This timeline of the National Football League tracks franchises from the early days of the league, through merger with the 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 - Before the Playoffs [ ]
1920 [ ]
The American Professional Football Association is formed. The fourteen teams were mainly drawn from the Ohio League or the New York Pro Football League . A $100 membership fee was charged. The Chicago Tigers folded after season.[1]
^ Team folded this Season
1921 [ ]
Number of teams increased to 21. Four teams lasted only one season. Three other franchises folded.
First Season in APFA *
Team folded this Season ^
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 *
Team folded this Season ^
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.
1925 Name Changes
1924 Team Name
1925 Team Name
Kansas City Blues
Kansas City Cowboys
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
Old 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. Even the Frankford Yellow Jackets had to fold midway through the season.
First Season in NFL *
Last Active Season ^
Early Playoff Era [ ]
1932 [ ]
The Boston Braves (now Washington Redskins ) enfranchised.
First Season in NFL *
Team folded this Season ^
1933 [ ]
Three new teams enfranchised:
Cincinnati Reds
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Pirates (now Pittsburgh Steelers)
League split into Eastern and Western Divisions .
1933 Name Change
Old 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
Old 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 (now St. Louis 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
Old Team Name
1944 Team Name
Brooklyn Dodgers
Brooklyn Tigers
First Season in 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
Old 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.
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
1952 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 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
New York Giants move to Capitol Division
New Orleans Saints move to Century Division
Century Division moves to Western Conference
Central Division moves to Eastern Conference
1969 [ ]
New York Giants move to Century Division
New Orleans moves 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 becomes AFC Central
NFL Capitol Division becomes NFC East
NFL Central Division becomes NFC Central
NFL Coastal Division becomes NFC West
Baltimore moves to AFC East
Houston moves to AFC Central
Cincinnati moves to AFC Central
St. Louis moves to NFC East
New York Giants move to NFC East
New Orleans moves to NFC West
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 [ ]
Baltimore Colts move to Indianapolis
1988-1993 [ ]
St. Louis Cardinals move to Phoenix
1994 [ ]
Phoenix Cardinals renamed Arizona Cardinals
1995 [ ]
Jacksonville Jaguars enfranchised
Carolina Panthers enfranchised
Los Angeles Raiders move back to Oakland
Los Angeles Rams move to St. Louis
First Season in NFL *
Team deactivated till 1999 §
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 Tennesee Oilers. They play the 1997 and 1998 seasons in Memphis while a new stadium is built in Nashville.
1999-2001 [ ]
Cleveland Browns franchise reinstated
Tennessee Oilers renamed Tennessee Titans
The 2000s - Realignment [ ]
2002-present [ ]
The NFL realigns to create four divisions with four teams each in both conferences.
Arizona and Seattle 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
References [ ]
See also [ ]
History of the National Football League