On July 9, 1932 the National Football League awarded a new franchise to the city of Boston under the ownership of George Preston Marshall, Vincent Bendix, Jay O’Brien and Dorland Doyle. The franchise began play as the Boston Braves with a roster assembled for its inaugural season in the league. The team name matched that of the local Major League Baseball club to simplify arrangements at Braves Field where the football team played its home games.
The Boston Braves began their first season under head coach Lud Wray and played their first game on October 2, 1932 against the Brooklyn Dodgers, losing 14 to 0. The club recorded its first victory the following week by defeating the New York Giants. Despite these early competitive moments the franchise operated at a financial loss in its first year and Bendix, O’Brien and Doyle relinquished their shares of the team leaving Marshall as sole owner.
After the first season the franchise made changes to augment its identity and fan appeal. The team moved its home games to Fenway Park in 1933 and adopted a new nickname to distinguish itself from the baseball Braves. The name chosen reflected contemporary team branding and remained with the organization as it continued to compete in the National Football League through the mid 1930s.
The franchise’s origins in Boston in 1932 set the stage for later developments that would include relocation and further renaming. Within five years the team had moved to Washington, D.C. and established itself in the nation’s capital. The club that began as the Boston Braves would evolve over decades into the franchise now known as the Washington Commanders reflecting its long history in professional football.
