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PlotArea = left:20 right:20 bottom:20 top:20
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Period = from:1885 till:2022
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TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
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at:Chiefs at:1969 $champ mark:(line, chiefs_red)
at:Chiefs at:1969 $champ mark:(line, chiefs_red)
at:Chiefs at:2019 $champ mark:(line, chiefs_red)
at:Chiefs at:2019 $champ mark:(line, chiefs_red)
at:Chiefs at:2022 $champ mark:(line, chiefs_red)
bar:Celts from:1921 till:1922 color:celtsgold text:"Cincinnati Celts" $Right
bar:Celts from:1921 till:1922 color:celtsgold text:"Cincinnati Celts" $Right
This article is a timeline of the National Football League (NFL). It tracks the history of each of the league's 32 current franchises from the early days of the league, through its merger with the American Football League (AFL). The history of franchises that began as independent teams, or as members of the Ohio League , New York Pro Football League , and other defunct leagues are shown as well.
NFL timeline
1920–1931: The Birth of the NFL
1920
The American Professional Football Association is formed. The fourteen teams were mainly drawn from the Ohio League , Chicago Circuit, New York Pro Football League and other teams from the lower midwest. A $100 membership fee was charged. The Chicago Tigers folded after the season.[1]
^ Team folded this season
1921
Number of teams increased to 21. Four teams lasted only one season. Tonawanda Kardex in particular only lasted one game, making it the shortest running NFL franchise to date. Three other franchises folded.
First season in APFA *
Team folded this season ^
Only season in the league §
1922
The APFA was renamed the National Football League. Four new franchises awarded.
1922 name changes
1921 team name
1922 team name
Chicago Staleys
Chicago Bears
First season in NFL *
Team folded this season ^
1923
A new and distinct Cleveland Indians franchise was formed. Two other teams joined the NFL, the Duluth Kelleys and the St. Louis All Stars . The St. Louis team folded after one season.
1923 name changes
1922 team name
1923 team name
Columbus Panhandles
Columbus Tigers
First season in NFL *
Team folded this season ^
Last season before hiatus, rejoined league later §
1924
Before the season, the owner of the Cleveland Indians bought the Canton Bulldogs and "mothballed" it, taking the team's nickname and players to Cleveland for the season. The Canton Bulldogs had won the NFL championship in 1923, and won it again as the Cleveland Bulldogs in 1924.
First season in NFL *
Last season before hiatus, rejoined league later §
1925
The Canton Bulldogs were reactivated. Four other franchises were awarded. This was the final season for the Rochester Jeffersons.
First season in NFL *
Last active season ^
Last season before hiatus, rejoined league later §
Team jumped to the AFL †
Rejoined the NFL **
1926
The league grew to 22 teams, a figure that would not be equaled in professional football until 1961 , adding the Brooklyn Lions , the Hartford Blues , the Los Angeles Buccaneers , and the Louisville Colonels , with Racine Tornadoes re-entering.
First season in NFL *
Rejoined the NFL †
Last active season ^
1927
Prior to the season, the league decided to eliminate the financially weaker teams. As a result, the league dropped from 22 to 12 teams, and a majority of the remaining teams were centered around the East Coast instead of the Midwest, where the NFL had started. The New York Yankees were added from the American Football League and the Cleveland Bulldogs returned.
1927 name changes
1926 team name
1927 team name
Buffalo Rangers
Buffalo Bisons
Rejoined the NFL †
Merged from 1926 AFL *
Last active season ^
Last season before hiatus, rejoined league later §
1928
The NFL drops to ten teams. Two teams had folded, the Buffalo Bisons sat out the season and the Cleveland Bulldogs moved and played as the Detroit Wolverines .
1929
The league increased back to 12 teams with the addition of two franchises, the Staten Island Stapletons , and the Orange Tornadoes . Two mothballed teams activated for the season. Minneapolis re-entered as the Red Jackets and the re-entry of the Buffalo Bisons.
First season in NFL *
Rejoined the NFL **
Last active season ^
1930
Prior to the season, Brooklyn businessmen William B. Dwyer and John C. Depler bought the Dayton Triangles, moved it, and renamed it the Brooklyn Dodgers . The Orange Tornadoes relocated to Newark. The Portsmouth Spartans entered as a new team.
