This article is a timeline of the National Football League (NFL). It tracks the history of each of the league's 32 current franchises from the early days of the league, through its merger with the American Football League (AFL). The history of franchises that began as independent teams, or as members of the Ohio League, New York Pro Football League, and other defunct leagues are shown as well.
NFL timeline
1920–1931: Before the playoffs
1920
The American Professional Football Association is formed. The fourteen teams were mainly drawn from the Ohio League, Chicago Circuit, New York Pro Football League and other teams from the lower midwest. A $100 membership fee was charged. The Chicago Tigers folded after season.[1]
| ^ Team folded this season |
1921
Number of teams increased to 21. Four teams lasted only one season. Three other franchises folded.
| First season in APFA * |
Team folded this season ^ |
Only season in the leaague § |
1922
The APFA was renamed the National Football League. Four new franchises awarded.
1922 name changes
| 1921 team name |
1922 team name |
|---|
| Chicago Staleys | Chicago Bears |
| First season in NFL * |
Team folded this season ^ |
1923
A new and distinct Cleveland Indians franchise was formed. Two other teams joined the NFL, the Duluth Kelleys and the St. Louis All Stars. The St. Louis team folded after one season.
1923 name changes
| 1922 team name |
1923 team name |
|---|
| Columbus Panhandles | Columbus Tigers |
| First season in NFL * |
Team folded this season ^ |
Last season before hiatus, rejoined league later § |
1924
Before the season, the owner of the Cleveland Indians bought the Canton Bulldogs and "mothballed" it, taking the team's nickname and players to Cleveland for the season. The Canton Bulldogs had won the NFL championship in 1923, and won it again as the Cleveland Bulldogs in 1924.
| First season in NFL * |
Team folded this season ^ |
Last season before hiatus, rejoined league later § |
1925
The Canton Bulldogs were reactivated. Four other franchises were awarded. This was the final season for the Rochester Jeffersons.
| First season in NFL * |
Last active season ^ |
Last season before hiatus, rejoined league later § |
| Team jumped to the AFL † |
Rejoined the NFL ** |
1926
The league grew to 22 teams, a figure that would not be equaled in professional football until 1961, adding the Brooklyn Lions, the Hartford Blues, the Los Angeles Buccaneers, and the Louisville Colonels, with Racine Tornadoes re-entering.
| First season in NFL * |
Rejoined the NFL † |
Last active season ^ |
1927
Prior to the season, the league decided to eliminate the financially weaker teams. As a result, the league dropped from 22 to 12 teams, and a majority of the remaining teams were centered around the East Coast instead of the Midwest, where the NFL had started. The New York Yankees were added from the American Football League and the Cleveland Bulldogs returned.
1927 name changes
| 1926 team name |
1927 team name |
|---|
| Buffalo Rangers | Buffalo Bisons |
| Rejoined the NFL † |
Merged from 1926 AFL * |
| Last active season ^ |
Last season before hiatus, rejoined league later § |
1928
The NFL drops to ten teams. Two teams had folded, the Buffalo Bisons sat out the season and the Cleveland Bulldogs moved and played as the Detroit Wolverines.
1929
The league increased back to 12 teams with the addition of two franchises, the Staten Island Stapletons, and the Orange Tornadoes. Two mothballed teams activated for the season. Minneapolis re-entered as the Red Jackets and the re-entry of the Buffalo Bisons.
| First season in NFL * |
Rejoined the NFL ** |
Last active season ^ |
1930
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. The Portsmouth Spartans entered as a new team.
| First season in NFL * |
Last active season ^ |
1931
The league decreased to 10 teams due to financial hardships caused by the Great Depression. While the Cleveland Indians joined as an expansion team, the league lost the Minneapolis Red Jackets and the Newark Tornadoes. Even the Frankford Yellow Jackets had to fold midway through the season.
| First season in NFL * |
Last active season ^ |
Early playoff era
1932
The Boston Braves (now Washington Redskins) enfranchised.
| First season in NFL * |
Team folded this season ^ |
1933
- Three new teams enfranchised:
- Cincinnati Reds
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Pittsburgh Pirates (now Pittsburgh Steelers)
- League split into Eastern and Western Divisions.
1933 name change
| 1932 team name |
1933 team name |
|---|
| Boston Braves | Boston Redskins |
1934
- Portsmouth Spartans moved to Detroit; renamed the Lions
- Cincinnati Reds cease operations during season, and are replaced by the St Louis Gunners for the final 3 games.
1934 name change
| 1933 team name |
1934 team name |
|---|
| Portsmouth Spartans | Detroit Lions |
| First and last season in NFL † |
Last active season ^ |
1935–1936
- Neither Cincinnati Reds nor St. Louis Gunners return for 1935 season.
1937–1939
- Cleveland Rams (now Los Angeles Rams) enfranchised
- Boston Redskins move to Washington, D.C.
| 1937 is first season in NFL * |
The 1940s: World War II mergers
1940–1942
| Team mothballed after season, rejoined league 1944 § |
1943
- Philadelphia and Pittsburgh merge to form "Phil-Pitt"
| Two teams merge for season † |
1944
- Boston Yanks enfranchised.
- Cleveland Rams resume operations.
