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Throughout its history, the National Football League and other leagues have used several different formats to determine their league champion, including a period of interleague match-ups determining a true world champion.

The NFL first determined champions through end-of-season standings, but switched to a playoff system in 1933. The rival All-America Football Conference and American Football League, which have since merged with the NFL (some AAFC teams in 1950, but because of a problem with the NFL-AAFC merger, AAFC championships games and records don't count in NFL record books. The AFL begun play in 1960 and used a playoff system to determine its champions like the league it was rivaling at time of formation.

From 19661969 prior to the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, the NFL and the AFL agreed to hold an ultimate championship game, first called the AFL-NFL World Championship game and later renamed the Super Bowl after 1968. The most important factor of the merger was the fact that the all ten AFL teams joined the NFL in 1970 and every AFL championship game and record count in NFL record books. Since the merger, the NFL has become the only major professional football league in the United States. The Super Bowl was originally a game between the AFL and the NFL but after the merger, the Super Bowl was retooled as the NFL's championship game. The old NFL Championship game became the NFC Championship Game, while the old AFL Championship became the AFC Championship Game. The NFL lists the old AFL/NFL championship games with 'new' AFC/NFC championship games in its record books. In the NFL's "modern era" (since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970) the Steelers have posted the best record in the league. The franchise has won the most total games, won the most divisional titles, earned the best winning percentage (including every expansion team), earned the most All-Pro nominations, and have accumulated the most Super Bowl wins (six) since the modern game started in 1970. It is 2nd overall in playoff wins and tied with the Miami Dolphins for most regular-season wins. Since the merger, the team's playoff record is 33-19 (.635), which is second best in terms of playoff winning percentage behind the Green Bay Packers' playoff record of 28-16 (.636), through 1/23/11

1920 – 1932: The early years[]

For a list of NFL standings champions prior to 1933, see List of NFL end-of-season champions

At its inception in {{nfly|1mike had no playoff system or championship game. The champion was the team with the best record during the season, determined by winning percentage, with ties omitted. This sometimes led to very odd results, as teams played anywhere from six to twenty league games in a season, and not all teams played the same number of games or against league talent. As a result, in the league's first six seasons, four league titles were disputed and had to be resolved by the league's executive committee. In 1920, the Akron Pros went undefeated, but two teams that had won more games (and who had both tied Akron), the Buffalo All-Americans and Decatur Staleys, petitioned the league for a share of the title; both teams' petitions were denied, and Akron was awarded the first (and only) Brunswick-Balke Collender Cup. The next was in the 1921 NFL season, between the same All-Americans and Staleys (with the latter now being based in Chicago). Buffalo had insisted that the last matchup between the two was an exhibition match not to be counted toward the standings; however, Chicago owner George Halas, as well as league management, insisted the game be counted in its standings (the league, at the time, did not recognize exhibition matches). The result was that although the two teams were effectively tied in the standings, the disputed game, having been played later, was given more weight and thus ended up being considered a de facto championship game. (Chicago also had one less tie game.) A nearly identical situation recurred in 1924, when Chicago tried the same tactic of a final game against the Cleveland Bulldogs, but the league ruled the opposite and declared the last game "post-season," giving the Bulldogs their third consecutive league title. The fourth and final disputed title was the 1925 NFL Championship controversy between the Pottsville Maroons and the Chicago Cardinals. The Maroons had been controversially suspended by the league at the end of the 1925 NFL season for an unauthorized game against a non-NFL team, allowing the Cardinals to throw together two fairly easy matches (one against a team consisting partly of high school players, also against league rules) to pass Pottsville in the standings. The league awarded the Cardinals the title, one of only two in the team's history, in a decision that continues to be disputed to this day, with Cardinals owners opposing any change in the record and the two current Pennsylvania teams in favor. No action has been taken by the league itself to address the issue, although a self-made championship trophy from the Maroons sits in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Ironically, it was Pottsville's win in this game against the Notre Dame All-Stars that gave professional football legitimacy over college football.

Part of the controversy over these stems from the criteria the league used to determine its champion. The league used a variation of win percentage as its criterion, in which the number of wins is divided by the sum of wins and losses. Ties were treated as if the game had never been played. The league began considering ties in its standings in 1974, counting them as half a win and half a loss; this was not applied retroactively. Had it been, it would have changed several championships: the Buffalo All-Americans would have won a share of the 1920 title, and the Duluth Kelleys would have tied for first place in 1924. Had win-loss differential, the standard used in baseball, been used, the 1924 title would have gone to yet another team: the Frankford Yellow Jackets, who were four games ahead of eventual champion Cleveland in the standings by that measure; the Decatur Staleys would have similarly won the 1920 title by virtue of being one game ahead of Buffalo.

