Sports and Recreation Tour: Robert F. Kennedy Stadium: RFK Stadium is best known as the longtime home of Washington’s football and baseball teams.

Opening as DC Stadium in 1961, this iconic venue was renamed for the late-Senator Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) in 1969, following his assasination the prior year. The stadium was illustrative of the types of stadiums being constructed around the country at the time, with other notable examples being the Astrodome in Houston and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The design of the stadium was intentional to allow for quick changes between different types of sporting events, as well as for putting in stages for musical performances. Thus, it was one of the first multi-use stadiums in Washington, DC, and hosted different teams and sporting events, as well as performances by popular musicians and artists.

RFK Stadium is best known as the longtime home of Washington’s football and baseball teams — following their move from Northwest Washington's Griffith Stadium – hosting the Washington Redskins* (now the Washington Commanders) from 1961 to 1996, the Washington Senators from 1962 to 1971, and the Washington Nationals from 2005 to 2007. Shortly after its construction, President John F. Kennedy threw out the first pitch of the 1962 Major League Baseball Season. Presidents Richard Nixon and George H.W. Bush also threw out the first pitch at this stadium. The stadium also hosted soccer fans, as the location of many DC United games — including the team winning the Major League Soccer title in 1996, the team's first — and even some World Cup matches in 1994. Another famous sporting event occurred in 1993 when Riddick Bowe knocked out Jesse Fergusson and became the World Boxing Association heavyweight champion.

RFK stadium was the location of many incredible performances by world famous artists like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, and Grateful Dead. Determined unsafe in 2021, the stadium is in the process of being demolished.

This site is a stop on the Sports and Recreation in DC tour. It is not a desginated historic landmark.

*This term is harmful to indigenous communities and has not been in use since 2020