image uploaded by dbking on Flickr
Did you know that 50 years ago this Saturday, RFK opened its doors for the first time for a Redskins game against the Giants? At that time, it was known as D.C. Stadium (its name changed to Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in 1969) and was touted as a modern marvel because it could be transformed from a baseball diamond to a football rectangle thanks to sections of seats being built on tracks so they could be moved to allow for the different configurations. Those were the seats that could be seen visibly bouncing under excited fans during the Nations’ first season in D.C. Their bounce is still kept alive during D.C. United games thanks to La Barra Brava and other enthusiastic soccer fans.
RFK has definitely seen some better days but I do look back fondly to when it was home to the Redskins, to numerous HFStivals and concerts, to soccer games and to cheering on the Nationals as they won their very first home game. Its future is far from certain and we all have many dreams of what could come. Before getting too lost in your day dreams, hop on over to WashingtonPost.com for a slideshow of photographs of the stadium’s history.