| NFL Challenge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | XOR Corporation |
| Publisher(s) | XOR Corporation |
| Platform(s) | MS-DOS |
| Release | 1985 |
| Genre(s) | Sports, American football |
NFL Challenge is a video game for MS-DOS released in 1985 by XOR Corporation. It uses statistical models for not only the NFL season, but also the outcome of a single football game.
Unlike most football games, this one was more abstract. The players acted as coaches, picking the offensive or defensive plays from a series of nested menus. The computer then ran the plays against each other, using the pre-configured abilities of the teams and players picked.
There was no interaction once the play was called, other than making a decision to accept or deny a penalty if called. This made for an abstract game, unlike others where the player actually participated in the offense or defense.
One of the user changeable features of the game was the fact that you could create or edit your own dream team, or enhance the performance of a particular current player who was having a good season, via a simple text edit of the roster files. The rosters were all named by team with player numbers as opposed to names being stored, but you easily determine which player was which and arrange trades, enhancements, or create an All-Pro team to play against regular teams.
Computer Gaming World called NFL Challenge "the finest computer sports game I've ever seen. It is a high-tech, state-of-the-art simulation that is truly remarkable in recreating the 'feel' of a professional football game". It cited the documentation, detailed and accurate playbook, and team statistics as strengths, while lack of player names or statistics was a weakness, and concluded " Visicalc is the program that sold Apple computers, NFLC may be the one that sells IBM PC's to sports gamers". [1]
Wyatt Lee reviewed the game for Computer Gaming World , and stated that "still, to this date, the cream of the crop." [2]
ESPN used the simulation in 1988 for a program called NFL Dream Season . Historic NFL teams were computer-simulated against one another in an eight-week season, then playoffs, then the "Dream Bowl". ESPN used the computer simulation results to play back the game using NFL Films footage to make it appear that one was watching an actual game. The 1978 Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the 1972 Miami Dolphins 21–20.
The following year, ESPN broadcast Dream Bowl II, with the defending champion 1978 Steelers pitted against the then-Super Bowl Champion San Francisco 49ers. Even with John Stallworth out early in the game due to an injury, the Steelers defeated the 49ers in overtime after a Joe Montana pass was intercepted around midfield by Mel Blount, who returned the interception for a touchdown. Steve Sabol, NFL Films president, disagreed with the simulation result, feeling that San Francisco had a better team.
XOR made available the Dream Season disk after the show's run, with the actual teams used by ESPN's program.
The company went out of business in the early 1990s, after advertising NFL Challenge Premium Edition, which never made it to market. There were several customers who had prepaid for the product, only to never receive the game.[ citation needed ]
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team is headquartered in Frisco, Texas, and has played its home games at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, since its opening in 2009. The stadium took its current name prior to the 2013 season, following the team's decision to sell the stadium's naming rights to telecommunications company AT&T. In January 2020, Mike McCarthy was hired as head coach of the Cowboys. He is the ninth in the team's history. McCarthy follows Jason Garrett, who coached the team from 2010 to 2019.
Super Bowl XXIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Cincinnati Bengals and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1988 season. The 49ers defeated the Bengals 20–16, winning their third Super Bowl. The game was played on January 22, 1989, at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami. This was the first Super Bowl hosted in the Miami area in 10 years, and the first in Miami not held at the Orange Bowl.
Joseph Clifford Montana Jr. is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, primarily with the San Francisco 49ers. Nicknamed "Joe Cool" and "the Comeback Kid", Montana is widely regarded as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. After winning a national championship with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Montana began his NFL career in 1979 at San Francisco, where he played for the next 14 seasons. With the 49ers, Montana started and won four Super Bowls and was the first player to be named the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player (MVP) three times. He also holds Super Bowl career records for most passes without an interception and the all-time highest passer rating of 127.8. In 1993, Montana was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs, where he played for his last two seasons and led the franchise to its first AFC Championship Game. Montana was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000.
Darren Ray Woodson is an American former professional football player who spent his entire career as a safety for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL) from 1992 to 2003. He played college football for the Arizona State Sun Devils, and was selected by the Cowboys in the second round of the 1992 NFL draft with the 37th overall pick.