- Steagles end merger, Eagles resume operations
- Steelers merge with Cardinals to form "Card-Pitt"
1944 name change
| 1943 team name |
1944 team name |
|---|
| Brooklyn Dodgers | Brooklyn Tigers |
| First season in NFL * |
Two teams merge for season † |
1945
- Card-Pitt splits into Chicago Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers
- Brooklyn Tigers merge with Boston Yanks, named simply "The Yanks"
| Two teams merge for season † |
1946–1948
- Brooklyn Tigers cease operations
- Boston Yanks resume normal operations
- Cleveland Rams move to Los Angeles
| Last active season was 1948 ^ |
1949
- Boston Yanks cease operations
- New York Bulldogs enfranchised from the remains of the Boston Yanks
The 1950s: AAFC merger
1950
- Eastern Division renamed to American Conference
- Western Division renamed to National Conference
- San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, and the first Baltimore Colts all enfranchised from now-defunct All-America Football Conference. The Colts fold after the 1950 season.
- New York Bulldogs change name to New York Yanks, move to National Conference
- Chicago Cardinals move to American Conference
1950 name change
| 1949 team name |
1950 team name |
| New York Bulldogs | New York Yanks |
| Teams merge from AAFC ** |
Last active season ^ |
1951
- The New York Yanks fold after the 1951 season.
1952
- Dallas Texans enfranchised with the remains of the now-defunct New York Yanks, but fold after one season.
| First and last season in NFL * |
1953–1959
- American Conference renamed the Eastern Conference
- National Conference renamed the Western Conference
- A second and distinct Baltimore Colts team enfranchised from the remains of the Dallas Texans
| 1953 is first season in NFL * |
The 1960s: NFL and AFL
1960
- American Football League (AFL) begins operations with eight teams as a rival to the NFL.
- Dallas Cowboys enfranchised by NFL
- Chicago Cardinals move to St. Louis
1961–1962
- NFL enfranchises the Minnesota Vikings
- Los Angeles Chargers move to San Diego
- Dallas Cowboys move to Eastern Division
| 1961 is first season in NFL * |
1963–1965
- Dallas Texans move to Kansas City; renamed the Chiefs
- Titans of New York renamed New York Jets
1966
- Atlanta Falcons enfranchised by NFL
- Miami Dolphins enfranchised by AFL
- First AFL-NFL championship game played.
| First season in NFL * |
First season in AFL ** |
1967
- NFL Eastern Conference divided into Capitol and Century Divisions
- NFL Western Conference divided into Coastal and Central Divisions
- New Orleans Saints enfranchised by NFL
- Atlanta Falcons move to Western Conference
1968
- Cincinnati Bengals are enfranchised
- New York Giants move to Capitol Division
- New Orleans Saints move to Century Division
- Century Division moves to Western Conference
- Central Division moves to Eastern Conference
1969
- New York Giants move to Century Division
- New Orleans moves to Capitol Division
The 1970s: AFL–NFL merger
1970
- AFL and NFL merge
- AFL Eastern and Western Divisions become AFC East and AFC West, respectively
- AFC Central formed.
- NFL Century Division becomes AFC Central
- NFL Capitol Division becomes NFC East
- NFL Central Division becomes NFC Central
- NFL Coastal Division becomes NFC West
- Baltimore moves to AFC East
- Houston moves to AFC Central
- Cincinnati moves to AFC Central
- St. Louis moves to NFC East
- New York Giants move to NFC East
- New Orleans moves to NFC West
1971–1975
- Boston Patriots are renamed New England Patriots.
1976
- Seattle Seahawks are enfranchised
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers are enfranchised
1977–1981
- Seattle moves from NFC West to AFC West
- Tampa Bay moves from AFC West to NFC Central
The 1980s and 1990s
1982–1983
- Oakland Raiders move to Los Angeles.
1984–1987
1988–1993
- St. Louis Cardinals move to Phoenix
1994
- Phoenix Cardinals renamed Arizona Cardinals
1995
- Jacksonville Jaguars enfranchised
- Carolina Panthers enfranchised
- Los Angeles Raiders move back to Oakland
- Los Angeles Rams move to St. Louis
| First season in NFL * |
Team deactivated until 1999 § |
1996
- Cleveland Browns franchise deactivated
- Baltimore Ravens enfranchised with remains of deactivated Cleveland Browns
1997–1998
- Houston Oilers announce that they will move to Nashville and are renamed the Tennessee Oilers. They play the 1997 season in Memphis and the 1998 season at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville while a new stadium is built in Nashville.
1999–2001
- Cleveland Browns franchise reinstated
- Tennessee Oilers renamed Tennessee Titans
The 2000s: Realignment
2002–2015
- The NFL realigns to create four divisions with four teams each in both conferences.
- Arizona and Seattle join the NFC West
- NFC Central renamed NFC North
- AFC Central renamed AFC North
- NFC South created
- Tampa Bay moves from the old NFC Central
- New Orleans, Atlanta, and Carolina move from the NFC West
- AFC South created
- Jacksonville and Tennessee move from the old AFC Central
- Indianapolis moves from the AFC East
- Houston Texans enfranchised
| 2002 is first season in NFL * |
2016–present
- St. Louis Rams return to Los Angeles after 21 seasons.[5]
See also
References
- ↑ http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/
- 1 2 "Realignment for 2002". National Football League. May 22, 2001. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
- 1 2 "New alignment takes effect in 2002". ESPN. Associated Press. May 22, 2001. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
- 1 2 Freeman, Mike (May 23, 2001). "PRO FOOTBALL; Owners Approve N.F.L. Realignment". The New York Times. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
- ↑ Hanzus, Dan (January 12, 2016). "Rams to relocate to L.A.; Chargers first option to join". NFL.com. National Football League. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
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