A Timeline of Pro Football Teams: The '40s: The NFL Dominates Pro Football:
* Indicates teams currently playing in the NFL.
1940: A third American Football League forms with the following teams:
Boston Bears
Buffalo Indians
Cincinnati Bengals
Columbus Bullies
Milwaukee Chiefs
New York Yankees
1941: The following NFL teams changed their cities or names:
Pittsburgh Pirates renamed Steelers
The following AFL teams changed their cities or names:
New York Yankees renamed Americans
The AFL might have survived passed its second season, with a new franchise set to set
up in Detroit in the third year, but when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, the league
announced that it would suspend operations until after World War II, but the league was
never revived.
1943: The following NFL teams changed their cities or names:
Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers merge for one season (because of WWII)
to become the Phil-Pitt Steagles. They play in Pittsburgh.
The following NFL teams suspend operations for the year (WWII)
Cleveland Rams
The NFL switches from 11 games to 10
1944: The following expansion teams join the NFL:
Boston Yanks
The following NFL teams changed their cities or names:
Brooklyn Dodgers renamed Tigers
Cardinals and Pittsburgh merge for one season (WWII) to become Card-Pitt
1945: The following NFL teams changed their cities or names:
Boston Yanks and Brooklyn Tigers merge for one season (WWII)
1946:The following NFL expansion teams fold:
Brooklyn Tigers (The team's owner joined the AFL with the new league's New York
Franchise, and the NFL revoked his NFL franchise)
The following NFL teams changed their cities or names:
Cleveland Rams move to Los Angeles
The All-American Football Conference (AAFC) is formed with the following teams:
Brooklyn Dodgers
Buffalo Bisons
Chicago Rockets
Cleveland Browns *
Los Angeles Dons
Miami Seahawks
New York Yankees
San Fransisco 49ers *
The NFL switches from 10 games to 11
1947: The following AAFC teams changed their cities or names:
Buffalo Bisons renamed Bills
Miami Seahawks move to Baltimore and are renamed Colts
The NFL switches from 11 games to 12
1948: The following NFL teams changed their cities or names:
Boston Yanks move to New York and are renamed the Bulldogs (the Yanks' owner
asked the NFL to cancel his Boston franchise, and grant him the Bulldogs)
1949: The following NFL teams changed their cities or names:
New York Bulldogs are renamed Yanks
The following AAFC teams changed their cities or names:
Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees merge to become the Brooklyn-New York
Yankees
Chicago Rockets renamed Hornets
The NFL Switches to three conferences:
Western Conference Central Conference Eastern Conference
