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American football, a combination of the games of soccer and rugby, got its official start in the 1870's. This article traces the history of football through its development into the sport we have today.
Although there is some controversy over the exact first "professional" game, the Pro Football Hall of Fame regards November 12, 1892 as the date of the first pro football game. On that day, the Allegheny Athletic Association defeated the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. This was not the first football game by any means; what made it notable was that one of the AAA players, William "Pudge" Heffelfinger, was paid $500 to play the game. The rules of the game were quite different at that time: field goals and touchdowns were both worth four points each, and there was no passing - it wasn't legalized until 1906.
The first pro football league was the American Professional Football Association, formed in 1920. It cost $100 per team to join the league. Because the goodwill of the colleges was essential to the survival of the league, the teams pledged not to use any student player who still had college eligibility. Jim Thorpe, a famous player-coach was president of the league during its first year.
The National Football League (NFL) took over from the American Professional Football Association in 1922. The big draw for the NFL was Red Grange, a famous halfback from the University of Illinois. Red generated tremendous interest when he joined the Chicago Bears in 1925, his exciting play drawing large crowds. After that, pro football attracted larger numbers of first-rate college players, making the league economically viable.
The way the NFL game was played at this time was similar to the college game - in fact, in the early years, the pros followed the college NCAA rules exactly. Pay was fairly low, and players often had other jobs during the day. College coaches could hold practice for hours, but pros had to practice in the evenings, and often did so only three or four times a week.
When the NFL instituted a draft in 1936, the pro game slowly began to equal the college game in popularity, as talented college players chose to go on and play professionally. Dominant teams of the time were the Chicago Bears, Chicago Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, and the New York Giants. The Depression of the 1930's and World War II greatly affected the sport, draining it of players and money.
After the war, the college rules changed to allow free substitution of players into a game whenever desired. This led to the two-platoon system, where one group of players played offense and another played defense. This system allowed players to specialize (and also get some rest), and gradually made its way into the pro game.
In 1946, a rival for the NFL was established - the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). The AAFC included the New York Yankees, the Los Angeles Dons, the Baltimore Colts and the San Francisco 49ers. The best team in the new league was the Cleveland Browns, coached by Paul Brown. Brown improved the football offense dramatically by creating pass-blocking strategies. Before this innovation, the quarterback had to elude tacklers largely by himself. Brown's system arranged the lineman to form a protective "pocket" for the quarterback. Under this system, the Cleveland Browns won four AAFC championships between 1946 and 1949.
The NFL and AAFC merged in 1950, bringing the Browns, 49ers, and Colts in from the AAFC. Football was popular and prosperous through the 1950s and early 1960s, with players such as quarterbacks Y. A. Tittle and Johnny Unitas, running back Jim Brown, defensive back Tom Landry, linebacker Ray Nitschke, and Frank Gifford. TV broadcasting also helped to popularize pro football, starting in 1956 with CBS broadcasting selected games.
In 1960, the American Football League (AFL) was formed by Texas businessman Lamar Hunt as a rival to the NFL. Teams included the Oakland Raiders, New York Jets, Houston Oilers and Kansas City Chiefs. The NFL and AFL fought bitterly for players, media and profits. The AFL was able to establish itself due to standout players such as Joe Namath, Lance Alworth and Jack Kemp.
A championship game between the two leagues was inevitable. In January 1967, the first AFL-NFL championship was played between the AFL champion Chiefs and the NFL champion Packers. The Packers won, 35-10. The game was later renamed Super Bowl I. The next year in 1968, the Packers beat the AFL's Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl II, but the game showed that the AFC could compete. The third year, 1969, the AFL won in Super Bowl III, the New York Jets beating the Colts in a huge upset, as predicted by the Jets' outspoken quarterback, Joe Namath.
