While preparing this site of NFL History. I have come
across a lot of conflicts in dates of actual events. Many of my
verifications come from references of the local Library (football and
NFL history and facts, players and stats, etc from Encyclopedias)
HOWEVER,
Some facts are still undefined.
Any input from you visitors would be deeply
appreciated by me and the many other visitors of this site.
All information will be investigated for true facts
and any reference you have would help!
The history of American football, the great teams, great players and coaches
Football is an American sport and has been played for almost a century. Hell. who knows? Could've been earlier.
During the 1820s a group of students at Princeton began playing
what was then known as 'ballown'. There were no hard and fast rules
applied to this earliest attempt at the game we now call football
1829 The first
game of "football" was played between the freshman and
sophomore classes at Harvard. The form of rugby was played on the
first Monday of the semester, and became known as "Bloody
Monday" because of the roughness of the game.
The "Bloody Monday" game became a yearly tradition,
until 1860, when the Harvard faculty put an end to the event because
it usually disintegrated into all-out mayhem.
Pick up games, similar in style to that played on 'Bloody
Monday', soon became popular on the Boston Common, catching on in
popularity around 1860. Soon after the end of the American Civil War,
around 1865, colleges began organizing football games.
In 1867, Princeton led the way in establishing some rudimentary
rules of the game. Also in that year, the football itself was
patented for the very first time.
The seed that sprouted the 32-team National Football League was
planted Nov. 6, 1869, when Rutgers
and Princeton played a college soccer game. The
game used modified London Football Association rules. During the next
seven years, rugby
gained favor over soccer
with the major eastern schools, and modern football began to develop
from rugby.
Chronological Order
1861
The Oneida
Football Club, formed in Boston is claimed by some sources as the
first American football team. However, no-one knows what rules the
club used. They may have played "kicking" games,
"running" games, both or some hybrid form. The latter seems
most likely, since the "Oneidas" are often credited with
inventing the "Boston Game",
which both allowed players to kick a round ball along the ground,
and to pick it up and run with it. The game seems to have been
popular in Massachusetts (at least) in the mid-19th century:
for example, there are references to it being the most popular form
of football at Harvard University, shortly afterwards.
1869
The First Organized Football Game
Most football historians agree that the
first recorded organized football game took place on November 6, 1869,
when teams from Rutgers and Princeton universities met in New
Brunswick, New Jersey.
The game used modified London Football
Association rules.
During the next seven years, rugby
gained favor with the major eastern schools over soccer,
and modern football began to develop from rugby.
Rugby was actually pretty popular already at
the time, but Harvard had banned it in 1860 because it was considered
"barbaric." See above
The rules generally were the same as the rules of Association
Football at the time. Rules number 1, 5, 7, 9 and 10 in particular
reflect the influence of soccer, which at the time did not bar
players from to hitting the ball (and taking a "fair catch"
followed by a free kick), but did not allow them to hold and run with
the ball.
Princeton and the NFL also state that the 1869 game was based on
soccer. The historian Stephen Fox identifies it as "New York
Ball", a soccer-like game (which should not be confused with
a type of baseball that also went by the same name), common in
the vicinity of New York City.
Games between the two colleges and other teams soon followed.
1. Rutgers won, 6 goals to 4.
2. It was played by two teams of 25.
3. Two members of each team were stationed near the opponent's goal
in the hope of scoring from unguarded positions. This position in
football games of that time was identified as "peanutter",
and is evidence of the lack of a rule against offside play.
4. Each team was divided into 11 "fielders" and 12 "bulldogs".
5. The ball could be advanced only by kicking or batting it with the
feet, hands, heads or sides. The rules banned 'throwing or running
with the ball.'
6. Rutgers players, formed "a perfect interference" around
the ball, a forerunner of "the flying wedge".
7. Rutgers players, advanced the ball by "short, skillful kicks
and dribbles"
8. A Princeton player "threw himself into [a Rutgers] mass play,
bursting us apart, and bowing us over"
9. One Rutgers player used a technique of kicking the rolling ball
with his heel.
10. It has been suggested that they were using a round ball
11. Touchdowns were not a feature. (In fact none were recorded in
games played by Rutgers until 1878-79.)
fter 1869, when collegians started playing
soccer, the games got more and more like rugby. No one knew the rules
anymore, because they changed constantly. The game wasn't just
growing into something different than soccer. It was becoming
different than rugby, too.
1873
October 19 - representatives from
Yale, Columbia, Princeton, and Rutgers met at the Fifth Avenue Hotel
in New York City to codify the first set of intercollegiate football
rules. Prior to this meeting, each school had its own set of rules
and games were usually played using the home team's own particular
code. At this meeting, a list of rules, based more on soccer than on
rugby, was drawn up for intercollegiate football games.
1874
Harvard, which played the "Boston
Game", a version of football that allowed carrying, refused
to attend this rules conference and continued to play under its own
code. Harvard's voluntary absence from the meeting
made it hard for them to schedule games against other American universities.
The McGill University Rugby team of
Montreal, Canada challenged Harvard to a series of football games. It
was decided that both games would be played at Cambridge, the first
game would be played according to Harvard's rules, and second game
would be played according to McGill's rules.
McGill played a style more similar to rugby,
and used an elongated ball.
while Harvard played under a set of
rules that allowed greater handling of the ball than soccer. May 14 - Playing
"Boston"-style, Harvard won the first game 3 - 0, May 15 - the second game played rugby
style, ended in a 0 - 0 tie.
Still, the Harvard men agreed that the game
was more fun when playing the McGill style ("Boston"-style).
They liked the hard hitting, the lateral
passes, and the way that the elongated ball bounced unpredictably.
Also, when a ball carrier busted through and crossed the goal line,
he was awarded a "touchdown."
The Harvard players agreed to practice the
McGill style and meat them again in the fall. This time Harvard beat
McGill at their own game 3-0.
1875
November 13 - The first edition of
The Game-the annual contest between Harvard and Yale-was played under
a modified set of rugby rules known as "The Concessionary Rules"
- a special set of rules agreed
to in which each side gave up a little.
Yale lost 4 to 0, but found that it too
preferred the rugby style game.
Spectators from Princeton carried the game back home, where it also
became popular
The first official game ball emerged. It was
an egg-shaped, leather covered rugby ball. The field was reduced to
100 yards plus end zones. Teams played with 15 players on each side.
1876
First Rules of Football
The first rules for American football were
written during the Massasoit convention.
On November 23, 1876 representatives from
Harvard, Columbia, Princeton, and Yale met at Massasoit House in
Springfield, Massachusetts to decide on standard American rules, an
event which became known as the Massasoit Convention. They adopted
the Rugby Union rules in their entirety, except for two innovations:
a touch-down in rugby only counted toward the score if neither side
kicked a field goal. Princeton, Harvard, and Columbia agreed that
four touchdowns would be worth one goal; in the event of a tied
score, a goal converted from a touchdown would take precedence over
four touch-downs.
The three colleges also founded the original
Intercollegiate Football Association (IFA).
Yale did not join the group until 1879, due
to an early disagreement about the number of players per team
Walter
Camp first became involved with the game. Camp started
attending Yale to study medicine and business. He played in the first
Yale vs. Harvard rugby game that year. He was a smart man who had
always been incredibly athletic. He is an important player in the
history of football. He was instrumental in coming up with the rules
for American football
Camp is credited with a lot of the football
rules and scoring still used today. While he didn't invent football -
it came about more by evolution - he is widely credited as "The
Father of Football."
1878
Camp became a fixture at the Massasoit House
conventions where rules were debated and changed. He proposed his
first rule change at the first meeting he attended in 1878: a
reduction from fifteen players to eleven. The motion was rejected at
that time but passed in 1880. The effect was to open up the game and
emphasize speed over strength.
1880
Yale coach Walter Camp devised a number of
major changes to the American game including some major breaks with
the rugby tradition - beginning with the reduction of teams from 15
to 11 players, reduction of the field area by almost half (at 110 yards),
the introduction of the scrimmage and the snap from center to
quarterback. Originally, the snap was executed with the foot of
the center. These changes made it possible to snap the ball with the
hands, either through the air or by a direct hand-to-hand pass
1882
Walter Camp introduced the system of downs.
Camp's new scrimmage rules revolutionized
the game, though not always as intended. Princeton, in particular,
used scrimmage play to slow the game, making incremental progress
towards the end zone during each down. Rather than increase scoring,
which had been Camp's original intent, the rule was exploited to
maintain control of the ball for the entire game, resulting in slow,
unexciting contests. Until Camp came up with this gimmick, a team
could sit on the ball for a whole game, playing for a tie. So long as
the team didn't fumble, there wasn't much an opponent could do but
yell nasty names. Camp's system of downs kept American football from
dying of boredom.
At the 1882 rules meeting, Camp proposed
that a team be required to advance the ball a minimum of five yards
within three downs (a team had to surrender possession if they did
not gain five yards after three downs (successful tackles),.
These down-and-distance rules, combined with
the establishment of the line of scrimmage, transformed the game from
a variation of rugby or soccer into the distinct sport of American football
Camp also introduced the seven-man
offensive line, plus a quarterback, two halfbacks and a fullback in
the backfield, an arrangement which soon became the norm.
Camp created the quarterback position, the
idea that one team should have undisputed possession of the ball at a
time, strategic plays, the number of players, and other key
positions. He was the first Yale football coach, and he was involved
in every rulemaking convention and committee until his death in 1925.
1883
Several times Camp tinkered with the scoring
rules, finally arriving at:
(4) four points for a touchdown
(2) two points for kicks after touchdowns
(2) two points for safeties
(5) five points for field goals.
1885
Here Come the Zebras
For the first time in football history, an
official was used to regulate and referee games.
1887
John Heisman
played football at Brown University 1887-1889.
John William Heisman - (October
23, 1869 – October 3, 1936) was a
prominent American football player and college football coach in the
early era of the sport and is the namesake of the Heisman Trophy awarded
annually to the season's best college football player.
Gametime was set at two halves of 45 minutes each.
Also in 1887, two paid officials-a referee
and an umpire-were mandated for each game.
1888
A standard opening play in the late 1880s
was the "V-trick," forerunner of the flying
wedge. On the kickoff, players surrounded the ball carrier in a
rough V-formation, locked arms, and churned forward, trampling anyone
who got in their way. The play invariably produced a long gain. But,
when undefeated Princeton tried it against equally undefeated Yale in
1888, the Tigers got a surprise. A freshman Eli guard named William
Walter Heffelfinger, but better known as "Pudge," ran
straight to the point of the V. At the last split-second, he leaped
into the air, cleared the astonished blockers, and landed his
two-hundred-plus pounds squarely on top of the Princeton ball
carrier. Splat! Yale went on to win 10-0.
Walter Camp was the first to fight for
tackles as low as the knee as the rules were changed to allow
tackling below the waist.
The unfortunate result of the change was it
tended to make play more brutal and dull. Until then, teams used
plenty of "open play," stressing laterals and backward
passes (there was no forward passing allowed, of course) to the
halfbacks who were set out wide like modern wingbacks. However, once
it became legal to cut a man down at the knees -- often causing a
lateral to sail untouched past his outstretched fingers -- teams
moved the halfbacks in behind the line and concentrated on power
instead of trickery.
1889
The Allegheny Athletic Association
was founded
. . . and the officials were given
whistles and stopwatches
1890
The Allegheny Athletic Association which was
founded in 1889 and fielded it's first football team in 1890 is
responsible in part for the start of Professionalism in the sport of
Football. At the time, the Allegheny Athletic Club was located
in Allegheny which is just North of the Allegheny River. The
area is now known as Pittsburgh's North Side. The A.A.A. or
Three A's as they were referred to held a strong rivalry with the
Pittsburgh Athletic Club (PAC) in the 1890's.
John Heisman played football at the
University of Pennsylvania 1890-1891.
A padding "breakthrough" occurred
in 1890 when Princeton's captain, Edgar A. Poe showed up for the Yale
game wearing a nose guard, a piece of molded rubber covering the Poe
proboscis. After much discussion over the novel device, he was
allowed to play with a protected beak.
By 1898, some schools were equipping every
player with a nose guard, usually with mouthpiece attached.
1892
Football caught on among the general
population and began to be the subject of intense competition and
rivalry, albeit of a localized nature. In 1892 The Allegheny Athletic
Association (AAA) was playing the Pittsburgh Athletic Club (PAC).
Although payments to players were considered unsporting and
dishonorable at the time, the AAA was so desperate to win this game
that they found a guard who played for Yale and the All-America team
and paid him to make sure they won.
On November 12, William
"Pudge" Heffelfinger became the first
known professional football player. He was paid $500 (a huge
amount at the time) to play in the game against the Pittsburgh
Athletic Club. Heffelfinger picked up a Pittsburgh fumble, and ran 25
yards for a touchdown, winning the game 4-0 for Allegheny. Although
many observers held suspicions, the payment remained a secret for
many years.
Absolute verification, in fact, did not
become public for almost 80 years until the Pro Football Hall of Fame
received and displayed a document - an expense accounting sheet of
the Allegheny Athletic Association that clearly shows a "game
performance bonus to W. Heffelfinger for
playing (cash) $500. While it is possible that others were paid to
play before 1892, the AAA expense sheet provides the first
irrefutable evidence of an out-and-out cash payment. It is
appropriately referred to today as "pro
football's birth certificate."
John Heisman coached at
Oberlin College.
It was only the second
year of football at the school, but Heisman's team won all 7 of its
games, including a victory over Michigan and two over Ohio State.
Glenn Scobey Warner (Pop
Warner) attended and played football for Cornell University. As
captain of the Cornell football team, he obtained the nickname
"Pop" because he was older than most of his teammates.
No rule yet insisted
that any particular number of men be on the line of scrimmage or that
anyone be at a stop when the ball was snapped. Inevitably, teams
found their way to mass and momentum plays -- such as the "flying
wedge" -- wherein players were moved
into the backfield to surround the ball carrier and everyone was at
full gallop when the play started. Amos
Alonzo Stagg took the first steps in this direction with his
"ends back" formation at Springfield in 1890. Pretty soon
there was a "tackles back" and a "guards back"
and so on. .
History of the Coin Toss
The coin toss has been a part of
professional football since its start in 1892.
1892-1920
Captains of each team handled the coin toss themselves.
1893
The Pittsburgh Athletic Club (PAC) wised up.
They made a smarter decision than their rivals, The Allegheny
Athletic Association (AAA) did in 1892,
and signed the first player to a professional paid contract. The
player, probably halfback Grant Dibert, had to play for Pittsburgh
for the entire year.
Three
years later, the Allegheny Athletic Association team
fielded the first completely professional team for its abbreviated
two-game schedule.
1894
From its earliest days as a mob game,
football was a violent sport.
The 1894 Harvard-Yale game, known as the "Hampden
Park Blood Bath", resulted in crippling injuries for
four players; the contest was suspended until 1897.
The annual Army-Navy game was suspended from
1894-1898 for similar reasons.
One of the major problems was the
popularity of mass-formations like the
flying wedge, in which a large number of offensive players
charged as a unit against a similarly arranged defense. The resultant
collisions often led to serious injuries and sometimes even death
1895
The nation's first college football league,
the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives (also
known as the Western Conference), a precursor to the Big Ten
Conference, was founded.
The first professional football game in the
United States took place in 1895 in the town of Latrobe,
Pennsylvania, between a team representing Latrobe and a team from
Jeannette, Pennsylvania. In the following years many professional
teams were formed, including the
Duquesnes of Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania; the Olympics of McKeesport,
Pennsylvania; the Bulldogs of Canton, Ohio;
and
the team of Massillon, Ohio.
Willie Heston (formerly at the University
of Michigan),
Fritz Pollard (Brown University),
and
Jim Thorpe (Carlisle Indian School).
These of course are the first players, but they help define
what it is that separates an Athletic club or a AAA amateur club from
a Professional Football Team in the NFL, namely, that the players get
paid money to play the game. Professional football began on November
12, 1892.
Early-day pro football historians agreed that a 16-year-old
quarterback from Indiana College in Pennsylvania, John Brallier, had
become the first pro football player when he accepted $10 and
cakes" (expenses) to play for the Latrobe, PA, town team
against neighboring Jeannette on September 3, 1895.
Today, Brallier is ranked no higher than seventh in line among the
early-day players accepting pay to play.
Listed below are the first seven players known to have been openly
paid to play football:
William "Pudge" Heffelfinger –
Allegheny Athletic Association, Pittsburgh, – $500 for one game
on November 12, 1892.
Ben "Sport" Donnelly – Allegheny
Athletic Association, Pittsburgh – $250 for one game on November
19, 1892.
Peter Wright – Allegheny Athletic Association, Pittsburgh
– $50 per game (under contract) for the entire 1893 season.
James Van Cleve – Allegheny Athletic Association,
Pittsburgh – $50 per game (under contract) for the entire 1893 season.
Oliver W. Rafferty – Allegheny Athletic Association,
Pittsburgh – 50 per game (under contract) for the entire
1893 season.
Lawson Fiscus – Greensburg, PA – $20 per game (under
contract) for the entire 1894 season.
John Brallier – Latrobe, PA, – $10 and expenses for
one game on September 3, 1895.
Pop Warner was hired by the
University of Georgia as its new head football coach at a salary of
$34 per week.
While at Georgia, Warner also coached Iowa
State University. He coached teams from two schools simultaneously on
three occasions: Iowa State and Georgia during the 1895 and 1896
seasons, Iowa State and Cornell in 1897 and 1898, and Iowa State and
Carlisle in 1899
John W. Heisman was coaching at Auburn when
he observed what would come to be known as a "forward pass"
for the first time. Technically, the play was illegal. During a game
between Georgia and North Carolina in 1895. Toward the end of the
game, North Carolina, with its back to the goal, was forced to punt.
The fullback retreated until the crossbar of his goal was just above
his head. Georgia rushed him mercilessly, and in desperation, he
lobbed the ball forward to one of his teammates, who caught it and
ran for a touchdown." Though Georgia's coach, Pop Warner,
disagreed with the decision, the referee held fast to the opinion
that the fullback could have fumbled the ball, allowing the touchdown
to count.
Heisman realized almost immediately
that such a pass could open up the field during a game, and wrote to Walter
Camp who was then the chair of the rules committee, petitioning
him to make it legal. After years of campaigning, and due to the rise
of public opinion against football due to the compounding of serious
injuries and death, Camp and his committee finally relented. In 1906
the forward pass was confirmed as a legal play in the game of
football. In his later years writing for Collier's, a popular
American magazine, especially during the 1920s and 1930s, Heisman
recalled that with the change that one play brought, "American
football had come over the line which divides the modern game from
the old. Whether it was my contribution to football or Camp's is,
perhaps, immaterial. Football had been saved from itself."
1896
Not to be outdone by The Pittsburgh Athletic
Club (PAC) in 1893,
the The Allegheny Athletic Association (AAA) decided to have the
first completely pro team, but only played two games that season.
They went out of existence on their own
terms fielding a team in defiance of the AAU's ban from their
competing against other AAU members.
1897
The Latrobe Athletic Association paid all of
its players for the whole season, becoming the first fully
professional football team.
The history of football
now goes pro.
1898
A touchdown was changed from four points to
five points.
ALSO
Some Historians would have
you believe that the following took place in 1899, when in fact it is
documented to have taken place in 1898 . . .
The longest running pro team began. The team
began as a neighborhood group that gathered to play football in a
predominantly Irish area of Chicago's South Side, playing under the
name Morgan
Athletic Club(presently
known as The Arizona
Cardinals). The
team later was acquired by Chris O'Brien, a painting and decorating
contractor, and soon its playing site changed to nearby Normal Field,
prompting the new name Normals. Later became the Racine
Cardinals(playing at 61st and Racine Streets ),
the Chicago Cardinals,
the St. Louis Cardinals, the Phoenix
Cardinals, and, in 1994, the Arizona
Cardinals. The team remains the oldest continuing
operation in pro football.
Though no longer a
player, Walter Camp remained
a fixture at annual rules meetings for most of his life.
It has been noted that
Walter Camp gets the credit for inventing the All-America Team, but
the mythical honor-eleven is one thing the "Father of American
Football" did not sire.
A gentleman named
Caspar W. Whitney came up with the idea while writing for a small
magazine called This Week's Sport in 1889. Whitney was a friend of
Camp and may well have asked his advice on selections, but he was an
authority on his own and published the first A.A. team under his own by-line.
In 1890, again for This
Week's Sport, and from 1891 through 1896 for Harper's Weekly, Whitney
continued to make his popular annual selections. Camp didn't get into
the All-America business until 1897, when Whitney was off on a world
sports tour. During the season, Camp sat in for Whitney at Harper's
when it came time to immortalize another eleven athletes.
The next year, Whitney
was back at Harper's and later he made selections for Outing
Magazine. However, once Camp had made the plunge he liked the A.A.
waters, for he began selecting teams for Collier's and continued to
do so until his death in 1925.
Camp's reputation
was so great that fans soon forgot all about Caspar Whitney.
Eventually, people began to assume that Camp had created the idea,
just as many people think Henry Ford invented the automobile. Whether
intentionally or not, Camp fostered the mistake by publishing
Whitney's 1889-96 selections alongside his own later ones.
Unfortunately, he neglected to include Whitney's name.
The Walter Camp
Foundation continues to select All-American teams in his honor.
1899
Pop Warner coached at
the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania from 1899-1903
1900
College football expanded greatly during the
last two decades of the nineteenth century. In 1880, only eight
universities fielded intercollegiate teams, but by 1900, the number
had expanded to 43.
Several major rivalries date from this time
period, including
Army-Navy (1890),
Minnesota-Wisconsin (1890),
the Border
Showdown between Kansas-Missouri (1891),
California-Stanford's Big
Game (football) (1892),
the Iron Bowl
between Alabama-Auburn (1893),
Michigan-Ohio State (1897).
William C. Temple took over the team
payments for the Duquesnes Country and Athletic Club, becoming the
first known individual club owner.
Star players that emerged in the early
twentieth century include Jim Thorpe, Red Grange, and Bronko
Nagurski; these three made the transition to the fledgling NFL and
helped turn it into a successful league.
1901
The
Panhandles were originally formed by the Pennsylvania Railroad
Athletic Association in Columbus.
1902
Baseball's Philadelphia Athletics, managed
by Connie Mack, and the Philadelphia Phillies formed
professional football teams, joining the Pittsburgh Stars in the
first attempt at a pro football league, named the National
Football League (not the same as the modern NFL league) . November 21 - The Athletics won the
first night football game ever played, 39-0 over Kanaweola AC at
Elmira, New York.
All three teams claimed the pro championship
for the year, but the league president, Dave Berry, named the Stars
the champions. Pitcher Rube Waddell was with the Athletics, and
pitcher Christy Mathewson a fullback for Pittsburgh.
The first World Series of pro football,
actually a five-team tournament, was played among a team made up of
players from both the Athletics and the Phillies, but simply named
New York; the New York Knickerbockers; the Syracuse AC; the Warlow
AC; and the Orange (New Jersey) AC at New York's original Madison
Square Garden. New York and Syracuse
played the first indoor football game before 3,000, December 28.
Syracuse, with Glen (Pop) Warner at guard, won 6-0 and went on to win
the tournament.
1903
The Franklin (Pa.) Athletic Club won the
second and last World Series of pro football over the Oreos Athletic
Club of Asbury Park, New Jersey; the Watertown Red and Blacks; and
the Orange Athletic Club.
Pro football was popularized in Ohio when
the Massillon Tigers, a strong amateur team, hired four Pittsburgh
pros to play in the season-ending game against Akron. At the same
time, pro football declined in the Pittsburgh area, and the emphasis
on the pro game moved west from Pennsylvania to Ohio.
John Heisman was named the Georgia Tech
football coach.
1904
A field goal was changed from five points to
four points.
Ohio had at least seven pro teams, with
Massillon winning the Ohio Independent Championship, that is, the pro
title. Talk surfaced about forming a state-wide league to end
spiraling salaries brought about by constant bidding for players and
to write universal rules for the game. The feeble attempt to start
the league failed.
The Canton Athletic Club was organized in
November of 1904 to operate baseball and football teams, but the
emphasis was on football and the goal was to beat the Massillon
Tigers, who had won two straight Ohio championships.
The First Black (African-American)Pro
Football Player
It seems unclear throughout The Internet as
to the dates for Charles Follis becoming The First Black (African-American)
Pro Football Player.
Some Websites claim:
The first known African-American to play pro football was Charles
Follis, with the Shelby Athletic Club in 1902.
while other Websites claim:
Charles W. Follis, first African American to play professional
football April 10th 1910
Upon Research into the actual date, these
facts were found in:
Biographical Dictionary of American Sports
Football
edited by David L. Porter
FOLLIS, Charles W. "The Black Cyclone"
professional athlete, became football's first black (African-American)
pro when he signed to play for the Shelby (OH) Athletic Club under
manager Frank Schiffer in 1904.
Many historians have, however, indicated
Charles "Doc" Baker of the Akron (OH) Indians
(1906-1908) or Henry McDonald of Rochester (NY) in 1911 as the first
black (African-American) pro.
Pop Warner, coach of the Carlisle
Pennsylvania Indian School football team, sees Jim Thorpe playing
around with some other boys on the track. Warner invites Thorpe to
watch football practice.
After a few minutes, Thorpe tells Warner
that he can't be tackled. Thorpe takes the ball and begins running up
and down the field, knocking some would be tacklers over, and leaving
others in his dust.
A Native American member of Oklahoma's Sac
and Fox Tribe, Thorpe transforms the nothing school into one of the
country's football juggernauts. Thorpe can do everything on the
football field better than any player ever has.
Even though Carlisle defeated such football
powers as Harvard, Penn, Lehigh, and Army, it is never ranked in the
college football polls because of its status as a vocational school
rather than a college.
The Canton Athletic Club, later to become
known as the Bulldogs, became a professional team. Massillon again
won the Ohio League championship.
To bolster its team, Canton hired seven
players away from the Akron Athletic Club, including player-coach
Bill Laub. For the game against Massillon, they added even more
outside players, including halfback Willie
Heston. A three-time All-American, Heston had scored
somewhere between 90 and 100 touchdowns for the University of
Michigan. Reportedly, he was paid $600 for that one game, but
Massillon held him in check and won again, 14-4.
In the early 1900s college football
games were popular sports spectacles,
but the professional game attracted limited
public support. College games were
extremely rough, and in 1905, 18 college football deaths are reported
and well over 100 serious injuries. The public was outraged, and
there was even a White House conference. President Teddy Roosevelt
calls on representatives from Yale, Harvard, and Princeton at mid-season
and tells them he will abolish the sport if it doesn't become safer. December 28 - 62 schools met in New
York City to discuss rule changes to make the game safer. As a result
of this meeting, the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the
United States, later named the National
Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), was formed
There were more safety precautions and
equipment after this point.
Under the leadership of Walter
Camp, the teams establish new rules to open the game up.
As a result, football authorities revamped
the game, and many of the rougher tactics were outlawed.
Obviously, a lot more pads are worn now, and
football helmets are required. A neutral zone is established, linemen
have to play on the line, games are shortened from 70 to 60 minutes,
and another official is added.
From this committee came the legalization of
the forward pass. One of the pioneers
of the forward pass was John W. Heisman of which The
Heisman Trophy was named after and Coach Pop Warner who still today
has youth football leagues endorsed with his name.
Along with the introduction of the forward
pass came the ban of the wedge formation. The wedge was a popular
formation, which included Princeton's "V-formation wedge,"
Harvard's "flying wedge"
and Yale's "tackles back" formation. Also prohibited was
the locking of arms by teammates in an effort to clear the way for
their ball carriers.
College coaches such as Amos Alonzo Stagg,
Pop Warner, Bob Zuppke, and Knute Rockne developed many of the early
offensive techniques and play formations. Following very few
historical precedents, these men invented unique strategies that
changed the nature of football forever. Alonzo Stagg
was instrumental in developing the between-the-legs snap from center
to quarterback, the player in motion in the backfield before the snap
of the ball, the onsides kick, the early T-formation, the huddle, the
tackling dummy and many other innovations.
Knute Rockne introduced the
"shift", with the backfield lining up in a T formation and
then quickly shifting into a box formation to the left or right just
as the ball was snapped. It remained a staple in the Notre Dame
playbook until it was discarded by Frank Leahy in 1942 in favor of
the T.
1906
The forward pass
was legalized. The first authenticated pass completion in a pro game
came on October 27, when George (Peggy) Parratt of
Massillon threw a completion to Dan (Bullet) Riley in a
victory over a combined Benwood-Moundsville team. Initially the
first forward pass happened in 1895.
Pop Warner unbalanced his line, placing four
players on one side of the center and two on the other side, while
shifting the backfield into a wing formation. The quarterback
functioned as a blocker, set close behind the line and a yard wide of
the center. At the same depth, but outside the line, was the
wingback. Deep in the backfield was the tailback, who received most
of the snaps, and in front and to the side was the fullback. This
formation became known as the single-wing, and it remained
football’s basic formation until the 1940s.
Sometime during the 1906 season, the Canton
team became known as the Bulldogs. The squad had been further
improved through the addition of four former Massillon players.
Arch-rivals Canton and Massillon, the two
best pro teams in America, played twice, with Canton winning the
first game but Massillon winning the second and the Ohio League
championship. A betting scandal and the financial disaster wrought
upon the two clubs by paying huge salaries caused a temporary decline
in interest in pro football in the two cities and, somewhat,
throughout Ohio.
The Massillon newspaper reported that Canton
coach Blondy Wallace had tried to bribe some Massillon players to
throw the game. When that failed, the story continued, Wallace had
decided to throw the game the other way. The report was probably
groundless, but it helped to kill football in both Canton and
Massillon for some years. An even bigger factor may have been the
amount of money the team spent on players.
1907
Pop Warner returned to Cornell for three
seasons, and returned again to Carlisle in 1907.
During his second tenure at Carlisle, Warner
coached one of the most famous American athletes, Jim
Thorpe.
1909
A field goal dropped from four points to
three points. 1911
A new team, called the Canton Professionals,
was organized. Despite the name, it was made up entirely of local
players and the pay was undoubtedly small.
1912
A touchdown was increased from five points
to six points.
Some Historians would have
you believe that the following took place in 1912, when in fact it is
documented to have taken place in 1915 . . .
Jack Cusack, pro football pioneer revived a
strong pro team in Canton, TheCanton
Bulldogs).
Jim Thorpe, a former football and track star
at the Carlisle Indian School (Pa.) and a double gold medal winner at
the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, played for the Pine Village Pros in Indiana.
Knute Rockne is considered to be the father
of the forward pass in football.
Rockne was not the first coach to use the
forward pass, but he helped popularize it, especially on the East
Coast. Most football historians agree that a few schools, notably
Saint Louis University, Michigan, and Minnesota, had passing attacks
in place.
Few of the major Eastern teams used
the pass, however. In the summer of 1913, while he was a life guard
on the beach at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, Rockne and his college
teammate and roommate Gus Dorais worked on passing techniques. That
fall, Notre Dame upset heavily favored Army, 35-13, at West Point
thanks to a barrage of Dorais-to-Rockne passes. The game played an
important role in displaying the potency of the forward pass and
"open offense" and convinced many coaches to consider
adding a few pass plays to their play books.
1914
Pop Warner was hired by the
University of Pittsburgh, where he coached his teams to 33 straight
major wins and three national championships (1915, 1916 and 1918).
He coached Pittsburgh from 1915 to 1923 to a 60-12-4 record.
In 1914, the first roughing-the-passer
penalty was implemented
1915
Massillon made the first move to strengthen
its team, hiring several players away from the Akron
Pros and Canton followed suit by signing most of the
other Akron players. Jack Cusack, who had become manager of the
Canton team,
also restored the old Bulldog name.
As the first of two Canton-Massillon games
approached, Cusack scored a major coup by signing the great Jim
Thorpe for $250 a game. However, Thorpe played only sparingly in the
first game, at Massillon, and the Tigers won, 16-0. For the second
game, Thorpe took over as coach, played the entire game, and kicked
two field goals in a 6-0 win.
Even after the formation of The NCAA in 1905
to establish safety in the organization of Football relating to
serious injuries and deaths; it is evident that the game of football
remains a serious safety factor as it is indicated in the "The
Cleveland Plain Dealer" newspaper. Click
on image to enlarge Reprinted from The Cleveland Plain Dealer
1916
Canton became much stronger when Cusack
brought in a number of players including former Carlisle teammate
Pete Calac to complement Thorpe. The Bulldogs went undefeated (9-0-1),
beat Massillon 24-0. Won the Ohio League championship, and was
acclaimed the pro football champion.
The Akron Burkhardts were formed, that
played in Akron, Ohio were named after a local family of brewers that
sponsored the team.
1917
Most teams, including Canton and Massillon,
sat out the 1918 season because of World War I and the influenza
epidemic. In the meantime, Jack Cusack
left Canton for the oil business in Oklahoma and Ralph Hay took
command of the The Canton
Bulldogs.
The Akron Burkhardts competed as the Akron Pros.
1918
In 1918, the rules on eligible receivers
were loosened to allow eligible players to catch the ball anywhere on
the field-previously strict rules were in place only allowing passes
to certain areas of the field.
1919
Canton
again won the Ohio League championship, despite the team having been
turned over from Cusack to Ralph Hay. Thorpe and Calac were joined in
the backfield by Joe Guyon.
Earl (Curly) Lambeau and George Calhoun organized
the Green
Bay Packers. Lambeau's employer at the Indian Packing
Company provided $500 for equipment and allowed the team to use the
company field for practices. The Packers went 10-1.
1920
The 1920 NFL season was the 1st regular
season of the National Football League.
Over the last twenty
years, chaos grew. Salaries were rising, and the players were
abandoning teams and contracts and running to the highest bidder.
College players were playing both college and pro, teams were
disbanding and forming throughout every season, and the sport lacked organization.
August
20 - A league in which all the
members would follow the same rules seemed the answer.
An organizational
meeting, at which the
were represented,
was held at the Jordan and Hupmobile auto showroom in Canton, Ohio.
This meeting resulted in the formation of the American Professional
Football Conference (APFC).
The teams pledged not to
use any student player who still had college eligibility left, as the
goodwill of the colleges was believed to be essential to the survival
of the professional league.
September
17 - A second organizational meeting
was held in Canton, The teams were from four states -
Chicago Cardinals(APFA)
Head Coach was Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback, John Leo
"Paddy" Driscoll from 1920 to 1922.
The name of the league
was changed to the American Professional
Football Association (APFA) -
*the birth of the National
Football League. (It would not be
changed to National Football League until
1922).
September 17
- The Decatur Staleys(later
be recognized
as The Chicago Bears)
were made a charter member of the NFL
Footballs First President
Hoping to capitalize on
his fame, the members elected Jim Thorpe of the Bulldogs as APFA's
first president, solely because he was the most famous name in the game.
Stanley Cofall of
Cleveland was elected vice president. A membership fee of $100 per
team was charged to give an appearance of respectability, but no team
ever paid it. Scheduling was left up to the teams, and there were
wide variations, both in the overall number of games played and in
the number played against APFA member teams.
The Chicago Tigers played
only in the first year of the league.
The Tigers' main claim to
fame is that they helped start the tradition of playing on
Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1920,
when they were defeated by the Decatur Staleys (later the Chicago Bears).
On September
26, the first game featuring an APFA
team was played at Rock Island's Douglas Park. A crowd of 800 watched
the Independents defeat the St. Paul Ideals 48-0. A week later,
October 3, the first game matching two APFA teams was held. At
Triangle Park, Dayton defeated Columbus 14-0, with Lou Partlow of
Dayton scoring the first touchdown in a game between Association
teams. The same day, Rock Island defeated Muncie 45-0.
By the beginning of
December, most of the teams in the APFA had abandoned their hopes for
a championship, and some of them, including the Chicago Tigers and
the Detroit Heralds, had finished their seasons, disbanded, and had
their franchises canceled by the Association.
Four teams:
Akron
Buffalo
Canton and
Decatur
still had
championship aspirations, but a series of late-season games among
them left Akron as the only undefeated team in the Association. At
one of these games, Akron sold tackle Bob Nash to Buffalo for $300
and five percent of the gate receipts-the first APFA player deal.
The Official NFL website (found at
http://www.nfl.com/) claims The 1972 Miami Dolphins are
the ONLY undefeated team in NFL history. Yet in their chronicles they
claim the NFL was established in 1920, then why do they fail to
mention any of the following teams going undefeated?
1920 Akron is the only undefeated
team in the Association. 1922 The
Canton Bulldogs were named the 1922 NFL Champions after ending the
season with a 10-0-2 record. 1923
Canton had its second consecutive undefeated season, going 11-0-1 for
the NFL title. 1942
The Bears finish the season 11-0 1948
The Cleveland Browns won their third straight championship in the
AAFC, going 15-0 makes them the first team to experience a perfect season
The American Professional Football Association was officially
organized to begin play in the fall.
Here are the original teams:
• Akron Professionals
• Buffalo All-Americans
• Canton Bulldogs
• Chicago Cardinals
• Chicago Tigers
• Cleveland Tigers
• Columbus Panhandles
• Dayton Triangles
• Decatur Staleys
• Detroit Heralds
• Hammond Pros
• Muncie Flyers
• Rochester (N.Y.) Jeffersons
• Rock Island Independents
Women became active in
cheerleading in the 1920s.
The University of
Minnesota cheerleaders began to incorporate gymnastics and tumbling
into their cheers
1921
The 1921 NFL season was
the 2nd regular season of the National
Football League (then called the
American Professional Football Association).
April 30
- At the league meeting in Akron, the championship of the 1920 season
was awarded to the Akron
Pros. The APFA was reorganized, with
Joe Carr of the Columbus Panhandles
named president and Carl Storck of Dayton secretary-treasurer. Carr
moved the Association's headquarters to Columbus, drafted a league
constitution and by-laws, gave teams territorial rights, restricted
player movements, developed membership criteria for the franchises.
The league would play under the then-rules of college football, and
official standings were issued for the first time so that there would
be a clear champion.
The distinction between
"league games" and "non-league" games seems to
have begun in 1921 when standings were finally kept. In 1920, all
games apparently counted. For the record, however, the only accepted
members of the APFA were Canton, Akron, Cleveland, Dayton, and
Columbus in Ohio, the short-lived Muncie Flyers and Hammond in
Indiana, the Tigers and Racine Cardinals, both of Chicago, the
Decatur (Ill.) Staleys, Rochester and Buffalo in New York, and the
Detroit Heralds.
The Association's
membership increased to 22 teams, including the Green Bay Packers,
who were awarded to John Clair of the Acme Packing Company.
A number of teams had
financial difficulties. Some of the teams that played during the
previous season, including the Chicago Tigers, had disbanded. The
Association did increase to 22 teams, but 4 teams (Brickley's New
York Giants, the Cincinnati Celts, the
Tonawanda Kardex, and the Washington Senators) could only last just
this year. The Muncie Flyers also disbanded after the season, and
even though the Cleveland Tigers changed their name to the Cleveland
Indians, it still did not help them
from folding after the season too.
October 16, Jim
Conzelman takes over as coach of Rock
Island Independents from Frank Coughlin-only mid-game coaching change
in NFL history.
December 4 - The
First Forfeited Game
Washington Senators were
awarded the contest by Referee C.A. Metsler when the Rochester
Jeffersons refused to take the field on account of weather
conditions. The visiting team, had all of the advertised stars on
hand, but would not risk their injuring themselves on account of
slipping on the snow-covered field.
The contract signed by
the visitors contains a clause to the effect "that if both teams
have arrived on the field of play, and it is found that said field is
too wet for play, the question of cancellation shall rest solely with
the manager of the home team."
As Manager Jordan had his
Washington team on hand, and felt that he should not disappoint the
400 or so faithful fans who were on hand. In view of the Jeffs'
refusal to take the field, there was nothing left for Referee Metsler
to do but give the locals the game, 1 to 0. So
how come the game doesn't show up in the record book?
Teams that fold between 1921 and 1922 seasons:
New York Brickleys Giants
Washington Senators
Tonawanda Kardex
Cleveland Tigers
Muncie Flyers
Cincinnati Celts
Detroit Heralds
The Detroit Heralds was
reorganized and renamed the Tigers, after the major league baseball
team, in 1921, but things didn't get any better. After a win and a
tie in their first two games, the Tigers lost the next five, along
with a lot of money. Some players quit because they didn't get paid
and the team folded before playing out its schedule.
Player-coach
Fritz Pollard of the Akron
Pros became the first black (African-American)
head coach. Thorpe moved
from Canton to the Cleveland
Indians, but he was hurt early in the
season and played very little.
A.E. Staley turned the
Decatur Staleys over to player-coach George
Halas, who moved the team to Cubs Park
in Chicago. Staley paid Halas $5,000 to keep the name Staleys for one
more year. Halas made halfback Ed (Dutch)
Sternaman his partner. George Halas coached the Bears at four
different times (1920-1929 - 1933-1942 -
1946-1955 - 1958-1967)
The Staleys claimed the
APFA championship with a 9-1-1 record, as did Buffalo at 9-1-2. Carr
ruled in favor of the Staleys, giving Halas his first championship
Champions (they had one fewer tie game
than the Buffalo All-Americans).
History of the Coin Toss
The coin toss has been a part of professional football since its
start in 1892. While the procedure has been relatively
unchanged over the years, the following is a history of change made
to the pre-game procedure.
Previously: Captains of each team handled
the coin toss themselves.
Change: The referee performed the toss.
1922
After admitting the use
of players who had college eligibility remaining during the 1921
season, Clair and the Green Bay management withdrew from the APFA,
January 28. Curly Lambeau promised to obey league rules and then used
$50 of his own money to buy back the franchise. Bad weather and low
attendance plagued the Packers, and Lambeau went broke, but local
merchants arranged a $2,500 loan for the club. A public nonprofit
corporation was set up to operate the team, with Lambeau as head
coach and manager.
June
24 - The American Professional
Football Association officially changed their name to the National
Football League and
is the 3rd regular season.
The NFL
fielded 18 teams during the season, including new league teams such
as the Green
Bay Packers, the Milwaukee
Badgers, the new Oorang
Indians of Marion, Ohio, an all-Indian
team featuring Thorpe,
Joe Guyon, and Pete Calac, and sponsored by the
Oorang dog kennels. Also included were the Racine
Legion, and the Toledo Maroons.
Meanwhile the Chicago
Staleys changed their name to the Chicago Bears after it moved from
Decatur to Chicago in 1921. November 27 -
The Chicago Bears went on to make the NFL's first player transaction
by purchasing tackle Ed Healey's contract from the Rock Island
Independents for $100.
The Canton
Bulldogs, led by player-coach Guy
Chamberlin and tackles Link Lyman and
Wilbur (Pete) Henry, emerged as the league's first true powerhouse
and were named the 1922 NFL Champions after ending the season with a
10-0-2 record.
The Official NFL website (found at
http://www.nfl.com/) claims The 1972 Miami Dolphins are
the ONLY undefeated team in NFL history. Yet in their chronicles they
claim the NFL was established in 1920, then why do they fail to
mention any of the following teams going undefeated?
1920 Akron
is the only undefeated team in the Association. 1922 The Canton Bulldogs were named
the 1922 NFL Champions after ending the season with a 10-0-2 record. 1923
Canton had its second consecutive undefeated season, going 11-0-1 for
the NFL title. 1942
The Bears finish the season 11-0 1948
The Cleveland Browns won their third straight championship in the
AAFC, going 15-0 makes them the first team to experience a perfect season
Teams that join the
NFL for the 1922 season:
Milwaukee Badgers
Marion Oorang Indians
Racine Legion
Toledo Maroons
Teams that fold
between the 1922 and 1923 seasons:
Evansville Crimson Giants
Columbus Panhandles After the 1922 season,
Columbus Panhandles franchise owner Joe F. Carr discontinued the
franchise because of cost and salary demands.
1923
The 1923 NFL season was
the 4th regular season of the National Football League.
For the first time,
all of the franchises considered to be part of the NFL
fielded teams. Thorpe played first for Oorang, then for the Toledo
Maroons. Against the Bears, Thorpe fumbled, and Halas picked up the
ball and returned it 98 yards for a touchdown, a record that would
last until 1972.
Coach Zuppke ran single- and double-wing
formations at the University of Illinois, often sending four or five
receivers downfield in pass patterns. At Notre Dame in 1923 and 1924,
Rockne instituted his famous Four Horsemen offense. Rockne set up the
backs in a four-square, box alignment on one side. Then, in what was
called the Notre Dame Shift, the backs would shift out of the box and
into a single or double wing.
Canton had its second
consecutive undefeated season, going 11-0-1 for the NFL title.
The Official NFL website (found at
http://www.nfl.com/) claims The 1972 Miami Dolphins are
the ONLY undefeated team in NFL history. Yet in their chronicles they
claim the NFL was established in 1920, then why do they fail to
mention any of the following teams going undefeated?
1920 Akron
is the only undefeated team in the Association. 1922 The
Canton Bulldogs were named the 1922 NFL Champions after ending the
season with a 10-0-2 record. 1923 Canton had its second
consecutive undefeated season, going 11-0-1 for the NFL title. 1942
The Bears finish the season 11-0 1948
The Cleveland Browns won their third straight championship in the
AAFC, going 15-0 makes them the first team to experience a perfect season
Teams that enter the
NFL for the 1923 season:
Duluth
Kelleys
St. Louis All-Stars (play
only the 1923 season) A
New Cleveland Indians(play only
the 1923 season)
Columbus Tigers
After the
"Panhandles" folded in 1922, a new team was organized by
local businessmen called the Columbus Tigers and played from 1923-1926.
NFL teams that fold
between the 1923 and 1924 seasons:
Canton Bulldogs
Cleveland Indians
Louisville Brecks
Marion Oorang Indians
Racine Legion
St. Louis All-Stars
Toledo Maroons
1924
The 1924 NFL season was
the 5th regular season of the National Football League.
The league had 18
franchises, including new ones in Kansas City (Kansas
City Blues), Kenosha (Kenosha
Maroons),
and Frankford, a section
of Philadelphia (Frankford Yellow Jackets).
Though the Frankford
Yellow Jackets origin goes back perhaps as far as 1899. Its home
was Yellow Jacket Field in Frankford, a section of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, located in the northeastern part of the city, noted
chiefly for the elevated subway line that terminates there. The
Yellow Jackets won the NFL title in 1926, and were co-founded and
co-owned throughout their existence by Bert Bell and Lud Wray
Before the season, the
owner of the now-defunct Cleveland Indians bought the Canton Bulldogs
and "mothballed" it, taking the team's nickname and players
to Cleveland for the season. The new team, the Cleveland Bulldogs,
won the 1924 NFL title with a 7-1-1 record.
Buffalo All-Americans
change their name to Buffalo Bisons
5. and the Pottsville
Maroons, who had been perhaps the most
successful independent pro team.
The NFL established its
first player limit, at 16 players.
Strategically, the early
NFL game was hardly distinguishable from college football of the
time. There was no attempt to break away from college playbooks or
rulebooks, and for several years the NFL followed the NCAA
Rules Committee recommendations. In the league’s early years,
players considered the low-paying NFL a part-time job and held other
jobs during the day. Thus, while college coaches could drill their
players daily for hours, professional football coaches arranged
practices in the evenings, sometimes only three or four times a week.
Late in the season, the
NFL made its greatest coup in gaining national recognition. Shortly
after the University of Illinois season ended in November, The
legendary All-America halfback Harold
(Red) Grange made his professional
debut and signed a contract to play with the Chicago Bears. On
Thanksgiving Day, a crowd of 36,000-the largest in pro football
history-watched Grange and the Bears play the cross-town rival
Chicago Cardinals
to a scoreless tie
at Wrigley Field.
Thereafter, professional
football attracted larger numbers of first-rate college players, and
the increased patronage made the league economically viable.
At the beginning of
December, the Bears left on a barnstorming tour that saw them play
eight games in 12 days, in St. Louis, Philadelphia, New York City,
Washington, Boston, Pittsburgh, Detroit, and Chicago. A crowd of
73,000 watched the game against the New York Giants at the Polo
Grounds, helping assure the future of the troubled NFL franchise in
New York. The Bears then played nine more games in the South and
West, including a game in Los Angeles, in which 75,000 fans watched
them defeat the Los Angeles Tigers in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Controversy surrounds who
actually won the 1925 NFL Championship.
Officially, the Chicago
Cardinals are listed as the 1925 NFL
champions because they finished with the best record. But many Pottsville fans
claim that the Maroons are
really the champions. The Maroons and the Cardinals were the top
contenders for the title, with Pottsville winning a late-season
meeting between them, 21-7. But the Maroons scheduled a game against
a team of University of Notre Dame All-Stars in Philadelphia (and
winning 9-7) on the same day that the Frankford
Yellow Jackets were scheduled to play
a game in the same city. Frankford protested, saying that it was
violating their protected territory rights.
Although NFL president Joe
Carr warned the Maroons in writing
that they faced suspension if they played in Philadelphia, the
Maroons claim that Carr approved the game during a telephone call,
and played anyway. In response, Carr fined the club, suspended it
from all league rights and privileges (including
the right to play for the NFL championship),
and re-turned its franchise to the league.
*In 2003 the NFL
decided to again examine the case regarding the 1925 championship.
But in October the NFL voted 30-2 not to reopen the case. Thus the
Cardinals are still listed as the 1925 NFL champions.
The 1926 NFL season was
the 7th regular season of the National Football League
The First AFL
Grange's manager, C.C.
Pyle, told the Bears that Grange wouldn't play for them unless he was
paid a five-figure salary and given one-third ownership of the team.
The Bears refused. Pyle leased Yankee Stadium in New York City, then
petitioned for an NFL franchise. After he was refused, he started the
first American Football League. It lasted one season and included
Grange's New York Yankees and eight other teams. The AFL champion
Philadelphia Quakers
played a December
game against the New York Giants, seventh in the NFL, and the Giants
won 31-0. At the end of the season, the AFL folded.
Halas pushed through a
rule that prohibited any team from signing a player whose college
class had not graduated.
The NFL grew to 22 teams,
including the Duluth
Eskimos, who signed All-America fullback Ernie
Nevers of Stanford, giving the league
a gate attraction to rival Grange.
The 15-member Eskimos, dubbed the Iron Men of the
North, played 29 exhibition and league games, 28 on the road, and
Nevers played in all but 29 minutes of them.
Frankford
edged the Bears for the championship, despite Halas having obtained
John (Paddy) Driscoll from the Cardinals. On December 4, the Yellow
Jackets scored in the final two minutes to defeat the Bears 7-6 and
move ahead of them in the standings.
Hartford
Blues Los
Angeles Buccaneers Brooklyn
Lions
The Brooklyn Lions
was formed as the NFL countermove to the original American
Football League, which also planned to
field a team in Brooklyn called the Brooklyn Horsemen.
In the months before the
regular season began, both leagues battled with each other for fan
support and the right to play at Ebbets Field. The NFL emerged as the
winner, as the Lions signed the lease to use the stadium on July 20.
Neither the Lions or the
Horseman had much success. In fact, both teams merged just after four
games into the regular season.
The team finished the NFL
season as the Brooklyn Lions.
But both the Lions and
the Horsemen folded following the season.
The Akron
Pros change their name to the Akron Indians,
which had been an earlier
Akron semi-pro team. The
Racine Tornadoes(formerly the
Racine Legion) re-enter the NFL.
The Duluth Kelleys become
the Duluth
Eskimos The
Louisville Colonels(formerly the
Louisville Brecks) re-enter the NFL as
a road team out of Chicago.
Teams that fold
between the 1926 and 1927 seasons:
Kansas City Cowboys
Los Angeles Buccaneers
Buffalo Rangers
Detroit Panthers
Hartford Blues
Brooklyn Lions
Milwaukee Badgers
Akron Indians (formerly the AkronPros
/ Akron Burkhardts)
Racine Tornadoes
Columbus Tigers
Canton Bulldogs
Hammond Pros
Louisville Colonels
1927
The 1927 NFL season was
the 8th regular season of the National Football League
At a special meeting in
Cleveland, April 23, Carr decided to secure the NFL's future by
eliminating the financially weaker teams and consolidating the
quality players onto a limited number of more successful teams. The
new-look NFL dropped to 12 teams, and the center of gravity of the
league left the Midwest, where the NFL had started, and began to
emerge in the large cities of the East. One of the new teams was
Grange's New York Yankees, but Grange suffered a knee injury and the
Yankees finished in the middle of the pack.
The
New York Giants won their first
NFL Championship with an 11-1-1 record
The cross-town rival New
York Giants posted 10 shutouts in 13 games.
Teams that join the
NFL for the 1927 season:
Cleveland
Bulldogs(play only the 1927 season) New
York Yankees were added from the American Football League
and Buffalo Rangers
returned to the Buffalo Bisons name.
Teams that fold
between the 1927 and 1928 seasons:
Buffalo Bison
Cleveland Bulldogs
Duluth Eskimos
Akron Indians (formerly the AkronPros
/ Akron Burkhardts)
Kansas City Cowboys
Los Angeles Buccaneers
Detroit Panthers
Hartford Blues
Brooklyn Lions
Canton Bulldogs
Milwaukee Badgers
Racine Tornadoes
Columbus Tigers
Hammond Pros
and Louisville Colonels.
1928
The 1928 NFL season was
the 9th regular season of the National Football League.
Grange and Nevers both
retired from pro football, and Duluth disbanded, as the NFL was
reduced to only 10 teams.
Experiencing financial
problems, the Buffalo Rangers did not participate in league play.
The Providence
Steam Roller of Jimmy
Conzelman and Pearce Johnson won the
championship, playing in the Cycledrome, a 10,000-seat oval that had
been built for bicycle races.
Providence Steam Roller -
the team, which played in a stadium made primarily for bike racing,
hold the distinction of being the last team to win an NFL title
(1928) that is no longer part of the league.
The
Detroit Wolverines are granted an NFL franchise but play only
the 1928 season (the Wolverines have
the best lifetime winning percentage (.778) of any franchise in NFL history)
The New York Yankees fold
at end of the season
1929
The 1929 NFL season was
the 10th regular season of the National Football League. The league
increased back to 12 teams.
July
27 - Chris O'Brien sold the Chicago
Cardinals to David Jones.
July 28
- The NFL added a fourth official, the field judge
November 28
- Chicago Cardinals running back Ernie Nevers scores an NFL record 40
points. He rushes for an NFL record six touchdowns and adds four
extra points to tally all of the Cardinals' points in their 40-6
victory over the Chicago Bears.
Grange and Nevers returned
to the NFL. Nevers scored six rushing touchdowns and four extra
points as the Cardinals beat Grange's Bears 40-6, November 28. The 40
points set a record that remains the NFL's oldest.
First NFL Night Game
According to NFL.com November3
- Providence became the first NFL team
to host a game at night under floodlights, against the Cardinals
The Chicago Cardinals
defeated the Providence Steam Roller, 16-0.
The Steam Roller’s
game under floodlights was actually the second game of a
four-games-in-six-days fiasco. Providence had originally scheduled to
play the Chicago Cardinals on Sunday, November 3, 1929, but heavy
rains made the Cyclodrome field unplayable. Since neither team wanted
to lose a payday, the historic night game was hastily scheduled for
November 6 at nearby Kinsley Park Stadium, where floodlights recently
had been installed.
Although the Steam Roller
lost 16-0, the game was declared a success because 6,000 fans
attended. The local newspaper reported that the ball, which had been
painted white for the night game, "had the appearance of a large
egg," and whenever either team passed, "there was a panicky
feeling that the player who made the catch would be splattered with
yellow yolk." The floodlights, the newspaper concluded were
"just as good as daylight for the players.” The next year,
floodlights were permanently installed in the Cyclodrome.
The Greenbay
Packers added back Johnny
"Blood" McNally, tackle
Cal Hubbard, and guard Mike Michalske, and won their first NFL
championship, edging the New York Giants, who featured quarterback
Benny Friedman.
Teams that join the
NFL for the 1929 season:
Buffalo Bisons (play
1929 season only)
Minneapolis Red Jackets
Staten Island Stapletons
Orange Tornadoes
Boston Bulldogs (play
only 1929 season - - the Bulldogs were in
reality the Pottsville Maroons relocated, inactive for the 1928 season)
Teams that fold
between the 1929 and 1930 seasons:
Dayton Triangles
Buffalo Bisons
Boston Bulldogs
1930
The 1930 NFL season was
the 11th regular season of the National Football League.
Prior to the season,
Brooklyn businessmen William B. Dwyer and John C. Depler bought the Dayton
Triangles,
moved it, and renamed it
the Brooklyn Dodgers.
The Orange Tornadoes
relocated to Newark and Buffalo Bisons and Boston Bulldogs dropped
out. Portsmouth Spartans were a new team
Opposed to NFL.com - It
is claimed in other records that on September 24
- Portsmouth Spatans beat the Brooklyn Dodgers at home in the
first NFL night game played in front of portable lights
University Stadium.
The Packers edged the New
York Giants for the title as the Green Bay Packers were named the NFL
champions for the second straight year
after finishing the season with the best record.
But the most improved
team was the Bears. Halas retired as a player and replaced himself as
coach of the Bears with Ralph Jones, who refined the T-formation by
introducing wide ends and a halfback in motion. Jones also
introduced rookie All-America fullback-tackle Bronko Nagurski. George Halas coached the Bears at four
different times (1920-1929 - 1933-1942 -
1946-1955 - 1958-1967)
The Giants defeated a
team of former Notre Dame players coached by Knute Rockne 22-0 before
55,000 at the Polo Grounds, December 14. The proceeds went to the New
York Unemployment Fund to help those suffering because of the Great
Depression, and the easy victory helped give the NFL credibility with
the press and the public.
The Dayton Triangles, the
last of the NFL's original franchises, was purchased by William B.
Dwyer and John C. Depler prior to the season, moved it to Brooklyn,
and renamed it the Brooklyn Dodgers. This franchise is not
related to the Brooklyn Dodgers franchise that played in the
All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1948. Another NFL team that played in Brooklyn was
the Brooklyn
Lions in 1926.
Teams that fold
between the 1930 and 1931 seasons:
Minneapolis Red Jackets
Newark Tornadoes
In the 1930s,
cheerleaders began performing pom-pom routines and using paper poms,
still the most widely
recognized cheerleading prop.
1931
The 1931 NFL season was
the 12th regular season of the National Football League.
The NFL decreased to 10
teams due to financial hardships caused by the Great Depression. Even
the Frankford Yellow Jackets had
to fold midway through the season.
Carr fined the
Bears, Packers, and Portsmouth $1,000 each for using players whose
college classes had not graduated.
The Greenbay Packers were
named the NFL champions
for the third consecutive time after finishing the season with the
best record beating out the Spartans, who were led by rookie backs
Earl (Dutch) Clark and Glenn Presnell.
The Cleveland Indians
join the NFL (play 1931 season only)
The Frankford Yellow
Jackets disband during 1932 season
Teams that fold
between the 1931 and 1932 seasons:
The 1932 NFL season was
the 13th regular season of the National Football League.
July 9
- George Preston Marshall, Vincent Bendix, Jay O'Brien, and M.
Dorland Doyle were awarded a franchise for Boston. Despite the
presence of two rookies-halfback Cliff Battles and tackle Glen (Turk)
Edwards-the new team, named the Boston
Braves, lost money and Marshall was left as the sole owner at
the end of the year.
With the loss of
Providence Steam Rollers,
Cleveland Indians
and Frankford
Yellow Jackets,
league membership dropped
to eight teams, the lowest in NFL history.