In the 1932 season, the Chicago Bears and the Portsmouth Spartans tied with the best regular-season winning percentages (although the Green Bay Packers had four more wins). To determine the champion, the league voted to hold the first official playoff game in Chicago at Wrigley Field. Because of severe winter conditions before the game, and fear of low turnout, the game was held indoors at Chicago Stadium which forced some temporary rule changes. The game was played on a modified 80-yard dirt field, and Chicago won 9–0, winning the league championship. A number of new rule changes were instituted, many inspired by the 1932 indoor championship game: the goal posts were moved forward to the goal line, every play started from between the hash marks, and forward passes could originate from anywhere behind the line of scrimmage (instead of five yards behind). The playoff game proved so popular that the league reorganized into two divisions for the 1933 season, with the winnernj.///bv

1933 – 1966: The advent of the postseason[]

1933 – 1966: NFL Championship Game[]

For a list of NFL Championship Games and winners, see List of NFL champions

Starting in 1933, the NFL decided its champion through a single postseason playoff game, called the NFL Championship Game. During this period, the league divided its teams into two groups, through 1949 as divisions and from 1950 onward as conferences.

  • Divisions (1933–1949): Eastern and Western
  • Conferences (1950–1952): American and National
  • Conferences (1953–1966): Eastern and Western
  • Conferences and Divisions (1966–1969): Eastern (Capitol and Century) and Western (Central and Coastal)

The home team for the NFL Championship Game was determined by a yearly rotation between the conferences (or divisions), not by regular-season records. If there was a tie for first place within the conference, an extra playoff game determined which team played in the NFL Championship Game. (This occurred nine times in these 34 seasons: 1941, 1943, 1947, 1950 (both conferences), 1952, 1957, 1958, and 1965.)

This last occurred during the 1965 season, when the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Colts tied for first place in the Western Conference at 10-3-1. Green Bay had won both its games with Baltimore during the regular season, but because no tie-breaker system was in place, a conference playoff game was held on December 26 (what was scheduled to be an off-week between the end of the regular schedule and the NFL Championship Game). The Cleveland Browns, the Eastern champion at 11-3-0, did not play that week. The championship game was then held on its originally-scheduled date, January 2, 1966 --- the first time the NFL champion was crowned in January. Green Bay won both post-season games at home, beating the injury-riddled Colts (with third-string QB Tom Matte) in overtime by a controversial field goal, and taking the title 23–12 on a very muddy field (in what turned out to be Jim Brown's final NFL game).

For the 1960 through 1969 seasons, the NFL staged an additional postseason game called the "Playoff Bowl" (aka the "Bert Bell Benefit Bowl" or the "Runner-up Bowl"). These games matched the second-place teams from the two conferences; the CBS television network advertised them as "playoff games for third place in the NFL." All ten of these consolation games were played in the Orange Bowl in Miami in January, the week after the NFL championship game. The NFL now classifies these contests as exhibition games and does not include the records, participants, or results in the official league playoff statistics. The Playoff Bowl was discontinued after the AFL-NFL merger; the final edition was played in January 1970.

Starting with the 1934 game the winning team received the Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy. The trophy was named after Ed Thorp, a noted referee, rules expert, and sporting goods dealer. Thorp died in 1934 and a large, traveling trophy was made that year, passed along from champion to champion each season with each championship team's name inscribed on it. Teams would also receive a replica trophy. The trophy was last awarded to the Minnesota Vikings in 1969. The actual trophy, however, is now missing.[1]

Late in the 1940 season, NFL President Carl Storck announced that sudden death periods would be authorized for any playoff game needed to decide either division title. It was emphasized that this did not apply to the final championship game, which would crown co-champions in the event of a tie. [2] While a shared championship was deemed an acceptable solution, it must have become obvious that an elimination game leading to the championship must necessarily produce a winner. Commissioner Elmer Layden approved a similar arrangement for the 1941 season, with the same limitation. A coin toss would decide possession of the Ed Thorp trophy that accompanied the league title should the championship game result in a tie.[3]

Sudden death overtime was finally approved for the NFL championship game in 1946[4] and has remained in effect ever since.[5] [6] The first playoff game requiring overtime was the 1958 NFL Championship Game.

The 1955 and 1960 NFL championship games were played on Monday afternoons, Christmas having fallen on a Sunday in those years.

1946 – 1949: AAFC Championship Game[]

For a list of AAFC Championship Games and winners, see List of AAFC champions

The All-America Football Conference was created in June 1944 to compete against the NFL. Even though the league outdrew the NFL in attendance, the continuing dominance of the Cleveland Browns led to the league's downfall.

For its first three seasons, the league was divided into two divisions: Eastern and Western (1946–1948). The league had no divisions in 1949. The site of the championship game during the first three was determined just as it was in the NFL --- a divisional rotation. In 1949, the league held a four-team playoff, with home field based upon won-lost record.

The Browns, led by Quarterback Otto Graham, won all four of the league championship games.

A tiebreaker playoff game was played in 1948 to break a tie between the Baltimore Colts and Buffalo Bills (AAFC) for the Eastern Division championship. Semifinal playoff games were held in 1949, setting up a championship final between the first-place Browns and the second-place San Francisco 49ers.

In 1948, the Browns became the first professional football team to complete an entire season undefeated and untied — 24 years before the 1972 Miami Dolphins of the NFL would accomplish the task, but this feat is not recognized by NFL record books. Unlike the AFL statistics which are treated as NFL statistics, records of the AAFC and its teams (most of which folded) are not recognized. However, individual AAFC player statistics are included in Pro Football Hall of Fame records, and the defunct conference is memorialized in the Hall.

