Tag: Jack Kent Cooke

Son of former Washington owner says Josh Harris should change the name

John Kent Cooke is excited about a new era of Washington football, just not so much the name.

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John Kent Cooke has largely remained in the background since Daniel Snyder bought the Washington NFL franchise from his father’s estate in 1999. Cooke worked for the franchise for years and assumed control of the team after his father  — the legendary Jack Kent Cooke — died in 1997.

However, Jack Kent Cooke’s will stated that the team must be sold to the highest bidder, which was Snyder, for $800 million in 1999.

Through the years, the younger Cooke clearly didn’t like what Snyder had done to the franchise he loved.

On Thursday, the now-Commanders will have a new owner. NFL owners will vote to approve a group led by Josh Harris as Washington’s new owner. After 24 years of Snyder, the franchise finally gets a fresh start.

In an interview with Matthew Paras of The Washington Times, Cooke is excited about a new era of Washington football.

“It’s going to be a very good new era,” Cooke told Paras. “And the interim era between the Cooke family and the Harris family was not a good era.”

While Cooke was positive about the ownership change, one thing he didn’t like was the team name. Washington rebranded as the Commanders in Feb. 2022, after Snyder, due to pressure, changed the “Redskins” name to the temporary moniker, “Football Team,” in July 2020.

“The Commanders is a poor name, and I think it’s unpopular, so they should change the name,” Cooke said.

Many Washington will agree with Cooke. Others are just happy to turn the page from Snyder, regardless of the team name.

It doesn’t appear that changing the name again is on Harris’ agenda, but he will certainly be asked about it when he officially meets the media as Washington’s new owner.

 

Comparing Dan Snyder’s record as owner vs. Jack Kent Cooke’s time as Washington owner

What a difference a change in ownership made for Washington.

If you want one specific number showing the decline of Washington’s NFL franchise, look no further than owner Daniel Snyder’s 24-year record.

Under Snyder’s direction, Washington is 56 games under .500 — a 164-220-2 record — with a 2-6 mark in the playoffs. That means Snyder’s teams have made the playoffs once every four years with a predictable result.

Meanwhile, Jack Kent Cooke, Washington’s legendary owner from 1969 until his death in April 1997, the franchise had a record of 250-169-3. That’s a remarkable 81 games over .500. To put the numbers further into perspective, Peter King of NBC Sports, in his weekly column, compared Cooke’s final 24 years as owner, in which Washington was 53 games over .500 to Snyder’s overall record.

King counted Washington’s record in 1997 and 1998 because although Cooke died before the 1997 season, his estate still owned Washington.

When Snyder took over in 1999, he actually inherited a good team. But in true Snyder fashion, he thought he knew better and began to tear it down with his ill-conceived free-agent spending spree in 2000.

Oh, care to guess Cooke’s record as owner in the playoffs? The Squire’s teams were 18-10 with three Super Bowl championships. You know, the same Super Bowl trophies Snyder would always show off in press conferences back when he made a splashy signing.

Under Cooke, Washington made the playoffs, on average, every other season.

Washington, now called the Commanders, will be sold soon. A group led by Josh Harris is expected to become Washington’s next owner. A native Washingtonian, Harris knows all too what the franchise should look like.

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