Professional football was introduced to New York at the same time that the New York Giants were established in the tristate area by original owner Tim Mara. The organization was legally named the “New York Football Giants” to distinguish itself from the New York Giants baseball team. The Giants experienced initial success during their inaugural season but struggled financially up until … Read more
Take a trip to The Big Easy – New Orleans, Louisiana – and you’ll find Bourbon Street, Jazz Fest, and passionate football fans. The New Orleans Saints, dazzling fans under the artificial lights of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, play in the NFL’s National Football Conference South Division along with the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Saints are currently celebrating their 50th … Read more
The Minnesota Vikings kicked things off as an expansion team in 1960, and first took the field for their season opener in 1961. It all began, however, when a group of five businessmen were granted a franchise in the newly formed AFL in 1959. The Vikes would forfeit their AFL membership the following year to become the NFL’s 14th … Read more
The Washington Redskins are one of the older NFL franchises around, but they didn’t get their start as the Redskins, nor were they even in D.C. at the time. In fact, businessmen George Preston Marshall, Vincent Bendix, Jay O’Brien, and Dorland Doyle bought a NFL franchise for Boston in 1932. The team played at Braves Field and were then known … Read more
The New England Patriots are a well-known modern-day NFL powerhouse dynasty; they’ve racked up four Super Bowl wins in the last 15 years. The franchise, however, has been around for decades, getting its start in the waning years of the 1950s when a group led by businessman William H. Sullivan Jr. captured the eighth and final franchise … Read more
Established in 1946 as a member of the All-American Football Conference, the Cleveland Browns are one of the NFL’s most unique franchises. Out of the entire league, they are the only team named after a former coach – legend Paul Brown. The Browns are also the only team in the NFL without a logo on their helmet. The team … Read more
Ohio’s Cincinnati Bengals are a part of the NFL’s American Football Conference (AFC) and are a product of Pro Football Hall of Famer and Cleveland Browns founder Paul Brown. Under the ownership and guidance of Brown, Cincinnati was granted an expansion franchise in 1967 to bring the team back from a complicated history; the team stuck with the “Bengals” name as a … Read more
The San Francisco 49ers got their start in the ’40s – not in the NFL, but in the All-America Football Conference, a rival league to the NFL and one of its early competitors. Founder Tony Morabito worked hard to bring his idea of a San Francisco football team to fruition, and once he joined forces with a few … Read more
The Indianapolis Colts are an NFL franchise established in 1953. Originally located in Baltimore, the team played as members in the All-American Football Conference before merging into the National Football League (NFL). Just five years after their inception into the league, the team won the 1958 NFL championship – the first game ever to utilize the overtime rule. With friction … Read more
The Atlanta Falcons are a member of the NFL’s National Football Conference (NFC). They joined the league as an expansion team in 1965. Along with the Miami Dolphins, the Falcons are one of the oldest teams in the South. The Falcons, known as the Dirty Birds, reached the Super Bowl just once in 1998; they have yet to win the … Read more