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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.
Below is a list of professional football Championship Games in the United States, involving:
The AFL–NFL merger was the merger of the two major professional American football leagues in the United States at the time: the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL). It paved the way for the combined league, which retained the "National Football League" name and logo, to become the most popular sports league in the United States. The merger was announced on the evening of June 8, 1966. Under the merger agreement, the leagues maintained separate regular-season schedules for the next four seasons—from 1966 through 1969—and then officially merged before the 1970 season to form one league with two conferences.
The Continental Football League (COFL) was a professional American football minor league that operated in North America from 1965 through 1969. It was established following the collapse of the original United Football League, and hoped to become the major force in professional football outside the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL). It owed its name, at least in part, to the Continental League, a proposed third Major League Baseball organization that influenced MLB significantly, although they never played a game.
James Bayard Turner was an American professional football player who was a placekicker in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for the New York Jets and the Denver Broncos. He was a two-time Pro Bowl selection with the Jets and a member of their Super Bowl III championship team. Turner was chosen for the AFL All-Time Second-team and the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame.
The American Football League stocked its teams in two ways:
- Signing free agents.
- Signing players from the previous year's college graduates.
Gary Joseph Beban is an American former professional football player. Beban won the 1967 Heisman Trophy, narrowly beating out O.J. Simpson, and the Maxwell Award while playing quarterback for the UCLA Bruins. He played professional football for two seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Washington Redskins. Beban was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1988.
In each year of its ten-year existence (1960–1969), numerous sports-news services named their choice for the American Football League's best first-year player. The choices by the major services are shown below.
The Central Professional Hockey League was a minor professional ice hockey league that operated in the United States from 1963 to 1984. Named the Central Hockey League for the 1968–69 season and forward, it was owned and operated by the National Hockey League and served as a successor to the Eastern Professional Hockey League, which had folded after the 1962–63 season. Four of the CHL's initial franchises were, in fact, relocations of the previous year's EPHL teams, while the fifth came from the International Hockey League. Its founding president was Jack Adams, who served in the role until his death in 1968. The CHL's championship trophy was called the Adams Cup in his honor.
Richard Samuel Jackson, nicknamed "Tombstone", is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end and a linebacker in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Southern University. Jackson played for the AFL's Oakland Raiders in 1966 and Denver Broncos from 1967 through 1969, remaining with the Broncos in 1970 through 1971 after their post-merger transition to the NFL, and the Cleveland Browns in 1972. Jackson was named an All-Pro in 1969 and 1970.
The Atlantic Coast Football League (ACFL) was a professional American football minor league that operated from 1962 to 1973. Until 1969, many of its franchises had working agreements with NFL and AFL teams to serve as farm clubs. The league paid a base salary of $100 per game and had 36 players on each active roster.
Gerald H. Phipps was a businessman and sports executive. He was president of Gerald H. Phipps, Inc., a construction company and owner of the Denver Broncos American football club from 1961 to 1981.
The Foolish Club were the owners of the eight original franchises of the American Football League (AFL). When Texas oil magnates Lamar Hunt and Bud Adams, Jr. were refused entry to the established NFL in 1959, they contacted other businessmen to form an eight-team professional football league, and called it the American Football League. Though Max Winter had originally committed to fielding a Minneapolis team, he reneged when lured away by the NFL; Winter's group instead joined the NFL as the Minnesota Vikings in 1961. Hunt owned the Dallas Texans, while the Houston Oilers were Adams' franchise. The other six members of the "Original Eight" were Harry Wismer, Bob Howsam, Barron Hilton, Ralph C. Wilson, Jr., Billy Sullivan, and a group of eight investors led primarily by F. Wayne Valley and, briefly, Chet Soda. They called themselves the "Foolish Club" because of their seemingly foolhardy venture in taking on the established NFL.
The 1979 NHL expansion was the culmination of several years of negotiations between the National Hockey League (NHL) and the World Hockey Association (WHA) that resulted in the WHA and its six surviving franchises folding in return for the owners of four of those teams being granted expansion franchises that commenced play in the NHL for the 1979–80 season. The agreement officially took effect on June 22, 1979. The agreement ended the seven-year existence of the WHA and re-established the NHL as the lone major league in North American professional ice hockey.
The Orlando Panthers were a professional American football team based in Orlando, Florida. Founded in 1958 as the Franklin Miners, the team spent its first four years in the Eastern Football Conference, then three further years in the Atlantic Coast Football League (ACFL) before moving to the Continental Football League (COFL) in 1965. The franchise moved from Newark, New Jersey to Orlando in 1966 and found success on the field as the Panthers. However, while the team won the COFL championship twice they were plagued by financial difficulties. The team jumped back to the ACFL in 1970 but were suspended by the league after the season.
Professional sports have existed in the United States since the late 19th century. The NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL have millions of fans across the nation and are an important part of American culture. Professional sports did not enter into the American West until the mid-twentieth century. However, the expansion of professional sports into the West has helped to increase the popularity of each of the professional leagues and has changed the landscape of professional sports in America.
The 1969 COFL season was the fifth and final season of the Continental Football League (COFL). Following the season, nine of the league's remaining teams split from the league, with five forming the Trans-American Football League and four joining the Atlantic Coast Football League.
The North Pacific Football League is the collaboration name for two separate but related minor American football leagues - the Pacific Football League and Northern California League - that operated in the Pacific Northwest region, between 1963 and 1966. The leagues published combined all-star team every year, but there was no inter-league or playoff play, except the 1966 season, when both league champions played for the "Pacific Coast Championship".
References
- ↑ "Seattle Gridders Named". The Daily Chronicle. June 13, 1967.
- ↑ Cerf, Bennett (November 7, 1969). "Try and Stop Me". The Kane Republican.
- ↑ "Seattle, Denver Sign Agreement". The Nashville Tennessean. UPI. May 5, 1968.
- ↑ "Ex-Grid Ace Nevers Joins Rangers Brass". The Arizona Republic. UPI. September 1, 1968.
- ↑ "Rangers' Owner Offers Club Away". The Arizona Republic. UPI. October 14, 1969.
- ↑ "Seattle Rangers President Resigns". The Bulletin. UPI. November 1, 1969.
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