1952 Washington Redskins season

1952 Washington Redskins season
Owner	George Preston Marshall
General manager	Dick McCann
Head coach	Curly Lambeau
Home field	Griffith Stadium
Results
Record	4–8
Division place	5th (tied) NFL American
Playoff finish	Did not qualify

The 1952 Washington Redskins season was the franchise's 21st season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 15th in Washington, D.C. the team failed to improve on their 5–7 record from 1951 and finished 4–8.

Although the NFL formally desegregated in 1946, many teams were slow to allow black athletes to compete even after the formal barrier had fallen. None were less willing to desegregate than the Washington Redskins, who sought to be the "home team" for a vast Southern market. The Redskins would remain the last bastion of racial segregation in the NFL, refusing to include a single black player on their roster until 1962.^[1]

Preseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	August 17	at San Francisco 49ers	L 0–35	0–1	Kezar Stadium	35,234
2	August 21	at Los Angeles Rams	L 23–45	0–2	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	88,110
3	September 5	vs. Dallas Texans	L 14–27	0–3	Alamo Stadium	19,075
4	September 14	vs. Green Bay Packers	L 7–13	0–4	Blues Stadium	7,238
5	September 20	vs. Detroit Lions	L 7–45	0–5	Oklahoma Memorial Stadium	40,000

^[2]

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance	Recap
1	September 29	at Chicago Cardinals	W 23–7	1–0	Comiskey Park	17,837	Recap
2	October 5	at Green Bay Packers	L 20–35	1–1	Marquette Stadium	9,657	Recap
3	October 12	Chicago Cardinals	L 6–17	1–2	Griffith Stadium	24,600	Recap
4	October 19	at Pittsburgh Steelers	W 28–24	2–2	Forbes Field	22,604	Recap
5	October 26	at Cleveland Browns	L 15–19	2–3	Cleveland Municipal Stadium	32,496	Recap
6	November 2	Pittsburgh Steelers	L 23–24	2–4	Griffith Stadium	25,866	Recap
7	November 9	at Philadelphia Eagles	L 20–38	2–5	Shibe Park	16,932	Recap
8	November 16	San Francisco 49ers	L 17–23	2–6	Griffith Stadium	28,997	Recap
9	November 23	New York Giants	L 10–14	2–7	Griffith Stadium	21,125	Recap
10	November 30	Cleveland Browns	L 24–48	2–8	Griffith Stadium	22,679	Recap
11	December 7	at New York Giants	W 27–17	3–8	Polo Grounds	21,237	Recap
12	December 14	Philadelphia Eagles	W 27–21	4–8	Griffith Stadium	22,468	Recap
Note: Intra-conference opponents are in bold text.

Standings

NFL American Conference
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Cleveland Browns	8	4	0	.667	7–3	310	213	L1
Philadelphia Eagles	7	5	0	.583	6–4	252	271	L1
New York Giants	7	5	0	.583	5–4	234	231	W1
Pittsburgh Steelers	5	7	0	.417	4–5	300	273	L1
Chicago Cardinals	4	8	0	.333	3–7	172	221	L2
Washington Redskins	4	8	0	.333	4–6	240	287	W2

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

References

1. Ryan Basen, "Fifty Years Ago, Last Outpost of Segregation in NFL Fell," New York Times, Oct. 6, 2012.
2. "1952 Washington Redskins (NFL)". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved October 22, 2023.