1.
AFC Championship Game
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The AFC Championship Game is one of the two semi-final playoff games of the National Football League, the largest professional American football league in the United States. The game is played on the penultimate Sunday in January and determines the champion of the American Football Conference, the winner then advances to face the winner of the National Football Conference Championship Game in the Super Bowl. The game was established as part of the 1970 merger between the NFL and the American Football League, with the merged league realigning into two conferences. Since 1984, each winner of the AFC Championship Game has also received the Lamar Hunt Trophy, named after the founder of the AFL and longtime leader of the Kansas City Chiefs, Lamar Hunt. The first AFC Championship Game was played following the 1970 regular season after the merger between the NFL and the American Football League. The game is considered the successor to the former AFL Championship, every AFC team except the Houston Texans has played in an AFC Championship Game at least once. The Pittsburgh Steelers have the most appearances in the AFC Championship Game at 16, with 11 of those games being in Pittsburgh, at the end of each regular season, a series of playoff games involving the top six teams in the AFC are conducted. In the current NFL playoff structure, this consists of the four division champions, the two teams remaining following the Wild Card round and the divisional round play in the AFC Championship game. Initially, the site of the game was determined on a rotating basis, since the 1975–76 season, the site of the AFC Championship has been based on playoff seeding based on the regular season won-loss record, with the highest surviving seed hosting the game. A wild card team can only host the game if both participants are wild cards, in case the fifth seed would host the sixth seed. Such an instance has never occurred in the NFL, beginning with 1984–85 season, the winner of the AFC Championship Game has received the Lamar Hunt Trophy, named after the founder of the AFL. The original design consisted of a base with a sculpted AFC logo in the front. Numbers in parentheses in the table are AFC Championships, bold indicates team won Super Bowl that year. ^ b, The Seahawks were members of the NFC in 1976 and then members of the AFC from 1977 to 2001, including their appearances in the NFC Championship Game, they hold a combined 3–1 record between both Conference Championship Games. ^ c, The Buccaneers were members of the AFC in 1976 before moving to the NFC in 1977, ^ e, Includes appearances as the Baltimore Colts, where they went 1–1 in AFC Championship Games. Since moving to Indianapolis in 1984, the Colts are 2–3 in AFC Championship Games ^ f, Includes appearances as the Houston Oilers, since moving to Tennessee in 1997, they are 1–1 in AFC Championship Games. Los Angeles Raiders Largest margin of victory –48 points**, January 20,1991 – Buffalo Bills vs
2.
New England Patriots
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The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston region. The Patriots compete in the National Football League as a club of the leagues American Football Conference East division. The Patriots are also headquartered at Gillette Stadium, an original member of the American Football League, the Patriots joined the NFL in the 1970 merger of the two leagues. The team changed its name from the original Boston Patriots after relocating to Foxborough in 1971, the Patriots played their home games at Foxboro Stadium from 1971 to 2001, then moved to Gillette Stadium at the start of the 2002 season. The Patriots rivalry with the New York Jets is considered one of the most bitter rivalries in the NFL. The Patriots have appeared in the Super Bowl nine times in franchise history, the Patriots have since become one of the most successful teams in NFL history, winning 14 AFC East titles in 16 seasons since 2001, without a losing season in that period. The team owns the record for most Super Bowls reached and won by a head coach–quarterback tandem, the Patriots are tied with the 49ers and Cowboys for the second most Super Bowl wins with five. The Steelers are in front with six, however, the Patriots are the only team to win five Super Bowls with the same coach and quarterback. On November 16,1959, Boston business executive Billy Sullivan was awarded the eighth, the following winter, locals were allowed to submit ideas for the Boston football teams official name. The most popular choice – and the one that Sullivan selected – was the Boston Patriots, immediately thereafter, artist Phil Bissell of The Boston Globe developed the Pat Patriot logo. The Patriots struggled for most of their years in the AFL, nickerson Field, Harvard Stadium, Fenway Park, and Alumni Stadium all served as home fields during their time in the American Football League. They played in only one AFL championship game, following the 1963 season and they did not appear again in an AFL or NFL post-season game for another 13 years. When the NFL and AFL merged in 1970, the Patriots were placed in the American Football Conference East division, the following year, the Patriots moved to a new stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, which would serve as their home for the next 30 years. As a result of the move, they announced they would change their name from the Boston Patriots to the Bay State Patriots, the name was rejected by the NFL and on March 22,1971, the team officially announced they would change its geographic name to New England. During the 1970s, the Patriots had some success, earning a berth to the playoffs in 1976—as a wild card team—and in 1978—as AFC East champions and they lost in the first round both times. In 1985, they returned to the playoffs, and made it all the way to Super Bowl XX, following their Super Bowl loss, they returned to the playoffs in 1986, but lost in the first round. The team would not make the playoffs again for eight more years, during the 1990 season, the Patriots went 1–15. They changed ownership three times in the ensuing 14 years, being purchased from the Sullivan family first by Victor Kiam in 1988, who sold the team to James Orthwein in 1992
3.
