The traditional red, white and blue color scheme of the nation's capital was drowned out by a sea of burgundy and gold as fans basked in the afterglow of the Washington Redskins' Super Bowl victory.
About 75,000 fans came to a rally Tuesday in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol, wearing their team's colors and chanting the team's fight song."Hail to the Redskins, hail victory. Braves on the warpath, fight for old D.C.," were the words to the most popular song of the day.
"This is what it's all about, when you come home to fans like this," said defensive end Fred Stokes.
Turnout was lower than the expected 200,000; Eight of the team's biggest stars were on their way to the Pro Bowl in Hawaii and couldn't attend.
Coach Joe Gibbs received the loudest and longest cheers. And he returned the affection.
The team played all year to have the home field advantage in the playoffs, Gibbs told the crowd. "There's no other place in America like RFK (Robert F. Kennedy Stadium) with all of you there," he said.
As technicians fixed a problem in the public address system, which interrupted the rally for about five minutes, the crowd chanted, "We want Joe," calling for the coach.
"I wouldn't have missed this for the world," said Marcia Tilton, 79, of Fairfax, Va. "I'm a little older than I used to be, and I remember when I used to take the trolley up to Griffith Stadium in the 1940s and 50s to see (former Redskins quarterback) Sammy Baugh and players like that."
Dania Winter of Washington said she was once a Buffalo Bills fan, but "grudgingly" allowed herself to be converted to the side of the team that trounced her former favorites.
"What can you say? If you live in Washington, there's no way you can't know who the Redskins are," she said. "I just wish (team owner Jack Kent) Cooke would change the nickname."
Native American groups have protested that the team name is racist.
But Clyde Miller, 29, said Washingtonians such as himself don't dwell on the team's nickname, but rather its performance on the field.
"Even though I'm not a season ticket holder and have never seen a game at RFK Stadium, they're still everybody's team and nothing - not the crime, not the shootings, not the city's budget deficit - can take away the fact that Washington is the champion of the National Football League," he said.