1960 – 1966: AFL Championship Game[]

For a list of AFL Championship Games and winners, see List of AFL champions

With its creation in 1960, the AFL determined its champion via a single playoff game between the winners of its two divisions, the Eastern and Western. The AFL Championship games featured classics such as the 1962 double-overtime championship game between the Dallas Texans and the defending champion Houston Oilers. At the time it was the longest professional football championship game ever played. Also in 1963, an Eastern Division playoff was needed to determine the division winner between the Boston Patriots and Buffalo Bills.

1966 – 1969: NFL vs. AFL - The beginning of the Super Bowl era[]

For a list of AFL Championship Games and winners, see List of AFL champions
For a list of NFL Championship Games and winners, see List of NFL champions
For a list of AFL-NFL World Championship games, see List of AFL-NFL World champions

In 1966, the success of the rival AFL, the spectre of the NFL's losing more stars to the AFL, and concern over a costly "bidding war" for players precipitated by the NFL's Giants' signing of Pete Gogolak, who was under contract to the AFL's Buffalo Bills, led the two leagues to discuss a merger. Pivotal to this was approval by Congress of a law (PL 89-800) that would waive jeopardy to anti-trust statutes for the merged leagues. The major point of the testimony given by the leagues to obtain the law was that if the merger were permitted, "Professional football operations will be preserved in the 23 cities and 25 stadiums where such operations are presently being conducted." The merger was announced on June 8, 1966, and became fully effective in 1970.

After expanding to enfranchise the New Orleans Saints in 1967, the NFL split its 16 teams into two conferences with two divisions each: the Capitol and Century Divisions in the Eastern Conference, and the Coastal and Central Divisions in the Western Conference. The playoff format was expanded from a single championship game to a four-team tournament, with the four divisional champions participating. The two division winners in each conference met in the "Conference Championships," with the winners advancing to the NFL Championship Game. Again, the home team for each playoff game was determined by a yearly divisional or conference rotation.

The AFL on the other hand, raised its total franchise number to nine in 1966 with the Miami Dolphins, joining the Eastern Division and a tenth team, the Cincinnati Bengals in 1968. The league kept using the one-game-playoff format except when division tie-breakers were needed. With the addition of the Bengals to the Western Division in 1969, the AFL adopted a four-team playoff to determine its champion.

Following the NFL and AFL Championship Games for the 1966 through 1969 seasons, the NFL champion played the AFL champion in Super Bowls I through IV, the only true inter-league championship games in the history of professional football. The first two of these games were known as the AFL-NFL World Championship Game, as the title Super Bowl was not chosen until 1968. Thus the third AFL-NFL matchup was dubbed "Super Bowl III" and the first two matches were retronamed as Super Bowls I and II. The first two games were convincingly won by the NFL's Packers, the last two by the AFL's New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs, leaving the leagues even at 2-2 in "World Championship" competition when they subsequently merged.

All participants in those four AFL-NFL championship games were either AFL champions or NFL champions in the record books, no matter the outcome of the Super Bowl. Three of the four league champions who lost one of the first four Super Bowls would eventually win at least one. The exception is the Minnesota Vikings which went to three others and lost all of them.

1970 – present: The Super Bowl era[]

For a complete list of post-merger Super Bowl winners, see List of Super Bowl champions.

Post Merger[]

After the 1969 season and Super Bowl IV, the AFL and NFL fully merged and underwent a re-alignment for the 1970 season. Three of the pre-merger NFL teams were transferred to the AFC (Browns, Colts, and Steelers) to level the conferences (AFC and NFC) at 13 teams each; each conference split into three divisions. Since there was now only one league, the Super Bowl became a league championship and the winner is the NFL champion.

With only six division winners in the newly merged league, the NFL designed an eight-team playoff tournament, with four clubs from each conference qualifying. Along with the three division winners in each conference, two wild card teams (one from each conference), the second-place finishers with the best records in each conference, were added to the tournament. The first round was named the "Divisional Playoffs," the winners advancing to the "Conference Championships" (AFC & NFC). Two weeks later, the AFC and NFC champions met in the Super Bowl, now the league's championship game. Thus, Super Bowl V in January 1971 was the first Super Bowl played for the NFL title.

With the introduction of the wild card, a rule was instituted to prohibit two teams from the same division (champion and wild card) from meeting in the first-round (Divisional Playoffs). This rule would remain in effect through the 1989 season. More significantly, the home teams in the playoffs were still decided by a yearly divisional rotation, not on regular-season records (excluding the wild-card teams, who would always play on the road). This lack of "home-field advantage" was most evident in the 1972 playoffs, when the undefeated Miami Dolphins played the AFC Championship Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who had recorded three losses during the regular season, at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.

Beginning in 1972, tie games were included in the computing of each team's winning percentage. Each tie was then counted as half of a win and half of a loss, rather than being omitted from the computation. In the past the NFL used to disregard any tie games played when they computed the standings, basing it on win/loss percentage with any ties thrown out and ignored. There were no overtime games played during the regular season.

The institution of "home-field advantage"[]

In 1975, the league modified its 1970 playoff format by instituting a seeding system. The surviving clubs with the higher seeds were made the home teams for each playoff round. The three division champions in each conference were seeded first through third based on their regular-season records, with the wild-card team in each conference as the fourth seed.

Teams that earned the top seed became known as clinching "home-field advantage" throughout the playoffs, since they played all of their playoff games at their home stadium (except for the Super Bowl, played at a neutral site).