NFC Championship Game
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The National Football Conference Championship Game is one of the two semi-final playoff games of the National Football League, the largest professional American football league in the United States. The game is played on the penultimate Sunday in January and determines the champion of the National Football Conference, the winner then advances to face the winner of the American Football Conference Championship Game in the Super Bowl. The game was established as part of the 1970 merger between the NFL and the American Football League, with the merged league realigning into two conferences. Since 1984, each winner of the NFC Championship Game has also received the George Halas Trophy, named after the founder and longtime owner of the NFLs Chicago Bears, George Halas. The first NFC Championship Game was played following the 1970 regular season after the merger between the NFL and the American Football League. The game is considered the successor to the original NFL Championship, every NFC team has played in an NFC Championship at least once. The Seattle Seahawks, who have members in both the AFC and the NFC, hold the distinction of appearing in both conference title games. Only the Detroit Lions have yet to win an NFC Championship Game, at the end of each regular season, a series of playoff games involving the top six teams in the NFC are conducted. In the current NFL playoff structure, this consists of the four division champions, the two teams remaining following the Wild Card round and the divisional round play in the NFC Championship game. Initially, the site of the game was determined on a rotating basis, since the 1975–76 season, the site of the NFC Championship has been based on playoff seeding based on the regular season won-loss record, with the highest surviving seed hosting the game. A wild card team can only host the game if both participants are wild cards, in case the fifth seed would host the sixth seed. Such an instance has never occurred in the NFL, the original design consisted of a wooden base with a sculpted NFC logo in the front and a sculpture of various football players in the back. The trophies are now a new, silver design with the outline of a hollow football positioned on a base to more closely resemble the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Numbers in parentheses in the winning team column are NFC Championships won by that team, bold indicates team won Super Bowl that year. Numbers in parentheses in the city and stadium column is the amount of times that area and stadium has hosted a NFC Championship. ^ a, Overtime ^ b, The Seahawks were members of the NFC in 1976 and then members of the AFC from 1977–2001, including their only appearance in the AFC Championship Game, they hold a combined 3–1 record between both Conference Championship Games
4.
Carolina Panthers
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The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League, as a club of the leagues National Football Conference South division. The team president is Danny Morrison, and the coach is Ron Rivera. The Panthers were announced as the leagues 29th franchise in 1993 and they did not have another winning season until 2003, when they won the NFC Championship Game and reached Super Bowl XXXVIII, losing 32–29 to the New England Patriots. After recording playoff appearances in 2005 and 2008, the failed to record another playoff appearance until 2013. After losing in the round to the San Francisco 49ers in 2013 and the Seattle Seahawks in 2014, the Panthers finally returned to the Super Bowl in 2016. The Panthers have reached the playoffs seven times, advancing to four NFC Championship Games and they have won six division titles, one in the NFC West and five in the NFC South. The Carolina Panthers are legally registered as Panther Football, LLC, the team is headquartered in Bank of America Stadium in uptown Charlotte, also the teams home field. They are one of the few NFL teams to own the stadium they play in, the team hosts its annual training camp at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina. On December 15,1987, entrepreneur Jerry Richardson announced his bid for an NFL expansion franchise in the Carolinas. Richardson drew his inspiration to pursue an NFL franchise from George Shinn, who had made a bid for an expansion National Basketball Association team in Charlotte. Richardson founded Richardson Sports, a partnership consisting of himself, his family, Richardson looked at four potential locations for a stadium, ultimately choosing uptown Charlotte. In choosing the name, the Richardsons did not run focus groups with potential fans. Their intention had always been the Panthers, Jerry Richardson began driving a car with the license plate PNTHRS near the end of 1989, to highlight the demand for professional football in the Carolinas, Richardson Sports held preseason games around the area from 1989 to 1991. The matchups were between existing NFL teams, in 1991, the group formally filed an application for the open expansion spot, and on October 26,1993, the 28 NFL owners unanimously named the Carolina Panthers as the 29th member of the NFL. The Panthers first competed in the 1995 NFL season, they were one of two teams to begin play that year, the other being the Jacksonville Jaguars. Former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Dom Capers was named the first head coach, the team finished its inaugural season 7–9, the best performance ever from a first-year expansion team. They performed even better in their season, finishing with a 12–4 record and winning the NFC West division
5.