First season in NFL *
Last active season ^
1931
The league decreased to 10 teams due to financial hardships caused by the Great Depression . While the Cleveland Indians joined as an expansion team, the league lost the Minneapolis Red Jackets and the Newark Tornadoes, and the Frankford Yellow Jackets folded midway through the season.
First season in NFL *
Last active season ^
The Championships Starts
1932
The Boston Braves enfranchised.
First season in NFL *
Team folded this season ^
1933
Three new teams enfranchised:
Cincinnati Reds
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Pirates
League split into Eastern and Western Divisions
First season in history of the league no team folds or suspends operations
1933 name change
1932 team name
1933 team name
Boston Braves
Boston Redskins
1934
Portsmouth Spartans moved to Detroit; renamed the Lions
Cincinnati Reds cease operations during season, and are replaced by the St Louis Gunners for the final 3 games.
1934 name change
1933 team name
1934 team name
Portsmouth Spartans
Detroit Lions
First and last season in NFL †
Last active season ^
1935–1936
Neither Cincinnati Reds nor St. Louis Gunners return for 1935 season.
1937–1939
Cleveland Rams enfranchised
Boston Redskins move to Washington, D.C.
1937 is first season in NFL *
The 1940s: World War II mergers
1940–1942
Team mothballed after season, rejoined league 1944 §
1943
Philadelphia and Pittsburgh merge to form "Phil-Pitt"
Two teams merge for season †
1944
Boston Yanks enfranchised.
Cleveland Rams resume operations.
Steagles end merger, Eagles resume operations
Steelers merge with Cardinals to form "Card-Pitt"
1944 name change
1943 team name
1944 team name
Brooklyn Dodgers
Brooklyn Tigers
First season in NFL *
Rejoined the NFL **
Two teams merge for season †
1945
Card-Pitt splits into Chicago Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers
Brooklyn Tigers merge with Boston Yanks, named simply "The Yanks"
Two teams merge for season †
1946–1948
Brooklyn Tigers cease operations
Boston Yanks resume normal operations
Cleveland Rams move to Los Angeles
Last active season was 1948 ^
1949
Boston Yanks cease operations
New York Bulldogs enfranchised from the remains of the Boston Yanks
The 1950s: AAFC merger
1950
Eastern Division renamed to American Conference
Western Division renamed to National Conference
San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, and the first Baltimore Colts all enfranchised from now-defunct All-America Football Conference . The Colts fold after the 1950 season.
New York Bulldogs change name to New York Yanks, move to National Conference
Chicago Cardinals move to American Conference
1950 name change
1949 team name
1950 team name
New York Bulldogs
New York Yanks
Teams merge from AAFC **
Last active season ^
1951
The New York Yanks fold after the 1951 season.
1952
Dallas Texans enfranchised with the remains of the now-defunct New York Yanks, but fold after one season and to date last NFL team to fold.
First and last season in NFL *
1953–1959
American Conference renamed the Eastern Conference
National Conference renamed the Western Conference
A second and distinct Baltimore Colts team enfranchised from the remains of the Dallas Texans
1953 is first season in NFL *
The 1960s: NFL and AFL
1960
American Football League (AFL) begins operations with eight teams as a rival to the NFL.
Dallas Cowboys enfranchised by NFL
Chicago Cardinals move to St. Louis
1961–1962
NFL enfranchises the Minnesota Vikings
Los Angeles Chargers move to San Diego
Dallas Cowboys move to Eastern Division
1961 is first season in NFL *
1963–1965
Dallas Texans move to Kansas City; renamed the Chiefs
Titans of New York renamed New York Jets
1966
Atlanta Falcons enfranchised by NFL
Miami Dolphins enfranchised by AFL
First AFL-NFL championship game played.
First season in NFL *
First season in AFL **
1967
NFL Eastern Conference divided into Capitol and Century Divisions
NFL Western Conference divided into Coastal and Central Divisions
New Orleans Saints enfranchised by NFL
Atlanta Falcons move to Western Conference
1968
Cincinnati Bengals are enfranchised by AFL
New York Giants move to Capitol Division
New Orleans Saints move to Century Division
1969
New York Giants move back to Century Division
New Orleans moves back to Capitol Division
The 1970s: AFL–NFL merger
1970
AFL and NFL merge
AFL Eastern and Western Divisions become AFC East and AFC West, respectively
AFC Central formed.
