Rutgers and Princeton played a college soccer football game, the first ever, November 6.
The game used modified London Football Association rules.
During the next seven years, rugby gained favor with the major eastern schools over soccer, and...
At the Massasoit convention, the first rules for American football were written.
Walter Camp, who would become known as the father of American football, first became involved with the game.
In an era in which football was a major attraction of local athletic clubs, an intense competition
between two Pittsburgh area clubs, the Allegheny Athletic Association (AAA) and the Pittsburgh Athletic Club
(PAC), led to the making of the first...
The Pittsburgh Athletic Club signed one of its players, probably halfback Grant Dibert, to the first known pro football contract, which covered all of the PAC’s games for the year.
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...
The Franklin (Pa.) Athletic Club won the second and last World Series of pro football over the Oreos AC of Asbury Park, New Jersey; the Watertown Red and Blacks; and the Orange AC.
Pro football was popularized in Ohio when the Massillon Tigers, a...
Pro football was in a state of confusion due to three major problems: dramatically rising salaries; players continually jumping from one team to another following the highest offer; and the use of college players still enrolled in school...
For the first time, all of the franchises considered to be part of the NFL fielded teams.
Thorpe played his second and final season for the Oorang Indians. Against the Bears, Thorpe fumbled, and Halas picked up the ball and returned it 98 yards for a...
Five new franchises were admitted to the NFL—the New York Giants, who were awarded to Tim Mara and Billy Gibson for $500; the Detroit Panthers, featuring Jimmy Conzelman as owner, coach, and tailback; the Providence Steam Roller; a new Canton Bulldogs...
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...
A six-team rival league, the third to call itself the American Football League, was formed, and the Columbus Bullies won its championship.
Halas’ Bears, with additional coaching by Clark Shaughnessy of Stanford, defeated the Redskins 73-0 in the NFL...
The Pro Bowl game, dormant since 1942, was revived under a new format matching the allstars of each conference at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The American Conference defeated the National Conference 28-27, January 14...
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.
A rule change declared the ball dead immediately if the ball...
The bonus selection in the draft was eliminated, January 29.
The last selection was quarterback King Hill of Rice by the Chicago Cardinals. Halas reinstated himself as coach of the Bears. Jim Brown of Cleveland gained an NFL-record 1,527 yards rushing..
Lamar Hunt of Dallas 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...
Pete Rozelle was elected NFL Commissioner as a compromise choice on the twentythird ballot, January 26.
Rozelle moved the league offices to New York City.
Hunt was elected AFL president for 1960, January 26...
Don Shula, who went on to become the winningest head coach in NFL history, replaced Weeb Ewbank as head coach of the Colts, January 8.
Paul Brown, head coach of the Browns since their inception, was fired on Januar y 9 and replaced the following day...
1966 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...
Baltimore defeated Dallas 16-13 on Jim O’Brien’s 32-yard field goal with five seconds to go in Super Bowl V at Miami, January 17.
The NFC defeated the AFC 27-6 in the first AFC-NFC Pro Bowl at Los Angeles, January 24...
Miami defeated Minnesota 24-7 in Super Bowl VIII at Houston, the second consecutive Super Bowl championship for the Dolphins, January 13. Rozelle was given a 10-year contract effective January 1, 1973, February 27...
1977 Oakland defeated Minnesota 32-14 in Super Bowl XI at Pasadena, January 9. The paid attendance was a pro
record 103,438.
The NFL Players Association and the NFL Management Council ratified a collective bargaining agreement extending until 1982,...
San Francisco defeated Cincinnati 26-21 in Super Bowl XVI at the Pontiac Silverdome, in the first Super Bowl held in the North, January 24.
The CBS telecast achieved the highest rating of any televised sports event ever, 49.1 with a 73.0 share...
1985 San Francisco defeated Miami 38-16 in Super Bowl XIX at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California, January 20.
President Ronald Reagan, who took his second oath of office before tossing the coin for the game, was one of
115,936,000 viewers...
Washington defeated Denver 42-10 in Super Bowl XXII to earn its second victory this decade in the NFL Championship Game.
The game, played for the first time in San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, drew a sellout crowd of 73,302...
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 6...
1998 The NFL reached agreement on record eight-year television contracts with four networks. ABC (NFL 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...
New York businessman Robert Wood Johnson IV was approved by NFL clubs as the new owner of the New York
Jets at a league meeting, January 18.
The St. Louis Rams won their first Super Bowl by defeating the AFC champion Tennessee Titans 23-16 in Super...
NFL clubs approved additional league-wide revenue sharing at a special league meeting in Dallas.
The teams agreed to pool the visiting team share of gate receipts for all preseason and regular-season games and divide the pool equally starting in...
The Indianapolis Colts won their second Super Bowl, defeating the Chicago Bears 29-17 in Super Bowl XLI at Dolphin Stadium in South Florida, February 4.
Both teams were coached by African-Americans: Tony Dungy of the Colts and Lovie Smith of the Bears..
The NFL appointed Pro Football Hall of Famers Ronnie Lott and John Madden as cochairs of a new Player Safety Advisory Panel.
The panel provides recommendations on a variety of safety-related football matters, while taking a long-term view towards...