However, the league continued to prohibit meetings between teams from the same division in the Divisional Playoffs. Thus, there would be times when the pairing in that round would pit the first seed versus the third, and the second versus the fourth. This system is identical to that now in use by Major League Baseball.

Further playoff expansion[]

The league expanded the playoffs to 10 teams in 1978, adding a second wild-card team (a fifth seed) from each conference. The two wild-card teams from each conference (the fourth and fifth seeds) played each other in the first round, called the "Wild Card Playoffs." The division winners (the first three seeds) would then receive a bye to automatically advance to the Divisional Playoffs, which became the second round of the playoffs. In the divisional round, much like the 1970 playoff format, teams from the same division were still prohibited from playing each other, regardless of seeding. Under the 1978 format, teams from the same division could meet only in the wild-card round or the conference championship. Thus, as before, a divisional champion could only play a divisional foe in the conference championship game.

A players' strike shortened the 1982 season to nine games. The league used a special 16-team playoff tournament for that year. The top eight teams from each conference qualified (ignoring the divisional races—there were no division standings, and in some cases 2 teams from the same division did not play each other at all that season). The playoffs reverted to the 1978 format in the following year.

In 1990, the NFL expanded the playoffs to twelve teams by adding a third wild-card team (a sixth seed) from each conference. The restrictions on intra-division playoff games during the Divisional Playoffs were removed. However, only the top two division winners in each conference (the 1 and 2 seeds) received byes and automatically advanced to the Divisional Playoffs as host teams. The 3 seed, the division winner with the worst regular season record in each conference, would then host the 6 seed in the Wild Card Playoffs.

In 2002, the NFL realigned into eight divisions, four per conference, to accommodate a 32nd team, the Houston Texans. The playoffs remained a 12-team tournament, with four division winners (the 1, 2, 3, and 4 seeds) and two wild cards (the 5 and 6 seeds) from each conference advancing to the playoffs. Again, only the top two division winners in each conference would automatically advance to the Divisional Playoffs, while everybody else had to play in the Wild Card round. Furthermore, the league still maintains the names "Wild Card Playoffs," "Divisional Playoffs," and "Conference Championships" for the first, second, and third rounds of the playoffs, respectively.

A proposal to expand the playoffs to 14 teams by adding a third wild card team (a seventh seed) from each conference, and only giving the 1 seeds the bye in the first round, was tabled by the league owners in 2003.[7]

Championship games per season[]

Below is a list of Professional Football champions per season as recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

APFA/NFL Standings Champions (1920 – 1932)[]

(For the first thirteen seasons, the APFA/NFL did not hold a championship game except in 1932 when a playoff game was held, the precursor to the championship game; from 1920–1971, the NFL did not officially include tie games in the winning percentage.)

Season League Team Win Loss Tie Pct.
1920[8] APFA Akron Pros (1)
8
0
3
1.000
1921 APFA Chicago Staleys[9] (1)
9
1
1
.900
1922 NFL Canton Bulldogs (1)
10
0
2
1.000
1923 NFL Canton Bulldogs (2)
11
0
1
1.000
1924 NFL Cleveland Bulldogs (1)
7
1
1
.875
1925 NFL Chicago Cardinals (1)
11
2
1
.846
1926 NFL Frankford Yellow Jackets (1)
14
1
2
.933
1927 NFL New York Giants (1)
11
1
1
.917
1928 NFL Providence Steam Roller (1)
8
1
2
.889
1929 NFL Green Bay Packers (1)
12
0
1
1.000
1930 NFL Green Bay Packers (2)
10
3
1
.769
1931 NFL Green Bay Packers (3)
12
2
0
.857
1932 NFL Chicago Bears (2)
7
1
6
.875

NFL Championship Game (1933 – 1945)[]

(The NFL begins having a championship game)

Season League Winning Team Score Losing Team Venue Attendance
1933 NFL Chicago Bears (3) 23–21 New York Giants Wrigley Field 26,000
1934 NFL New York Giants (2) 30–13 Chicago Bears Polo Grounds 35,059
1935 NFL Detroit Lions (1) 26–7 New York Giants University of Detroit Stadium 15,000
1936 NFL Green Bay Packers (4) 21–6 Boston Redskins Polo Grounds (New York, NY) 29,545
1937 NFL Washington Redskins (1) 28–21 Chicago Bears Wrigley Field 15,870
1938 NFL New York Giants (3) 23–17 Green Bay Packers Polo Grounds 48,120
1939 NFL Green Bay Packers (5) 27–0 New York Giants Wisconsin State Fair Park (West Allis, WI) 32,279
1940 NFL Chicago Bears (4) 73–0 Washington Redskins Griffith Stadium 36,034
1941 NFL Chicago Bears (5) 37–9 New York Giants Wrigley Field 13,341
1942 NFL Washington Redskins (2) 14–6 Chicago Bears Griffith Stadium 36,006
1943 NFL Chicago Bears (6) 41–21 Washington Redskins Wrigley Field 34,320
1944 NFL Green Bay Packers (6) 14–7 New York Giants Polo Grounds 46,016
1945 NFL Cleveland Rams (1) 15–14 Washington Redskins Cleveland Municipal Stadium 32,178

NFL Championship Game and AAFC Championship Game (1946 – 1949)[]

(Between 1946 and 1949 both the NFL and AAFC were in operation with the merger of the AAFC into the NFL taking place in 1950.)