Official statistics were
kept for the first time.
The First Playoff Game
December 18, 1932
From the start of the
National Football League in 1920, every league championship was
determined based on the regular season standings. Then in 1932, the
Portsmouth Spartans and the Chicago Bears finished the season in the
first-ever tie for first place - so, for the first time in NFL
history, a one-game playoff was staged to determine the 1932 championship.
However, a blizzard with
deep snow and sub-zero wind chill, blew into Chicago and made it
impossible to play the game at Wrigley Field. So, the game was moved
indoors at Chicago Stadium and played on a modified field only 60
yards long and 30 feet narrower. The end zones were not regulation
size and the sidelines butted up against the stands.
The Bears proceeded to
shutout the Spartans, 9-0. The lone touchdown of the game was a
disputed pass play from Bronko Nagurski to Red Grange. Rules at the
time stipulated that a forward pass had to be thrown from at least
five yards behind the line of scrimmage. The Spartans contested that
Nagurski did not drop back five yards before firing the jump pass to
Grange. The play stood and the Bears later added a safety to put the
final touches on their victory.
The game became an
earmark for a new era in pro football. Because of the cramped
quarters of the unusual venue, several NFL rules changes were
employed for the following season.
As it was, if the ball
went out of bounds or a player was tackled near the sideline, the
next play began right there snug, against the line. Teams had to use
a precious play just to get the ball back toward the center of the field.
In 1933, the rule
regarding the use of inbound lines or hashmarks was re-written to
require that the ball be spotted on the hashmarks on every play.
Another rule change that
season was the movement of the goal posts from the end line to the
goal line. On February 25, 1933, the NFL discontinued the use of the
Collegiate Rules Book and began to develop its own rules. The most
significant change was that the forward pass became legal anywhere
behind the scrimmage line.
The Staten Island
Stapletons fold between the 1932 and 1933 seasons
1933
The 1933 NFL season was
the 14th regular season of the National Football League.
First NFL Rules
February 25 NFL
officials adopted rules specifically for the NFL and discontinued
the use of collegiate rules.
The NFL, which long had
followed the rules of college football, made a number of significant
changes from the college game for the first time and began to develop
rules serving its needs and the style of play it preferred. The
innovations from the 1932
championship game-inbounds line or
hashmarks and goal posts on the goal lines-were adopted. Also the
forward pass was legalized from anywhere behind the line of
scrimmage, February 25.
Major rule changes
The forward pass is legal
anywhere behind the line of scrimmage. Previously, the passer had to
be at least five yards back from the scrimmage line. This change is
referred to as the "Bronko Nagurski Rule" after his
controversial touchdown in the 1932
NFL Playoff Game.
Hashmarks or inbounds
lines are added to the field 10 yards in from each sideline. All
plays would start with the ball on or between the hashmarks.
To increase the number of
field goals and decrease the number of tie games, the goal posts are
moved from the end lines at the back of the end zones to the goal lines.
It is a touchback when a
punt hits the opponent's goal posts before being touched by a player
of either team.
It is a safety if a ball
that is kicked behind the goal line hits the goal posts, and rolls
back out of the end zone or is recovered by the kicking team.
July 8 -,
the NFL was divided into two divisions for the first time and the
winners of each division were to play a championship game to
determine the league champion.
1933 season teams:
Boston Redskins
Green Bay Packers
Brooklyn Dodgers
New York Giants
Chicago Bears
Chicago Cardinals
Portsmouth Spartans Teams that join the
NFL for the 1933 season:
Originally named
Pirates after the city’s major league baseball team, Owner Art
Rooney Sr. changed the team name to Steelers in 1940 to more properly
represent the city’s dominant steel industry
are awarded its dormant
Philadelphia franchise to a syndicate headed by former Frankford
Yellow Jackets owners Bert Bell and
Lud Wray.
Bell and Wray reactivated
the franchise under the name "Philadelphia Eagles."
However, because of the time gap since the
Yellow Jackets' demisein
1931 (and the fact that
virtually no players from their 1931 roster played for the 1933 Eagles),
the NFL officially treats
the two franchises as separate entities despite the commonality and
continuity of their ownership.
and the third franchise
to joine the NFL league which is the now
de-funct NFL team
The Staten Island
Stapletons suspended operations for a year, but never returned to the league.
Halas bought out
Sternaman, became sole owner of the Bears, and reinstated himself as
head coach. George Halas coached the Bears at four
different times (1920-1929 - 1933-1942 -
1946-1955 - 1958-1967)
Marshall changed the name
of the Boston Braves to the Boston Redskins.
David Jones sold
the Chicago Cardinals to Charles W. Bidwill. October 8
- Boston Redskins running back Cliff Battles becomes the first player
to top 200 yards in a game, rushing for 215 yards in a 21-20 victory
over the New York Giants.
Due to the success
of the 1932 NFL
Playoff Game, Marshall and Halas pushed
through a proposal that divided the NFL into two divisions, for the
first time, with the winners of each division playing in a
championship game to determine the NFL champion.
October 8 -
Harry Newman of The New York Giants ran for 108 yards against the
Boston Redskins. The Giants' first 100 yard game
First NFL Championship Game
The season ended when
the the Western Division champion Chicago Bears defeated the
Eastern Division champion New York Giants in the first ever NFL
Championship Game 23-21 at Wrigley Field, December 17.
1934
The 1934 NFL season was
the 15th regular season of the National Football League.
The First NFL Thanksgiving
Radio Executive,
George.A. Richards purchased the Portsmouth Spartans for $8,000; The
Spartans were members of the NFL from 1930 to 1933. Detroit gets it's
5th and final (now existing) football franchise when Richards
moved them to Detroit, and renamed them the Detroit
Lions.
Previous Football
Franchise's in Detroit:
With the
Spartans, not only was Richards bringing a proven, quality team to
Detroit, he was also bringing at least one super-star, Earl
"Dutch" Clark, one of the most versatile backs ever to play
the game. Clark had an outstanding supporting cast in the Detroit
backfield with a big, talented line anchored by Frank Christiansen. September 23
- The Lions play their first NFL game, beating The New York Giants
9-0 at University of Detroit Stadium before 12,000 fans.
When the Monsters of the
Midway came into the University of Detroit Stadium to face the Lions
on Thanksgiving Day, November 29, 1934, no one had any idea that they
were starting a tradition. The game was the brainchild of Lion owner
George A. Richards. Being the owner of WJR, Richards had contacts in
the booming radio industry. He used those contacts to garner the help
of NBC Radio president Deke Aylesworth in setting up a 94 station
network to broadcast the Lion / Bear tussle live coast-to-coast
becoming the first NFL game broadcast nationally, with Graham McNamee
the announcer for NBC radio.
Richards felt that
the game would give pro football excellent exposure, and Papa Bear
George Halas agreed. Therefore, the game was on, and both squads
proved more than ready to spoil the other teams Thanksgiving dinner.
The Lions first ever
sellout crowd of 26,000 witnessed one of the great games in Lion
history on that landmark day. Detroit got the early lead in the first
quarter on a two yard Ace Gutowsky TD run that was set up by a Buster
Mitchell 27 yard interception return. Dutch Clark provided the PAT.
The Bears answered back to tie the game in the second stanza with a
14 yard TD.
The Bears cut the Lion
lead to 16-13 in the third quarter when Jack Manders kicked field
goals of 15 and 42 yards. The game remained there until late in the
final period, when a Glenn Presnell pass was intercepted by Joe
Zeller, who brought it back to the Detroit 4-yard line. Two plays
later, the Bears scored on a play that was all too familiar to the
Lions, a two-yard Nagurski flea flicker. The pass went to future Bear
Hall of Famer, Bill Hewitt.
A desperate, Clark led,
final drive fell short, and the Bears prevailed 19-16.
In describing the loss,
Leo Macdonell of the Detroit Times wrote, "It
was a heartbreak for the Lions and their followers, and with a heavy
heart they feast over the crumbs of a game that put the Detroit team
out of the running for the championship honors."
Times sports editor Bud
Shaver added that, "Many
Thanksgiving Days will roll into eternity before 26,000 Detroiters
will forget that one in which the Chicago Bears knocked the Detroit
Lions out of a chance for the National Football League Championship
at U-D Stadium."
In addition, the Lions'
first Thanksgiving Day proved to be such a success, both on the field
and at the box office that it became an annual event. Nearly
seventy-years later, it has become as big a part of America's
Thanksgiving as the turkey and pumpkin pie.
Rookie Beattie Feathers
of the Bears became the NFL's first 1,000-yard rusher, gaining 1,004
on 101 carries.
Professional football
gained new prestige when the Bears were matched against the best
college football players in the first Chicago College All-Star Game,
August 31. The game ended in a scoreless tie before 79,432 at Soldier Field.
The Cincinnati Reds
franchises that joined the NFL league in the 1933 season and played
the first 8 games of the 1934 season was suspended for not paying
league dues.
The St. Louis Gunners,
an independent
team, joined the NFL by buying the Cincinnati Reds franchise and went
1-2 the last three weeks and folding after 1934 season.
October 7
- Detroit Lions Glenn Presnell kicked a 54-yard field goal, an NFL
record at the time. The record stood for 19 years UNTIL September
27 1953 by Baltimore's Bert Rechichar who boots a record
56-yard field goal against Chicago.
The record would stand for 17 years until Tom Dempsey nailed a 63-yarder
on Nov. 8 1970.
The season ended with The 1934
National Football League Championship Game,
also known as The Sneakers Game,
was played at the Polo Grounds in New York City on December 9, 1934.
The final score was
New York Giants 30,
Chicago Bears 13.
A freezing rain the night
before the game froze the Polo Grounds's field, much like the Ice
Bowl years later. After a remark made by one of the players, an
equipment man was sent to Manhattan College to borrow sneakers for
the team to have better footing.
The New York Giants
started the game wearing their regular cleats, but trailed 10-3
midway though the third quarter. So it was decided to switch out of
the cleats for the sneakers. Then after the Bears increased their
lead to 13-3, Giants quarterback Ed Danowski threw a touchdown pass
to Ike Frankian to make the score 13-10. On the Giants next drive,
running back Ken Strong scored on a 42-yard touchdown run. Later an
11-yard run by Strong was turned into another touchdown for the
Giants. Finally the Giants closed it out with Danowski's 9-yard
touchdown run. The game ended with the Giants ahead: 30-13.
December 10
- The player waiver rule was adopted
The NFL splits into
divisions as follows:
EASTERN DIVISION
Boston Redskins Brooklyn Dodgers New York Giants Philadelphia Eagles Pittsburgh Pirates
WESTERN DIVISION
Chicago Bears Chicago Cardinals Cincinnati Reds Cincinnati Reds played first 8 games of the
1934 season - The St. Louis Gunners resumed Detroit Lions Green Bay Packers Portsmouth Spartans
Major rule changes
A hand-to-hand forward
pass made behind the line of scrimmage that becomes incomplete (hits
the ground before it is caught) is to
be ruled as a fumble.
Same number of games for
every team.
1935
The 1935 NFL season was
the 16th regular season of the National Football League.
All-America end Don
Hutson of Alabama joined the Green Bay Packers.
November 3
- Philadelphia and Boston combine to throw an NFL record 11 interceptions.
The season ended when the
Detroit Lions defeated the New York Giants 26-7 at University of
Detroit Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, December 15 in the 1935NFL
Championship Game.
Major rule changes
The inbounds lines or
hashmarks were moved closer to the center of the field, 15 yards from
the sidelines.
May 19
- The NFL adopted Bert Bell's proposal to hold an annual draft of
college players, to begin in 1936, with teams selecting in an inverse
order of finish.
New York City's Downtown
Athletic Club awarded the first Heisman Trophy to Chicago halfback
Jay Berwanger, who was also the first ever NFL Draft pick in 1936.
The trophy was designed by sculptor Frank Eliscu and modeled after
NYU player Ed Smith. The trophy recognizes the nation's "most
outstanding" college football player and has become one of the
most coveted awards in all of American sports
1936
The 1936 NFL season was
the 17th regular season of the National Football League.
For the first time since
the league was founded, there were no team transactions; neither a
club folded nor did a new one join the NFL. This was also the first
year in which all league teams played the same number of games.
First NFL Draft Pick
As it stood, players were
free to sign with any club. This tended to make the stronger teams
even stronger and created much disparity in the NFL.
The previous year on May
19 of 1935, the league owners adopted a plan for a college player
draft. Proposed by Bert Bell, the Eagles owner and future NFL commissioner.
The idea called for a
draft whereby the weaker teams would have the first choice at top
college prospects. The teams would draft in reverse order of their
finish with the league champions from the previous season picking last.
The draft had nine rounds.
The Eagles made
University of Chicago halfback and Heisman Trophy winner Jay
Berwanger the first player ever selected in the NFL draft, February
8. The Eagles traded his rights to the Bears, but Berwanger never
played pro NFL football. Legendary college
coach Paul “Bear” Bryant was the fourth-round pick of the
Brooklyn Dodgers in 1936. He, too, never played pro ball.
The first player
selected to actually sign was the number-two pick, Riley Smith of
Alabama, who was selected by Boston.
Since that time, there
has been a college draft held every year resulting in a competitively
balanced league.
The popularity of the
professional game slowly began to equal its college rival after the
NFL instituted its first player draft.
As many talented
college players opted to play in the NFL, the professional game also
drew more fans.
The Chicago Bears, the
Chicago Cardinals, the Detroit Lions, the Green Bay Packers, and the
New York Giants were some of the league’s dominant teams during
the period.
Outstanding players included
running back Cliff Battles,
running
back Tony Canadeo,
quarterback
Sammy Baugh,
and
receiver Don Hutson.
The Great
Depression of the 1930s and World War II (1939-1945), however,
drained many of the early professional franchises of money and players.
The Second AFL
A rival league was
formed, and it became the second to call itself the American Football League.
The Boston Shamrocks
were its champions.
The NFL season ended
December 13 when the Green Bay Packers defeated the Boston Redskins
21-6 in the 1936NFL
Championship Game. For the only time
in NFL history, the team with the home field advantage declined to
play at their own stadium in Boston and instead elected to play at a
neutral site. The decision was due to poor attendance, the Redskins
moved the game from Boston to the Polo Grounds in New York City.
Major rule changes
The penalty for an
illegal forward pass that is thrown beyond the line of scrimmage is
five yards from the spot of the foul.
1937
The 1937 NFL season was
the 18th regular season of the National Football League.
The 1937 draft was
increased to 10 rounds.
The Cleveland Rams joined
the league as an expansion team. Meanwhile, the Redskins relocated
from Boston, Massachusetts to Washington, D.C. - therefore becomming
The Washington Redskins
The NFL season ended when
the Redskins signed TCU All-America tailback Sammy Baugh, who led
them to a 28-21 victory over the Bears in the 1937
NFL Championship Game at Wrigley
Field, Chicago, Illinois, December 12.
The Los Angeles
Bulldogs had an 8-0 record to win the AFL title, but then the
2-year-old league folded.
Major rule changes
All players are required
to wear numerals on their jerseys whose color must be in sharp
contrast with the jersey color. The numbers on the front must be at
least 6 inches while the ones on the back must be at least 8 inches.
If a kickoff goes out of
bounds, the ball is put in play either on the opponent's 35-yard line
or 10 yards from the spot where it crossed the sideline.
The penalty for an
illegal forward pass that is thrown beyond the line of scrimmage is a
loss of down and five yards from the spot of the foul.
A team known as the
Cincinnati Bengals, the closest link to today's modern-era team, was
formed as a member of the rival American Football League. It was that
team's nickname which was later adopted by
today's NFL franchise.
The 1937 Bengals
finished with a 2-4-2 record in their first year, but the AFL folded
after the season.
1938
The 1938 NFL season was
the 19th regular season of the National Football League.
A twist is added to the
draft procedure with only the five teams that finished lowest in the
previous season were permitted to make selections in the second and
fourth rounds.
Rookie Byron (Whizzer)
White of the Pittsburgh Pirates led the NFL in rushing.
Marshall, Los Angeles
Times sports editor Bill Henry, and promoter Tom Gallery established
the Pro Bowl game between the NFL champion and a team of pro all-stars.
The NFL season ended when
the New York Giants defeated the Green Bay Packers in the 1938
NFL Championship Game at Polo Grounds,
New York City, December 11.
The first NFL Most Valuable Player Award (The Joe Carr Trophy
awarded by the NFL)
is awarded to Center, Mel
Hein of the New York Giants
Major rule changes
At the suggestion of
Halas, Hugh (Shorty)
Ray became a technical advisor on rules and officiating to the NFL.
A new 15-yard
penalty for roughing the passer is enacted.
If a kickoff goes out of
bounds, the receiving team may opt to take possession of the ball at
their own 45-yard line.
The penalty for a second
forward pass during a play is changed from 5 yards and a loss of down
to just 5 yards.
The Cincinnati Bengals
continued as an independent team after the
2nd attempt of a rival league (AFL) folded.
The Bengals played three NFL teams in 1938. They beat the Chicago
Bears, 17-13, and the Pittsburgh Pirates, 38-0, and tied the Chicago
Cardinals, 7-7.
1939
The 1939 NFL season was
the 20th regular season of the National Football League.
The draft was expanded to
20 rounds.
Adding a twist to the
procedure with only the five teams that finished lowest in the
previous season were permitted to make selections in the second and
fourth rounds.
Before the season, NFL
president since 1921 - Joseph Carr died in Columbus, May 20. Carl
Storck was named acting president, May 25.
The First Televised Game
October 22
= NBC
televises a pro football game for the first time, featuring the
Philadelphia Eagles and the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn.
A meager crowd of 13,050
were on hand at Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field on that now-historic day
when the Philadelphia Eagles fell to Brooklyn’s Dodgers 23-14.
Five hundred-or-so
fortunate New Yorkers who owned television sets witnessed the game in
the comfort of their own homes, over NBC’s experimental station W2XBS.
While few people owned
television sets in 1939. Many watch the telecast on monitors while
visiting the RCA Pavilion at the World’s Fair in New York where
it was scheduled as a special event.
"It was a cloudy
day, when the sun crept behind the stadium there wasn’t enough
light for the cameras," according
to Allen (Skip)
Walz, the NBC play-by-play announcer. "The
picture would get darker and darker, and eventually it would go
completely blank, and we’d revert to a radio broadcast." Such
an occurrence would create a furor today,
but in 1939 it was simply
technology at its best.
The season ended when the
Green Bay Packers defeated the New York Giants 27-0 in the 1939
NFL Championship Game, at State Fair
Park, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, December 10.
NFL attendance exceeded 1 million in a season for the first time,
reaching 1,071,200.
The NFL Most Valuable
Player Award (The Joe Carr Trophy
awarded by the NFL)
is awarded to Halfback,
Parker Hall of the Cleveland Rams
FIRST NFL PRO BOWL
The New York Giants
defeated the Pro All-Stars 13-10 in the first Pro Bowl, at Wrigley
Field, Los Angeles, January 15.
Major rule changes
The penalty for an
ineligible receiver who touches a forward pass is 15 yards and a loss
of down.
The penalty for an
ineligible receiver who is downfield prior to a forward pass being
thrown is 15 yards and a loss of down.
If a kickoff goes out of
bounds after only being touched by members of the receiving team, the
receiving team takes possession of the ball at that inbounds spot.
The penalty for a second
forward pass during a play is changed from 5 yards and a loss of down
to just 5 yards.
1940
The 1940 NFL season was
the 21st regular season of the National Football League.
The Third AFL
A six-team rival
league, the third to call itself the American Football League, was formed,
and the Columbus
Bullies won its championship.
Once again the
Cincinnatti Bengals joined an AFL league. They recorded 1-7-0 and
1-5-2 marks in 1940 and 1941, respectively. That AFL suffered the
fate of the two AFLs before it, folding after the 1941 season as the
United States entered World World II. Only this time, the Bengals
folded along with it. UNTIL
1967
T-formation with a
man-in-motion. It was the first championship carried on network
radio, broadcast by Red Barber to 120 stations of the Mutual
Broadcasting System, which paid $2,500 for the rights.
Art Rooney sold the
Pittsburgh Pirates - to be named the Pittsburgh Steelers - to Alexis
Thompson, December 9, then bought part interest in the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Pittsburgh Pirates
along with the Philadelphia Eagles and the now-defunct Cincinnati
Reds football team joined the NFL as 1933 expansion teams, after Art
Rooney, Sr. paid a $2,500 fee.
Chicago Bears, End, Dick
Plasman was the last player to appear in a game without a helmet.
The season ended December
8 when the Chicago Bears defeated the Washington Redskins in the 1940
NFL Championship Game, 73-0 as Chicago
wins the title before 36,034 in Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C.
This game currently
stands as the most onesided victory in NFL history.
Sparked by a comment made
by Redskins owner George Preston Marshall, who had said three weeks
earlier that the Bears were crybabies and quitters when the going got
tough, Chicago crushed Washington, 73-0.
The NFL Most Valuable Player Award (The Joe Carr Trophy
awarded by the NFL)
is awarded to Halfback,
Ace Parker of the Brooklyn Dodgers
Major rule changes
The penalty for a forward
pass not from scrimmage is 5 yards.
Penalties for fouls that
occur prior to a pass or kick from behind the line of scrimmage are
enforced from the previous spot. However, penalties for fouls during
a free ball or when the offensive team fouls behind their line are
enforced from the spot of the foul.
Fouls enforced in the
field of play cannot penalize the ball more than half the distance to
the offender's goal line.
If the offensive team
commits pass interference in their opponent's end zone, the defense
has the choice of 15 yards from the previous spot and a loss of down,
or a touchback.
In the early 1940's, when men went to war,
women not only went to work, but also on to the cheerleading squads.
Cheerleading then became more of a female sport. When the men
returned from war, new twists and turns were added. Gymnastics were
always done by men, while the girls danced which gave rise to dance teams.
1941
The 1941 NFL season was
the 22nd regular season of the National Football League.
Before the season, Elmer
Layden was named the first Commissioner of the NFL, March 1; Storck,
the acting president, resigned, April 5.
NFL headquarters were moved to Chicago.
Bell and Rooney traded
the Eagles to Thompson for the Pittsburgh Pirates, then re-named
their new team the Pittsburgh
Steelers. Homer Marshman sold the Rams
to Daniel F. Reeves and Fred Levy, Jr.
THE NFL ON PEARL HARBOR DAY
Three scheduled NFL games
were under way when the Japanese first attacked Pearl Harbor at 12:55
p.m. ET on Sunday, December 7, 1941.
The public address
announcer at New York's Polo Grounds, where fans were celebrating
"Tuffy Leemans' Day" in honor of their star running back,
interrupted his commentary to tell all servicemen to report to their units.
The same was done at
Chicago's Comiskey Park. At Washington's Griffith Stadium, the
announcer paged high-ranking government and military personnel who
were in attendance, but did not mention the attack. Reporters were
told to check with their offices.
NFL Games Played on December
7, 1941 Home teams in Capital Letters
Chicago Bears 34,
CHICAGO CARDINALS 24
Brooklyn Dodgers
21, NEW YORK GIANTS 7
WASHINGTON REDSKINS
20, Philadelphia Eagles 14
On Monday, December 8,
America officially entered World War II. First NFLDivisional
Playoff Game
The Chicago Bears and the
Green Bay Packers finished the regular season tied in the NFL Western
Division on December 14,
setting up the first divisional playoff game in league history. The
Bears won 33-14.
The Chicago Bears then
went on to defeat the New York Giants, 37-9, in the NFL
1941 Championship Game,December
21.(two
weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor)
Columbus again won the
championship of the AFL, but the two-year-old league then folded.
The NFL Most Valuable Player Award (The Joe Carr Trophy
awarded by the NFL)
is awarded to Wide
receiver, Don Hutson of the Green Bay Packers
The league by-laws were
revised to provide for playoffs in case there were ties in division
races, and sudden-death overtimes in case a playoff game was tied
after four quarters. An official NFL Record Manual was published for
the first time.
Major rule changes
The penalty for illegal
shift is 5 yards.
The penalty for illegal
kick or bat is 15 yards.
Whenever a player is
ejected from the game, his team is penalized 15 yards.
A
personal foul committed by the opponent of the scoring team is
enforced on the ensuing kickoff.
The
league by-laws were revised to provide for playoffs in case there
were ties in division races, and sudden-death overtimes in case a
playoff game was tied after four quarters.
An
official NFL Record Manual was published for the first time.
1942
The 1942 NFL season was
the 23th regular season of the National Football League.
Before the season, many
players left for service in World War II, thus depleting the rosters
of all the teams. Halas left the Bears in midseason to join the Navy,
and Luke Johnsos and Heartley (Hunk) Anderson served as co-coaches as
the Bears went 11-0 in the regular season.
World War II obviously
had a dramatic effect on the entire nation. It forced an immediate
change in what was a peaceful way of life, including the concept of
sports and how they would be presented and played. The NFL, in a March
24, 1942 news release, attempted to
explain its plan and role during the national crisis.
The release stated that
until federal authorities decided greater benefits would accrue from
some other policy, professional football's wartime effort would
center about normal operations with an emphasis on participation in
civilian emergency activities.
Commissioner Elmer Layden
offered the following statement:
"From
Aristotle's time on down we have been told, and it has been
demonstrated, that sports is necessary for the relaxation of the
people in times of stress and worry. The National league will strive
to help meet this need with the men the government has not yet called
for combat service, either because of dependents, disabilities, or
the luck of the draw in the Army draft."
Just as America’s
general population rallied behind the United States’ World War
II effort, so too did the National Football League.
Hundreds of players
joined the effort through enlistment, as the NFL organizationally
looked for additional ways to make a difference. One such endeavor
was the selling of War Bonds, an activity that generated $4,000,000
worth of sales for the effort in 1942 alone.
The NFL also donated the
revenues from 15 exhibition games to service charities. The games
produced a total purse of $680,384.07. It was reported to be the largest amount
raised by a single athletic organization.
After 10 years, The
Pittsburgh Steelers posted their first winning record, 7-4 under head
coach Walt Kiesling.
First Undefeated NFL Team
The Chicago Bears sailed
through the 1942 NFL schedule undefeated and untied. The reigning NFL
champs, the Bears, were favorites to win their third consecutive
title when they met the Washington Redskins in the 1942 Championship game.
The Official NFL website (found at
http://www.nfl.com/) claims The 1972 Miami Dolphins are
the ONLY undefeated team in NFL history. Yet in their chronicles they
claim the NFL was established in 1920, then why do they fail to
mention any of the following teams going undefeated?
1920 Akron
is the only undefeated team in the Association. 1922 The
Canton Bulldogs were named the 1922 NFL Champions after ending the
season with a 10-0-2 record. 1923
Canton had its second consecutive undefeated season, going 11-0-1 for
the NFL title. 1942 The Bears finish the season 11-0 1948
The Cleveland Browns won their third straight championship in the
AAFC, going 15-0 makes them the first team to experience a perfect season
The season ended when the
Washington Redskins defeated the Chicago Bears 14-6 in the 1942NFL
Championship Game, December 13 at
Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C.
The Redskin victory
had an extra measure of satisfaction, since it was the same Bears
team that two years earlier humiliated Washington 73-0 in the 1940
title game.
The NFL Most Valuable Player Award (The Joe Carr Trophy
awarded by the NFL)
for the second time in a
row is awarded to Wide receiver, Don Hutson of the Green Bay Packers
Major rule changes
The use of flags on
flexible shafts to mark the intersections of goal lines and side
lines becomes mandatory.
A clarification to the
offsides rule is added: The center or snapper is not offsides unless
a portion of his body is ahead of the defensive team's line.
A half cannot end on a
double foul. Instead, the period will be extended by one untimed down.
Detachable
kicking toes are prohibited.
When an
encroachment or false start causes the the other team to be offsides,
only the initial foul is penalized.
A
forward pass that first touches an ineligible receiver may be intercepted.
If the
offensive team commits pass interference in their opponent's end
zone, it is an automatic touchback.
1943
The 1943 NFL season was
the 24th regular season of the National Football League.
As more players
left to serve in World War II, three teams were affected by the
depleted rosters.
The Cleveland Rams, with
co-owners Reeves and Levy in the service, were granted permission to
suspend operations for one season, April 6. Levy transferred his
stock in the team to Reeves, April 16.
Philadelphia and
Pittsburgh were granted permission to merge for one season, June 19.
The team, known as Phil-Pitt (and called the Steagles by fans),
divided home games between the two cities, and Earle (Greasy) Neale
of Philadelphia and Walt Kiesling of Pittsburgh served as co-coaches.
The merger automatically dissolved the last day of the season, December
5.
Ted Collins was granted a
franchise for Boston, to become active in 1944.
October 24
- the Green Bay Packers became the first team in National Football
League history to intercept nine passes in a single game. The
feat came in their 27-6 victory over the Detroit Lions..
1943 PLAYOFFS
Sammy Baugh led the
league in passing, punting, and interceptions. He led the Redskins to
a tie with the Giants for the Eastern Division title, and then to a
28-0 victory in a divisional playoff game.
The season ended when the
Chicago Bears defeated the Washington Redskins 41-21 in the 1944
NFL Championship Game, December
26.
The NFL Most Valuable Player Award (The Joe Carr Trophy
awarded by the NFL)
is awarded to
Quarterback, Sid Luckman of the Chicago Bears
Major rule changes
The NFL adopted free
substitution, April 7.
Enacted in response to the depleted rosters of the World War II
period, any or all of the players may be replaced by substitutes
after any play.
This feature of the game led to the modern two-platoon system, in
which one group of 11 players enters the game to play offense and a
second group enters to play defense.
The wearing of helmets
becomes mandatory for all players.
Approved a 10-game
schedule for all teams.
1944
The 1944 NFL season was
the 25th regular season of the National Football League.
Collins, who had wanted a
franchise in Yankee Stadium in New York,named his new team in Boston
the Boston Yanks,
joining the league as an
expansion team and added to the Eastern Division.
Team owner Ted
Collins picked the name "Yanks" because he originally
wanted to run a team that played at New York City's Yankee Stadium.
Unfortunately, the Yanks could only manage a 2-8 record during its
first regular season.
The Brooklyn
Dodgers changed their name to Brooklyn Tigers.
Both the Cleveland Rams
and the Philadelphia Eagles resumed their traditional operations.
The Chicago Cardinals and
the Pittsburgh Steelers were granted permission to merge for one year
under the name Card-Pitt, April 21.
The combined team played half of their home games in each city.Phil
Handler of the Cardinals and Walt Kiesling of the Steelers served as
co-coaches. The merger automatically dissolved the last day of the
season, December 3.
The NFL season ended when
the Green Bay Packers defeated the New York Giants 14-7 at Polo
Grounds, New York City, December 17
in the 1944
NFL Championship Game.
The NFL Most Valuable Player Award (The Joe Carr Trophy
awarded by the NFL)
is awarded to Halfback,
Frank Sinkwich of the Detroit Lions
The All-America
Football Conference (AAFC)
The All-America
Football Conference (AAFC) was an 8 team professional American
football league that challenged the rival National Football League
from 1946 to 1949.
The league was
created in June 1944 and began play in 1946.
Looking for name
recognition and establish credibility, the AAFC chose popular former
University of Notre Dame standout Jim Crowley as its first
commissioner on November 21, 1944.
June 4th
two days prior to D-Day, a group described by the A.P. as "men
of millionaire incomes" met in St. Louis to organize a new
professional football league. They had been called together by Arch
Ward, the innovative sports editor of the Chicago Tribune and
organizer of the college and baseball All-Star games.
The initial
meeting, attended by representatives of Buffalo, Los Angeles, New
York, San Francisco, Chicago and Cleveland (for whom Ward carried
a proxy) led to a second organizational meeting on September
3, 1944 in Chicago.
John Keeshin, a
trucking executive, represented Chicago;
oilmen
James Breuil and Ray Ryan were from Buffalo and New York respectively;
boxer
Gene Tunney sought a team for Baltimore;
actor
Don Ameche wanted one for L.A.;
Tony
Morabito, a lumber executive, was from San Francisco,;
Arthur
McBride, a Cleveland taxi man, came from that city.
Also present was Mrs.
Eleanor Gehrig, widow of the baseball Hall of Famer, who later became
a league executive.
It was reported that
Detroit, Philadelphia and Boston were also interested in the new league.
Major rule changes
The free substitution
rule is modified so that substitutes do not have to report to the
officials before a play.
Coaching from the bench
was legalized, April 20.
Communication between the players and coaches on the field is
permitted as long as the coaches are in the designated areas along
the sidelines, and that they do not cause a delay in the game.
If the offensive team
commits pass interference in their opponent's end zone, it is just a
distance penalty and no longer an automatic touchback.
1945
The 1945 NFL season was
the 26th regular season of the National Football League.
After the Japanese
surrendered ending World War II, a count showed that the NFL service
roster, limited to men who had played in league games, totaled 638,
21 of whom had died in action.
The Pittsburgh Steelers
and the Chicago Cardinals resumed their traditional operations.
The Brooklyn Tigers and
the Boston Yanks then merged for this one season. The combined team,
known simply as The Yanks, played half of their home games in each
city. The team was coached by former Boston head coach Herb Kopf.
After Brooklyn Tigers
owner Dan Topping announced his intentions to withdrew from the NFL
and join the new All-America Football Conference In December, his NFL
team was immediately revoked after the season and all of its players
on its active and reserve lists were assigned to the Yanks, who
once again became the Boston Yanks.
This concludes using
"Tigers" as the name of any football teams, after 6 have
employed the name in the past.
Halas rejoined the Bears
late in the season after service with the U.S. Navy. Although Halas
took over much of the coaching duties, Anderson and Johnsos remained
the coaches of record throughout the season.
Steve Van Buren of
Philadelphia led the NFL in rushing, kickoff returns, and scoring.
The season ended December
16, 1945,
Washington Redskins vs.
Cleveland Rams,
1945 NFL
Championship Game at Cleveland
Stadium, Cleveland
The Rams scored a safety
when Redskins quarterback Sammy Baugh, throwing the ball from his own
end zone, hit the goal posts (which were on the goal line between
1927 and 1973). The two points was the margin of victory as the Rams
won 15-14. After the game, the rules were changed so that when a
forward pass thrown from one's own end zone hits the goal posts, it
is instead ruled incomplete.
The NFL Most Valuable Player Award (The Joe Carr Trophy
awarded by the NFL)
is awarded to rookie
Quarterback, Bob Waterfield of the Cleveland Rams
Major rule changes
The inbounds lines or
hashmarks were moved from 15 yards away from the sidelines to nearer
the center of the field-20 yards from the sidelines.
The player who extends
his arms under the center must receive the snap or the offensive team
will be penalized for a false start.
When a snap is muffed by
the receiving player and then touches the ground, it is legally a fumble.
During an extra point
attempt, the ball is spotted at the 2-yard line, but the offense may
opt to have it be placed further from the goal line.
After a kicked punt
crosses the line of scrimmage, the kicking team may recover the ball
if it touches a member of the receiving team before they control the
ball themselves.
1946
The 1946 NFL season was
the 27th regular season of the National Football League.
December 31 - President Truman officially
proclaims end of WW-II.
Before the season, Elmer
Layden resigned as NFL Commissioner and Bert Bell, co-founder of the
Philadelphia Eagles, replaced him.
The contract of
Commissioner Layden was not renewed, and Bert Bell, the co-owner of
the Steelers, replaced him, January 11.
Bell moved the league headquarters from Chicago to the Philadelphia
suburb of Bala- Cynwyd.
The NFL took on a truly
national appearance when the Rams became the first NFL team based on
the West Coast after Reeves was granted permission by the league to
move his NFL champion Rams from Cleveland, Ohio to Los Angeles. Cleveland Rams became
Los Angeles Rams
First African-Americans to play in the NFL
March 21
- Halfback Kenny Washington and end Woody Strode (May 7) signed
with the Los Angeles Rams to become the first African-Americans to
play in the NFL in the modern era.
Also at this time
Guard Bill Willis on August 6
and back Marion Motley on August 9 joined
the All American Football Conference (AAFC) with the Cleveland Browns.
While The Cleveland
Browns were founded in 1946 as a charter member of the
All-America Football Conference under owner Arthur 'Mickey'
McBride. The team was to be named the Cleveland Panthers, but a
semi-pro team was using that name and threatened to sue if the AAFC
club used it as well.
A contest was held and
most of the entries submitted wanted the name Browns, because the
extremely popular Paul Brown was the team's head coach.
Brown is considered
the "father of the modern offense,"
and many consider Paul Brown to be the the greatest football coach in
history. Such claims are backed by significant evidence: Brown
dominated as a gridiron general on every major level - high school,
college, and professional.
he became the first
coach for Arthur 'Mickey' McBride's
new All America Football Conference franchise, the Cleveland Browns.
December 22
- The rival All-America Football Conference began play with eight
teams, a rival league which was actually formed
in 1944.
The league was
absorbed by its competitor (The NFL) in 1950.
The All-America
Football Conference (AAFC) was established as a rival to the NFL. The
new league included the:
Brooklyn Dodgers,
1946-1948 (merged with New
York for 1949 season)
New York Yankees,
1946-1948; merged with
Brooklyn Dodgers, becoming Brooklyn/New York Yankees, 1949
San Francisco 49ers,
1946-1949
The most powerful team
in the new league was the Cleveland Browns, coached by football
innovator Paul Brown.
Although talented, the
quarterbacks of the 1930s and early 1940s seldom completed more than
50 percent of their passes. A major cause of these low percentages
was the primitive nature of pass-blocking strategies. With little
protection, passers always had to throw while avoiding incoming
rushers. Brown installed a blocking system that radically transformed
the passing game. He changed the system by arranging the linemen in
the form of a cup that pushed most pass-rushers to the outside and
provided a safe area, called a pocket,
from which the quarterback could pass.
Using the strategy,
Brown coached Cleveland to four AAFC championships from 1946 to 1949.
The Browns became a
charter member of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) in 1946,
with Paul Brown as head coach and general manager. Cleveland
dominated the AAFC, losing just four regular-season games while
winning every championship during the league’s four-year
existence. The Browns boasted several future Hall of Fame members,
including quarterback Otto Graham, tackle-placekicker Lou Groza, end
Dante Lavelli, and halfback Marion Motley.
The Cleveland Browns,
coached by Paul Brown, won the AAFC's first championship, defeating
the New York Yankees 14-9 at Cleveland Stadium.
Backs Frank Filchock and
Merle Hapes of the Giants were questioned about an attempt by a New
York man to fix the championship game with the Bears. Bell suspended
Hapes but allowed Filchock to play.
The NFL season ended when
the Chicago Bears defeated the New York Giants, 24-14, at Polo
Grounds, New York City, December 15 in the1946
NFL Championship Game.
The NFL Most Valuable Player Award (The Joe Carr Trophy
awarded by the NFL)
is awarded to Halfback,
Bill Dudley of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Bill Dudley led the NFL
in rushing, interceptions, and punt returns.
Major rule changes
January 11
A forward pass that
strikes the goal posts is automatically ruled incomplete. This is
sometimes known as the "Baugh/Marshall Rule" after
Washington Redskins quarterback Sammy Baugh and team owner George
Preston Marshall. In the previous year's NFL Championship Game, the
Rams scored a safety when Baugh, throwing the ball from his own end
zone, hit the goal posts (which were on
the goal line between 1927 and 1973).
The two points was the margin of victory as the Rams won 15-14.
Marshall was so mad at the outcome that he was a major force in
passing this rule change.
The free substitution
rule was repealed and substitutions were limited to no more than
three players at a time.
The receiving team is
permitted to return punts and missed field goal attempts from behind
their own goal line.
The penalty for an
invalid fair catch signal is 5 yards from the spot of the signal.
A fair catch signal is
valid when it is made while the ball is in flight.
AAFC added a fifth
official, the sideline judge.
History of the Coin Toss
The coin toss has been a part of professional football since its
start in 1892. While the procedure has been relatively
unchanged over the years, the following is a history of change made
to the pre-game procedure.
Previously: The referee performed the toss.
Change: Note was added to the rule
that stipulated that the toss was to be made prior to either team
leaving field after their pre-game warm up.
1947
The 1947 NFL season was
the 28th regular season of the National Football League.
(AAFC) The Cleveland
Browns again won the AAFC title, defeating the New York Yankees 14-3.
Charles Bidwill, Sr.,
owner of the Chicago Cardinals, died April
19, but his wife and sons retained
ownership of the team. The cardinals went on to end the season when
they defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, 28-21, in the NFL Championship
Game on December 28.
(AAFC) The original
incarnation of the Baltimore Colts started in the All-America
Football Conference in 1946 as the Miami Seahawks. After a 3-11
season, they moved to Baltimore in 1947.
(AAFC) Buffalo Bisons
were renamed Buffalo Bills.
Major rule changes
A fifth official, the
Back Judge, is added to the officiating crew.
When a team has less than
11 players on the field prior to a snap or kick, the officials are
not to notify them.
An illegal use of hands
penalty will be called whenever a defensive player uses them to block
the vision of a receiver during any pass behind the offensive team's line.
During an unsuccessful
extra point attempt, the play becomes dead as soon as failure is evident.
Roughing the kicker will
not be called if he kicks after recovering a loose ball or fumble on
the play.
All teams are required to
use prescribed standard yardage chains, down boxes, and flexible
shaft markers.
A bonus choice was
instituted for the first time in the NFL draft.
One team each year would
receive the first pick before the first round began. This bonus pick,
which continued through 1958, was selected by lottery and each team
was eligible for the pick only once.
The Chicago Bears
won a lottery and the rights to the first choice and drafted back Bob
Fenimore of Oklahoma A&M.
The NFL
received competition in the second half of the 1940s when the rival
All-America Football Conference also held a college draft. Secrecy
became a new element to the annual player draft as clubs from both
leagues battled to sign the college stars.
History of the Coin Toss
The coin toss has been a part of professional football since its
start in 1892. While the procedure has been relatively
unchanged over the years, the following is a history of change made
to the pre-game procedure.
Previously: Note was added to the
rule that stipulated that the toss was to be made prior to either
team leaving field after their pre-game warm up.
Change: Coin toss was moved to thirty
minutes before the start of the game
1947 PLAYOFFS
The 1947 National Football League
season resulted in a tie for the Eastern Division championship
between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The
division championship game was played on December 21, 1947 at
Pittsburgh's Forbes Field. The winner of that game would travel to
Chicago to play in the championship game against the Chicago
Cardinals on December 28.
1948
The 1948 NFL season was
the 29th regular season of the National Football League.
The (AAFC) Cleveland
Browns became the first professional football team to complete an
entire season undefeated - 24 years before the 1972 Miami Dolphins of
the NFL would accomplish the task.
The Official NFL website (found at
http://www.nfl.com/) claims The 1972 Miami Dolphins are
the ONLY undefeated team in NFL history. Yet in their chronicles they
claim the NFL was established in 1920, then why do they fail to
mention any of the following teams going undefeated?
1920 Akron
is the only undefeated team in the Association. 1922 The
Canton Bulldogs were named the 1922 NFL Champions after ending the
season with a 10-0-2 record. 1923
Canton had its second consecutive undefeated season, going 11-0-1 for
the NFL title. 1942
The Bears finish the season 11-0 1948 The Cleveland Browns won their
third straight championship in the AAFC (which merged with The NFL),
going 15-0 makes them the first team to experience a perfect season
In 1948 Cleveland was
home to three professional teams: The Indians, Browns and Barons. In
that year all three teams would win the championship title of their
respective leagues. No other city can claim three championship teams
in one year.
January 15
- Fred Mandel sold the Detroit Lions to a syndicate headed by D. Lyle Fife.
During the season,
Halfback Fred Gehrke painted horns on the Los Angeles Rams' helmets,
making the first modern helmet emblem in pro football.
After suffering through
three more losing seasons and financial woes, Yanks owner Ted Collins
asked the NFL to fold the Boston Yanks for a new franchise in New
York City.
This new team would be
called the New York Bulldogs.
Pittsburgh Steelers coach
Jock Sutherland died suddenly during a scouting trip. Sutherland had
led the Steelers to an 8-4 recordand a ashare of the Eastern Division
title in 1947.
The season ended when the
Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Chicago Cardinals 7-0 during a
blizzard at Shibe Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, December 19 in
the 1948 NFL Championship Game.
Major rule changes
January 14
Plastic helmets are
prohibited. This rule was enacted because critics argued that they
were being used more as a weapon than protection.
A flexible artificial tee
is permitted at the kickoff.
When the intended passer
is tackled behind the line of scrimmage, the game clock will stop
temporarily until any receivers who have gone down field have had a
reasonable time to return.
When the offense is
called for delay of game, the defense may decline the 5-yard distance penalty.
If a foul occurs behind
the line during a backwards pass or fumble, the penalty is enforced
from the spot of the pass or fumble.
It is illegal to bat or
punch the ball while it is in a player's possession.
All officials are
equipped with whistles, not horns.
First Use of a
Penalty Flag in the NFL
The penalty flag was
first used in the NFL, September 17, in a game between the Green Bay
Packers and the Boston Yanks.
1949
The 1949 NFL season was
the 30th regular season of the National Football League.
Prior to the season,
Boston Yanks owner Ted Collins asked the league to fold his team due
to financial woes, and give him a new one in New York City. This new
team would be called the New York Bulldogs, sharing the Polo Grounds
with the Giants.
January
15Alexis
Thompson sold the champion Eagles to a syndicate headed by James P. Clark
As the season came to
a close, The AAFC played its season with a one-division, saw the
number of franchises drop to seven and the number of team's games
drop to 12, with many AAFC teams in financial trouble due to
escalating player salaries.
The NFL also found its
teams in difficulty, and on December 9, Bell announced a merger
agreement in which three AAFC franchises;
The
Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Colts
and The San Francisco 49ers
would join the
NFL in 1950. The remaining AAFC players
are spread throughout the NFL via draft.
(AAFC) Brooklyn
Dodgers merged with New York for 1949 season
(AAFC) New York
Yankees merged with Brooklyn Dodgers, becoming Brooklyn/New York Yankees.
The other AAFC teams
ceased to be as the Buffalo Bills were merged with the Browns, the
New York Yankees were split among the New York Giants and the New
York Bulldogs and the Los Angeles Dons mixed with the L.A. Rams.
The Chicago Rockets
were renamed Chicago Hornets -
however the team was
not one of the AAFC teams that merged with the National Football
League prior to the 1950 season.
George Taliaferro
was the first black (African-American) player ever drafted by
an NFL team (Chicago Bears - 13th round - 1949), but he was not the
first black (African-American) draftee to play in the NFL -
that would be Wally Triplett of Penn State but only because George
Taliaferro signed, instead, with the Los Angeles Dons of the
(AAFC) All-American Football Conference.
First African-American drafted by an NFL club: George Taliaferro,
halfback (Indiana). Picked by the Chicago Bears in the thirteenth
round of the 1949 draft but elected to sign with the Los Angeles Dons
of the AAFC. Played with the Dons 1949; New York Yanks 1950-51;
Dallas 1952; Baltimore 1953-54; Philadelphia 1955.
He went to the Pro Bowl in 1951, 1952, and 1953.
First African-American draftee to play in the NFL: Wally Triplett,
halfback (Penn State).
For that reason, his picture hangs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
in Canton, Ohio.
Picked by the Detroit Lions in the nineteenth round of the 1949
draft. Played with Detroit 1949-1950; Chicago Cardinals 1952-53
Triplett holds the Lions' single-game record in kickoff return
yardage with 294 (second highest total in NFL history), including a
97-yard touchdown return, against the Los Angeles Rams in 1950; his
average of 73.5 yards per return in that game is also an NFL record.
He also set the Lions' record for the longest run from scrimmage with
an 80-yard touchdown against the Green Bay Packers.
First name star from a predominantly African-American college: Paul
(Tank) Younger, fullback-linebacker (Grambling). Los Angeles
Rams 1949-1957; Pittsburgh 1958
The final game in the
history of the All America Football Conference
(1946-1949) is generally regarded as the final championship game that
took place on December 11, 1949 at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland,
Ohio. In that game, the Cleveland Browns would win their fourth
consecutive AAFC title. The Browns were the only team to ever win the
AAFC championship, having won it four straight years from 1946
through 1949. In that final championship game, the Browns defeated
the San Francisco 49ers, 21-7.
was that the records and statistics of AAFC players and
teams (most of which folded) are not considered part of the
NFL record book.
For example, any records and statistics which Joe Namath achieved
before the New York Jets merged with the AFL into the NFL are
still considered part of official NFL statistics,
while Y.A. Tittle's stats as a passer for the Baltimore Colts before
the AAFC merged them into the NFL are not considered official
NFL statistics.
The NFL had two
1,000-yard rushers in the same season for the first time-Steve Van
Buren of Philadelphia and Tony Canadeo of Green Bay.
The NFL season ended when
the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Los Angeles Rams In a heavy rain
14-0 on December 18 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles in
the 1949NFL
Championship Game.
Major rule changes
January 20
The free substitution
rule (any or all of the players may be
replaced by substitutes after any play)
was re-adopted for one year. The rule was previously adopted
in 1943 in response to the depleted
rosters during World War II, but repealed
in 1946.
1950
The Golden age of
football came in the 1950's, this was a time of change. The teams
were gaining more and more fans and they were also making more money.
This started to change aspects of the game, aspects like; player's
salary, Television coverage and stadium size.
The 1950 NFL season was
the 31st regular season of the National Football League.
Television brought a new
era to the game. The Los Angeles Rams became the first NFL team to
have all of its games - both home and away - televised. The
Washington Redskins became the second team to put their games on TV.
Other teams arranged to have selected games televised.
February 1.-
Curly Lambeau, founder of the franchise and Green Bay's head coach
since 1921, resigned under fire
The merger prior to the
season with the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) expanded the
league to 13 teams.
The merged league briefly
flirted with the name "National-American Football League",
but restored the name "National Football League" a few
months later.
March 3 -
The American and National conferences were created to replace
the Eastern and Western divisions
Cleveland Browns and
San Francisco 49ers began play
The NFL establishes the
following alignment:
AMERICAN CONFERENCE
Chicago Cardinals
Cleveland Browns
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers
Washington Redskins
San Francisco 49ers
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
(1st) Baltimore Colts
began play
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Los Angeles Rams
New York Bulldogs became
New York Yanks
The Baltimore Colts
folds after 1950 season
The New York Bulldogs
change their name to the New York Yanks and divided the players of
the former AAFC Yankees with the Giants. A special allocation draft
was held in which the 13 teams drafted the remaining AAFC players,
with special consideration for Baltimore, which received 15 choices
compared to 10 for other teams.
Three AAFC teams -
Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, and Baltimore Colts - joined
the NFL intact.
The merger allowed the
former 4-time AAFC champion Browns, the 49ers, and the Colts to
survive. Without the agreement, those teams along with the entire
AAFC would have folded due to financial difficulties.
In the first game of
the season, former AAFC champion Cleveland
defeated
NFL champion Philadelphia 35-10.
For the first time,
deadlocks occurred in both conferences and playoffs were necessary.
The Browns defeated the Giants in the American and the
Rams defeated the Bears in the National.
October 2
- Bob Shaw established an NFL record with five touchdown catches as
the Chicago Cardinals defeated the Baltimore Colts 55-13. The record was tied in 1981 by San Diego
Chargers Kellen Winslow and again in 1990 by San Francisco 49ers, Jerry Rice.
October 29 -
Detroit Lion's Wally Trippett established an NFL record with 294
kickoff return yards against Los Angeles.
The record has since been
broken by Tyrone Hughes but Trippett's average of 73.5 yards per
return still stands. 304 yards by Tyrone Hughes, New Orleans vs.
L.A. Rams, Oct. 23, 1994
December 3
- Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Tom Fears celebrates his 27th
birthday by making an NFL record 18 receptions for 189 yards and two
touchdowns in the Rams' 51-14 victory over Green Bay Packers.
1950 PLAYOFFS Home team in capitals
American Conference Playoff Game
CLEVELAND 8, N.Y. Giants 3
National Conference Playoff Game
LOS ANGELES 24, Chi.
Bears 14
Cleveland Browns
defeated Los Angeles Rams 30-28 in the 1950
NFL Championship Game, December
24.
Major rule changes
January 20
The free substitution rule
(any or all of the players may be replaced by substitutes after any play)
was restored on a permanent basis. This changed paved the way for
player specialization in pro football, including three separate units
for each team: offensive team, defensive team, and special teams.
If a backwards pass or
fumble goes out of bounds before it is recovered, the team that had
control of the ball last maintains possession.
1951
The 1951 NFL season was
the 32nd regular season of the National Football League.
January 14
- The Pro Bowl game which sat dormant since 1942, was revived under a
new format matching the all-stars of each conference at the Los
Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The American Conference
defeated the National Conference 28-27
Prior to the season,
Baltimore Colts owner Abraham Watner faced financial difficulties,
and thus gave his team and its player contracts back to the league
for $50,000. Baltimore's former players were made available for
drafting at the same time as college players, January
18.
However, many Baltimore
fans started to protest the loss of their team. Supporting groups
such as its fan club and its marching band remained in operation and
worked for the team's revival (which
eventually led to a new Baltimore team in 1953).
The Rams reversed their
television policy from 1950 to having all of its games - both home
and away - televised to televising ONLY road games after half the
normal fan population were showing up for Home Games.
Television was a new technological devise that
took the country by storm, in the early 50's 8 million televisions
would be sold a year. Radios were a thing of the past; the television
revolutionized the sport of football and the country.
For the first time, the
NFL Championship Game was televised across the nation, December 23.
The DuMont Television Network paid $75,000 to broadcast the game.
Viewers coast-to-coast watched the Los Angeles Rams defeat the
Cleveland Browns 24-17 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles.
September 28
- One of the greatest opening day performances came when Hall of Fame
quarterback Norm Van Brocklin of the Los Angeles Rams threw for a
record 554 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Rams to a 54-14
victory over the New York Yanks.
The mark still stands as
the greatest single passing effort in National Football League history. Van Brocklin received
the start that day when veteran Bob Waterfield, also a member of the
Hall, was injured. The two quarterbacks were entrenched in a fierce
battle for the starting role. The
"Dutchman," as Van Brocklin was nicknamed, made the most of
his opportunity. He completed 27 of 41 passes and tossed five
touchdowns - four of which went to fellow Hall of Famer Elroy
"Crazylegs" Hirsch - en route to a easy 54-14 win over the
New York Yanks.
Major rule changes
January 18
The Pro Bowl game,
dormant since 1942, was revived under a new format matching the
all-stars of each conference at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The American Conference defeated the National Conference 28-27,
January 14.
No offensive tackle,
guard, or center would be eligible to catch or touch a forward pass.
Aluminum shoe cleats are banned.
1952
The 1952 NFL season was
the 33rd regular season of the National Football League.
January 19
- New York Yanks became Dallas Texans
Prior to the
season, New York Yanks owner Ted Collins sold his team back to the
NFL. A few days later, a new team was then awarded to an ownership
group in Dallas, Texas after it purchased the assets of the Yanks, January
24.
However, the new Dallas
Texans went 1-11, and was sold back to the league midway through the season. The Texans’
inaugural game actually began on an optimistic note - they scored
first. Just minutes into the game the Texans recovered a punt fumbled
by a Giants defensive back. Two plays later the Texans scored.
Sequence photos of the scoring pass-play show that the nearest Giants
defender was the same defensive back who had set up the drive with
his fumble - Tom Landry. The Texans missed the extra point (something
they would do six more times during the season) and the Giants went
on to win 24-6.
For the team's last five
games, the the commissioner's office operated the Texans as a road
team, using Hershey, Pennsylvania as a home base. Their final three
"home" games were held at the Rubber Bowl in Akron, Ohio.
After the season ended, the league folded the Texans, the last time
an NFL team failed.
Over the years, football teams have come and gone for one reason or
another. Below is a list of defunct franchises along with their years
of existence.
Akron Pros - Akron Indians 1920-1926
Baltimore Colts 1950-1950
Boston Yanks - Bos/Bkn Yanks/Tigers 1944-1948
Brooklyn Dodgers - Brooklyn Tigers 1930-1944
Brooklyn Lions 1926-1926 3-8-0
Buffalo All-Americans - Buffalo Bisons - Buffalo Rangers 1920-1929
Canton Bulldogs 1920-1926
Chicago Tigers 1920-1920
Cincinnati Celts 1921-1921
Cincinnati Reds 1933-1934
Cleveland Indians - Cleveland Bulldogs 1923-1927
Cleveland Indians 1931-1931
Cleveland Tigers 1920-1921
Columbus Panhandles - Columbus Tigers 1920-1926
Dallas Texans 1952-1952
Dayton Triangles 1920-1929
Detroit Heralds 1920-1920
Detroit Panthers 1925-1926
Detroit Tigers 1921-1921
Detroit Wolverines 1928-1928
Duluth Kelleys - Duluth Eskimos 1923-1927
Evansville Crimson Giants 1921-1922
Frankford Yellow Jackets 1924-1931
Hammond Pros 1920-1926
Hartford Blues 1926-1926
Kansas City Blues - Kansas City Cowboys 1924-1926
Kenosha Maroons 1924-1924
Los Angeles Buccaneers 1926-1926
Louisville Brecks - Louisville Colonels 1921-1926
Milwaukee Badgers 1922-1926
Minneapolis Marines - Minneapolis Red Jackets 1921-1930
Muncie Flyers 1920-1921
New York Giants 1921-1921
New York Yankees 1927-1928
New York Yanks - New York Bulldogs 1949-1951
Oorang Indians 1922-1923
Orange Tornadoes - Newark Tornadoes 1929-1930
Pottsville Maroons - Boston Bulldogs 1925-1929
Providence Steam Roller 1925-1931
Racine Legend - Racine Tornadoes 1922-1926
Rochester Jeffersons 1920-1925
Rock Island Independents 1920-1925
St. Louis All-Stars 1923-1923
St. Louis Gunners 1934-1934
Staten Island Stapletons 1929-1932
Toledo Maroons 1922-1923
Tonowanda Kardex 1921-1921
Washington Senators 1921-1921
The New York Giants used
their 1st draft pick to select Southern Califonia's Frank Gifford
The Pittsburgh Steelers
abandoned the Single-Wing for the T-formation, the last pro team to
do so.
1952 PLAYOFFS Home team in capitals
National Conference Playoff Game
December 28.
DETROIT 31, Los Angeles 21
The Detroit Lions go on
to win their first NFL championship in 17 years, defeating the
Cleveland Browns 17-7 in the 1952 NFL
championship game
Major rule changes
Offensive players will
not be called for illegal motion as long as they do not move forward
prior to the snap.
The penalty for offensive
pass interference is 15 yards from the previous spot, unless the
result on a fourth down play is a touchback.
A player who commits a
palpably (obviously)
unfair act is ejected from the game.
1953
The 1953 NFL season was
the 34th regular season of the National Football League.
Dallas Texans became new
Baltimore Colts
A Baltimore, Maryland
group headed by Carroll Rosenbloom was granted an NFL team, and was
awarded the holdings of the defunct Dallas Texans organization, January 23.
The new team was named the Colts after
the previous team that folded after the 1950 NFL season.
The team put together
the largest trade in league history, acquiring 10 players from
Cleveland in exchange for five.
The NFL formally
reinstates the dead Dallas Texans franchise as the Baltimore Colts
January 24
- The names of the American and National conferences were changed to
the Eastern and Western conferences,
September 27
- Baltimore Colts's Bert Rechichar boots a record 56-yard field goal
against Chicago. Previously held by Detroits
Glenn Presnell who kicked a 54-yard field goal October 7, 1934 Rechichar's
record would
stand for 17 years until New Orleans Saints, Tom
Dempsey nailed a 63-yarder on Nov. 8 1970.
