In the grand tapestry of American sports, few leagues loom as large as the National Football League. The NFL has grown from humble roots to become a cultural juggernaut, captivating millions each week with its larger-than-life personalities and high-stakes drama. But before the billion-dollar TV deals and state-of-the-art stadiums, there was a time when the league’s very existence was a week-to-week proposition. The story of how the NFL’s teams came to be is one of grit, chance, and a healthy dose of quirk – a fascinating window into the making of a sports empire.
Birth of a League
The year was 1920, and professional football was still very much finding its footing. College football reigned supreme, and the notion of grown men playing the game for pay struck many as unseemly. But a motley crew of football enthusiasts saw potential in pro ball, and in Canton, Ohio, they laid the groundwork for what would become the NFL.
Of the original 11 teams, only two remain in the league today, albeit in very different forms. The Decatur Staleys would move to Chicago in 1921 and eventually become the Bears, one of the NFL’s most storied franchises. The other survivors were the Racine Street Cardinals, who called Chicago home before a World War II-era sojourn to Pittsburgh as the Card-Pitt Combine. The Cardinals would go on to call St. Louis and Phoenix home before settling in Arizona, making them the NFL’s ultimate nomads.
The Early Years
Those early days of the NFL were marked by instability and near-constant change. Teams popped up and folded at a dizzying pace, often taking on eyebrow-raising names like the Tonawanda Kardex and the Muncie Flyers. Even some of the era’s more established teams were a far cry from the polished operations we know today.
The Green Bay Packers, for instance, were founded in 1919 by Curly Lambeau, who funded the team with $500 from his employer, the Indian Packing Company. In exchange, Lambeau agreed to name the team after the company – a bit of corporate synergy unthinkable in today’s NFL.
— Curly Lambeau
As the league found surer footing in the 1930s, a new generation of teams began to take shape. The Pittsburgh Pirates (later the Steelers) and Philadelphia Eagles joined the fun, as did the Washington Redskins, who would undergo multiple name changes before settling on the Commanders in 2022. The Cleveland Rams, too, came aboard, though their stay in Ohio would prove short-lived.
Post-War Boom
It was in the years following World War II that the NFL truly began to resemble the league we know today. The Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, and Baltimore Colts (not to be confused with today’s Indianapolis Colts) all began play in the All-America Football Conference before merging into the NFL in 1950. The Los Angeles Rams, meanwhile, made the trek west from Cleveland, pioneering the cross-country relocation that would later become a staple of league business.
The 1960s brought a fresh batch of teams into the fold, many of whom remain NFL mainstays. The Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, and Atlanta Falcons all trace their origins to the early part of the decade, as do the Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals. The old AFL contributed a number of iconic franchises as well, including the Bills, Patriots, Broncos, and Chiefs.
Modern Era
As the NFL entered the modern era, expansion and relocation remained the order of the day. The Oakland Raiders made their debut in 1960, only to swap cities with the Baltimore Colts two decades later. The New Orleans Saints brought football to the Big Easy in 1967, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks came into existence in 1976.
- 1995 saw the advent of the Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars
- The Houston Texans became the NFL’s 32nd franchise in 2002
Through all the changes and upheaval, the core of the NFL has remained remarkably steady. Landmark franchises like the Bears, Packers, and Giants have been there from the start, lending the league a sense of continuity even as the world around it shifts. It’s a testament to the NFL’s enduring appeal that so many of its original teams are still going strong a century later, their histories forever intertwined with the story of the league itself.