Season League Winning Team Score Losing Team Venue Attendance
1946 AAFC Cleveland Browns (1) 14–9 New York Yankees Cleveland Municipal Stadium 41,181
NFL Chicago Bears (7) 24–14 New York Giants Polo Grounds 58,346
1947 AAFC Cleveland Browns (2) 14–3 New York Yankees Yankee Stadium 60,103
NFL Chicago Cardinals (2) 28–21 Philadelphia Eagles Comiskey Park 30,759
1948 AAFC Cleveland Browns (3) 49–7 Buffalo Bills Cleveland Municipal Stadium 22,981
NFL Philadelphia Eagles (1) 7–0 Chicago Cardinals Shibe Park 36,309
1949 AAFC Cleveland Browns (4) 21–7 San Francisco 49ers Cleveland Municipal Stadium 22,550
NFL Philadelphia Eagles (2) 14–0 Los Angeles Rams Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 27,980

NFL Championship Game (1950 – 1959)[]

(Between 1950 and 1959 the NFL was the only operating league with former AAFC franchises the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, and Baltimore Colts joining the NFL. The number in the parentheses is the total number of NFL championships and the bolded number in parentheses is the total number of league championships.)

Year League Winning Team Score Losing Team Venue Attendance
1950 NFL Cleveland Browns[10] (1) (5) 30–28 Los Angeles Rams Cleveland Municipal Stadium 29,751
1951 NFL Los Angeles Rams (2) 24–17 Cleveland Browns Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 57,522
1952 NFL Detroit Lions (2) 17–7 Cleveland Browns Cleveland Municipal Stadium 50,934
1953 NFL Detroit Lions (3) 17–16 Cleveland Browns Briggs Stadium 54,577
1954 NFL Cleveland Browns (2) (6) 56–10 Detroit Lions Cleveland Municipal Stadium 43,827
1955 NFL Cleveland Browns (3) (7) 38–14 Los Angeles Rams Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 85,693
1956 NFL New York Giants (4) 47–7 Chicago Bears Yankee Stadium 56,836
1957 NFL Detroit Lions (4) 59–14 Cleveland Browns Briggs Stadium 55,263
1958 NFL Baltimore Colts (1) 23–17 (OT) New York Giants Yankee Stadium 64,185
1959 NFL Baltimore Colts (2) 31–16 New York Giants Memorial Stadium 57,545

AFL Championship Game and NFL Championship Game (1960 – 1965)[]

(The NFL was joined by the American Football League from 1960 to 1969 with the AFL merging with the NFL in 1970. The number in the parentheses is the total number of NFL or AFL championships and the bolded number in parentheses is the total number of league championships.)

Season League Winning Team Score Losing Team Venue Attendance
1960 AFL Houston Oilers (1) 24–16 Los Angeles Chargers Jeppesen Stadium 32,183
NFL Philadelphia Eagles (3) 17–13 Green Bay Packers Franklin Field 67,325
1961 AFL Houston Oilers (2) 10–3 San Diego Chargers Balboa Stadium 29,556
NFL Green Bay Packers (7) 37–0 New York Giants "New" City Stadium 39,029
1962 AFL Dallas Texans (1) 20–17 (2OT) Houston Oilers Jeppesen Stadium 37,981
NFL Green Bay Packers (8) 16–7 New York Giants Yankee Stadium 64,892
1963 AFL San Diego Chargers (1) 51–10 Boston Patriots Balboa Stadium 30,127
NFL Chicago Bears (8) 14–10 New York Giants Wrigley Field 45,801
1964 AFL Buffalo Bills (1) 20–7 San Diego Chargers War Memorial Stadium 40,242
NFL Cleveland Browns (4) (8) 27–0 Baltimore Colts Cleveland Municipal Stadium 79,544
1965 AFL Buffalo Bills (2) 23–0 San Diego Chargers Balboa Stadium 30,361
NFL Green Bay Packers (9) 23–12 Cleveland Browns Lambeau Field 50,777

AFL Championship Game and NFL Championship Game (1966–1969)[]

(In 1966, NFL and AFL agreed to merge and play an ultimate championship game between the two leagues entitled NFL-AFL World Championship game. The merger however didn't formally take place until 1970, because of this the NFL-AFL championship games unofficially became an additional qualifying round in the playoffs as there was still one more game to play in the season for the winner of the AFL-NFL championship games. Officially these games were still main championship in both leagues but with creation of NFL-AFL World Championship game that eventually would be known as Super Bowl. Inclusion of these eight AFL-NFL Championship games is problematical in overall listing of Most World Championships/league championships, therefore they are generally not included in the overall records.[11][12][13][14][15][16]

After the merger the AFL-NFL Championship games were replaced/retooled as/with AFC Championship game and NFC Championship game.'

Since these AFL-NFL Championships are generally not included in overall World Championship/league Championship list, because of this there are no number given in parentheses counting them.).