Willie Thrower became
NFL's first black (African-American) quarterback when he
appeared in a game for the Chicago Bears on Oct. 18; never appeared
in another game and it would be 15 years before another
African-American quarterback would take a snap in a pro game.
March 28 Jim
Thorpe died
New York Giants coach
Steve Owen ended a 24 year coaching career with a 153-108-17 record.
June 10
- Mickey McBride, founder of the Cleveland Browns, sold the franchise
to a Cleveland syndicate for $600,000 headed by Dave R. Jones, June
10, 1953
November 12 -
The NFL policy of blacking out home games was upheld by Judge Allan
K. Grim of the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia
December 27
- The season ended when the Detroit Lions defeated the Cleveland
Browns 17-16
in the 1953 NFL Championship Game
for the second year in a row at Briggs Stadium, Detroit, Michigan
Major rule changes
The definition of illegal
motion is clarified. A player must be moving directly forward at the
snap to be considered illegally in motion.
1954
The 1954 NFL season was
the 35th regular season of the National Football League.
The Canadian
Football League began a series of
raids on NFL teams, signing quarterback Eddie LeBaron and defensive
end Gene Brito of Washington and defensive tackle Arnie Weinmeister
of the Giants, among others.
Fullback Joe Perry of the
49ers became the first player in league history to gain 1,000 yards
rushing in consecutive seasons.
September 7 - Pop
Warner died of Throat cancer in Palo Alto, California at the age of 83.
Weeb Ewbank named head
coach for Colts September. 26
- Colts ordered plastic facemasks for helmets for first time
December 26
- The
season ended when the Cleveland Browns turned
around and defeated the Detroit Lions 56-10 in the 1954
NFL Championship Game at Cleveland
Stadium, Cleveland, OhioMajor rule changes
Whenever it is raining,
or whenever the field is wet and slippery, the offensive team can
request a new, dry playable ball at any time.
1955
The 1955 NFL season was
the 36th regular season of the National Football League.
The Pittsburgh Steelers
drafted Louisville quarterback Johhny Unitis on the 9th round. They
then cut Unitis without letting him appear in a preseason game.
The Baltimore Colts made
an 80-cent phone call to Johnny Unitas and signed him as a free agent. October 1
- Baltimore Colt's Alan Ameche becomes the first rookie in league
history to top 100 yards rushing in his first two games after
totaling 153 yards against Detroit. He had 194 yards in his debut vs.
The Chicago Bears.
The Birth of Overtime
August 28
- The sudden-death overtime rule was used for the first time in a
pre-season game between the Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants at
Portland, Oregon. The Rams won 23-17 three minutes into overtime.
The bout laid the
foundation for the NFL to adopt the overtime rule for regular season
games, finally being approved in 1974
First Football Game on Color TV
NBC televises a college
football game between Miami and Georgia Tech - the first broadcast of
a football game in color.
NBC paid $100,000 to
replace DuMont as the national television network for the NFL
Championship Game.
Quarterback, Otto Graham,
played his last game as the Cleveland Browns
defeated the Los Angeles Rams 38 -14 in the 1955
NFL Championship Game,
December 26 at Los Angeles Memorial
Coliseum, Los Angeles. Graham had
quarterbacked the Browns to 10 championship-game appearances in 10 years.
Major rule changes
The ball is dead
immediately when the ball carrier touches the ground with any part of
his body except his hands or feet while in the grasp of an opponent.
A new exception is made
in regards to scoring a safety: When a defender intercepts a pass,
his intercepting momentum carries him into his own end zone, and he
is stopped before returning the ball back into the field of play,
then the ball will be next put in play at the spot of the interception.
The sudden-death overtime
rule was used for the first time in a preseason game between the Rams
and Giants at Portland, Oregon, August 28.
The Rams won 23-17 three minutes into overtime.
1956
The 1956 NFL season was
the 37th regular season of the National Football League.
CBS became the first
network to broadcast some NFL regular season games to selected
television markets across the nation.
The NFL Players
Association was founded.
The New York Giants moved
from the Polo Grounds to Yankee Stadium.
First Wireless Communication Coach to Quarterback
Cleveland Browns coach
Paul Brown tries out the first wireless communication between coach
and quarterback. A citizens band radio receiver is placed inside the
helmet of QB George Ratterman. Brown attempts to relay plays to him
via a transmitter on the sidelines. The effort fails when Ratterman's
receiver picks up a conversation between two women.
George Halas retired as
coach of the Chicago Bears, and was replaced by Paddy Driscoll. George Halas coached the Bears at four
different times (1920-1929 - 1933-1942 -
1946-1955 - 1958-1967)
December 30
The season ended when the
New York Giants crushed the Chicago Bears in the 1956
NFL Championship Game, 47-7 at Yankee
Stadium, New York City.
Major rule changes
It is now illegal to grab
an opponent's facemask (other than the
ball carrier).
When an offensive
interior lineman takes a three point stance prior to the snap, he may
not move until the snap.
The ball is dead
immediately when the ball carrier is contacted by a defensive player
and then touches the ground with any part of his body except his
hands or feet.
Using radio receivers to
communicate with players on the field is prohibited.
Players are prohibited
from using any artificial medium to assist in the execution of a
field goal or an extra point attempt. This change is sometimes
referred to as the "Lou Groza
Rule" after the Cleveland Browns'
hall of fame offensive tackle and placekicker. Groza would always
carry a 72-inch rolled piece of adhesive tape in his helmet. Before
each kick attempt, he would use it as a directional aid by unrolling
the tape on the ground from the line of scrimmage to the point where
the ball would be spotted for the kick.
Meanwhile, the league
started to use a natural leather ball with white end stripes, instead
of the white ball with black stripes, for night games.
In the draft, the number
of rounds stayed at 30 throughout the decade of the 1950s. By the
middle of the decade, the NFL once again felt the squeeze of
competition as the Canadian
Football League was attempting to gain
popularity by signing big-name college stars from the United States.
In order to combat the threat, the NFL held early drafts from
1956-1959. The first four rounds of the drafts were held in late
November or early December and rounds 5-30 were held in January.
1957
The 1957 NFL season was
the 38th regular season of the National Football League.
Pete Rozelle was named
general manager of the Los Angeles Rams.
Sept.
29 - Horseshoes placed on the side of
Colts helmets for first time.
October
28 - Anthony J. Morabito, founder and
co-owner of the San Francisco 49ers, died of a heart attack during a
game against the Chicago Bears at Kezar Stadium.
November 10
- An NFL-record crowd of 102,368 saw the 49ers at Rams game in the
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
November 24
- Cleveland rookie Jim Brown rushes for an NFL record 237 yards and
four touchdowns to lead the Browns to a 45-31 victory over the Los
Angeles Rams.
The NFL Most Valuable Player Award As awarded by the
Associated Press
Is awarded toRunning
Back, Jim Brown of the Cleveland Browns
1957 PLAYOFFS Home team in capitals
Western Conference Playoff Game
December 22
- The Detroit Lions came from 20 points down to post a 31-27 playoff
victory over the San Francisco 49ers
December 29
- The season ended when the Detroit Lions crushed the Cleveland
Browns 59-14 in the 1957NFL
Championship Game.
Major rule changes
During sudden-death
overtime, rules for time outs is the same as in a regular game,
including the last two minutes of the second and third quarters.
1958
The 1958 NFL season was
the 39th regular season of the National Football League.
January 29
- The idea of the bonus
pick, which began in 1947, ran full
cycle and was abandoned after the 1958 draft.
By that time, each team
in the league had been awarded the first overall pick in the annual
draft, and teams resumed picking in reverse order of league standing.
The last selection
was quarterback King Hill of Rice by the Chicago Cardinals.
Halas reinstated himself
again as coach of the Chicago Bears. George Halas coached the Bears at four
different times (1920-1929 - 1933-1942 -
1946-1955 - 1958-1967)
Jim Brown of the
Cleveland Browns gained an NFL-record 1,527 yards rushing. In a
divisional playoff game, the Giants held Brown to eight yards and
defeated Cleveland 10-0.
Lamar Hunt (son
and heir of Texas oilman H. L. Hunt)
attempted to bring an NFL franchise to his hometown of Dallas but was
rejected by the league.
1958 PLAYOFFS Home team in capitals
Eastern Conference
Playoff Game
N.Y. GIANTS 10, Cleveland 0
1958 NFL Championship Game
First Overtime NFL Championship
December 28
- The Baltimore Colts, coached by Weeb Ewbank,
defeated the New York Giants 23-17 in the first sudden-death
overtime in an NFL Championship Game,
winning the colts first NFL title.
The game ended when Colts
fullback Alan Ameche scored on a one-yard touchdown run after 8:15 of overtime.
The game would be known
to American football fans as
"The
Greatest Game Ever Played".
The 1959 NFL season was
the 40th regular season of the National Football League.
January 28
- Vince Lombardi was named head coach of the Green Bay Packers.
First Blimp
CBS director Frank
Chirkinian convinces the president of CBS Sports to pay $3,000 to put
a camera in a blimp hovering over the Orange Bowl college game in
Miami. Blimps and football games have gone together like mustard on
hot dogs ever since.
Tim Mara, the co-founder
of the New York Giants, died, February 17.
Intentions of The AFL
A second attempt to
bring an NFL franchise to his hometown of Dallas was also
unsuccessful. Lamar Hunt (son and heir of Texas oilman H. L. Hunt)
was advised by league officials to contact the owners of the Chicago
Cardinals, who offered to sell Hunt a 20 percent stake in the team.
Hunt rejected the
offer, and it was then that he began to envision not just a new team
in the NFL, but an entirely new league that was to drastically change
the face of pro football forever.
Lamar Hunt, who founded
the American Football League with six original cities - Dallas, New
York, Houston, Denver, Los Angeles and Minneapolis (Oakland
replaced Minneapolis).
October 28
- Ralph C. Wilson was awarded an AFL francise
November 16
- Boston was granted an AFL francise
Lamar Hunt was the
cornerstone, the integrity of the league. Without him, there would
have been no AFL.
Hunt announced his
intentions to form a second pro football league.
The first meeting was
held in Chicago, August 14,
and consisted of Hunt representing Dallas; Bob Howsam, Denver; K.S. (Bud)
Adams, Houston; Barron Hilton, Los Angeles; Max Winter and Bill
Boyer, Minneapolis; and Harry Wismer, New York City. They made plans
to begin play in 1960.
The new league was
named the American Football League, August
22.
Hunt named his team the
Dallas Texans (now Kansas City
Chiefs ) and
hired Hank Stram, an assistant coach at the University of Miami,
Florida, as his head coach.
Located in his
hometown, Lamar Hunt would face direct competition from
the NFL's newest
expansion team, the Dallas Cowboys.
August 3
- Franchise Owner-President K. S. "Bud" Adams Jr. ,
announces Houston's entry into the American Football League.
Adams hires Lou Rymkus
to coach his team in Houston known as the Oilers later to be known
as today's Tennessee Titans.
Adams names the team
Oilers - "for
sentimental and social reasons, in that it is the largest part of the
economy and workforce in Texas, as many cities were found on oil."
August 14,
Bob Howsam, a successful minor league baseball owner who built Bears
Stadium in the 1940s, was awarded an AFL charter franchise to be
named The Denver Broncos.
Severely limited
financially, Howsam clothed his first team in used uniforms from the
defunct Copper Bowl in Tucson, Ariz. Making the uniforms particularly
joke-worthy were the vertically-striped socks that completed the
Broncos' dress. Two years later,
when Jack Faulkner took over as head coach and general manager, the
socks were destroyed in a public burning ceremony.
Also on August
14, Barron Hilton, a 32-year-old
hotel executive, was awarded an AFL charter franchise for Los Angeles.
Barron Hilton agreed
after his general manager, Frank Ready picked the Chargers name when
he purchased an AFL franchise for Los Angeles. "I liked it
because they were yelling 'charge' and sounding the bugle at Dodgers
Stadium and at USC games." (now San Diego Chargers)
October 28,
The Buffalo Bills began their pro football life as the seventh team
to be admitted to the new American Football League. The franchise was
awarded to Ralph C. Wilson.
August 14 -
Charter franchise granted to New York and Harry Wismer in November
to be known as The New York Titans. (now New York Jets ) VERIFY DATES
Receiver Don Maynard, a
future Hall of Famer, was the 1st player to sign with the New York Titans.
November 16
- Professional football arrived in New England when a group of local
businessmen, led by former public relations executive William
H.Sullivan, Jr. was awarded the eighth and final franchise in the new
American Football League to be called The Boston Patriots. (Now The New England Patriots)
November 22
- The first AFL draft, lasting 33 rounds, was held
November 30
- Joe Foss was named AFL Commissioner, .
December 2
- An additional draft of 20 rounds was held by the AFL
The AFL is formally
organized with the charter members:
EASTERN DIVISION
Boston Patriots
Buffalo Bills
Houston Oilers (to be
known as today's Tennessee Titans)
New York Titans
WESTERN DIVISION
Dallas Texans
Denver Broncos
Los Angeles Chargers
In November,
Minneapolis owner Max Winter announced his intent to leave the AFL in
order to accept a franchise offer from the NFL. January 27th(1960),
The Minneapolis franchise formally withdrew from the AFL and was
replaced on January 30(1960)
by one in Oakland, California, owned by a group of local investors
headed by Chet Soda.
October 11
- tragedy
struck as NFL Commissioner Bert Bell died of a heart attack suffered
at Franklin Field, Philadelphia, during the last two minutes of a
game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
League Treasurer
Austin Gunsel was named interim commissioner for the rest of the season.
NFL treasurer Austin
Gunsel served as president in the office of commissioner following
the death of Bell (Oct. 11, 1959) until the election of Rozelle (Jan.
26, 1960).
December 27
- The season ended when the Baltimore Colts
defeated the New York Giants for the second year in a row, 31-16 in
the 1959 NFL Championship Game
at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland .
1960
The 1960 NFL season was
the 41st regular season of the National Football League.
January 26
- Before the season, Pete Rozelle was elected NFL Commissioner as a
compromise choice on the twenty-third ballot. Rozelle moved the
league offices to New York City.
The American
Football League (AFL) is established
The American
Football League, or AFL,
was a professional
league of American football which operated from 1960 to 1969.
There were three
earlier, unrelated, and unsuccessful football leagues with the name
of "American Football League",
On August
14, 1959, Seeing that a profit could
be made from professional football, at the call of Dallas businessman
Lamar Hunt, a new professional football league to be called the
American Football League (AFL) was organized to begin play as a rival
to the NFL. Hunt was elected AFL president January
26.
The whole idea
seemed so far-fetched, even after AFL teams started playing, that the
team owners became known as the "Foolish Club."
Almost every element
that makes pro football the world's most popular sport that it is
today can be traced to the American Football League and the huge
changes its presence eventually brought to the sport.
AFL Charter memberships included
Boston Patriots
(to be known as today's New
England Patriots)
Buffalo Bills
Houston Oilers
(to be known as today's Tennessee Titans)
New York Titans
(to be known as today's New
York Jets)
Dallas Texans
Denver Broncos
Los Angeles Chargers
Kansas City Chiefs
*Oakland Raiders *Minneapolis
*January
27th, The Minneapolis franchise
formally withdrew from the AFL and was replaced on January
30 by one in Oakland, California,
owned by a group of local investors headed by Chet Soda.
The American Football
League was formally organized on August 14,
1959. However, the Oakland Raiders did not become the eighth member
of the new league until January 1960, when they were selected as a
replacement for the Minneapolis franchise, which defected to the NFL.
The Oakland Raiders
signed Tom Flores as starting quarterback. Flores became the first
Hispanic quarterback in professional football.
January 1
- The Houston Oilers (to
be known as today's Tennessee Titans)
signed No. 1 draft pick Billy Cannon of Louisianna State
January 28
- Minneapolis was given an NFL franchise for Minnesota which is later
named the Minnesota Vikings and begins play in the Western Conference
in 1961
The two leagues
fought bitterly for players, media attention, and profits. Standouts
in the new league such as Jack Kemp, Lance Alworth, and Joe Namath
helped the AFL establish itself on par with the NFL.
The NFL and AFL
battled each other throughout much of the 1960's. Helping to fuel the
war was stiff competition to sign key players from the college draft.
Starting in 1960, the NFL
held a secret early draft to beat the AFL in signing players. Secrecy
served as the norm throughout the first half of the decade,
highlighted by the common practice of “kidnapping”
prospects. Often times, teams would
hold players in hotels until they were drafted, thereby increasing
the chance that their league would sign them.
June 9
- The AFL signed a five-year television contract with ABC
The AFL begins
league play
The AFL began
regular-season play on Friday, September
9 (a night game)
The Denver Broncos
defeated the Boston Patriots 13-10 before 21,597 at Boston in the
first AFL regular-season game,
September 9.
The Houston Oilers (to
be known as today's Tennessee Titans)
became the first-ever league champions, defeating the Chargers 24-16
in the AFL Championship Game on January 1
Attendance for the 1960
season was respectable for a new league, but
not nearly that of the NFL. Whereas
the more popular NFL teams in 1960 regularly saw attendance figures
of 50,000+, AFL attendance generally
hovered between 10-20,000.
With the low attendance
came financial losses. The Raiders, for instance, lost $500,000 in
their first year. In an early sign of stability, however, the AFL did
not lose any teams after its first year of operation.
However, all was not
peace and tranquility in The New Afl and Dallas. January 28 -
The rival National Football League had placed a team, the Dallas
Cowboys, to compete with the Texans. The fans were torn
between two camps- the Texans and the Cowboys.
Meanwhile, the NFL
franchise expanded to 13 teams with the addition of the Dallas
Cowboys to begin play in the Eastern Conference.
March 13th
- Chicago Cardinals became St Louis Cardinals
The NFL owners voted to
allow the transfer of the Chicago Cardinals. The Cardinals relocated
from Chicago, Illinois to Saint Louis, Missouri, becoming the St.
Louis "football" Cardinals to distinguish itself from the
major league baseball team of the same name.
The (NFL)
Baltimore Colts organized the first professional cheerleading squad
in history. Up until then, high school squads were used on the
sidelines to promote spirit.
Later on in the 1960's,
The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders created a pure pom-pom
"Broadway-style" dance entertainment for the crowds.
The Philadelphia Eagles
defeated the Green Bay Packers 17-13 in the 1960
NFL Championship Game,
December 26 at Franklin Field ,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Nevertheless, the
game signaled the rise of the Green Bay franchise under head coach
Vince Lombardi. An intimidating and motivating individual, Lombardi
led Green Bay to the NFL title the following year and added two more
NFL championships in 1962 and 1965.
Hall of Fame halfback
Paul Hornung scored an incredible 176 points during the 1960 National
Football League Season. Although the mark has been challenged a few
times in the past decade, it still holds up today. Making the amount
of points even more impressive is that he achieved the total during a
12-game schedule.
“In all these
years, when I look back on the record,” he commented, “the
one thing I’m always proud of is that my record was in 12 games
and it hasn’t been broken even in the 16-game season.”
Johnny Unitas compiled a
string of 47 straight games in which he threw at least one touchdown
pass which is referred to as pro football's "unbreakable" record.
December 11 - Unitas
failed to throw a touchdown pass in a 10-3 loss at Los Angeles,
snapping his NFL record streak of 47 consecutive games with a scoring toss.
Shotgun Formation
49ers head coach Red
Hickey introduced the shotgun formation on November
27, 1960 in a game against the
Baltimore Colts. Hickey knew the Colts had a terrific pass rush, so
in preparing for the game he had his quarterbacks practice taking
snaps seven yards deep rather than from under center. This, he
reasoned, would not only give his quarterbacks more time to spot
receivers, but also cause the Colts to rethink their defensive
alignment. He was right on both accounts.
The result was a stunning
30-22 upset of the heavily-favored Colts
Major rule changes
January 28
- The AFL adopted the two-point option on points after touchdown.
February 9
- A no-tampering verbal pact, relative to players' contracts, was
agreed to between the NFL and AFL
1961
The 1961 NFL season was
the 42th regular season of the National Football League.
NFL regular season became
14 games
Canton, Ohio, where the
league that became the NFL was formed in 1920, was chosen as the site
of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, April 27.
Dick McCann, a former
Redskins executive, was named executive director.
The league expanded to 14
teams with the addition of the Minnesota Vikings, after the team's
owners declined to be charter members of the new American Football League.
January 14,
End Willard Dewveall of the Chicago Bears played out his option and
joined the Houston Oilers (to
be known as today's Tennessee Titans),
thus becoming the first NFL player to defect to the AFL.
The AFL approves
expansion into Atlanta for 1961
The AFL approves
expansion into Chicago for 1961
Ed McGah, Wayne Valley,
and Robert Osborne bought out their partners in the ownership of the
Raiders, January 17.
February 10
- Los Angeles Chargers became San Diego Chargers
The Los Angeles
Chargers move to San Diego.
Even though they won
the AFL Western division championship in 1960, the Los Angeles
Chargers received meager fan support so Hilton, buoyed by the
encouragement of San Diego sports editor Jack Murphy, moved his team
120 miles south to San Diego in 1961. Historic Balboa Stadium was
expanded to 34,000 capacity to accommodate the Chargers. In San
Diego, the Chargers, spurred by coach Sid Gillman, developed into one
of the true glamour teams of any decade. Gillman's first teams were
high-scoring, crowd-pleasing juggernauts that won divisional
championships five of the AFL's first six years and the AFL title
with a 51-10 win over Boston in 1963.
March 22
- Dave R. Jones sold the Cleveland Browns to a group headed by Arthur
B. Modell for a record sum of $4 million dollars.
Coach Paul Brown
received a new 8 year contract
April 5 - NBC
was awarded a two-year contract for radio and television rights to
the NFL Championship Game for $615,000 annually, $300,000 of which
was to go directly into the NFL Player Benefit Plan,
May 26
- The
Howsam brothers sold the Broncos to a group headed by Calvin Kunz and
Gerry Phipps,
September 30
- A bill legalizing single-network television contracts by
professional sports leagues was introduced in Congress by
Representative Emanuel Celler. It passed the House and Senate and was
signed into law by President John F. Kennedy
November 19
- Cleveland running back Jim Brown rushes for an NFL record 242 yards
and four touchdowns as the Browns beat the Philadelphia Eagles 45-24.
Minneapolis began play
in the NFL, where it took the name Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings'
lack of success ever since is referred to as "the curse of
the AFL".
While some teams (such
as the Oilers) found instant success in the AFL, others were not
as fortunate. The Oakland Raiders and New York Titans struggled on
and off the field during their first few seasons in the league.
Oakland's eight-man ownership group was reduced to just three in
1961, after heavy financial losses their first season. Attendance for
home games was poor, partly due to the fact that the team was playing
in the San Francisco Bay Area, which already had an established NFL
team (the San Francisco 49ers). The product on the field was also to
blame. After winning six games their debut season, the Raiders won
just three times combined in the 1962 and 1963 seasons.
With the Tennessee
Titans off to a 1-3-1 start, Wally Lemm replaced Coach Lou Rymkus,
who had led the team to the AFL title a year earlier.
December 20 - The webmaster
of this site was born
Detroit Lions defeated the
Cleveland Browns17-16 in the first Playoff
Bowl, or Bert Bell Benefit Bowl, between second-place teams in each
conference in Miami, January 7.
The season ended when the
Green Bay Packers won their first NFL championship since 1944,
defeating the New York Giants 37-0 in the
1961 NFL Championship Gameat
City Stadium, Green Bay, Wisconsin, December
31
January 1
- The Houston Oilers (to
be known as today's Tennessee Titans)
defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 24-16 before 32,183 fans
in the first AFL Championship Game.
Billy Cannon is named
the game's Most Valuable Player.
1962
The 1962 NFL season was
the 43rd regular season of the National Football League.
January 10.-
Before the season, The NFL entered into a single-network agreement
with CBS for telecasting all regular-season games for $4.65 million annually
May 21
- Judge Roszel Thompson of the U.S. District Court in Baltimore ruled
against the AFL in its antitrust suit against the NFL. The AFL had
charged the NFL with monopoly and conspiracy in areas of expansion,
television, and player signings. The case lasted two and a half
years, the trial two months.
May 24
- McGah and Valley acquired controlling interest in the Oakland Raiders.
October 28 -
New York Giants quarterback Y.A. Tittle completes 27 of 39 passes
for 505 yards and a record-tying seven touchdown passes in the New
York Giants' 49-34 victory over Washington Redskins at Yankee Stadium.
The New York Titans (later
be known as New York Jets)
fared a little better on the field but had their own financial
troubles. Attendance was so low for home games that fans were moved
to seats closer to the field to give the illusion of a fuller stadium
on television. Things got so bad that owner Harry Wisner was unable
to meet his payroll, and on November 8,
1962 the AFL took over operations of the team.
November 8 -The
AFL assumed financial responsibility for the New York Titans.
After winning 4
AAFC titles, The Browns quickly won 3
in the NFL. All 7 of the titles came with Paul Brown running the
organization. The legendary coach was pushed out after the 1962
season when he and new owner Art Modell clashed over control issues.
The Buffalo Bills had
their first winning sesaon,
fininshing 7-6-1.
Ernie
Davis became the first African-American selected first overall in an
NFL draft.
The Washington
Redskins drafted Davis in 1962 and traded his rights to the Cleveland Browns.
Tragically, Davis died of
leukemia before ever getting to showcase his talents in the NFL.
With Commissioner
Rozelle as referee, Daniel F. Reeves regained the ownership of the
Rams, outbidding his partners in sealed-envelope bidding for the
team, November 27.
The Dallas Texans
defeated the Houston Oilers (to
be known as today's Tennessee Titans)
20-17 for the 1962 AFL championship
at Houston after 17 minutes, 54 seconds of overtime on a 25-yard
field goal by Tommy Brooker, December 23.
The game lasted a
record 77 minutes, 54 seconds.
January 7
- The Western Division defeats the Eastern Division 47-27 in the
first AFL All-Star Game played before 20,973 in San Diego.
Judge Edward Weinfeld of
the U.S. District Court in New York City upheld the legality of the
NFL's television blackout within a 75-mile radius of home games and
denied an injunction that would have forced the championship game
between the Giants and the Packers to be televised in the New York
City area, December 28.
The season ended when the
Green Bay Packers defeated the New York Giants 16-7 in the 1962
NFL Championship Gameat
Yankee Stadium, New York City, December
30
Major rule changes
Both leagues prohibited
grabbing any player's facemask.
The
AFL voted to make the scoreboard clock the official timer of the game.
1963
The 1963 NFL season was
the 44th regular season of the National Football League.
NFL Properties, Inc., was
founded to serve as the licensing arm of the NFL.
On April
17, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle
indefinitely suspended Green Bay Packers running back Paul Hornung
and Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alex Karras for gambling on their
own teams, as well as other NFL games. In addition, five other
Detroit players were fined $2000 each for placing bets on one game in
which they did not participate in.
The Detroit Lions
Football Company was also fined $2,000 on each of two counts for
failure to report information promptly and for lack of sideline supervision.
Paul Brown, head coach
of the Cleveland Browns since their inception, was fired with 6 years
remaining in his contract and replaced by Blanton Collier.
Al Davis became Head
Coah for the Oakland Raiders replacing Red Conkright. Davis was
awarded AFL Coach of The Year.
Al Davis has since
become The Raiders owner To become inducted into The Hall of Fame in 1992
Don Shula replaced Weeb
Ewbank as head coach of the Baltimore Colts.
Dallas Texans became
Kansas City Chiefs
The Dallas Texans
became the second AFL team to relocate. Lamar Hunt felt that despite
winning the league championship in 1962, the Texans could not succeed
financially in the same market as the NFL
Dallas Cowboys. After meetings with
Atlanta and Miami, Hunt decided on Kansas City as the new home for
his team. On May 22
Hunt announced the move, and the team was christened the Kansas City
Chiefs on May 26.
March
28 - New
York Titans became New York Jets
In spite of it all, the
New York Titans had reasonable success on the field but they were a
box office disaster.
A five-man syndicate
headed by David (Sonny)
Werblin, purchased the bankrupt franchise for $1,000,000.
The team's name was
changed to the New York JetsApril
15 and hired Weeb Ewbank as head coach.
The Jets moved from the
antiquated Polo Grounds to newly-constructed Shea Stadium, where the
Jets set an AFL attendance mark of 45,665 in the season opener
against the Denver Broncos.
May 11
- The AFL allowed the Jets and Raiders to select players from other
franchises in hopes of giving the league more competitive balance.
May 23
- NBC was awarded exclusive network broadcasting rights for the 1963
AFL Championship Game for $926,000.
September 7
- The Pro Football Hall of Fame was dedicated at Canton, Ohio
The 19,000-square-foot,
two-building Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio is officially opened.
The Hall's charter class
of 17 enshrinees are inducted:
Sammy Baugh
Bert Bell
Joe Carr
Dutch Clark
Harold "Red" Grange
George Halas
Mel Hein
Wilbur "Pete" Henry
Cal Hubbard
Don Hutson
Curly Lambeau
Tim Mara
George Preston Marshall
John "Blood" McNally
Bronko Nagurski
Ernie Nevers
Jim Thorpe.
The U.S. Fourth Circuit
Court of Appeals reaffirmed the lower court's finding for the NFL in
the $10-million suit brought by the AFL, ending three and a half
years of litigation, November 21.
On November
24th, just two days after the
assassination of President Kennedy, the NFL played its normal
schedule of games, to much criticism.
December 28
The Boston Patriots
defeated Buffalo Bills 26-8 in the first divisional playoff game in
AFL history,
Jim Brown of Cleveland
rushed for an NFL single-season record 1,863 yards.
Instant Replay
For the first time, CBS
uses instant replay to let fans review the action during the December.
7 telecast of an Army-Navy game.
NFL Championship Game
The season ended when the
Chicago Bears defeated the New York Giants in the NFL Championship Game.
December 29
- Chicago 14, New York 10 at Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois
December 29
- The Bears defeated the Giants 14-10 in the NFL Championship Game, a
record sixth and last title for Halas in his thirty-sixth season as
the Bears' coach.
1964
The 1964 NFL season was
the 45th regular season of the National Football League.
Before the season
started, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle reinstated Green Bay Packers
running back Paul Hornung and Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alex
Karras March 16, who had been suspended for the 1963 season due to gambling.
Instant replay on CBS
becomes a standard for NFL broadcasts.
January 10 -
William Clay Ford, the Detroit Lions' president since 1961,
purchased the team.
With Dallas Cowboys Head
coach original 5 year contract about to expire, coach Tom Landry was
given a 10 year contract despite failing to post a winning record.
January 21
- A group representing the late James P. Clark sold the Eagles to a
group headed by Jerry Wolman
January 23
- Carroll Rosenbloom, the majority owner of the Colts since 1953,
acquired complete ownership of the team
On January
29 the AFL league signed a lucrative
five-year, $36 million television contract with NBC, to start in the
1965 season. This gave the league money it desperately needed to
compete with the NFL for talent.
March 5
- Commissioner Rozelle negotiated an agreement on behalf of the NFL
clubs to purchase Ed Sabol's Blair Motion Pictures, which was renamed
NFL Films
April 17
- CBS submitted the winning bid of $14.1 million per year for the NFL
regular-season television rights for 1964 and 1965, January 24. CBS
acquired the rights to the championship games for 1964 and 1965 for
$1.8 million per game.
October 25 - (Minnesota
Vikings vs. San Francisco 49ers) Vikings defensive end Jim
Marshall picks up a fumble but accidentally runs 66 yards the wrong
way, scoring a safety for the 49ers before he realizes his mistake.
Fortunately for Marshall, the Vikings prevailed, 27-22.
November 15
- Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson fumbles a record seven
times against The San Diego Chargers.
Pete Gogolak of Cornell
signed a contract with the Buffalo Bills, becoming the first
soccer-style kicker in pro football.
The New York Jets used
their first draft pick to select Ohio State running back Matt Snell.
December 26
- Buffalo Bills defeated The San Diego Chargers, 20-7 in the AFL
Championship Game, giving the Bills their first title.
The NFL season ended when
The Cleveland Browns won the Eastern Conference title game 52-20 over
the New York Giants
and
defeated the Baltimore
Colts 27-0 in the NFL Championship Game, December 27 at Cleveland
Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
1965
The 1965 NFL season was
the 46th regular season of the National Football League.
According to a Harris
survey, sports fans chose professional football (41 percent) as their
favorite sport, overtaking baseball (38 percent) for the first time.
January 22
- New York Giants quartrback Y.A. Tittle announced his retirement.
February 15 - The
NFL teams pledged not to sign college seniors until completion of
all their games, including bowl games, and empowered the Commissioner
to discipline the clubs up to as much as the loss of an entire draft
list for a violation of the pledge
For years groups had no
success trying to lure an existing franchise to the large, untapped
southeastern market.
Finally on June 30
- Atlanta was awarded an NFL franchise named The Atlanta Falcons to
begin play in the Eastern Conference in 1966 with Insurance Executive
Rankin Smith, Sr. as owner.
Smith paid $8.5 million
to join the league.
The Falcons first coach
was Norb Hecker, who had served on Vince Lombardi's staff with The
Greenbay Packers.
The AFL expanded to
nine teams August 16 when Minneapolis attorney Joseph Robbie and
television star Danny Thomas were awarded a franchise on August 16
for a fee of $7.5 million. Their team, named the Dolphins by contest,
starts play in the AFL's East division in 1966. Joseph Joe Robbie was
an American lawyer and entrepreneur - Danny Thomaswas
an American nightclub comedian and television and film actor of
Lebanese Maronite descent.
Former Cleveland Browns
Coach Paul Brown began exploring the possibillity of a second pro
football francise in Ohio, after Brown helped found The Cleveland
Browns, only to be pushed out of the francise he'd pretty much created.
September 19 - Field
Judge Burl Toler became the first black (African-American)
official in NFL history,
September 26
- Baltimore Colts running back Lenny Moore failed to score a
touchdown vs. The Green Bay Packers, ending his record streak of 18
straight games with a touchdown.
November 21
- An overflow crowd of 76,251 jams the Cotton Bowl, giving Dallas its
first home sellout. The Browns beat the Cowboys 24-17.
December 26
- In the AFL Championship Game, the Bills again defeated the
Chargers, 23-0, .
December 29
- CBS acquired the rights to the NFL regular-season games in 1966 and
1967, with an option for 1968, for $18.8 million per year.
Because the Green Bay
Packers and Baltimore Colts ended up tied in the Western Conference
standings after the regular season ended, a conference playoff game
was held in Green Bay. Although a single championship game between
conference winners was the current format for the league.
The 1965 Playoff Bowl (a consolation game between the second place
team from each conference)
took place on January
9, 1966. The Colts
defeated the Dallas Cowboys,
35-3.
In the 1965 Western Conferenceplayoff
game,
neither Bart Starr nor Johnny Unitas (nor the Colt's reserve Gary Cuozzo) played
in the game.
Green Bay defeated
Baltimore 13-10 in sudden-death overtime when Chandler kicked a
25-yard field goal for the Packers after 13 minutes, 39 seconds of
overtime, December 26, 1965 at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
The Packers went on to
defeat the Cleveland Browns 23-12 in the 1965 NFL Championship Game
at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin January
2, 1966. reckoned as part of the 1965 NFL season The last before the
Super Bowl era.
Major rule changes
February 19
A sixth official, the
Line Judge, is added to the officiating crew. This change is
sometimes referred to as the "Fran Tarkenton Rule" after
the Minnesota Vikings quarterback, who developed the nickname
scrambler as he ran around the backfield to avoid being sacked by the
opposition. With the Line Judge stationed on the line of scrimmage
opposite the Head Linesman, it made it easier for the officials to
judge whether or not Tarkenton or any mobile quarterback crossed over
the line before throwing the ball.
April 5.
The color of the
officials' penalty flags was changed from white to bright gold.
Meanwhile, the NFL's war
with the rival AFL began to increase as the two leagues competed for
the top players coming out of college.
Prior to the season, both
the NFL's Chicago Bears and the AFL's Kansas City Chiefs selected
running back Gale Sayers in their respective league drafts. Sayers
eventually decided to sign with the NFL's Bears in a victory for the
established league.
A similar situation
occurred when the St. Louis Cardinals (NFL)
and New York Jets (AFL) both drafted University of Alabama
quarterback Joe Namath. But this time the AFL emerged the victor. On January
2, Namath signed a $427,000 contract
with the Jets.
It was the highest
amount of money ever paid to a collegiate football player. The
signing was important not just for the Jets (one of the worst
teams in the league)
but for the AFL as well.
This small victory for
the AFL would lead to an even bigger one several years later when "Broadway"
Joe took the Jets to victory in Super
Bowl III.
This war between the AFL
and the NFL would escalate until just before the 1966 season, when
they would agree to merge and create a new AFL-NFL
World Championship Game between the winners of the two leagues.
1966
The 1966 NFL season was
the 47th regular season of the National Football League.
First year of Super Bowl
(actually played in January 1967)
The league expanded to 15
teams with the addition of the Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins.
This was the last season that the NFL had just two divisions, and
that the conference champions went directly to the NFL Championship
Game without playing in playoff games.
November 1
- (which happens to be All Saints Day)
New Orleans was awarded an NFL franchise, to be later named the
New Orleans Saints and to begin play in the Eastern Conference in 1967.
John Mecom, Jr., of
Houston was designated majority stockholder and president of the
franchise, December 15.
The sports world was
rocked when Hall of Fame fullback Jim Brown announced his retirement.
Jim Brown, arguably the
greatest runner in league history, shocked the sports world when he
announced his retirement from pro football. The Hall of Fame fullback
declared his intentions during a brief and hurriedly arranged press
conference while on location for the filming of the movie, The Dirty
Dozen, in which he starred. “It was the right
time to retire,” he commented the following day as he
addressed the media. “You should get out on top.”
Indeed, Brown was on top
of the football world. His combination of speed and sheer power made
him one of the most feared players of his era.
The St. Louis Cardinals
moved into newly constructed Busch Memorial Stadium.
February 1
- Buddy Young became the first black (African-American) to
work in the league office when Commissioner Rozelle named him
director of player relations.
February 14.
- The rights to the 1966 and 1967 NFL Championship Games were sold
to CBS for $2 million per game
Cincinnati leaders
approved construction of a new multi-purpose stadium to open in 1970
August 25 -Barron
Hilton sold the Chargers to a group headed by Eugene Klein and Sam Schulman,
September 18
- Baltimore Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas throws four touchdown
passes to surpass Y.A. Tittle as the NFL's career leader with 212. He
finished his career with 290 touchdown passes.
October 30 -
Baltimore Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas throws for 252 yards to
pass Y.A. Tittle (28,339 yards) as the NFL's all-time passing yards
leader. Unitas finished his career with 40,239 yards passing.
In the Miami Dolphins
first ever played game, Joe Auer returned the opening kickoff 95
yards for a touchdown.
November 27
- The Washington Redskins beat the New York Giants 72-41
in the highest-scoring game in league history. The Redskins' also
establish a new record for points by one team in a regular season game.
1966 saw the rivalry
between the AFL
and NFL reach an all-time peak.
On April
7 Joe Foss, the only commissioner
the AFL had ever known, resigned.
Al Davis, the
head coach and general manager of the Raiders, was named to replace
him, April 8.
Al Davis had been
instrumental in turning around the fortunes of the franchise. No
longer content with trying to outbid the NFL for talent, the AFL
under Davis actively started to recruit players already on NFL
squads. NFL players such as Mike Ditka, Roman Gabriel and John Brodie
were offered and/or signed to lucrative AFL contracts.
The same month Davis
was named commissioner,
(AFL) Kansas City
Chiefs owner, Lamar Hunt
and
(NFL) Dallas Cowboys
owner Tex Schramm
held a series of secret
meetings in Dallas to discuss their concerns over rapidly increasing
player salaries, as well as the practice of player poaching. Hunt and
Schramm completed the basic groundwork for a merger by the end of May.
On June
8, 1966 the merger was officially
announced by Rozelle. The NFL and AFL
effectively merge
with plans to go to a 2
conference 4 division setup in 1970 or after.
Thus, the AFL became
the first to successfully challenge the NFL in that league's history.
Some AFL fans had
wanted the AFL and the NFL to set up a joint organizational structure
like Major League Baseball where one entity operates two different
sports leagues.
Instead, the AFL gave
up its name and logo to join the older league, though the AFC logo
used up to today was inspired by the old AFL logo.
The NFL went on to adopt
many of the innovative elements
introduced by the AFL,
including names on
player jerseys, official scoreboard clocks and gate and revenue sharing.
The AFL's challenge to
the NFL also laid the groundwork for the Super Bowl, which has become
the standard for championship contests.
The AFL-NFL merger agreement
Under the agreement
The two leagues would
combine to form an expanded league with 24 teams, which would be
increased to 26 teams by 1969, and to 28 teams by 1970 or soon thereafter.
All existing teams would
be retained, and none of them would be moved outside of their
metropolitan areas.
While maintaining
separate schedules through 1969, the leagues agreed to play an annual
AFL-NFL World Championship Game beginning in January, 1967.
The two leagues would
officially merge in 1970 to form one league with two conferences.
To hold a combined
draft, also beginning in 1967.
The draft became the battleground for a war
between the National Football League and American Football League.
The rival leagues held separate drafts through 1966 before holding
joint drafts from 1967-1969.
When the leagues merged at the end of the decade,
the draft rivalry was over,
and a new rivalry,
the Super Bowl,
had begun.
Preseason games would be
held between teams of each league starting in 1967.
Official regular-season
play would start in 1970 when the two leagues would officially merge
to form one league with two conferences.
NFL commissioner Pete
Rozelle would remain as commissioner of the merged league.
The AFL also agreed to
pay indemnities of $18 million to the NFL over 20 years.
In protest, Davis
resigned as AFL commissioner on July 25
rather than remain until the completion of the merger.
October 21
- Congress approved the AFL-NFL merger, passing legislation exempting
the agreement itself from antitrust action
The NFL was realigned for
the 1967-69 seasons into the Capitol and Century Divisions in the
Eastern Conference and the Central and Coastal Divisions in the
Western Conference, December 2. New Orleans and the New York Giants
agreed to switch divisions in 1968 and return to the 1967 alignment
in 1969.
Atlanta is moved to the
Western Conference. For the 1967 season,
The AFL-NFL war reached
its peak, as the leagues spent a combined $7 million to sign their
1966 draft choices. The NFL signed 75 percent of its 232 draftees, the
AFL 46 percent of its 181. Of the 111
common draft choices, 79 signed with the NFL, 28
with the AFL, and 4 went unsigned.
This was seventh season
for the Dallas Cowboys and their first winning record since entering
the league in 1960. They were champions of the NFL's Eastern
Conference with a 10-3-1 record.
The Packers won the
Western Conference with a 12-2 record, their eighth consecutive
winning season under head coach Vince Lombardi.
1966 - 1967
SUPER BOWL I
Green Bay (NFL) 35, Kansas
City (AFL) 10
The first ever AFL-NFL
World Championship Game in professional American football, later to
be known as Super Bowl I, was played on January 15, 1967 at the Los
Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California.
The National Football
League (NFL) champion Green Bay Packers scored 3 second-half
touchdowns en route to a 35–10 win over
the American Football League (AFL) champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Green Bay quarterback
Bart Starr earned the very first Super Bowl MVP in NFL history by
throwing 16 of 23 for 250 yards and two touchdowns, with 1 interception.
The first Super Bowl
witnessed the first dual-network, color-coverage simulcast of a
sports event in history, and attracted the largest viewership to ever
see a sporting event up to that time. The Nielsen rating indicated
that 73 million fans watched all or part of the game on one of the
two networks, CBS or NBC.
In actuality, the game
was a contest between the two leagues and the two networks.
CBS' allegiance was to
the NFL.
NBC's loyalty was to
the AFL a league it had virtually created with its
network dollars.
Currently, there is no known complete videotape of either the CBS or
the NBC telecast of the game, as both networks eventually taped over
their copies. Television and sports archivists remain on the lookout. (At least one small sample of the telecast survives, recording Max
McGee's opening touchdown.)
Due to NBC not being back in time from a halftime commercial break
for the start of the second half, the first kickoff was stopped by
the game's officials and was kicked again once NBC was back on the air.
The Green Bay Packers were each paid a
salary of $15,000 as the winning team.
The Chiefs were paid $7,500 each.
Since officials from the NFL and AFL wore different uniform designs,
a "neutral" uniform was designed for this game. These
uniforms had the familiar black and white stripes, but the sleeves
were all black with the official's uniform number. This design was
also worn in the next three Super Bowls, but was discontinued after
the 1970 AFL-NFL Merger (and thus before Super Bowl V) when
the AFL officials became part of the NFL's officiating staff
The 1966 National
Football League Championship Game determined the NFL's champion,
which would meet the AFL's champion
in Super Bowl I, then formally referred to as simply the first AFL-NFL
World Championship Game.
The NFL Championship Game
was held at the Cowboys' home stadium, the Cotton Bowl in Dallas,
even though the Green Bay Packers had a superior regular season record. Prior to the 1975 season, playoff sites were
determined on a rotational basis, rather than regular season records.
The 1966 National
Football League Championship Game was played on January
1, 1967,
the second consecutive
year that the NFL season ended in January, rather than December.
January 1
- Green Bay earned the right to represent the NFL in the first
AFL-NFL World Championship Game by defeating Dallas 34-27.
The same day, Kansas
City defeated Buffalo 31-7 to represent the AFL.
The NFL Green Bay Packers
then went on to beat the American
Football League's Kansas City Chiefs 35-10
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California
in the first annual AFL-NFL World
Championship Game -
later to be known as
Super Bowl I
Although the official
title of the game was the AFL-NFL
World Championship Game, media at the time almost always used the
then-unofficial name "Super Bowl."
Super Bowl I was the only
Super Bowl in history that was not a sellout in terms of attendance.
Because of this, the game was blacked out in the Los Angeles area.
Days before the game, local newspapers printed editorials about what
they viewed as an exorbitant $12 price for tickets, and wrote stories
about how to pirate the signal from TV stations outside the Los
Angeles area.
The entertainment of
Super Bowl I pales in comparison to the performances featured in the
Super Bowls of today. Instead of famous singers and musicians, the
marching bands of University of Arizona and University of Michigan
both performed the national anthem and during halftime.
Due to NBC not being back
in time from a halftime commercial break for the start of the second
half, the first kickoff was stopped by the game's officials and was
kicked again once NBC was back on the air.
Currently, there is no
known complete videotape of either the CBS or the NBC telecast of the
game, as both networks eventually taped over their copies. Television
and sports archivists remain on the lookout. (At least one small
sample of the telecast survives, recording Max McGee's opening touchdown.)
The Green Bay Packers
were each paid a salary of $15,000 as the winning team. The Chiefs
were paid $7,500 each
December 13
- The
rights to the Super Bowl for four years were sold to CBS and NBC for
$9.5 million,
Major rule changes
May 16 -
goal posts were standardized in the NFL. They were to be between 3 to
4 inches in diameter, painted bright yellow, with two non-curved
supports offset from the goal line, and uprights 20 feet above the crossbar. This new goal post
rule is often referred to as the "Don Chandler Rule", the
kicker for the Green Bay Packers. Although widely denied, the height
increase of the uprights was in reaction to the previous season's
Western Conference playoff game in Green Bay. Chandler kicked a high
27-yard field goal, near the upright, that tied the game with under
two minutes remaining. The game went to the fourteenth minute of
overtime when Chandler hit a 25-yard field goal (uncontroversial)
that finally defeated the Baltimore Colts.
In 1967, the new
"slingshot" goal post would be made standard, with one
curved support from the ground. In 1974, the goal posts would be
returned to the end line, and the uprights would be extended to 30
feet above the crossbar.
1967
The 1967 NFL season was
the 48th regular season of the National Football League.
New Orleans Saints began play
NFL split into two
conferences and four divisions
The league expanded to 16
teams with the addition of the New Orleans Saints. The league's teams
were realigned into four divisions: the Capitol and Century Divisions
in the Eastern Conference, and the Central and Coastal Divisions in
the Western Conference.
The conferences will be
set up as follows:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
AFL
Houston Oilers (to be
known as today's Tennessee Titans)
New York Jets
Miami Dolphins
Buffalo Bills
Boston Patriots
NFL
CAPITOL DIVISION
Dallas Cowboys
New Orleans Saints
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Redskins
CENTURY DIVISION
Cleveland Browns
New York Giants
Pittsburgh Steelers
St. Louis Cardinals
WESTERN CONFERENCE
AFL
Oakland Raiders
Kansas City Chiefs
San Diego Chargers
Denver Broncos
CENTRAL DIVISION
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
COSTAL DIVISION
Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore Colts
Los Angeles Rams
San Francisco 49ers
New York will move to the
Capitol Division for 1968, then back to the Century Division for
1969. Likewise, New Orleans will move to the Century Division for
1968, then back to the Capitol Division for 1969.
March 14 - The First
combined AFL-NFL draft,
Part of the merger
agreement that saw the NFL and AFL become one league was that the two
leagues would hold a joint draft beginning in 1967.
The first pick overall
was awarded to the expansion New Orleans Saints. The Saints traded
the pick to the Baltimore Colts in return for QB Gary Cuozzo, OL
Butch Allison, and a 17th-round pick in that year’s draft.
The Colts promptly tapped
Michigan State defensive tackle Charles “Bubba” Smith
as the number one pick overall.
May 24 - The
AFL awarded a franchise to begin play in 1968 to Cincinnati becoming
the second AFL expansion franchise. A group with Paul Brown as part
owner, general manager, and head coach, was awarded The Cincinnati
Bengals franchise.
The Bengals were the
tenth and final team to begin play as an AFL franchise. In a clear
indication of the success of the AFL, Paul Brown paid $10,000,000 for
the Bengals franchise-four hundred times more than the original AFL
franchise value of $25,000 only eight years earlier.
May 28
- Arthur B. Modell, the president of the Cleveland Browns, was
elected president of the NFL
August 5
- An AFL team defeated an NFL team for the first time, when The
Denver Broncos beat Detroit Lions
13-7 in a preseason game.
Also on this day,
Defensive back Emlen Tunnell of the New York Giants became the first
black (African-American)
player to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
December 24
- New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath passes for 343 yards in a
42-32 win at San Diego to become the first player to throw for 4,000
yards in a season (4,007).
The Jets finished 8-5-1
for their first winning season.
The Miami Dolphins made
Purdue quarterback Bob Griese their 1st round draft choice.
Oakland Raiders traded
starting quarterback Tom Flores to the Buffalo Bills.
The Baltimore Colts had
tied for the NFL's best record at 11-1-2, but were excluded from the
four team playoff after losing the divisional tiebreaker to the L.A.
Rams. The other three division winners had only nine victories.
Norm Van Brocklin
resigned as Minnesota Vikings coach and was replaced by Bud Grant (coach
of the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers).
Former NFL quarterback
Jim Finks became General Manager.
Los Angeles won the
Coastal Division based on better point differential in head-to-head
games (net 24 points) vs. Baltimore
Head Coach George Halas
of The Chicago Bears retired after 40 years with 324 victories.
Although George S. Halas
"officially" retired from the Bears after the 1967 football
season, he was far from done. He kept an office at Bears
headquarters, and took back over presidency of the team following his
son Mugs' untimely death in 1979.
Major rule changes
February 22
The "slingshot"
goalpost, with one curved support from the ground and offset behind
the crossbar, was made standard in the NFL. This replaced the
previous year's offset goalpost, which had two non-curved supports
from the ground. Before the introduction of the offset goalpost, the
supports were directly on the goal line.
A six-foot-wide border
around the field was also made standard in the league. Its outer edge
designates the closest that non-players can be to the field, and thus
enables the game officials to have a running lane to work in.
December 31
- The Oakland Raiders appeared in the playoffs for the first time,
beating the Houston Oilers 40-7 for the AFL Championship.
1967 PLAYOFFS
The NFL playoffs
following the 1967 NFL season determined who would represent the
league in Super Bowl II.
This was the first season
that the NFL used a four-team playoff tournament. The four division
winners advanced to the postseason.
Although the Baltimore
Colts (11-1-2) had tied for the best record in the league, they lost
the new division tie-breaker to the Los Angeles Rams and were
excluded from the playoffs.
Home field in the
playoffs was still determined by a yearly rotation. Seeding the
playoff teams by regular season records did not occur until the 1975
season. This is why the Rams (11-1-2) played a road game against the
Packers (9-4-1).
Conference championships
Eastern Conference
Dallas Cowboys 52,
Cleveland Browns 14
December 24, 1967 at
Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas
Western Conference
Green Bay Packers 28, Los
Angeles Rams 7
December 23, 1967 at Milwaukee County Stadium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
NFL championship
The NFL season concluded
on December 31, when the Green Bay Packers defeated the Dallas
Cowboys 21-17 in the 1967NFL Championship Game (in a game that would
be known as theIce
Bowl).
Green Bay Packers 21,
Dallas Cowboys 17
December 31, 1967 at
Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Two weeks later . . .
1967 - 1968
Super Bowl II
Green Bay (NFL) 33,
Oakland (AFL) 14 January 14, 1968
at the Orange Bowl in
Miami, Florida. Ending the 1967 NFL Season
The second AFL-NFL
World Championship Game.
Aided by kicker Don
Chandler's 4 field goals and defensive back Herb Adderly's 60-yard
interception return for a touchdown,
the National Football
League (NFL) champion Green Bay Packers
defeated
the American Football
League (AFL) champion Oakland Raiders, 33–14.
January 28
- This concluded Vince Lombardi's final game as the Packers' head
coach, however remained as general managerThe game had the first
$3-million gate in pro football history.
Green Bay
quarterback Bart Starr was named the Super Bowl MVP for the second
time for his 13 of 24 passing for 202 yards and one touchdown.
The game was broadcast in
the United States by CBS with Ray Scott handling the play-by-play
duties and color commentators Jack Kemp and Pat Summerall in the
broadcast booth. It was the first time a Super Bowl has been
televised live on only one network, which has been the case for all
following Super Bowl games. While the Orange Bowl was sold out for
the game, unconditional blackout rules in both leagues prevented the
live telecast from being shown in the Miami area.
The Grambling State
University Band performed both the national anthem and during the
halftime show.
Although the contest was
officially known as the AFL-NFL World Championship, its unofficial
name - the Super Bowl - was used in the media, the fans and the
players, and the name stuck.
One theory for how the
high flying name came about is that at an owner's meeting centered on
what to call the game, one of the moguls had a "super ball"
in his pocket that he had taken away from his youngster earlier in
the day. The owner was not too taken with the long and ordinary
sounding suggestions for what would become professional football's
ultimate game.
Squeezing the ball, he
suggested the name Super Bowl. His suggestion was not greeted with
much enthusiasm by the assembled group. Nevertheless, he mentioned
the name to a reporter who loved it and, as they say, the rest is history.
From the start there were
special features to the Super Bowl including its designation with a
Roman numeral rather than by a year.
A move on the part of NFL
Commissioner Pete Rozelle to give the contest a sense of class.
1968
The 1968 NFL season was
the 49th regular season of the National Football League.
Cincinnati Bengals
began play
As per the agreement made
during the
1967 realignment, the New Orleans
Saints and the New York Giants switched divisions; the Saints joined
the Century Division while the Giants became part of the Capitol Division.
The conferences will be
set up as follows:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
AFL
Houston Oilers (to be
known as today's Tennessee Titans)
New York Jets
Miami Dolphins
Buffalo Bills
Boston Patriots
NFL
CAPITOL DIVISION
Dallas Cowboys
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Redskins
New York Giants
CENTURY DIVISION
Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers
St. Louis Cardinals
New Orleans Saints
WESTERN CONFERENCE
AFL
Oakland Raiders
Kansas City Chiefs
San Diego Chargers
Denver Broncos
Cincinnati Bengals
CENTRAL DIVISION
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
COSTAL DIVISION
Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore Colts
Los Angeles Rams
San Francisco 49ers
The wishbone
formation was developed by Offensive Coordinator Emory Bellard and
Head Coach Darrell Royal at the University of Texas in 1968. Coach
Royal was always a fan of the option offense, and in looking at the
personnel on the team, Coach Bellard saw three great running backs.
After experimenting with family members over the summer, Coach
Bellard came up with the formation.
Coach Bellard
demonstrated the formation to Darrell Royal, who quickly embraced the
idea. It proved to be a wise choice: Texas tied its first game
running the new offense, lost the second, and then won the next
thirty straight games, leading to two National Championships using
the formation. Ironically, the longest running wishbone offense was
run not by Texas but by their great rival, the University of
Oklahoma, who ran variations of the wishbone into the mid 1990s.
It was given the name
wishbone by the Houston Chronicle sportswriter Mickey Herskowitz.
Werblin sold his shares
in the Jets to his partners Don Lillis, Leon Hess, Townsend Martin,
and Phil Iselin, May 21.
Lillis assumed the
presidency of the club, but then died July 23.
Iselin was appointed
president, August 6.
May
27 - Gearge Halas retired for the fourth and last time as head coach
of the Chicago Bears with 324 career victories. George Halas coached the Bears at four
different times (1920-1929 - 1933-1942 -
1946-1955 - 1958-1967)
The Houston Oilers (to
be known as today's Tennessee Titans)
left Rice Stadium for the Astrodome and became the first NFL team to
play its home games indoors in a domed stadium and on artificial turf.
Fullback Larry Csonka
of Syracuse was the Miami Dolphins' first round draft choice.
September 6
- The Cincinnati Bengals lost 29-13 to the San Diago Chargers in The
Bengals franchise first game
September 15
- The Cincinnati Bengals got its first win, defeating Denver Broncos 24-10
The same day,
Baltimore Colts defeated
Cleveland Browns 34-0
in the NFL
Championship Game,
only to be upset by
the American Football
League's (AFL)
New York Jets
in Super Bowl III.
November 17
- The movie Heidi became a footnote in sports history when NBC didn't
show the last 1:05 of the Jets-Raiders game, in order to permit the
children's special to begin on time.
With its
nationally-televised game running late, NBC begins to show the movie
Heidi just moments after the Jets' Jim Turner kicked what appears to
be the game-winning field goal with 1:05 remaining. While millions of
irate fans, missing the finale, jammed NBC's phone lines, the Raiders
scored 2 touchdowns in eight seconds during the final minute to win
43-32. Resulting from the backlash, networks establish the policy of
broadcasting sporting events to its conclusion.
December 29
- Ewbank became the first coach to win titles in both the NFL
and AFL when his Jets defeated the Raiders 27-23 for the AFL championship.
The 1968 NFL playoffs
following the 1968 NFL season determined who would represent the
league in Super Bowl III.
Eastern Conference
Cleveland Browns 31,
Dallas Cowboys 20 December 21,
1968 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
Western Conference
Baltimore Colts 24,
Minnesota Vikings 14 December 22,
1968 at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
NFL Championship Game
Baltimore Colts 34,
Cleveland Browns 0 December 29,
1968 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
Super Bowl III
N.Y. Jets (AFL) 16, Baltimore
(NFL) 7 January 12, 1969
at the Orange Bowl in
Miami, Florida following the 1968
regular season
The first AFL team
to win the Super Bowl
The Raiders are the
only original AFL team to win a Super Bowl since Kansas City won
Super Bowl IV. They also are the only AFC team to win a Super Bowl
since the Steelers won Super Bowl XIV and they are the only team, NFL
or AFL, to play in the Super Bowl in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
Super Bowl III was the
third AFL-NFL Championship Game in professional American football,
but the first to officially bear the name "Super Bowl." (The two previous AFL-NFL Championship Games
would retroactively be called "Super Bowls" as well.)
