View source for George Preston Marshall

{{Short description|American sports team owner (1896–1969)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Other people|George Marshall}}
{{Infobox NFL biography 
| name = George Preston Marshall
| image = George Marshall 1937.jpg
| caption = Marshall in 1937
| birth_date = {{birth date|1896|10|11}}
| birth_place = [[Grafton, West Virginia]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1969|8|9|1896|10|11}}
| death_place = [[Washington, D.C.]], U.S.
| college = [[Randolph-Macon College]]
| pastadmin =
* {{ubl|[[Washington Commanders|Boston / Washington Redskins]] ({{NFL Year|1932|1969}})|Owner}}
| highlights =
* 2× [[List of NFL champions (1920–1969)|NFL champion]] ([[1937 NFL Championship Game|1937]], [[1942 NFL Championship Game|1942]])
| HOF = george-preston-marshall
}}
'''George Preston Marshall''' (October 11, 1896 – August 9, 1969) was an American professional [[American football|football]] executive who founded the [[National Football League]] (NFL)'s [[Washington Redskins]]. The team began play as the Boston Braves in 1932; he renamed them the Redskins the following year and relocated the team to [[Washington, D.C.]] in 1937. Marshall was inducted into the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] with its inaugural class of 1963. He was a supporter of [[racial segregation]] and was the last NFL owner to integrate African Americans onto a roster, only doing so in 1962 amid pressure from the federal government who threatened to block the use of [[D.C. Stadium]].<ref>{{Cite web | title=Civil Rights on the Gridiron | first=Thomas G. | last=Smith | url=https://www.espn.com/page2/wash/s/2002/0305/1346021.html | date=March 5, 2002 | website=ESPN Page 2 | access-date=March 29, 2022}}</ref> Marshall owned the team and was its president until his death from health issues in 1969.<ref name=gfmdast>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EtwhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dqAFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4540%2C4826460 |newspaper=[[Reading Eagle]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |title=Grid figure Marshall dies at 72 |date=August 10, 1969}}</ref>

==Early life and college==
Marshall was born in [[Grafton, West Virginia]], where his parents, Thomas Hildebrand ("Hill") Marshall and Blanche Preston Marshall, owned the local newspaper.<ref name=dies/> When he was a teenager, his family moved to [[Washington D.C.]], after his father bought a laundry business there.<ref name=last/> He briefly attended [[Randolph–Macon College]] in [[Ashland, Virginia]], before dropping out at age 18.{{fact|date=October 2022}}

==Career==
[[File:George Preston Marshall and the Washington Redskins, 1937.jpg|thumb|left|Marshall talking with [[Washington Redskins]] players, 1937]]
Marshall initially pursued acting, and was an extra for a local theater but this pursuit was interrupted in 1918 when he was drafted into [[World War I]], although he was not deployed abroad. He was discharged from the [[U.S. Army]] the same year, in December 1918. Following his father's death in 1919, he took over the two-store laundry business. In 1926, he financed the [[Washington Palace Five]] basketball team.<ref name=gridiron>{{cite news | url=https://www.espn.com/page2/wash/s/2002/0305/1346021.html | title=Civil Rights on the Gridiron | first=Thomas G. | last=Smith | work=[[ESPN]] | date=March 5, 2002}}</ref> The team folded in 1928.

In [[1932 Boston Braves (NFL) season|1932]], he and three other partners were awarded an NFL [[sports franchising|franchise]] for [[Boston]]. The team was known as the [[1932 Boston Braves (NFL) season|Boston Braves]], as it played on the same field as baseball's [[Boston Braves]]. After the team incurred a $46,000 loss in its first season, Marshall's partners sold their interests to him.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.profootballresearchers.org/archives/Website_Files/Coffin_Corner/06-12-202.pdf | title=G.P.M.: George Preston Marshall | year=1984 | access-date=June 28, 2020 | archive-date=June 30, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630062933/http://www.profootballresearchers.org/archives/Website_Files/Coffin_Corner/06-12-202.pdf | url-status=dead }}</ref>

