The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence. It was more successful than earlier rivals to the NFL with the same name, the 1926, 1936 and 1940 leagues, and the later All-America Football Conference.
The World Football League (WFL) was an American football league that played one full season in 1974 and most of its second in 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest the WFL reached was placing a team – the Hawaiians – in Honolulu, Hawaii. The league folded midway through its second season, in 1975. A new minor football league began play as the World Football League in 2008 after acquiring the rights to its trademarks and intellectual property; it folded in 2011.
Harold Warren Moon is an American former gridiron football quarterback who played professionally for 23 seasons. He spent the majority of his career with the Houston Oilers of the National Football League (NFL) and the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL). In the NFL, Moon also played for the Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, and Kansas City Chiefs.
Kenneth Stanley "Bud" Adams, Jr. was an American businessman who was the founder and owner of the Tennessee Titans, a National Football League franchise. A member of the Cherokee Nation who originally made his fortune in the petroleum business, Adams was chairman and CEO of Adams Resources & Energy Inc., a wholesale supplier of oil and natural gas. He was instrumental in the founding and establishment of the former American Football League. Adams became a charter AFL owner with the establishment of the current Titans franchise, which was originally known as the Houston Oilers. He was the senior owner with his team in the National Football League, a few months ahead of Buffalo Bills' owner Ralph Wilson. Adams also was one of the owners of the Houston Mavericks of the American Basketball Association and the owner of the second Nashville Kats franchise of the Arena Football League. He was elected to the American Football League Hall of Fame, an online site, but as of 2018 is not a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, despite several nominations and an ongoing effort to make him such.
John Perry Pardee was an American football linebacker and the only head coach to helm a team in college football, the National Football League (NFL), the United States Football League (USFL), the World Football League (WFL), and the Canadian Football League (CFL). Pardee was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1986.
The 1987 NFL season was the 68th regular season of the National Football League. This season featured games predominantly played by replacement players as the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) players were on strike from weeks four to six with week three being cancelled in its entirety. The season ended with Super Bowl XXII, with the Washington Redskins defeating the Denver Broncos, 42–10, at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. The Broncos suffered their second consecutive Super Bowl defeat. As of the conclusion of the 2021 NFL season, this is the most recent NFL campaign in which regular-season games were impacted by a labor conflict.
William Keith Bostic is a former professional American football player who played for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). During his career he played safety for the Houston Oilers and the Cleveland Browns. Bostic served as the Oiler defensive captain under Jerry Glanville. He earned one Pro Bowl selection and missed another based on a tiebreaker for the last safety chosen. In his Pro Bowl season, he led the American Football Conference in interceptions.
Matthew Cody Carlson is a former professional American football player who was selected by the Houston Oilers in the 3rd round of the 1987 NFL Draft. A 6'3", 200-lb. quarterback from Baylor University, Carlson played in seven NFL seasons and his entire career with the Oilers from 1987 to 1994. His nickname while with the Oilers was Commander Cody.
Allen Beverly Bennett II is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals and Chicago Bears. He also was a member of the Jacksonville Bulls, Chicago Bruisers, Dallas Texans, Sacramento Surge, San Antonio Riders, Orlando Predators, San Jose SaberCats and Portland Forest Dragons. He was a football coach in the Arena Football League (AFL), AF2, and National Arena League (NAL). He played college football at Duke University.
Bruce Rankin Matthews is an American former professional football player who was an offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons, from 1983 to 2001. He spent his entire career playing for the Houston / Tennessee Oilers / Titans franchise. Highly versatile, throughout his NFL career he played every position on the offensive line, starting in 99 games as a left guard, 87 as a center, 67 as a right guard, 22 as a right tackle, 17 as a left tackle, and was the long snapper on field goals, PATs, and punts. Having never missed a game due to injury, his 293 NFL games started is the third most of all time, behind quarterbacks Brett Favre and Tom Brady.
Willard Charles Dewveall was an American football end, the first player to jump from the National Football League to the American Football League.
Charles Martin was an American gridiron football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. He began his professional career on the Birmingham Stallions of the United States Football League (USFL) in 1983 and also played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Edmonton Eskimos before joining the Packers. Following his Green Bay tenure from 1984 to 1987, he was a member of the Houston Oilers and Atlanta Falcons until his 1988 retirement.
Donald Wayne Hollas is a former American football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons during the 1990s. He played college football for Rice University and thereafter was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round of the 1991 NFL Draft. Hollas also played for the Oakland Raiders.
John B. Corker is a former American football linebacker who played four seasons in the National Football League, mainly for the Houston Oilers, and eight seasons in the Arena Football League. In 2002, Corker was elected into the Arena Football League Hall of Fame.
Ian Michael Howfield is a former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) and Arena Football League (AFL). Howfield, who played college football at the University of Tennessee, is the son of former NFL placekicker Bobby Howfield.
The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team. Now known as the Tennessee Titans, they previously played in Houston, Texas from the team's founding in 1960 to 1996, before relocating to Memphis, Tennessee, and later Nashville, Tennessee, and becoming the Titans.
Broderick Lawrence Sargent is a former American football fullback in the National Football League (NFL) for the St. Louis Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys. He also was a member of the Montreal Machine in the World League of American Football (WLAF), and the Detroit Drive in the Arena Football League (AFL). He played college football at Baylor University.
Vincent Eric Courville is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He was also a member of the Houston Gamblers in the United States Football League and the New York Knights in the Arena Football League. He played college football at Rice University.
Joseph Jones is a former American football tight end in the National Football League for the Indianapolis Colts. He also was a member of the Pittsburgh Gladiators in the Arena Football League. He played college football at Virginia Tech.
Thaddius Eugene Jefferson is a former American football linebacker who was a 1987 replacement player for the Houston Oilers of the NFL. He played college football at Hawaii.
