The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada and the highest professional level of American football in the world. Each NFL season begins annually with a three-week preseason in August, followed by the 18-week regular season, which runs from early September to early January, with each team playing 17 games and having one bye week. Following the conclusion of the regular season, seven teams from each conference, including four division winners and three wild card teams, advance to the playoffs, a single-elimination tournament, which culminates in the Super Bowl, played in early February between the winners of the AFC and NFC championship games.
William Anthony Perry is an American former football defensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Bears. Nicknamed "the Refrigerator", he played college football for the Clemson Tigers, where he was named ACC Player of the Year, and was selected by the Bears in the first round of the 1985 NFL draft. Perry gained popularity during his rookie season as a member of the 1985 Bears team that won the franchise's first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XX. During the season, Perry occasionally played fullback in goal line situations and set the then-record for the heaviest player to score a touchdown at 335 lb (152 kg). He remains the heaviest player to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl and has the largest Super Bowl ring at size 23 or more.
Sidney Luckman was an American professional football quarterback who played for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) from 1939 through 1950. During his 12 seasons with the Bears, he led them to four NFL championships in 1940, 1941, 1943, and 1946.
Howard Matthew Moses Long is an American former professional football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons. He spent his entire career with the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders franchise, who selected him in the second round of the 1981 NFL draft. Long received eight Pro Bowl and three first-team All-Pro selections while helping the team win Super Bowl XVIII. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000.
Andrew Scott Walter is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Arizona State Sun Devils and was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the third round of the 2005 NFL draft. He was also a member of the New England Patriots. After his playing career, he ran for office in the Arizona House of Representatives.
Will Herthie Shields is an American former professional football player who was an offensive guard in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, earning consensus All-American honors and winning the Outland Trophy. Shields played his entire, 14-year professional career with the Kansas City Chiefs and never missed a game. Shields was selected to 12 Pro Bowls, was a 3× First-Team All-Pro, a 4x Second-Team All-Pro, and was selected to the NFL 2000's All-Decade Team. He won the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award in the 2003 season, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015.
Walter Jones Jr. is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons. Born in Alabama, he played college football for the Florida State Seminoles.
Keith Van Horne is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons during the 1980s and 1990s. He played college football for the USC Trojans and earned consensus All-American honors. Van Horne was selected in the first round of the 1981 NFL draft, and played professionally for the NFL's Chicago Bears. He is also the former son-in-law of former Vice President of the United States Walter Mondale.
Troy McHenry Walters is an American football coach and former player who is the wide receivers coach for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). Walters played as a wide receiver and punt returner in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. Walters played college football for the Stanford Cardinal, earning consensus All-American honors and winning the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the season's outstanding college football receiver. He was selected in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL draft by the Minnesota Vikings, and also played for the Indianapolis Colts, Arizona Cardinals and Detroit Lions of the NFL.
Walter Jerry Payton was an American professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the Chicago Bears. Nicknamed "Sweetness", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time.
Stanley Peter Walters Jr. is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for Syracuse Orange, he was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the ninth round of the 1972 NFL draft. He spent three years with the Bengals, starting at left tackle for the majority of his tenure, before he was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in 1975. A two-time Pro Bowl selection with the Eagles, Walters started in 122 consecutive games at left tackle in his nine years with the team. Following his retirement, he was a radio color commentator for the Eagles from 1984 through 1997.
Dean Elmer Steinkuhler is an American former professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons in the 1980s and 1990s. Steinkuhler played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and was recognized as an All-American. He was selected in the first round of the 1984 NFL draft, and played professionally for the Houston Oilers of the NFL.
Michael David Walter is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football for the Oregon Ducks.
Walter Ree Holmer was an American football player and coach. He played professionally as a quarterback and running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Bears, Chicago Cardinals, Boston Redskins, and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Holmer served as the head football coach at Boston University from 1942 to 1946 and at Colby College from 1947 to 1950.
Wayne Roderick Walters II is a former American football offensive lineman for the National Football League (NFL). Walters was drafted fourteenth overall by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 1976 NFL draft from the University of Iowa and played with the team until the middle of the 1980 season. Walters played for the Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins for the remainder of that 1980 season.
Matthew Jeremy Walters is a former American football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Jets.
The Colgate Raiders football team represents Colgate University in NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) college football competition as a member of the Patriot League.
The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award is presented annually by the National Football League (NFL) honoring a player's commitment to philanthropy and community impact, as well as his excellence on the field. Prior to 1999, it was called simply the NFL Man of the Year Award. Shortly after Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton died, the award was renamed to honor his legacy as a humanitarian.
Marcus Ardel Taulauniu Mariota is an American professional football quarterback for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon Ducks, becoming the first player at the school and the first Hawaii-born athlete to win the Heisman Trophy among many other awards in 2014.
Joseph Lee Burrow is an American professional football quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). After beginning his college football career with the Ohio State Buckeyes, Burrow played for LSU Tigers, winning the Heisman Trophy and the College Football Playoff National Championship as a senior. He was selected by the Bengals first overall in the 2020 NFL draft.