Three days before the game, Joe Namath appeared
at the Miami Touchdown Club and boldly predicted to the audience, "The
Jets will win on Sunday. I guarantee it." Interestingly
enough, Namath later claimed he only made his famous
"guarantee" in response to a rowdy Colts fan at the club,
who boasted the Colts would easily defeat the Jets. Namath said he
never intended to make such a public prediction, and never would have
done so if he had not been confronted by the fan.
Jets quarterback Joe
Namath, who completed 17 out of 28 passes for 206 yards yet, not one
touchdown pass, was named the Super Bowl's Most Valuable Player.
Namath is the only
Super Bowl MVP quarterback to not throw a touchdown in his MVP performance.
This game is regarded as
one of the biggest upsets in American sports history. The National
Football League champion Colts were heavily favored
(in some books, by over 20 points)
to defeat the American Football League
champion Jets.
Although the upstart AFL had successfully forced
the long-established NFL into a merger
agreement three years earlier, the
AFL was not generally respected as having the same calibre of talent
as the NFL. Plus, the AFL
representatives were heavily defeated in the first two Super Bowls.
While no doubt shocked by
the result, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle nonetheless saw the Jets'
victory as a watershed moment that would give a legitimacy to the merger.
That feeling was reinforced one year later in
Super Bowl IV, when the AFL champion
Kansas City Chiefs defeated the NFL champion Minnesota Vikings, 23-7
in the last championship game to be played between the two leagues.
For the first time,
famous celebrities appeared for the Super Bowl ceremonies.
Entertainer Bob Hope led a pregame ceremony honoring the astronauts
of Project Apollo and the recently completed Apollo 8 mission, the
first manned flight around the Moon.
Singer Anita Bryant
later sang the national anthem, while the Florida A&M University
band performed during the "America Thanks" halftime show
This game was the only
time a Super Bowl was played at the same site as the previous year's
Super Bowl. Super Bowl II was also played at the Orange Bowl.
This
game is thought to be the earliest surviving Super Bowl game
preserved on videotape in its entirety.
New York Jets running
back Matt Snell recorded 121 rushing yards while Baltimore
Colts running back Tom Matte ran for 116.
1969
January 11
- The AFL established a playoff format for the 1969 season, with the
winner in one division playing the runner-up in the other.
January 12
- An AFL team won the Super Bowl for the first time, as the Jets
defeated the Colts 16-7 at Miami, in Super Bowl III. The title
Super Bowl was recognized by the NFL for the first time.
Which all fell in place
as the 1968 season
The 1969 NFL season was
the 50th regular season of the National Football League, and the last
one before the AFL-NFL Merger. To honor the NFL's 50th season, a
special anniversary logo was designed and each player by each of the
16 teams wore a patch on their jerseys with this logo throughout the season.
As per the agreement made
during the
1967 realignment, the New Orleans
Saints and the New York Giants switched divisions again, returning
back to the 1967 alignment.
The conferences will be
set up as follows:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
AFL
Houston Oilers (to be
known as today's Tennessee Titans)
New York Jets
Miami Dolphins
Buffalo Bills
Boston Patriots
NFL
CAPITOL DIVISION
Dallas Cowboys
New Orleans Saints
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Redskins
CENTURY DIVISION
Cleveland Browns
New York Giants
Pittsburgh Steelers
St. Louis Cardinals
WESTERN CONFERENCE
AFL
Oakland Raiders
Kansas City Chiefs
San Diego Chargers
Denver Broncos
CENTRAL DIVISION
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
COSTAL DIVISION
Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore Colts
Los Angeles Rams
San Francisco 49ers
Vince Lombardi became
part owner, executive vice-president, and head coach of the
Washington Redskins, February 7.
May 1 - Wolman
sold the Eagles to Leonard Tose
Baltimore, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh
agreed to join the AFL teams to form the 13-team American Football Conference
of the NFL in 1970, May 17.
The NFL also agreed on a
playoff format that would include one "wild-card" team per
conference-the second-place team with the best record.
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football was
signed for 1970. ABC acquired the rights to televise 13 NFL
regular-season Monday night games in 1970, 1971, and 1972.
August 9
- George Preston Marshall, president emeritus of the Redskins, died
at 72
Don Perkins became the
last of the original Dallas Cowboys to retire.
December 14
- San Diego Chargers wide receiver Lance Alworth sets a professional
record with a pass reception in his 96th straight game.
Sid Gillman was forced
to resign as coach due to health issues.
Buffalo Bills made
running back O.J. Simpson of USC the first player chosen in the draft.
After serving primarily
as a backup, Tom Flores was released by the Bills and signed with the
Kansas City Chiefs during the 1969 season.
January 27
- Chuck Noll, an assistant to Don Shula in Baltimore, was hired as
Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach.
Don Shula left The
Baltimore Colts to become head coach of The Miami Dolphins.
John Madden became Head
Coach for The Oakland Raiders, replacing John Rauch.
The NFL playoffs
following the 1969 NFL season determined who would represent the
league in Super Bowl IV.
This was the last NFL
playoff tournament before the AFL-NFL Merger.
1969 Conference playoff games
Eastern Conference
Cleveland Browns 38,
Dallas Cowboys 14 December 28,
1969 at Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas
Western Conference
Minnesota Vikings 23, Los
Angeles Rams 20 December 27,
1969 at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota
NFL Championship Game
Minnesota Vikings 27,
Cleveland Browns 7 January 4,
1970 at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota
Super Bowl IV
Kansas City (AFL) 23,
Minnesota (NFL) 7 January 11, 1970
at Tulane Stadium in New
Orleans, Louisiana following the 1969
regular season
Super Bowl IV was the
fourth AFL-NFL
Championship Game in professional American football,
and the second one (after
Super Bowl III) to officially bear the name "Super Bowl".
This was the final AFL-NFL
Championship Game before the National Football League (NFL) and the
American Football League (AFL) merged into
one combined league after the season.
Even though the Vikings
were 13-point favorites coming into the game, the
victory by the AFL evened the Super Bowl
series with the NFL at two games apiece.
Kansas City Chiefs
kicker Jan Stenerud made a Super Bowl record 48-yard field goal
Kansas City quarterback
Len Dawson was named the Super Bowl MVP, the fourth consecutive
quarterback MVP, for completing 12 of 17 passes for 122 yards and one touchdown.
The crowd of 80,562 was a
Super Bowl record for attendance.
Super Bowl IV was
broadcast in the United States by CBS with play-by-play announcer
Jack Buck and color commentators Frank Gifford and Pat Summerall.
While the game was sold out at Tulane Stadium, unconditional blackout
rules in both leagues prohibited the live telecast from being shown
in the New Orleans area.
Trumpeters Al Hirt and
Doc Severinsen "faced off" during the pregame show in a
"Battle of the Horns". Hirt later performed the national
anthem, while actress and singer Carol Channing was featured during
the halftime show that paid tribute to Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
The last contest in AFL
history was the AFL All-Star Game on January 17, 1970 (1969 Season).
The Western All-Stars,
led by Chargers quarterback John Hadl, defeated the Eastern
All-Stars, 26-3.
The Chiefs' Hank Stram
became the first professional football coach to wear a microphone for
NFL Films during the game.
The Chiefs were the
last team to ever be awarded the World Championship Game Trophy, as
later that fall the trophy was renamed the Vince
Lombardi Trophy due to Lombardi's death.
This was the first Super
Bowl played without the standard week off after the conference
championship games (league championship games at the time). Strangely
enough, the AFL had a week off between its divisional playoffs (the
NFL played its conference championship games during
the AFL's off-week) and league championship game. The AFL started
its 1969 season a week earlier than the NFL,
and thus had an extra week to deal with during the post-season.
This would be the last
Super Bowl played without the week off until Super Bowl XVII.
1970
Kansas City defeated
Minnesota 23-7 in Super Bowl IV at New Orleans, January 11.
The last contest in AFL
history was the AFL All-Star Game on January 17, 1970 See
Above
The 1970 NFL season was
the 51st regular season of the National Football League, and the
first one after the AFL-NFL
Merger.
Almost every element
that makes pro football the world's most popular sport that it is
today can be traced to the American Football League and the huge
changes its presence eventually bought to the sport. By the time the
fierce AFL-NFL war of the 1960s was over, the expanded National
Football League of the 1970s stretched from coast-to-coast and from
border to border. Fans poured into NFL stadiums in record numbers.
Rapidly increasing television coverage introduced pro football to
hundreds of millions of new fans on every continent.
The Super Bowl was
destined to become the most watched sports spectacle in the history
of the world.
The AFL was viewed by
the masses as a "David" matched against an unbeatable
"Goliath" for almost half of its 10-year history. But when
the "rags-to-riches" story was concluded, the AFL had
achieved what no other NFL challenger ( The
First AFL, The
Second AFL, The
Third AFL) had ever accomplished
- equality in a new and exciting pro football world.
Of all the leagues that
have attempted to challenge the dominance of the National Football
League, the AFL was the only one to have all its teams integrated
into the fabric of the NFL. This was in sharp contrast to such
entities as the All-America Football Conference, baseball's Federal
League, the American Basketball Association and the World Hockey
Association, all of which either folded, or only had a handful of
teams join the respective post-merger entities.
The merger forced a
realignment between the combined league's clubs. Because there were
16 NFL teams and 10 AFL teams,
three teams needed to transfer to balance the two new conferences at
13 teams each. The Baltimore Colts, Cleveland Browns, and the
Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to join the
other AFL teams to form the American Football Conference (AFC).
The remaining NFL teams formed the National Football Conference (NFC).
The conferences were
divided into three divisions: East, Central, and West. The two
Eastern divisions had five teams; the other four divisions had four
teams each.
The AFL becomes the AFC
with the Steelers,
Browns and Colts
moving there from the NFL. The rest of the NFL
becomes the NFC.
The 26-team league began
to use an eight-team playoff format, four from each conference, that
included the three division winners and a wild card team, the
second-place team with the best record.
The NFL is now aligned as
follows (modern format):
AMERICAN CONFERENCE
EAST DIVISION
Baltimore Colts
Boston Patriots
Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
New York Jets
CENTRAL DIVISION
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Houston Oilers (to be
known as today's Tennessee Titans)
Pittsburgh Steelers
WEST DIVISION
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
Oakland Raiders
San Diego Chargers
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
EAST DIVISION
Dallas Cowboys
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
St. Louis Cardinals
Washington Redskins
CENTRAL DIVISION
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
WEST DIVISION
Atlanta Falcons
New Orleans Saints
Los Angeles Rams
San Francisco 49ers
September 21
- The first regular season Monday Night Football game was aired on ABC.
The Cleveland Browns
defeated the New York Jets 31-21 as 85,703 fans pack Cleveland's
Municipal Stadium.
With the debut of Monday
Night Football, the NFL becomes the first professional sports league
in the United States to have a regular series of nationally televised
games in prime time.
Four-year television
contracts, under which CBS would televise all NFC games and NBC
all AFC games (except Monday night
games) and the two would divide televising the Super Bowl and
AFC-NFC Pro Bowl games, were announced, January
26.
The Chicago Bears's first
home game of the season against the Philadelphia Eagles was played at
Northwestern University's Dyche Stadium as part of an experiment.
Before the season, the league demanded that the Bears find a new home
field because the seating capacity of their then-current home,
Wrigley Field, was less than 50,000. Ultimately, a deal to make Dyche
Stadium as the Bears' new home fell through and the team moved to
Soldier Field in 1971.
Art Modell resigned as
president of the NFL, March 12. Milt
Woodard resigned as president of the AFL, March
13. Lamar Hunt was elected president
of the AFC and George Halas was elected
president of the NFC, March 19.
The Players Negotiating
Committee and the NFL Players Association announced a four-year
agreement guaranteeing approximately $4,535,000 annually to player
pension and insurance benefits, August 3. The owners also agreed to
contribute $250,000 annually to improve or implement items such as
disability payments, widows' benefits, maternity benefits, and dental
benefits. The agreement also provided for increased preseason game
and per diem payments, averaging approximately $2.6 million annually.
The Pittsburgh Steelers
moved into Three Rivers Stadium.
The Pittsburgh Steelers
won a coin flip with The Chicago Bears
and the right to choose quarterback Terry Bradshaw with the first
overall pick in the draft.
The Cincinnati Bengals
moved to Riverfront Stadium
and
posted their first
winning season (8-6)
Under new coach Don
Shula, The Miami Dolphins finished 10-4 for their first winning season.
Kansas City Chiefs, Tom
Flores retires as a player after the 1970 season. He was one of only
twenty players who were with the AFL for its entire ten-year
existence. He is the fifth-leading passer, all-time, in the AFL.
September 3 -
The sports world grieves the death of Vince Lombardi who died of
cancer at age 57. Lombardi led the Green Bay Packers to an 89-29-4
record and the first two Super Bowl crowns in nine years. He was
inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971.
November 8
- The odds seemed stacked against New Orleans Saints placekicker Tom
Dempsey as he lined up for a field-goal attempt. But poor odds were
nothing new to Dempsey, an NFL player despite the fact he was born
with only half a foot and had to wear a special shoe approved by the
league. Trailing 17-16 to the Detroit Lions with two seconds left,
the Saints sent in their field-goal unit and Dempsey booted the ball.
It sailed high and straight
63 yards through the goalposts.
Setting a new NFL record. Previously held
by Detroits Glenn Presnell in Oct. 7 1934 who kicked a 54-yard field goal The record stood for 19 years UNTIL September
27 1953 by Baltimore's Bert Rechichar who boots a record
56-yard field goal against Chicago.
Major rule changes
March 18
The NFL rules become the
standardized rules for the merged league, including the rule that a
point after touchdown is worth one point, (that is, no two-point conversion).
The AFL had the two-point conversion, which would not be adopted to
the NFL until 1994.
The official game clock
is the stadium's scoreboard clock.
Rules are added to place
last names on the back of players' jerseys. The AFL had names on
jerseys, the pre-merger NFL teams did not.
The NFL playoffs
following the 1970 NFL season led up to Super Bowl V.
This was the first
playoff tournament after the AFL-NFL Merger. An eight-team playoff
tournament was designed, with four clubs from each conference
qualifying. Along with the three division winners in each conference,
one wild card team, the second place team with the best record from
each conference, was added to the tournament. The first round was
named the Divisional Playoffs, while the Conference Championship
games were moved to the second playoff round and the Super Bowl
became the league's championship game.
However, the home teams
in the playoffs were still decided based on a yearly divisional
rotation, excluding the wild card teams who would always play on the
road. Also, a rule was made that two teams from the same division
could not meet in the Divisional Playoffs.
The Cincinnati
Bengals qualified for the playoffs for the first time.
1970 PLAYOFFS
AFC
Divisional playoffs:
December 26, 1970
Baltimore Colts
17, Cincinnati Bengals 0
at Memorial Stadium,
Baltimore, Maryland
December 27, 1970
Oakland Raiders 21,
Miami Dolphins 14
at Oakland Coliseum,
Oakland, California
AFC Championship:
January 3, 1971
Baltimore Colts 27,
Oakland Raiders 17
at Memorial Stadium,
Baltimore, Maryland
NFC
Divisional playoffs:
December 26, 1970
Dallas Cowboys 5,
Detroit Lions 0
at Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas
December 27, 1970
San Francisco 49ers
17, Minnesota Vikings 14
at Metropolitan Stadium,
Bloomington, Minnesota
NFC Championship:
January 3, 1971
Dallas Cowboys 17, San
Francisco 49ers 10
at Kezar Stadium, San Francisco
Super Bowl V
Baltimore (AFC) 16,
Dallas (NFC) 13 January 17, 1971
at the Orange Bowl in
Miami, Florida following the 1970
regular season
Super Bowl V was the 5th
Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football League (NFL).
The game is sometimes
called the "Blooper Bowl" or the "Turnover Bowl"
because it was filled with poor play, turnovers and officiating
miscues. Overall, the two teams committed a Super Bowl record 11
combined turnovers in the game.
The game was finally
settled with 5 seconds left when Colts rookie kicker Jim O'Brien
kicked a 32-yard field goal. In order to win the game, Baltimore had
to overcome a 13–6 deficit at the half, losing their starting
quarterback in the second quarter, and their 7 lost turnovers to
Dallas' 4
It is also the
only Super Bowl in which the Most Valuable Player Award was given to
a member of the losing team: Cowboys
Linebacker Chuck Howley, who caught 2 interceptions and recovered a fumble.
Super Bowl V was also
the first Super Bowl played on an artificial turf surface, namely
"Poly Turf".
The game was broadcast
in the United States by NBC with play-by-play announcer Curt Gowdy
and color commentator Kyle Rote. Although the Orange Bowl was sold
out for the event, unconditional blackout rules in the NFL prohibited
the live telecast from being shown in the Miami area.
The bands from Southern
University and Northeast Missouri College performed before the game,
while Trumpeter Tommy Loy played the national anthem. The Florida
A&M Band was featured during the halftime show.
Because this was the
first Super Bowl after the AFL-NFL Merger, Super Bowl V was the first
one to have the NFL logo painted at the 50-yard line. This practice
would continue until Super Bowl XXX, except for Super Bowl XXIX when
the NFL 75th Anniversary logo was painted at midfield instead.
The Baltimore Colts
were the first team to receive the newly named Vince
Lombardi Trophy (formerly the
World Championship Game Trophy) due
to Vince Lombardi's death the previous year.
The Colts were the
first AFC franchise to win the Super Bowl since the
AFL-NFL merger was established
earlier in the season.
Super Bowl V was also
the first Super Bowl played on an artificial turf surface, namely
"Poly Turf".
January 24
- The NFC defeated the AFC
27-6 in the first AFC-NFC
Pro Bowl at Los Angeles.
1971
The
Baltimore Colts defeated
the Dallas Cowboys 16-13 on
Jim O'Brien's 32-yard field goal with five seconds to go in Super
Bowl V at Miami, January 17. 971
- ending the 1970 season.
The NFC
defeated the
AFC
27-6 in the first AFC-NFC
Pro Bowl
at Los Angeles, January 24. 971 - ending the 1970 season.
The 1971 NFL season was
the 52nd regular season of the National Football League.
Before
the season, the Boston Patriots changed their name to New England
Patriots after they moved to their new home field, Schaefer Stadium
in Foxborough, Massachusetts, March 25.
Their new stadium was
dedicated in a 20-14 preseason victory over the Giants.
The Philadelphia Eagles
left Franklin Field and played their games at the new Veterans Stadium.
The San Francisco 49ers
left Kezar Stadium and moved their games to Candlestick Park.
April 15
- Daniel F. Reeves, the president and general manager of the Rams,
died at 58.
October 24
- The Dallas Cowboys moved from the Cotton Bowl into their new home,
Texas Stadium.
Former Minnesota Vikings
Coach Norm Van Brocklin led the Atlanta Falcons to it's first winng
season (7-6-1)
The New Orleans Saints
chose Mississippi quarterback Archie Manning in the 1st round of the draft.
New York Giants
quarterback Fran Tarkenton requested a trade after a 4-10 season and
was dealt back to the Minnesota Vikings.
December 19
- Houston Oilers (to
be known as today's Tennessee Titans)
safety Ken Houston returns two interceptions for touchdowns in the
Oilers' 49-33 victory over the San Diego Chargers to set the NFL
career record with nine touchdowns on interception returns.
Ken Houston also sets
the single-season record with four interception return touchdowns.
December 25
- Miami wins the longest game in NFL history (82:40) as Garo
Yepremian kicks a 37-yard field goal to defeat Kansas City 27-24 in double-overtime.
1971 Divisional playoffs
December 25, 1971
AFC:
Miami Dolphins 27,
Kansas City Chiefs 24 (2OT)
at Municipal Stadium,
Kansas City, Missouri
Miami defeated Kansas
City 27-24 in sudden-death overtime in an AFC Divisional Playoff
Game, December 25. Garo Yepremian kicked a 37-yard field goal for the
Dolphins after 22 minutes, 40 seconds of overtime, as the game lasted
82 minutes, 40 seconds overall, making it the longest game in history.
NFC:
Dallas Cowboys 14, San
Francisco 49ers 3
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
Super Bowl VI
Dallas (NFC) 24,
Miami (AFC) 3 January 16, 1972
at Tulane Stadium in New
Orleans, Louisiana following the 1971
regular season
Super Bowl VI was the
6th Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football League (NFL).
Dallas Cowboys
Quarterback Roger Staubach, who completed 12 out of 19 passes for 119
yards, threw 2 touchdown passes, and rushed 5 times for 18 yards, was
named the Super Bowl's Most Valuable Player.
The game was broadcast
in the United States by CBS with play-by-play announcer Ray Scott and
color commentator Pat Summerall. Although Tulane Stadium was sold out
for the game, unconditional blackout rules in the NFL prohibited the
live telecast from being shown in the New Orleans area.
The Kilgore College
Rangerettes drill team performed during the pregame festivities.
Later, the United States Air Force Academy Chorale sang the national anthem.
The halftime show was a
"Salute to Louis Armstrong" featuring jazz singer Ella
Fitzgerald, actress and singer Carol Channing, trumpeter Al Hirt and
the U.S. Marine Corps Drill Team.
Mike Clark's 9-yard field
goal is the shortest field goal in Super Bowl history. At
the time, the goal posts were on goal lines instead of at the back
of the end zones. Thus, this record will stand indefinitely until the
league decides to move the goal posts back to the goal lines.
The temperature at
kickoff was 39 °F, the lowest recorded temperature for a Super
Bowl game to date.
Staubach became the first Heisman
Trophy winner to be named Super Bowl
Most Valuable Player.
Dallas running back Duane
Thomas became the first player to score touchdowns in back-to-back
Super Bowls. Thomas had a receiving touchdown a year earlier in Super
Bowl V.
Staubach's 119 passing
yards is the lowest total for a quarterback who was named the game's MVP.
Staubach became the first
quaterback of a winning team in the Super Bowl to play the entire
game. Bart Starr was relieved by Zeke Bratkowski in the first two
Super Bowls when the Packers had the game safely in hand; Joe
Namath was relieved briefly by Babe Parilli in Super
Bowl III;
Len Dawson gave way to Mike Livingston late in Super
Bowl IV when the Chiefs had clinched
the game; Earl
Morrall came in for an injured Johnny
Unitas late in the first half of
Super Bowl V
and led the Baltimore Colts to a come-from-behind victory over the
Cowboys.
Despite being the second
Super Bowl after the AFL-NFL
merger, Super Bowl VI was the first
one to have the NFL logo painted at the 50-yard line. The NFL would
do this for all but one Super Bowl after this until Super Bowl XXXI.
This was the last Super
Bowl to be blacked out in the host city. The next year, the NFL
allowed Super Bowl VII to be televised live in the host city (Los Angeles)
when all tickets were sold. In 1973, the NFL changed its blackout
policy to allow games to be broadcast in the home team's market if
sold out 72 hours in advance.
1972
Dallas defeated Miami 24-3 in Super Bowl VI at New
Orleans, January 16, 1972 - ending the 1971 season See above
The 1972 NFL season was
the 53rd regular season of the National Football League.
July 13
- Robert Irsay purchased the Los Angeles Rams and transferred
ownership of the club to Carroll Rosen-bloom in exchange for the
Baltimore Colts.
September 2
- William V. Bidwill purchased the stock of his brother Charles (Stormy)
Bidwill to become the sole owner of the St. Louis Cardinals.
The National District
Attorneys Association endorsed the position of professional leagues
in opposing proposed legalization of gambling on professional team
sports, September 28.
A year after the Cowboys
moved into Texas Stadium, then General Manager Tex Schramm, one of
the greatest innovators in NFL history, decided that the reigning
world champions (Super
Bowl VI)
needed to add something that would distinguish them even further from
the rest of the league. He thought that professional models who were
taught to dance would add a spark to the Texas Stadium sidelines.
However, this idea
fizzled as the models did not possess the athleticism necessary for
difficult dance routines in the Texas heat.
Undaunted, Schramm hired
famous choreographer Texie Waterman to help select a group of
beautiful young women with dancing skills and physical stamina.
Thus, the Dallas Cowboys
Cheerleaders were born.
September 24
- New York Jets quarterback, Joe Namath passed for 496 yards and 6
touchdowns in a 44-34 victory over Baltimore Colts.
December 23
- Franco Harris's "Immaculate Reception" gave the
Steelers their first postseason win ever, 13-7 over the Raiders.
When Oakland's Ken Stabler snakes down the sideline with 73 seconds
left to give the Raiders a 7-6 lead, it almost looks as if the
Pittsburgh Steelers need a miracle to pull out the AFC semifinal
playoff game.
With seconds to go, they get it. They are on their own 40 when
quarterback Terry Bradshaw fires downfield to a secondary receiver,
halfback Frenchy Fuqua. Raiders safety Jack Tatum clobbers Fuqua, and
the force of the hit sent the ball ricocheting across the field.
Tatum and some of the other Raiders began to celebrate. Bradshaw
threw his helmet to the ground in despair. But as it turned out, they
were premature.
As Tatum clobbered Fuqua, the ball bounced back about seven yards for
an apparent incompletion. But big running back Franco Harris had
drifted out of the backfield and nonchalantly moved downfield. As the
ball deflected, he raced forward and rescued it just before it hit
the ground and, never breaking stride, races 42 yards into the end
zone with five seconds left to provide the Steelers with a 13-7
miracle victory.
Tatum argues that he didn't touch the ball, that the ball bounced off
Fuqua and that the play is illegal. (At the time the rule is that no
two receivers can touch the ball consecutively on the same play.)
Raiders coach John Madden, though, indicates that from his view the
ball had touched Tatum.
The critical question was: Whom did the ball bounce off? If it
bounced off Fuqua, and then Harris was the next to touch the ball,
the reception was illegal under the rules of the time, which did not
allow two offensive players to touch a pass in succession; the
Raiders would gain possession and a sure win. If the ball bounced off
Tatum, or if it bounced off Fuqua and then Tatum, the reception was
legal, as a defensive player was the last to touch the ball.
The game officials did not immediately make any signal, and there was
no instant replay rule at the time. Referee Fred Swearingen
telephoned the NFL's supervisor of officials, Art McNally, who was
sitting in the press box, after which he signaled a touchdown. Fans
immediately rushed the field, and it took fifteen minutes to clear
them so the point-after, or conversion, could be kicked to give the
Steelers what turned out to be their final margin, 13-7.
And just what did really occurr at Three Rivers Stadium?
Instant replay wouldn't have helped the officials much in this
case. The replay has been rewound a hundred times, and most viewers
still aren't sure. Fuqua claims he's the only one who truly knows.
To this day, the effusive Fuqua, now a product manager for the
Detroit News, says that he knows what "really" happened on
the amazing play.
But, says Frenchy, he has told only one other person - the late Art
Rooney. And to this day, Fuqua remembers what Rooney told him:
"Frenchy, let it stay immaculate."
The play will forever be known as "The Immaculate Reception."
Ties became part of
won-loss-tie percentage (half-win, half-loss)
The league decided to
change the formula of computing the winning percentage of each team
in the standings: Tie games, previously not counted, were made equal
to a half-game won and a half-game loss.
Major rule changes March 23
The inbounds lines or hashmarks were moved closer to the center of
the field, 23 yards, 1 foot, 9 inches from the sidelines
If a legal receiver goes out of bounds, either accidentally or forced
out, and returns to touch or catch the pass in bounds, the penalty is
a loss of down (but no penalty yardage will be assessed).
If a punt or missed field goal crosses the receivers' goal line, a
member of the receiving team may advance the ball into the field of play.
All fouls committed by the offensive team behind the line of
scrimmage will be assessed from the previous spot.
Tie games, previously not
counted in the standings, were made equal to a half-game won and a
half-game lost, May 24.
1972 Divisional playoffs
December 23, 1972
AFC: Pittsburgh
Steelers 13, Oakland Raiders 7
at Three Rivers
Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania See Immaculate Reception
NFC: Dallas Cowboys 30,
San Francisco 49ers 28
at Candlestick Park, San Francisco
December 24, 1972
Miami Dolphins first
appearance in the Super Bowl
AFC: Miami Dolphins 20,
Cleveland Browns 14
at Miami Orange Bowl,
Miami, Florida
Jim Kiick's 8-yard rushing touchdown in the
fourth quarter kept the Dolphins' hopes alive for undefeated season.
NFC: Washington Redskins
16, Green Bay Packers 3
at RFK Stadium,
Washington, D.C.
Conference Championships
December 31, 1972
AFC: Miami Dolphins 21,
Pittsburgh Steelers 17
at Three Rivers
Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The Dolphins continued their unbeaten streak by
scoring two touchdowns in the second half.
NFC: Washington Redskins
26, Dallas Cowboys 3
at RFK Stadium,
Washington, D.C.
Super Bowl VII
Miami Dolphins(AFC) 14, Washington
Redskins (NFC) 7,
at Los Angeles Memorial
Coliseum, Los Angeles, California following the 1972
regular season
The 1972 Undefeated
Miami Dolphins
The American Football
Conference (AFC) champion Miami Dolphins are noted as completing the
first ever undefeated regular season and postseason record in NFL
history when they beat the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII.
The Official NFL website (found at
http://www.nfl.com/) claims The 1972 Miami Dolphins are
the ONLY undefeated team in NFL history. Yet in their chronicles they
claim the NFL was established in 1920, then why do they fail to
mention any of the following teams going undefeated?
1920 Akron
is the only undefeated team in the Association. 1922 The
Canton Bulldogs were named the 1922 NFL Champions after ending the
season with a 10-0-2 record. 1923
Canton had its second consecutive undefeated season, going 11-0-1 for
the NFL title. 1942
The Bears finish the season 11-0 1948
The Cleveland Browns won their third straight championship in the
AAFC, going 15-0 makes them the first team to experience a perfect season
During this era, only 14
games were played in a season, making the Miami Dolphins undefeated
record as 14-0 for the season.
In 2005 The Indianpolis
Colts came close to an undefeated season (playing 16 games in a
season) posting a 14-2 record for the season. Webmaster's opinion, The 2005 Indianapolis
Colts MATCHED the 1972 Miami Dolphins!
Super Bowl VII was the
seventh Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football
League (NFL). The game was played on January 14, 1973 at the Los
Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California following the
1972 regular season. The American
Football Conference (AFC) champion Miami Dolphins
defeated
the
National Football Conference (NFC) champion Washington Redskins, 14–7,
and became the
first (and only) team in the NFL to complete a perfect, undefeated season.
The score indicates a
much closer game than it actually was as the Dolphins' "No-Name
Defense" dominated the game, only allowing Washington
to cross midfield only twice. But Super Bowl VII is most memorable
for the final two minutes of the game: Miami's quest for a perfect
season almost came to a sudden halt after
Redskins cornerback Mike Bass picked up Dolphins kicker Garo
Yepremian's fumble and returned it 49 yards for a touchdown.
Miami Dolphins Safety
Jake Scott, who made 2 interceptions, including one in the end zone
during the 4th quarter, and another return for 55 yards, was named
Most Valuable Player. He became the second defensive player in Super
Bowl history (after Linebacker Chuck Howley in Super
Bowl V) to earn a Super Bowl MVP.
The game was broadcast
in the United States by NBC with play-by-play announcer Curt Gowdy
and color commentator Al DeRogatis. While the Coliseum was sold out
for the game, unconditional blackout rules in the NFL prohibited the
live telecast from being shown in the Los Angeles area.
The NBC telecast was
viewed by approximately 75 million people.
The pregame show was a
tribute to Apollo 17, the sixth and last mission to date to land on
the Moon and the final one of Project Apollo. The show featured the
crew of Apollo 17 and the University of Michigan Band.
Later, singer Andy
Williams accompanied by the Little Angels of Chicago's Angels Church
from Chicago performed the national anthem.
The halftime show,
featuring Woody Herman and the University of Michigan Band, was
titled "Happiness Is".
Super
Bowl VII was the last Super Bowl to be played at the Los Angeles
Memorial Coliseum
and
was the last Super Bowl
to be blacked out in the city where the game was played.
1973
(AFC) Miami Dolphins defeated (NFC)
Washington Redskins 14-7 in Super Bowl
VII at Los Angeles, completing a 17-0 season, the first
perfect-record regular-season and postseason mark in NFL history,
January 14, 1973 ending the 1972 Sason. see above
The AFC defeated the NFC
33-28 in the Pro Bowl in Dallas, the first time since 1942 that the
game was played outside Los Angeles, January 21, 1973 ending the 1972 Sason.
The 1973 NFL season was
the 54th regular season of the National Football League.
NFL Charities, a
nonprofit organization, was created to derive an income from monies
generated from NFL Properties' licensing of NFL trademarks and team
names, June 26. NFL Charities was set up to support education and
charitable activities and to supply economic support to persons
formerly associated with professional football who were no longer
able to support themselves.
Congress adopted
experimental legislation (for three years) requiring any NFL game
that had been declared a sellout 72 hours prior to kickoff to be made
available for local televising, September 14. The legislation
provided for an annual review to be made by the Federal
Communications Commission.
September 16
- Buffalo Bills O.J. Simpson rushes for a then NFL record 250 yards
in Buffalo's 31-13 victory at New England.
The Buffalo Bills moved
their home games from War Memorial Stadium to Rich Stadium in nearby
Orchard Park.
September 23
- The Giants tied the Eagles 23-23 in the final game in Yankee Stadium.
The Giants played the
rest of their home games at the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut.
September 30
- San Diego Charger's quarterback Johnny Unitas becomes the first
player to top 40,000 yards passing when he connects with Mike Garrett
on a 30-yard completion against Cincinnati.
October 21
- Los Angeles Rams defensive end Fred Dryer becomes the first player
to record two safeties in one game in the Rams' 24-7 victory over the
Green Bay Packers.
December 16
- Buffalo's O.J. Simpson runs for 200 yards against the New York Jets.
O.J. Simpson became the
first player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season, gaining 2,003.
The Denver Broncos had
their first winning season posting a 7-5-2 record in the team's 14
year history.
The New England
Patriots had 3 first round draft selections and chose offensive
lineman John Hannah, running back Sam Cunningham and receiver Darryl Stingley.
A rival league, the
World Football League, was formed and was reported in operation,
October 2. It had plans to start play in 1974.
Major rule changes
A jersey numbering system is adopted
(players who played in the 1972 NFL season are grandfathered in):
1-19: Quarterbacks and specialists
20-49: Running backs and defensive backs
50-59: Centers and linebackers
60-79: Defensive linemen and offensive linemen
other than centers
80-89: Wide receivers and tight ends
Defensive players cannot jump or stand on a teammate while trying to
block a kick.
The clock is to start at the snap following a change of possession.
If there is a foul by the offensive team, and it is followed by a
change of possession, the period can be extended by one play by the
other team.
If the receiving team commits a foul after the ball is kicked,
possession will be presumed to have changed; the receiving team keeps
the ball.
1973 Divisional playoffs
December 22, 1973
AFC: Oakland Raiders
33, Pittsburgh Steelers 14
at Oakland Coliseum,
Oakland, California
NFC: Minnesota Vikings
27, Washington Redskins 20
at Metropolitan Stadium,
Bloomington, Minnesota
(AFC) Miami Dolphins
24, (NFL) Minnesota Vikings 7 January 13, 1974
at Rice Stadium in
Houston, Texas. following the 1973
regular season
Super Bowl VIII was the
eighth Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football
League (NFL). The game was played on January 13, 1974 at Rice Stadium
in Houston, Texas following the 1973 regular season.
The American Football
Conference (AFC) champion Miami Dolphins
defeated
the National Football
Conference (NFC) champion Minnesota Vikings, 24–7
. Aided by 24
unanswered points during the first three quarters of the game, the
Dolphins won their second consecutive Super Bowl, and became the
first team to appear in three consecutive ones.
Miami Dolphins Running
Back Larry Csonka, who ran for a Super Bowl record 145 yards and 2
touchdowns, was named the game's Most Valuable Player. He became the
first running back to earn Super Bowl MVP honors.
The game was broadcast
in the United States by CBS with play-by-play announcer Ray Scott and
color commentators Pat Summerall and Bart Starr. Due to a change in
the NFL's home blackout policy, the sold-out contest was the first
Super Bowl permitted to be televised live in the host city (in
this case, Houston) along with the
rest of the country.
The CBS telecast was
viewed by approximately 75 million people.
The University of Texas
at Austin Band performed during the pregame festivities. Later,
country music singer Charley Pride sang the national anthem.
The halftime show also
featured the University of Texas Band in a tribute to American music
titled "A Musical America".
This was the first time
in Super Bowl history that the game site was a true neutral field.
All of the previous Super Bowls were held at a home field of an
existing NFL team. The Houston Oilers did in fact play at Rice
Stadium from 1965 to 1967, but moved to the Houston Astrodome in 1968.
The Dolphins became the
first team to take the game's opening kickoff and march down the
field for a touchdown.
Miami's 7 pass attempts
were the fewest ever thrown by a team in the Super Bowl
1974
Miami defeated Minnesota 24-7 in Super Bowl
VIII at Houston, the second consecutive Super Bowl championship for
the Dolphins, January 13. See Super
Bowl VIII above
The 1974 NFL season was
the 55th regular season of the National Football League.
February 27
- Rozelle was given a 10-year contract effective January 1, 1973,.
April 24
- Tampa Bay was awarded the NFL's 27th franchise to begin operation
in 1976, with the provision that Tampa Stadium be expanded to 72,000 seats.
Sweeping rules changes
were adopted to add action and tempo to games: one sudden-death
overtime period was added for preseason and regular-season games; the
goal posts were moved from the goal line to the end lines; kickoffs
were moved from the 40- to the 35-yard line; after missed field goals
from beyond the 20, the ball was to be returned to the line of
scrimmage; restrictions were placed on members of the punting team to
open up return possibilities; roll-blocking and cutting of wide
receivers was eliminated; the extent of downfield contact a defender
could have with an eligible receiver was restricted; the penalties
for offensive holding, illegal use of the hands, and tripping were
reduced from 15 to 10 yards; wide receivers blocking back toward the
ball within three yards of the line of scrimmage were prevented from
blocking below the waist, April 25.
March 31
- The Toronto Northmen of the WFL signed Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick, and
Paul Warfield of Miami.
September 30
- San Diego Chargers quarterback Johnny Unitas becomes the first
player to top 40,000 yards passing when he connects with Mike Garrett
on a 30-yard completion against Cincinnati.
December 5
- Seattle was awarded an NFL franchise to begin play in 1976, June 4.
Lloyd W. Nordstrom, president of the Seattle Seahawks, and Hugh
Culverhouse, president of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, signed franchise agreements,.
December 5
- The Birmingham Americans defeated the Florida Blazers 22-21 in the
WFL World Bowl, winning the league championship.
Tampa Bay is awarded a
franchise by the NFL and begins play in 1976 in the AFC West and
switch to the NFC Central in 1977
Seattle is awarded a
franchise by the NFL and begins play in 1976 in the NFC West and
switch to the AFC West in 1977
The Pittsburgh Steelers
had one of the greatest drafts in NFL history, selecting 4 future
Hall of Famers in the first 5 rounds:
Lynn Swann - Reciever
JohnStallworth - Reciever
Jack Lambert - Linebacker
Mike Webster - Center
Major rule changes
The following changes were adopted to add tempo and action to the game
(and to help counter the proposed changes
announced by the
World Football League to their games):
One sudden death overtime period (15 minutes) was added to all
preseason and regular season games. No scoring in this period would
result in a tie game.
Goal posts: moved from the goal line to the end line, where
they were in 1932. This was to reduce the number of games being
decided on field goals, and to increase their difficulty. Uprights
were extended to 30 feet above the crossbar.
Missed field goals: If the line of scrimmage was beyond the
20-yard line, the defensive team takes possession of the ball at that
point. (In 1994, the ball would be placed at spot of the missed kick.)
If this point was inside the 20-yard line, the defensive team takes
possession of the ball at the 20-yard line (touchback).
Kickoffs: moved to the 35-yard line (from the 40-yard line)
to reduce touchbacks, promoting more excitement with kickoff returns.
In 1994, the kickoff would be moved further back, to the 30-yard line.
Punt returns: members of the kicking team cannot go beyond the
line of scrimmage until the ball is kicked.
An eligible pass receiver can only be contacted once by defenders
after the receiver has gone 3 yards beyond the line of scrimmage.
When the defensive team commits an illegal use of hands, arms, or
body foul from behind the line of scrimmage, the penalty will be
assessed from the previous spot instead of the spot of the foul.
The penalties for offensive holding, illegal use of hands, and
tripping were reduced from 15-yards to 10-yards.
Wide receivers blocking back towards the ball within three yards from
the line of scrimmage may not block below the waist.
With 24 seconds left in
the game, The Raiders' Clarence Davis somehow caught the winning
touchdown pass among "the sea of hands" of three Dolphins
defenders. This game eliminated Miami from the playoffs after they
had made it to the Super Bowl in each of the last 3 seasons.[
AFC Championship:
Pittsburgh 24, OAKLAND 13
NFC
Divisional playoffs:
MINNESOTA 30, St. Louis 14; LOS ANGELES 19, Washington 10
NFC Championship:
MINNESOTA 14, Los Angeles 10
Super Bowl IX
Pittsburgh (AFC) 16,
Minnesota (NFC) 6, at Tulane Stadium, New
Orleans, Louisiana January 12, 1975
The NBC telecast was
viewed by approximately 78 million people.
Super Bowl IX was the
ninth Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football
League (NFL). The game was played on January 12, 1975 at Tulane
Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana following the 1974 regular season.
The American
Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers
defeated
the
National Football Conference (NFC) champion Minnesota Vikings, 16–6.
This game matched two of
the NFL's best defenses -- Pittsburgh's
Steel Curtain against
the
Purple People Eaters of Minnesota --
and two legendary quarterbacks: Terry Bradshaw
and Fran Tarkenton, respectively.
However, the Steelers
dominated the game, recording the first safety in Super Bowl history, and limiting
the Vikings to Super Bowl lows of 9 first downs, 119 yards of total
offense, and 17 rushing yards. The
Steelers also tied Super Bowl records for the least rushing first
downs allowed (2) and the least passing first downs allowed (5). Tarkenton
was held to only 11 out of 26 completions for 102 passing yards, no
touchdown passes, and tied a Super Bowl record with 3 interceptions. Furthermore,
Pittsburgh became the second Super Bowl
team after the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XII to hold their
opponents' offense scoreless; Minnesota's
only score came on a blocked punt, and they did not even score on
the extra point attempt. The
Steelers accomplished all of this with 2 backups: linebackers Ed
Bradley and Loren Toews replaced injured starters Andy Russell and
Jack Lambert for most of the second half.
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh
had 333 yards of total offense. Steelers running back Franco Harris,
who ran for a Super Bowl record 158 yards and a touchdown, was named
the Super Bowl's Most Valuable Player.
1975
Pittsburgh defeated
Minnesota 16-6 in Super Bowl IX at New Orleans,
The game was played on
January 12, 1975 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana
following the 1974 regular season see above
. The league made two significant changes to
increase the appeal of the game:
1. The surviving clubs with the best regular
season records were made the home teams for each playoff round.
Previously, game sites rotated by division.
2. The league pioneered the use of equipping
American football referees with wireless microphones to announce
penalties and clarify complex and/or unusual rulings to both fans and
the media.
The Detroit Lions moved
from Tiger Stadium to the new Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan.
The New York Giants
played their home games in Shea Stadium.
The Saints moved into the
Louisiana Superdome - New Orleans Saints move indoors to their new
Superdome after 8 years in Tulane Stadium.
University of Southern
California coach John McKay signed a 5 year contract to coach The
Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
January 25
- O.A. "Bum" Phillips was hired as
Houston Oilers (to be known as today's
Tennessee Titans) Head Coach
November 23
- Minnesota Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton becomes the NFL's
all-time completions leader when he completes his 2,840th pass in the Vikings'
28-13 victory over San Diego Chargers.
December 20 -
Buffalo' Bills O.J. Simpson scores a touchdown
(vs. Minnesota) in his 14th straight
game. The streak started against the New York Jets on Sept. 21.
Major rule changes
After a fourth down incomplete pass goes in or through the end zone,
the other team will take possession at the previous line of
scrimmage. Previously, it resulted in a touchback.
The penalty for pass interference on the offensive team is reduced
from 15 yards to 10.
If there are fouls by both teams on the same play but one results in
a player ejection, the penalties will still offset but the player
will still be ejected.
Divisional playoffs:
LOS ANGELES 35, St. Louis 23;
Dallas 17,
MINNESOTA 14
The
Hail Mary (December 28, 1975) The first Hail Mary was when Dallas
Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach threw it to wide receiver Drew
Pearson against the Minnesota Vikings.
With 24 seconds left in the game,
Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach, nicknamed "Captain
Comeback", threw a desperate 50-yard winning touchdown pass to
"Mr. Clutch" Drew Pearson to defeat the Minnesota Vikings.
Until this time, a last-second desperation pass had been called
several names, most notably the Alley-Oop.
NFC Championship:
Dallas 37, LOS ANGELES 7
Super Bowl X
The season ended with Super Bowl X when
the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the
Dallas Cowboys on January 18, 1976 at the Orange Bowl
in Miami, Florida.
.Pittsburgh (AFC) 21,
Dallas (NFC) 17
Super Bowl X was the
tenth Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football
League (NFL). The game was played on January 18, 1976 at the Orange
Bowl in Miami, Florida, following the 1975 regular season.
The American Football
Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers
defeated
the National Football
Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys, 21–17.
This game featured a
contrast of styles between the Steelers and the Cowboys, which were,
at the time, the two most popular teams in the league.
Pittsburgh safety Glen
Edwards halted a
late Dallas rally with
an end zone interception as time expired. Steelers receiver Lynn
Swann, who caught 4 passes for a Super Bowl record 161 yards,
including a 64-yard go-ahead touchdown reception in the fourth
quarter, was named the Super Bowl's Most Valuable Player. Swann was
the first wide receiver ever to win the Super Bowl MVP award.
The Steelers did not
commit a single penalty in the game, while
the Cowboys committed only 2 penalties for 20 yards.
This was the
first Super Bowl since Super Bowl III in which a quarterback threw
for more than 200 yards, a feat that both Bradshaw and Staubach surpassed (only Super
Bowl's II and I had accomplished that).
Scenes for the 1977 suspense film Black Sunday were filmed during the game.
This was the last game
played on AstroTurf at the Orange Bowl. The artificial surface was
installed in 1970, but after this game, the turf was ripped up and
grass was replanted for the 1976 season.
As legend has it, it was during Super Bowl X
when the camera drifted to the sidelines and paused on a lovely young
woman clad in white and blue stars. With a smile and a wink, she
caused an entire nation to fall in love with this unique troupe who
represented the feminine side of American football.
The requests for appearances started pouring
in to the suprise of the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.
We are referring to The Dallas Cowboy
Cheerleaders - the start of the Cheerleaders and their dance and sex
appeal on the sidelines!
1976
The 1976 NFL season was the 57th regular
season of the National Football League.
January 18 - The
Pittsburgh Steelers win their second Super Bowl in a row in Super
Bowl X as they defeat the Cowboys
21-17 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, following the 1975
regular season.
The Pittsburgh Steelers
joined Green Bay Packers and
Miami Dolphins as the only teams to win two Super Bowls; the
Dallas Cowboys became the first wild-card team to play in the Super Bowl.
The CBS telecast was viewed by an estimated
80 million people, the largest television audience in history.
The league expanded to 28 teams with the
addition of the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa
Bay Buccaneers. For this season
only, the Seahawks played in the NFC West while
the Buccaneers played in the AFC West.
College coaching legend
Lou Holtz coached the New York Jets but resigned after 13 games and a
3-10 record
Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost
all 14 games in their inaugural season.
January 20 -
Lloyd Nordstrom, the president of the Seattle Seahawks, died at
66..His brother Elmer succeeded him as majority representative of the team.
The owners awarded Super Bowl XII, to be
played on January 15, 1978, to New Orleans.
NFL stadiums install giant instant replay
screens. Fans at games can watch a TV-like replay of the action that
just occurred on the field. By the early 1990s, state-of-the-art
Jumbotron color video screens replace the older black-and-white
replay screens.
They also adopted the use of two 30-second
clocks for all games, visible to both players and fans to note the
official time between the ready-for-play signal and snap of the ball,
March 16.
April 8-9 - A veteran player
allocation was held to stock the Seattle Seahawks
and Tampa Bay Buccaneers franchises with
39 players each, March 30-31. In the college draft, Seattle
and Tampa Bay each received eight extra choices.
The New York Giants moved
into new Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The Pittsburgh Steelers
defeated the College All-Stars in a storm-shortened Chicago College
All-Star Game, the last of the series, July 23. St. Louis defeated
San Diego 20-10 in a preseason game before 38,000 in Korakuen
Stadium, Tokyo, in the first NFL game outside of North America,
August 16.
November 25 - Buffalo
Bills running back O.J.
Simpson rushes
for an NFL record 273 yards at Detroit. Despite his efforts, the
Bills fall to the Lions 27-14
1976 PLAYOFFS
AFC
Divisional playoffs:
OAKLAND 24, New England 21; Pittsburgh 40, BALTIMORE 14
AFC Championship:
OAKLAND 24, Pittsburgh 7
NFC
Divisional playoffs:
MINNESOTA 35, Washington 20; Los Angeles 14, DALLAS 12
NFC Championship:
MINNESOTA 24, Los Angeles 13
Super Bowl XI
Super Bowl XI was the
11th Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football
League (NFL). The game was played on January 9, 1977 at the
Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California following the 1976 regular season.
The American Football
Conference (AFC) champion Oakland Raiders
defeated
the National Football
Conference (NFC) champion Minnesota Vikings, 32–14.
Oakland gained a Super
Bowl record 429 yards, including a Super Bowl record 288 yards in the
first half, en route to winning their first Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Even though he did not
score a touchdown, Raiders wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff, who had 4
catches for 79 yards, was named the Super Bowl's Most Valuable Player.
January 9 is the
earliest in the calendar year that a Super Bowl has ever taken place.
This was the first game
played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. The Los Angeles Memorial
Coliseum previously played host to two previous Super Bowls (Super
Bowl I and Super Bowl VII).
This is the
last Super Bowl game played outdoors to end before dusk.
For the fourth time in as many Super Bowls, the Vikings failed to
score in the first half.
Major rule changes
Two 30-seconds clocks, one on each end of the field, will be used for
all games. They will be visible to both players and fans to note the
official time between the ready-for-play signal and the snap of the ball.
If the defensive team commits a foul during a failed extra point
attempt, the try is replayed and the offensive team has the option to
either have the distance penalty assessed on the next try or the
ensuing kickoff.
If the defensive team commits a foul during a successful extra point
attempt, the penalty will be assessed on the ensuing kickoff.
Players cannot grasp the facemask of an opponent. The penalty for an
incidental grasp of the facemask is 5 yards. The penalty for
twisting, turning, or pulling the facemask is 15 yards. A player can
be ejected from the game if the foul is judged to be vicious and/or flagrant.
A defender is prohibited from running or diving into, or throwing his
body against or on a ballcarrier who falls or slips to the ground
untouched and makes no attempt to advance, before or after the ball
is dead. This is sometimes called as the "Ben Davidson Rule"
after the Raiders defender who almost seriously injured quarterback
Len Dawson after the Chiefs passer fell to the ground and made no
attempt to advance.
History of the Coin Toss
The coin toss has been a part of professional football since its
start in 1892. While the procedure has been relatively
unchanged over the years, the following is a history of change made
to the pre-game procedure.
Previously: Coin toss was moved to
thirty minutes before the start of the game.
Change: Coin toss was changed from 30
minutes to three minutes before kickoff.
1977
The 1977 NFL season was the 58th regular
season of the National Football League.
January 9 - The
Oakland Raiders defeat the Minnesota Vikings
32-14 for their first NFL championship.
The game is played before a record
Super Bowl crowd plus 81 million television viewers, the largest
audience ever to watch a sporting event.
The victory was the
fifth consecutive for the AFC in the Super Bowl.
February 25 - The NFL Players
Association and the NFL Management Council ratified a collective
bargaining agreement extending until 1982, covering five football
seasons while continuing the pension plan-including years 1974, 1975,
and 1976-with contributions totaling more than $55 million. The total
cost of the agreement was estimated at $107 million. The agreement
called for a college draft at least through 1986; contained a
no-strike, no-suit clause; established a 43-man active player limit;
reduced pension vesting to four years; provided for increases in
minimum salaries and preseason and postseason pay; improved
insurance, medical, and dental benefits; modified previous practices
in player movement and control; and reaffirmed the NFL Commissioner's
disciplinary authority. Additionally, the agreement called for the
NFL member clubs to make payments totaling $16 million the next 10
years to settle various legal disputes.
March 28 - The San
Francisco 49ers were sold to Edward J. DeBartolo, Jr.
AMERICAN CONFERENCE
EAST DIVISION
Baltimore Colts
Boston Patriots
Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
New York Jets
CENTRAL DIVISION
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Houston Oilers (to be
known as today's Tennessee Titans)
Pittsburgh Steelers
WEST DIVISION
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
Oakland Raiders
San Diego Chargers
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
EAST DIVISION
Dallas Cowboys
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
St. Louis Cardinals
Washington Redskins
CENTRAL DIVISION
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
WEST DIVISION
Atlanta Falcons
New Orleans Saints
Los Angeles Rams
San Francisco 49ers
The annual draft was reduced from 17 rounds
to 12 rounds.
A 16-game regular season, 4-game preseason
was adopted to begin in 1978, March 29. A second wild-card team was
adopted for the playoffs beginning in 1978, with the wild-card teams
to play each other and the winners advancing to a round of eight
postseason series.
March 31 - The
Seahawks were permanently aligned in the AFC Western Division and the
Buccaneers in the NFC Central Division.
The owners awarded Super Bowl XIII, to be
played on January 21, 1979, to Miami, to be played in the Orange
Bowl; Super Bowl XIV, to be played January 20, 1980, was awarded to
Pasadena, to be played in the Rose Bowl, June 14.
Rozelle negotiated contracts with the three
television networks to televise all NFL regular-season and postseason
games, plus selected preseason games, for four years beginning with
the 1978 season. ABC was awarded yearly rights to 16 Monday night
games, four prime-time games, the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl, and the Hall of
Fame games. CBS received the rights to all NFC regular-season and
postseason games (except those in the ABC package) and to Super Bowls
XIV and XVI. NBC received the rights to all AFC regular-season and
postseason games (except those in the ABC package) and to Super Bowls
XIII and XV. Industry sources considered it the largest single
television package ever negotiated, October 12.
November 20 -
Chicago Bear's Walter Payton set a single-game rushing record with
275 yards (40 carries) against Minnesota.
Denver Broncos defeated
the Pittsburgh Steelers 34-21 in the franchise's first playoff game
Major rule changes
Rules changes were adopted to open up the
passing game and to cut down on injuries.
The head slap is outlawed. This change is referred to as the "Deacon
Jones Rule"; The Rams defensive end frequently used
this technique.
Any shoe worn by a player with an artificial limb must have a kicking
surface that conforms to that of a normal kicking shoe. Named the "Tom
Dempsey Rule" after the placekicker who wore a
modified shoe on his artificial limb that had a flattened and
enlarged toe area. This shoe had somewhat the appearance of a hammer,
and thus gave him an advantage over other kickers.
Defenders are only permitted to make contact with receivers only once.
Defenders are not allowed to make contact with an opponent above the
shoulders with the palms of their hands, except to ward him off the line.
Offensive linemen are not allowed to thrust their hands to a
defender's neck, face, or head.
Wide receivers are not allowed to clip defenders.
A 16-game regular season, 4-game preseason was adopted to begin in 1978.
A second wild-card team was adopted for the playoffs beginning in
1978, with the wild-card teams to play each other and the winners
advancing to a round of eight postseason series.
1977 PLAYOFFS
AFC
Divisional playoffs:
DENVER 34, Pittsburgh 21; Oakland 37, BALTIMORE 31 (OT) Ghost to the Post
(December 24)
Raiders tight end Dave
Casper, nicknamed "The Ghost" by his teammates, caught a
42-yard reception (on a pass route headed towards the goal posts) to
set up the Raiders' tying field goal near the end of regulation. Then
Casper caught a 10-yard touchdown pass with 43 seconds into the
second overtime period to win the game.
AFC Championship:
DENVER 20, Oakland 17
NFC
Divisional playoffs:
DALLAS 37, Chicago 7; Minnesota 14, LOS ANGELES 7
NFC Championship: DALLAS
23, Minnesota 6
Super Bowl XII
Dallas (NFC) 27,
Denver (AFC) 10
This was The Denver
Broncos first Super Bowl appearance
Dallas's victory was the
first for the NFC in six years
Super Bowl XII was the
12th Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football
League (NFL). The game was played on January 15, 1978 at the
Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, the first Super Bowl
played inside a domed stadium, following the 1977 regular season.
The CBS telecast was
viewed by more than 102 million people, meaning the game was watched
by more viewers than any other show of any kind in the history of television.
The National Football
Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys
defeated
the
American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos,
27–10.
The Cowboys defensive
team dominated most of the game, forcing 8 turnovers and allowing
only 8 pass completions by
the Broncos for just 61 passing yards.
For the first time, two
players won Super Bowl MVP honors:
defensive tackle Randy White and
defensive end Harvey Martin.
This was also the first
time that a defensive lineman was named as the Super Bowl MVP.
The Cowboys joined
Minnesota as the only teams to appear in four Super Bowls.
Tony Dorsett of The
Dallasd Cowboys became the first football player in history to win an
NCAA National Championship one year (with
the University of Pittsburgh Panthers)
and a Super Bowl the next.
Robert
Newhouse of The Dallasd Cowboys became the first running back in
Super Bowl history to complete a touchdown pass.
Referee Jim
Tunney became the first (and to date, only) official to work
consecutive Super Bowls. Tunney was also the referee for Super Bowl
VI and Super Bowl XI.
The Dallas Cowboys was
the only NFC team to win the Super Bowl in the 1970's.
This was the
first Super Bowl between two teams who had met in regular season play.
1978
Dallas defeated Denver
27-10 in Super Bowl XII, held indoors for the first time, at the
Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, January 15. The CBS telecast was
viewed by more than 102 million people, meaning the game was watched
by more viewers than any other show of any kind in the history of television. Dallas's
victory was the first for the NFC in six years. See
above
The 1978 NFL season was the 59th regular
season of the National Football League.
Regular season became 16 games and Second
wild-card team in each conference added to playoffs
To increase revenue, the league expanded the
regular season from a 14-game schedule to 16. Furthermore, the
playoff format was expanded from 8 teams to 10 teams by adding
another wild card from each conference. The wild card teams would
play each other with the winner advancing to the playoff round of
eight teams.
Bolstered by the expansion of the
regular-season schedule from 14 to 16 weeks, NFL paid attendance
exceeded 12 million (12,771,800) for the first time. The
per-game average of 57,017 was the third-highest in league history
and the most since 1973.
August 5 - The NFL played for the
first time in Mexico City, with the New Orleans
Saints defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 14-7 in a preseason game.
Head Coach John Madden
of The Oakland Raiders retires with a 112-39-7 record over 10 seasons
and was replaced by Tom Flores, a former Raiders Quarterback.
Weeb Ewbank became the
first person associated with the New York Jets to be voted into the
Hall of Fame.
Major rule changes
To open up the passing game, defenders are permitted to make contact
with receivers only to a point of five yards beyond the line of
scrimmage. Previously, contact was allowed anywhere on the field.