In [[1933 Boston Redskins season|1933]], he moved the team from Braves Field to [[Fenway Park]], which the team shared with the [[Boston Red Sox]]. He hired coach "Lone Star" [[William Henry Dietz]], who claimed<ref name=Waggoner2013>{{cite web |last= Waggoner |first= Linda M. |author-link= Linda Waggoner |url= https://nmai.si.edu/sites/1/files/pdf/seminars-symposia/WaggonerWEBSpr2013.pdf |title= On Trial: The R*dskins Wily Mascot: Coach William "Lone Star" Dietz |via= [[National Museum of the American Indian]] |issue=Spring 2013 |work= [[Montana (journal)|Montana, the Magazine of Western History]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/the-legend-of-lone-star-dietz-redskins-namesake-coach--and-possible-imposter/2013/11/06/a1358a76-466b-11e3-bf0c-cebf37c6f484_story.html|title=The legend of Lone Star Dietz: Redskins namesake, coach — and possible impostor?|last= Leiby |first= Richard |date=November 6, 2013|newspaper= [[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> to be part [[Sioux]] and changed the team name from the Braves to the [[1933 Boston Redskins season|Redskins]]. Marshall said that he chose the name so that the team could keep its Native American logos.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/1933-news-article-refutes-cherished-tale-that-redskins-were-named-to-honor-indian-coach/2014/05/28/19ad32e8-e698-11e3-afc6-a1dd9407abcf_story.html |title=1933 news article refutes cherished tale that Redskins were named to honor Indian coach | last=McCartney | first=Robert | newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=May 28, 2014}}</ref>

In [[1936 Boston Redskins season|1936]], the team won the Eastern division and hosted the [[1936 NFL Championship Game]], which Marshall moved from Boston to the [[Polo Grounds]] in [[New York City]]. After a lack of support by fans despite winning the division title, he moved the team to [[Washington, D.C.]] for the [[1937 Washington Redskins season|1937 season]].<ref name=gridiron/><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sNROAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Kv4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=1368%2C8149523 |newspaper=[[The Ledger]]  |last=McGrath |first=John |agency=[[McClatchy]] |title=Redskins history lesson |date=January 10, 2006}}</ref>

At the time, [[college football]] was more popular than the [[NFL]]. Marshall saw the NFL as not just a sport but as a form of entertainment and incorporated elements of college football, including gala [[halftime show]]s, a [[marching band]], and a [[fight song]], "[[Hail to the Redskins]]". To increase scoring, Marshall and [[George Halas]], owner of the [[Chicago Bears]], successfully suggested allowing a [[forward pass]] to be thrown from anywhere behind the [[line of scrimmage]], rather than at a minimum of five yards behind the line. He also suggested moving the goal posts from the end line to the goal line, where they were in [[Canadian football]], to encourage the kicking of [[field goal]]s. This change remained in place for about four decades until NFL goal posts were returned to the end line in the mid-1970s as part of an effort to lessen the influence on the game of kicking specialists.
[[File:George Marshall and Ray Flaherty, football coach of Washington Redskins (cropped).jpg|thumb|Marshall with Redskins head coach [[Ray Flaherty]], 1937]]
Marshall also pushed to standardize the schedule so that each team played the same number of games, the teams were split into divisions with the winners meeting in a championship game, and game gate receipts were split between the home team and the visitor using by either a 60–40 split or a guaranteed amount of money, whichever was larger.<ref>{{cite book |first=Howard |last=Roberts | chapter=The Magnificent Marshall| title=The Story of Pro Football | chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/storyofprofootba010623mbp/page/n217/mode/2up | publisher=[[Rand McNally]] |id=LCN 53-9336 |year=1953 |pages=196–197}}</ref> During the 1937 season, Marshall rented a train and brought 10,000 fans to New York City to watch the team play the [[1937 New York Giants season|New York Giants]].<ref name=giving/> In 1946, he sold the laundromat business, which by then had grown to 57 locations. In the 1950s, Marshall was the first NFL owner to embrace television. He initiated the first network appearances for any NFL team and built a television network to broadcast Redskins games across the Southern United States.<ref name=ring>{{cite news | last=Keim |first=John |title=Redskins removing name of former owner George Preston Marshall from Ring of Fame | url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/29358399/source-redskins-removing-name-former-owner-george-preston-marshall-ring-fame | work=[[ESPN]] | date=June 24, 2020}}</ref>

In 1960, Marshall opposed the addition of the [[Dallas Cowboys]] to the NFL, ending his team's stature as the only team south of the [[Mason–Dixon line]]. He only agreed to the addition after a rival acquired the rights to the fight song from the writer of the music and threatened to prohibit the team from playing it at games. In November 1960, Marshall sold 25% of the team to [[Jack Kent Cooke]] for $350,000. Marshall was extremely frugal and did not let the team spend money on travel expenses and salaries. He once berated [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] owner [[Art Rooney]] for driving up salaries by signing then [[University of Colorado Boulder|University of Colorado]]'s [[Byron White]] for $15,800, then the highest contract in football in the late 1930s. One sportswriter referred to Marshall as "the last of the small-time spenders."<ref name=gridiron/>

