NFC North
| Conference | National Football Conference |
|---|---|
| League | National Football League |
| Sport | American Football |
| Founded |
1967 (As NFL Western Conference Central Division) 1970 (As NFC Central Division) 2002 (As NFC North Division) |
| No. of teams | |
| Most recent champion(s) | Green Bay Packers (11th Title) |
| Most titles | Minnesota Vikings (18 Titles) |
The NFC North is a division of the National Football League's National Football Conference, based in the Upper Midwest region of the United States. It currently has four members: the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, and Minnesota Vikings. The NFC North was previously called the NFC Central from 1970-2001 (the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were members from 1977 until 2002 due to the expansion of the Houston Texans, which moved them to the NFC South.)[1]
The division was created in 1967 as the Central Division of the NFL's Western Conference and existed for three seasons before the AFL–NFL merger. After the merger, it was renamed the NFC Central and retained that name until the NFL split into eight divisions in 2002. The four teams have been together in the same division or conference since the Vikings joined the league in 1961. The Bears, Lions and Packers have been in the same division or conference since the NFL began a conference format in 1933.
Based on the ages of its teams, the NFC North is the oldest division in the NFL, at a combined 316 years old. The Bears are 93 years old (founded in 1919 in Decatur, Illinois; moved to Chicago in 1921), the Packers are also 93 years old (founded in 1919, but turned professional in 1921), the Lions are 83 years old (founded 1929 in Portsmouth, Ohio; moved to Detroit in 1934), and the Vikings are 51 years old (founded 1961). The division has a total of 11 Super Bowl appearances. The Packers have the most appearances in the Super bowl with 5, the most recent happening in 2011. The Bears and the Packers have the only Super Bowl wins of this division, a total of 5 (4 for the Packers and 1 for the Bears). Of the top 10 NFL teams with the highest winning percentage throughout its franchise history, three of them are in the NFC North (the Bears, the Packers and the Vikings). The Lions however, have one of the lowest winning percentages in the NFL, including the only winless 16-game season in NFL history.[2]
Entering 2013 the Bears lead the division with an overall record of 722-526-42, victory in Super Bowl XX[3] and eight pre-Super Bowl league titles; Chicago's overall playoff record is 17-18. The Packers hold an overall record of 690-530-36 with an overall playoff record of 30-18, four Super Bowl titles, and nine pre-Super Bowl league titles - bringing the Packers to a total of 13 World Championships, an NFL record. The Lions hold a record of 510-613-32, four league championships, and a 7-11 playoff record. As the youngest (in terms of existence) team in the division, the Vikings hold a record of 426-355-9 and a playoff record of 19-27.
This division earned the moniker "Black and Blue Division" due to its intense rivalries and physical style of play, and this nickname is still used regularly today. It is also known as the "Frostbite Division" as all teams played home games in late season winter cold until the mid-1970s. The division is also humorously called the "Frozen North", although two of its teams, Detroit and Minnesota, have played their home games indoors since 1975 and 1982 respectively. ESPN sportscaster Chris Berman often refers to this division as the "NFC Norris" because of its geographical similarity to the National Hockey League's old Norris Division. Also, three of the division's teams are located in metro areas which also have members of the Big Ten Conference, while the fourth is also in a state with a Big Ten member.
Contents |
Division lineups[edit]
Place cursor over year for division champ or Super Bowl team.
| Years | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NFL Western Conference Central Division |
NFC Central Division[B] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 67[A] | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 90 | 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 66 [A] | Green Bay Packers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chicago Bears | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Detroit Lions | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota Vikings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers[C] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NFC North Division[D] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 02[D] | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Green Bay Packers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chicago Bears | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Detroit Lions | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota Vikings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team not in division Division Won Super Bowl Division Won NFC Championship Division won NFL Championship, Lost Super Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- A The NFL Western Conference was divided into the Coastal and Central divisions. The Packers had won Super Bowl I in 1966 in the NFL Western Conference.
- B Starting the 1970 season, this division became the National Football Conference Central division (or NFC Central for short), due to the AFL–NFL merger.
- C Tampa Bay moved from the AFC West in 1977
- D For the 2002 season, the league realigns to have 8 four team divisions. Division renamed the NFC North. Tampa Bay moves to the NFC South.
Division champions[edit]
+ A players' strike in 1982 reduced the regular season to nine games, so the league used a special 16-team playoff tournament just for this year. Division standings were ignored, Green Bay had the best record of the division teams.
Wild Card qualifiers[edit]
+ A players' strike in 1982 reduced the regular season to nine games, so the league used a special 16-team playoff tournament just for this year.
Total playoff berths[edit]
(NFC North records 1966-2012 seasons)
| Team | Division Championships |
Playoff Berths |
NFL League Title |
Conference Wins |
Super Bowl Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings | 18 | 27 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Green Bay Packers | 11 | 18 | 1 | 5 | 4 |
| Chicago Bears | 10 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Detroit Lions | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
To sort table above, click button to right of heading.
Total playoff berths in Team History[edit]
(NFC North records 1920-2012 seasons)
| Team | Division Championships |
Playoff Berths |
NFL League Title |
Conference Wins |
Super Bowl Wins |
Total (1)(2) Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings | 18 | 27 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Green Bay Packers | 16 | 28 | 11 | 9 | 4 | 13 |
| Chicago Bears | 18 | 25 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 9 |
| Detroit Lions | 4 | 15 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
To sort table above, click button to right of heading.
- 1Vikings won League Title, but lost the Super Bowl in the 1969 season.
- 2Packers won League Title and Super Bowl in the 1966 and 1967 season
Schedule assignments[edit]
| Year | Opponents | |
|---|---|---|
| Interconf. | Intraconf. | |
| 2012 | AFC South | NFC West |
| 2013 | AFC North | NFC East |
| 2014 | AFC East | NFC South |
| 2015 | AFC West | NFC West |
| 2016 | AFC South | NFC East |
| 2017 | AFC North | NFC South |
| 2018 | AFC East | NFC West |
| 2019 | AFC West | NFC East |
| 2020 | AFC South | NFC South |
| 2021 | AFC North | NFC West |
| 2022 | AFC East | NFC East |
| 2023 | AFC West | NFC South |
| 2024 | AFC South | NFC West |
| 2025 | AFC North | NFC East |
See also[edit]
- Bears-Packers rivalry
- Bears-Lions rivalry
- Bears-Vikings rivalry
- Lions-Packers rivalry
- Lions-Vikings rivalry
- Packers-Vikings rivalry
References[edit]
- ^ "NFC Central Teams". Thefootballportal.com. Retrieved 2012-09-08. Text "1774524%5cNFC+Teams" ignored (help); Text "1931830%5cNFC+Central+Teams" ignored (help); Text "128710 " ignored (help)
- ^ "Lions complete 1st 0-16 season in league history - NFL- NBC Sports". Nbcsports.msnbc.com. 2008-12-28. Retrieved 2012-09-08.
- ^ "Super Bowl XX Game Recap". Nfl.com. 1986-01-27. Retrieved 2012-09-08.
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