The offensive team may only make one forward pass during a play from
scrimmage, but only if the ball does not cross the line and return
behind the line prior to the pass.
Double touching of a forward pass is legal, but batting a pass
towards the opponent's end zone is illegal. Previously, a second
offensive player could not legally catch a deflected pass unless a
defensive player had touched it. This is usually referred to as the
"Mel Renfro Rule". During a play in Super Bowl V, Baltimore
Colts receiver Eddie Hinton tipped a pass intended for him. Renfro,
the Cowboys defensive back, made a stab at the ball and it was ruled
that he tipped it ever so slightly (which he denied) into the arms of
Colts tight end John Mackey, who ran for a touchdown. Later, this
rule was also the one in question during the Immaculate Reception in
1972. But despite these two incidents, the rule change did not occur
until this season.
The pass blocking rules were extended to permit extended arms and
open hands.
The penalty for intentional grounding is reduced from a loss of down
and 15 yards to a loss of down and 10 yards from the previous spot.
If the passer commits the foul in his own end zone, the defense
scores a safety.
Hurdling is no longer a foul.
A seventh official, the Side Judge, is added to the officiating crew
to help rule on legalities downfield, March 14.
A study on the use of instant replay as an officiating aid was made
during seven nationally televised preseason games.
1978 PLAYOFFS
AFC
Wild-Card playoff:
Houston 17, MIAMI 9
Divisional playoffs:
Houston 31, NEW ENGLAND 14; PITTSBURGH 33, Denver 10
AFC Championship:
PITTSBURGH 34, Houston 5
NFC
Wild-Card playoff:
ATLANTA 14, Philadelphia 13
Divisional playoffs:
DALLAS 27, Atlanta 20; LOS ANGELES 34, Minnesota 10
NFC Championship:
Dallas 28, LOS ANGELES 0
Super Bowl XIII
Pittsburgh (AFC) 35, Dallas
(NFC) 31
Super Bowl XIII was the 13th Super Bowl, the
championship game of the National Football League (NFL). The game was
played on January 21, 1979 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida
following the 1978 regular season.
The NBC telecast was viewed in 35,090,000
homes, by an estimated 96.6 million fans.
The American Football
Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers
defeated
the National Football
Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys, 35–31.
It was the first ever Super Bowl rematch. The
Steelers previously beat the Cowboys
in Super Bowl X, 21–17.
The Steelers become the
first team to win three Super Bowls.
Steelers quarterback
Terry Bradshaw was named Super Bowl MVP. Bradshaw, who completing 17
out of 30 passes, broke Super Bowl records for the most passing yards
in a game (318) and the most touchdown passes in a game (4). Also,
his 75-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter tied Johnny
Unitas in Super Bowl V for the longest in a Super Bowl.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys
could not overcome turnovers, drops, and a controversial penalty
during the second half.
Pregame Hype
Much of the pregame hype
surrounded Super Bowl XIII centered around Cowboys linebacker Thomas
"Hollywood" Henderson. Henderson caused quite a stir before
the NFC Championship Game by claiming that the Rams had "No
Class" and the Cowboys would shut them out. His prediction
turned out to be very accurate; the Cowboys did shut them out, aided
by Henderson's 68-yard interception return for a touchdown.
In the days leading up
the Super Bowl, Henderson began talking about the
Steelers in the same manner. He predicted
another shutout and then made unfriendly comments about
several Pittsburgh players. He put down the talent of
Grossman and the intelligence of Bradshaw, proclaiming "Bradshaw couldn't
spell 'cat' if you spotted him the 'c' and the 'a'". But
the Steelers refused to get into a war of words with Henderson.
Greene responded by saying the Steelers didn't need to say they were
the best, they would just go out on the field and "get the job done".
Dallas
Cowboys became the first Super Bowl designated "home team"
to wear its white jerseys.
* The Cowboys were the first defending champion
to lose in the Super Bowl. They were also the first to lose two Super
Bowls to the same team (they lost 21-17 to
the Steelers in Super
Bowl X).
Terry
Bradshaw became the first player since the 1970 AFL-NFL Merger to
win both the Super Bowl MVP and the AP Most Valuable Player Award
during the same season.
By throwing for a Super
Bowl record of 318 yards, Terry Bradshaw not only broke Bart Starr's
record of 250 yards in Super Bowl I, but also became the first
quarterback in a Super Bowl to pass for over 300.
Bradshaw was also the
first quarterback to throw for three or more touchdowns in a Super
Bowl, breaking the record of 2 by several players.
1979
The 1979 NFL season was the 60th regular
season of the National Football League
The owners awarded three future Super Bowl
sites: Super Bowl XV to the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, to be
played on January 25, 1981; Super Bowl XVI to the Pontiac Silverdome
in Pontiac, Michigan, to be played on January 24, 1982; and Super
Bowl XVII to Pasadena's Rose Bowl, to be played on January 30, 1983,
March 13.
Tom Flores became the
Oakland Raiders' head coach in 1979, following John Madden's
retirement. Under Flores, the Raiders won Super Bowl XV and Super
Bowl XVIII
April 2 - Carroll
Rosenbloom, the president of the Rams,
drowned at 72. His widow, Georgia, assumed control of the club.
October 25 - San Diego quarterback
Dan Fouts throws for 303 yards at Oakland, setting an NFL record by
topping 300 yards for the fourth straight game.
September 10 - Oakland
Raiders vs. San Diego Chargers
The Holy
Roller game, or the Immaculate
Deception for Chargers fans The Raiders were trailing the Chargers
with 10 seconds remaining. Quarterback Ken Stabler fumbled the ball
and running back Pete Banaszak swatted it into the end zone where
tight end Dave Casper fell on it for a touchdown. After this play, it
was made illegal to move the ball forward by deliberately swatting or
kicking it after a fumble; and in the final two minutes of each half,
plus on fourth down at any time in the game, a forward fumble
recovered by any member of the offensive team other than the fumbler
is spotted at the point of the fumble, not the point of the recovery.
November 19 - Philadelphia
Eagles vs. New
York Giants The Miracle at the Meadowlands, or The
Fumble for Giants fans
Leading 17-12 with 31
seconds left in the game (and the Eagles having no timeouts left),
Giants quarterback Joe Pisarcik tried to hand off to running back
Larry Csonka instead of simply kneeling with the ball to run out the
clock. The exchange was fumbled and the Eagles' Herman Edwards picked
up the loose ball and ran it in for the game-winning touchdown. The
Eagles won 19-17 and the next day Giants' offensive coordinator Bob
Gibson was fired, with head coach John McVay losing his job at the
conclusion of the season.
December 29 - Houston
Texans safety Vernon Perry sets an NFL playoff record with four
interceptions in the Oilers' 17-14 victory over San Diego.
Major rule changes
For several decades, every NFL official wore
white hats. In 1979, NFL referees started to wear black hats, while
every other NFL official continued to wear white - apparently a
cost-cutting move. (Finally in
1988, the NFL copied what high-school and college football had been
doing for years: The referee puts on a white hat and the other
officials put on a black hat.)
NFL rules changes emphasized additional
player safety.
Whenever the quarterback is sacked, the
clock will be stopped for at least five seconds and then restarted
again and instructed officials to quickly whistle a play dead when a
quarterback was clearly in the grasp of a tackler
If a fair catch is made, or signaled and
awarded to a team because of interference, on the last play of a
half, the period can be extended and the team can run one play.
Centers are included as the interior
offensive linemen in the uniform numbering system.
Players are prohibited from wearing torn or
altered equipment. Tear-away jerseys are banned.
During kickoffs, punts, and field goal
attempts, players on the receiving team cannot block below the waist.
The zone in which crackback blocks are
prohibited is extended from 3 yards on either side of the line of
scrimmage to 5.
Players cannot use their helmets to butt,
spear, or ram an opponent. Any player who uses the crown or the top
of his helmet unnecessarily will be called for unnecessary roughness.
In order to prevent incidents such as the Holy
Roller game, the following change is made: If an
offensive player fumbles during a fourth down play, or during any
down played after the two minute warning in a half, only the fumbling
player can recover and.or advance the ball. This change is known as
the "Ken
Stabler rule" after the Oakland Raiders quarterback
who made the infamous play in the Holy Roller game.
Defensive linemen can wear numbers 90 to 99.
1979 PLAYOFFS
AFC
Wild-Card playoff:
HOUSTON 13, Denver 7
Divisional playoffs:
Houston 17, SAN DIEGO 14; PITTSBURGH 34, Miami 14
AFC Championship:
PITTSBURGH 27, Houston 13
NFC
Wild-Card playoff: PHILADELPHIA
27, Chicago 17
Divisional playoffs:
TAMPA BAY 24, Philadelphia 17; Los Angeles 21, DALLAS 19
NFC Championship:
Los Angeles 9, TAMPA BAY 0
Super Bowl XIV
Pittsburgh
Steelers(AFC) 31, Los
Angeles Rams(NFC) 19
Super Bowl XIV was the
14th Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football
League (NFL). The game was played on January 20, 1980 at the Rose
Bowl in Pasadena, California following the 1979 regular season.
Aided by two touchdowns
in the fourth quarter, the American Football Conference (AFC)
champion Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the
National Football Conference (NFC) champion Los Angeles Rams, 31–19,
to win their fourth Super Bowl in team history.
Despite throwing three
interceptions, Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw was named the
game's MVP by completing 14 of 21 passes for 309 yards and two
touchdowns. Bradshaw became the second person to win two Super Bowl
MVP awards and the second to win them back-to-back (both
after Bart Starr in Super Bowls I and II).
The Steelers fans were
known this year for the "Terrible
Towel" fad, in which most fans
would bring towels colored yellow and black (the
team's colors) to all Steelers games
(since 1975) and wave them around madly in a circle above their
heads as a show of support. Many Terrible Towels were in evidence at
the Rose Bowl during this Super Bowl.
The Super Bowl was
attended by a record 103,985 spectators. This mark has currently not
ever been broken yet, and most likely never will. The last time that
the Rose Bowl held an NFL game was Super Bowl XXVII, and will never
host a Super Bowl again as long as the league maintains its current
policy that only a home stadium of an NFL team may host the
championship game. And so far, no NFL stadium currently comes close
to a capacity 100,000 people.
The famous Coke
commercial where Mean Joe Greene gives a kid his game jersey aired
during CBS' telecast of the game. However, it is technically not
viewed as a Super Bowl ad since it actually debuted on October 1,
1979, not during the day of the game
1980
Ending The 1979 Season
Pittsburgh defeated
the Los Angeles Rams 31-19 in Super Bowl XIV at Pasadena to become
the first team to win four Super Bowls, January 20.
The AFC-NFC Pro Bowl,
won 37-27 by the NFC, was played before 48,060 fans at Aloha Stadium
in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was the first time in the 30-year history of
the Pro Bowl that the game was played in a non-NFL city.
The 1980 NFL season was
the 61st regular season of the National Football League.
The San Francisco 49ers
were the dominant team of the 1980s, as quarterback Joe Montana keyed
the team to four Super Bowl victories (1982,
1985, 1989, 1990). Montana, who
benefited from good blocking protection, read defenses well and could
pass while scrambling away from tacklers. His favorite receiver was
Jerry Rice, who eventually became the NFL career leader in career touchdowns.
Other powerful teams during the 1980s included the Chicago
Bears, the
Washington Redskins, and
the Raiders
After the league
declined to approve the proposed move by the Raiders from Oakland,
California to Los Angeles, the team along with the Los Angeles
Coliseum sued the NFL for violating antitrust laws. A verdict in the
trial would not be decided until before the 1982 NFL season.
The Los Angeles Rams
moved their home games to Anaheim Stadium in nearby Orange County, California.
NFL regular-season
attendance of nearly 13.4 million set a record for the third year in
a row. The average paid attendance for the 224-game 1980 regular
season was 59,787, the highest in the league's 61-year history. NFL
games in 1980 were played before 92.4 percent of total stadium capacity.
Television ratings in
1980 were the second-best in NFL history, trailing only the combined
ratings of the 1976 season. All three networks posted gains, and
NBC's 15.0 rating was its best ever. CBS and ABC had their best
ratings since 1977, with 15.3 and 20.8 ratings, respectively. CBS
Radio reported a record audience of 7 million for Monday night and
special games.
CBS, with a record bid
of $12 million, won the national radio rights to 26 NFL
regular-season games, including Monday Night Football, and all 10
postseason games for the 1980-83 seasons.
October 26 -- Baltimore
quarterback Bert Jones is sacked a record 12 times in a 17-10 loss
to St. Louis. Houston quarterback Warren Moon would equal the mark on
Sept. 29, 1985 at Dallas.
December 7 - The
San Francisco 49ers erase a 35-7 halftime deficit to record the
biggest comeback in NFL history, beating the New Orleans Saints 38-35
in overtime on Ray Wersching's 36-yard field goal.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
coach McKay signed a 5 year extension with a provision that he would
become team president after its expiration.
Center Jim Otto became
the first Oakland Raiders player to be elected to the Hall of Fame
Major rule changes
Rules changes placed
greater restrictions on contact in the area of the head, neck, and
face. Players are prohibited
from striking, swinging, or clubbing to the head, face, or neck. The
personal foul could be called whether or not the initial contact was
made below the neck.
If the offensive team commits a penalty in
an attempt to conserve time, 10 seconds will be run off the clock
before the ball is permitted to be put back into play.
A "Guidelines for Captains"
section was added to the rules.
At the NFL annual meeting in Phoenix,
Arizona, a 45-second clock was also approved to replace the 30-second
clock. For a normal sequence of plays, the interval between plays was
changed to 45 seconds from the time the ball is signaled dead until
it is snapped on the succeeding play.
1980 PLAYOFFS
AFC
Wild-Card playoff:
OAKLAND 27, Houston 7
Divisional playoffs:
SAN DIEGO 20, Buffalo 14; Oakland 14, CLEVELAND 12
AFC Championship:
Oakland 34, SAN DIEGO 27
NFC
Wild-Card playoff:
DALLAS 34, Los Angeles 13
Divisional playoffs:
PHILADELPHIA 31, Minnesota 16; Dallas 30, ATLANTA 27
NFC Championship:
PHILADELPHIA 20, Dallas 7
Super Bowl XV
Oakland Raiders (AFC) 27,
Philadelphia Eagles (NFC) 10, at Louisiana
Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Super Bowl XV was the
15th Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football
League (NFL). The game was played on January 25, 1981 at the
Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana following the 1980
regular season.
The American Football
Conference (AFC) champion Oakland Raiders
defeated
the
National Football Conference (NFC) champion Philadelphia Eagles, 27–10,
to become to first wild
card playoff team to win a Super Bowl. The Raiders jumped to a
14–0 lead in the first quarter, which
the Eagles never recovered from.
Oakland quarterback Jim
Plunkett was named the Super Bowl MVP, completing 13 of 21 passes for
261 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for 9 yards.
Philadelphia
became the first team in Super Bowl history to open the game with a
two tight end formation (John Spagnola
and Keith Krepfle).
This game
marked the first Super Bowl where both teams used the 3-4
defensive formation as their base
defense. The Raiders were the first team
to use the 3-4 in the Super Bowl in Super
Bowl XI against the Minnesota
Vikings, although
the Miami Dolphins used a version of the
3-4 ("53 defense") in Super Bowl VI, Super Bowl VII and
Super Bowl VIII.
Oakland
became only the second wild card team to make it to the Super Bowl
and the first to come away victorious (The Kansas City
Chiefs, the Super Bowl IV champions, are often thought of as a
"wild-card team," but they were not; during the season
before the 1970 AFL-NFL Merger, the the second-place finishers in
both divisions of the American Football League qualified for the playoffs).
Jim
Plunkett would be the second Heisman Trophy winner to be named Super
Bowl MVP after Roger Staubach in Super Bowl VI.
Oakland Raider's,
Cliff Branch's two touchdown catches
tied a Super Bowl record. Only Max
McGee who played for the Green Bay Packers
and John Stallworth of the Pittsburgh
Steelers caught two touchdowns prior to this.
Gene
Upshaw of The Oakland Raiders became the first player to play in
three Super Bowls with the same team in three different decades. He
also played in Super Bowls II (1967) and XI (1976).
1981
Oakland defeated
Philadelphia 27-10 in Super Bowl XV at the Louisiana Superdome in New
Orleans, to become the first wild-card team to win a Super Bowl,
January 25.
The 1981 NFL season was
the 62nd regular season of the National Football League.
February 26
- Edgar F. Kaiser, Jr., purchased the
Denver Broncos from Gerald and Allan Phipps
The Cincinnati Bengal's
unveiled new uniforms with tiger stripes on the helmets and pants
March 20 - The
Owners adopted a disaster plan for re-stocking a team should the club
be involved in a fatal accident.
The NFL awarded Super
Bowl XVIII to Tampa, to be played in Tampa Stadium on January 22,
1984, June 3.
A CBS-New York Times
poll showed that 48 percent of sports fans preferred football to 31
percent for baseball.
The NFL teams hosted 167
representatives from 44 predominantly black (African-American)
colleges during training camps for a total of 289 days. The program
was adopted for renewal during each training camp period.
NFL regular-season
attendance-13.6 million for an average of 60,745-set a record for the
fourth year in a row. It also was the first time the per-game average
exceeded 60,000. NFL games in 1981 were played before 93.8 percent of
total stadium capacity.
ABC and CBS set all-time
rating highs. ABC finished with a 21.7 rating and CBS with a 17.5
rating. NBC was down slightly to 13.9.
October 2 - Bob
Shaw established an NFL record with five touchdown catches as the
Chicago Cardinals defeated the
Baltimore Colts 55-13.
The record was tied in
1981 by San Diego Chargers Kellen Winslow
and again in 1990 by San
Francisco 49ers, Jerry Rice.
November 22 - San
Diego tight end Kellen Winslow ties an NFL record with five
touchdown catches in the Chargers' 55-21 victory over Oakland.
North Carolina
linebacker Lawrence Taylor was chosen on the New York Giants 1st
round of the draft.
Major rule changes
It is illegal for any player to put adhesive
or slippery substances such as the product "stickum" on his
body, equipment or uniform. This rule is known as both the "Lester
Hayes Rule" and the "Fred Biletnikoff Rule"
since both players were notorious for using sticky substances to
make it easier for them to catch passes.
An offensive player who comes into the game
wearing an illegal number for the position he takes must report to
the Referee before the start of the next play.
The penalty for an ineligible receiver who
touches a forward pass is a loss of down.
The penalty for illegal use of hands, arms,
or body (including holding) is reduced from 15 yards to 10 yards.
The penalty for intentional grounding is
modified: loss of down and 10 yards penalty from the previous spot,
or if the foul occurs more than 10 yards from the line of scrimmage,
loss of down at the spot of the foul.
1981 PLAYOFFS
AFC
Wild-Card playoff:
Buffalo 31, N.Y. JETS 27
Divisional playoffs:
San Diego 41, MIAMI 38 (OT); CINCINNATI 28, Buffalo 21
AFC Championship:
CINCINNATI 27, San Diego 7
NFC
Wild-Card playoff:
N.Y. Giants 27, PHILADELPHIA 21
Divisional playoffs:
DALLAS 38, Tampa Bay 0; SAN FRANCISCO 38, N.Y. Giants 24
NFC Championship:
SAN FRANCISCO 28, Dallas 27
Super Bowl XVI
San Francisco 49ers (NFC) 26,
Cincinnati Bengals (AFC) 21,
at Silverdome,
Pontiac, Michigan
Super Bowl XVI was the
16th Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football
League (NFL). The game was played on January 24, 1982 at the Pontiac
Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan (a
suburb of Detroit) following the 1981
regular season.
The National Football
Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers
defeated
the American Football
Conference (AFC) champion Cincinnati Bengals, 26–21.
Although the Bengals
gained 356 yards of total offense to the
49ers' 275, San
Francisco jumped to a 20-0 lead by halftime and forced 5 turnovers.
This marked the first
time in Super Bowl history that the team that compiled the most yards lost.
49ers quarterback Joe
Montana was named the Super Bowl MVP, completing 14 of 22 passes for
157 yards and one touchdown, while also rushing for 18 yards and a
touchdown on the ground.
The game was one of the
most watched broadcasts in American television history, with more
than 85 million viewers. The final national Nielsen rating was a
49.1, a Super Bowl record.
In addition to his
Super Bowl record 11 receptions, Cincinnati Bengal's Dan Ross'
104 receiving yards and his 2 touchdown receptions were the most ever
by a tight end in a Super Bowl.
Cincinnati head coach
Forrest Gregg became the first person to play in a Super Bowl and
then be a head coach in a Super Bowl. Gregg played in Super Bowl I
and Super Bowl II as a member of the Green Bay Packers.
This is the only
Super Bowl to have a turnover on the opening kickoff.
This is the only Super
Bowl to have ever been played at the Pontiac Silverdome. This was
also only the second of 16 Super Bowls to not take place in one of
the three so-called "Big Super Bowl Cities". Fourteen of
the previous 16 Super Bowls took place in either Miami, Florida, New
Orleans, Louisiana or in the Greater Los Angeles Area.
This
was the first Super Bowl to be broadcast by the tandem of Pat
Summerall and John Madden.
This
was the first Super Bowl to feature two brand new participants since
Super Bowl III.
Ray Wersching's 4 field
goals tied a Super Bowl record set by Green
Bay Packers kicker Don Chandler in Super Bowl II.
1982
January
2 (Ending 1981 Season) -
San Diego beats Miami 41-38 in overtime in the highest scoring
playoff game in NFL history. .
The
temperature was 85°F (29.4°C) at the Miami Orange Bowl, but
it did not stop either team's offense. This game set playoff records
for the most points scored in a playoff game (79), the most total
yards by both teams (1,036), and most passing yards by both teams
(809). By the end of the first quarter the Chargers stormed to a 24-0
lead, but the Dolphins cut their deficit to 24-17 by halftime and
took a 38-31 lead on the first play of the fourth quarter. Regulation
ended with a 38-38 tie. In overtime, Rolf Benirschke ends the game
with a 29-yard field goal. San Diego beat Miami, 41-38.
January
24 (Ending
1981 Season) - One week after their
victory over the Dolphins in "The Epic in Miami" in
Florida's scorching heat, the Chargers travelled to Cincinnati to
face the Bengals in the coldest game in NFL history based on the wind
chill. The air temperature was -9 degrees Fahrenheit (-23 °C),
but wind chill was -59 °F (-51 °C). In an attempt to
intimidate the Chargers, several Bengals players went without long
sleeved uniforms. Cincinnati won the game 27-7 and advanced to their
first Super Bowl in franchise history.
San
Francisco beats Cincinnati 26-21 in Super Bowl XVI. Ray Wersching
kicks a Super Bowl record-tying four field goals as the 49ers win
their first NFL championship.
January
10 (Ending
1981 Season)
Dallas Cowboys vs. San Francisco 49ers, NFC Championship Game
With 58
seconds left and the 49ers down by 6, Joe Montana threw a very high
pass into the endzone. Dwight Clark leapt and completed a fingertip
catch for a touchdown. The 49ers won 28-27 and made it to the Super Bowl.
December
12 (Ending
1981 Season)"Snowplow
Game." ,
Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots)
After a
snowstorm held both teams scoreless, Patriots head coach Ron Meyer
ordered the area where the ball was to be spotted for a field goal
attempt cleared by a snow plow. Mark Henderson, a convict on work
release, cleared the path for John Smith's attempt. It won the game
for the Patriots, 3-0, and the practice of using snow plows during
games was later banned
The 1982 NFL season was
the 63rd regular season of the National Football League.
The NFL officially
recognized quarterback sacks as a statistic.
The NFL signed a
five-year contract with the three television networks (ABC, CBS,
and NBC) to televise all NFL regular-season and postseason games
starting with the 1982 season.
The owners awarded the
1983, 1984, and 1985 AFC-NFC Pro Bowls to Honolulu's Aloha Stadium.
Oakland Raiders
became Los Angeles Raiders
Before the season, a
verdict was handed down against the league in the trial brought by
the Los Angeles Coliseum and the Oakland Raiders. The jury ruled that
the NFL violated antitrust laws when it declined to approve the
proposed move by the Raiders from Oakland, California to Los Angeles.
Thus, the league was forced to let the team play in the second
largest city in the United States.
The verdict cleared the
way for the Raiders to move to Los Angeles, where they defeated
Green Bay Packers
24-3 in their first preseason game, August 29.
Strike cancelled
seven weeks of games and created extra playoff week
The league faced another
problem when a 57-day long players' strike reduced the 1982 season
from a 16-game schedule to 9. Because of the shortened season, the
NFL adopted a special 16-team playoff tournament. Division standings
were ignored. Eight teams from each conference were seeded 1-8 based
on their regular season records.
September 20(at
midnight on Monday) - The strike was called by the NFLPA,
following the Green Bay at New York Giants game. Play resumed
November 21-22 following ratification of the Collective Bargaining
Agreement by NFL owners, November 17 in New York.
Under the Collective
Bargaining Agreement, which was to run through the 1986 season, the
NFL draft was extended through 1992 and the veteran free-agent system
was left basically unchanged. A minimum salary schedule for years of
experience was established; training camp and postseason pay were
increased; players' medical, insurance, and retirement benefits were
increased; and a severance-pay system was introduced to aid in career
transition, a first in professional sports.
Despite the players'
strike, the average paid attendance in 1982 was 58,472, the
fifth-highest in league history.
The owners awarded the
sites of two Super Bowls, December 14: Super Bowl XIX, to be played
on January 20, 1985, to Stanford University Stadium in Stanford,
California, with San Francisco as host team; and Super Bowl XX, to be
played on January 26, 1986, to the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.
The Minnesota Vikings
played it's first season indoors at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.
January 10 -
The (AFC)
Cincinnati Bengals defeat The (NFC)
San Diego Chargers 27-7
in the coldest game in NFL history.
The temperature at
kickoff of the AFC Championship Game is -9, with a wind-chill factor
of -59.
December 5 - The
Cowboys beat Washington 24-10 at RFK Stadium for the club's - and
Tom Landry's - 200th regular-season victory.
December 12 - New
England defeats Miami 3-0 in the infamous "Snowplow
Game." In a "Snow
Bowl" game when neither offense could even stand up straight,
much less score, a convict snowplow man comes out and clears the
field on the Sullivan Stadium turf, (Foxboro,
Mass) for John Smith's 33-yard
game-winning field-goal late in the game.
Cable sports network
ESPN signs a deal to televise games for the fledgling United States
Football League. After the USFL folds, ESPN works out an agreement
with the NFL to begin broadcasts of Sunday night, regular-season
games in 1987. For the first time, football fans at home will have to
pay to see an NFL game.
Major rule changes
The penalty for incidental grabbing of a
facemask that is committed by the defensive team is changed from 5
yards and an automatic first down to just 5 yards.
The penalties for illegally kicking,
batting, or punching the ball are changed from 15 yards to 10 yards.
1982 PLAYOFFS
AFC
First round playoffs
MIAMI 28, New England 13
L.A. RAIDERS 27,
Cleveland 10
N.Y. Jets 44,
CINCINNATI 17
San Diego 31,
PITTSBURGH 28
Second round playoffs:
N.Y. Jets 17, L.A.
RAIDERS 14; MIAMI 34, San Diego 13
AFC Championship:
MIAMI 14, N.Y.
Jets 0
NFC
First round playoffs
WASHINGTON 31, Detroit 7
GREEN BAY 41, St. Louis 16
MINNESOTA 30, Atlanta 24
DALLAS 30, Tampa Bay 17
Second round playoffs:
WASHINGTON 21, Minnesota
7; DALLAS 37, Green Bay 26
NFC Championship:
WASHINGTON 31, Dallas 17
Super Bowl XVII
Washington Redskins (NFC) 27,
Miami Dolphins (AFC) 17,
at Rose Bowl,
Pasadena, California
Super Bowl XVII was the
17th Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football
League (NFL). The game was played on January 30, 1983 at the Rose
Bowl in Pasadena, California following the 1982 regular season.
The National Football
Conference (NFC) champion Washington Redskins
defeated
the
American Football Conference (AFC) champion Miami Dolphins, 27–17,
as the Redskins scored 17
unanswered points in the second half.
Washington fullback John
Riggins was named Super Bowl MVP. He finished the game with 2 Super
Bowl records: the most rushing yards in a Super Bowl game (166), and
the most rushing attempts (38). His performance was also his fourth
100 yard rushing game in a row in a postseason game, a postseason
record. Riggins also recorded a reception for 15 yards.
This game came at the
end of a season that was significantly shortened by a players' strike.
This was the second rematch in Super Bowl history, as the two teams
met in Super Bowl VII. That game was also played in the Los Angeles
area, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
This
was the first Super Bowl ever to have 3 consecutive drives end with interceptions.
This
game marked the fourth time in a Super Bowl that a team came back
after being both behind at halftime and at the end of the 3rd quarter.
1983
January
30 - Washington beats Miami 27-17
in Super Bowl XVII. Fullback John Riggins
The 1983 NFL season was
the 64th regular season of the National Football League
The NFL again fended off
competition from a rival league as the United States Football League
attempted to tap into the talent pool in the mid-1980s. Perhaps the
highlight of the decade, draft wise, came in 1983 when a group of
college quarterbacks dominated the first round of that year's draft.
Six quarterbacks taken
in the first round highlighted the 1983 NFL Draft. The group became
known as the "Class of 1983" and the passers combined to
dominate the NFL's offensive attack for more than a decade following
their selection in the draft.
The famed "Class of
1983" consisted of six quarterbacks taken in the first round.
1. John Elway, Colts
7. Todd Blackledge, Chiefs
14. Jim Kelly, Bills
15. Tony Eason, Patriots
24. Ken O'Brien, Jets
27. Dan Marino, Dolphins.
Other notables taken
that same year include Hall of Fame running
back Eric Dickerson (#2) by the Los
Angeles Rams and
two players who are still active in the NFL: Houston
Oiler's Bruce Matthews (#9) and
Washington Redskin's Darrell Green (#28).
The Patriots passed on
Dan Marino in the 1st round of the draft and instead chose
quarterback Tony Eason.
University of
Pittsburgh quarterback Dan Marino was chosen in the 1st round of the
draft by The Miami Dolphins.
Minnesota Vikings head
coach, Bud Grant retires after 17 seasons
September 11 - Pittsburgh
Steeler's running back Franco Harris becomes the third player to
rush for 11,000 yards. Harris finished his career with 12,120 rushing yards.
October 17 - Green
Bay Packers beats Washington Redskins 48-47 in the highest scoring
game in Monday night football history. The Packers and Redskins
combine for over 1,000 yards of total offense
October 31 - George
Halas, the owner of the Bears and the
last surviving member of the NFL's second organizational meeting,
died at 88.
November 20 - Washington
Redskin's John Riggins sets an NFL record by rushing for a touchdown
in his 12th straight game. The score is his record-tying 19th rushing
touchdown of the year. The streak ended at 13 consecutive games while
Riggins went on to establish an NFL record with 24 touchdowns for the year
Major rule changes
In the last 30 seconds of a half, with the
defensive team behind with no more time outs, a defensive foul cannot
prevent the half to end except for the normal options that are
available to the offensive team.
Pass interference will not be called if
there was incidental contact, or if when players make simultaneous
attempts to catch, tip, block, or bat the ball.
A player may not use a helmet, that is no
longer worn by anyone, as a weapon to strike or hit an opponent.
Wild-Card
playoff: L.A. Rams 24, DALLAS 17 Divisional
playoffs: SAN FRANCISCO 24, Detroit 23;
WASHINGTON
51, L.A. Rams 7 NFC Championship:
WASHINGTON 24, San Francisco 21
Super
Bowl XVIII
L.A.
Raiders (AFC) 38, Washington
Redskins (NFC) 9,
at
Tampa Stadium, Tampa, Florida
Super
Bowl XVIII was the 18th Super Bowl, the championship game of the
National Football League (NFL). The game was played on January 22,
1984 at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida following the 1983 regular season.
The
American Football Conference (AFC) champion Raiders, who
were playing out of Los Angeles at that time,
defeated
the
National Football Conference (NFC) champion Washington
Redskins, 38–9.
The
Raiders' 38 points and their 29 point margin of victory were both
Super Bowl records.
The fact
that the Redskins had come into the game as the heavily-favored team
but left with such a humiliating defeat led Super Bowl XVIII to be
known as "Black
Sunday," in reference to the Raiders' team colors.
Raiders'
running back Marcus Allen was the Super Bowl MVP, carrying the ball
20 times, for a then-record total of 191 yards and two touchdowns,
including a spectacular 74-yard run in the third quarter. His 74 yard
run was also a record, and his 9.6 yards per carry average was the
second highest in Super Bowl history. He also caught 2 passes for 18
yards, giving him 209 total yards from the line of scrimmage in the game.
The Los
Angeles Raiders became the first team to score an offensive,
defensive and special teams touchdown in the same Super Bowl.
Apple's famous "1984" television commercial, introducing
the Apple Macintosh computer and directed by Ridley Scott, ran during
a timeout in the third quarter. The advertisement changed how the
Super Bowl would be used as a media platform after that.
Marcus Allen of the Los Angeles Raiders
became just the third Heisman Trophy winner to be named Super Bowl
Most Valuable Player.
Washington Redskin's John Riggins
became the second player to run for touchdowns in back-to-back Super
Bowls. He had one in Super Bowl XVII en route to winning that game's
Super Bowl MVP.
Cliff
Branch of the Los Angeles Raiders became just the 4th player to
catch a touchdown in two different Super Bowls.
This game would mark the last time that an AFC team would win a
Super Bowl until the Denver Broncos defeated
the Green Bay Packers
in Super Bowl XXXII 14 seasons later.
Voice-over work for the highlight package to Super Bowl XVIII was
John Facenda's final project for NFL Films. Facenda died a little
more than eight months after the game.
The Los Angeles Raiders were the only
AFC team to win the Superbowl in the 1980's.
1984
The
Los Angeles Raiders defeated Washington 38-9 in Super Bowl XVIII at
Tampa Stadium, January 22. The game achieved a 46.4 rating and 71.0 share.
The 1984
NFL season was the 65th regular season of the National Football League.
March 20
- An 11-man group headed by H.R. (Bum) Bright purchased the
Dallas Cowboys from Clint Murchison, Jr. Club president Tex Schramm
was designated as managing general partner.
March
21 - Patrick
Bowlen purchased a majority interest in the Denver Broncos from Edgar
Kaiser, Jr.
March
28 - The Baltimore Colts relocated
to Indianapolis, Indiana. Their new home became the Hoosier Dome in
Indianapolis, Indiana.
See
Colts History
The
owners awarded two Super Bowl sites at their May 23-25 meetings:
Super Bowl XXI, to be played on January 25, 1987, to the Rose Bowl in
Pasadena; and Super Bowl XXII, to be played on January 31, 1988, to
San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.
The New
York Jets moved their home games to Giants Stadium in East
Rutherford, New Jersey.
August 28
- Alex G. Spanos
purchased a majority interest in the San Diego Chargers from Eugene
V. Klein.
December
2-
Houston Oilers (to be known as today's
Tennessee Titans) defeated Pittsburgh
23-20 to mark the one-hundredth overtime game in regular-season play
since overtime was adopted in 1974.
Houston
Oilers (to be known as today's Tennessee Titans) running back Earl
Campbell was traded to New
Orleans Saints for the 1st round draft choice
and quarterback Warren Moon was signed as a free agent.
On the
field, many all-time records were set:
Art Monk
of Washington caught 106 passes
Walter
Payton of Chicago broke Jim Brown's career rushing mark (12,312
yards),
finishing the season with 13,309 yards
October
7 - Chicago running back Walter Payton passes Jim Brown
(12,312 yards) as the all-time rushing leader on a 6-yard run in
third quarter of the Bears' 20-7 victory over New Orleans. Payton
finishes the game with 154 yards, his record-setting 59th career
100-yard game.
Dan
Marino of the Miami Dolphins passed for 5,084 yards and 48 touchdowns
December
2 - Miami quarterback Dan Marino breaks the NFL
single-season touchdown pass record when he throws his 37th in a
45-34 loss to the Raiders. He finishes the season with 48 touchdown passes.
Eric
Dickerson of the Los Angeles Rams rushed for 2,105 yards
December
9 - Los Angeles Rams running back Eric Dickerson rushes
for 215 yards in a 27-16 victory over Houston to top O.J. Simpson's
single-season mark of 2,003 yards rushing. Dickerson finishes the
year with 2,105 yards.
According
to a CBS Sports/New York Times survey, 53 percent of the nation's
sports fans said they most enjoyed watching football, compared to 18
percent for baseball, December 2-4.
NFL paid
attendance exceeded 13 million for the fifth consecutive complete
regular season when 13,398,112, an average of 59,813, attended games.
The figure was the second-highest in league history. Teams averaged
42.4 points per game, the second-highest total since the 1970 merger.
November
4 - Seattle sets an NFL record by returning four interceptions
for touchdowns in a 45-0 victory over Kansas City. Dave Brown scores
twice while Kenny Easley and Keith Simpson also return interceptions
for touchdowns. All of the scores are longer than 50 yards.
Satellite
television opens access to football games anywhere, anytime. Private
homes equipped with satellite dishes can view games all over the
United States, at any time of day or night. Within a few years,
satellite access has the sports-bar business booming.
Major rule changes
Linebackers are permitted to wear numbers 90-99.
The penalty for a kickoff or onside kick
that goes out of bounds is 5 yards from the previous spot and a
re-kick must be made. However, if the second (or more) kickoff or
onside kick goes out of bounds, the receiving team may choose instead
to take possession of the ball at the out of bounds spot.
Leaping to try to block a field goal or an
extra point is illegal unless the defensive player was lined up at
the line of scrimmage.
A kicker or holder who fakes being roughed
or run into by a defensive player can receive an unsportsmanlike
conduct penalty.
Unsportsmanlike conduct will also by called
for any prolonged, excessive, or premeditated celebration by
individual players or a group of players. This is usually referred to
as the "Mark Gastineau Rule" because a major reason why
this change was made was to stop him from performing his signature
"Sack Dance" everytime after he sacked an opposing quarterback.
Wild-Card
playoff: N.Y. Giants 16, L.A. RAMS 13 Divisional
playoffs: SAN FRANCISCO 21, N.Y.
Giants 10;
Chicago
23, WASHINGTON 19 NFC
Championship: SAN FRANCISCO 23, Chicago 0
Super
Bowl XIX
The season
ended with Super Bowl XIX when the (NFC) San Francisco 49ers defeated the
(AFC) Miami Dolphins 38
- 16
at Stanford Stadium, Stanford, California
Super
Bowl XIX was the 19th Super Bowl, the championship game of the
National Football League (NFL). The game was played on January 20,
1985 at Stanford Stadium, on the campus of Stanford University in
Stanford, California, following the 1984 regular season.
The
National Football Conference (NFC) champion San
Francisco 49ers
defeated
the American Football
Conference (AFC) champion Miami Dolphins, 38–16.
Much
hyped as the battle between two great quarterbacks, Miami's
Dan Marino and San
Francisco's Joe Montana, the
49ers would end up taking the game in dominating fashion.
It would be Marino's only trip to the Super Bowl during his career.
Montana,
who was named the Super Bowl MVP, completed 24 of 35 passes for a
Super Bowl record 331 yards and three touchdowns. He also had 5
rushes for 59 yards and 1 rushing touchdown. His 59 rushing yards
were the most rushing yards ever gained by a quarterback in the Super Bowl.
This
Super Bowl was unique in that it fell on the same day that Ronald
Reagan was inaugurated for a second term as President of the United
States. Because January 20 fell on a Sunday, Reagan was sworn in
privately and the public ceremony took place the following day.
It was
the most watched game in history with an estimated 115.9 million
viewers. This game also was the first time television commercials ran
for a million dollars a minute.
This was
the first Super Bowl ever in which the starting quarterbacks of each
team both threw for over 300 yards. In addition, the two teams
combined total of 851 offensive yards was a Super Bowl record.
Wendell
Tyler became the first player to lead a Super Bowl in rushing for two
different teams. As a member of the Los Angeles Rams, Tyler was the
leading rusher in Super Bowl XIV with 60 yards.
This was
the second time a team could have been considered a home team for a
Super Bowl. That is with the 49ers played in nearby Stanford, Calif.
The Los Angeles Rams also played nearby at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena,
Calif. in Super Bowl XIV.
The Dolphins joined
the Dallas Cowboys
as the only teams to appear in five Super Bowls. With their loss, the
Dolphins also
matched the Cowboys
2-3 record in their
first five appearances. The
49ers would eventually appear in five Super Bowls as well, but would
win all of them.
The
two teams combined for the most points in a 1st quarter in Super Bowl
history. The 49ers
scored the most points in a 2nd quarter with 21, in Super Bowl
history. The 49ers' 28 points in the first half was the most points
in a first half in Super Bowl history.
The two teams also combined for a record 44 first half points.
The 49ers tied the Los
Angeles Raiders for
the most points in a Super Bowl with their 38. The
Raiders set the mark only a year earlier.
The 49ers'
288 offensive yards in the first half also tied the
Raiders in Super
Bowl XI for the
most offensive yards in a half during a Super Bowl.
The
combined records for the two teams coming into the game were and
still are the best in Super Bowl history. The
49ers were 17-1 and the
Dolphins 16-2
including their playoff games.
ABC
featured MacGruder and Loud after the game.
Actress
Teri Hatcher was a 49ers cheerleader at the time, she can be seen on
several close ups during the game.
In a
Strong Bad e-mail cartoon from the Homestar Runner website, a flier
advertising this particular game washes up in a bottle on a deserted
island that Strong Bad and Homestar happen to be stranded on.
Milestones
The
following players set all-time records during the season:
Most
Yards Passing, season
Dan Marino, Miami (5,084) Most
Rushing Yards, season
Eric Dickerson, Los Angeles (2,105) Most Receptions,
season
Art Monk, Washington (106) Most
Rushing Yards, career
Walter Payton, Chicago (13,309 at the end of the season)
1985
The 1985
NFL season was the 66th regular season of the National Football League
January
4 - The Cowboys
play their record 36th postseason game, but Eric Dickerson steals the
show, rushing for a playoff-record 248 yards and two touchdowns to
lead the Los Angeles Rams to a 20-0 victory over Dallas.
January
20 - The San
Francisco 49er's defeated the
Miami Dolphins 38-16
in Super Bowl XIX at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California.
The game
was viewed on television by more people than any other live event in history.
President
Ronald Reagan, who took his second oath of office before tossing the
coin for the game, was one of 115,936,000 viewers. The game drew a
46.4 rating and a 63.0 share. In addition, 6 million people watched
the Super Bowl in the United Kingdom and a similar number in Italy.
Super Bowl XIX had a direct economic impact of $113.5 million on the
San Francisco Bay area.
NBC Radio
and the NFL entered into a two-year agreement granting NBC the radio
rights to a 37-game package in each of the 1985-86 seasons, March 6.
The package included 27 regular-season games and 10 postseason games.
The
owners awarded two Super Bowl sites at their annual meeting, March
10-15: Super Bowl XXIII, to be played on January 22, 1989, to the
proposed Dolphins Stadium in Miami; and Super Bowl XXIV, to be played
on January 28, 1990, to the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.
A Louis
Harris poll in December revealed that pro football remained the sport
most followed by Americans. Fifty-nine percent of those surveyed
followed pro football, compared with 54 percent who followed baseball.
The NFL
showed a ratings increase on all three networks for the season,
gaining 4 percent on NBC, 10 on CBS, and 16 on ABC.
Bud Grant
returns for the Minnesota Vikings 1985 season to replace Les
Steckel. He then retired again after a 7-9 season and was replaced by
longtime assistant Jerry Burns.
The
league-wide conversion to videotape from movie film for coaching
study was approved.
April 29
- Norman Braman, in
partnership with Edward Leibowitz, bought the Philadelphia Eagles
from Leonard Tose.
April
30 - Bruce
Smith, a Virginia Tech defensive lineman selected by Buffalo, was the
first player chosen in the fiftieth NFL draft.
May 23
- The NFL owners adopted a resolution calling for a series of
overseas preseason games, beginning in 1986, with one game to be
played in England/Europe and/or one game in Japan each year. The game
would be a fifth preseason game for the clubs involved and all
arrangements and selection of the clubs would be under the control of
the Commissioner.
June 3
- A group headed by
Tom Benson, Jr., was approved to purchase the New Orleans Saints from
John W. Mecom, Jr.
October
13 - Tony
Dorsett becomes the sixth player in NFL history to rush for 10,000
yards as the Cowboys defeat Pittsburgh 27-13 win at Texas Stadium.
October
15 - Commissioner Rozelle was authorized to extend the
commitment to Honolulu's Aloha Stadium for the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl for
1988, 1989, and 1990.
October
26 - Baltimore
quarterback Bert Jones is sacked a record 12 times in a 17-10 loss to St.
Louis.
Houston quarterback Warren Moon would equal the mark on Sept. 29,
1985 at Dallas.
November
10 - San Diego
running back Lionel James gains 345 all-purpose yards, the second
highest total in NFL history as the Chargers defeat the Los Angeles
Raiders 40-34 in overtime. James scores the winning touchdown on a
17-yard run.
Major rule changes
Whenever a team time out is called after the
two minute warning of each half, it should only last 60 seconds
instead of 90.
A play is immediately dead anytime the
quarterback performs a kneel-down (the quarterback immediately kneels
down after receiving the snap) after the two minute warning of each
half, or whenever the player declares himself down by sliding feet
first on the ground. The ball is then spotted at the point where the
player touches the ground first.
Pass interference is not to be called when a
pass is clearly uncatchable.
Both "Roughing the kicker" and
"Running into the kicker" fouls are not to be called if the
defensive player was blocked into the kicker.
The definition of a valid fair catch signal
is clearly defined as one arm that is fully extended above the head
and waved from side to side.
Goaltending (leaping up to deflect a kick
as is passes through the goal posts) is illegal.
1985 PLAYOFFS
AFC
Wild-Card
playoff: New England 26, N.Y. JETS 14 Divisional
playoffs: MIAMI 24, Cleveland 21;
New England 27, L.A. RAIDERS 20 AFC Championship:
New England 31, MIAMI 14
NFC
Wild-Card
playoff: N.Y. GIANTS 17, San Francisco 3 Divisional
playoffs: L.A. RAMS 20, Dallas 0;
CHICAGO 21, N.Y. Giants 0 NFC Championship:
CHICAGO 24, L.A. Rams 0
Super
Bowl XX
The season
ended with Super Bowl XX when the (NFC)
Chicago Bears defeated the
(AFC) New
England Patriots 46
- 10 at Louisiana Superdome,
New Orleans, Louisiana
Super
Bowl XX was the 20th Super Bowl, the championship game of the
National Football League (NFL). The game was played on January 26,
1986 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana following
the 1985 regular season.
The New
England Patriots reached the Super Bowl for the first time
The
National Football Conference (NFC) champion Chicago Bears
defeated
the
American Football Conference (AFC) champion New
England Patriots, 46–10.
The Bears
set Super Bowl records for sacks (7) and rushing yards allowed (7).
Chicago's 46 points were the most ever scored by a team in the Super
Bowl, and their 36-point margin of victory was also a Super Bowl record.
The
Patriots were held to negative yardage (-19) throughout the entire
first half, and just 123 total yards in the entire game, the second
lowest total in Super Bowl history.
Bears
defensive end Richard Dent, who had 1.5 quarterback sacks, forced 2
fumbles, and blocked a pass, was named the game's Most Valuable Player.
NFL
owners awarded Super Bowl XXIV to New Orleans, Louisiana on
December 14, 1982. This would be the sixth time that New Orleans
hosted the Super Bowl. Tulane Stadium was the site of Super
Bowls IV, VI,
and IX;
while the Louisiana Superdome previously hosted XII
and XV.
The 1985
Chicago Bears became national stars. Under head coach Mike Ditka, who
won the 1985 NFL Coach of the Year Award, they went 15-1 in the
regular season, becoming the second NFL team ever to win 15 regular
season games (after the 1984 San Francisco 49ers). Their only
loss was in a Monday night game against the
Miami Dolphins.
The Bears'
then-revolutionary, strong defense, "46
Zone", enabled them to lead the
league during the regular season in fewest points allowed (198),
interceptions (34), fewest total yards allowed (4,135), and fewest
rushing yards allowed (1,319). And under a strong running game,
Chicago led the NFL in rushing yards (2,761) and rushing touchdowns
(27), and finished second in the league in scoring (456 points).
A major reason why the
46 defense was so effective in 1985 was that almost all of their
opponents were unprepared for its then-unusual primary tactic: blitz
five to eight players on each play. But in less than two years,
offensive coaches discovered how to exploit the 46 defense by using
quick, timed passes from formations that used multiple receivers.
This was the first
Super Bowl to feature brand new participants since Super Bowl XVI.
The Bears' 21 points in
the third quarter is still a record for the most points scored in
that period.
Richard Dent became just the second defensive end to be named Super
Bowl MVP. The first being Harvey Martin, as he shared to MVP with
fellow D-Lineman Randy White for Super Bowl XII.
Jim McMahon became the
6th player to rush for two touchdowns in a Super Bowl and he is still
the only quarterback to rush for more than one touchdown in a Super Bowl.
This was the first Super Bowl where the winning coach did not
receive the traditional call from the President of the United States.
Winning teams are now rewarded a trip to the White House to be
congratulated by the President personally.
The NBC telecast
replaced the final episode of M*A*S*H as the most-viewed television
program in history, with an audience of 127 million viewers,
according to A.C. Nielsen figures. In addition to drawing a 48.3
rating and a 70 percent share in the United States, Super Bowl XX was
televised to 59 foreign countries and beamed via satellite to the QE
II. An estimated 300 million Chinese viewed a tape delay of the game
in March. NBC Radio figures indicated an audience of 10 million for
the game.
Super Bowl XX injected
more than $100 million into the New Orleans-area economy, and fans
spent $250 per day and a record $17.69 per person on game day.
1986
The 1986 NFL season was
the 67th regular season of the National Football League
January 26
- Chicago defeated New
England 46-10 in Super
Bowl XX at the Louisiana Superdome to
end the 1985 season. The Patriots had earned the right to play the
Bears by becoming the first wild-card team to win three consecutive
games on the road.
Thus began a full 13
years of stadium talk in Chicago. Chicago business organizations
proposed building a new Bears stadium south of Soldier Field, and in
late 1989, Chicago heard its first utterance of the word "McDome."
March 11 - The
owners adopted limited use of instant replay as an officiating aid,
prohibited players from wearing or otherwise displaying equipment,
apparel, or other items that carry commercial names, names of
organizations, or personal messages of any type.
July 29 -
After an 11-week trial, a jury in U.S. District Court in New York
awarded the United States Football League one dollar in its $1.7
billion antitrust suit against the NFL. The jury rejected all of the
USFL's television-related claims, which were the self-proclaimed
heart of the USFL's case.
August 3
- Chicago defeated Dallas 17-6 at Wembley Stadium in London in the
first American Bowl. The game drew a sellout crowd of 82,699 and the
NBC national telecast in this country produced a 12.4 rating and 36
percent share, making it the second-highest-rated daytime preseason
game and highest daytime preseason television audience ever with
10.65-million viewers.
October 5 - Eric
Dickerson runs for an overtime-record 42-yard touchdown as the Rams defeat the
Buccaneers 26-20.
October 6 - Seattle
wide receiver Steve Largent catches a pass in his 128th straight
game, breaking the NFL record for most consecutive games with a reception.
Monday Night Football
became the longest-running prime-time series in the history of the
ABC network.
Marv Levy took over as
Buffalo Bills head coach, replacing Hank Bullough.
Major rule changes
Players are prohibited from wearing apparel,
equipment, or other items that carry commercial names, names of
organizations, or any type of personal message unless they get
specific permission from the league.
If the offensive team commits a dead ball
foul during the last two minutes of a half, the clock will start at
the snap.
If an offensive player fumbles the ball and
it goes forward and out of bounds, the ball is returned to that team
at the spot of the fumble.
If an offensive player fumbles the ball in
the field of play and it goes out of bounds in the opponent's end
zone, the ball is given to the defensive team at the spot of the
fumble (this rule would be changed in 1991 to result in a touchback).
A limited system of instant replay was
adopted to aid officiating. A replay official in a booth would decide
what plays to review and make the final ruling, regardless of the
current score or the amount of time left in the game. The replay
official communicated with the game officials via radio transmitters.
However, there was no time limit on how long the replay official
could review a play (this was a major reason why the system was
eventually repealed in 1992).
Instant replay was used
to reverse two plays in 31 preseason games. During the regular
season, 374 plays were closely reviewed by replay officials, leading
to 38 reversals in 224 games. Eighteen plays were closely reviewed by
instant replay in 10 post-season games with three reversals.
1986 PLAYOFFS
AFC
Wild-Card playoff:
N.Y. JETS 35, Kansas City 15
Divisional playoffs:
CLEVELAND 23, N.Y. Jets 20 (OT); DENVER 22, New England 17
Denver quarterback John
Elway engineers "The
Drive." Trailing Cleveland 20-13
with 5:32 remaining in the AFC championship game, Elway marches the
Broncos 98 yards on 15 plays to force overtime, then moves Denver 60
yards on nine plays on their first possession of overtime to set up
Rich Karlis' game-winning 33-yard field goal in the Broncos' 23-20 victory.
AFC Championship:
Denver 23, CLEVELAND 20 (OT)
NFC
Wild-Card playoff:
WASHINGTON 19, L.A. Rams 7
Divisional playoffs:
Washington 27, CHICAGO 13; N.Y. GIANTS 49, San Francisco 3
NFC Championship:
N.Y. GIANTS 17, Washington 0
Super Bowl XXI
N.Y. Giants (NFC) 39,
Denver (AFC) 20,
at Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
Super Bowl XXI was the
21st Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football
League (NFL).
The game was played on
January 25, 1987 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California following
the 1986 regular season.
The National Football
Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants
defeated
the American Football
Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos, 39–20.
The Giants scored 26
unanswered points during the second, third, and fourth quarters.
The Giants scored
the most points in a 2nd half in Super Bowl history with their 30 points.
New York quarterback Phil
Simms was named the Super Bowl MVP. He finished the game completing
22 of 25 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns. Simms also had 25
rushing yards on 3 carries. His 22 out of 25 (88%) completion
percentage not only set a Super Bowl record, but also an NFL
postseason record.
NFL owners voted to
award Super Bowl XXI to Pasadena, California during their May
23-25, 1984 meetings. This was the fourth time that Pasadena hosted
the game, and the sixth time it was held in the Greater Los Angeles Area.
The 17 total points
scored in the 1st quarter tied a Super Bowl record, set by San
Francisco and Miami two years earlier in Super Bowl XIX.
Rich Karlis' 48-yard
field goal tied the record for the longest field goal in Super Bowl history.
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Jan Stenerud also made a 48-yard field
goal in Super Bowl IV
1987
The 1987 NFL season was
the 68th regular season of the National Football League
January 11 -
Denver quarterback John Elway engineers "The Drive."
See above
January 25-
Following the 1986 season - The New York Giants defeated Denver
39-20 in Super Bowl
XXI and captured their first NFL title
since 1956. The game, played in Pasadena's Rose Bowl, drew a sellout
crowd of 101,063. According to A.C. Nielsen figures, the CBS
broadcast of the game was viewed in the U.S. on television by
122.64-million people, making the telecast the second most-watched
television show of all-time behind Super
Bowl XX. The game was watched live or
on tape in 55 foreign countries and NBC Radio's broadcast of the game
was heard by a record 10.1 million people.
Former NFL receiver Jerry
Richardson began meetings with business leaders in hopes of landing
an expansion franchise in Carolina.
The NFL set an all-time
paid attendance mark of 17,304,463 for all games, including
preseason, regular-season, and postseason. Average regular-season
game attendance (60,663) exceeded the 60,000 figure for only the
second time in league history.
New three-year TV
contracts with ABC, CBS, and NBC were announced for 1987-89 at the
NFL annual meeting in Maui, Hawaii, March 15. Commissioner Rozelle
and Broadcast Committee Chairman Art Modell also announced a
three-year contract with ESPN to televise 13 prime-time games each
season. The ESPN contract was the first with a cable network.
However, NFL games on ESPN also were scheduled for regular television
in the city of the visiting team and in the home city if the game was
sold out 72 hours in advance.
Strike cancelled one
week and created three weeks of replacement games
The Instant replay was
used to reverse eight plays in 52 preseason games. During the
strike-shortened 210-game regular season, 490 plays were closely
reviewed by replay officials, leading to 57 reversals. Eighteen plays
were closely reviewed by instant replay in 10 postseason games, with
three reversals.
July 1 - Over 400
former NFL players from the pre-1959 era received first payments from
NFL owners
A special payment
program was adopted to benefit nearly 1,000 former NFL players who
participated in the League before the current Bert
Bell NFL Pension Plan was created and
made retroactive to the 1959 season. Players covered by the new
program spent at least five years in the League and played all or
part of their career prior to 1959. Each vested player would receive
$60 per month for each year of service in the League for life.
Possible sites for Super
Bowl XXV were reduced to five locations by the NFL Super Bowl XXV
Site Selection Committee: Anaheim Stadium, Los Angeles Memorial
Coliseum, Joe Robbie Stadium, San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, and
Tampa Stadium.
NFL owners awarded Super
Bowl XXV, to be played on January 27,
1991, to Tampa Stadium, May 20.
NFL and CBS Radio
jointly announced agreement granting CBS the radio rights to a
40-game package in each of the next three NFL seasons, 1987-89, April 7.
The NFL's debut on ESPN
produced the two highest-rated and most-watched sports programs in
basic cable history. The Chicago at Miami game on August 16 drew an
8.9 rating in 3.81 million homes.
Those records fell two
weeks later when the Los Angeles Raiders at Dallas game achieved a
10.2 cable rating in 4.36 million homes.
The 1987 season was
reduced from a 16-game season to 15 as the result of a 24-day
players' strike. The strike was called by the NFLPA on Tuesday,
September 22, following the New England at New York Jets game. Games
scheduled for the third weekend were canceled but the games of weeks
four, five, and six were played with replacement teams. Striking
players returned for the seventh week of the season, October 25.
Due to Game 7 of the
1987 World Series, the Denver Broncos
- Minnesota Vikings
game at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome was moved back one day to
Monday, October 26.
October 31 - In a three-team
"Deal of the Decade" involving 10 players and/or
draft choices, the Los Angeles Rams traded
running back Eric Dickerson to the
Indianapolis Colts for six draft choices and two players. Buffalo
obtained the rights to linebacker
Cornelius Bennett from Indianapolis, sending
Greg Bell and three draft choices to the Rams.
The Colts added Owen Gill and three
draft choices of their own to complete the deal with
the Rams
The Chicago at Minnesota
game became the highest-rated and most-watched sports program in
basic cable history when it drew a 14.4 cable rating in 6.5 million
homes, December 6.
After a 5-10 finish to
the 1987 season, Tom Flores moved to the Raiders' front office, but
left after just one year to become the president and general manager
of the Seattle Seahawks.
The Miami Dolphins
moved from the Orange Bowl to Jo Robbie Stadium, which was later
named Pro Player Stadium.
September 13 - Quarterback
Steve DeBerg establishes a franchise record with five touchdown
passes and the Buccaneers set marks for most points (48) and the
largest margin of victory (38) in a 48-10 win over the Falcons.