Season League Winning Team Score Losing Team Venue Attendance
1966 AFL Kansas City Chiefs 31–7 Buffalo Bills War Memorial Stadium 42,080
NFL Green Bay Packers 34–27 Dallas Cowboys Cotton Bowl 74,152
1967 AFL Oakland Raiders 40–7 Houston Oilers Oakland Coliseum 53,330
NFL Green Bay Packers 21–17 Dallas Cowboys Lambeau Field 50,861
1968 AFL New York Jets 27–23 Oakland Raiders Shea Stadium 62,627
NFL Baltimore Colts 34–0 Cleveland Browns Cleveland Municipal Stadium 78,410
1969 AFL Kansas City Chiefs 17–7 Oakland Raiders Oakland Coliseum 53,561
NFL Minnesota Vikings 27–7 Cleveland Browns Metropolitan Stadium 46,503

Super Bowl Championship (1966 – present)[]

(The creation of Super Bowl was the first sign of AFL-NFL merger. The first four Super Bowls served as inter-league championship games because of these inter-league championship games this created some confusion amongst football fans that there was a special World Championship series in the pre-merger era. After the merger, the Super Bowl became the NFL's championship game.

The number in the parentheses is the total number of Super Bowl championships and the bolded number in parentheses is the total number of league championships.)

Season League Game Winning Team Score Losing Team Venue Attendance
1966 NFL
AFL
I Green Bay Packers (1) (10) 35–10 Kansas City Chiefs Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 61,946
1967 NFL
AFL
II Green Bay Packers (2) (11) 33–14 Oakland Raiders Miami Orange Bowl 75,546
1968 NFL
AFL
III New York Jets (1) (1) 16–7 Baltimore Colts Miami Orange Bowl 75,389
1969 NFL
AFL
IV Kansas City Chiefs (1) (2) 23–7 Minnesota Vikings Tulane Stadium, New Orleans 80,562
1970 NFL V Baltimore Colts (1) (3) 16–13 Dallas Cowboys Miami Orange Bowl 79,204
1971 NFL VI Dallas Cowboys (1) (1) 24–3 Miami Dolphins Tulane Stadium 81,023
1972 NFL VII Miami Dolphins (1) (1) 14–7 Washington Redskins Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 90,182
1973 NFL VIII Miami Dolphins (2) (2) 24–7 Minnesota Vikings Rice Stadium 71,882
1974 NFL IX Pittsburgh Steelers (1) (1) 16–6 Minnesota Vikings Tulane Stadium 80,997
1975 NFL X Pittsburgh Steelers (2) (2) 21–17 Dallas Cowboys Miami Orange Bowl 80,187
1976 NFL XI Oakland Raiders (1) (1) 32–14 Minnesota Vikings Rose Bowl Stadium 103,438
1977 NFL XII Dallas Cowboys (2) (2) 27–10 Denver Broncos Louisiana Superdome 76,400
1978 NFL XIII Pittsburgh Steelers (3) (3) 35–31 Dallas Cowboys Miami Orange Bowl 79,484
1979 NFL XIV Pittsburgh Steelers (4) (4) 31–19 Los Angeles Rams Rose Bowl Stadium 103,985
1980 NFL XV Oakland Raiders (2) (2) 27–10 Philadelphia Eagles Louisiana Superdome 76,135
1981 NFL XVI San Francisco 49ers (1) (1) 26–21 Cincinnati Bengals Pontiac Silverdome 81,270
1982 NFL XVII Washington Redskins (1) (3) 27–17 Miami Dolphins Rose Bowl Stadium 103,667
1983 NFL XVIII Los Angeles Raiders (3) (3) 38–9 Washington Redskins Tampa Stadium 72,920
1984 NFL XIX San Francisco 49ers (2) (2) 38–16 Miami Dolphins Stanford Stadium 84,059
1985 NFL XX Chicago Bears (1) (9) 46–10 New England Patriots Louisiana Superdome 73,818
1986 NFL XXI New York Giants (1) (5) 39–20 Denver Broncos Rose Bowl Stadium 101,063
1987 NFL XXII Washington Redskins (2) (4) 42–10 Denver Broncos Jack Murphy Stadium 73,302
1988 NFL XXIII San Francisco 49ers (3) (3) 20–16 Cincinnati Bengals Joe Robbie Stadium 75,129
1989 NFL XXIV San Francisco 49ers (4) (4) 55–10 Denver Broncos Louisiana Superdome 72,919
1990 NFL XXV New York Giants (2) (6) 20–19 Buffalo Bills Tampa Stadium 73,813
1991 NFL XXVI Washington Redskins (3) (5) 37–24 Buffalo Bills Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 63,130
1992 NFL XXVII Dallas Cowboys (3) (3) 52–17 Buffalo Bills Rose Bowl Stadium 98,374
1993 NFL XXVIII Dallas Cowboys (4) (4) 30–13 Buffalo Bills Georgia Dome 72,817
1994 NFL XXIX San Francisco 49ers (5) (5) 49–26 San Diego Chargers Joe Robbie Stadium 74,107
1995 NFL XXX Dallas Cowboys (5) (5) 27–17 Pittsburgh Steelers Sun Devil Stadium 76,347
1996 NFL XXXI Green Bay Packers (3) (12) 35–21 New England Patriots Louisiana Superdome 72,301
1997 NFL XXXII Denver Broncos (1) (1) 31–24 Green Bay Packers Qualcomm Stadium 68,912
1998 NFL XXXIII Denver Broncos (2) (2) 34–19 Atlanta Falcons Pro Player Stadium 74,803
1999 NFL XXXIV St. Louis Rams (1) (3) 23–16 Tennessee Titans Georgia Dome 72,625
2000 NFL XXXV Baltimore Ravens (1) (1) 34–7 New York Giants Raymond James Stadium 71,921
2001 NFL XXXVI New England Patriots (1) (1) 20–17 St. Louis Rams Louisiana Superdome 72,922
2002 NFL XXXVII Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1) (1) 48–21 Oakland Raiders Qualcomm Stadium 67,603
2003 NFL XXXVIII New England Patriots (2) (2) 32–29 Carolina Panthers Reliant Stadium 71,525
2004 NFL XXXIX New England Patriots (3) (3) 24–21 Philadelphia Eagles ALLTEL Stadium 78,125
2005 NFL XL Pittsburgh Steelers (5) (5) 21–10 Seattle Seahawks Ford Field 68,206
2006 NFL XLI Indianapolis Colts (2) (4) 29–17 Chicago Bears Dolphin Stadium 74,512
2007 NFL XLII New York Giants (3) (7) 17-14 New England Patriots University of Phoenix Stadium 71,101
2008 NFL XLIII Pittsburgh Steelers (6) (6) 27-23 Arizona Cardinals Raymond James Stadium 70,774
2009 NFL XLIV New Orleans Saints (1) (1) 31-17 Indianapolis Colts Sun Life Stadium 74,059
2010 NFL XLV Green Bay Packers (4) (13) 31-25 Pittsburgh Steelers Cowboys Stadium 103,219