The shotgun formation came into popularity in the 1960's. This offensive setup was popularized by coach Red Hickey of the San Francisco 49ers. The formation was similar to that used by Pop Warner at Stanford 30 years earlier, but it brought excitement and high scores to the otherwise lackluster 49ers. In its premiere game, the 49ers beat the highly favored Colts 30-22, using the third-string quarterback, Bob Waters, after the other two quarterbacks were injured. Hickey dropped the formation when defenses began adjusting, but Cowboys coach Tom Landry brought a refined version back several years later. The shotgun is still used by pro teams, especially on passing downs.
In 1970, the two leagues merged into two 13-team conferences, the NFC and the AFC.
The early 1970s saw the emergence of defensive units with colorful nicknames, such as the Doomsday Defense (Cowboys), Steel Curtain (Steelers), Fearsome Foursome (Rams), and the Purple People Eaters (Vikings). Defensive strategy ruled, with Dallas' Tom Landry, the Steelers' Chuck Noll and the Dolphins' Don Shula using tactics that closed passing lanes, forcing teams to run the ball. In 1972, the Miami defense coupled with quarterbacks Bob Griese and Earl Morrall lead the Dolphins to a 14-0 record, the only team to finish an NFL regular season undefeated (the Cleveland Browns finished 15-0 in 1948 in the AAFC.) They went on to win Super Bowl VII.
The rules of the game also changed in the early 1970s, as the hash marks were brought in toward the center of the field to give teams more room to throw passes and run. This move increased scoring and made the game more exciting. In 1973, the Buffalo Bills running back O. J. Simpson rushed for over 2,000 yards. Quarterbacks also took advantage of the new rule, with aggressive passing attacks by the Cowboy's Roger Stauback and the Steelers' Terry Bradshaw. An intense rivalry developed between the Steelers and Cowboys, fueling excitement in the mid-1970s through the early 1980s. Pittsburgh won four Super Bowls (1975, 1976, 1979, 1980) and Dallas won in 1978. The 1979 Super Bowl XIII is still considered one of the most memorable games in pro football history, with the Steelers defeating the Cowboys.
In 1970, ABC created Monday Night Football, an instant success which has become one of TV's longest running programs. The original hosts were Don Meredeth, Keith Jackson and Howard Cosell. The next year, Frank Gifford replaced Jackson.
In 1976, expansion teams Tampa Bay and Seattle were formed.
In the 1980's, the dominant team was the San Francisco 49ers with quarterback Joe Montana winning 4 Super Bowls. Joe had good pass protection, and could pass while scrambling. Jerry Rice was his favorite receiver, going on to become the NFL leader in career touchdowns. In the mid-1980s, the position of rush-linebacker emerged, specializing in rushing the quarterback. Freed from covering receivers by fast defensive backs, the rush-linebacker could concentrate on the quarterback and running backs. Lawrence Taylor was a standout in this position, leading New York to the Super Bowl championship in 1987.
In 1989, the threat of a lawsuit by the players lead the NFL to allow college underclassmen to enter the draft. Sophomores (in their third year) and juniors became eligible, and college stars began turning pro. In 1992, a lawsuit from the NFL Players Association created free agency (allowing and defining player's freedom of movement between teams), accompanied by a salary cap limiting a team's total player payroll.
In the 1990s, the Bills appeared in four consecutive Super Bowls in 1991 - 1994, but lost them all. Dallas won three titles, in 1993, 1994 and 1996, under the direction of quarterback Troy Aikman, with running back Emmitt Smith.
Other standout players of the 1990's include Barry Sanders (Lions running back who lead the NFL in rushing several times), Steve Young (49ers quarterback who lead the NFC in passing in 1991 - 1994 and 1996), John Elway (Broncos quarterback who lead team to 5 Super Bowl appearances between 1987 and 1999), Dan Marino (Dolphins quarterback who became the NFL all-time passing leader with 61,361 yards and 420 touchdowns). All of these players were retired by the end of the decade.
A new era has begun for the NFL in the 2000's, with new franchises winning Super Bowl titles, including the St. Louis Rams and the Baltimore Ravens. Many new stars have emerged, including quarterbacks Payton Manning and Tom Brady, and defensive players Jevon Kearse and Ray Lewis.
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