What Were the Original NFL Teams?

A look at the original NFL teams and how they’ve changed over the years.

Introduction

In 1920, the American Professional Football Association was founded. The following year, the Association began to draft players and field teams. In 1922, the APFA was renamed the National Football League. The NFL has undergone many changes over the years, including a merger with the American Football League in 1966 and multiple expansions. As of 2018, there are 32 NFL teams. But what were the original NFL teams?

The original NFL teams were:
-the Arizona Cardinals
-the Chicago Bears
-the Detroit Lions
-the Green Bay Packers
-the New York Giants
-the Philadelphia Eagles
-the Pittsburgh Steelers
-the San Francisco 49ers

The Original NFL Teams

There were eleven original NFL teams when the league was founded in 1920. These teams were the Akron Pros, Canton Bulldogs, Chicago Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Detroit H​onors, Green Bay Packers, Minneapolis Marines, New York Giants, and the Pittsburgh Stars. Ten of these teams still exist today, while the other one, the Cincinnati Reds, no longer exists.

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 a member club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears 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 rank third in total franchise wins.

The Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the third-oldest franchise in the NFL, dating back to 1919, and is the only non-profit, community-owned major league professional sports team based in the United States. Home games have been played at Lambeau Field since 1957.

The Packers are the last of the “small town teams” which were common in the NFL during the league’s early days of 1922 and 1935. Founded in 1919 by Earl “Curly” Lambeau and George Whitney Calhoun, the franchise traces its lineage to other semi-professional teams in Green Bay dating back to 1896. Between 1919 and 1920, under Lambeau’s captaincy, the Packers organized a playing schedule independent of any existing league; this foreshadowed their time as an NFL team. They joined the American Professional Football Association (APFA) in 1921, but Cecil Isbell took over as head coach in 1929 leading them to an undefeated 12–0–1 record and a first ever NFL Championship. Over that span from 1921 to 1944, they compiled a record of 205 wins (a .752 winning percentage), loss 78 (a .724 losing percentage), 27 ties including playoffs with 9 undefeated regular seasons and 3 NFL Championships; those 3 Championships came consecutively from 1929 to 1931 when they won 3 straight championships! Though Isbell left for greener pastures after just one season as head coach having gone 10–3 overall while with Green Bay, he left big shoes to fill for his replacement Curly Lambeau who would go on to greater glory with his franchise.

The New York Giants

The New York Giants were one of the original teams in the National Football League (NFL), founded in 1925. The team played its home games at the Polo Grounds in New York City. The Giants won nine NFL championships, including four Super Bowls (1987, 1991, 2008, and 2012).

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. Despite success within the NFL, they could not survive financially in Portsmouth, then the second-smallest city in professional football. The team was purchased and relocated to Detroit for the 1934 season.

The Lions have won four NFL Championships, tied for 9th overall (with eight others), and are 2–3 in playoff appearances since winning their most recent championship in 1957. They have also experienced a level of consistent futility unmatched by any other team, becoming the first team to go 0–16 in a season, doing so in 2008; they repeated this feat in 2017. As of 2019, they have an NFL-worst 11 postseason appearances with only one playoff victory since their 1957 championship

The Washington Redskins

The Washington Redskins were one of the original NFL teams, founded in 1932. They are currently based in Landover, Maryland and play their home games at FedEx Field. The team has won five NFL Championships, including three Super Bowls.

The Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles were one of the original teams in the National Football League (NFL). The team was founded in 1933, and they played their first season in 1934. The Eagles have won three NFL championships, and they have appeared in the Super Bowl twice.

The Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in 1933, the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC.

The Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The Browns play their home games at FirstEnergy Stadium, which opened in 1999, with administrative offices and training facilities in Berea, Ohio. The Browns’ official colors are brown, orange, and white. They are unique among the 32 member franchises of the NFL in that they do not have a helmet logo.

The franchise was founded in 1945 by businessman Arthur B. McBride and coach Paul Brown as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). The Browns dominated the AAFC, compiling a 47–4–3 record in the league’s four seasons and winning its championship in each of them. When the AAFC folded after the 1949 season, the Browns joined the NFL along with three other AAFC teams: the San Francisco 49ers, the original Baltimore Colts, and the Brooklyn Dodgers (later the Los Angeles Rams). In 1950, Brown served as head coach and general manager until he was fired in January 1963. He was replaced by Pop Ivy. The team struggled over the next few years; Ivy was fired after two poor seasons. Mike Pruitt was hired as head coach in 1979. Under Pruitt’s leadership during what Owner Art Modell called ” Miraculous rebuild”, led by quarterback Brian Sipe and linebacker Clay Matthews Sr., punter Don Cockroftand wide receiver Ozzie Newsome.,the AFC Central Division title to make it to Super Bowl XIV but they lost to Dick Vermeil’s Los Angeles Rams 14-12 at Pasadena’s Rose Bowl Stadium on January 20,[1][2] 1980.[3]

Pruitt was fired following their Super Bowl loss; he would be replaced by Sam Rutigliano who coached for five seasons but failed to deliver any playoff appearances despite some success with QB Bernie Kosar such as an 8-7 record during 1987 NFL strike-shortened season..Since 1999 under Head Coach Hue Jackson Going 1-31 over 2 seasons But 2017 showed Some promise going 0-16 then acquiring Star Quarterback Baker Mayfield With Some talent around him on Both Sides of The Ball Finished 7-8-1

Conclusion

In the end, the NFL settled on 14 franchises: the New York Giants, Boston Braves (later the Washington Redskins), Chicago Bears, Pittsburgh Pirates (later the Steelers), Cleveland Indians (later the Browns), Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Brooklyn Dodgers (later the Los Angeles Rams), Cincinnati Reds (later the Bengals), Los Angeles Chargers (formerly the San Diego Chargers), Dallas Texans (later the Kansas City Chiefs) and Minneapolis Marines (later the Minnesota Vikings).