Super Bowl XXXVIII
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The Patriots defeated the Panthers by the score of 32–29, winning their second Super Bowl championship in three years. The game was played at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas, at the time, this was the most watched Super Bowl ever with 144.4 million viewers. The Panthers were making their first ever Super Bowl appearance after posting an 11–5 regular season record and they also made it the second straight year that a team from the NFC South division made the Super Bowl, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers winning Super Bowl XXXVII. The Patriots were seeking their second Super Bowl title in three years after posting a 14–2 record. NFL fans and sports writers widely consider this one of the most well-played and thrilling Super Bowls. Although neither team could score in the first and third quarters, the game was scoreless for a Super Bowl record 26,55 before the two teams combined for 24 points prior to halftime. The clubs then combined for a Super Bowl record 37 points in the fourth quarter, the contest was finally decided on New England kicker Adam Vinatieris 41-yard field goal with four seconds left. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was named Super Bowl MVP for the time in three years. He set a Super Bowl record for the most pass completions, completing 66.7 percent of his passes and accumulating 354 passing yards,3 touchdowns, Jake Delhomme for his part overcame the poor start with 323 passing yards and three touchdowns. The 61 combined points stood as a Super Bowl record until the 62 points scored in Super Bowl LI in 2017, along with the rest of the halftime show, it led to an immediate crackdown by the Federal Communications Commission, and widespread debate on perceived indecency in broadcasting. NFL owners voted to award Super Bowl XXXVIII to Houston during their November 1,2000 meeting held in Atlanta and this was the first Super Bowl to be played in a stadium with a retractable roof. It also marked the first time in 4 tries that the Patriots played a Super Bowl that was not in New Orleans and this game marked a six-month stretch for Texas hosting the Super Bowl, NCAA mens Division I basketball Final Four and Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The Final Four was played at the Alamodome in San Antonio, beginning with this game, all Super Bowl games have been played on the first Sunday in February every year. Consequently, the Super Bowl is currently scheduled no earlier than February 1, the Panthers made their first trip to the Super Bowl after posting a one-win regular season just two years earlier. The franchise was only in their year of existence, joining the league as an expansion team in 1995. In just their second season, they posted a 12–4 regular season record and advanced to the NFC Championship Game, but lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers 30–13. With John Fox at the helm and the taking advantage of the free agent market and the salary cap rules. Then in 2003, they recorded an 11–5 record and won the NFC South, One of the free agents that Carolina signed before the 2003 season was quarterback Jake Delhomme
6.
NRG Stadium
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NRG Stadium, formerly Reliant Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium, in Houston, Texas, United States. NRG Stadium has a capacity of 71,795, a total area of 1,900,000 square feet with a 97,000 sq ft playing surface. The stadium served as the host facility for Super Bowl XXXVIII on February 1,2004, Super Bowl LI on February 5,2017, NRG Stadium is part of a collection of venues, which are collectively called NRG Park. The entire complex is named for NRG Energy under a 32-year, the stadium was constructed at the cost of $352 million. NRG Stadium is the first facility in the NFL to have a retractable roof, in February 2017, NRG Stadium hosted Super Bowl LI. It also hosted all 10 of the University Interscholastic Leagues Texas high school championship games at the conclusion of the 2015 season. The Houston NFL Holdings group came to Populous to begin the design for the first-ever NFL retractable roof football stadium in 1997. The intention was to create a stadium to replace the Astrodome that would operate like an open-air facility but have the intimacy. With the design for football and the square footage requirements of the rodeo, groundbreaking for the stadium was on March 9,2000 and the building was officially topped off in October 2001. The stadium opened on August 24,2002, with a game between the Miami Dolphins and Houston Texans which the Dolphins won 24–3. The stadium hosted its first regular season NFL football game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Houston Texans on September 8,2002, construction was completed in 30 months. The first rodeo was held in the stadium in February 2003, during a Texans preseason game on August 30,2012, against the Minnesota Vikings, an intoxicated fan fell to his death from an escalator. On March 19,2014, the stadium was renamed NRG Stadium, after NRG Energy, during the 2015 season, a permanent artificial surface was installed at NRG Stadium. The Texans had used a natural surface since the stadium opened, in recent years, the stadium installed artificial turf to be used during high school and college games while keeping the grass for Texans games. After the Texans home opener, complaints about the field conditions led to the installation of the artificial surface for Texans games. The surface brand is UBU Speed, which is part of Act Global, on the night of September 12–13,2008 the stadium sustained damage from Hurricane Ike forcing the Houston Texans home opener scheduled for September 14 to be postponed. Part of the roof cladding came off, and there was wind and that game was rescheduled to week 8, which was to have been the bye week for both the Texans and Bengals. The Bengals bye week was moved from October 26 to November 9, the stadium reopened on October 5,2008 when the Texans hosted the Indianapolis Colts and hosted three additional home games in October
7.
