Who Founded the NFL?
Contents
The National Football League was founded in 1920, when eleven teams from four states (Illinois, Indiana, New York, and Pennsylvania) formed the American Professional Football Association.
Early Beginnings
On September 17, 1920, representatives from four Midwestern teams – the Chicago Cardinals, the Chicago Bears, the Decatur Staleys, and the Racine Cardinals – met in Canton, Ohio, to form the American Professional Football Association. The meeting was called to order by Bears owner George Halas, who would become the first president of the NFL.
The Birth of Professional Football
In the early 1800s, a game similar to football was played in England. This game was called “mob football.” It was a rough and tumble sport played by young men who formed two teams, each trying to get the ball into their opponents’ goal. The game was often chaotic, with large numbers of players on each team, and everyone playing at once. This made it difficult to score, and games could go on for hours without a winner.
The First Professional Football League
The first professional football league was the National Football League (NFL), which was founded in 1920. The NFL was a response to the popularity of college football, which had grown exponentially in the early 20th century. The NFL’s first president was Jim Thorpe, one of the most famous athletes of the time. The league initially consisted of 14 teams, all of which were located in the northeastern United States.
The National Football League is Formed
In 1920, a group of professional football teams from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York formed the American Professional Football Association (APFA). The APFA was renamed the National Football League (NFL) in 1922. The NFL was originally founded by eleven teams, and now consists of thirty-two.
The American Professional Football Association is Formed
The American Professional Football Association (later renamed the National Football League) is formed on August 20, 1920, in Canton, Ohio. The association originally comprises 10 teams from four states: Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, and Illinois. Jim Thorpe of the Canton Bulldogs is named the league’s first president.
The First NFL Championship Game
In October 1902, representatives of four eastern professional football teams — the Allegheny Athletic Association, the Pittsburgh Athletic Club, the Philadelphia Athletics, and the New York Football Club — met to form the first professional football league, which they called the National Football League. The first NFL Championship Game was played in December 1903.
The NFL Today
The National Football League (NFL) is the most popular and greatest professional American football league in the world. The NFL today is made up of 32 teams and is divided into two conferences, the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). The NFC consists of 16 teams, while the AFC has 14.
The NFL Today
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). The NFL is one of the four major professional sports leagues in North America, and the highest professional level of American football in the world.
The NFL was founded 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 the highest average attendance (67,591) of any professional sports league in the world and is the most popular sports league in the United States. The Super Bowl is among the biggest club sporting events in television and radio history, accounting for 38% of all network television usage since its inception.
The Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the biggest and most important American football game of the year. It is the annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL). The game is played between the winning teams from the NFL’s two conferences, the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC).