===Racial views===
As a result of a [[gentleman's agreement]] promoted by Marshall, NFL teams did not sign black players until two teams broke the agreement in 1946. Marshall refused to do so, claiming that integrating the team would cause the team to lose fans in the [[Southern U.S.]] as his team was, at the time, the southernmost team in the NFL.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/granddaughter-of-former-redskins-owner-george-p-marshall-condemns-teams-name/2014/07/22/eb9dd3b0-11cd-11e4-9285-4243a40ddc97_story.html | title=Granddaughter of former Redskins owner George P. Marshall condemns team's name | first=Theresa | last=Vargas | newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] | date=July 23, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/showdown-jfk-and-the-integration-of-the-washington-redskins-by-thomas-smith/2011/08/17/gIQAVD1axJ_story.html |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |first=Jonathan |last=Yardley |title='Showdown: JFK and the Integration of the Washington Redskins,' by Thomas Smith |date=September 2, 2011}}</ref> He said that "We'll start signing Negroes when the [[Harlem Globetrotters]] start signing whites."<ref name=gridiron/>

His refusal to integrate was routinely mocked by [[Shirley Povich]], a columnist for ''[[The Washington Post]]'', who called him "one of pro football's greatest innovators, and its leading bigot."<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/06/24/redskins-remove-george-preston-marshalls-name-all-team-material/ | title=Redskins to remove George Preston Marshall's name from all team material| first=Sam | last=Fortier | newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] | date=June 24, 2020}}</ref> Marshall unsuccessfully sued Povich for $200,000 after a critical article.<ref name=life/>

Marshall downplayed the issue of integration, saying "I am surprised that with the world on the brink of another war they are worried about whether or not a Negro is going to play for the Redskins" and doubted that "the government had the right to tell the showman how to cast the play." Marshall had a long-running feud with Redskins shareholder [[Harry Wismer]], who favored integration.<ref name=gridiron/>

In 1961, [[United States Secretary of the Interior]] [[Stewart Udall]] and [[Attorney General of the United States]] [[Robert F. Kennedy]] issued an ultimatum: unless Marshall signed a black player, the government would revoke the Redskins' 30-year [[lease]] on D.C. Stadium (later known as [[RFK Memorial Stadium]]). Udall and Kennedy were well within their rights to take this action, since D. C. Stadium had been funded by government money and was located on federal land.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.npr.org/2011/09/04/140066378/a-showdown-that-changed-footballs-racial-history | title=A 'Showdown' That Changed Football's Racial History | work=[[NPR]] | date=September 4, 2011}}</ref> As well, the Constitution vests Congress, and ipso facto the federal government, with ultimate authority over the capital.

Marshall selected [[Ernie Davis]], [[Syracuse University]]'s [[All-American]] running back, as his top draft choice in the [[1962 NFL draft]]. However, Davis refused to play for the team and was traded to the [[Cleveland Browns]] for All-Pro [[Bobby Mitchell]], who became the first black player to play for the Redskins.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nfl.com/news/ernie-davis-legacy-lives-on-long-after-his-death-09000d5d80b75df1 | title=Ernie Davis' legacy lives on long after his death | work=[[National Football League]] | date=October 8, 2008}}</ref> Marshall became an enthusiastic supporter of Mitchell.<ref name=dies/> The Redskins only had three winning seasons in the 23 years between the 1946 integration of the NFL and Marshall's death in 1969.<ref name=life/><ref name=gridiron/> On a television show, [[Oscar Levant]] asked Marshall if he was [[anti-Semitic]], to which he responded: "Oh no, I love Jews, especially when they're customers".<ref name=gridiron/>

==Personal life==
[[File:Photograph of President Truman at his desk in the Oval Office, receiving his annual pass to National Football League... - NARA - 200160.jpg|thumb|NFL commissioner [[Bert Bell]] and Marshall presenting Redskins tickets to U.S. president [[Harry Truman]], 1949]]
His obituary in ''[[The Washington Post]]'' stated: "Marshall considered it a lost opportunity were he not the center of attention".<ref name=life>{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/redskins/longterm/1997/history/allart/marshfeat.htm | title=	Marshall Made the Redskins A Way of Life | first=Jack | last=Walsh | newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] | date=August 10, 1969}}</ref><ref name=showdown>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H-FNn0tf85oC | title=Showdown: JFK and the Integration of the Washington Redskins | first=Thomas G. | last=Smith | publisher=[[Beacon Press]] | date=September 6, 2011| isbn=9780807000755 }}</ref> He had a [[fear of flying]] and never learned to drive.<ref name=showdown/>

In 1920, Marshall married Elizabeth Morton, a former ''[[Ziegfeld Follies]]'' girl. They had two children, separated in 1928 and divorced in 1935.<ref name=life/> His [[Mistress (lover)|mistress]] in the 1920s and 1930s was silent screen actress and ''[[Ziegfeld Follies]]''  dancer [[Louise Brooks]]. She gave him the nickname "Wet Wash" because he owned a laundry chain.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1989/10/15/lulu-and-the-laundry-baron/4df55dc2-8138-4289-83ff-b06d83d5f82e/ | title=LULU AND THE LAUNDRY BARON | first=Barry | last=Paris | newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] | date=October 15, 1989}}</ref> He was married to film actress-author [[Corinne Griffith]] from 1936 to 1957.<ref name=life/> She referred to him in print as "The Marshall ''without'' a [[Marshall Plan|plan]]."<ref name=last>{{cite web | url=https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/flashback-photos-boston-redskins-play-last-game/ | title=The Boston Redskins Play Their Last Game | date=December 14, 2014 | publisher=New England Historical Society}}</ref>

The George Preston Marshall Foundation serves the interests of children in the [[Washington metropolitan area]]. Marshall added a caveat that no money from the foundation would ever go toward "any purpose which supports the principle of [[racial integration]] in any form"; however, this requirement was thrown out by the courts.<ref name=giving>{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/arts/theater/article/13028945/dead-man-giving | title=Dead Man Giving | first=DAVE | last=MCKENNA | work=[[Washington City Paper]] | date=May 7, 2004}}</ref>

==Death==
[[File:Indian Mound Cemetery Romney WV 2013 07 13 04.jpg|thumb|Marshall's grave at [[Indian Mound Cemetery]] in [[Romney, West Virginia]]]]
In August 1962, he underwent surgery to correct a [[hernia]]. Later, he suffered a [[cerebral thrombosis]].<ref name=dies>{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/redskins/longterm/1997/history/allart/marshobit.htm | title=	Football's George P. Marshall, Founder of Redskins, Dies at 72 | first=Dave | last=Brady | newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] | date=August 10, 1969}}</ref>

In 1963, soon after his induction to the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]], Marshall suffered a debilitating stroke that left him [[legally incompetent]] to manage his affairs. Three conservators were assigned to manage the football team: [[C. Leo DeOrsey]], who owned 13% of the team and [[Edward Bennett Williams]] and Milton W. King, who each owned 5% of the team.<ref name=dies/> Marshall appointed board member [[Edward Bennett Williams]] to run the team's daily operations in 1965.<ref name="washingtonian">{{Cite web |date=November 2007 |title=A Look At The Four Redskins Owners |url=http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/5590.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704024941/http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/5590.html |archive-date=July 4, 2008 |access-date=April 5, 2008 |work=[[Washingtonian (magazine)|Washingtonian]]}}</ref>

In August 1969, Marshall died in his sleep at his home in [[Georgetown (Washington, D.C.)|Georgetown]] from [[hemiparesis]] and a [[heart condition]], compounded by [[diabetes]] and [[arteriosclerosis]].<ref name=dies/><ref name=gfmdast/> His funeral was held at the [[Washington National Cathedral]]. Marshall is buried at the family plot in [[Indian Mound Cemetery]] in [[Romney, West Virginia]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CYMsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=bM0EAAAAIBAJ&pg=7231%2C1869034 |newspaper=[[Spartanburg Herald-Journal]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |title=Funeral services for Washington's Marshall today |date=August 13, 1969}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons}}
*{{Profootballhof|id=142|name=George Preston Marshall}}

{{Washington Commanders owners}}
{{Washington Commanders presidents}}
{{Washington Commanders general managers}}
{{1963 Football HOF}}
{{Pro Football Hall of Fame members}}
{{Washington Commanders Ring of Fame}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marshall, George Preston}}
[[Category:1896 births]]
[[Category:1969 deaths]]
[[Category:American segregationists]]
[[Category:Burials at Indian Mound Cemetery]]
[[Category:Deaths from arteriosclerosis]]
[[Category:Deaths from diabetes in the United States]]
[[Category:People from Georgetown (Washington, D.C.)]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Grafton, West Virginia]]
[[Category:Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:Washington Redskins owners]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Grafton, West Virginia]]