Roderick Kevin Woodson is an American former professional football cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Widely considered one of the greatest cornerbacks of all time, Woodson holds the NFL record for fumble recoveries (32) by a defensive player, and interceptions returned for touchdown (12). He was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1993.
Super Bowl XL was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Seattle Seahawks and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2005 season. The Steelers defeated the Seahawks by the score of 21–10. The game was played on February 5, 2006, at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. It is the most recent Super Bowl broadcast on ABC who lost the rights to broadcast Super Bowl games in the next NFL television contract and the first where all aspects of the game itself were aired in HD. This was the last of 10 straight Super Bowls to feature a team seeking its first win.
Allen Bonshaca Lamont Rossum is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 1998 NFL draft.
Alexander Douglas Smith is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. Smith played college football for the Utah Utes, earning first-team All-American honors and winning the 2005 Fiesta Bowl as a senior. He was selected first overall by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2005 NFL draft.
Bryant McFadden is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 2005 NFL draft. McFadden was also a member of the Arizona Cardinals. He earned two Super Bowl rings during his time with the Steelers, Super Bowl XL and Super Bowl XLIII. McFadden currently serves as a studio analyst for the all-digital sports network, 120 Sports. He also hosts Huddlecast, the football podcast of his alma mater, Florida State University, and co-hosts All Things Covered, a podcast with current Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Patrick Peterson.
Anthony W. Parrish is an American former professional football player who was a safety for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Washington Huskies and was selected by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 1998 NFL draft with the 35th overall pick. He was an Associated Press All-Pro in 2003, and is listed on the 49ers' All-2000s team. Parrish was also a member of the San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, and Las Vegas Locomotives.
Troy James Smith is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, earning unanimous All-American honors and winning the Heisman Trophy in 2006. He was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL draft, and also played for the San Francisco 49ers, the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League (UFL), and the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
John Terrence Lynch Jr. is an American professional football executive and former safety who is the general manager of the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Stanford Cardinal and was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 1993 NFL draft, later winning Super Bowl XXXVII with them. Lynch also spent four seasons with the Denver Broncos before retiring in 2008 and working as a color commentator for NFL on Fox games until being named general manager of the 49ers in 2017. He made nine Pro Bowls during his career and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.
Super Bowl XLVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Baltimore Ravens and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2012 season. The Ravens defeated the 49ers by the score of 34–31, handing the 49ers their first Super Bowl loss in their franchise history. The game was played on Sunday, February 3, 2013, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. This was the seventh Super Bowl played in the Superdome, and the tenth to be played in New Orleans, equaling Miami's record of ten in an individual city. This was the first Super Bowl to be held in New Orleans since Super Bowl XXXVI and it was the first to be played there since Hurricane Katrina struck the city in 2005.
Patrick L. Willis is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for his entire eight-year career with the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ole Miss Rebels, earning consensus All-American honors in 2006 and was selected by the 49ers in the first round of the 2007 NFL draft.
NFL Dream Season is a TV show on ESPN in 1989 in which 20 all-time great NFL teams were pitted against each other using XOR Software's NFL Challenge, a computer football simulation program. NFL Films footage was used to create what appeared to be a "game" between the two teams. The 1978 Steelers beat the 1972 Dolphins to win the title. The following year, ESPN did a one-off show with the 1989 Super Bowl Champion 49ers against the '78 Steelers. In 1999, ESPN would run a similar mini-series, having overall "decade" teams of the 60s Packers, 70s Steelers, 80s 49ers, and 90s Cowboys playing each other.
Kwon Alexander is an American professional football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football for the LSU Tigers. He was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL draft. Alexander has also played for the San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Joseph Robert Schobert is an American professional football linebacker who is a free agent. He was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft. Schobert played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers, winning the Jack Lambert Trophy in 2015, as the nation's best linebacker.
Cory Littleton is an American professional football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football for the Washington Huskies. He signed with the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2016.
Jayon Lee Brown is an American football middle linebacker who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL draft, after playing college football at UCLA.
Charvarius "Mooney" Ward is an American professional football cornerback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders.