List of NFL champions (1920–1969)

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The 1920 Akron Pros were named the first APFA (NFL) champions. Akron pros 1920.jpg
The 1920 Akron Pros were named the first APFA (NFL) champions.

The National Football League champions, prior to the merger between the National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL) in 1970, were determined by two different systems. The National Football League was established on September 17, 1920, as the American Professional Football Association (APFA). The APFA changed its name in 1922 to the National Football League, which it has retained ever since. [1] From 1921 to 1931, the APFA/NFL determined its champion by overall win–loss record, with no playoff games; [2] ties were not counted in the winning percentage total. [3] The APFA did not keep records of the 1920 season; they declared the Akron Pros, who finished the season with an 8–0–3 (8 wins, 0 losses, 3 ties) record, as the league's first champions by a vote of the owners. The Canton Bulldogs won two straight championships from 1922 to 1923, and the Green Bay Packers won three in a row from 1929 to 1931. [4]

Contents

The 1932 NFL season resulted in a tie for first place between the Chicago Bears and Portsmouth Spartans, and could not be resolved by the typical win–loss system. To settle the tie, a playoff game was played; Chicago won the game and the championship. The following year, the NFL split into two divisions, and the winner of each division would play in the NFL Championship Game. [2] In 1967, the NFL and the rival AFL agreed to merge, effective following the 1969 season; [5] as part of this deal, the NFL champion from 1966 to 1969 would play the AFL champion in an AFL–NFL World Championship Game in each of the four seasons before the completed merger. The NFL Championship Game was ended after the 1969 season, succeeded by the NFC Championship Game. [2] [6] The champions of that game play the champions of the AFC Championship Game in the Super Bowl to determine the NFL champion. [2]

The Green Bay Packers won the most NFL championships before the merger, winning eleven of the fifty championships. The Packers were also the only team to win three straight championships, an achievement they accomplished twice: from 1929 to 1931 and from 1965 to 1967. The Chicago Bears each won a total of eight titles, and the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, and New York Giants each won four. The Bears recorded the largest victory in a championship game, defeating the Washington Redskins 73–0 in the 1940 NFL Championship Game; six other title games ended in a shutout as well. The Philadelphia Eagles recorded two consecutive shutouts in 1948 and 1949. New York City hosted the most championship games (eight), while the highest-attended title game was the 1955 NFL Championship Game, where 85,693 fans showed up in Los Angeles to watch the Browns beat the Rams 38–14. [4]

APFA/NFL champions (1920–1932)

Champion determined by win–loss percentage. The number in parentheses indicates the number of championships the franchise had won to that point.

SeasonChampionWinsLossesTies [upper-alpha 1] Pct.Runner-upWinsLossesTies [upper-alpha 1] Pct.Ref.
1920 Akron Pros [upper-alpha 2] 8031.000 Decatur Staleys 1012.909 [4]
1921 [upper-alpha 3] Chicago Staleys 911.900 Buffalo All-Americans 912.900 [4]
1922 Canton Bulldogs 10011.000 Chicago Bears 930.750 [4]
1923 Canton Bulldogs (2)11011.000 Chicago Bears 921.818 [4]
1924 Cleveland Bulldogs 711.875 Chicago Bears 614.857 [4]
1925 [upper-alpha 4] Chicago Cardinals 1121.846 Pottsville Maroons 1020.833 [9]
1926 Frankford Yellow Jackets 1412.933 Chicago Bears 1213.923 [9]
1927 New York Giants 1111.917 Green Bay Packers 721.778 [9]
1928 Providence Steam Roller 812.889 Frankford Yellow Jackets 1132.786 [9]
1929 Green Bay Packers 12011.000 New York Giants 1311.929 [9]
1930 Green Bay Packers (2)1031.769 New York Giants 1340.765 [9]
1931 Green Bay Packers (3)1220.857 Portsmouth Spartans 1130.786 [9]
1932 [upper-alpha 5] Chicago Bears (2)716.875 Green Bay Packers 1031.769 [9]

NFL champions (1933–1969)

Numbers in parentheses in the table indicate the number of times that team won the NFL championship as of the championship game.