Houston
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Houston is the most populous city in the state of Texas and the fourth-most populous city in the United States. With a census-estimated 2014 population of 2.239 million within an area of 667 square miles, it also is the largest city in the southern United States and the seat of Harris County. Located in Southeast Texas near the Gulf of Mexico, it is the city of Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land. Houston was founded on August 28,1836, near the banks of Buffalo Bayou and incorporated as a city on June 5,1837. The city was named after former General Sam Houston, who was president of the Republic of Texas and had commanded, the burgeoning port and railroad industry, combined with oil discovery in 1901, has induced continual surges in the citys population. Houstons economy has an industrial base in energy, manufacturing, aeronautics. Leading in health care sectors and building equipment, Houston has more Fortune 500 headquarters within its city limits than any city except for New York City. The Port of Houston ranks first in the United States in international waterborne tonnage handled, the city has a population from various ethnic and religious backgrounds and a large and growing international community. Houston is the most diverse city in Texas and has described as the most diverse in the United States. It is home to cultural institutions and exhibits, which attract more than 7 million visitors a year to the Museum District. Houston has a visual and performing arts scene in the Theater District. In August 1836, two real estate entrepreneurs from New York, Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen, purchased 6,642 acres of land along Buffalo Bayou with the intent of founding a city. The Allen brothers decided to name the city after Sam Houston, the general at the Battle of San Jacinto. The great majority of slaves in Texas came with their owners from the slave states. Sizable numbers, however, came through the slave trade. New Orleans was the center of trade in the Deep South. Thousands of enslaved African Americans lived near the city before the Civil War, many of them near the city worked on sugar and cotton plantations, while most of those in the city limits had domestic and artisan jobs. Houston was granted incorporation on June 5,1837, with James S. Holman becoming its first mayor, in the same year, Houston became the county seat of Harrisburg County and the temporary capital of the Republic of Texas
8.
2004 Pro Bowl
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The 2004 Pro Bowl was the NFLs all-star game for the 2003 season. The game was played on February 8,2004, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, the final score was NFC55, AFC52, the most points scored in a Pro Bowl game. Marc Bulger of the St. Louis Rams was the games MVP, the AFCs first play set the tone for what would become a high-scoring affair. Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair faked a handoff to running back Jamal Lewis before throwing to Chad Johnson for a 90-yard touchdown pass, after the NFC got the ball back, they were forced to punt after a three-and-out. However, the punt by Todd Sauerbrun was blocked, and Ed Reed of the Ravens recovered it and ran it into the end zone, giving the AFC a 14–0 lead early on. The NFC responded with a touchdown by Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander, after Mike Vanderjagt kicked a field goal of his own, the score at the end of the first quarter was 17–10 AFC. Peyton Manning came on for the AFC at the second quarter, Wilkins kicked another field goal for the NFC, and the halftime score was 31–13 in favor of the AFC. The AFC continued to add onto their lead with a Jamal Lewis touchdown, once again, the AFC struck quickly at the start of a quarter, when Trent Green hit Clinton Portis with a 22-yard touchdown pass. With less than 14 minutes remaining in the game, the score was 45–27, Bulger quickly threw a scoring pass to tight end Alge Crumpler, and a short time later hit Alexander with another touchdown pass. Although the two-point conversion attempt after Alexanders touchdown failed, the score was still 45–40 with just over five minutes to play. Just after that, Dré Bly picked off Manning and returned the interception for a touchdown, counting the successful two-point conversion after Blys touchdown, the NFC had scored 18 points in 8 minutes. Alexander scored another rushing touchdown with three and a half remaining to add to the NFCs lead. Manning, however, responded with a pass to Hines Ward. Safety Brock Marion picked off Bulger in the end zone and ran it back to the AFCs 22-yard line, Manning had 1,15 left on the clock and no timeouts. After two passes to his target, Harrison, as well as another to Ward, the AFC found itself on the NFCs 21-yard line. Kris Jenkins sacked Manning to send the AFC back, though, and with six seconds left, Vanderjagt, who hadnt missed a kick all season, was wide right on a 51-yard attempt. Ironically, the AFCs total of 31 points in the first half was a Pro Bowl record, 1st Quarter AFC – Chad Johnson 90-yard pass from Steve McNair,12,25. Drive,1 play,90 yards,0,15, AFC – Ed Reed 23-yard blocked punt return,11,02
9.
