-helped-integrate-the-nfls-last-all-white-team Wed, 26 Apr 2023 10:58:20 +0000 https://www.washingtonian.com/?p=1632404 During its long history, RFK wasn’t just a venue for sports and concerts. It was also an instrument for social justice. Though Washington’s football team represented a city with a majority-Black population, in the early 1960s it was the only National Football League franchise without a single Black player on its roster. This steadfast refusal […]

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Our Favorite Moments in RFK Stadium History https://www.washingtonian.com/2023/04/26/our-favorite-moments-in-rfk-stadium-history/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=our-favorite-moments-in-rfk-stadium-history Wed, 26 Apr 2023 10:57:44 +0000 https://www.washingtonian.com/?p=1632523 “We Want Dallas!” January 22, 1983 The chant began during an NFL post­season victory the previous week. It resumed during warm-ups for the NFC title game against the hated Cowboys—and never quite stopped. John Riggins ran for 140 yards and two TDs, Dexter Manley wreaked defensive havoc, and Darryl Grant produced pure pandemonium with a […]

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When RFK Stadium Alt-Rocked https://www.washingtonian.com/2023/04/26/when-rfk-stadium-alt-rocked/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=when-rfk-stadium-alt-rocked Wed, 26 Apr 2023 10:56:52 +0000 https://www.washingtonian.com/?p=1632535 When the HFStival moved to RFK Stadium in 1993, it represented more than a chance to see Belly play “Feed the Tree” on the same field where Joe Gibbs and company dominated so many NFL opponents—it was a declaration that alternative rock had arrived. The annual multi-band concert put on by local alt-rock station WHFS […]

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Revisiting RFK Stadium’s Weirdest Moments https://www.washingtonian.com/2023/04/26/revisiting-rfk-stadiums-weirdest-moments/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=revisiting-rfk-stadiums-weirdest-moments Wed, 26 Apr 2023 10:55:01 +0000 https://www.washingtonian.com/?p=1632550 Mass Matrimony November 29, 1997 Unification Church leader and Washington Times patron Reverend Sun Myung Moon presided over a wedding ceremony attended by roughly 40,000—including 2,500 arranged-marriage church couples taking vows on the football field. Highlights included 40,000 box lunches from an Alexandria caterer, a Louis Farrakhan speech, protests outside the stadium, and a post-ceremony […]

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What’s Next for RFK Stadium? https://www.washingtonian.com/2023/04/26/whats-next-for-rfk-stadium/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=whats-next-for-rfk-stadium Wed, 26 Apr 2023 10:54:10 +0000 https://www.washingtonian.com/?p=1632566 “We can’t allow for this to be the picture of RFK in our town,” DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said at RFK Stadium’s final public sendoff in December, as crews dismantled the crumbling hulk around her. When the demolition work is done, Bowser wants new development at the site to provide “recreation, housing, jobs, better access […]

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