Family of Native Chief Behind NFL's 'Redskins' Logo Wants It Brought Back – Asks for a Meeting with Trump
A family of Native Americans whose ancestor was immortalized by the former logo of Washington’s NFL team is longing for the day when a headline can again proclaim “Redskins Defeat Cowboys.”
Chief Two Guns White Calf, a Blackfeet Native American, was the inspiration for the former Washington Redskins logo created in 1971 by Walter “Blackie” Wetzel, according to WTVR-TV.
His descendants claim the Washington Commanders, which removed the logo to appease left-wing activists in 2020, wrongly erased him, and they want the name and logo restored.
“He was such a leader and he had a hold on the National Football League for 50 years,” Morningstar Gopher, a representative of the late chief’s estate, said.
“They tried to erase us, like we didn’t exist anymore,” estate lead Kenneth Conway said.
The descendants said the team never consulted them before consigning their ancestor to obscurity.
“They did not even ask our family for approval. They didn’t ask for nothing from us. I mean, we literally got erased,” Brock Conway, who is a historian, said.
“We’re hopeful for a meeting with President Trump in order to help get this pushed forward,” Gopher said, adding that they have also asked for a meeting with the team.
The estate wants the team to restore the former name and logo, and hopes to have the team’s stadium named for the chief.
“It would be a big win in his pocket in terms of helping the Native people in securing the first-ever NFL stadium named after a Native American,” Gopher said.
“There’s a lot of diehard Redskins fans down in Washington, D.C.,” Gopher added.
“This would be a win-win, I think, for everybody. It would be a win-win for the family because it would be so honored and the history of their ancestors,” attorney Denise Rosado said.
Until then, the family remembers their ancestor in their own way.
“We symbolize him with honor by, you know, putting his picture on our walls,” Brock Conway said.
Seeing this logo always brings a deep sense of pride because it was designed by my grandfather, Walter “Blackie” Wetzel. In 1971, he walked into a meeting with the team to replace their old imagery and walked out having created something meant to genuinely symbolize the strength, pride, and service of Native communities. He didn’t just advocate through art; he spent decades serving as a leader for the Blackfeet Nation and the National Congress of American Indians. Grateful to honor his memory and keep his story alive.
#BlackieWetzel #thelogo #Siksanum #GreatAmericanIndianWarrior #goodmedicine #washingtonfootball #washingtonDC @Commanders @NFL
— Ryan Wetzel_MT (@RyanWetzelMT) October 20, 2026
A descendant of the artist who developed the logo said it was designed to honor the Blackfeet Nation.
“Seeing this logo always brings a deep sense of pride because it was designed by my grandfather, Walter “Blackie” Wetzel. In 1971, he walked into a meeting with the team to replace their old imagery and walked out having created something meant to genuinely symbolize the strength, pride, and service of Native communities,” Ryan Wetzel posted on X.
“He didn’t just advocate through art; he spent decades serving as a leader for the Blackfeet Nation and the National Congress of American Indians. Grateful to honor his memory and keep his story alive,” he posted.
A 2016 poll showed that roughly 90 percent of Native Americans surveyed by The Washington Post were not offended by the team name.
But in 2020, amid riots fueled by the death of George Floyd, the team capitulated to those who disliked the name and removed it, according to ABC News.
The current Blackfeet Nation, based in Montana, once roamed much of southwestern Canada and the northwestern United States. Its reservation covers 1.5 million acres.
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