Aloha Stadium
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Aloha Stadium is a stadium located in Halawa, Hawaii, a western suburb of Honolulu. It is the largest stadium in the state of Hawaii, Aloha Stadium is home to the University of Hawaiʻi Rainbow Warriors football team. It hosts the NCAAs Hawaii Bowl, and has also been home to the National Football Leagues Pro Bowl since 1980 and it also hosts numerous high school football games during the season, and serves as a venue for large concerts and events. A swap meet in the parking lot every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday draws large crowds. Aloha Stadium once served as field for the AAA Hawaii Islanders of the Pacific Coast League from 1975 to 1987 before the team moved to Colorado Springs. Before 1975, Honolulus main outdoor stadium had been Honolulu Stadium, however, it had reached the end of its useful life by the 1960s, and was well below the standards for Triple-A baseball. The need for a new stadium was hastened by the Rainbows move to NCAA Division I, located west of downtown Honolulu and two miles north of Honolulu International Airport, Aloha Stadium was constructed in 1975 at a cost of $37 million. The first sporting event ever held at Aloha Stadium was a game played between the University of Hawaii and Texas A&I on September 13,1975. The stadium was somewhat problematic for its primary tenant, the Islanders. It was located in west-central Oahu, far from the Islanders fan base, additionally, while TheBus stopped right at the main gate of Honolulu Stadium, the Aloha Stadium stop was located some distance from the gate. As a result, attendance plummeted and never really recovered—a major factor in the ultimate move to the mainland. Additionally, stadium management initially refused to allow the use of metal spikes, when the Tacoma Twins complied with a parent-club directive to wear the spikes, stadium management turned off the center field lights. After 35 minutes, the umpires forfeited the game to the Twins, the Islanders protested, claiming they had no control over the lights. However, the PCL sided with the Twins, citing a rule that the home team is responsible for providing acceptable playing facilities. As originally built, Aloha Stadium could be reconfigured into various configurations for different sport venues and other purposes. Four movable 7, 000-seat sections, each 3.5 million pounds could move using air casters into a configuration for baseball. In January 2007, the stadium was locked into its football configuration due to cost. There have been numerous discussions with Hawaii lawmakers who are concerned with the condition of the stadium
10.
2002 NFL season
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The 2002 NFL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Football League. The league went back to a number of teams, expanding to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Texans. The clubs were then realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each, also, the Chicago Bears played the 2002 season in Champaign, Illinois at Memorial Stadium because of the reconstruction of their home stadium Soldier Field. The NFL title was won by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when they defeated the Oakland Raiders 48–21 in Super Bowl XXXVII, at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. With the Houston Texans joining the NFL, the teams were realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each division. In creating the new divisions, the tried to maintain the historical rivalries from the old alignment. The major changes were, The Seattle Seahawks became the team to switch conferences twice. The Arizona Cardinals moved from the NFC East to the NFC West and they had originally played in Chicago and then St. Louis before moving to Phoenix in 1988. The Indianapolis Colts, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Tennessee Titans, the Atlanta Falcons, the Carolina Panthers, the New Orleans Saints, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were placed into the newly formed NFC South. Both the AFC Central and the NFC Central were renamed AFC North and NFC North and they retained their team placement, minus the Titans, Jaguars and Buccaneers of their respective conferences. From 1999 to 2001, at least one team sat out each week because of an odd number of teams in the league. Under the new scheduling formula, only two of a teams games each season are based on the previous record, down from four under the previous system. All teams play four interconference games, an analysis of win percentages in 2008 showed a statistical trend upwards for top teams since this change, the top team each year then averaged 14.2 wins, versus 13.4 previously. The playoff format was modified, four division winners and two wild cards from each conference now advance to the playoffs, instead of three division winners and three wild cards. In each conference, the winners are now seeded 1 through 4. In the current system, the way a wild card team can host a playoff game is if both teams in the conferences championship game are wild cards. Since 1990, the number of teams is still 12. A player who touches a pylon remains in-bounds until any part of his body touches the ground out-of-bounds, continuing-action fouls now become dead-ball fouls and will result in the loss of down and distance
11.