Divisions/Conferences
Eastern Division (1933–1949)‡Western Division (1933–1949)^
American Conference (1950–1952)‡National Conference (1950–1952)^
Eastern Conference (1953–1969)‡Western Conference (1953–1969)^
NFL Championship Games
SeasonDateWinning teamScoreLosing teamVenueCityAttendanceRef(s)
1933 December 17, 1933 Chicago Bears (3)^23–21 New York Giants ‡ Wrigley Field Chicago, Illinois 26,000 [6] [9]
1934 December 9, 1934 New York Giants (2)‡30–13 Chicago Bears ^ Polo Grounds New York City, New York 35,059 [6] [9]
1935 December 15, 1935 Detroit Lions 26–7 New York Giants ‡ University of Detroit Stadium Detroit, Michigan 15,000 [6] [9]
1936 December 13, 1936 Green Bay Packers (4)^21–6 Boston Redskins ‡Polo Grounds (2) [a 1] New York City, New York (2)29,545 [6] [9]
1937 December 12, 1937 Washington Redskins ‡28–21 Chicago Bears ^Wrigley Field (2)Chicago, Illinois (2)15,870 [6] [9]
1938 December 11, 1938 New York Giants (3)‡23–17 Green Bay Packers ^Polo Grounds (3)New York City, New York (3)48,120 [6] [10]
1939 December 10, 1939 Green Bay Packers (5)^27–0 New York Giants ‡ Dairy Bowl West Allis, Wisconsin 32,279 [6] [10]
1940 December 8, 1940 Chicago Bears (4)^73–0 Washington Redskins ‡ Griffith Stadium Washington, D.C. 36,034 [6] [10]
1941 December 21, 1941 Chicago Bears (5)^37–9 New York Giants ‡Wrigley Field (3)Chicago, Illinois (3)13,341 [6] [10]
1942 December 13, 1942 Washington Redskins (2)‡14–6 Chicago Bears ^Griffith Stadium (2)Washington, D.C. (2)36,006 [6] [10]
1943 December 26, 1943 Chicago Bears (6)^41–21 Washington Redskins ‡Wrigley Field (4)Chicago, Illinois (4)34,320 [6] [10]
1944 December 17, 1944 Green Bay Packers (6)^14–7 New York Giants ‡Polo Grounds (4)New York City, New York (4)46,016 [6] [10]
1945 December 16, 1945 Cleveland Rams ^15–14 Washington Redskins ‡ Cleveland Stadium Cleveland, Ohio 32,178 [6] [10]
1946 December 15, 1946 Chicago Bears (7)^24–14 New York Giants ‡Polo Grounds (5)New York City, New York (5)58,346 [6] [10]
1947 December 28, 1947 Chicago Cardinals (2)^28–21 Philadelphia Eagles ‡ Comiskey Park Chicago, Illinois (5)30,759 [6] [10]
1948 December 19, 1948 Philadelphia Eagles ‡7–0 Chicago Cardinals ^ Shibe Park Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 36,309 [6] [10]
1949 December 18, 1949 Philadelphia Eagles (2)‡14–0 Los Angeles Rams ^ Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, California 27,980 [6] [10]
1950 December 24, 1950 Cleveland Browns ‡30–28 Los Angeles Rams ^Cleveland Stadium (2)Cleveland, Ohio (2)29,751 [6] [11]
1951 December 23, 1951 Los Angeles Rams (2)^24–17 Cleveland Browns ‡Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (2)Los Angeles, California (2)57,522 [11] [12]
1952 December 28, 1952 Detroit Lions (2)^17–7 Cleveland Browns ‡Cleveland Stadium (3)Cleveland, Ohio (3)50,934 [11] [12]
1953 December 27, 1953 Detroit Lions (3)^17–16 Cleveland Browns ‡ Briggs Stadium Detroit, Michigan (2)54,577 [11] [12]
1954 December 26, 1954 Cleveland Browns (2)‡56–10 Detroit Lions ^Cleveland Stadium (4)Cleveland, Ohio (4)43,827 [11] [12]
1955 December 26, 1955 Cleveland Browns (3)‡38–14 Los Angeles Rams ^Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (3)Los Angeles, California (3)85,693 [11] [12]
1956 December 30, 1956 New York Giants (4)‡47–7 Chicago Bears ^ Yankee Stadium New York City, New York (6)56,836 [11] [12]
1957 December 29, 1957 Detroit Lions (4)^59–14 Cleveland Browns ‡Briggs Stadium (2)Detroit, Michigan (3)55,263 [11] [12]
1958 December 28, 1958 Baltimore Colts ^23–17 New York Giants ‡Yankee Stadium (2)New York City, New York (7)64,185 [11] [12]
1959 December 27, 1959 Baltimore Colts (2)^31–16 New York Giants ‡ Memorial Stadium Baltimore, Maryland 57,545 [11] [12]
1960 December 26, 1960 Philadelphia Eagles (3)‡17–13 Green Bay Packers ^ Franklin Field Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2)67,325 [12] [13]
1961 December 31, 1961 Green Bay Packers (7)^37–0 New York Giants ‡ City Stadium [a 2] Green Bay, Wisconsin 39,029 [12] [13]
1962 December 30, 1962 Green Bay Packers (8)^16–7 New York Giants ‡Yankee Stadium (3)New York City, New York (8)64,892 [12] [13]
1963 December 29, 1963 Chicago Bears (8)^14–10 New York Giants ‡Wrigley Field (5)Chicago, Illinois (6)45,801 [12] [13]
1964 December 27, 1964 Cleveland Browns (4)‡27–0 Baltimore Colts ^Cleveland Stadium (5)Cleveland, Ohio (5)79,544 [12] [13]
1965 January 2, 1966 Green Bay Packers (9)^23–12 Cleveland Browns ‡ Lambeau Field (2)Green Bay, Wisconsin (2)50,777 [12] [13]
1966 January 1, 1967 Green Bay Packers (10) [upper-alpha 6] ^34–27 Dallas Cowboys ‡ Cotton Bowl Dallas, Texas 74,152 [12] [13]
1967 December 31, 1967 Green Bay Packers (11) [upper-alpha 7] ^21–17 Dallas Cowboys ‡Lambeau Field (3)Green Bay, Wisconsin (3)50,861 [12] [13]
1968 December 29, 1968 Baltimore Colts (3) [upper-alpha 8] ^34–0 Cleveland Browns ‡Cleveland Stadium (6)Cleveland, Ohio (6)78,410 [12] [13]
1969 January 4, 1970 Minnesota Vikings [upper-alpha 9] ^27–7 Cleveland Browns ‡ Metropolitan Stadium Bloomington, Minnesota 46,503 [12] [13]
  1. ↑ George Preston Marshall, the owner of the Boston Redskins, gave up home-field advantage and moved the game out of Fenway Park to New York due to apathy and low support in Boston.
  2. ↑ Lambeau Field was originally known as City Stadium.

