Redskins take part in 107-year old fan’s birthday celebration

Fans dedicate themselves to their teams. Thus, it’s only right for a team to dedicate itself to its fans, and its loyal followers.

Fans invest themselves, emotionally and physically, into their teams on game days. They adorn themselves in colored attire, and with the highs and lows of the conflict, their moods are tethered.

For the Washington Redskins fan, the past two decades haven’t been kind, but such a fandom is strongly rooted, in past greatness, and future promise. Just like all fans, the fans of the Redskins long to cheer for something again. And in the meantime, they wait.

For one Redskins fan, however, this long wait isn’t the first one. Carletha West, lovingly referred to as “Nana” by her friends and family, recently turned 107 years young. She’s been following the team since the era of slingin’ Sammy Baugh, living through the NFL Championships of the 1930s and 1940s, the drought of the 1950s and 1960s, and the golden era of Joe Gibbs and his quarterback trinity. All the way to the present day. Almost nine decades and counting.

That’s a lot of Sundays, folks.

Given her standing as a lifelong fan of the Washington Redskins, her birthday was celebrated with a visit from team president Bruce Allen and commentator Larry Michael. Allen gave West a custom  jersey with her nickname and the No. 107 on the back. Allen, with a smile, proclaimed about her gift, “When you see it, you’ll know that no one else has it”. West was very appreciative of the gracious gesture, and the two took photos at her current residence.

Redskins.com writer Kyle Stockpole shared those photos and a video of the event on Twitter, which can be viewed by clicking the previous link. It’s a heart-warming reminder that fandom forges communities, and engages and interconnects generations with one another. For Nana, her generation now joins five others. And next year, she’ll be able to wear her No. 107 jersey to embrace that unforgettable connection.