2004 NFL season
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The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League. With the New England Patriots as the league champions, regular season play was held from September 9,2004 to January 2,2005. Due to several incidents during the 2003 NFL season, officials are authorized to penalize excessive celebration, the 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty will be marked off from the spot at the end of the previous play or, after a score, on the ensuing kickoff. If the infraction is ruled flagrant by the officials, the player are ejected, due to several instances during the 2003–04 playoffs, officials are instructed to strictly enforce illegal contact, pass interference, and defensive holding. Timeouts can be called by head coaches, in addition to the numbers 80–89, wide receivers will now be allowed to use numbers 10–19. A punt or missed field goal that is untouched by the team is immediately dead once it touches either the end zone or any member of the kicking team in the end zone. Previously, a punt or missed field goal that lands in the end zone before being controlled by the team could be picked up by a member of the receiving team. Teams will be awarded a third instant replay challenge if their first two are successful, previously, teams were only limited to two regardless of what occurred during the game. The one-bar facemask was officially outlawed, the few remaining players who still used the one-bar facemask at the time were allowed to continue to use the style until they left the league under a grandfather clause. Baltimore Ravens – Added third alternative uniforms, jacksonville Jaguars – New road uniforms. White uniforms, black numbers with gold and teal trim, New black pants with Jaguars logo on hip. New York Giants – Added third alternative uniforms, Minnesota Vikings – New FieldTurf field. Chicago Bears – Added third alternative uniforms, coaching changes Arizona Cardinals – Dennis Green replaced Dave McGinnis Atlanta Falcons – Jim Mora, Jr. Tiebreakers a Indianapolis clinched the AFC #3 seed instead of San Diego based on better head-to-head record, jets clinched the AFC #5 seed instead of Denver based on better record in common games. C St. Louis clinched the NFC #5 seed instead of Minnesota or New Orleans based on conference record. D Minnesota clinched the NFC #6 seed instead of New Orleans based on better head-to-head record, Giants finished ahead of Dallas and Washington in the NFC East based on better head-to-head record. F Dallas finished ahead of Washington in the NFC East based on better head-to-head record, within each conference, the four division winners and the two wild card teams qualified for the playoffs. The four division winners are seeded 1 through 4 based on their overall won-lost-tied record, the NFL does not use a fixed bracket playoff system, and there are no restrictions regarding teams from the same division matching up in any round
12.
National Football League
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The National Football League is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference and the American Football Conference. The NFL is one of the four professional sports leagues in North America. The NFLs 17-week regular season runs from the week after Labor Day to the week after Christmas, with each team playing 16 games, the NFL was formed in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association before renaming itself the National Football League for the 1922 season. The NFL agreed to merge with the American Football League in 1966, and the first Super Bowl was held at the end of that season, the merger was completed in 1970. Today, the NFL has the highest average attendance of any sports league in the world and is the most popular sports league in the United States. S. The NFLs executive officer is the commissioner, who has authority in governing the league. The team with the most NFL championships is the Green Bay Packers with thirteen, the current NFL champions are the New England Patriots, who defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34–28 in Super Bowl LI. Another meeting held on September 17,1920 resulted in the renaming of the league to the American Professional Football Association, the league hired Jim Thorpe as its first president, and consisted of 14 teams. Only two of these teams, the Decatur Staleys and the Chicago Cardinals, remain, the first event occurred on September 26,1920 when the Rock Island Independents defeated the non-league St. Paul Ideals 48–0 at Douglas Park. On October 3,1920, the first full week of league play occurred, the following season resulted in the Chicago Staleys controversially winning the title over the Buffalo All-Americans. In 1922, the APFA changed its name to the National Football League, in 1932, the season ended with the Chicago Bears and the Portsmouth Spartans tied for first in the league standings. This method had used since the leagues creation in 1920. The league quickly determined that a game between Chicago and Portsmouth was needed to decide the leagues champion. Playing with altered rules to accommodate the playing field, the Bears won the game 9–0. Fan interest in the de facto championship game led the NFL, beginning in 1933, the 1934 season also marked the first of 12 seasons in which African Americans were absent from the league. The de facto ban was rescinded in 1946, following public pressure, the NFL was always the foremost professional football league in the United States, it nevertheless faced a large number of rival professional leagues through the 1930s and 1940s. Rival leagues included at least three separate American Football Leagues and the All-America Football Conference, on top of regional leagues of varying caliber. Three NFL teams trace their histories to these leagues, including the Los Angeles Rams
13.