September 20 -
Chicago running back Walter Payton scored his NFL record 107th
rushing touchdown in the Bears' 20-3 victory over Tampa Bay, while in Cincinnati,
San Francisco wide receiver Dwight Clark's
record streak of 105 consecutive games with a reception came to an
end when he was held without a catch in San Francisco's 27-26 victory over
the Bengals.
November 29
Vencie Glenn returns an interception 103 yards for a touchdown
against Denver. To be matched
October 4 1992 - Miami's Louis Oliver returns an interception a
record-tying 103 yards for a touchdown against Buffalo, tying the
mark established by Vencie Glenn against Denver on Nov. 29, 1987.
November 30 - Los
Angeles Raiders running back Bo
Jackson rushes for 221 yards in just
his fifth career NFL game as the Raiders beat Seattle 37-14.
Jackson scores on runs of 91 and 2
yards, and adds a 14-yard touchdown catch.
December 27 - Seattle
wide receiver Steve Largent catches six passes in a 41-20 loss at
Kansas City to become the NFL's all-time leading receiver with 751 receptions.
Major rule changes
If a defensive player commits pass
interference in his own end zone, the ball is placed at the 1-yard
line, or if the previous spot was inside the 2-yard line, the penalty
is half the distance to the goal line.
Except for the first onside kick attempt, if
a kickoff goes out of bounds, the receiving team takes possession of
the ball 30 yards from the spot of the kick or the spot it went out
of bounds.
In order to stop the clock, the quarterback
is permitted to throw the ball out of bounds or to the ground as long
as he throws it immediately after receiving the snap.
During passing plays, an offensive player
cannot chop block (block a defender below the thigh while the
defensive player is already engaging another offensive player).
Illegal contact by a defensive player beyond
the 5-yard zone from the line of scrimmage will not be called if the
offensive team is in an obvious punt formation.
During kicks and punts, players on the
receiving team cannot block below the waist. However, players on the
kicking team may block below the waist, but only before the kick is
made. On all other plays after a change of posession, no player can
block below the waist.
Wild-Card playoff:
Minnesota 44, NEW ORLEANS 10 Divisional playoffs:
Minnesota 36, SAN FRANCISCO 24;
Washington 21, CHICAGO 17 NFC Championship:
WASHINGTON 17, Minnesota 10
Super Bowl XXII
Washington (NFC) 42,
Denver (AFC) 10,
at Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California
Super Bowl XXII was the
22nd Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football
League (NFL).
The game was played on
January 31, 1988 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, California
following the 1987 regular season.
The National Football
Conference (NFC) champion Washington Redskins
defeated
the American Football
Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos, 42–10.
The Redskins set the
following Super Bowl records en route to the victory:
Most offensive yards (602)
Most
offensive rushing yards (280)
Most
touchdowns scored in a Super Bowl game (6)
Most
offensive yards in a quarter (356)
Most
points in a quarter (35)
Most
touchdowns in a quarter (5)
The
largest deficit that a team has ever overcome to win a Super Bowl (10 points)
Redskins quarterback Doug
Williams was named the Super Bowl MVP, completing 18 of 29 passes for
a Super Bowl record 340 yards and four touchdowns, with one interception.
Redskins, rookie unning
back Timmy Smith set a Super Bowl rushing record, gaining 204 yards
and scoring two touchdowns. Smith returned
to the news in 2005 when he was arrested for allegedly trying to sell
cocaine to an undercover police officer - ironically, in Denver.
Smith pled guilty in March 2006 for conspiring to distribute cocaine,
and was sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison in May
This game came at the
end of a season that was shortened by a players' strike, but each
team only lost one regular season game due to the labor dispute.
NFL owners voted to
award Super Bowl XXII to San Diego during their May 23-25, 1984
meetings. This was the first Super Bowl to be played at Jack Murphy
Stadium (now currently known as Qualcomm Stadium) in San Diego.
ABC uses a
remote-controlled camera on a goal post during its broadcast of Super
Bowl XXII, a matchup between the Washington Redskins and Denver Broncos.
The
Broncos and Redskins
combined for a total of 929 offensive yards, the most ever by both
teams in a Super Bowl.
This marked
the first Super Bowl in which both starting quarterbacks were former
first round draft picks, but were originally drafted by other teams.
Doug Williams was taken in the first round by the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers in 1978, while
John Elway was drafted by the Baltimore Colts in the first round in 1983.
Washington's 35 points
and 356 yards in the second period also set the overall NFL
postseason records for the most points and offensive yards in a
single quarter, respectively.
Doug Williams became the
first player in Super Bowl history to throw 4 touchdowns in a single
quarter, and throw four in a half.
Initially Williams served
as the backup for starting quarterback Jay Schroeder, but after
Schroeder became injured, Williams ended up starting the last games
of the 1987 regular season. When the Skins made the playoffs,
Williams, with his 94.0 passer rating, remained starter. He led the
team to Super Bowl XXII, becoming the first black quarterback to play
in the Super Bowl.
Ricky Sanders became the
first player to catch 2 touchdowns in a single quarter.
The
Broncos became the first team in Super Bowl history to score a
touchdown on their first play from scrimmage.
This would
be the first Super Bowl broadcast on ABC to have the broadcast team
of Michaels, Gifford and Dierdorf. The trio would man the booth for
ABC's Monday Night Football from 1987 to 1997.
The Redskins
became the third consecutive team to win the Super Bowl after being
shutout in the playoffs by the previous Super Bowl champion. The
Chicago Bears won Super Bowl XX a year after losing in the 1984 NFC
Championship Game to the San Francisco 49ers, 23-0. The New York
Giants would then lose to the Bears, 21-0, in the 1985 Divisional
Playoff Round. And the Redskins were eliminated by the Giants, 17-0,
in the 1986 NFC Championship Game.
1988
Following the 1987 season
January 17 - Cleveland Browns vs. Denver Broncos, AFC
Championship Game
Trailing 38-31 with 1:12 remaining in the game, the Browns' Earnest
Byner appeared to be on his way to score the game tying touchdown.
But he fumbled the ball at the 3-yard line. The Broncos recovered the
ball, gave the Browns an intentional safety, and went on to win
38-33, sending the Broncos to their second consecutive Super Bowl
appearance (Super Bowl XXII).
The 1988 NFL season was
the 69th regular season of the National Football League.
Washington defeatedDenver
42-10
in Super Bowl
XXII to earn its second victory
this decade in the NFL Championship Game ending the 1987 season. The game, played for
the first time in San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, drew a sellout crowd
of 73,302. According to A.C. Nielsen figures, the ABC broadcast of
the game was viewed in the U.S. on television by 115,000,000 people.
The game was seen live or on tape in 60 foreign countries, including
the People's Republic of China, and CBS's radio broadcast of the game
was heard by 13.7 million people.
St Louis Cardinals
became Phoenix Cardinals
NFL owners approved the
transfer of the St. Louis Cardinals' franchise from St. Louis to Phoenix.
March 10 - In a
unanimous 3-0 decision, the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals in New York
upheld the verdict of the jury that in July, 1986, had awarded the
United States Football League one dollar in its $1.7 billion
antitrust suit against the NFL. In a 91-page opinion, Judge Ralph K.
Winter said the USFL sought through court decree the success it
failed to gain among football fans
March 14 thru 18
- NFL owners approved two supplemental drafts each year-one prior to
training camp and one prior to the regular season; and voted to
initiate an annual series of games in Japan/Asia as early as the 1989 preseason
April 24 and 25
The NFL Annual Selection Meeting returned to a separate two-day
format and for the first time originated on a Sunday. ESPN drew a 3.6
rating during their seven-hour coverage of the draft, which was
viewed in 1.6 million homes
August 25 - Art
Rooney, founder and owner of the Steelers, died at 87.
Commissioner Rozelle
announced that two teams would play a preseason game as part of the
American Bowl series on August 6, 1989, in the Korakuen Tokyo Dome in
Japan, December 16.
September 25 - New
York Jets quarterback Ken O'Brien throws his first interception in
211 attempts, the second longest streak in NFL history at that point.
Tom Flores becomes the
president and general manager of the Seattle Seahawks.
A total of 811 players
shared in the postseason pool of $16.9 million, the most ever
distributed in a single season.
By a 23-5 margin, owners
voted to continue the instant replay system for the third consecutive
season with the Instant Replay Official to be assigned to a regular
seven-man, on-the-field crew. At the NFL annual meeting in Phoenix,
Arizona, a 45-second clock was also approved to replace the 30-second
clock. For a normal sequence of plays, the interval between plays was
changed to 45 seconds from the time the ball is signaled dead until
it is snapped on the succeeding play.
NFL regular-season paid
attendance of 13,535,335 and the average of 60,427 was the third
highest all-time. Buffalo set an NFL team single-season, in-house
attendance mark of 622,793.
December 31
- Philadelphia Eagles vs. Chicago Bears, NFC Divisional Playoff Game
A heavy, dense fog rolled over the stadium
(Soldier Field) during the second quarter, cutting visibility to
about 15-20 yards for the rest of the game. The fog was so thick that
TV and radio announcers had trouble seeing what was happening on the
field. The Bears ended up winning 20-12.
Major rule changes
A standard system of two time intervals
between plays are established (and would be timed using the Play Clock):
For normal plays, the offensive team has 45 seconds to snap the ball
after the previous play is signaled dead. After time outs and other
administrative stoppages, the time limit is 30 seconds beginning
after the Referee signals that the ball is ready to resume play.
If a fumble occurs during an extra point
attempt, only the fumbling player can recover and/or advance the
ball. This change closes a loophole in the "Stabler Fumble
Rule" that was enacted during the 1979 NFL season in reaction to
the Holy Roller Game.
The penalty for "Running into the
kicker" is changed from five yards and a first down to just 5 yards.
September 4 -
Johnny Grier became the first African-American referee in NFL history.
Finally in 1988, the NFL
copied what high-school and college football had been doing for
years: The referee puts on a white hat and the other officials put on
a black hat. (For several decades,
every NFL official wore white hats. In 1979, NFL referees started to
wear black hats, while every other NFL official continued to wear
white -- apparently a cost-cutting move)
Wild-Card playoff:
MINNESOTA 28, L.A. Rams 17 Divisional playoffs:
CHICAGO 20, Philadelphia 12;
SAN FRANCISCO 34,
Minnesota 9 NFC Championship:
San Francisco 28, CHICAGO 3
Super Bowl XXIII
San Francisco (NFC) 20,
Cincinnati (AFC) 16,
at Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami, Florida
Super Bowl XXIII was the
23rd Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football
League (NFL).
The game was played on
January 22, 1989 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida (now part
of the suburb of Miami Gardens) following the 1988 regular season.
The National Football
Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers
defeated
the American Football
Conference (AFC) champion Cincinnati Bengals, 20–16.
This was the
second meeting between the two teams in the Super Bowl; they first
met seven years earlier in Super Bowl XVI.
The game is remembered
for the 49ers' comeback from a 16-13 deficit. San Francisco got the
ball on their own eight yard line with 3:10 on the clock, and marched
92 yards down the field in under three minutes. They then scored the
winning touchdown on a Joe Montana pass to John Taylor with just 34
seconds left in the game.
49ers wide receiver Jerry
Rice was named the Super Bowl MVP. He caught 11 passes for a Super
Bowl record 215 yards and one touchdown, while also rushing once for
5 yards.
This was also the final
NFL game coached by the 49ers' Bill Walsh.
NFL owners voted to
award Super Bowl XXIII to Miami, Florida during their March 10-15,
1985 meetings. This was the sixth time that Miami hosted the game,
and the first at Joe Robbie Stadium; the 5 previous Super Bowls in
the area were played at Miami Orange Bowl.
This would be a rematch
of Super Bowl XVI,
with the 49ers also winning that game, by a 26-21 score.
The rematch was the
third time in Super Bowl history two teams were meeting for a second
time. Miami
and Washington
met in Super Bowls
VII and XVII,
with the teams splitting the games. Dallas
and Pittsburgh
met in Super Bowls X
and XIII,
with Pittsburgh winning both of those games.
Both Dallas-Pittsburgh matchups were in Miami at the Orange Bowl. Pittsburgh
and Dallas would
later meet in Super Bowl XXX (which the
Cowboys won by 10) to become the first
two teams to ever meet three times in the Super Bowl.
Stanford Jennings would
be the second player to return a kickoff for a touchdown in Super
Bowl history. In three games played at Joe Robbie Stadium, each game
had a kickoff return for a score.
This was the last Super
Bowl to have played on the second to last Sunday in January. Ever
since, the game has been played on the last Sunday of January and now
the first Sunday in February.
The 49ers became the 6th
team to win the Super Bowl over a team with a better regular season
record going into the game (12-6 for the 49ers
to 14-4 for the Bengals).
The 49ers became the
first team, since the NFL went to a 16-game schedule in 1978, to win
the Super Bowl after winning only 10 games during the regular season.
In order to calm his
teammates in the huddle just before the final game-winning drive,
Montana pointed into the stadium crowd and said "Hey, isn't that
John Candy?" The moment worked, and the 49ers were able to drive
down the field for the win. It became the defining moment of
Montana's "Joe Cool" reputation.
This was the final Super
Bowl that Pete Rozelle presided over as NFL Commissioner.
On January 26, 2006,
NFL.com
ranked this game number 1 on its list of the top 10 Super Bowls of all-time
Bengal's, Boomer
Esiason was so depressed from his team's narrow loss that he decided
not to play in the Pro Bowl a week later
1989
The 1989 NFL season was
the 70th regular season of the National Football League.
San Francisco defeated Cincinnati 20-16
in Super Bowl XXIII
following the 1988 season.
The game, played for the
first time at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, was attended by a sellout
crowd of 75,129.
NBC's telecast of the
game was watched by an estimated 110,780,000 viewers, according to
A.C. Nielsen, making it the sixth most-watched program in television
history. The game was seen live or on tape in 60 foreign countries,
including an estimated 300 million in China. The CBS Radio broadcast
of the game was heard by 11.2 million people.
March 19 thru 23
- A strengthened policy regarding anabolic steroids and masking
agents was announced by Commissioner Rozelle. NFL clubs called for
strong disciplinary measures in cases of feigned injuries and adopted
a joint proposal by the Long-Range Planning and Finance committees
regarding player personnel rules
March 22 -
Commissioner Rozelle announced his retirement, pending the naming of
a successor at the NFL annual meeting in Palm Desert, California. see Successor
dated October 26
Following the
announcement, AFC president Lamar
Hunt and NFC president Wellington
Mara announced the formation of a six-man search committee composed
of Art Modell, Robert Parins, Dan Rooney, and Ralph Wilson. Hunt and
Mara served as co-chairmen.
April 1 - Two
hundred twenty-nine unconditional free agents signed with new teams
under management's Plan B system.
April 18 - Tex
Schramm was named president of the new World League of American
Football to work with a six-man committee of Dan Rooney, chairman;
Norman Braman, Lamar Hunt, Victor Kiam, Mike Lynn, and Bill Walsh
By a 24-4 margin, owners
voted to continue the instant replay system for the fourth straight season.
April 18 - Jerry
Jones purchased a majority interest in the Dallas Cowboys from H.R. (Bum) Bright.
Jones fired head coach
Tom Landry and hired University of Miami coach Jimmy Johnson to
replace him.
April 18 - NFL
and CBS Radio jointly announced agreement extending CBS's radio
rights to an annual 40-game package through the 1994 season.
May 24 -
NFL owners awarded Super Bowl XXVI, to be played on January 26, 1992,
to Minneapolis.
September 10 - Indianapolis
running back Eric Dickerson rushes for 106 yards against San
Francisco to
become the fastest player to top the 10,000-yard plateau, doing it in
his 91st career game.
Cleveland's Jim Brown
hit 10,000 yards in his 98th game.
As of opening day, September
10, of the 229 Plan B free agents, 111 were active and 23 others
were on teams' reserve lists. Ninety-two others were waived and three retired.
October 3
- Art Shell became Oakland Raiders head coach,
becoming the first black (African-American) to hold that
position since
Fritz Pollard coached the Akron
Pros in 1921
October 9 - Art
Shell, the first black (African-American) head coach in the modern
era, leads the Oakland Raiders to a 14-7
victory over the New York Jets in his first game at the helm.
October 19 - The
site of the New England Patriots at San Francisco 49ers game
scheduled for Candlestick Park on October 22 was switched to
Stanford Stadium in the aftermath of the Bay Area Earthquake of
October 17 due to damage caused by the Loma
Prieta earthquake to Candlestick
Park. The change was announced on October 19.
The transfer from
Commissioner Rozelle to Commissioner Tagliabue took place at 12:01
A.M. on Sunday, November 5.
November 6
- NFL Charities donated $1 million through United Way to benefit Bay
Area earthquake victims.
November 23,- Philadelphia
Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys In the Cowboys' annual
Thanksgiving game, the Eagles won 27-0, in the only Thanksgiving
shutout Dallas has suffered to date. The game was ill-tempered, with
several scuffles between opposing players, and Cowboys (and former
Eagles) kicker Luis Zendejas was knocked out of the game with a
concussion thanks to a hard hit during a kickoff. After the game,
Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson accused Eagles coach Buddy Ryan of
placing bounties on Zendejas and Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman.
November 26 - Los
Angeles Rams wide receiver Willie "Flipper" Anderson
makes 15 catches for an NFL record 336 yards and a touchdown as the
Rams rally for a 20-17 overtime victory over The New Orleans Saints
December 10 - Seattle
wide receiver Steve Largent makes his NFL record 100th touchdown
catch in the Seahawks' 24-17
win at Cincinnati.
December 10 - Dallas
Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles Rematch - The
equally ill-tempered rematch, won 20-10 by the Eagles, was played in
a Veterans Stadium that was not cleaned of snow that had fallen for
several days in Philadelphia. The notoriously rowdy Eagles crowd,
lubricated by considerable amounts of beer, threw snowballs,
iceballs, batteries, and other objects at anyone in sight. One game
official was knocked to the ground by a barrage of snowballs, Johnson
had to be escorted from the field by Philadelphia police through a
hail of debris, and CBS broadcasters Verne Lundquist and Terry
Bradshaw had to dodge snowballs aimed at the broadcast booth. Even
Eagles star Jerome Brown became a target when he stood on the
players' bench pleading with fans to stop throwing debris on the
field. Future Governor of Pennsylvania Ed Rendell, an avowed Eagles
fanatic, later admitted to having participated in the bedlam.
Paul Tagliabue
became the seventh chief executive of the NFL on October 26
when he was chosen to succeed Commissioner Pete Rozelle on the sixth
ballot of a three-day meeting in Cleveland, Ohio.
In all, 12 ballots were
required to select Tagliabue. Two were conducted at a meeting in
Chicago on July 6, and four at a meeting in Dallas on October 10-11.
On the twelfth ballot, with Seattle absent, Tagliabue received more
than the 19 affirmative votes required for election from among the 27
clubs present.
NFL paid attendance of
17,399,538 was the highest total in league history. This included a
total of 13,625,662 for an average of 60,829-both NFL records-for the
224-game regular season.
McDome was a proposal for
a new domed Bears stadium, similar in style to those built in
Indianapolis, Minnesota and Detroit. (One of these stadiums is now
vacant, the other two have very unhappy tenants and visitors). The
dome was proposed to the Illinois Legislature as a part of the
McCormick Place expansion plan. Bears President Michael McCaskey
aligned with Governor Jim Edgar on the proposal, but the plan was
rejected by the Illinois Legislature in late 1990. Although it's safe
to say the vast majority of Bears fans were relieved to learn the
team would not be playing indoors, McCaskey was disappointed, and for
the first time indicated that the organization would consider all
alternatives, including relocation, to acquire a new stadium.
Major rule changes
After a foul that occurs inside the last two
minutes of the first half and inside the last five minutes of the
second half, the game clock will start at the snap, instead of when
the ball is spotted and the Referee signals it is ready to be played.
New rules are enacted, including loss of
time outs or five-yard penalties, to handle the problems of crowd
noise when it becomes too loud that it prevents the offensive team
from hearing its signals.
If a receiver and a defender eventually
establish joint control of a pass, the ball will be awarded to
whoever was the first one who established control the ball
The NFL revised its playoff format to
include two additional wild-card teams (one per conference).
Wild-Card playoff:
L.A. Rams 21, PHILADELPHIA 7
Divisional playoffs: L.A.
Rams 19, N.Y. GIANTS 13 (OT);
SAN FRANCISCO 41,
Minnesota 13 NFC Championship:
SAN FRANCISCO 30, L.A. Rams 3
Super Bowl XXIV
San Francisco (NFC) 55, Denver
(AFC) 10, at Louisiana Superdome, New
Orleans, Louisiana
Super Bowl XXIV
was the 24th Super Bowl, the championship game of the National
Football League (NFL).
The game was played on
January 28, 1990 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana
following the 1989 regular season.
The National Football
Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers
defeated
the American Football
Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos, 55–10.
It remains the
most lopsided game in Super Bowl history to date. The
49ers' 55 points were the most ever scored by one team, and their
45-point margin of victory was the largest ever.
Joe Montana was named the
Super Bowl MVP, his third award in his fourth Super Bowl victory. He
completed 22 of 29 passes for a total of 297 yards and a Super Bowl
record 5 touchdowns, while also rushing for 15 yards. Montana's 75.9
completion percentage was the second highest in Super Bowl history,
and he also set a record by completing 13 consecutive passes during
the game. Head coach George Seifert was the second rookie head coach
to win a Super Bowl.
NFL owners voted to
award Super Bowl XXIV to New Orleans, Louisiana during their March
10-15, 1985 meetings. This would be a record 7th time that New
Orleans hosted the Super Bowl. Tulane Stadium was the site of Super
Bowls IV, VI, and IX; while the Louisiana Superdome previously hosted
XII, XV, and XX.
The
Broncos became the second team to lose three Super Bowls in four
years after losing Super Bowls XXI and XXII, both by considerable
margins as well.
The Vikings also lost
three Super Bowls in four years (VIII, IX and XI).
The Buffalo Bills have
also joined this group since.
The
49ers are the only team in a Super Bowl to score at least two
touchdowns in each quarter. Their 2nd of 8 touchdowns ended with a
missed extra point however. They are also the only team to score 8
touchdowns in a Super Bowl.
Rice joined teammate Roger Craig as the only players to score three
touchdowns in a Super Bowl. Craig
did it in Super
Bowl XIX(2 receiving and 1 rushing).
With this
game, the first four Super Bowls played at the Superdome ended with
the losing team scoring 10 points. Denver in Super
Bowl XII by a 27-10 score, Philadelphia
in Super Bowl XV by
a 27-10 score and New
England in Super
Bowl XX by a 46-10 score.
Montana became the third
player in league history to win both the Super Bowl MVP and the AP
Most Valuable Player Award during the same season. Bart Starr
and Terry Bradshaw
also won both after the 1966 and 1978 seasons, respectively.
1990
San Francisco defeated Denver55-10
inSuper
Bowl XXIV at the Louisiana Superdome, January 28. San
Francisco joined Pittsburgh
as the NFL's only teams to win four Super Bowls.
Third wild-card team in
each conference added to playoffs
The 1990 NFL season was
the 71st regular season of the National Football League. To increase
revenue, the league changed the regular season so that all NFL teams
would play their 16-game schedule over a 17-week period. Furthermore,
the playoff format was expanded from 10 teams to 12 teams by adding
another wild card from each conference.
The NFL revised its
playoff format to include two additional wild-card teams (one per conference).
The NFL announced plans
to expand its American Bowl series of preseason games. In addition to
games in London and Tokyo, American Bowl games were scheduled for
Berlin, Germany, and Montreal, Canada, in 1990.
February 16 - The
NFL announced revisions in its 1990 draft eligibility rules. College
juniors became eligible but must renounce their collegiate football
eligibility before applying for the NFL Draft
February 27 -
Commissioner Tagliabue announced NFL teams will play their 16-game
schedule over 17 weeks in 1990 and 1991 and 16 games over 18 weeks in
1992 and 1993
March 12 - For
the fifth straight year, NFL owners voted to continue a limited
system of Instant Replay. Beginning in 1990, the replay official will
have a two-minute time limit to make a decision. The vote was 21-7
March 14 -
Commissioner Tagliabue announced the formation of a Committee on
Expansion and Realignment, March 13. He also named a Player Advisory
Council, comprised of 12 former NFL players
April 2 -
One-hundred eighty-four Plan B unconditional free agents signed with
new teams
May 17 -
Commissioner Tagliabue appointed Dr. John Lombardo as the League's
Drug Advisor for Anabolic Steroids, April 25 and named Dr. Lawrence
Brown as the League's Advisor for Drugs of Abuse
May 23 - NFL
owners awarded Super Bowl XXVIII, to be played in 1994, to the
proposed Georgia Dome
July 12 -
Commissioner Tagliabue named NFL referee Jerry Seeman as NFL Director
of Officiating, replacing Art McNally, who announced his retirement
after 31 years on the field and at the league office
August 4 thru 11
- NFL International Week was celebrated with four preseason
games in seven days in Tokyo, London, Berlin, and Montreal. More than
200,000 fans on three continents attended the four games
September 20 -
Commissioner Tagliabue announced the NFL Teacher of the Month program
in which the League furnishes grants and scholarships in recognition
of teachers who provided a positive influence upon NFL players in
elementary and secondary schools
October 1 - For
the first time since 1957, every NFL club won at least one of its
first four games
October 2 -Bob
Shaw established an NFL record with five touchdown catches as the
Chicago Cardinals defeated the
Baltimore Colts 55-13.
The record was tied in
1981 by San Diego Chargers Kellen Winslow
and again in 1990 by San
Francisco 49ers, Jerry Rice.
October 14 - Houston
quarterback Warren Moon passes for 369 yards and five touchdowns as
the Oilers beat Cincinnati
48-17, becoming
the first person to throw for over 20,000 yards in two different leagues
November 11 -
Kansas City linebacker Derrick Thomas sets an NFL record with seven sacks,
but Seattle quarterback Dave Krieg somehow
slips free of Thomas to
throw a 25-yard game-winning touchdown pass in the closing seconds
as the Seahawks beat the
Chiefs 17-16.
November 18 -
Art Monk becomes only the third player in NFL history to amass 700
career receptions when he makes four catches against the Saints.
Marvin Harrison for the
Indianapolis colts passes that record in 2006 when he had seven
catches for 127 yards and passed Art Monk for
fifth on the career receptions list. Harrison has 943 career receptions.
Commissioner Tagliabue
and Broadcast Committee Chairman Art Modell announced a four-year
contract with Turner Broadcasting to televise nine Sunday-night games.
New four-year TV
agreements were ratified for 1990-93 for ABC, CBS, NBC, ESPN, and TNT
at the NFL annual meeting in Orlando, Florida, March 12. The
contracts totaled $3.6 billion, the largest in TV history.
Major rule changes
The rule for unnecessary roughness penalties
is clarified so that any player who butts, spears, or rams an
opponent can be ejected from the game.
The penalty for an illegal forward pass
beyond the line of scrimmage is enforced from the spot where any part
of the passer's body is beyond the line when the ball is released.
The following changes are made to try to
speed up the game:
The time interval on the Play Clock (the time limit the offensive
team has to snap the ball between plays) after time outs and other
administrative stoppages has been reduced from 30 seconds to 25
seconds (the time interval between plays remains the same at 45 seconds).
Whenever a player goes out of bounds, outside of the last two minutes
of the first half and outside of the last five minutes of the second
half, the Game clock immediately starts when the ball is spotted for
the next play and the Referee signals it is ready for play.
Outside of the last two minutes of the first half and outside of the
last five minutes of the second half, the Game clock also starts
following all declined penalties.
Wild-Card playoffs: Washington
20, PHILADELPHIA 6; CHICAGO 16, New Orleans 6 Divisional playoffs:
SAN FRANCISCO 28, Washington 10; N.Y. GIANTS 31, Chicago 3 NFC Championship:
N.Y. Giants 15, SAN FRANCISCO 13
Super Bowl XXV
Super Bowl XXV was the 25th Super Bowl, the
championship game of the National Football League (NFL). The game was
played on January 27, 1991 before a sellout crowd of 73,813, at Tampa
Stadium in Tampa, Florida following the 1990 regular season.
The National Football
Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants
defeated
the American Football
Conference (AFC) champion Buffalo Bills, 20–19.
The Giants won their
second Super Bowl, while the Bills would
begin a dubious streak of four straight Super Bowl losses.
Super Bowl XXV was played under much
patriotic fervor, due to the Gulf
War. The proceedings included a
rousing rendition of the Star Spangled Banner by Whitney
Houston, which was later released as a single, where it reached
number twenty on the Billboard Music Charts, making her the only
artist to turn the national anthem into a hit single.
Due to threats of terrorism associated with
the Gulf War, extra security measures were put in place at Tampa
Stadium, including the positioning of FBI sharpshooters at the upper
levels of the stadium.
Giants running back Ottis
Anderson, who carried the ball 21 times for 102 yards and one
touchdown, was named Super Bowl MVP. Thomas also recorded one
reception for seven yards
However, the game is
best remembered for Bills placekicker Scott Norwood's 47-yard missed
field goal attempt in the waning seconds of the game which went wide
right, losing the game for the Bills, and angering fans.
Some fans and sports
writers, have argued that Thomas had the best performance of the
game, so therefore he should have won the MVP award even though his
team lost. He had far more yards and catches then New
York Giants running back Ottis Anderson, who won the MVP, finishing
the game with 102 rushing yards, 1 reception for 7 yards, and a
touchdown. Also a player winning the
Super Bowl MVP award on a losing team is not unprecedented; Chuck
Howley accomplished this feat in Super Bowl V.
The Giants set a Super
Bowl record for time of possession with 40 minutes, 33 seconds,
including 22 minutes in the second half.
This is the first Super Bowl involving two
teams representing the same state (though the New York Giants play in
East Rutherford, New Jersey).
Don Smith's 1-yard touchdown run was
his only carry of the game and the last carry of his career.
Andre Reed's 5 first
quarter receptions were a Super Bowl record.
Buffalo became the
first team to record a safety in a Super Bowl and lose the game.
This was only the second Super Bowl to have
two 100-yard rushers (Thurman Thomas and
Ottis Anderson).
In Super Bowl III, New
York Jets running back Matt Snell recorded 121 rushing yards
while Baltimore Colts running back Tom Matte ran
for 116.
Thomas' 135 yards
are the most yards rushing for a member of a losing team.
This Super Bowl started a trend of
beginning the game shortly after 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (6:18
p.m.). Subsequent Super Bowls never have started earlier.
Giants head coach Bill
Parcells retired shortly after winning his second Super Bowl with the
Giants. However, he has coached three
other teams since then: the New England Patriots
(whom he helped bring to Super Bowl XXXI) from
1993-1997, the New York Jets from 1997-1999, and
the Dallas Cowboys since 2003.
This was the first Super Bowl to have zero turnovers.
For the first time, each player wore a Super
Bowl logo patch on their jerseys. But this would not become a regular
practice in Super Bowls until Super Bowl XXXII.
The Super Bowl XXV logo was painted at
midfield and the NFL logo was placed at each of the two 35-yard
lines. For the past Super Bowl games since Super Bowl VI, the NFL
logo was painted on the 50-yard line.
The win by the
Giants gave the NFC a 3-0 record in Super Bowls broadcasted on
ABC (after the San Francisco 49ers in Super
Bowl XIX and the Washington Redskins in Super
Bowl XXII).
This is currently the only Super Bowl that
has ended with a one-point margin of victory.
The Defensive game plan
for the Giants (written by defensive coordinator Bill Belichick)
has been included in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Giants' triumph
helped Belichick and wide receivers coach Tom Coughlin make their names
and eventually land head-coaching jobs with the Cleveland Browns and
Boston College, respectively. Currently,
Belichick is head coach of the New England Patriots, while
Coughlin is the head coach of the Giants.
This was the last Super Bowl to feature both
kickers having one bar facemasks on their helmets
This was the final game for referee Jerry
Seeman who would retire to become the league's Senior Director of
Officiating, a position he held until 2001.
1991
The 1991 NFL season was
the 72nd regular season of the National Football League.
February 2 - New
York businessman Robert
Tisch purchased a 50 percent interest in the New York Giants
from Mrs. Helen Mara Nugent and her children, Tim Mara and Maura Mara Concannon
February 27 -
Commissioner Tagliabue named Neil Austrian to the newly created
position of President of the NFL to be chief operating officer for
League-wide business and financial operations
March 19 - NFL
clubs voted to continue a limited system of Instant Replay for the
sixth consecutive year. The vote was 21-7
March 23 - The
NFL launched the World League of American Football, the first sports
league to operate on a weekly basis on two separate continents
April 8 -
Commissioner Tagliabue named Harold Henderson as Executive Vice
President for Labor Relations and Chairman of the NFL Management
Council Executive Committee
May 22 - NFL
clubs approved a recommendation by the Expansion and Realignment
Committee to add two teams for the 1994 season, resulting in six
divisions of five teams each
May 23 - NFL
clubs awarded Super Bowl XXIX, to be played on January 29, 1995, to Miami
July 17 - The NFL
announced that it would accept applications for expansion
teams. Jacksonville submitted its
proposal on October 17
"NFL International
Week" featured six 1990 playoff teams playing nationally
televised games in London, Berlin, and Tokyo on July 28 and August 3-4.
The games drew more than 150,000 fans.
August 5 - Paul
Brown, founder of the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals, died
at age 82
September 22 - Don
Shula records his 300th career victory with Miami's 16-13 win over Green
Bay.
October 23 - NFL
clubs approved a resolution establishing an international division,
reporting to the President of the NFL. A three-year financial plan
for the World League was approved by NFL clubs at a meeting in Dallas
December 1 - Miami
quarterback Dan Marino sets an NFL record when he goes over 3,000
yards passing for the eighth time in his career in Miami's 33-14 win over Tampa
Bay.
December 26 - Pittsburgh
Steelers Head Coach, Chuck Noll retired after compiling a 209-156-1
record in 23 seasons Noll was replaced by Bill Cowher.
The World League of
American Football (WLAF) was founded in 1990 with support from
the NFL to play semi-professional American Football in North America,
Europe and later possibly Asia. This came after the NFL had played
popular American Bowls in London's Wembley Stadium and elsewhere
since 1986.
The WLAF played two
seasons with 10 teams in the spring of 1991 and 1992, with the World
Bowl as championship games. Rules unique to WLAF included assigning
increasing point value to field goals based on distance, and a
requirement that at least one player of non-US American nationality
participate in at least every other series of downs.
The World League of
American Football, allowed small TV cameras in the helmets of
quarterbacks. A fisheye lens on a camera the size of a lipstick tube
gives fans a greater sense of the speed, confusion and heavy hitting
in a game. The camera is powered by a two-pound battery pack molded
into the quarterback's shoulder pads.
The league also
experiments with open microphones on coaches. But the idea backfires
when viewers get a heavier dose of profanity than insightful gridiron
strategy. The World League also revives coach-to-quarterback wireless communications.
Major rule changes
A drop kick, field goal, and punt can only be attempted from behind
the line of scrimmage.
If a foul by a player causes an injury to an opponent, a team time
out will not be charged to the penalized team anytime during the game
instead of only during the last two minutes of a half.
The game clock will not start until the next snap following any
change of possession, even if the player went out of bounds.
Officials will immediately blow the play dead when a defensive player
is offsides before the snap and clearly rushes beyond the offensive
line in such a way that he becomes an unabated threat to the quarterback.
A touchback will be ruled when a player fumbles the ball in the field
of play and it goes out of bounds in the opponent's end zone.
A touchback, not a safety, will also be ruled when a player fumbles
the ball in his own end zone and the opponent is the one that knocks
the fumble out of bounds in the end zone.
An offensive player cannot deliberately bat a backward pass forward.
1991 PLAYOFFS
AFC
Wild-Card playoffs: KANSAS
CITY 10, L.A. Raiders 6; HOUSTON 17, N.Y. Jets 10 Divisional playoffs: DENVER
26, Houston 24; BUFFALO 37, Kansas City 14 AFC Championship:
BUFFALO 10, Denver 7
NFC
Wild-Card playoffs:
Atlanta 27, NEW ORLEANS 20; Dallas 17, CHICAGO 13 Divisional playoffs:
WASHINGTON 24, Atlanta 7; DETROIT 38, Dallas 6 NFC Championship:
WASHINGTON 41, Detroit 10
Super Bowl XXVI
The season ended with
Super Bowl XXVI when the Washington
Redskins defeated the Buffalo
Bills.
Super Bowl XXVI was the
26th Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football
League (NFL). The game was played on January 26, 1992 before a
sellout crowd of 63,130 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in
Minneapolis, Minnesota following the 1991 regular season.
The National Football
Conference (NFC) champion Washington Redskins
defeated
the
American Football Conference (AFC) champion Buffalo Bills, 37–24.
Washington became the
fourth team to win three Super Bowls,
joining the Pittsburgh Steelers,
the Oakland Raiders,
and the San Francisco 49ers.
Washington quarterback
Mark Rypien, who completed 18 of 33 passes for 292 yards and two
touchdowns, with 1 interception, was named Super Bowl MVP. Redskins
head coach Joe Gibbs became only the third head coach to win three
Super Bowls.
The game was broadcast
in the United States by CBS and featured the broadcast team of
play-by-play announcer Pat Summerall and color commentator John
Madden. Greg Gumbel hosted all the events with help from his fellow
cast member from The NFL Today Terry Bradshaw. Also, history was made
when CBS' Lesley Visser became the first female sportscaster to
preside over the postgame Vince Lombardi Trophy presentation.
Redskins
linebacker Matt Millen was bidding to become the first player to
play in a Super Bowl victory for three different franchises (Millen
played in Super Bowl XV and Super
Bowl XVIIIwith the Raiders,
and Super Bowl XXIV
with the 49ers).
However, Millen was
deactivated for the game and watched from the Redskins sideline.
The 1989
television contract (which was in effect) gave CBS Super Bowl
XXVI instead of Super Bowl XXXVII, which was in their rotation. The
NFL swapped the CBS and NBC years in an effort to give CBS enough
lead-in programming for the upcoming 1992 Winter Olympics two weeks later.
This was
only the fourth scoreless 1st quarter in Super Bowl history, after
Super Bowl III, Super Bowl IX, Super Bowl XI.
The Bills
became the 8th team to go scoreless in the 1st half, after the
Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III; the Minnesota Vikings in Super
Bowls IV, VIII, IX, and XI; the Redskins in Super Bowl VII; and the
Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XII.
The
Bills also became the third team to lose back-to-back Super Bowls,
joining Minnesota
(Super Bowls VIII and IX) and Denver
(Super Bowls XXI and XXII).
Gary
Clark became just the 6th player to catch a touchdown in two
different Super Bowls.
Gerald Riggs' became the
8th player to score two rushing touchdowns in a Super Bowl.
This
game marks the first time a touchdown was overruled by instant replay
in a Super Bowl.
The attendance
mark of 63,130 was second lowest only to the first Super Bowl's
attendance of 61,946, and the Metrodome was the smallest stadium to
ever host the Super Bowl.
This would
be the last Super Bowl that CBS would televise for nine years.
STS-42, a
space shuttle mission, was in orbit during the game. A live downlink
between the Metrodome and Discovery happened during the pregame show.
Three of the mission's seven crew members demonstrated a 'human coin
toss' in space.
1992
The 1992 NFL season was
the 73rd regular season of the National Football League
January 25 - The
NFL agreed to provide a minimum of $2.5 million in financial support
to the NFL Alumni Association and assistance to NFL Alumni-related
programs. The agreement included contributions from NFL Charities to
the Pre-59ers and Dire Need Programs for former players
Bobby Ross, formerly of
Georgia Tech, was hired as San Diego Chargers head coach.
Mike Holmgren became head
coach of The Green Bay Packers
Tom Flores returned to
coaching as the Seahawks head coach in 1992, but returned to the
front office following three disappointing seasons.
Former NFL receiver
Jerry Richardson hopes of landing an expansion franchise in Carolina
survived as the NFL began to pare the list of expansion candidates.
May 11 - St.
Louis businessman James Orthwein purchased controlling interest in
the New England Patriots from Victor Kiam
March 18 - The
use in officiating of a limited system of Instant Replay for a
seventh consecutive year was not approved. The vote was 17-11 in
favor of approval (21 votes were required)
Long game delays
caused by referees using instant replay to review calls forces NFL
owners to drop the referee tool.
May 19 - NFL
clubs accepted the report of the Expansion Committee at a league
meeting in Pasadena. The report names five cities as finalists for
the two expansion teams-Baltimore, Charlotte, Jacksonville, Memphis,
and St. Louis
Due to the damage caused
by Hurricane Andrew, the New England Patriots - Miami Dolphins game,
that was scheduled for September 6 at Joe Robbie Stadium, was
rescheduled to October 18. Both teams originally had that weekend off.
September 17 - At
a league meeting in Dallas, NFL clubs approved a proposal by the World
League Board of Directors to restructure the World League and
place future emphasis on its international success
October 4 - Miami's
Louis Oliver returns an interception a record-tying 103 yards for a
touchdown against Buffalo, tying the mark established by Vencie Glenn
against Denver on Nov. 29, 1987.
October 12 - Washington
wide receiver Art Monk becomes the NFL's all-time leading receiver
when he makes his 820th career reception in a 34-3 victory over the
Broncos.
October 18 - Miami
quarterback Dan Marino throws four touchdown passes in the Dolphins'
38-17 win over New England, tying Johnny Unitas's record of 17 games
with four-or-more touchdown passes.
Former Head Coach for
the Oakland Raiders, Al Davis was inducted into The Hall of Fame. Al Davis is the only
person to have served pro football in such varied capacities as
(1) a player
personnel assistant (2) an assistant coach (3) a head coach (4) a general manager (5) a league
commissioner and (6) the principal owner and chief executive officer
of an NFL team.
Major rule changes
The instant replay system that was in effect since the 1986 NFL
season is repealed. Instant replay would not return to the league
until the 1999 NFL season.
To reduce injuries, any offensive player who is lined up in the
backfield before the snap cannot chop block a defensive player who is
already engaged above the waist by another offensive player.
1992 PLAYOFFS
AFC
Wild-Card playoffs:
SAN DIEGO 17, Kansas City 0;
BUFFALO 41,
Houston 38 (OT) January 3 - Buffalo
rallies from a 32-point third-quarter deficit to beat Houston 41-38
in overtime in an AFC Wild Card Playoff, the greatest comeback in NFL
history. Bills quarterback Frank Reich throws four touchdown passes
and kicker Steve Christie boots the game-winning 32-yard field goal. Divisional playoffs:
Buffalo 24, PITTSBURGH 3; MIAMI 31, San Diego 0 AFC Championship:
Buffalo 29, MIAMI 10
NFC
Wild-Card playoffs:
Washington 24, MINNESOTA 7; Philadelphia 36, NEW ORLEANS 20 Divisional playoffs:
SAN FRANCISCO 20, Washington 13; DALLAS 34, Philadelphia 10 NFC Championship:
Dallas 30, SAN FRANCISCO 20
Super Bowl XXVII
Super Bowl XXVII was the
27th Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football
League (NFL). The game was played on January 31, 1993 before a crowd
of 98,374 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California following the 1992
regular season.
The National Football
Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys
defeated
the American Football
Conference (AFC) champion Buffalo Bills, 52–17.
The Cowboys won their
third Super Bowl in team history, and their first one since Super
Bowl XII on January 15, 1978. The
Bills became the first team to lose three consecutive Super Bowls,
and only the second ever to go to three in a row.
The Bills' Super Bowl
record 9 turnovers - 4 interceptions and 5 lost fumbles - led to
their third consecutive Super Bowl loss. The Cowboys lost 2 fumbles
themselves, tying the Super Bowl record for the most turnovers by
both teams in a game(the Cowboys
and the Baltimore Colts also
committed a combined 11 turnovers in Super Bowl V).
Cowboys quarterback Troy
Aikman was named Super Bowl MVP, completing 22 of 30 passes for 273
yards and 4 touchdowns, while also rushing for 28 yards.
Super Bowl XXVII was
originally scheduled to be played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe,
Arizona, the home of the Phoenix Cardinals.[1] Immediately after the
Cardinals relocated from St. Louis, Missouri to the Phoenix, Arizona
area in 1988, the NFL was eager to hold a Super Bowl in that state.
Meanwhile, Martin Luther
King Day, the United States federal holiday honoring civil rights
activist Martin Luther King, Jr., was observed for the first time in
1986. However, the holiday was only celebrated in 27 states and the
District of Columbia during that first year. Opponents across the
nation tried to stop the holiday from being recognized in their own
local areas.
By 1991, every state had
adopted Martin Luther King Day (though New Hampshire called it
Civil Rights Day) except for Arizona.
The NFL, which had an
increasing percentage of African American players, and urged by the
NFL Players' Association, voted to yank Super Bowl XXVII from
Arizona, and awarded it instead to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
Faced with the boycott,
Arizona voters finally approved the holiday by ballot in 1992, and on
March 23, 1993, the NFL awarded Super Bowl XXX (to be played
January 1996) to Tempe.
Country music singer
Garth Brooks sang the national anthem. He was accompanied by actress
Marlee Matlin who signed the anthem for the hearing impaired.
Michael Jackson
performed during the halftime show. Unlike in many previous years, he
was the only performer in the entire halftime show. Jackson's set
included his hits "Billie Jean" and "Black or
White". The finale featured an audience card stunt and a choir
of 3,500 local Los Angeles area children joining Jackson as he sang
his single "Heal The World".
The Bills became just the second team to reach three straight Super
Bowls with this appearance. The
Dolphins also did so, reaching Super Bowls VI through VIII (winning
VII and VIII).
The
two teams combined for the most first quarter points in Super Bowl
history with their 21.
The 21 points by the
Cowboys is the most ever for a team in the 4th quarter.
The Cowboys also became
just the second team to score two non-offensive touchdowns in a game. The
Raiders also did so in Super Bowl XVIII with a block punt return and
interception return.
The two teams combined
for a then Super Bowl record 69 total points.
Michael Irvin's two
touchdown receptions made him the 7th player to do so in a Super
Bowl. Irvin also became the second player, after Washington Redskins
wide receiver Ricky Sanders in Super Bowl XXII,
to catch two touchdowns in a single quarter. Furthermore, Irvin's two
catches occurred in a span of 18 seconds, the fastest pair of
touchdowns ever scored by a single player in Super Bowl history.
With his touchdown
catch, Don Beebe became the 5th player with a touchdown catch in
back-to-back Super Bowls.
This was the last of
five Super Bowls at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Two other Super Bowls
were played nearby at the Los Angeles Coliseum. This would be the 7th
Super Bowl in the Los Angeles area, tying New Orleans at the time for
the city to host the most Super Bowls.
This marked first time
since the AFL-NFL merger that the two Super Bowl teams each won their
conference championship game on the road. Dallas winning in San
Francisco and Buffalo in Miami.
Baseball's, San
Diego Padres relief pitcher Trevor Hoffman proposed to his wife (a
Bills cheerleader) during this game.
1993
The 1993 NFL season was
the 74th regular season of the National Football League.
For the only time during
the league's history, all NFL teams played their 16-game schedule
over a span of 18 weeks. After the success of expanding the regular
season to a period of 17 weeks in 1990, the league hoped this new
schedule would generate even more revenue. However, teams felt that
having two weeks off during the regular season was too disruptive for
their weekly routines, and thus it was reverted back to 17 weeks
immediately after the season ended.
Following the 1992
season, the Cicago Bears fired Head Coach, Mike Ditka.
Daley proposed further
renovations, including installation of a jumbo video scoreboard, in
1992. In exchange, the team would need to sign a lease extension. The
proposed renovations were pulled off the table by Daley after the
firing of Mike Ditka on January 5,
January 6 - The
NFL and lawyers for the players announced a settlement of various
lawsuits and an agreement on the terms of a seven-year deal that
included a new player system to be in place through the 1999 season
January 14 -
Commissioner Tagliabue announced the establishment of the "NFL
World Partnership Program" to develop amateur football
internationally through a series of clinics conducted by former NFL
players and coaches
January 25 - As
part of Super Bowl XXVII, the NFL announced the creation of the first
NFL Youth Education Town, a facility located in south central Los
Angeles for inner city youth
March 23 - NFL
clubs awarded Super Bowl XXX to the city of Phoenix, to be played on
January 28, 1996, at Sun Devil Stadium
NFL owners voted to
award Super Bowl XXVIII to Atlanta, Georgia, during their May 23,
1990, meeting.
June 29 - The NFL
and the NFL Players Association officially signed a 7-year Collective
Bargaining Agreement in Washington, D.C., which guarantees more than
$1 billion in pension, health, and post-career benefits for current
and retired players-the most extensive benefits plan in pro sports.
It was the NFL's first CBA since the 1982 agreement expired in 1987
September 19 - San
Diego's John Carney boots six field goals in an 18-17 win over
Houston -- the second time he accomplished the feat in three weeks --
and sets a new NFL record with 29 consecutive field goals made.
October 12
- NFL announced plans to allow fans, for the first time ever, to join
players and coaches in selecting the annual AFC and NFC Pro Bowl teams
October 26 - The
Carolina Panthers are awarded the 29th NFL franchise to begin play
in 1995.
The first coach was Dom
Capers, who had been the defensive
coordinator for Pittsburgh Steelers.
The number of rounds in the draft was
reduced to eight rounds in 1993 and then the current seven rounds one
year later.
NFL clubs also awarded Super Bowl XXXI
to New Orleans and Super Bowl XXXII to San Diego, October 26.
After a two-year hiatus, former
New York Giant's Bill Parcells returned
to the NFL and was hired as New England
Patriots head coach.
The team lost 10 of its first 11 games that season
November 14 - when
the Dolphins defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 19-14,
Shula won his 325th career game, moving him one
victory past the immortal George
Halas (324-151-31) and setting an NFL record for most career
victories, a mark once thought to be unreachable.
November 30 - NFL
clubs awarded the league's thirtieth franchise to the Jacksonville
Jaguars at a meeting in Chicago
December 20 -
TheNFL announced new 4-year television agreements with ABC, ESPN,
TNT, and NFL newcomer FOX, which took over the NFC package from CBS, December
18.
The NFL completed its
new TV agreements by announcing that NBC would retain the rights to
the AFC package
Quarterback Joe Montana
signed with the Kansas City Chiefs after
winning 3 Super Bowl awards with the San Francisco 49ers
Major rule changes
The Play Clock (the time limit the offensive team has to snap the
ball between plays) has been reduced from 45 seconds to 40 seconds
(the time interval after time outs and other administrative stoppages
remains the same at 25 seconds).
Ineligible receiver down field prior to a forward pass foul is added.
1993 PLAYOFFS
AFC
Wild-Card playoffs:
KANSAS CITY 27, Pittsburgh 24 (OT); L.A. RAIDERS 42, Denver 24 Divisional playoffs:
BUFFALO 29, L.A. Raiders 23; Kansas City 28, HOUSTON 20 AFC Championship:
BUFFALO 30, Kansas City 13
NFC
Wild-Card playoffs:
Green Bay 28, DETROIT 24; N.Y. GIANTS 17, Minnesota 10 Divisional playoffs:
SAN FRANCISCO 44, N.Y. Giants 3; DALLAS 27, Green Bay 17 NFC Championship:
DALLAS 38, San Francisco 21
Super Bowl XXVIII
Super Bowl XXVIII was
the 28th Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football
League (NFL). The game was played on January 30, 1994, at the
Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, following the 1993 regular season.
The National Football
Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys
defeated
the American Football
Conference (AFC) champion Buffalo Bills, 30–13.
This was the first time
in Super Bowl history that the same two teams met in two consecutive
years. The Cowboys won their fourth Super
Bowl in team history, tying
the Pittsburgh Steelers and the
San Francisco 49ers. The
Bills became the first team to both appear in and lose 4 consecutive
Super Bowls.
Singer Natalie Cole,
accompanied by the Atlanta University Center Chorus, sang the
national anthem.
Ironically, two weeks before the game was aired, NBC had shown a
Peanuts special, You're In the Super Bowl, Charlie Brown in which the
character Melody-Melody wins the Punt, Pass & Kick contest
wearing a Dallas Cowboys uniform.
This was the fourth
rematch in Super Bowl history. The Dolphins
and Redskins met
twice (VII and XVII),
the Steelers
and Cowboys (X
and XIII) and 49ers
and Bengals (XVI
and XXIII). The
Steelers and the
Cowboys would also meet again, in Super
Bowl XXX.
Kelly
became the only player ever to throw 50 passes in 2 Super Bowls. In
addition to his 50 passes in this game, he threw a Super Bowl record
58 passes in Super Bowl XXVI.
The
Bills joined Minnesota and Denver as the only teams to lose 4 Super Bowls.
Buffalo
Bills, Thurman Thomas became the
first player in Super Bowl history to score touchdowns in four Super
Bowls. He scored one in each of the Bills appearances, Super Bowls
XXV through XXVIII.
This was the first Super
Bowl ever to feature 2 punts that were downed on the opponent's
1-yard line at the end of 2 consecutive drives.
Dallas Cowboys, Emmitt
Smith became just the second player in Super Bowl history to run for
100 yards in back-to-back Super Bowls.
The other being Dolphins,
Larry Czonka who did it in Super
Bowls VII and VIII.
He became the fourth player to rush for touchdowns in back-to-back
Super Bowls, joining Hall of Famer, best
known for his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Franco Harris,
Redskins, John Riggins
and Thomas.
Smith
also became the first player to lead the league in rushing yards,
win NFL Most Valuable Player Award, and win Super Bowl MVP all in the
same season. He was also the fourth player,
after Green Bay Packers Bart Starr (1966), Pittsburgh
Steelers, Terry Bradshaw (1978), and
49ers, Joe Montana (1989), to win both
the NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP during the same season.
Cowboys running back
Emmitt Smith was named the Super Bowl MVP, with 30 carries for 132
yards and 2 touchdowns, while also catching 4 passes for 26 yards.
1994
January 30, 1994 The Dallas Cowboys
defeated the Buffalo Bills 30-13 in Super Bowl XXVIII
to become the fifth team to win back-to-back Super Bowl titles ending
the 1993 season
The 1994 NFL season was
the 75th regular season of the National Football League.
To honor the NFL's 75th
season, a special anniversary logo was designed and each player wore
a patch on their jerseys with this logo throughout the season.
Phoenix Cardinals became
Arizona Cardinals
The Phoenix Cardinals
changed their name to Arizona Cardinals in an attempt to widen their
appeal to the entire state of Arizona instead of just the Phoenix area.
The Seattle Seahawks
played their first three regular season home games at Husky Stadium
because the Kingdome, the Seahawks' regular home field, was
undergoing repairs for damaged tiles on its roof.
February 21 -
former head coach for the New York Giants,
Tom Coughlin was hired as head coach for Jacksonville Jaguars
March 22 - In an
effort to increase offensive production, NFL clubs at the league's
annual meeting in Orlando adopted a package of changes, including
modifications in line play, chucking rules, and the
roughing-the-passer rule, plus the adoption of the two-point
conversion and moving the spot of the kickoff back to the 30-yard line
The NFL adapted the
two-point conversion following touchdowns. Before teams could only go
for the point after touchdown, worth one point.
June 1 - The NFL
launched "NFL Sunday Ticket," a new season subscription
service for satellite television dish owners
September 5 - San
Francisco wide receiver Jerry Rice catches two touchdown passes and
runs for another score in a 44-14 victory over
the Raiders to
surpass Jim Brown as the NFL's career touchdowns leader with 127.
October 23 - Mel
Gray passes Ron Smith to become the all-time NFL leader in kickoff
return yards. Gray finishes his career with 10,250 yards.
November 2 - At
an NFL meeting in Chicago, Commissioner Tagliabue slotted the two new
expansion teams into the AFC Central
(Jacksonville Jaguars) and NFC
West (Carolina Panthers) for the 1995
season only. He also appointed a special committee on realignment to
make recommendations on the 1996 season and beyond
November 13 - New
England quarterback Drew Bledsoe completes an NFL record 45 passes
in a 26-20 overtime victory over
Minnesota.
November 14 - Jeff
Fisher was named Houston Oilers (to be known as today's Tennessee
Titans) Head Coach, replacing Jack Pardee
Tom Flores resigned from
the Seahawks in 1994 following Paul Allen's purchase of the Seahawks.
Barry Switzer replaced
Dallas Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson, who left after clashing with
new owner Jerry Jones.
Former Minnesota Vikings
coach Bud Grant was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame
O.J.,
Simpson, "The Juice", although considered to be one of
the greatest running backs of all time, is now best known for being
charged with the murder of his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her
friend Ronald Goldman in 1994. He was acquitted in criminal court in
1995 after a lengthy, highly publicized and controversial trial, but
was found liable and responsible for their deaths in civil court in 1997.
October 23 -
On October 29 1950, Detroit Lion's
Wally Trippett established an NFL record with 294 kickoff return
yards against Los Angeles.
The record has since been
broken by Tyrone Hughes but Trippett's average of 73.5 yards per
return still stands.
304 yards by Tyrone
Hughes, New Orleans vs. L.A. Rams
Major rule changes
A package of changes were adopted to increase offensive production
and scoring:
The two-point conversion after touchdowns is adopted. (teams now
have the option of passing or running for two points or kicking for
one after a TD).
The spot of the kickoff is moved from the 35-yard line to the 30-yard line.
Kickoff tees used can be no more than one inch in height (previously
3 inches).
The "Neutral zone infraction" foul is adopted. A play is
automatically dead before the snap when a defensive player enters the
neutral zone and causes an offensive player to react.
(officials are to immediately blow their whistles whenever a
defender enters the neutral zone causing the offensive player(s)
directly opposite to move, this is considered a penalty on the
defense. If there is no immediate reactional movement by the
offensive player(s), there is no foul. (The
neutral zone is defined as the space the length of the ball
between the offense and defense line of scrimmage).
After a field goal is missed beyond the 20-yard line, the defensive
team takes possession of the ball at the spot of the kick instead of
the previous line of scrimmage.
During field goal attempts and extra point tries, players on the
receiving team cannot block below the waist.
The 11 players on the receiving team are prohibited from blocking
below the waist during a play in which there is a kickoff, safety
kick, punt, field goal attempt or extra point kick with one
exception, immediately at the snap on these plays those defenders on
the line of scrimmage lined up on or inside the normal tight end
position can block low.
1994 PLAYOFFS
AFC
Wild-Card
playoffs: MIAMI 27, Kansas City 17; CLEVELAND 20, New England 13 Divisional
playoffs: PITTSBURGH 29, Cleveland 9; SAN DIEGO 22, Miami 21 AFC Championship:
San Diego 17, PITTSBURGH 13
NFC
Wild-Card
playoffs: GREEN BAY 16, Detroit 12; Chicago 35, MINNESOTA 18 Divisional
playoffs: SAN FRANCISCO 44, Chicago 15; DALLAS 35, Green Bay 9 NFC Championship:
SAN FRANCISCO 38, Dallas 28
Super Bowl XXIX
Super Bowl XXIX was the
29th Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football
League (NFL). The game was played on January 29, 1995 at Joe Robbie
Stadium in Miami, Florida (now part of the suburb of Miami
Gardens) following the 1994 regular season
The National Football
Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers
defeated
the American
Football Conference (AFC) champion San Diego Chargers, 49–26.
The combined aggregate
score of 75 remains a Super Bowl record. The
49ers became the first team to win five Super Bowls while
the Chargers were making their first Super Bowl appearance.
The pregame show held
before the game featured country music singer Hank Williams, Jr., who
performed his theme song for Monday Night Football, which was based
on his single "All My
Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight".