List of various league/world championship game systems[]

Current NFL Championship system Inter-league/World Championship system Defunct league championship system
League Official Name Common Name First year Last year Trophy name
NFL NFL Champion
(No championship game played)
NFL Champion 1920 1932 Brunswick-Balke Collender Cup, 1922
None, 1923–32
NFL Championship Game NFL Championship 1933 1965 Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy
AAFC AAFC Championship Game AAFC Championship 1946 1949 AAFC Trophy
AFL AFL Championship Game AFL Championship 1960 1969 AFL Trophy
AFL
NFL
AFL-NFL World Championship Game World Championship of Pro Football
AFL-NFL World Championship Game
Super Bowl
1966 1969 World Championship Game Trophy/
Vince Lombardi Trophy
NFL Super Bowl
"(Modern) NFL Championship"
Super Bowl
World Championship
(Modern) NFL Championship
1970 Present

Undefeated regular seasons and "perfect seasons" in professional football[]

Perfect Season
League Season Franchise Regular Season Post Season Result(s) Recognition
Wins Losses Ties Pct. Finish
NFL 1920 Akron Pros* 8 0 3 1.000 1st NFL No Post-Season - Championship by league vote. NFL: No
HOF: No
1922 Canton Bulldogs* 10 0 2 1.000 1st NFL No Post-Season - Championship by standings NFL: No
HOF: No
1923 Canton Bulldogs* 11 0 1 1.000 1st NFL No Post-Season - Championship by standings NFL: No
HOF: No
1929 Green Bay Packers* 12 0 1 1.000 1st NFL No Post-Season - Championship by standings NFL: No
HOF: No
1934 Chicago Bears 13 0 0 1.000 1st NFL West Lost NFL Championship (Giants) (13-30) NFL: Yes
HOF: Yes
1942 Chicago Bears 11 0 0 1.000 1st NFL West Lost NFL Championship (Redskins) (6-14) NFL: Yes
HOF: Yes
AAFC 1948 Cleveland Browns 14 0 0 1.000 1st AAFC West Won AAFC championship (Bills) (49-7) NFL: No
HOF: Yes
NFL 1972 Miami Dolphins 14 0 0 1.000 1st AFC East Won Divisional Playoffs (Browns) (20-14)
Won Conference Championship (Steelers) (21-17)
Won Super Bowl VII (Redskins) (14-7)
NFL: Yes
HOF: Yes
NFL 2007 New England Patriots 16 0 0 1.000 1st AFC East Won Divisional Playoffs (Jaguars) (31-20)
Won Conference Championship (Chargers) (21-12)
Lost Super Bowl XLII (New York Giants) (17-14)
NFL: Yes
HOF: Yes

(*)*Because the NFL did not count tied games in league standings until 1972 (when ties were added to past standings retroactively), these seasons were considered to be "perfect" at the time they finished. Because the rules existing at the times of those championships did not give the teams involved any incentive to avoid tie games in order to maintain a "perfect" season, the accuracy of calling these seasons "imperfect" is still disputed.

Number of Championships by franchise (1920-present)[]

On this list, is overall counting of championships since APFA (NFL) was originally formed in 1920 and up to 1965. Its also counts the championships of its most storied rival leagues AAFC (1945–1949) and AFL (1960–1965). AFL-NFL titles from 1966-1969 are not counted since in 1966 AFL and NFL agreed to play an ultimate championship game that eventually would become known as the Super Bowl, in part of the merger deal that was finalized in 1970.

