Who Were The Original 8 Teams In The NFL?

A blog about the original 8 teams in the NFL and their history.

The Early Days of the NFL

The National Football League (NFL) was established in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association (APFA) before renaming itself the National Football League for the 1922 season. The NFL agreed to merge with the American Football League (AFL) in 1966, and the first Super Bowl was held at the end of that season; the merger was completed in 1970. Today, the NFL has 32 teams, but it didn’t always have that many. So, which teams were the original 8 in the NFL?

The first NFL game

On November 12, 1920, the American Professional Football Association was formed in Canton, Ohio. The Association was created by several professional teams from four states – Ohio, Illinois, New York, and Pennsylvania.
The first NFL game was played on October 3, 1920, between the Dayton Triangles and the Columbus Panhandles in Columbus, Ohio. The Triangles won 14-0.
Eventually, the Association grew to include teams from other states, including the Green Bay Packers (Wisconsin), the Chicago Bears (Illinois), the Detroit Lions (Michigan), and the Cleveland Browns (Ohio).

The first NFL teams

The National Football League (NFL) was founded in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association (APFA) with ten teams from four states, all of them former members of the now-defunct National Football League (1920). In 1922, the APFA changed its name to the National Football League. By 1925, the league had twenty-three teams in two divisions.

The NFL’s first successful franchise was the Chicago Bears, who were originally founded as the Decatur Staleys in 1919. The team was a charter member of the NFL in 1920. The Bears were incredibly successful in their early years, winning three NFL championships between 1921 and 1932.

Another original NFL team, the Arizona Cardinals (originally founded as the Morgan Athletic Club), is notable for being the oldest continuously run professional football franchise in America. The Cardinals began play in 1898 and are currently the only team that has never relocated. They are also one of only two charter members of the NFL that have never won a league championship (the other being the Detroit Lions).

The Green Bay Packers are one of the most iconic and successful franchises in NFL history. The Packers were founded in 1919 and are currently the only publicly owned, non-profit professional sports team in America. Green Bay has won a total of 13 NFL championships, more than any other team, including four Super Bowls.

The New York Giants are another original NFL franchise with a long and storied history. The Giants were founded in 1925 and have won eight NFL championships, including four Super Bowls. They are currently one of only two teams to have won more than one Super Bowl with multiple quarterbacks (the other being the Denver Broncos).

The Detroit Lions are one of four teams to have never won an NFL championship (the others being the Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, and Minnesota Vikings). The Lions began play in 1930 and have won three conference championships (1935, 1952, 1953) but have never captured a league title.

The Original 8 Teams

The National Football League (NFL) was founded in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association (APFA) with ten charter members. This grew to 22 teams by 1922, but then shrunk back down to 14 by 1932. At that time, there were two NFLs, the Eastern and Western divisions. Below is a list of the original 8 NFL teams:

The Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the National Football League (NFL) as part of the NFC North division. The Bears compete in the NFL as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) North division. They have won nine NFL Championships, including one Super Bowl, and hold the NFL record for the most enshrinees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the most retired jersey numbers. The Bears have also recorded more victories than any other NFL franchise.

The Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL), and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit. Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and called the Portsmouth Spartans, the team began play in 1929 as an independent professional team. For the 1930 season, the Spartans formally joined the NFL as the other area independents folded because of the Great Depression. Despite success within the NFL, they could not survive financially and noted Pittsburgh Pirates owner Art Rooney saved them from bankruptcy and relocated them to Pittsburgh where they were renamed the Steelers. In 1934, a new owner purchased Central Park and renamed it Briggs Stadium. The Tigers played here until 1957 when ownership decided to move them to new Comerica Park located near downtown Detroit.

The Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers were one of the original teams in the NFL, joining the league in 1921. The Packers are the only team remaining from that inaugural season, and they are also the only team to have won more than three leagues championships (nine). The Packers are one of the most successful teams in NFL history, with a winning percentage of .567 over their 90-year existence.

The New York Giants

The New York Giants were one of the original eight teams in the National Football League (NFL), and they continue to be one of the league’s most successful franchises. The Giants were founded in 1925 by Tim Mara, and they have won eight NFL Championships (four pre-Super Bowl and four Super Bowls). The team’s home stadium is MetLife Stadium, which it shares with the New York Jets.

The Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football franchise based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The franchise was established in 1933 as a replacement for the bankrupt Frankford Yellow Jackets, when a group led by Bert Bell purchased the assets of the failed team for $2,500.

The Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers were founded in 1933, and are the oldest franchise in the AFC. They played in three Super Bowls in the 1970s, winning two of them. The dynasty continued into the 1980s, winning another Super Bowl in 1974. The team has won six Lombardi Trophies overall, more than any other team in NFL history.

The Washington Redskins

The Washington Redskins were founded in 1932, and joined the NFL in 1936 as an expansion team. The team has played more than 1,000 games and won five NFL Championships, including three Super Bowls. The Redskins have had many iconic players and coaches over the years, including Hall of Famers Sammy Baugh, Sonny Jurgensen, John Riggins, Art Monk, Darrell Green, and Russ Grimm. The current head coach is Jay Gruden, and the team’s home stadium is FedExField in Landover, Maryland.

The NFL Today

There are 32 teams in the NFL today, but there were only 8 teams when the NFL was founded in 1920. These 8 teams were the Akron Pros, the Decatur Staleys, the Chicago Cardinals, the Green Bay Packers, the New York Giants, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Buffalo All-Americans, and the Detroit Hounds. These teams were all located in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States.

The current NFL teams

As of the 2019 season, there are 32 teams in the National Football League (NFL). These teams are divided into two conferences — the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). Each conference has four divisions, and each division has four teams.

The NFL was founded in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association (APFA), with 14 teams. In 1922, the APFA changed its name to the National Football League. The league continued to grow and by 1960 there were 16 NFL teams. In 1970, the NFL merged with the rival American Football League (AFL) and added another 10 teams, bringing the total to 26. In 1976, two more expansion teams were added — bringing the total to 28. In 1995, another two expansion teams were added — bringing the total to 30. The most recent expansion happened in 2002 when two more teams were added — bringing the total number of NFL teams to 32.

Here is a list of all 32 NFL teams, organized by conference and division:

National Football Conference
NFC East
-Dallas Cowboys
-New York Giants
-Philadelphia Eagles
-Washington Redskins
NFC North
-Chicago Bears
-Detroit Lions
-Green Bay Packers
-Minnesota Vikings
NFC South
-Atlanta Falcons
-Carolina Panthers
-New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFC West -Arizona Cardinals -Los Angeles Rams -San Francisco 49ers -Seattle Seahawks American Football Conference AFC East -Buffalo Bills -Miami Dolphins New England Patriots New York Jets AFC North Baltimore Ravens Cincinnati Bengals Cleveland Browns Pittsburgh Steelers AFC South Houston Texans Indianapolis Colts Jacksonville Jaguars Tennessee Titans AFC West Denver Broncos Kansas City Chiefs Los Angeles Chargers Oakland Raiders

The NFL today

The National Football League today is a juggernaut both on and off the field. It is the most popular sport in the United States, with an estimated audience of over 150 million fans. The NFL today is comprised of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). But it wasn’t always this way. In fact, the NFL today bears little resemblance to its humble beginnings back in 1920.

The NFL today traces its roots back to October 3, 1920, when a group of team owners met in Canton, Ohio to form the American Professional Football Association (APFA). This new league would be composed of teams from four states: Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Illinois. The APFA was renamed the National Football League (NFL) in 1922.

Initially, there were just 11 teams in the NFL: the Akron Pros, Chicago Cardinals, Decatur Staleys, Hammond Pros, Minneapolis Marines, Racine Cardinals, Rochester Jeffersons and Tonawanda Kardex from Ohio; the Buffalo All-Americans and New York Brickley Giants from New York; and finallythe Philadelphia Warriors from Pennsylvania.

Over the next decade, more teams would join the league (including the Green Bay Packers in 1921), but it wasn’t until 1960 that the NFL began its modern era with the addition of two more conferences: the AFC (which absorbed most of the teams from what was then known as the American Football League) and NFC. This brought about a drastic realignment of teams into their current divisions: East (AFC), West(AFC), Central(NFC)and South(NFC).