Actress and singer
Kathie Lee Gifford (Frank Gifford's wife) later sang the
national anthem. She was accompanied by then-Miss America Heather
Whitestone who signed the anthem for the hearing impaired.
Steve
Young of The San Francisco 49ers became the first player to
finish a Super Bowl as the game's leader in both passing and rushing yards.
Young threw a record 6
touchdown passes en route to the Super Bowl MVP award. He also
completed 24 out of 36 passes for 325 yards, and was the top rusher
of the game with 49 rushing yards. This game is regarded as Young's
final leap out of the shadow of his predecessor, Joe Montana, who had
won four Super Bowls with the 49ers, two with Young as the backup quarterback.
The
49er's spectacular performance led to their offensive coordinator,
Mike Shanahan, and defensive coordinator, Ray Rhodes, gaining head
coaching jobs the very next season for
the Denver Broncos and
the Philadelphia Eagles, respectively.
The 18½ point
spread was the largest Super Bowl line (as of 2006), exceeding
the 18 point spread in which the Baltimore
Colts were favored over
the New York Jets in Super
Bowl III.
*
This was the first Super Bowl to have two players each score three
touchdowns. Rice matched his Super
Bowl XXIV performance with his 3 touchdown catches.
Watters also had three touchdowns, matching Roger Craig's 3
touchdowns, 2 receiving and 1 rushing, that Craig accomplished in
Super Bowl XIX. Watters also became the 2nd running back to catch 2
touchdown passes in a game, matching Craig.
The 49ers became the
second team to take the opening kickoff and score a touchdown on that
first drive. The
first being the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VIII.
Rice became the first player to catch at least two touchdowns in two
different Super Bowls.
This was the 49ers third
Super Bowl in which they scored four touchdowns in the first half.
They had halftime scores of 28-16 against the
Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XIX and 27-3
on the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV.
Along with his record six
touchdown passes for a game, Steve Young matched Washington Redskins
quarterback Doug Williams as the only players to throw four in a
half. Williams did so in the first half of Super
Bowl XXII.
The 49ers' 304 yards of
offense in the first half was the second most in Super Bowl history
after Washington's 419 in Super Bowl XXII.
Andre Coleman matched
Fulton Walker's 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. In the second
Super Bowl played at Joe Robbie Stadium, it was the second to have a
kickoff returned for a touchdown. The other was Stanford Jennings for
the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII.
Ken Norton, Jr. became
the first player in to win three straight Super Bowls. Norton was a
member of the Cowboys teams who won Super
Bowls XXVII and XXVIII.
Steve Young became the
5th player to win both the NFL Most Valuable Player Award and Super
Bowl MVP during the same season. He follows Bart Starr in 1966, Terry
Bradshaw in 1978, Joe Montana in 1989, and Emmitt Smith in 1993.
This is the first Super
Bowl to have two successful two-point conversions.
This is the second (and
most recent) Super Bowl to feature two teams from the same state.
This marked the first
Super Bowl since Super Bowl XIV where both teams used the 4-3
as their base defensive formation. The
3-4 was the base formation for most NFL teams throughout the
1980s and the Buffalo Bills during their
streak of four consecutive Super Bowls in the early 1990s.
This was the 7th Super
Bowl to be played in Miami, at the time tying both New Orleans,
Louisiana and the Greater Los Angeles area for hosting the Super Bowl
the most times.
Jerry
Markbreit would become the first referee to officiate in four Super Bowls.
1995
The 1995
NFL season was the 76th regular season of the National Football League.
Carolina Panthers
and Jacksonville Jaguars
began play
The
league expanded to 30 teams with the addition of the Carolina
Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars. The two expansion teams were
slotted into the two remaining divisions that had only four teams
(while the other four had five teams): the
AFC Central (Jaguars)
and the NFC West (Panthers).
January
29 - San
Francisco defeats San
Diego 49-26 in
Super Bowl XXIX to end the 1994 season.
January 31
- Mike Shanahan took over as Denver Broncos Head Coach
Miami
Dolphins Head Coach, Don Shula, retired after 26 seasons and was
replaced by Jimmy Johnson, former coach of The University of Miami and
the Dallas Cowboys
February
16 - The 2 new expansion teams, Carolina and Jacksonville
stocked their expansion rosters with a total of 66 players from other
NFL teams in a veteran player allocation draft in New York.
April 10
- The NFL became the first major sports league to establish a
site on the Internet system of on-line computer communication.
April 12 -.Los
Angeles Rams became St Louis Rams
The Los
Angeles Rams moved to St. Louis bringing NFL football back to
St. Louis after eight- year absence (Prior
Team - St Louis Cardinals)
April 21
- The Jacksonville Jaguars made their first trade acquiring
quarterback Mark Brunell from the Green Bay Packers for 2 draft picks.
Offensive
tackle Tony Boselli of Southern California was the Jaguars first
draft pick.
March
14 - A series of safety-related rules changes were adopted at a
league meeting in Phoenix, primarily related to the use of the helmet
against defenseless players.
July 22 -
The Los Angeles Raiders move back to Oakland
as The Los
Angeles Raiders became Oakland Raiders In
1982, Davis moved the team from Oakland to Los Angeles, California
and the club became known as the Los Angeles Raiders, but they moved
back to Oakland in 1995 being the only sports franchise to move and
then come back without making an expansion team.
September
15 - NFL Charities and 50 NFL players donated $1 million to the
United Negro College Fund in honor of the fiftieth anniversary of the
UNCF and the integration of the modern NFL
October
1 - The
Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Houston Oilers 17-16 for the
franchise's first victory
November
5 - The Carolina
Panthers win an expansion record fourth game in a row, defeating the
San Francisco 49ers 13-7 at 3Com Park. It is the first time in league
history that an expansion team defeats the defending world champion.
November 6 -
Art Modell announces that he is moving
the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore for the 1996 season.
November
12 - The Trans
World Dome opened in St. Louis before a sold-out crowd of 65,598 as
the Rams the Carolina Panthers 28-17, .
November
12 - Miami
quarterback Dan Marino passes Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton (47,003
yards) in four major passing categories-attempts, completions, yards,
and touchdowns to become the NFL's all-time passing yards leader on a
9-yard toss to Irving Fryar in the Dolphins' 34-17 loss to New
England. Marino finishes his career with 61,361 yards passing.
November
30 - The
Jacksonville Jaguars are awarded an NFL franchise in 1993 to begin
play in 1995
The Bears
organization, led by McCaskey announced that the team planned on
beginning the 2000 season in a new stadium at any cost. "If time
slips away on this, we'll have to consider other alternatives,"
McCaskey said as he imposed a deadline at the end of 1995 to come to
resolution on the issue. The team president didn't wait long to make
his first announcement. Early that year, the Bears purchased options
on land in suburban Hoffman Estates and Aurora, and proposed that a
$285 million open-air stadium be constructed. That figure would
require $185 million in public funds; the issue would never be
brought to the legislature for a vote.
In a more
striking development, McCaskey announced in September of that year
that he and a group of Northwest Indiana developers had come to an
agreement to build an entertainment complex called "Planet
Park," which would include a new Bears stadium, in Gary, IN. A
month later, Daley responded to the Bears with an offer to spend $156
million to completely renovate Soldier Field. The construction would
be completed during the offseason in 1998, would drop the field 18
feet and create an upper deck, add skyboxes, a scoreboard and an
exclusive restaurant. While McCaskey called the proposal a "more
thorough plan than we expected," he also stated that he
"didn't think renovating Soldier Field will be the answer."
On the
field, many significant records and milestones were achieved:
San
Francisco's Jerry Rice became the all-time reception and
receiving-yardage leader with career totals of 942 catches and 15,123 yards.
Dallas'
Emmitt Smith scored 25 touchdowns, breaking the season record of 24
set by Washington's John Riggins in 1983.
Major rule changes
A eligible receiver forced out of bounds by a defensive player may
return to the field and automatically become eligible to legally be
the first player to touch a forward pass.
Quarterbacks may now receive communications from the bench from a
small radio transmitter in their helmets. (This proposal was
originally run on a test basis last year during the preseason, but
was scrapped)
The emergency (third) quarterback may now enter the game in just the
fourth quarter, regardless if the other two quarterbacks are able to
play. This means that if the third string quarterback enters the
game, the first and/or second quarterback may re-enter, unlike the
past two seasons where the emergency quarterback would only play off
the first two were unable to resume play.
1995 PLAYOFFS
AFC
Wild-Card
playoffs: BUFFALO 37, Miami 22; Indianapolis 35, SAN DIEGO 20 Divisional
playoffs: PITTSBURGH 40, Buffalo 21; Indianapolis 10, KANSAS
CITY 7 AFC Championship:
PITTSBURGH 20, Indianapolis 16
NFC
Wild-Card
playoffs: PHILADELPHIA 58, Detroit 37; GREEN BAY 37, Atlanta 20 Divisional
playoffs: Green Bay 27, SAN FRANCISCO 17; DALLAS 30,
Philadelphia 11 NFC
Championship: DALLAS 38, Green Bay 27
Super
Bowl XXX
Super
Bowl XXX was the 30th Super Bowl, the championship game of the
National Football League (NFL).
The game
was played on January 28, 1996 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona
following the 1995 regular season.
The
National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys
defeated
the
American Football Conference (AFC) champion
.Pittsburgh
Steelers, 27–17
NFL
owners voted to award Super Bowl XXX to Tempe, Arizona during their
March 23, 1993 meeting. Super Bowl XXVII was originally chosen to be
held in Tempe. But the NFL yanked the game away from Arizona after
the league joined a massive, nationwide tourist boycott by various
groups to protest the state's refusal to recognize Martin Luther King
Day. After Arizona finally adopted the federal holiday in 1992, the
NFL started to consider Tempe again.
Actress
and singer Vanessa Williams later sang the national anthem.
Diana
Ross performed during the halftime show, titled "Take Me Higher:
A Celebration of 30 years of the Super Bowl". The show featured
a number of her songs along with pyrotechnics, special effects and
stadium card stunts. The show ended with Ross singing "Take Me
Higher" from her 1995 album of the same name, and then she was
taken from the field in a helicopter.
Some
weeks before Super Bowl XXX, it was found that some proxy servers
were blocking the web site for the event. The reason: The game's
Roman numeral (XXX) is usually associated with pornography.
This was
the first time two teams have met three times in a Super Bowl. The
Cowboys and Steelers
previously met for Super Bowls X and XIII with
Pittsburgh winning both of them.
This was
the Cowboys 8th appearance in the Super Bowl, the most of any franchise.
Dallas
Cowboys, Charles Haley became the first player to win 5 Super Bowls
after winning two with San Francisco (XXIII and XXIV) and two
previously with Dallas (XXVII and XXVIII).
Dallas
Cowboys, Troy Aikman became just the third quarterback to win three
Super Bowls. Pittsburgh
Steelers, Terry Bradshaw and San
Francisco 49ers, Joe Montana each won
four Super Bowls.
Dallas
Cowboys, Emmitt Smith became just the fifth player to score a
touchdown in three different Super Bowls.
He joined
Pittsburgh
Steelers, Lynn Swann and Franco Harris,
Buffalo
Bills, Thurman Thomas
and Jerry Rice.
Emmitt also
became the first player to rush for two touchdowns in two different
Super Bowls. He also scored two in Super Bowl XXVIII.
Dallas
Cowboys, Larry Brown became the first cornerback to be named Super
Bowl MVP, and the second defensive back after Miami
Dolphins, Jake Scott in Super Bowl VII to
win the award.
This was
the first Super Bowl in which the Vince Lombardi Trophy was given to
the owner of the winning team in an on-field ceremony after the game,
a practice which has been followed ever since.
1996
The 1996
NFL season was the 77th regular season of the National Football League
January 6 - Don
Shula steps down as head coach of the Miami Dolphins after his team
losses to Buffalo in the playoffs. The most winning coach in NFL
history resigns with 347 wins.
January
22 - Former Minnesota Vikings
defensive coordinator Tony
Dungy was hired as head coach
for The Tampa Bay Buccaneers replacing Sam Wyche.
The
Buccaneers had a run of success With Tony Dungy as head coach. Dungy
put together an exceptionally
tough defense (Tampa 2)but
he and his staff could never match that success on offense.
January
28 - Dallas becomes the first team in
NFL history to win three Super Bowls in a four year period by
defeating Pittsburgh 27-17 in Super
Bowl XXX ending
the 1995 season.
Jim
Mora (the elder) resigned
from the Saints midway through the 1996 season (8
games into the season) after
10 1/2 years as by far the most successful coach in the team's
38-season history.
Mora resigned after
a profanity-laced post-game interview where the Saints were beaten
19-7 @ Carolina Panthers. Mora was replaced by Rick Venturi.
Mora's post-game press conference
"The second
half, we just got our ass totally kicked! We couldn’t do diddley
poo offensively! We couldn’t make a first down. We couldn’t
run the ball. We didn’t try to run the ball! We couldn’t
complete a pass. We sucked! The second half, we sucked! We couldn't
stop the run. Everytime they got the ball, they went down, and got
points! We got our ass totally kicked in the second half. That's what
it boiled down to. It was a horseshit performance in the second half!
Horseshit! I’m totally embarrassed. I’m totally ashamed.
Coaching did a horrible job! The players did a horrible job! We got
our ass kicked in that second half! It sucked. It stunk."
The Bears',
McCaskey, missed his self-imposed deadline at the end of 1995 for
having a new stadium plan in place for Chicago. In December he
dismissed Daley's stadium proposal, asked Edgar to reconsider the
McDome plan, and kept the Gary site as his trump card. Speaking of
the Gary plan, the developers had asked the team to sign a letter of
intent on the deal by mid-February 1996 prior to them placing a Lake
County, IN tax increase on that year's ballot. February 2
- the Lake County Council rejected the plan, and "Planet
Park" was dead.
February 9 -
Cleveland Browns disbanded (temporarily)
and
Baltimore Ravens began play
Cleveland Browns owner
Art Modell, frustrated by his inability to get a new stadium in
Cleveland, began shopping The Browns. Modell closed a deal to move
them to Baltimore as the Baltimore Ravens
(however, the city of Cleveland retains the rights to the Browns
name, logo, team colors and memorabilia rights while the Ravens
would start from scratch)
The NFL returns
to Baltimore after a 12 year absence that was created when owner
Robert Irsay loaded The Baltimore Colts up in Mayflower Moving Trucks
and moved them to Indianapolis, Indiana in 1984. See Indianapolis
Colts History
The NFL agreed to
assign Cleveland an expansion franchise in 1999 that would inherit
the history of The Browns
April 30 - The
transfer of the Oilers from Houston to Nashville for the 1998 season
was approved by a vote of the NFL clubs at a meeting in Atlanta,
The Houston Oilers, an
original member of the American Football League, packed up and headed
for Nashville after the 1996 season. That left Houston without a pro
team the first time since 1959.
October 20 - Jacksonville
wide receiver Keenan McCardell catches 16 passes, tied for the third
highest total in NFL history, in the Jaguars' 17-14 loss at St. Louis.
December 6 -
Former NFLCommissioner Pete Rozelle died at his home in Rancho Santa
Fe, California. Rozelle, regarded as the premiere commissioner in
sports history, led the NFL for 29 years, from 1960-1989
The NFL adopts wireless
communication that lets coaches talk at their quarterbacks.
Transmission gets cut off 15 seconds before a play begins. Only
quarterbacks can wear helmets equipped with an electronic receiver.
Major rule changes
The five-yard contact rule will be enforced more stringently.
In order to reduce injuries, hits with the helmet or to the head by
the defender will be flagged as personal fouls and subject to fines.
This is being done to protect the offense, particularly the quarterback.
1996 PLAYOFFS
One of the most
memorable aspects of the 1996 season was that the
Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville
Jaguars, each in only its second year of
existence, both advanced to their respective conference championship games.
AFC
Wild-Card playoffs:
Jacksonville 30, BUFFALO 27;
PITTSBURGH 42,
Indianapolis 14 Divisional playoffs:
Jacksonville 30, DENVER 27; NEW ENGLAND 28, Pittsburgh 3 AFC Championship:
NEW ENGLAND 20, Jacksonville 6
NFC
Wild-Card playoffs:
DALLAS 40, Minnesota 15; SAN FRANCISCO 14, Philadelphia 0 Divisional playoffs: GREEN
BAY 35, San Francisco 14; CAROLINA 26, Dallas 17 NFC Championship: GREEN
BAY 30, Carolina 13
1996 Super Bowl XXXI
Super Bowl XXXI was the 31st Super Bowl, the
championship game of the National Football League (NFL).
The game was played on January 26,
1997 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana following
the 1996 regular season.
The National Football
Conference (NFC) champion Green Bay Packers
defeated
the American Football
Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots, 35–21.
This was the
Packers third overall Super Bowl victory, and their first one since
Super Bowl II. The Packers also extended the league record for the
most overall NFL championships to 12.
To honor the recent
death of former NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle, who died on December
6, 1996, each player wore a special helmet decal with Rozelle's
signature, "Pete," printed across the NFL logo. Tributes to
Rozelle were also published in the game program.
The game was the first
Super Bowl to be televised in the United States by the FOX network.
Play-by-play announcer Pat Summerall and color commentator John
Madden, both previously of CBS, called the game. James Brown hosted
all the events with help from his fellow FOX NFL Sunday cast members
Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long and Ronnie Lott.
R&B singer Luther
Vandross sang the national anthem.
The halftime show was
titled "Blues Brothers Bash" and featured actors Dan
Aykroyd, John Goodman, and James Belushi as the Blues Brothers. The
show highlighted blues music and also had performances by the rock
band ZZ Top and singer James Brown, nicknamed "The Godfather of Soul".
While practicing for the
show, Laura Patterson, one of a 16-member professional bungee jumping
team, died of massive cranial trauma when she jumped from the top
level of the Superdome with improperly handled bungee cords and
smashed head-first into the concrete-based playing field. The bungee
jumping portion of the show was removed from the program and a
commemoration of Patterson was added.
In terms of sports
betting, this was the first push in Super Bowl history. The Packers
were favored by 14 and won the game by 14.
The 24 combined 1st
quarter points were the most in Super Bowl history. The previous best
was 21 in Super Bowls XXVII and XXIX.
Desmond Howard of The
Green Bay Packers would become the 4th Heisman Trophy winner to be
named Super Bowl MVP. He is also the only special teams player to win
the award.
He ran for 154 kickoff
return yards, and scored the game-clinching touchdown on a Super Bowl
record 99-yard kickoff return, the first such touchdown accomplished
by a Super Bowl winning team. The previous three such touchdowns had
all been accomplished by the losing team.
. Howard also recorded a
Super Bowl record 90 punt return yards, thus tying the Super Bowl
records of total return yards (244) and combined net yards gained (244).
Starting with this game,
through Super Bowl XXXVII, the Super Bowl logo was painted at the
50-yard line, and the teams helmets were placed on the 30-yard lines.
During the past Super Bowl games since the 1970 AFL-NFL Merger (Super
Bowl VI), the NFL logo was painted on the 50-yard line, except
for Super Bowls XXV and XXIX.
The Super Bowl XXV logo was painted at
midfield, and the NFL 75th Anniversary logo was painted at midfield
in Super Bowl XXIX.
The league started to
put the NFL logo at midfield again for Super Bowl XXXVIII.
1997
The 1997 NFL season was
the 78th regular season of the National Football League.
January 14 -
Indianapolis Colts owner Robert Irsay died from complications related
to a stroke he suffered in 1995. Irsay acquired the club in 1972 when
he traded his Los Angeles Rams to Carrol Rosenbloom for the Colts. He
later moved the Colts from Baltimore to Indianapolis in 1984, . See Indianapolis
Colts History
April 6 - Washington
Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke died at his home in Washington, D.C.
Cooke became majority owner in 1974 and the Redskins won three Super
Bowls under his leadership,
October 26 - Atlanta
Falcons owner Rankin Smith died of heart failure three days prior to
his seventy-third birthday. Smith was the founder of the Falcons and
was instrumental in bringing Super Bowls XXVIII
and XXXIV to Atlanta
Due to Game 7 of the
1997 World Series, the Chicago Bears -
Miami Dolphins game at Pro Player Stadium
was moved back one day to Monday, October 27.
November 9 -
Denver cornerback Darrien Gordon ties an NFL record by returning two
punts for touchdowns in the same quarter, a feat previously
accomplished just twice in NFL history. His scoring returns of 82 and
75 yards in the first quarter gave Denver a 14-0 lead en route to a
34-0 defeat of Carolina.
Houston Oilers
became Tennessee Oilers
The Houston Oilers move
to Memphis and become the Tennessee Oilers (later to be
known as Tennessee Titans)
The Oilers relocated
from Houston, Texas to Nashville, Tennessee and become the Tennessee Oilers (later
to be known as Tennessee Titans) .
But the newly-renamed
Tennessee Oilers played their home games during this season at the
Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee while a new stadium in Nashville
began construction.
After being fired
following the 1992 season by The Bears, Mike Ditka returned to The
NFL to coach the New Orleans Saints, which he refers to as the
"three worst years" of his life.
December 4 - Cincinnati
running back Corey Dillon rushes for a rookie record 246 yards in a
41-14 victory over Tennessee.
December 21 -
Detroit Lions, Barry Sanders becomes only the third player in league
history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season. He rushes for 184
yards in the final game of the regular season to push his 1997 total
to 2,053 yards, the second highest seasonal tally in NFL history.
Major rule changes
When a team fakes a punt and throws the ball downfield, pass
interference will not be called on the two outside defenders who are
actually trying to block a coverage man from getting downfield and
might not even know the ball has been thrown.
In order to reduce taunting and excessive celebrations, no player may
remove his helmet while on the playing field except during timeouts
and between quarters. This is known as the "Emmitt Smith
rule" after the Dallas Cowboys' Running Back's habit of taking
his helmet off everytime he scored a touchdown.
Exceptions are during timeouts and between quarters. (The NFL has
done this in an effort to "reduce taunting and overexuberant
celebrations" and also "in the name of safety.")
1997 PLAYOFFS
AFC
Wild-Card playoffs:
DENVER 42, Jacksonville 17; NEW ENGLAND 17, Miami 3 Divisional playoffs: PITTSBURGH
7, New England 6; Denver 14, KANSAS CITY 10 AFC Championship:
Denver 24, PITTSBURGH 21
NFC
Wild-Card playoffs:
Minnesota 23, N.Y. GIANTS 22; TAMPA BAY 20, Detroit 10 Divisional playoffs: SAN
FRANCISCO 38, Minnesota 22; GREEN BAY 21, Tampa Bay 7 NFC Championship:
Green Bay 23, SAN FRANCISCO 10
Super Bowl XXXII
Super Bowl XXXII was the
32nd Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football
League (NFL).
The game was played on
January 25, 1998 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California
following the 1997 regular season.
This was the second time
San Diego hosted the game; the city previously hosted Super
Bowl XXII ten years earlier on January 31, 1988.
The American Football
Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos
defeated
the
heavily favored National Football Conference (NFC) champion Green Bay Packers, 31–24.
The Broncos' win was
their first league championship after suffering four previous Super
Bowl losses, and snapped a 13-game losing streak for AFC teams in the
Super Bowl.
The broadcast drew some
90 million viewers, making it the most-watched Super Bowl game to
date. This was the last NFL game that NBC covered before the AFC
package moved to CBS in the fall of 1998. The network would not
broadcast another NFL game until it started televising Sunday Night
Football in 2006; NBC will air Super Bowl XLIII in February 2009.
The halftime show was
titled "A Tribute to Motown's 40th Anniversary" and
featured Boyz II Men, Smokey Robinson, Queen Latifah, Martha Reeves
and The Temptations.
Each player wore a Super
Bowl logo patch on their jerseys. This would become a regular
practice in each Super Bowl since.
Denver became the first team to score on four one-yard touchdown
runs in a Super Bowl.
This was
the first Super Bowl in which both teams scored on their opening drives (both scored touchdowns).
The Packers were the
third team to take the opening kickoff down the field and score a
touchdown on that drive. The other two
being Miami in Super
Bowl VIII and San Francisco in Super
Bowl XXIX.
It would also be
the first time in 13 Super Bowls that the AFC team had more takeaways than
the NFC team. In the 13-game winning streak for the NFC, the NFC
team either led or was even in turnover margin in every game.
Despite suffering a
migraine headache that caused him to miss most of the second quarter,
Denver running back Terrell Davis (a San Diego native) was named
Super Bowl MVP. He ran for 157 yards, caught 2 passes for 8 yards,
and scored a Super Bowl record three rushing touchdowns.
Denver Broncos,
Terrell Davis is the only player to rush for three touchdowns in a
Super Bowl, and the only non-49er to score three touchdowns in a
Super Bowl.
San
Francisco 49ers, Roger Craig, Jerry
Rice and Ricky Watters are the only other
players to do so. Rice had 3 touchdown catches in two different Super Bowls.
Terrell Davis became
the first player to win the Super Bowl MVP award in his hometown.
By
catching a touchdown pass, Green Bay Packers, Antonio Freeman became
just the 5th player to catch a touchdown in back-to-back Super Bowls.
He also became just the 11th player to score a touchdown in
back-to-back games. Freeman also became the 9th player with two
touchdown catches in a game.
Don Beebe became
the first player to be a member of six Super Bowl teams. Beebe was
with Buffalo for their Super Bowls XXV through XXVIII and with the
Packers the year before. Beebe didn't play in either Super Bowl XXV
and Super Bowl XXXII.
The
Broncos became the 7th team to win the Super Bowl over a team with a
better record going into the game (15-4
for the Broncos to 15-3
for the Packers).
1998
The 1998 NFL season was
the 79th regular season of the National Football League
January 13 - The
NFL reached agreement on record eight-year television contracts with
four networks. ABC (Monday Night Football) and FOX (NFC) retained
their previous rights, CBS took over the AFC package from NBC, and
ESPN won the right to broadcast the entire Sunday night cable package
January 25 -
Ending The 1997 Season, Denver beats Green
Bay 31-24 in
Super Bowl XXXII at San Diego behind
Terrell Davis' 157 yards rushing and a Super Bowl-record three
touchdowns. A record worldwide audience of 800 million in 147
countries, views the game on television.
This was Denver's first
Super Bowl win
February 2
- Walter Payton disclosed that he had a liver disease that
would eventually take his life
February 10
- Chicago Bears'. Virginia McCaskey announced that she was replacing
her son Michael as CEO with team VP Ted Phillips.
April 18 - Peyton
Manning, a quarterback from Tennessee, was selected by the
Indianapolis Colts as the first overall selection in the draft,
Peyton's father Archie,
also a quarterback, was selected second overall in 1971 by the New
Orleans Saints.
March
23 - The NFL clubs unanimously
approved an expansion team for Cleveland to fulfill the commitment to
return the Browns to the field in 1999,.
The New
England Patriots announce their intention to move to Hartford
After getting no
support from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to build a new
stadium, Kraft made a deal to move the team to Hartford, Connecticut.
However, environmental cleanup problems with the Hartford site,
combined with Massachusetts' eventual willingness to loan $57,000,000
in infrastructure costs around Foxboro to be repaid through parking
revenue led to a reversal of the Hartford deal. As a result of
threats of lawsuits by Connecticut Governor John Rowland, Kraft paid
$2.4M to Connecticut to avoid any future litigation. The
state-of-the-art stadium is widely considered to be one of the
premier stadiums in NFL Football
November 14
- Tennessee Oilers owner Bud Adams
announced the team will change its name to the Tennessee Titans
following the 1998 season. The NFL announced that the name Oilers
will be retired-a first in league history,
December 13 - Baltimore
and Minnesota
combine to set an NFL record with three kickoff return touchdowns in
the same game, all in the first quarter of
the Vikings' 38-28
victory. Corey Harris and Patrick Johnson
score for the Ravens while
David Palmer turns the trick for Minnesota. Vikings kicker Gary
Anderson sets an NFL record when he converts his 34th consecutive
field goal.
December 28 -
Chicago Bears, Head Coach Dave Wannstedt was dismissed.
On the 22nd, McCaskey
called a news conference to announce former Bear LB coach Dave
McGinnis had accepted the Bears' head coaching position before he
offered the job to him.
Cable sports channel
ESPN superimposes a yellow line on the field to show TV viewers where
the first-down line is. CBS picks up on the idea and begins using a
similar orange line in its game broadcasts. ABC announces that Monday
Night Football will adopt the "painted" first-down line for
the 1999 season.
Major rule changes
Tinted visors on players' facemasks are banned except for medical need.
A defensive player can no longer flinch before the snap in an attempt
to draw movement from an offensive linemen.
A team will be penalized immediately for having 12
players in a huddle even if the 12th player goes straight to the
sideline as the huddle breaks.
Instant Replay was turned down again.
History of the Coin Toss
The coin toss has been a part of professional football since its
start in 1892. While the procedure has been relatively
unchanged over the years, the following is a history of change made
to the pre-game procedure.
Previously: Coin toss was changed
from 30 minutes to three minutes before kickoff.
Change: While the wording in the rulebook
remained the same, the procedure was modified to have the visiting
captain call the toss before the referee tosses the coin instead of
when the coin is in the air. Also, the back judge and field
judge will stand by the captains throughout the coin toss ceremony to
make sure there is no confusion over the call.
(this is a mid-season change).
1998 PLAYOFFS
AFC
Wild-Card playoffs:
MIAMI 24, Buffalo 17; JACKSONVILLE 25, New England 10 Divisional playoffs: DENVER
38, Miami 3; N.Y. JETS 34, Jacksonville 24 AFC Championship: DENVER
23, N.Y. Jets 10
NFC
Wild-Card playoffs:
Arizona 20, DALLAS 7; SAN FRANCISCO 30, Green Bay 27 Divisional playoffs:
ATLANTA 20, San Francisco 18; MINNESOTA 41, Arizona 21 NFC Championship:
Atlanta 30, MINNESOTA 27 (OT)
Super Bowl XXXIII
Super Bowl XXXIII was
the 33rd Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football
League (NFL).
The game was played on
January 31, 1999 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami, Florida (now part of
the suburb of Miami Gardens) following the 1998 regular season.
The American
Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos
defeated
the National Football
Conference (NFC) champion Atlanta Falcons, 34–19.
Denver was the last NFL
team to repeat as Super Bowl champions until the New England Patriots
in 2005's Super Bowl XXXIX.
On the night before the
Super Bowl, Falcons safety Eugene Robinson was
arrested for the solicitation of prostitution. While driving alone
in a rented car along a downtown Miami street, he approached a female
undercover police officer posing as a prostitute and offered $40 for
oral sex. Although he was released from jail and allowed to play the
game, he was widely denounced by the press and fans for the incident.
Robinson's arrest was especially ironic because on the very morning
of the day it happened, he had received the Bart Starr Award for his "high
moral character".
Cher sang the national anthem.
The halftime show was
titled "A Celebration of Soul, Salsa and Swing" and
featured Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Stevie Wonder, and Gloria Estefan. Big
Bad Voodoo Daddy performed their song "Go Daddy-O". Wonder
sang "Sir Duke", "You Are the Sunshine of My
Life", and "I Wish". And Miami-native Estefan
performed "Oye" and "Turn the Beat Around". Tap
dancer Savion Glover appeared during Wonder's performance of "I Wish".
At 38 years old, Denver
quarterback John Elway became the oldest player ever to be named
Super Bowl MVP. He completed 18 of 29 passes for 336 yards and one
touchdown, and also scored a 3-yard rushing touchdown. Elway retired
before the following season.
Denver Bronco's,
Terrell Davis' 102 rushing yards in the Super Bowl gave him over 100
rushing yards for the 7th consecutive postseason game.
Davis became the second
player to be on a Super Bowl winning team after being named the NFL
Most Valuable Player and leading the league in rushing. Dallas
Cowboys, Emmitt Smith was the first
one, but also was named Super Bowl MVP for Super
Bowl XXVIII during that year.
Kansas City Chiefs, Marcus Allen is the only other player to win all
three of these things during his career. Allen won the 1985 NFL MVP
Award and rushing title while being named Super
Bowl XXVIII MVP at the conclusion of
the 1983 season.
Denver Bronco's, John
Elway would become the first quarterback to start five Super Bowls.
He previously started XXI, XXII,
XXIV and XXXII.
Elway's 80-yard
touchdown to Rod Smith was the fourth 80+ yard touchdown pass play in
Super Bowl history.
Elway became the second
player in Super Bowl history to score a touchdown in four different
Super Bowls. He ran for scores before in Super Bowls XXI,
XXIV and XXXII.
He joined Buffalo Bills',
Thurman Thomas on this list.
Broncos defensive
lineman Mike Lodish was making his record 6th appearance in a Super
Bowl. He played with The Buffalo Bills in all four of their Super
Bowls XXV through XXVIII and with Denver the year before.
It was the second time
in Super Bowl history that both teams scored on their initial
possession of the game. The first being Super Bowl XXXII when both
Green Bay and Denver scored touchdowns on their first possession.
Atlanta Falcons, Tim
Dwight's kickoff return for a score was the fifth kickoff return for
a score in Super Bowl history. It marked the third time in three
Super Bowls played at Miami's Pro Player Stadium that a kickoff was
returned for a touchdown, each of which was accomplished by the
losing team.
This was the second
Super Bowl in history that featured two teams with two losses or
fewer. Both teams came into the game with 16-2 records after the
playoffs. The only Super Bowl featuring a better matchup record wise
was Super Bowl XIX when the San Francisco 49ers had a 17-1 record and
the Miami Dolphins had a 16-2 record.
The Denver Broncos were
the only AFC team to win the Super Bowl in the 1990's.
The 1999 NFL season was the 80th regular
season of the National Football League.
January 19 - Cleveland
Browns began play (again)
Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator
Brian Billick was named Baltimore Ravens Head Coach.
Both the Ravens and
Cleveland Browns interviewed Billick for their head coaching
position, as the Ravens selected him in 1999 as the second head coach
in their brief history, replacing Ted Marchibroda.
January 31 -
The Denver Broncos won their second consecutive Super Bowl title by defeating the
NFC champion Atlanta Falcons 34-19
in Super Bowl XXXIII at Pro Player
Stadium in Miami to end the 1998 season. The game was viewed by 127.5
million viewers, the sixth most-watched program in U.S. television history
Denver's second
consecutive Super Bowl victory
The NFL agreed to
assign Cleveland an expansion franchise that would inherit the
history of the Browns
Tennessee Oilers
became Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Oilers
changed its name to Tennessee Titans, and the league retired the name "Oilers"
- a first in league history.
Former San Francisco
49ers head coach George Siefert took over The Carolina Panthers,
replacing Dom Capers.
May 9 - New York
Jets owner Leon Hess died from complications of a blood disease. Hess
had been involved in the ownership of the Jets since 1963 and was
sole owner of the club since 1984.
Only time will tell if the '99 draft will be
remembered in the same light as the '83 draft. Five quarterbacks were
taken in the first round including the first three picks. Those first
round QBs were Tim Couch, Donovan McNabb, Akili Smith, Daunte
Culpepper, and Cade McNown.
The NFL approved
Houston for an expansion franchise after efforts by Los Angeles to
land the 32nd team fell short.
Major rule changes
Clipping is now illegal around the line of scrimmage just as it is on
the rest of the field.
March 17 - By a vote of 28-3, the owners adopted an instant
replay system (different from the one used from 1986 to 1991)
as an officiating aid for the 1999 season
Replay Rules
In each game, each team has two challenges that will start a review.
Each challenge will require the use of a team's timeout. If the
challenge is successful, the timeout is restored.
Inside of two minutes of each half, all reviews will be initiated by
a Replay Assistant. The Replay Assistant has an unlimited number of
reviews, regardless of how many timeouts each team has left. And no
timeout will be charged for any review by the Replay Assistant.
All replay reviews will be conducted by the referee on a field-level
monitor. A decision will be reversed only when there is indisputable
visual evidence to overturn the call. The referee has 90 seconds to
review the play.
The officials will be notified of a replay request or challenge via a
specialized electronic pager with a vibrating alert. Each head coach
would also have a red flag to use as a backup to get the attention of
the officials to challenge a play.
The replay system will only cover the following situations:
Scoring plays
Pass complete/incomplete/intercepted
Runner/receiver out of bounds
Recovery of a loose ball in or out of bounds
Touching of a forward pass, either by an ineligible
receiver or a defensive player
Quarterback pass or fumble
Illegal forward pass
Forward or backward pass
Runner ruled not down by contact
Forward progress in regard to a first down
Touching of a kick
Too many men on the field
The league also added the following then-minor rule change that
became significant in the playoffs a few years later:
When a Team A player is holding the ball to pass it forward, any
intentional forward movement of his hand starts a forward pass, even
if the player loses possession of the ball as he is attempting to
tuck it back toward his body. Also, if the player has tucked the ball
into his body and then loses possession, it is a fumble.
This new interpretation of a forward pass would later be commonly
known as the "Tuck Rule".
Wild-Card playoffs:
WASHINGTON 27, Detroit 13; MINNESOTA 27, Dallas 10 Divisional playoffs:
TAMPA BAY 14, Washington 13; ST. LOUIS 49, Minnesota 37 NFC Championship:
ST. LOUIS 11, Tampa Bay 6
Super Bowl XXXIV
Super Bowl XXXIV was the 34th Super Bowl,
the championship game of the National Football League (NFL).
The game was played on January 30, 2000,
at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, following the 1999 regular season.
The National Football
Conference (NFC) champion St. Louis Rams
defeated
the American Football
Conference (AFC) champion Tennessee Titans, 23–16.
This was the Rams' first
Super Bowl win and their first NFL championship since 1951.
On the final play of the
game, St. Louis linebacker Mike Jones tackled Tennessee
wide receiver Kevin Dyson one-yard short
of the goal line to prevent a game-tying touchdown. This play later
became known as simply "The Tackle."
Rams quarterback, Kurt
Warner, who completed 24 out of 45 passes for 414 yards and 2
touchdowns, was named the Super Bowl MVP. His 414 passing yards and
45 pass attempts without an interception were both Super Bowl records.
Country singer Faith Hill sang the national anthem.
The halftime show was produced by Disney and
titled "Tapestry of Nations". The show, narrated by actor
Edward James Olmos, was inspired by Walt Disney World's millennium
celebration. It featured a full symphony orchestra; a
multi-generational, 80-person choir; and singers Phil Collins,
Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, and Toni Braxton.
This game is often referred to as the
"dot-com" Super Bowl since it was held during the height of
the dot-com bubble, and several internet companies purchased
television commercials. Pets.com famously paid millions for an advert
featuring a sock puppet.
The 19
years between St. Louis Rams, Dick Vermeil's Super Bowl head coaching
appearances is the longest time span between Super Bowl head coaching
appearances. Vermeil coached the Philadelphia Eagles in Super
Bowl XV.
In sports betting, this game was the second
push in Super Bowl history, after Super Bowl XXXI.
The Rams were favored by 7 and won the game by 7.
This was the 4th Super
Bowl to be held a week after the conference championship games. The
previous Super Bowl (XXVIII) also had only one week between games,
and like this game, was also played on January 30 at the Georgia Dome
in Atlanta.
The Titans' 16-point
deficit was the largest deficit to be erased in a Super Bowl and the
first greater than 10 points, but they only tied the game and never
gained the lead.
The Titans were
the first team since the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVI to go
scoreless in the 1st half, and the 10th time overall that a team had
done so. No team has won the game after going scoreless in the first half.
The Rams became the first
team in Super Bowl history to take 5 straight possessions into the
red zone but come away with zero touchdowns. They finally scored
their first red zone touchdown on their first possession of the
second half with Holt's 9-yard reception.
Warner's 73-yard
game-winning touchdown pass to Bruce broke a 16-16 tie in the fourth
quarter and gave the Rams a seven-point victory to win the NFL title.
Likewise, in the 1951 NFL Championship Game, quarterback Norm Van
Brocklin's 73-yard game-winning touchdown pass to wide receiver Tom
Fears broke a 17-17 tie in the fourth quarter and gave the Rams a
seven-point victory to win the NFL title.
With the victory, the
Rams had one NFL Championship while playing in each of the three
cities that they've called home. The Cleveland Rams won in 1945, the
Los Angeles Rams in 1951, and the St. Louis Rams in 1999.
Warner
became the 6th player to win both the NFL Most Valuable Player Award
and the Super Bowl MVP award during the same season. He follows
Green Bay Packers Bart Starr,
Pittsburgh Steelers, Terry Bradshaw,
49ers, Joe Montana, Dallas Cowboys, Emmitt Smith and
Steve Young of The San Francisco 49ers.
This was the second Super Bowl,
after Super Bowl XXV, in which neither
team committed a turnover.
2000
The 2000 NFL season was the 81st regular
season of the National Football League
January 8 -
Trailing 16-15 with 16 seconds remaining, the Tennessee Titans stun
the Buffalo Bills with a lateral pass on a kickoff return that turns
into a 75-yard Kevin Dyson touchdown and a 22-16 Wild-Card victory
that is called "The Music City Miracle."
Bill Belichick became
Head Coach for New England Patriots, replacing Bill Parcell
February 3
- Jim Haslett became the New Orleans Saints' 13th head coach
September 6 - Houston's
new football team officially became the Texans
The other finalists
were Apollos and Stallions.
October 22 - Corey
Dillon rushes for 278 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries in
Cincinnati's 31-21 victory over Denver to break Walter
Payton's single-game rushing record.
November 22 - the
City of Chicago and the Chicago Bears formally unveiled their plan
for the new stadium at Soldier Field. The $587 million plan would
build the new 61,500 seat stadium within the shell of the old venue,
preserving the historic colonnades and exterior walls. Included in
the plan were the creation of parkland surrounding the stadium, a new
parking garage to the north, and numerous modern amenities within.
More importantly for the team, the new facility would generate much
more income, with the organization finally getting the majority of
revenue from advertising, parking, concessions, and luxury box
leases. The proposal quickly gained legislative approval in December
2000, and despite numerous lawsuits, construction began immediately
following the team's playoff loss in January 2002.
December 17 -
San Francisco wide receiver Terrell Owens sets a new NFL single-game
receiving record with 20 catches in the 49ers' 17-0 win over Chicago.
Owens totalled 283 yards and a touchdown while topping Tom
Fears' mark of 18 receptions which had stood since 1950.
The Cincinnati Bengals
move into Paul Brown Stadium
Edgerrin James set a
Franchise record for The Indianapolis Colts with 1,709 rushing yards.
Baltimore Ravens'
defense set a 16 game record for fewest points allowed in a season (165).
January
19 - Charley Casserly, former General
Manager of the Washington Redskins, was hired to head the Texans'
football operations
Major rule changes
Instant replay renewed with the same rules
In order to cut down on group celebrations, unsportsmanlike conduct
penalties and fines will be assessed for celebrations by two or more players.
Anyone wearing an eligible number (1-49 and 80-89) can play at
quarterback without having to first report to the referee before a play.
Off-Field supervisory titles eliminated, preventing coaches from
changing teams without becoming head coach, or "in cases where
it's written into individual contracts."
Off-Field consolidation of the sport's internet presence into
NFL.com. Teams would evenly split the proceeds.
Wild-Card playoffs:
NEW ORLEANS 31, St. Louis 28;
PHILADELPHIA 21, Tampa
Bay 3 Divisional playoffs:
MINNESOTA 34, New Orleans 16;
N.Y. GIANTS 20,
Philadelphia 10 NFC Championship:
N.Y. GIANTS 41, Minnesota 0
Super Bowl XXXV
Super Bowl XXXV was the
35th Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football
League (NFL).
The game was played on January
28, 2001 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida following
the 2000 regular season.
The American Football
Conference (AFC) champion Baltimore Ravens
defeated
the National Football
Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants, 34–7.
The Ravens joined the
Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VII and the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super
Bowl IX as the only teams in Super Bowl history to shut out the
opposing offense. All three teams gave up their only touchdowns on
special teams plays. Furthermore, Baltimore allowed only 152 yards of
offense by the Giants(the
third lowest total ever in a Super Bowl),
recorded 4 sacks, and forced 5 turnovers. All
16 of the Giants possesions ended with punts or interceptions, with
the exception of the last one which ended when time expired in the game.
In a major turnaround
for one player, Ravens, linebacker Ray Lewis, who was charged with
murder a year earlier, was named Super Bowl MVP. He made 3 tackles, 2
assists, and blocked 4 passes.
Despite his accomplishments on the field, Ravens,
linebacker Ray Lewis' public image was tarnished following a
Super Bowl party on 31 January 2000, when he was arrested (along
with his friends Reginald Oakley and Joseph Sweeting) for the
murders of Jacinth Baker and Richard Lollar. Baker and Lollar were
stabbed and killed outside a nightclub during a fight in the Buckhead
district of Atlanta.
To have murder charges dismissed, Lewis pled guilty in a bargain to a
misdemeanor charge of obstruction of justice [1], and agreed to
testify against Oakley and Sweeting, who were each charged with
murder. Oakley and Sweeting went on to hire the very high priced
legal representation of noted Atlanta criminal defense attorneys, L.
David Wolfe, Bruce Harvey, and Steve Sadow. Though all were acquitted
in June 2000, the Atlanta Police Department and District Attorney's
office believe Lewis' associaties to be guilty. No other suspects
have ever been arrested for the crime.
On 29 April 2004, Lewis reached a settlement with four-year-old India
Lollar, who was born shortly after the death of her father Richard.
The settlement (reported by The Baltimore Sun to be at least US$1
million) pre-empted the civil trial scheduled for 14 June from
going forth. The suit filed by the Baker family was also settled. The
terms were undisclosed.
The game was broadcast in the United States
by CBS. Play-by-play announcer Greg Gumbel became the first
African-American announcer to call a major sports championship. He
was joined in the broadcast booth with color commentator Phil Simms.
Jim Nantz hosted all the events with help from his then-fellow cast
members from The NFL Today: Mike Ditka, Craig James, Randy Cross, and
Jerry Glanville. The broadcast also featured an array of cameras (dubbed
"EyeVision" by CBS) set up throughout the stadium that
allowed for bullet time effects, similar to the effect used in the
movie The Matrix. This system proved more than just a gimmick when it
helped to uphold a replay challenge on a Jamal Lewis fourth quarter touchdown.
The Backstreet Boys sang the national anthem
The halftime show was produced by MTV and
featured Aerosmith, 'N Sync, Britney Spears, Nelly, and Mary J.
Blige. The show ended with all of the performers singing Aerosmith's
"Walk This Way".
The Ravens
became the 3rd team in Super Bowl history to score two non-offensive
touchdowns in a Super Bowl with their interception return and kickoff
return. The previous teams to do it were the Raiders in Super
Bowl XVIII(also played in Tampa) and
Dallas in Super
Bowl XXVII.
This was the first Super Bowl
to be aired on CBS in nine years. Following the 1993 season, FOX
bought the rights to air the NFC package leaving CBS without the NFL
until 1998 when they began broadcasting the AFC package instead of NBC.
Along with being the first African-American
to be the play-by-play announcer for a Super Bowl, Greg Gumbel also
became the first person to both host the Super Bowl pre-game show and
call the game. Gumbel was the host during his first stint with CBS
for Super Bowl XXVI and he was the pre-game host for Super Bowls XXX
and XXXII when he was with NBC.
First time in history two
kickoffs were returned for touchdowns in the same Super Bowl game,
not to mention on back-to-back kickoffs.
The
Giants became just the 11th team to go scoreless in the 1st half of a
Super Bowl.
They also
would become the fifth team to not score an offensive touchdown
because their only touchdown was on Dixon's kickoff return.
Miami would not score a touchdown in Super Bowl VI, Washington
would score their only touchdown on a fumble return against Miami in
Super Bowl VII, Minnesota scored on a
recovered blocked punt in the end zone in Super
Bowl IX, and Cincinnati scored their
only touchdown on a kickoff return in Super
Bowl XXIII.
New York Giants
quarterback, Kerry Collins' 4 interceptions tied a then Super Bowl record. The
record had since been broken by the Oakland Raiders quarterback Rich
Gannon in Super Bowl XXXVII.
Baltimore's, Brandon Stokley's first quarter touchdown is the
last touchdown to be scored in the quarter as of Super Bowl XL.
Although a holding
penalty on the return moved the ball back to the 41-yard line,
Baltimore took only 2 plays to score on quarterback Trent Dilfer's 38-yard
touchdown pass to wide receiver Brandon Stokley.
2001
The 2001 NFL season was the 82nd regular
season of the National Football League.
In the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks,
the games for September 16 - September 17
were postponed and re-scheduled to the weekend of January 6- January
7. In order to retain the full playoff format, all playoff games were
re-scheduled too.
Baltimore Ravens
defeated the New York Giants 34-7 in
the Super Bowl ending the 2000 season
January 12 - Dick
Vermiel came out of retirement and became the ninth head coach in
Kansas City Chiefs Franchise history
February 28 - The Sports Business
Daily named NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue the 2000 Sports
Industrialist of the Year
May 21 - A jury ruled for the NFL in
a lawsuit brought against the league by the Oakland
Raiders. The state court jury in Los Angeles rejected the
Raiders' claims that the NFL destroyed their 1995 Hollywood Park
stadium deal and that they own the Los Angeles market
May 22 - NFL owners unanimously
approved a realignment plan for the league starting in 2002. With the
addition of the Houston Texans, the league's 32 teams will be divided
into eight four-team divisions. Seven clubs change divisions, and the Seattle
Seahawks change conferences, moving from the AFC to
the NFC. A new scheduling format ensures that every team
meets every other team in the league at least once every four years
August 25 - Denver
Broncos open the new INVESCO Field at Mile High with a preseason
game against New Orleans Saints that drew a crowd of 74,063
September 25
- The Texans unveiled their uniforms
on December 29 -
The team signed its first 10 players on
Matt Millen took over as
Detroit Lions president and CEO.
The Buccaneers ownership
took a big risk and fired Tony Dungy as head coach after the 2001
season even though the Buccaneers went to the playoffs three times
and won its division in 1999, Dungy was fired by the team due
to the club's repeated losses in the playoffs.
A deal to sign Parcells
fell through and The Buccaneers wound up sending cash and a bundle of
draft picks to Oakland Raiders to acquire
Jon Gruden
December 8 -
George Young, the NFL’s senior vice president of football
operations and former general manager of the New York Giants, died at
the age of 71. During Young’s 19-year tenure with the Giants,
the team earned eight playoff berths and won Super
Bowl XXI and XXV. Young was named
NFL Executive of the Year an unprecedented five times
Major rule changes
Instant replay renewed for three years with the same rules.
Fumble recoveries will be awarded at the spot of
the recovery, not where the player's momentum carries him.
Taunting rules will be strictly enforced., with
15-yard unsportsmanlike-conduct penalties flagged.
Roughing the passer will be strictly enforced
Bandannas and stocking caps are out, but skullcaps
with the team colors and logos are OK
2001
PLAYOFFS
AFC
Wild-Card playoffs:
OAKLAND 38, N.Y. Jets 24; Baltimore 20, MIAMI 3 Divisional playoffs:
NEW ENGLAND 16, Oakland 13 (OT);
PITTSBURGH 27,
Baltimore 10 AFC Championship:
New England 24, PITTSBURGH 17
NFC
Wild-Card playoffs:
PHILADELPHIA 31, Tampa Bay 9;
GREEN BAY 25, San
Francisco 15 Divisional playoffs:
Philladelphia 33, CHICAGO 19; ST. LOUIS 45, Green Bay 17 NFC Championship:
ST. LOUIS 29, Philadelphia 24
Super Bowl XXXVI
Super Bowl XXXVI was the 36th Super Bowl,
the championship game of the National Football League (NFL).
The game was played on February 3, 2002
at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana following the
2001 regular season.
The American Football
Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots
defeated
the National
Football Conference (NFC) champion St. Louis Rams, 20–17,
as kicker Adam
Vinatieri made a game-winning 48-yard field goal as time expired.
The Rams had been 14-point favorites to win the game, making
the Patriots' victory one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history.
Patriots Quarterback
Tom Brady, who completed 16 of 27 passes for 145 yards and a
touchdown, was named Super Bowl MVP.
Due to the September 11, 2001 attacks and
the NFL schedule being moved one week back, Super Bowl XXXVI was thus
rescheduled from the original date of January 27 to February 3 in
order to retain the full playoff format for the 2002 season.
It will be the first Super Bowl played in February
Because of the attacks, the Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) has designated each subsequent Super Bowl a
National Special Security Event (NSSE). By 2003, the league had
restored the traditional pre-Super Bowl bye week that had been
abolished prior to the 2001 NFL season, to reduce the possibility of
the Super Bowl being unexpectedly delayed again.
Preparations for Super Bowl XXXVI in New
Orleans were planned ever since the city was awarded the game during
the NFL's October 1998 meetings. However, the September 11, 2001
attacks led the league to move both the playoffs and the Super Bowl
one week back. Rescheduling the game from January 27 to February 3
was a difficult task. Not only would the game itself have to be
moved, but all related events and activities had to be accommodated.
It was normal for there to be an open weekend between the Conference
Championship games and the Super Bowl. However, in this particular
season, there was not one. Beginning in the 2001 season, the league
moved the opening week of games to the weekend after Labor Day (The date of the Super Bowl had been set
through 2003, so the bye week would be absent until 2004, when the
Super Bowl would be moved to the first weekend in February.)
The NFL and New Orleans officials worked
diligently to put together a deal to reschedule the game. At first,
the league considered shortening the regular season, shortening the
playoffs, or even moving the game to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena,
California. To further complicate the situation, the National
Automobile Dealers Association Convention was scheduled to occupy the
Superdome on February 3. On October 3, 2001, the NFL announced their
intentions to hold the game on February 3, and by late fall, the
three parties came to a final settlement, where the NADA would move
their convention's date to the original Super Bowl week, allowing the
NFL to move the game up seven days.
Following Super Bowl tradition, the original
logo for Super Bowl XXXVI was to have a flavor that represented the
host city. A logo was designed and distributed on a very small amount
of memorabilia items in early 2001.
After the 9/11 attacks, a new logo
reflecting American pride was designed, featuring the shape of the 48
contiguous states (see logo above).
Merchandise featuring the original logo is now considered extremely collectible.
Pregame ceremonies included a video
segment, past and present NFL players read excerpts from the
Declaration of Independence. Former U.S. presidents Gerald Ford,
Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton appeared in another
videotaped segment and recited some of the speeches by Abraham
Lincoln. Because Ronald Reagan was suffering from Alzheimer's
disease, his wife Nancy appeared on the segment instead.
Singer Mariah Carey, accompanied by the
Boston Pops Orchestra, performed the national anthem.
George H. W. Bush became the first
president, past or present, to participate in a Super Bowl coin toss
in person (Ronald Reagan participated in the Super Bowl XIX coin
toss via satellite from the White House in 1985). Bush was joined
by hall of fame and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach,
who played at the United States Naval Academy.
The halftime show featured a three-song set
from Irish rockers U2, fresh off their successful Elevation Tour.
After renditions of "Beautiful Day" and "MLK",
the band launched into "Where the Streets Have No Name,"
featuring two backdrops with the names of victims of the 9/11 attacks
floating into the sky behind the band and Bono opening his jacket to
reveal an American flag printed into the lining
Rams
quarterback, Kurt Warner's 365 passing yards were the second
highest total in Super Bowl history behind his own record of 414
yards set in Super Bowl XXXIV
The game marked the 11th time that
the Super Bowl participants had met during the regular season.
This Super Bowl was the first since Super
Bowl XXX to not have a rookie score in the game. Patriots
Kicker, Adam Vinatieri (Super Bowl XXXI),
kicker for the Minnesota Vikings, Ryan Longwell (Super
Bowl XXXII), Atlanta Falcons' wide
receiver,Tim Dwight (Super Bowl XXXIII),
St. Louis Rams' wide receiver, Torry Holt (Super
Bowl XXXIV) and running back for the
Baltimore Ravens', Jamal Lewis (Super
Bowl XXXV) had scored in the previous five Super Bowls.
This was the first Super Bowl to be played
in February, due to the September 11th attacks.
This game was the last Super Bowl
played on antiquated AstroTurf. About a year before the game was
held, stadium officials considered bringing in natural grass for the
game. The system would use large trays of grass grown and cultivated
outdoors, and brought inside to be placed on the field of play. Cost
concerns, and the fact that it had never been done before, prompted
stadium and league officials to abandon the project. During the 2003
season, the Superdome replaced its AstroTurf surface with AstroPlay,
a surface that more closely simulates natural grass. The last two
teams to play their home games on AstroTurf, the Rams and the
Indianapolis Colts, switched to FieldTurf in 2005.
This game is currently the only Super Bowl
to be won on the final play of the game, the only other Super Bowl
decided on the last play of the game was Super
Bowl XXV, which was lost on the last play of the game.
Although the Rams led the
league during the regular season in red zone possessions, they did
not enter the red zone until early in the fourth quarter, in a drive
that ended with Warner's 2-yard touchdown run. This ended up being
the only time in the game that the Rams entered the redzone.
The Patriots became the
8th team to win the Super Bowl over a team with a better record going
into the game(13-5
for the Patriots to 16-2 for
the Rams).
Tom
Brady threw for the third lowest passing yards total for a Super Bowl
MVP quarterback with his 145. Roger
Staubach has the lowest total with 119 yards in the Cowboys Super
Bowl VI win.
The confetti was red, white, and blue. That
color scheme would go on to be used for every Super Bowl (except XXXVII)
from that point on.
2002
Following the 2001 season
January 19, 2002, Oakland Raiders vs. New
England Patriots, AFC Divisional Playoff Game
This is also known as Snowjob for Raiders fans,
and as the Snow Bowl for Patriots fans. With less than two minutes to
play in regulation, the Patriots trailed the Raiders, 13-10, in a
game played mostly under a driving snowstorm. Oakland defensive back
Charles Woodson blitzed Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and sacked
him, causing what appeared to be a fumble. The ball was recovered by
the Raiders' Greg Biekert at the Oakland 42-yard-line. When referee
Walt Coleman reviewed the play, however, he ruled that Brady lost the
ball while attempting a pass (rather than using a tuck maneuver to
abort the pass), making it an incomplete pass rather than a fumble.
The Patriots retained possession, and later tied the game on a
difficult, 45 yard Adam Vinatieri field goal with 27 seconds left in
regulation — regarded as one of the best kicks of all time,
given the conditions. They won the game in overtime on a 23-yard
field goal. An obscure but still rarely used rule states: "If a
Quarterback is attempting to pass he must have the ball tucked
completely back into his body before it can be a fumble."
Because Brady did not appear to the referee to bring the ball back
completely into his body it was not considered a fumble.
February 3, 2002, St. Louis Rams vs. New
England Patriots, Super Bowl XXXVI
With the game tied at 17-17 and only 1:30 left in the fourth quarter,
the Patriots took possession at their own 16-yard line with no
timeouts. Color commentator John Madden declared that if he were Bill
Belichick, he would have quarterback Tom Brady take a knee, thereby
running out the clock and pushing the game into overtime. New England
elected to go for the win instead and drove the ball to the Rams 30
yard line. This set up Adam Vinatieri's 48-yard field goal attempt.
The game-winning kick sailed through the uprights as time expired,
marking the first time in Super Bowl history that a game had been won
by a score on the final play.
The 2002 NFL season was the 83rd regular
season of the National Football League.
The league expanded to 32 teams with
the addition of the Houston Texans.
Jon Gruden became the
7th head coach in Tampa Bay Buccaneers franchise history after his
rights were secured from Oakland.