The Most Successful franchises

  • (*) – Does not include the AFL or NFL Championships won during the same seasons as the AFL-NFL Super Bowl Championships from 1966 prior to the 1970 AFL-NFL Merger, nether for the winning or losing team of the Super Bowl.
  • (†) – Defunct NFL franchises
  • (#) – Current NFL Champion
Franchise NFL Championships AFL Championships AAFC Championships Super Bowls Total
Green Bay Packers# 9* 4 13
Chicago Bears 8 1 9
Cleveland Browns 4 4[17] 8
New York Giants 4 3 7
Pittsburgh Steelers 6 6
Washington Redskins 2 3 5
Dallas Cowboys 5 5
San Francisco 49ers 5 5
Detroit Lions 4 4
Indianapolis Colts 2* 2 4
Oakland Raiders * 3 3
Philadelphia Eagles 3 3
St. Louis Rams 2 1 3
New England Patriots 3 3
Arizona Cardinals 2 2
Canton Bulldogs 2 2
Kansas City Chiefs 1* 1 2
Buffalo Bills 2 2
Tennessee Titans 2 2
Denver Broncos 2 2
Miami Dolphins 2 2
Akron Pros 1 1
Cleveland Bulldogs 1 1
Frankford Yellow Jackets 1 1
Providence Steam Roller 1 1
New York Jets * 1 1
San Diego Chargers 1 1
Baltimore Ravens 1 1
New Orleans Saints 1 1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1 1
Minnesota Vikings * 0

Pro Football Dynasties[]

Franchise Years League League Championships (Years) Notes
Green Bay Packers 1929–1931 NFL 3 (1929, 1930, 1931) Three NFL consecutive championships (first time)
Chicago Bears 1940–1946 NFL 4 (1940, 1941, 1943, 1946) Three NFL Championships in four years; Four NFL Championships in seven years; five NFL Championship Game appearances (1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1946). Perfect regular season in 1942.
Cleveland Browns 1946–1957 AAFC
NFL
7 (1946, 1947, 1948, 1949,
1950, 1954, 1955)
Four AAFC Championships and three NFL Championships; Ten consecutive AAFC or NFL Championship Game appearances (1946–1955); 11 AAFC or NFL conference championships in 12 years (1946–1955, '57); Perfect season in '47
Detroit Lions 1952–1957 NFL 3 (1952, 1953, 1957) Three NFL Championships; four NFL Championship Game appearances in six years
Green Bay Packers 1961–1967 NFL 5 (1961, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1967) Five NFL Championships in seven years including Super Bowl I and II (World Championship Games); Three straight NFL Championships (second time)
Pittsburgh Steelers 1974–1979 NFL 4 (1974, 1975, 1978, 1979) Four Super Bowls in 6 years; six straight division titles; 8 straight playoff berths; 10 Hall of Famers and a 4 Hall of Famer draft class in 1974, only team with as many in a single class, only head coach to win more than 3 Super Bowls (Chuck Noll), only team to win back-to-back Super Bowls multiple times.
San Francisco 49ers 1981–1994 NFL 5 (1981, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1994) Four Super Bowls in nine years, Five total Super Bowls in fourteen years; Five straight division titles (once),
Four straight division titles (once); Thirteen total NFC West division titles; Sixteen straight winning seasons,
Seventeen of eighteen winning seasons during era. Sixteen consecutive seasons of 10 wins or more. Only team with 5-0 Super Bowl record.
Dallas Cowboys 1991–1995 NFL 3 (1992, 1993, 1995) First team to win three Super Bowls in four years; three NFC Championships in four straight appearances;
five straight NFC East division championships, six total NFC East titles
New England Patriots 2001–2007 NFL 3 (2001, 2003, 2004) Appearances in four Super Bowls in seven years; five AFC Championship Game appearances in seven years; five AFC East division titles in six years, winnings streaks of 18 and 21 straight games, first perfect regular season in 35 years but lost to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl XLII (first undefeated regular season in salary cap era)

Footnotes[]

  1. For more information on the trophy visit
  2. New York Times, November 19,1940. Novel Plan Adopted to Decide Play-Offs, p. 22
  3. New York Times, December 2, 1941. Play-Off Plans Given by Layden, p. 33.
  4. New York Times, April 30, 1946. Danzig, Allison, Pro Giants To Play Seven Home Games, p. 27.
  5. New York Times, December 18, 1948, Cards And Eagles Evenly Matched, p. 17.
  6. New York Times, December 11, 1950, Sudden Death Overtime For Play-Off Contests, p. 33
  7. For more information on the proposed playoff expansion visit
  8. No official standings were maintained for the 1920 season, and the championship was awarded to the Akron Pros in a league meeting on April 30, 1921. Clubs played schedules that included games against non-league opponents.
  9. Became the Chicago Bears in 1922
  10. When the Browns joined the NFL in 1950, their championship victory was their first in their NFL tenure hence why the number one is in parentheses in bolded number, but overall record is five, which reflects both NFL and AAFC championships as Pro-Football Hall-of-fame recognize Browns AAFC record.
  11. http://www.packers.com/history/super-bowls-and-championships.html
  12. http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=football_dynamic&id=174.
  13. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/nyj/1968.htm
  14. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/min/
  15. http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/history/yearly-full
  16. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/
  17. Official NFL record books do not recognize the 4 AAFC Championships by the Cleveland Browns franchise. However, the Pro Football Hall of Fame does list them as a part of the 8 total league championships by the Browns

See also[]


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