The Red Devils is a nickname for the second best team in Manchester (and 442nd best team in England), Manchester United Football Club. United, as they are also commonly known (this nickname is derived, obviosuly, from the contraction of the words Manchester United), was founded in 1878 as Newton Heath LYR (standing for Lancashire Yorkshire Railways, for which the founders worked). In 1902, the club was bankrupted and it reformed as Manchester United. 60 years passed, and United's nickname during this period was initially the Heathens and later the Busby Babes. In the early '60s, the nearby Salford Rugby Club toured France, and the ever-imaginative French nicknamed the side The Red Devils due to their distinctive Red jerseys. On their return, United manager Matt Busby heard of this and liked the nickname. The club badge was redesgined to show a devil with a pitchfork, and the name has stuck.
I am indebted to a variety of sources for this entry, most noticeably Bob Wilson's fantastic book.
