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PHOTOS: Relive RFK Stadium’s greatest moments, from the gridiron to Beatlemania

Thomas Robertson | trobertson@wtop.com

October 6, 2025, 4:56 AM

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The hallowed ground at the RFK Stadium site is undergoing an exciting transformation for fans of the Washington Commanders after the D.C. Council breathed new life into the campus by granting final approval to the $3.7 billion deal to construct a new stadium there.

As excitement ramps up for the projected opening of the stadium in 2030, so do the feelings of nostalgia for old RFK as D.C. makes progress in tearing it down.

What was once the mecca for Washington football fans and home to the team’s glory days in the ’80s and early ’90s is now a shell of itself. Old RFK Stadium is coming down piece by piece in a methodical deconstruction process — rather than a dramatic implosion — expected to take as long as 22 months in total.

You can watch the process via a live web stream on Events D.C.’s website.

Built in 1961, the deconstruction is the final chapter for a building that’s hosted football, baseball and soccer games, as well as iconic concerts.

Relive some of the greatest moments to happen inside the stadium below.

1/24
RFK in miniature. A model of the proposed D.C. Stadium depicting the stadium’s signature wavy roof. (Courtesy Events DC)
2/24
This Dec. 12, 1958 photo shows officials with the Interior Department signing over a 30-year lease for the land the future stadium would sit on to the D.C. Armory Board. (Courtesy Events DC)
3/24
Groundbreaking at the site of the future D.C. Stadium. (Courtesy Events DC)
4/24
This is a general view of the jammed new Washington Stadium at the start of All Star game, July 10, 1962. The photo was snapped with the National Leaguers at bat. (AP Photo)
5/24
The Beatles hold a news conference at the D.C. stadium before their concert on Aug. 15, 1966. Pictured, from left to right, are: Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison. (AP Photo/Harvey Georges)
6/24
Eight years after opening, the D.C. Stadium was dedicated to Robert F. Kennedy, the former attorney general and New York senator who was assassinated in California on the 1968 presidential campaign trail. The stadium was officially renamed the RFK Memorial Stadium. This 1969 photo shows a special dedication ceremony at the stadium. From left to right: Kennedy’s son, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.; Washington tight end Jerry Smith; Kennedy’s widow, Ethel Kennedy; and Washington safety Brig Owens. (Courtesy Events D.C.)
7/24
Washington Senators fans storm the field, stopping the game in D.C. between the Yankees and the Senators in the ninth inning. Fans’ actions caused the Senators to forfeit the game on Oct. 1, 1971 to the Yankees. (AP Photo/Jim Palmer)
8/24
Steven Tyler of Aerosmith performing live on stage at RFK Stadium on May 30, 1976. (Photo by Fin Costello/Redferns)
9/24
Washington football coach Joe Gibbs (center) shown wearing glasses and no hat is in the crush with members of his team after they beat the Dallas Cowboys for the NFC Championship at RFK Stadium, Saturday, Jan. 22, 1983, in D.C. (AP Photo)
10/24
Four of the Jacksons, from left, Tito, Michael, Marlon on drums, and Randy, are shown performing during their Victory Tour concert at RFK Stadium in D.C., on Sept. 22, 1984. (AP Photo/Bill Auth)
11/24
Bruce Springsteen performs during his sold-out concert, Monday, Aug. 5, 1985 at RFK Memorial Stadium in D.C. The show is the first of a nine-week, 25-city tour of North America in support of his new album, “Born in the U.S.A.” (AP Photo/Scott Stewart)
12/24
Washington wide receiver Art Monk is hoisted by his teammates after breaking the record for career receptions in the fourth quarter of their game against the Denver Broncos at RFK Stadium in D.C., Oct. 12, 1992. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
13/24
Soccer fans dressed in support of team Mexico dance, June 19, 1994, outside RFK Stadium in D.C. before the start of the World Cup soccer championship, Group E first round match, Mexico vs. Norway. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
14/24
Oct. 20, 1996: John Harkes of D.C. United along with his teammates celebrate after the United 3-2 Major League Soccer MLS Championship Game win over the Los Angeles Galaxy at RFK Stadium in D.C. (Simon Bruty/Allsport)
15/24
Dec. 22, 1996: Washington fans tear up the turf at RFK Stadium in D. C. after a game against the Dallas Cowboys. Washington’s NFL team won 37-7. The game was the team’s final game played at RFK. (Getty Images/Doug Pensinger)
16/24
Washington Freedom’s Mia Hamm signs autographs at RFK Stadium in D.C. on Thursday, March 1, 2001, during the team’s first practice. (AP Photo/Doug Mills)
17/24
Forward Mia Hamm #9 of the United States celebrates during the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup, first round, Group A, game against Sweden at RFK Stadium on Sept. 21, 2003 in D.C. USA defeated Sweden 3-1. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
18/24
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium is shown after its transformation from a baseball field for the Washington Nationals to a soccer field for D.C. United, Tuesday, April 5, 2005, in D.C. In a unique setup to placate both MLB and MLS, crews are working furiously to convert RFK Stadium from a ballpark to a soccer pitch so D.C. United can play its home games. The infield dirt was gone and 35 sections of stands had been moved along a set of rails in the outfield. About 20 changeovers will have to happen this season, costing an estimated $40,000 for each one-way conversion. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
19/24
President George W. Bush throws out the ceremonial first pitch at RFK Stadium Thursday, April 14, 2005 in D.C. The game between the Washington Nationals and the Arizona Diamondbacks was the first regular-season baseball game in the nation’s capital in 34 years. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
20/24
Los Angeles Galaxy’s midfielder David Beckham applauds the sellout crowd of over 45,000 at RFK Stadium as he walks of the field shirtless after making his MLS debut against D.C. United, Thursday, Aug. 9, 2007 in D.C. Beckham came in as a second half substitute in the galaxy’s 1-0 loss. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
21/24
Fireworks mark the Nationals’ final game at RFK in September 2007. (Courtesy Events D.C.)
22/24
Demolition of RFK Memorial Stadium continues Aug. 25, 2025 in D.C. Earlier in August, the D.C. Council voted in favor of a plan to pave the way for a new stadium to be built at the site of the historic stadium. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
23/24
Demolition of RFK Memorial Stadium continues Aug. 25, 2025 in D.C. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
a football stadium being torn down 24/24
RFK Stadium being torn down piece by piece in September 2025. (WTOP/Mike Murillo)

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Thomas Robertson

Thomas Robertson is an Associate Producer and Web Writer/Editor at WTOP. After graduating in 2019 from James Madison University, Thomas moved away from Virginia for the first time in his life to cover the local government beat for a small daily newspaper in Zanesville, Ohio.

trobertson@wtop.com

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