Baltimore Ravens' head
coach Brian Billick tied Tom Flores record for most
consecutive playoff wins at the start of a career (5) Tom Flores and Mike Ditka are the only
persons to have won a Super Bowl as a player, assistant coach, and
head coach.
January 22 - Tony
Dungy was hired as head coach for The Indianapolis Colts after six
years as Tampa Bay's head coach.
January 29 - Marty Schottenheimer was
hired as San Diego's' 13th head coach
February 6 - Tennessee Titans
head coach Jeff Fisher was named co-chairman of the NFL Competition Committee
September 5 - For the first time, the
NFL season kicked off on a Thursday night in prime time as the San
Francisco 49ers defeated the New York
Giants 16-13 at Giants Stadium. The
game was preceded by "NFL Kickoff Live From Times Square,"
presented by New York City and the NFL, a football and music festival
honoring the resilient spirit of New York and America,
September 8 - Rookie
quarterback David Carr throws a pair of touchdown passes as the
Houston Texans defeat the Dallas Cowboys 19-10
to become only the second expansion team (1961
Minnesota Vikings) to win their inaugural game.
September 11 - Johnny
Unitas, the legendary quarterback for the Baltimore Colts and a Pro
Football Hall of Fame member, died of a heart attack at the age of 69
September 15 - Oakland
Raiders' quarterback, Rich Gannon begins his record-tying
(Rams
quarterback, Kurt Warner' and San
Francisco 49ers, Steve Young) streak of
six consecutive 300-yard passing games, throwing for 403 yards in the
Raiders' 30-17 victory at Pittsburgh. Gannon finishes the year with a
record 10 300-yard games.
September 29 - Oakland
Raiders wide receiver, Jerry Rice has 151 yards from scrimmage,
bringing his total to 21,281 to pass
running back for the Chicago Bears, Walter Payton as the all-time leader.
Rice finishes the 2002 season with 22,242 yards
from scrimmage.
September 30
- Baltimore Ravens cornerback Chris McAlister set an NFL record for
the longest scoring play with a 107-yard touchdown return of an
errant 57-yard field goal attempt by Denver Broncos kicker Jason
Elam, .
October 23 - Cleveland
Browns owner Al Lerner, the NFL Finance Committee Chairman and
Chairman and CEO of MBNA Corporation, died at the age of 69
October 27 - Dallas
Cowboys running back, Emmitt Smith rushes for 109 yards to
surpass Chicago Bears' running back. Walter Payton
as the NFL's all-tme rushing leader.
Smith finishes the 2002
season with 17,162 rushing yards.
Walter Payton's record
was 16,726.
The Detroit Lions moved
back into the Detroit city limits. They spent 37 years at Tiger
Stadium before moving into a domed stadium in suburban Pontiac,
Michigan in 1975. The Lions now play at Ford Field in downtown Detroit.
December 5 - The NFL and NFLPA
announced the creation of USA Football, the first national advocacy
organization representing all levels of amateur football
December 15 -
Indianapolis Colts' wide receiver, Marvin
Harrison catches nine passes for 172 yards and two TDs to
break Detroit Lions, Herman
Moore's single-season reception record (123).
Moore broke the NFL
record for catches in a season with 123, with 1686 yards in 1995
On December 29
Harrison finishes the year with 143 catches.
December 30 - The
2002 season concluded with 25 overtime games, the most in NFL history,
New York Giants defensive
coordinator John Fox was hired as The Carolina Panthers head coach.
Vic Fangio was hired as
Houston Texans first defensive coordinator.
The Texans became the
first expansion team in 41 years to win its first game, beating the
Dallas Cowboys 19-10
on September 8.
Realigned into eight divisions with 4
teams each
With the Texans joining
the NFL, the league's teams were realigned into eight
divisions, four in each conference. In creating the new divisions,
the league tried to maintain the historical rivalries from the old
alignment, while at the same time attempting to organize the teams
geographically. The significant changes were:
The Seattle Seahawks were the only team that
switched conferences; they moved from the AFC
West to the NFC West.
The Arizona Cardinals
moved from the NFC East to the NFC West.
The Texans, the
Indianapolis Colts, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Tennessee
Titans were placed into the newly formed AFC South.
The Atlanta Falcons,
the Carolina Panthers, the New Orleans Saints, and the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers were placed into the newly formed NFC South.
Both the AFC Central
and the NFC Central were renamed AFC
North and NFC North, respectively.
The playoff format was also modified: four
division winners and two wild cards from each conference now advance
to the playoffs.
Major rule changes
A player who touches a pylon remains in-bounds until any part of his
body touches the ground out-of-bounds.
Continuing-action fouls now become dead-ball fouls and will result in
the loss of down and distance.
Any dead-ball penalties by the offense after they have made the line
to gain will result in a loss of 15 yards and a new first down.
Previously, the 15 yard penalty was enforced but the down was replayed.
The act of batting and stripping the ball from a player is officially legal.
Chop-blocks are illegal on kicking plays.
Hitting a quarterback helmet-to-helmet anytime after a change of
possession is illegal.
After a kickoff, the game clock will start when the ball is touched
legally in the field of play. Previously, the clock started
immediately when the ball was kicked.
Inside the final two minutes of a half, the game clock will not stop
when the player who originally takes the snap is tackled behind the
line of scrimmage (i.e. a sack).
Wild-Card playoffs:
Atlanta 27, GREEN BAY 7;
SAN FRANCISCO 39, N.Y.
Giants 38 Divisional playoffs: PHILADELPHIA
20, Atlanta 6; TAMPA BAY 31, San Francisco 6 NFC Championship:
Tampa Bay 27, PHILADELPHIA 10
Super Bowl XXXVII
Super Bowl XXXVII was
the 37th Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football
League (NFL).
The game was played on January
26, 2003 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California following
the 2002 regular season.
The
National Football Conference (NFC) champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers
defeated
the American Football
Conference (AFC) champion Oakland Raiders, 48–21.
Super Bowl XXXVII is
sometimes referred to as the "Gruden Bowl" because
the primary storyline surrounding the game centered around Jon
Gruden. Gruden was the Raiders head coach from 1998 to 2001 and then
became the Buccaneers coach in 2002. Thus, it was "Gruden's old
team" versus "Gruden's new team."
Some also jokingly
referred to the game as "The Pirate Bowl",
given the pirate-themed names of both teams (the Buccaneers and
Raiders, who both also feature pirate symbols on their helmets)
Celine Dion sang
"God Bless America"
and later
the Dixie Chicks sang
the national anthem.
Shania Twain, No Doubt,
and Sting were featured during the halftime show, which was sponsored
by AT&T Wireless. Twain was dressed in what many people viewed as
a dominatrix-looking outfit and performed her hits "Man! I Feel
like a Woman!" and "Up!". No Doubt then sang their hit
"Just A Girl" with lead singer Gwen Stefani ad-libbing
lines like "I'm just a girl at the Super Bowl!" The show
concluding with Sting performing "Message in a Bottle", in
which Stefani joined in midway through.
Oakland Raiders', Jerry Rice became the first player ever to catch a
touchdown pass in 4 different Super Bowls.
Jerry
Rice and Bill Romanowski joined Gene Upshaw as the only players to
appear in Super Bowls in three different decades.
Rice played in Super
Bowls XXIII, XXIV, and XXIX. Romanowski played in Super Bowls XXIII,
XXIV, XXXII, and XXXIII.
Jerry Rice's touchdown
catch gave him a touchdown in four different Super Bowls, joining Buffalo
Bills, Thurman Thomas and Denver
quarterback John Elway as the only players to do so.
The Raiders became the first team to appear in Super Bowls under four
different head coaches. John Rauch coached them in Super Bowl II,
John Madden coached them in Super Bowl XI and Tom Flores coached them
in Super Bowl XV and XVIII.
The attendance of
67,603 was the third-smallest for a Super Bowl game, trailing only
Super Bowl I (61,946) and Super Bowl XXVI (63,130).
This will likely
be the last Super Bowl to be played in January as subsequent Super
Bowls are now scheduled for the first Sunday in February. This is
also the last Super Bowl to have been scheduled without a bye week
after the conference championship games.
San
Diego became the fifth region to host the game at least three times.
New Orleans has
hosted it nine times,
Miami eight times,
the
Greater Los Angeles area seven times
and
Tampa three times.
The Buccaneers became the first team in Super Bowl history to score
three defensive touchdowns.
The Cowboys (XXVII) were
the only previous team to score multiple defensive touchdowns.
The
Buccaneers became the second (Baltimore Ravens, Super Bowl XXXV)
post-merger expansion team to appear in a Super Bowl and win the
league championship.
Buccaneers,
Dexter
Jackson became only the second safety and third defensive back to
ever be named Super Bowl MVP.
Jackson was the Super
Bowl MVP of Super Bowl XXXVII, recording two interceptions which
turned the momentum of the game in favor of the Buccaneers.
His margin of victory
for the award was the "fan vote" in which he gained four
votes based on internet polling.
Were it not for the fan
votes, teammate Simeon Rice would have won the award.
Tampa
Bay Buccaneers wide receiver, Keenan McCardell's two touchdowns
marked the tenth time a player has caught multiple touchdowns in a
single Super Bowl.
Jerry Rice caught three
touchdowns in a Super Bowl on two occasions with the 49ers.
This
was the final Super Bowl for Jerry Rice, and the only one he lost.
This was also the only
Super Bowl Tim Brown ever played in.
2003
The 2003 NFL season was
the 84th regular season of the National Football League. 32 teams
each played 16 games.
January Marvin
Lewis was hired as Head Coach for Cincinnati Bengals
With the top pick in
the draft, The Bengals selected quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner
Carson Palmer of South California.
January 16 - The
NFL announced the appointment of Steve Bornstein as executive vice
president-media and president and chief executive officer of the NFL
Network, to be launched in 2003. The NFL Network will be the first
television programming service fully dedicated to the NFL and the
sport of football
April 8 - Chicago
Bears chairman emeritus Edward W. McCaskey died at the age of 83
July 15
- Tex
Schramm, the legendary team president and general manager of the
Dallas Cowboys and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, died at
the age of 83
September 14 -
The Baltimore Ravens running back, Jamal Lewis set an NFL record by
rushing for 295 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries in a 33-13
victory over Cleveland Browns. Lewis would have easily eclipsed 300
yards if not for a penalty that nullified a 60-yard TD run.
He established a new
single game rushing record. He nearly became the first ever NFL
runner to reach the 300-yard plateau.
His record day came
just three seasons after Corey Dillon of the Cincinnati Bengals
established the new record. Chicago Bear's Walter Payton had
held the record for 23 seasons before his mark was eclipsed by Dillon.
September 29 -
Soldier Field (II) will open as the Bears host the Green Bay Packers
on Monday Night Football.
Due to damage caused by
the Cedar Fire, Qualcomm Stadium was used as an emergency shelter,
and thus the Miami Dolphins - San Diego Chargers match on October 27
was instead played at Sun Devil Stadium, the home field of the
Arizona Cardinals.
The Cedar Fire was the second largest wildfire in the history of the
U.S. state of California (after the Great Fire of 1889) and one of 15
fires that started in late October 2003 and were fanned by Santa Ana
Winds in Southern California burning a total of 721,791 acres (2,921
km²) and 3,640 homes, and killing 14 Americans and 1 migrant
worker who was found early December on the side of the I-15.
Reeves' tenure as Atlanta
Falcons coach ended with 3 games left in the 2003 season. He was
replaced by Jim Mora, Jr., who had been the San Francisco 49ers
defensive coordinator.
November 4 - NFL
Network, the first 24- hour, year-round television channel dedicated
to the NFL and the sport of football, launched on DirecTV
December 17
- Otto Graham, the legendary quarterback
of the Cleveland Browns and a member of the Pro Football Hall of
Fame, died at the age of 82
San Diego Chargers
running back, LaDainian Tomlinson became the first player in NFL
history to catch at least 100 passes and run for 1,000 yards. He had
100 receptions and 1,645 rushing yards.
An Oakland Raiders
season of 4-12 combined with player mutiny cost Bill Calahan his job
as head coach and was replaced by former
Washington Redskins coach Norv Turner.
The following players
set all-time NFL records during the season:
Most touchdowns by
Kansas City's Priest Holmes(27)
Most Consecutive Field
Goals by Indianapolis Colts', Mike Vanderjagt, broken December
28, at Houston (41)
Major rule changes
If an onside kick inside the final five minutes of the game does not
go 10 yards, goes out of bounds, or is touched illegally, the
receiving team will have the option of accepting the penalty and
getting the ball immediately. Previously, the kicking team was
penalized, but had another chance to kick again from five yards back.
Officials will be kept together as a single crew during the playoffs.
This is a change from past seasons when "all-star"
officiating crews worked the post season.
AFC
Wild-Card playoffs:
Tennessee 20, BALTIMORE 17; INDIANAPOLIS 41, Denver 10 Divisional playoffs:
NEW ENGLAND 17, Tennessee 14;
Indianapolis 38, KANSAS
CITY 31 AFC Championship:
NEW ENGLAND 24, Indianapolis 14
NFC
Wild-Card playoffs:
CAROLINA 29, Dallas 10; GREEN BAY 33, Seattle 27 (OT) Divisional playoffs:
Carolina 29, ST. LOUIS 23 (2OT);
PHILADELPHIA 20, Green
Bay 17 (OT) NFC Championship:
Carolina 14, PHILADELPHIA 3
Super Bowl XXXVIII
Super Bowl XXXVIII was
the 38th Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football
League (NFL). The game was played on February 1, 2004 at
Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas following the 2003 regular season.
The American Football
Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots
defeated
the National Football
Conference (NFC) champion Carolina Panthers, 32–29,
as Adam Vinatieri kicked
a 41-yard field goal with four seconds left.
New England quarterback
Tom Brady was named Most Valuable Player for the second time in three
years. He set a Super Bowl record for the most pass completions (32).
Brady also recorded a 66.7 completion percentage (48 pass attempts),
354 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception, and 12 rushing yards.
Tom Brady's 32
completions were the most in Super Bowl history. His 48 attempts were
the most for a winning quarterback. His 354 yards passing is now the
fifth best total in Super Bowl history.
Although not part of the
game itself, one of the most widely discussed moments came during
halftime. The Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy generated
intense media coverage and led to the popularity of the euphemism
"wardrobe malfunction".
Super Bowl XXXVIII was
noted for a controversial halftime show in which Janet Jackson and
Justin Timberlake were performing a medley/duet of their songs
"Rhythm Nation"/"Rock Your Body", which featured
many suggestive dance moves by both Timberlake and Jackson. As the
song reached the final line, "I'm gonna have you naked by the
end of this song", Timberlake pulled off a part of Jackson's
costume, revealing her right breast (adorned with a large, sun-shaped
nipple shield, a piece of jewelry worn to accentuate the appearance
of a nipple piercing).
CBS immediately cut to
an aerial view of the stadium, but it had already been broadcast.
Many people considered this indecent exposure and a record-breaking
two hundred thousand Americans contacted the network to complain,
saying it was inappropriate in the context of a football game. The
scandal has also been referred to as Nipplegate. The halftime show
was produced by MTV and aired on the CBS television network. At the
time, both MTV and CBS were owned by the media group Viacom, but as
of January 2006 had been split into separate entities, with CBS as a
self-owned company, and MTV as part of the Viacom group. It is said
that one of the causes of the split was this controversy, especially
after CBS renewed its National Football League television contract.
The controversy also prompted tighter control of live television
broadcasts in the United States.
Janet Jackson wasn't the
only person who showed some skin at February's Super Bowl XXXVIII.
Unlike Jackson, however,
self-proclaimed British streaker extraordinaire Mark Roberts, who
took the field wearing only a thong-like plastic American football,
could face jail time for his revealing performance.
Dressed in a referee
uniform, Roberts, 39, climbed a 7-foot barricade and jumped onto the
field of Houston's Reliant Stadium moments before the first kick-off
of the second half.
He proceeded to undress
and perform his own version of the half time show, with moves
mimicking those of River Dance and Michael Jackson's moonwalk.
His fun ended when New
England linebacker Matt Chatham flattened him to the turf with an elbow.
This was the second
Super Bowl ever in which both starting quarterbacks from each team
threw for over 300 yards. The first was Super
Bowl XIX.
The Panthers became the
first #3 seed, since the league expanded to a 12-team playoff format
in 1990, to advance to the Super Bowl. In doing so, they were also
the first division winner to advance to the league championship after
playing three playoff games.
All other instances
where teams advanced to the Super Bowl after playing all three rounds
of the playoffs were wild card teams in Super Bowls XV, XX, XXVII,
XXXII, XXXIV, XXXV, and XL.
The NFL
logo was painted at midfield for the first time since Super Bowl XXX,
and the Super Bowl XXXVIII logo was placed on the 25-yard lines. From
Super Bowls XXXI through XXXVII, the Super Bowl logo was painted at
midfield, and the helmets of the teams painted at the 30-yard lines.
From Super Bowl VI through Super Bowl XXX, the NFL logo was painted
on the 50-yard line, except for Super Bowls XXV and XXIX. The Super
Bowl XXV logo was painted at midfield, and the NFL 75th Anniversary
logo was painted at midfield in Super Bowl XXIX; in both cases, the
NFL logo was painted at each 30 yard line.
This was the fourth
Super Bowl to be decided on a field goal in the final seconds:
Super
Bowl V was
won on a last second kick by Baltimore Colts' rookie
kicker,Jim O'Brien,
a game that would
cement Buffalo Bills' Scott Norwood's name in football history when
he missed a 47-yard field goal attempt at the end of Super
Bowl XXV,
Carolina Panthers
Quarterback, Jake Delhomme's 85-yard touchdown pass to Muhsin
Muhammad set a record for the longest play from scrimmage in Super
Bowl history.
2004
The 2004 NFL season was
the 85th regular season of the National Football League. 32 teams
each played 16 games.
Due to hurricanes, two
of the Miami Dolphins' home games were rescheduled. The game against
the Tennessee Titans was moved up one day to Saturday, September 11
to avoid oncoming Hurricane Ivan.
And the game versus the
Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, September 26 was moved back 7
1/2 hours to miss the eye of Hurricane Jeanne.
April 8 - Steve
Bisciotti took over as the controlling owner of the Baltimore
Ravens, succeeding Art Modell, who operated the franchise for 43 years
April 22 - Former
Arizona Cardinals safety Pat Tillman was killed in a firefight while
on combat patrol with the U.S. Army Rangers in Afghanistan
May 24 - A
federal appeals court formally ruled in favor of the NFL’s draft
eligibility rule in Maurice Clarett’s lawsuit, citing federal
labor policy in permitting the NFL and the Players Association to set
rules for when players can enter the league
December 26 -
Peyton Manning throws two touchdown passes to give him an NFL
single-season record 49 TD passes as the Indianapolis Colts beat the
San Diego Chargers 34-31. Manning finishes the year with 49
touchdowns breaking Miami
Dolphins'
Dan Marino's 20-year-old record
Peyton also sets the
single-season highest quarterback passer rating record (121.1). However, NFL.COM (The
Official NFL Reporting Network) claims "Indianapolis Colts
quarterback Peyton Manning set the NFL single-season record with 49
touchdown passes, January 2."
Wide receivers Marvin
Harrison, Reggie Wayne, and Brandon Stokley each recorded over 1,000
receiving yards and 10 touchdowns during the 2004 season - both NFL firsts
Major rule changes
Due to several incidents during the 2003 NFL season, officials are
authorized to penalize excessive celebration. The 15-yard
unsportsmanlike conduct penalty will be marked off from the spot at
the end of the previous play or, after a score, on the ensuing
kickoff. If the infraction is ruled flagrant by the officials, the
player can be ejected.
Due to several instances during the 2003-04 playoffs, officials are
instructed to strictly enforce illegal contact, pass interference,
and defensive holding.|
Timeouts can be called by head coaches.
In addition to the numbers 80-89, wide receivers
will now be allowed to use numbers 11-19.
A punt or missed field goal that is untouched by
the receiving team is immediately dead once it touches either the end
zone or any member of the kicking team in the end zone. Previously, a
punt or missed field goal that lands in the end zone before being
controlled by the kicking team could be picked up by a member of the
receiving team and immediately run the other way.
March 30 - By a vote of 29-3, NFL owners extended the instant replay
system for another five seasons through 2008,
Teams will be awarded a third instant replay challenge if their first
two are successful. Previously, teams were only limited to two
regardless of what occurred during the game.
2004 PLAYOFFS
AFC
Wild-Card playoffs:
N.Y. Jets 20, SAN DIEGO 17 (OT);
INDIANAPOLIS 49, Denver 24 Divisional playoffs:
PITTSBURGH 20, N.Y. Jets 17 (OT);
NEW ENGLAND 20,
Indianapolis 3 AFC Championship: New
England 41, PITTSBURGH 27
NFC
Wild-Card playoffs:
St. Louis 27, SEATTLE 20; Minnesota 31, GREEN BAY 17 Divisional playoffs:
ATLANTA 47, St. Louis 17; PHILADELPHIA 27, Minnesota 14 NFC Championship:
PHILADELPHIA 27, Atlanta 10
Super Bowl XXXIX
Super Bowl XXXIX was the
39th Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football
League (NFL).
The game was played on February
6, 2005, at ALLTEL Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, following
the 2004 regular season.
The American Football
Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots
defeated
the National Football
Conference (NFC) champion Philadelphia Eagles, 24–21
and became the first
team since the 1997–98 Denver Broncos to win consecutive Super
Bowls. New England also became the second team after
the Dallas Cowboys to win three Super Bowls in four years and
tied the record with the Oakland Raiders.
The Patriots forced
four turnovers, while New England wide receiver Deion Branch, who
recorded 133 receiving yards and tied the Super Bowl record with 11
catches, was named the Super Bowl's Most Valuable Player. Because he
recorded 10 catches during the previous year's Super Bowl, he also
set the record for the most combined receptions in 2 consecutive
Super Bowls (21).
The combined choirs of
the U.S. Military Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Air Force
Academy, and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy sang the national anthem
accompanied by the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets. It had been more than
30 years since all four service academies sang together.
The last time was at the
second inauguration of President Richard Nixon in 1973.
In a move which proved
somewhat controversial after the broadcast, the traditional military
missing man formation flyby was this year performed by a pair of
F/A-18 Super Hornets from VFA-106 at NAS Oceana and a pair of the Air
Force's newest fighters, the F-22 Raptor, flying from Tyndall AFB,
the training base for the Raptor. The aircraft is the subject of many
attacks for its great expense.
The earlier military
flyby during the veterans' salute was conducted by 2 T-6 Texan
trainers and a B-25 Bomber.
Paul McCartney performed
during the halftime show; his selection by the NFL, the show's
producers, Don Mischer Productions, and the show's sponsor,
Ameriquest Mortgage, was considered to be a "safe" choice,
as it avoided the possibility for an incident
similar to that which sparked the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy
the previous year. Unlike in many previous years, he was the only
performer in the entire halftime show. McCartney's set consisted of
the Beatles songs "Drive My Car", "Get Back", and
"Hey Jude", as well as "Live and Let Die" from
his career with Wings.
Former Presidents George
H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton appeared in support of their bipartisan
effort to raise money for relief of the December 26, 2004, tsunami in
southeast Asia through the USA Freedom Corps, an action which former
President Bush described as "transcending politics."
With
this appearance the Patriots became the 8th team to make it to the
Super Bowl for the 5th time.
They joined the Dallas
Cowboys, Denver
Broncos,
Pittsburgh Steelers,
San
Francisco 49ers,
Miami Dolphins,
Washington Redskins,
and
Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders.
New
England's wide receiver, Deion Branch was named the Most
Valuable Player
of Super Bowl XXXIX on February 6, 2005, after tying former
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice in
Super Bowl XXIII,
and former Cincinnati
Bengals tight end Dan Ross
in Super Bowl XVI
for the Super Bowl
reception record with 11 catches for 133 yards. He was the first
receiver to win the award since 1989.
Ironically all 3
would eventually be traded to the Seattle Seahawks
Branch was the third
offensive player ever to win Super Bowl MVP honors without scoring a
touchdown or throwing a touchdown pass.
The other 2 players were Jets'
Quarterback, Joe Namath in Super Bowl III and
Oakland
Raiders' wide receiver,
Fred Biletnikoff
in Super Bowl XI.
With the New Englands'
victory, Tom Brady became just the fourth quarterback to win at least
three Super Bowls.
He joined Steelers'
Terry Bradshaw,
49ers' Joe Montana
and Dallas
Cowboys' Troy Aikman on
this exclusive list.
The
Patriots' receivers mocked
The
Eagles' wide recievr, Terrell Owens's signature "flapping"
touchdown move at
several points in the game after scoring touchdowns.
Many sports shows, such as Pardon the Interruption, criticized this
as undignified, and noted that this egoism and petty behavior showed
that the team's mentality was drastically different from their Super
Bowl XXXVI appearance, when their humility was exhibited in
their unprecedented "team introduction".
This was the Patriots'
third straight Super Bowl victory in which they won by a margin of
three points.
They defeated the St.
Louis Rams
in Super Bowl XXXVI, 20–17,
and the Carolina
Panthers in
Super Bowl XXXVIII, 32–29.
Each
of these margins was because of an Adam Vinatieri field goal which
happened in the final seconds of the game.
The 7–7
halftime score was the second Super Bowl to be tied at halftime. The
first being Super Bowl XXIII, when the 49ers and Bengals were tied at
3. This would also be the first Super Bowl to be tied after the end
of third quarter, with the 14–14 score.
By
catching touchdowns, Patriots' linebacker, Mike Vrabel and wide
receiver David Givens became just the 14th and 15th players to score
a touchdown in consecutive Super Bowls. Vrabel is the most surprising
person on this list because he is a linebacker and he scored his on offense.
They also became
just the 7th and 8th players to catch a touchdown in back-to-back
Super Bowls.
This
was the first Super Bowl that the Patriots played in an outdoor
stadium. In their other Super Bowl appearances, they played in a
domed stadium (Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans), or one
with a retractible roof (Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas{Reliant
Stadium is the first stadium in the NFL to have a retractable roof}).
2005
The 2005 NFL season was
the 86th regular season of the National Football League.
The 2005 National
Football League regular season began on Thursday, September 8, 2005
and ended on Sunday, January 1, 2006, New Year's Day.
Each team played 16
games over a span of 17 weeks.
The 2005 season also
featured the first ever regular season game played outside the United
States when a San
Francisco 49ers
- Arizona
Cardinals game was played at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on October
2 (the Cardinals won 31-14).
The game drew an NFL
regular season record of 103,467 paid fans. It was a home game for
the Cardinals, mostly due to the fact that the team rarely sold out
their home field, Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. This season
was the last year that the Cardinals played at Sun Devil Stadium.
Next season, the team will move to their new Cardinals Stadium in
nearby Glendale, which will host Super Bowl XLII in 2008.
This
marked the final season that ABC held the rights to televise Monday
Night Football after thirty-six years of airing the series.
It also marked the final
season of regular season television contracts with FOX, CBS, ESPN,
and most notably ABC. After thirty-six years of airing Monday Night
Football, the series will move to their Disney-owned corporate
sibling ESPN in 2006. NBC will take over the Sunday Night Football
package in 2006, renaming the series Football Night in America,
marking the first time the former broadcast NFL games since Super
Bowl XXXII in 1998.
However, CBS and FOX
renewed their television contracts for 2006.
The Louisiana Superdome
did not host the New Orleans Saints during the 2005 season, due in
part to damages seen here.
Due to the damage caused
by Hurricane Katrina to the Louisiana Superdome and the greater New
Orleans area, the entire New Orleans Saints' 2005 home schedule were
played at different venues while the Saints set up temporary
operations in San Antonio, Texas. The Saints' first home game on September
18 against
the New York Giants was moved to Giants Stadium on September 19 (In
which the N.Y. Giants won 27-10). As a result, the NFL designated its
second weekend, September 18 and 19, as "Hurricane Relief
Weekend", with fund raising collections at all of the league's
games. The Saints' remaining home games were split between the
Alamodome in San Antonio and Louisiana State University's Tiger
Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Being forced to travel to 13 of
their 16 games (only 3 of their games were actually played in the
same city where they practiced) and practice in substandard
facilities and conditions in San Antonio, the Saints finished 3-13,
their worst season since 1999.
The last time an NFL
franchise had to play at an alternate site because its own home field
was deemed unplayable was in 2002, when the
Chicago Bears played that season in Champaign, Illinois, 120 miles
(200 km) away, due to the reconstruction of Soldier Field.
April 18 - The
NFL reached long-term agreements for its Sunday and Monday primetime
TV packages. NBC returned to the NFL by acquiring the Sunday night
package for six years (2006-2011). ESPN agreed on an eight-year deal
to televise Monday Night Football from 2006-2013
September 19 - The
NFL designated September 18-19 as "Hurricane Relief
Weekend," which concluded with a telethon in conjunction with a
Monday Night Football doubleheader on ABC and ESPN. The New York
Giants-New Orleans Saints game, originally scheduled for the
Louisiana Superdome, was moved to Giants Stadium following Hurricane
Katrina. In total, the NFL, its owners, teams, players, and fans
contributed $21 million to aid the Hurricane Katrina rebuilding effort
November 13 - Chicago
Bears cornerback Nathan Vasher set an NFL record for the longest
scoring play with a 108-yard touchdown return of an errant field goal
by San Francisco kicker Joe Nedney in Chicago
Major rule changes
The "horse-collar tackle", in which a defender grabs inside
the back or side of an opponent’s shoulder pads and pulls that
player down, is prohibited. Named the "Roy Williams Rule"
after the Dallas Cowboys defensive back whose horse-collar tackle
during the last season caused a serious and nearly season-ending
injury to Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens.
Peel-back blocks (where an offensive player blocks a defender who is
moving back toward the direction of his own end zone) below the waist
and from the back are now illegal.
Unnecessary roughness would be called for blocks away from the play
on punters or kickers, similar to the same protection quarterbacks
have after interceptions.
When time is stopped by officials prior to the snap for any reason
while time is in, the play clock resumes with the same amount of time
that remained on it - with a minimum of 10 seconds. Previously, the
play-clock would be reset to 25 seconds.
During field goal and extra point attempts, the defensive team will
be penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct if it calls consecutive
timeouts in an attempt to "ice" the kicker. Previously, the
second timeout request was only denied by officials, and thus could
be used to distract the kickers.
Players cannot run, dive into, cut, or throw their bodies against or
on an opponent who is out of the play or should not have reasonably
anticipated such contact.
If the defensive team commits a dead ball foul following the end of
the half, the offensive team may choose to extend the period for one
more play. Previously, the half automatically ended without the
defensive team being penalized.
During a punt, if the kicking team illegally touches the ball inside
the 5-yard line, the receiving team has the option of either treating
the result as a touchback or replaying the down with a 5-yard penalty
against the kicking team. Previously, the receiving team's only
options were either the latter or taking over possession at the spot
of the foul. This change prevents an ineligible player from keeping a
kick from entering the end zone and becoming a touchback.
If the kicking team commits a penalty, the receiving team can have
the option of adding five yards to the return or taking a penalty and
forcing the kicking team to rekick the ball. Previously they could
take the latter or decline the penalty.
If a team calls for an instant replay challenge after it has used all
its challenges or is out of timeouts, it will be assessed an
unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. The penalty will also be assessed if
a team calls for a challenge inside of two minutes of either half or
overtime, when only the replay assistant can initiate reviews.
Previously, the request was only denied by the Referee. This change
was made to prevent head coaches from constantly stopping the game
for any reason, including to just argue with the Referee.
Teams are only able to request an instant replay challenge by tossing
their red flag to get the attention of officials. The league decided
to do away with the electronic pager/vibrating alert system used by
head coaches because practically all of them always used their red
flags instead of their pagers anyway. (However, the replay assistant
will still use the pagers to notify the officials of a replay request).
2005 PLAYOFFS
AFC
Wild-Card playoffs:
NEW ENGLAND 28, Jacksonville 3; Pittsburgh 31, CINCINNATI 17 Divisional playoffs:
DENVER 27, New England 13; Pittsburgh 21, INDIANAPOLIS 18 AFC Championship:
Pittsburgh 34, DENVER 17 at INVESCO Field, Denver, Colorado, January
22, 2006
NFC
Wild-Card playoffs:
Washington 17, TAMPA BAY 10; Carolina 23, N.Y. GIANTS 0 Divisional playoffs:
SEATTLE 20, Washington 10; Carolina 29, CHICAGO 21 NFC Championship:
SEATTLE 34, Carolina 14 at Qwest Field, Seattle, Washington January
22, 2006
Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL was the
40th Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football
League (NFL).
The game was played on February
5, 2006 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, following the 2005
regular season.
The American Football
Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers
defeated
the National Football
Conference (NFC) champion Seattle Seahawks, 21–10.
Steelers wide receiver
Hines Ward, who had five receptions for 123 yards and one touchdown
and rushed for 18 yards, was named the Super Bowl's Most Valuable
Player. Running back Jerome Bettis, playing in his hometown of
Detroit, announced his retirement after the game, saying "I
think the Bus' last stop is here in Detroit."
A moment of silence was
observed in memory of the two civil rights activists who had died
during the months prior to the game: Coretta Scott King and Rosa
Parks, the latter a long-time Detroit resident.
Singers Aretha Franklin
and Aaron Neville, along with pianist Dr. John and a 150-member
choir, performed the national anthem as part of a pre-game tribute to
New Orleans, a nine-time Super Bowl host city then in the midst of
efforts to rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The national
anthem was performed in American Sign Language by Angela LaGuardia, a
teacher at Michigan School for the Deaf.
The Rolling Stones
performed during the halftime show, which was sponsored by the
American telecommunications company Sprint. The group performed three
songs: "Start Me Up", "Rough Justice", and
"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction". In the wake of the Super
Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy with Janet Jackson, ABC
and the NFL imposed a five-second delay and censored lyrics
considered too sexually explicit in the first two songs by briefly
turning off Mick Jagger's microphone, to which censoring the group
had previously agreed.
The post-game
presentation saw Bart Starr, the MVP of Super Bowls I and II, take
the Vince Lombardi Trophy to the podium, whence it was presented to
Steelers owner Dan Rooney.
Some calls made during
Super Bowl XL were met with criticism from both fans and members of
the media, as many suggested that referee Bill Leavy's crew had
wrongly nullified some key plays made by the Seattle offense. Jason
Whitlock, writing for the Kansas City Star, encapsulated many views
when he wrote the day after the game, "Leavy and his crew ruined
Super Bowl XL. Am I the only one who would like to hear them defend
their incompetence?
In response to the
criticisms leveled at the officials, the NFL, just two days after the
game, released a statement defending the officials' performance.
"The game was properly officiated, including, as in most NFL
games, some tight plays that produced disagreement about the calls
made by the officials," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said in a statement.
he game ended a playoffs
season that was plagued by complaints about officiating, most notably
during the divisional playoff games between the Steelers and Colts,
the Broncos and Patriots, and the Bears and Panthers.
This marked the eighth
time in the ten Super Bowls when the team which won the coin toss
lost the game and also the fourth time in five when the team scoring
first lost the game.
The Steelers became
just the third team to win the Super Bowl despite not playing a
single home game in the playoffs.
The Green Bay Packers,
who won Super Bowl I, and the Kansas City
Chiefs, who won Super Bowl IV,
also accomplished the feat. The Steelers, however, had to win four
games to accomplish the feat, while the Chiefs
and Packers
each won two games.
Roethlisberger became
the second youngest quarterback to start in a Super Bowl, behind only
Dan Marino, who led the Dolphins to Super Bowl XIX at age 23. He also
became the youngest quarterback ever to win a Super Bowl (23 years,
11 months).
Wide receiver for the
NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers', Hines Ward, became only the second game
MVP to have been born outside of the United States. Born in South
Korea, he joins Canadian born Redskins'
Quarterback, Mark Rypien, MVP of Super Bowl XXVI.
Seattle
Seahawks', Mike Holmgren became the fifth coach to have taken two
different teams to the Super Bowl,
joining Don Shula,
Bill Parcells, Dan Reeves, and Dick Vermeil; none won the Super Bowl
with each team.
The Steelers joined
the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos as
the only franchises to have qualified for six Super Bowls; the
Broncos also have six appearances, while
the Cowboys have eight.
The Steelers became
only the third franchise to wear white jerseys despite being the
"home" team; the Cowboys (Super
Bowls XIII and XXVII) and the Redskins (Super Bowl XVII), both of
whom traditionally wear white at home, are the other two.
There have been several
reasons stated as to why Pittsburgh decided to wear white, ranging
from superstition (the Steelers had worn their white uniforms in each
of their playoff wins since they were on the road in all three games)
to an assertion attibuted to Cowher that the Steelers were playing in
Detroit, not Pittsburgh, and therefore were not a "home" team.
After having held
constant at $600 for three years, the face value of the costliest
Super Bowl ticket rose to $700 for the game. On eBay, the least-desirable
seats
those behind each end
zone in the upper level fetched more than $2000 each,
while top seats around
the 50-yard line sold for more than $6000.
Seattle's Joe Jurevicius
became the sixth player to play in a Super Bowl with three different
teams, joining Preston Pearson (Baltimore - Super Bowl V, Pittsburgh
- Super Bowl IX, Dallas - Super Bowls X, XII and XIII), Rod Woodson
(Pittsburgh - Super Bowl XXX, Baltimore -Super Bowl XXXV, Oakland -
Super Bowl XXXVII), Harry Swayne (San Diego - Super Bowl XXIX, Denver
- Super Bowl XXXIII, Baltimore - Super Bowl XXXV, Bill Romanowski
(San Francisco - Super Bowls XXIII and XXIV, Denver - Super Bowls
XXXII and XXXIII, Oakland - Super Bowl XXXVII) and Darrien Gordon
(San Diego - Super Bowl XXIX, Denver - Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII,
Oakland - Super Bowl XXXVII). Jurevicius played in Super Bowl XXXV
with the Giants and XXXVII with the Bucs.
Steelers' Antwaan
Randle El became the first wide receiver to throw a Super Bowl
touchdown pass.
A game-clinching
43-yard fake reverse touchdown pass to Hines Ward.
He was the third
non-quarterback and the first receiver to throw a touchdown pass in
the Super Bowl.
This was the last NFL
game aired on ABC.
2006
The 2006 NFL season is
the 87th season of the National Football League, the major
professional American football league in the United States.
Regular season play was
held from September 7 to December 31, 2006.
The playoffs begin on January
6, 2007 and ends with Super Bowl XLI, the Super Bowl
championship game, at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida on February
4.
The season will conclude
with the Pro Bowl in Honolulu, Hawaii on February 10.
January 1 - Seattle
Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander set the NFL single-season
record for touchdowns with 28
March 20 -
Commissioner Tagliabue announced his decision to retire by the end of
July. The NFL enjoyed an era of unrivaled prosperity in the Tagliabue
Era, including labor peace throughout his 17-year tenure
Tagliabue became NFL Commisioner on October 26, 1989. During his
tenure, the league has added four new teams; saw four franchises move (including
two franchises - the Rams and Raiders - from Los Angeles, the
second-largest television market in the USA); the construction of
seventeen new stadiums; began its own in-house television specialty
cable network, the NFL Network; has greatly increased television
rights fees with its broadcasters, including the addition of the Fox
network; and has maintained labor peace with the players' union.
NFL Commissioners
1920 Jim Thorpe*
1921-39 Joe Carr*
1939-41 Carl Stock*
1941-46 Elmer Layden
1946-59 Bert Bell
1960-89 Pete Rozelle
1989-2006 Paul Tagliabue
2006-present Roger Goodell
* NFL President
Note: NFL treasurer Austin Gunsel served
as president in the office of commissioner following the death of
Bell (Oct. 11, 1959) until the election of Rozelle (Jan. 26, 1960).
Jim Thorpe of the
Bulldogs was named the APFA's first president, solely because he was
the most famous name in the game.
March 27 - NFL
clubs unanimously decided to return the name of the official game
ball to "The Duke" in honor of the late New York Giants
owner Wellington Mara, one of the most influential and respected
figures in professional sports history, died last October
For the first time since
Super Bowl IV at the conclusion of the 1969 season, the official NFL
game ball is known as "The Duke" in honor of the late
Wellington Mara, whose family owns the
New York Giants.
Son John is the current CEO of the team. The NFL first used "The
Duke" ball in honor of Mara in 1941 after then-Chicago Bears
owner George Halas and then-Giants owner Tim Mara (Wellington's
father) made a deal with Wilson Sporting Goods to become the league's
official supplier of game balls, a relationship that continues into
its' sixty-fifth year in 2006
"The Duke"
ball was discontinued after the 1970 AFL-NFL Merger, and the merged
league began using a different standardized ball made by Wilson. The
only other time that "The Duke" ball name was used was
during the two Thanksgiving Classic games in 2004.
NFL referees will
sport new uniforms this season
Gone are the traditional
vertical black-and-white stripes that have been a staple of the
league seemingly since its inception and which live on in Foot Locker
stores and DJ booths around the country.
In their place is a
flashier look that features wide white stripes and thin black stripes
that flare around the shoulders and upper arms.
The 2006 season marks
the debut of new officiating uniforms which are supposed to be more
comfortable for officials to wear in extreme weather over the old
polyester uniforms. On the shirt, the position and number are removed
from the front pocket and the lettering and numbers on the back side
are black-on-white and are smaller print. Officials will also wear
full-length black pants during the winter months to stay warm. This
was the first major design overhaul since 1979, when the position
name was added to the shirt.
August 8 - During
an NFL meeting in Northbrook, Illinois, league team owners selected
Roger Goodell, the NFL's then-current Chief Operating Officer, as the
new commissioner. Tagliabue continued to serve as NFL Commissioner
until Goodell officially replaced him on Friday September 1.
September 10
- The
Indianapolis Colts
at the New
York Giants
in what was the first NFL game with two brothers starting at quarterback:
Peyton Manning of
the Colts
and his brother Eli
manning of the Giants.
Indianapolis Colts defeated the
New York Giants, 26-21,
in an
NFL Week 1 contest at Giants Stadium.
2006 will be the first year that the NFL
will use a "flexible-scheduling" system for the last seven
weeks of the regular season. The system is designed so that the
league has the flexibility in selecting games to air on Sunday night
that will feature the current hottest, streaking teams. The system's
primary purpose is to prevent games featuring losing teams from
airing during primetime late in the season, while at the same time
allowing surprise, playoff-potential teams a chance to play at night.
Through week 11 of the season, all NFL games
had been sold out, and for the 24th time, all blackout
restrictions had been lifted
September 18 -
fans have been able to download highlights of their teams' games
through Apple Computer's iTunes Store online service. Each video
costs US$1.99 each but fans have the chance of buying a
"Follow Your Team season ticket" which brings every game of
that team to the fan for $24.99
September 25 - The
New Orleans Saints returned to their home at the Louisiana Superdome
in Week Three. The Saints played home games during the 2005 NFL
Season in San Antonio, TX, Baton Rouge, LA, and East Rutherford, NJ,
due to the damage to the Superdome caused by Hurricane
Katrina.
November 12
- Devin Hester of the Chicago Bears tied
teammate Nathan Vasher's record for the longest play in NFL history,
by returning a missed Jay Feely field goal 108 yards for a touchdown
in the first prime-time NFL "Flex Game" against the New
York Giants.
Hester
also ran for his fifth and sixth return touchdown setting an NFL
record (which included three punt returns for scores), and in the
process, tied the NFL single game record for most kickoff returns for
a touchdown with two against the St. Louis Rams on December
11.
San Diego Chargers'
running back, LaDainian Tomlinson set a number of single season NFL
records to include: December 10 -
Tomlinson broke the all-time NFL record for most rushing touchdowns
in a season when he scored his 29th touchdown against the Denver
Broncos in just thirteen games. The previous record
belonged to Shaun Alexander, who scored 28 touchdowns for the Seattle
Seahawks in 2005
In all, Tomlinson
totalled 31 (rushing/receiving) touchdowns, and scored 186 points
- both NFL records.
On January 4th, 2007,
he was named the MVP of the 2006 NFL season.
The next day, he
was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year.
Tomlinson then broke
the record for most touchdowns in a season the following week, when
he ran for two scores against Kansas City, breaking the mark shared
by Seattle Seahawks' Shaun Alexander (which
he tied one season earlier) and
Kansas City Chiefs' Priest Holmes (originally set in 2003). The
first touchdown that night broke Green Bay Packers' Paul Hornung's
record for most points scored in a season set in a 12-game schedule
in 1960.
He also won The
Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player award. He received 44 out
of 50 possible votes.
December 13 -
Lamar Hunt, the man who would challenge the NFL with the formation of
the American Football League, leading to a bidding war from 1960 to
1965 and the subsequent merger of the two leagues, and the owner of
the Kansas City Chiefs, died in Dallas, Texas from complications from
prostate cancer at the age of 74. The AFL's innovations (player names
on the back of the jerseys, the two-point conversion that was adopted
in 1994, the scoreboard clock as the official timer, a centered
national TV contract, revenue sharing and the naming of the league's
championship game as the "Super Bowl") are now standard
through the NFL thanks to Hunt's fearless foresight. Thanks to him
and fellow Texan Tex Schramm, who was president and general manager
of the Dallas Cowboys at that time, the date of June 8, 1966 will
forever be remembered as the day professional football changed.
Brett Favre set the
career mark for most pass completions during the December
17 game against the Detroit Lions as
the Green Bay Packers quarterback broke
Miami Dolphins' Dan Marino's record when
Carlyle Holiday caught a 21-yard pass just prior to halftime. Favre
has 4,974 completions, breaking Marino's
high water mark of 4,967. Favre
also became the second quarterback to have thrown for 400 touchdowns
in a career, with number 400 coming against the Lions on September
24 when he passed five yards to Greg
Jennings, and the result was a 75-yard touchdown, and is currently
seven passes for touchdowns away from
tying Marino's career record of 420 as
of December 17.
December 16 -
Placekicker with the Atlanta Falcons', Morten Andersen, kicked his
2435th point on a PAT against Dallas thereby setting the record
for most career points. December 24 -
he kicked his 539th career field goal, passing Gary Anderson for the
career record.
December 21, Favre
became the first NFL player to throw 5,000 completions, on his final
pass of the night. It came on 3rd-and-17 and moved the Packers into
field-goal range. Two plays later, Dave Rayner's field goal provided
the winning points in Green Bay's 9-7 victory.
December 24 -
Indianapolis Colts' Quarterback, Peyton Manning reached 4,000 yards
passing for the seventh time in his career breaking a tie with Dan
Marino for the NFL record. Manning reached the mark on an 8-yard pass
to his favorite receiver Marvin Harrison in the second quarter.
December 24
- Atlanta Falcons' Michael Vick became the first NFL quarterback to
rush for 1,000 yards in a season. Vick, who needed only 10 yards to
reach the mark, gained 17 on his first carry on the Falcons' opening possession.
Sunday Night Football
NBC's Sunday Night Football will encompass
more than four hours of NFL coverage. The agreement continues through
the 2011 season and calls for 16 regular-season Sunday night games,
each season's "NFL Kickoff" Thursday night primetime game,
two postseason wild card games and three preseason games in
primetime, in addition to Super Bowl XLIII in 2009 and Super Bowl
XLVI in 2012 and Pro Bowls in the same years
The 2006 season marks the first year of the
league's new television contracts. CBS and FOX will continue to
televise Sunday afternoon games with six-year agreements, as well as
their respective conference playoffs
CBS made the biggest pre-game show news of
all during the off-season, as they lured away James Brown from FOX
NFL Sunday to The NFL Today.
Previous host Greg Gumbel was moved to the
#2 team with Dan Dierdorf, and his predecessor, Dick Enberg, was
paired with Randy Cross. The Eye network also announced it would
continue to air only three games per week in high-definition during
the season as well as eliminating sideline reporters as their
previous top two reporters, Bonnie Bernstein (who moved to ESPN) and
Armen Keteyian (who moved to CBS News' 60 Minutes as the likely
replacement for the retired Mike Wallace) both moved on. Those moves
have created some animosity towards CBS, along with accusations of
the network being "cheap," recalling former news anchor
Kathleen Sullivan's on-air remark about the "Cheap Broadcasting System."
ESPN took over Monday Night Football from ABC
Meanwhile, NBC has returned to the NFL for
the first time since televising Super Bowl XXXII at the end of the
1997 season, will broadcast Sunday night games. The series has been
rebranded as NBC Sunday Night Football and it also telecast the
annual Thursday opening "kickoff" game. As the broadcaster
of Sunday night games, NBC has become the network that takes full
advantage of the flexible-scheduling system. The network will also
televise the Christmas Day contest between Philadelphia and Dallas in
lieu of a Christmas Eve night game.
Major rule changes
End zone celebrations are more restricted. Players cannot celebrate
by using any type of prop, or do any act in which they are on the
ground. Players may still spike, spin the ball, or dunk it over the
goal posts. Dancing in the end zone is also permitted as long as it
is not a prolonged or group celebration. Also, the Lambeau Leap is
still legal
Defenders are prohibited from hitting a passer in the knee or below
unless they are blocked into him. This rule was enacted in response
to the previous season's injuries to Cincinnati Bengals quarterback
Carson Palmer, Pittsburgh Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger, and Tampa Bay
Buccaneers' Brian Griese.
Down-by-contact calls can now be reviewed by instant replay to
determine if a player fumbled the ball before he was down, and who
recovered it. Previously, these plays could not be reversed once
officials blew the whistle.
The "horse-collar tackle" rule enacted during the previous
2005 season is expanded. Players are now prohibited from tackling a
ball carrier from the rear by tugging inside his jersey. Previously,
it was only illegal if the tackler's hand got inside the player's
shoulder pads.
To reduce injuries, defensive players cannot line up directly over
the long snapper during field goal and extra point attempts.
2006 PLAYOFFS
AFC
Wild-Card playoffs:
Indianapolis Colts 23, Kansas City Chiefs 8; New England Patriots
37, New York Jets 16 Divisional playoffs:
IIndianapolis Colts 15, Baltimore Ravens 6; New England Patriots 24,
San Diego Chargers 21 AFC Championship:
IIndianapolis Colts 38, New England Patriots 34
NFC
Wild-Card playoffs:
Seattle Seahawks 21, Dallas Cowboys 20; Philadelphia Eagles 23, New
York Giants 20 Divisional playoffs:
New Orleans Saints 27, Philadelphia Eagles 24; Chicago Bears 27,
Seattle Seahawks 24 (OT) NFC Championship:Chicago
Bears 39, New Orleans Saints 14
Super Bowl XLI
Super Bowl XLI was an American football game
played on February 4, 2007 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami
Gardens, Florida, a suburb of Miami, to decide the National Football
League (NFL) champion following the 2006 regular season.
The American Football
Conference (AFC) champion Indianapolis Colts (16-4)
defeated
the National
Football Conference (NFC) champion Chicago Bears (15-4), 29-17.
2007
The 2007 season of the National Football
League (NFL) is the 88th season played by the major professional
American football league in the United States. Regular-season play
started with the opening Kickoff game on September 6, 2007 at
the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana, between the New
Orleans Saints and the Super
Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts, which the Colts won by
the score of 41-10,
The Season concluded on Sunday, December 30
of that year
with the New
England Patriots becoming the first team to complete a 16-0
perfect season.* Why the asterix?
January 1 - Dennis
Green was fired as coach of the Arizona Cardinals after he failed to
turn the downtrodden franchise into a winner in three seasons on the job
Green was dismissed one
day after the Cardinals concluded a 5-11 season with a 27-20 loss at
San Diego. He finished with a 16-32 record at Arizona. The Cardinals
will pay $2.5 million to buy out the final year of his contract.
January 1 - At 3 AM, Denver
Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was shot and killed in Denver.
Williams died at the age of 24.
January 1 - Atlanta
Falcons fired coach Jim Mora, just two years after he led the
Falcons to the NFC Championship Game.
The decision to dump the
fiery coach followed two straight disappointing seasons. The Falcons
lost six of their final eight games in 2005 to miss the playoffs, and
they finished 7-9 this season by losing seven of the last nine contests.
January 3 - Nick
Saban of the Miami Dolphins announced that he would be leaving the
team to coach for the Alabama Crimson Tide
January 4 - Art
Shell's second stint as coach of the Oakland Raiders will end after
only one season, the franchise's worst in more than four decades.
January 5 - Bill
Cowher of the Pittsburgh Steelers announced that he would step down
as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
February 24 - Broncos
running back Damien Nash collapsed and died after a charity
basketball game at a high school. Nash died at the age of 24.
The NFLPA, led by their
president Gene Upshaw and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell are going to
be working with player conduct in the form of suspensions for off the
field conduct in light of the more than fifty arrests by local law
enforcement since the start of the 2006 season.
April 10 -
Adam "Pacman" Jones of the Tennessee Titans was
suspended for the entire season for his five arrests, the most
blatant while in Las Vegas for the NBA All-Star Weekend in February
where he caused a riot/shooting in a strip club.
That same day, Chris Henry
of the Cincinnati Bengals was suspended for the first eight games of
the season for his run-ins with the legal system.
July 24 -
Falcons' quarterback Michael Vick. Vick was charged with
dogfighting and animal abuse, and has been suspended indefinitely
following a guilty plea in the case, on which he was sentenced to 23
months in prison (retroactive to November) and three years probation
on December 10.
May 27 -
Marquise Hill, a defensive end for the New England Patriots and a
friend fell off a jet ski in Lake Pontchartrain, north of New
Orleans. The two were wearing neither personal flotation nor tracking
devices. The friend was rescued and sent to Tulane Medical Center,
but Hill did not survive; his body was found the next day. The
Patriots are honoring Hill, the first Patriots player to die while
still a member of the team, by wearing black circular decals on their
helmets with Hill's number, 91.
September 11 - Patriots
violated league rules when they videotaped defensive signals of the
New York Jets Read
Headline Here
Webmaster's opinion: The records Patriots
made of going undefeated and passing Peyton Manning's 49 TD passes in
a season should be void. THEY GOT THOSE RECORDS
BY CHEATING!!!!!!!
November 26 - Fourth-year
player Sean Taylor, a defensive back for the Redskins, was shot in
his home near Miami, Florida. Armed with a machete, Taylor confronted
robbers who were breaking into his home. Two shots were fired, one
missing and the other hitting Taylor's leg. He died from his injuries
the next day.. For the remainder of the season, the Redskins honored
him with a black patch on their right shoulder of the player uniform
jerseys along with a decal with his playing number (21) on the back
of their helmets. Taylor's memory was honored in all games during
Week 13.
Four men in the robbery
were charged with murder and will go on trial after being denied bail.
Rule changes
The following rule changes were passed at the league's annual owners
meeting in Phoenix, Arizona during the week of March 25-28:
The instant replay system, used since the 1999 season, was finally
made as permanent officiating tool. Previously, it was renewed on a
biennial basis.
The system has also been upgraded to use high-definition technology.
However, the systems at Texas Stadium (Dallas Cowboys), RCA Dome
(Indianapolis Colts), and Giants Stadium (New York Giants and Jets)
will not receive the HDTV updates since those stadiums will be
replaced over the next few years. One reason that the technology was
improved was that fans with high-definition televisions at home were
having better views on replays than the officials and according to
Dean Blandino, the NFL's instant replay director "that could
have bit us in the rear if we continued [with the old system]."
In addition, the amount of time allotted for the referee to review a
play was reduced from 90 seconds to one minute.
After a play is over, players who spike the ball in the field of
play, other than in the end zone, will receive a 5-yard delay of game penalty.
Forward passes that unintentionally hit an offensive lineman will no
longer be an illegal touching penalty, but deliberate actions are
still penalized.
Roughing-the-passer penalties will not be called on a defender
engaged with a quarterback who simply extends his arms and shoves the
passer to the ground.
During situations where crowd noise becomes a problem (when it
becomes too loud that it prevents the offensive team from hearing its
signals), the offense can no longer ask the referee to reset the play clock.
It is necessary to have the ball touch the pylon or break the plane
above the pylon to count as a touchdown. Previously, a player just
had to have some portion of his body over the goal line or pylon to
count a touchdown
A completed catch is now when a receiver gets two feet down and has
control of the ball. Previously, a receiver had to make "a
football move" in addition to having control of the ball for a reception.
Players will be subject to a fine from the league for playing with an
unbuckled chin strap. Officials will not penalize for chin strap
violations during a game.
This will be the final season the classic
NFL Shield logo, which has not changed since 1980, will be used. An
updated version first seen on August 31 in USA Today will be put into
use starting with the 2008 NFL Draft in April. The new logo design
features eight stars (one for each division) instead of the
current 25 stars, the football now resembles that on the top of the
Vince Lombardi Trophy, given to the Super Bowl champion and the
lettering and point has been updated and modified to that of the
league's current typeface for other logos.
The NFL's updated shield icon, going into effect starting with the
2008 NFL Draft.
The NFL old shield icon
The 2007 season will be the last in the RCA Dome
for the Indianapolis Colts, who
moved there from Baltimore in 1984. The franchise will move to the
new Lucas
Oil Stadium in time for the 2008 season.
The Redskins are celebrating their 75th
anniversary season as the franchise was founded in 1932 as the Boston
Braves, and wore Vince Lombardi-styled uniforms against the New
York Giants on September 23.
The Philadelphia Eagles and their
cross-state rival Pittsburgh Steelers are
also celebrating their 75th anniversaries, having been founded in 1933.
The Eagles wore replicas of their inaugural season
uniforms against the Detroit Lions on September 23,
while the Steelers wore 1960 uniforms against
the Buffalo Bills on September 16
and did so again when the Baltimore Ravens
visited on November 5.
Teams that have permanent captains are allowed
(on a team-by-team basis) to wear a "C" patch (similar to
those in ice hockey) on their right shoulder. The patch is in team
colors with four stars under the "C". A gold star is placed
on a bar below the "C" signaling how many years (with a
maximum of four years) that player has been captain.
2008
Two football leagues are scheduled to begin play. The All American
Football League, scheduled to begin play in March or April 2008,
will be based in communities with large college football followings
but no NFL team.[86] The United Football League, scheduled to open in
August 2008, will be a fall league in direct competition with the
NFL. Involved in this league are Mark Cuban, media mogul and owner of
the National Basketball Association's Dallas Mavericks and William
Hambrecht, a prominent Wall Street investor
January 4 - Dolphins fire Cameron after
1-15 season
Cameron was fired Thursday after winning only one
game in his first year as an NFL head coach. The move means Miami
will have its fifth coach in five seasons.
Rule changes
One defensive player will be allowed to wear a radio similar to the
one worn by the quarterback to communicate with the coaching staff.
The "force-out" rule on catches made near the sidelines has
been eliminated. A receiver now must come down with the ball and both
feet in bounds for a pass to be ruled complete; previously, passes
would be ruled complete if the receiver was pushed by a defender
while in the air and the official judged that he would have come down
in bounds had he not been pushed.
The 5-yard incidental grabbing of the face mask penalty has been
eliminated, though intentional grabbing of the face mask will remain
a 15-yard penalty.
Teams that win the opening coin toss now have the option to defer the
decision until the start of the second half, the same as in college football.
Field goal attempts that bounce off the goal post are now reviewable
under instant replay. This change followed a decision during the
previous season during a Browns-Ravens game when Phil Dawson's
game-tying field goal hit an upright, then the crossbar and the back
of the goal post.
Legal forward hand offs that touch the ground and attempted snaps
when the ball hits the ground before the quarterback touches it are
now considered fumbles; previously, forward hand offs were treated as
incomplete passes, while a snap that hit the ground before the
quarterback touched it was a five-yard illegal procedure penalty.
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