Total championships won (1920–1969)

ClubWinnersRunners-upWinning years
Green Bay Packers 114 1929, 1930, 1931, 1936, 1939, 1944, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1967
Chicago Bears 89 1921, 1932, 1933, 1940, 1941, 1943, 1946, 1963
New York Giants 413 1927, 1934, 1938, 1956
Detroit Lions 42 1935, 1952, 1953, 1957
Cleveland Browns 47 1950, 1954, 1955, 1964
Philadelphia Eagles 31 1948, 1949, 1960
Baltimore Colts 31 1958, 1959, 1968
Canton Bulldogs 20 1922, 1923
Chicago Cardinals 21 1925, 1947
Los Angeles Rams 23 1945, 1951
Washington Redskins 24 1937, 1942
Akron Pros 10 1920
Cleveland Bulldogs 10 1924
Providence Steam Roller 10 1928
Minnesota Vikings 10 1969
Frankford Yellow Jackets 11 1926
Dallas Cowboys 02N/A
Buffalo All-Americans 01N/A
Pottsville Maroons 01N/A

See also

Notes

Notes

    1. 1 2 Ties were disregarded in the standings. [3]
    2. ↑ No official standings were recorded for the 1920 season and teams played games against opponents outside of the league. The championship was awarded to the Akron Pros in an APFA meeting on April 30, 1921. [2]
    3. ↑ Chicago beat Buffalo on a controversial tiebreaker. [7]
    4. ↑ Chicago was awarded the championship controversially because the Maroons had been suspended from the NFL for playing an exhibition game against a group of Notre Dame All-Stars. [8]
    5. ↑ Chicago and Portsmouth finished with identical win–loss records, tying for first place in the NFL. To solve the tie, a playoff game was held between the two, counting towards the regular-season total. Chicago won the game and the championship while Portsmouth's loss dropped them to third place, behind Green Bay. [9]
    6. ↑ Green Bay beat the American Football League's Kansas City Chiefs 35–10 in Super Bowl I. [13]
    7. ↑ Green Bay beat the AFL's Oakland Raiders 33–14 in Super Bowl II. [13]
    8. ↑ Baltimore lost to the AFL's New York Jets 16–7 in Super Bowl III. [13]
    9. ↑ Minnesota lost to the AFL's Kansas City Chiefs 23–7 in Super Bowl IV. [13]

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ "Sept. 17, 1920 – The Founding of the NFL". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
    2. 1 2 3 4 5 "NFL Champions". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on January 7, 2013. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
    3. 1 2 Piascik, Andy (2005). "Old and New Style: Winning Percentages" (PDF). The Coffin Corner. 27 (5). Professional Football Researchers Association. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 8, 2015. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
    4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Past Standings, p. 27.
    5. ↑ Bell, Jarrett (June 30, 2009). "From upstart to big time, how the AFL changed the NFL". USA Today . Archived from the original on January 14, 2013. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
    6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Playoff Game Summaries, p. 4.
    7. ↑ Snyder, Gib (January 6, 2012). "Buffalo: A city cursed with bad sports luck". The Observer . Ogden Newspapers. Archived from the original on July 29, 2013. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
    8. ↑ Nelson, Robert (January 11, 2007). "The Curse". Phoenix New Times . Archived from the original on October 19, 2013. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
    9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Past Standings, p. 26.
    10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Past Standings, p. 25.
    11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Past Standings, p. 24.
    12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Playoff Game Summaries, p. 3.
    13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Past Standings, p. 22.

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