NFL Century Division teams split up between AFC Central and NFC East
NFL Capitol Division becomes nucleus of NFC East
NFL Central Division becomes NFC Central
NFL Coastal Division becomes nucleus of NFC West
Houston moves from AFL East to AFC Central
Cincinnati moves from AFL West to AFC Central
New Orleans moves from NFL Capitol to NFC West
Cleveland moves from NFL Century to AFC Central
New York Giants move from NFL Century to NFC East
Pittsburgh moves from NFL Century to AFC Central
St. Louis moves from NFL Century to NFC East
Baltimore moves from NFL Coastal to AFC East
1971–1975
Boston Patriots are renamed New England Patriots.
1976
Seattle Seahawks are enfranchised
Tampa Bay Buccaneers are enfranchised
1977–1981
Seattle moves from NFC West to AFC West
Tampa Bay moves from AFC West to NFC Central
The 1980s and 1990s
1982–1983
Oakland Raiders move to Los Angeles.
1984–1987
1988–1993
St. Louis Cardinals move to Phoenix
1994
Phoenix Cardinals renamed Arizona Cardinals
1995
Carolina Panthers enfranchised
Jacksonville Jaguars enfranchised
Los Angeles Raiders move back to Oakland
Los Angeles Rams move to St. Louis
1996
Cleveland Browns franchise deactivated
Baltimore Ravens enfranchised with remains of deactivated Cleveland Browns
1997–1998
Houston Oilers announce that they will move to Nashville and are renamed the Tennessee Oilers. They play the 1997 season in Memphis and the 1998 season at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville while a new stadium is built in Nashville.
1999–2001
Cleveland Browns franchise reinstated
Tennessee Oilers renamed Tennessee Titans
The 2000s: Realignment
2002–2015
The NFL realigns to create four divisions with four teams each in both conferences.
Arizona (NFC East) and Seattle (AFC West) join the NFC West
NFC Central renamed NFC North
AFC Central renamed AFC North
NFC South created
Tampa Bay moves from the old NFC Central
New Orleans, Atlanta, and Carolina move from the NFC West
AFC South created
Jacksonville and Tennessee move from the old AFC Central
Indianapolis moves from the AFC East
Houston Texans enfranchised
2002 is first season in NFL *
2016
2017–2019
2020–2021
2022–present
See also
References
^ "Team Encyclopedias and Records" . Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved 13 November 2021 .
^ a b c "Realignment for 2002" . NFL.com . NFL Enterprises, LLC. May 22, 2001. Retrieved April 3, 2016 .
^ a b c "New alignment takes effect in 2002" . ESPN Internet Ventures, LLC. Associated Press. May 22, 2001. Retrieved March 21, 2016 .
^ a b c Freeman, Mike (May 23, 2001). "PRO FOOTBALL; Owners Approve N.F.L. Realignment" . The New York Times . Retrieved March 21, 2016 .
^ Hanzus, Dan (January 12, 2016). "Rams to relocate to L.A.; Chargers first option to join" . NFL.com . NFL Enterprises, LLC. Retrieved January 13, 2016 .
^ "Rams to Return to Los Angeles" . TheRams.com . NFL Enterprises, LLC. January 12, 2016. Archived from the original on January 20, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2019 .
^ "Chargers to Relocate to Los Angeles" . Chargers.com . NFL Enterprises, LLC. January 12, 2017. Archived from the original on April 28, 2017. Retrieved April 25, 2019 .
^ Knoblauch, Austin (January 12, 2017). "Chargers announce decision to relocate to Los Angeles" . NFL.com . NFL Enterprises, LLC. Retrieved January 15, 2017 .
^ Wilson, Ryan (January 12, 2017). "Chargers are moving to Los Angeles after 56 years in San Diego" . CBSSports.com . CBS Sports. Retrieved January 13, 2017 .
^ Rosenthal, Gregg (March 27, 2017). "NFL team owners approve Raiders' move to Las Vegas" . NFL.com . NFL Enterprises, LLC. Retrieved March 27, 2017 .
^ Raiders Media Relations (March 27, 2017). "Raiders Receive NFL Approval For Las Vegas Relocation" . Raiders.com . NFL Enterprises, LLC. Retrieved April 25, 2019 .
^ Disis, Jill; Byres, Dylan (March 27, 2017). "NFL approves Raiders' move to Las Vegas" . CNN.com . Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. Retrieved April 18, 2017 .
^ Schefter, Adam (July 23, 2020). "Washington NFL team to use 'Washington Football Team' for 2020 season" . ESPN.com . Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
Charter teams 1920s 1930s–50s