List of defunct NFL franchises

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The Akron Pros, the first champions of the National Football League, lost their franchise in 1926. Akron pros 1920.jpg
The Akron Pros, the first champions of the National Football League, lost their franchise in 1926.
The Dallas Texans, who played only the 1952 season, were the last franchise to go defunct. The remnants of the Texans' organization was absorbed by a new franchise that became the modern Colts. DTvsNYG.jpg
The Dallas Texans, who played only the 1952 season, were the last franchise to go defunct. The remnants of the Texans' organization was absorbed by a new franchise that became the modern Colts.

Membership in the National Football League (NFL) is certified by a franchise. A franchise is awarded by the league to each member club and serves as the league's authorization to operate as a professional football club in their city. Franchises award member clubs the exclusive right to hold professional football games between league members within a 75-mile radius of their city as well as the exclusive rights to market games in their area. [1] There are currently 32 clubs in the league, and new members can only be approved with the support of 3/4s of current members. [2] In the case of egregious misbehavior, a club's franchise can be revoked or suspended by the league's commissioner. [3]

Contents

The NFL has had a total of 49 franchises become defunct over its history; [4] this includes ten of the league's twelve founding members, with only the Chicago Bears and Arizona Cardinals surviving to the present day. [5] By 1926, the league had expanded to 22 franchises, but a league meeting in April 1927 led to the decision to revoke the franchises of the clubs in the weakest financial situations; 10 franchises were ultimately revoked. [6]

Five defunct NFL franchises (the Akron Pros/Indians, Canton Bulldogs, Cleveland Bulldogs/Indians, Frankford Yellow Jackets, and Providence Steamrollers) had previously won NFL championships. The most recent franchise to become defunct was the Dallas Texans, which folded in 1952 after one season in the league. [7]

Defunct franchises

Key
^Denotes the club had won an NFL championship before folding [8]
List of defunct NFL franchises
ClubCityJoined NFLFoldedRef(s)
Akron Pros/Indians ^ Akron, Ohio 1920 [A] 1926 [7] [8]
Baltimore Colts Baltimore, Maryland 1950 [B] 1950 [7]
Boston Yanks Boston, Massachusetts 19431948 [7]
Brooklyn Dodgers/Tigers Brooklyn, New York 19301944 [7]
Brooklyn Lions Brooklyn, New York 19261926 [7]
Buffalo All-Americans/Bisons/Rangers Buffalo, New York 1920 [A] 1929 [C] [7]
Canton Bulldogs ^ Canton, Ohio 1920 [A] 1926 [D] [7] [8]
Chicago Tigers Chicago, Illinois 19201920 [7]
Cincinnati Celts Cincinnati, Ohio 19211921 [7]
Cincinnati Reds Cincinnati, Ohio 19331934 [E] [7]
Cleveland Tigers/Indians Cleveland, Ohio 1920 [A] 1921 [7]
Cleveland Indians/Bulldogs ^ Cleveland, Ohio 19231927 [F] [7] [8]
Cleveland Indians Cleveland, Ohio 19311931 [7]
Columbus Panhandles/Tigers Columbus, Ohio 1920 [A] 1926 [7]
Dallas Texans Dallas, Texas 19521952 [7]
Dayton Triangles Dayton, Ohio 1920 [A] 1929 [7]
Detroit Heralds Detroit, Michigan 1920 [A] 1920 [7]
Detroit Panthers Detroit, Michigan 19251926 [7]
Detroit Tigers Detroit, Michigan 19211921 [7]
Detroit Wolverines Detroit, Michigan 19281928 [7]
Duluth Kelleys/Eskimos Duluth, Minnesota 19231927 [7]
Evansville Crimson Giants Evansville, Indiana 19211922 [7]
Frankford Yellow Jackets ^ Frankford, Philadelphia 19241931 [7] [8]
Hammond Pros Hammond, Indiana 1920 [A] 1926 [7]
Hartford Blues Hartford, Connecticut 19261926 [7]
Kansas City Blues/Cowboys Kansas City, Missouri 19241926 [7]
Kenosha Maroons Kenosha, Wisconsin 19241924 [7]
Los Angeles Buccaneers Los Angeles, California 19261926 [7]
Louisville Brecks/Colonels Louisville, Kentucky 19211926 [G] [7]
Milwaukee Badgers Milwaukee, Wisconsin 19221926 [7]
Minneapolis Marines/Red Jackets Minneapolis, Minnesota 19211930 [H] [7]
Muncie Flyers Muncie, Indiana 1920 [A] 1921 [7]
New York Bulldogs/Yanks New York, New York 19491951 [7]
New York Yankees New York, New York 19271928 [7]
New York Giants New York, New York 19211921 [7]
Orange/Newark Tornadoes Orange, New Jersey (1929)
Newark, New Jersey (1930)		19291930 [7]
Oorang Indians LaRue, Ohio 19221923 [7]
Pottsville Maroons/Boston Bulldogs Pottsville, Pennsylvania (1925–1928)
Boston, Massachusetts (1929)		19251929 [7]
Providence Steamrollers ^ Providence, Rhode Island 19251931 [7] [8]
Racine Legion/Tornadoes Racine, Wisconsin 19221926 [7]
Rochester Jeffersons Rochester, New York 1920 [A] 1925 [7]
Rock Island Independents Rock Island, Illinois 1920 [A] 1925 [7]
St. Louis All-Stars St. Louis, Missouri 19231923 [7]
St. Louis Gunners St. Louis, Missouri 1934 [E] 1934 [7]
Staten Island Stapletons/Stapes Staten Island, New York 19291932 [7]
Toledo Maroons Toledo, Ohio 19221923 [7]
Tonawanda Kardex Tonawanda, New York 19211921 [7]
Washington Senators Washington, D.C. 19211921 [7]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Founding member of the league. [9]
  2. ↑ The Baltimore Colts were originally members of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), but the franchise was accepted into the NFL when the AAFC folded in 1949. [10]
  3. ↑ The Buffalo Bisons franchise was inactive for the 1928 season. [7]
  4. ↑ The Canton Bulldogs franchise was inactive for the 1924 season. [7]
  5. 1 2 The Cincinnati Reds franchise was revoked with three games remaining in the 1934 season, and the St. Louis Gunners were temporarily enfranchised at that time to finish the Reds' schedule.
  6. ↑ The Cleveland Bulldogs franchise was inactive for the 1926 season. [7]
  7. ↑ The Louisville Brecks franchise was inactive for the 1924 and 1925 seasons. [7]
  8. ↑ The Minneapolis Marines franchise was inactive from 1925 to 1928. [7]

References

General

  • "Constitution and Bylaws of the National Football League" (PDF). NFL.com . 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 7, 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2013.

Specific

  1. ↑ NFL Bylaws, p. 6, 12–15.
  2. ↑ NFL Bylaws, p. 3.
  3. ↑ NFL Bylaws, p. 28-35.
  4. ↑ "Pro Football teams that came and went". ESPN . August 14, 2019. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  5. ↑ "National Football League (NFL)". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on June 20, 2013. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
  6. ↑ "NFL History by Decade: 1921–1930". National Football League . Archived from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 "National Football League Franchise Histories". Pro Football Hall of Fame . Archived from the original on January 2, 2013. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "NFL Champions". Pro Football Hall of Fame . Archived from the original on January 7, 2013. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
  9. ↑ "NFL History by Decade: 1911–1920". NFL.com . Archived from the original on January 15, 2008. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
  10. ↑ Grosshandler, Stan (1980). "All-America Football Conference" (PDF). The Coffin Corner. 2 (7). Professional Football Researchers Association: 3, 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 19, 2013. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
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