Philadelphia Eagles
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The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football franchise based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles compete in the National Football League as a club of the leagues National Football Conference East division. The franchise was established in 1933 as a replacement for the bankrupt Frankford Yellow Jackets, when a group led by Bert Bell secured the rights to an NFL franchise in Philadelphia. Bell, Chuck Bednarik, Bob Brown, Reggie White, Steve Van Buren, Tommy McDonald, Greasy Neale, Pete Pihos, Sonny Jurgensen, the team has an intense rivalry with the New York Giants. This rivalry is the oldest in the NFC East and is among the oldest in the NFL and they also have a historic rivalry with the Washington Redskins, as well as their bitter rivalry with the Dallas Cowboys, which has become more high-profile in the last three decades. The team consistently ranks in the top three in attendance and has sold out every game since the 1999 season, in a Sports Illustrated poll of 321 NFL players, Eagles fans were selected the most intimidating fans in the NFL. Midway through the 1931 season, the Frankford Yellow Jackets went bankrupt, the Bell-Wray group had to pay an entry fee of $3,500 and assumed a total debt of $11,000 that was owed to three other NFL franchises. Neither the Eagles nor the NFL officially regard the two franchises as the same, citing the period of dormancy. Furthermore, almost no Yellow Jackets players were on the Eagles first roster, the Eagles, along with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the now-defunct Cincinnati Reds, joined the NFL as expansion teams. To accommodate football at Shibe Park during the winter, management set up stands in right field, some 20 feet high, these east stands had 22 rows of seats. The goalposts stood along the first base line and in left field, the uncovered east stands enlarged capacity of Shibe Park to over 39,000, but the Eagles rarely drew more than 25 to 30,000. The Eagles struggled over the course of their first decade, enduring repeated losing seasons, soon after, Bell and Rooney traded the Eagles franchise to Thompson and moved it to Pittsburgh, while Thompson moved the Steelers franchise to Philadelphia. By the late 1940s, head coach Earle Greasy Neale and running back Steve Van Buren led the team to three consecutive NFL Championship Games, winning two of them in 1948 and 1949. After the 1957 season, the Eagles moved from Connie Mack Stadium to Franklin Field at the University of Pennsylvania, Franklin Field would seat over 60,000 for the Eagles, whereas Connie Mack had a capacity of 39,000. The stadium switched from grass to AstroTurf in 1969 and it was the first NFL stadium to use artificial turf. In 1960, the Eagles won their third NFL championship, under the leadership of future Pro Football Hall of Famers Norm Van Brocklin and Chuck Bednarik, the head coach was Buck Shaw. The 1960 Eagles, by a score of 17–13, became the team to defeat Vince Lombardi. The Eagles had a good 1961 season and then fell on hard times in 1962
14.
Lincoln Financial Field
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Lincoln Financial Field is the home stadium of the National Football Leagues Philadelphia Eagles and the Temple Owls football team of Temple University. It has a capacity of 69,176. It is located in South Philadelphia on Pattison Avenue between 11th and South Darien streets, also alongside I-95 as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, many locals refer to the stadium simply as The Linc. The stadium opened on August 3,2003 after two years of construction began on May 7,2001, replacing Veterans Stadium. While total seating capacity is similar to that of The Vet, the fields construction included several light emitting diode video displays, as well as more than 624 feet of LED ribbon boards. Naming rights were sold in June 2002 to Lincoln Financial Group, additional construction funding was raised from the sale of Stadium Builders Licenses to Eagles season ticket holders. The Army–Navy football game has played at the stadium. Temple Universitys Division I college football team plays their home games at Lincoln Financial Field. The Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer have played games here against high-profile international clubs when their stadium Talen Energy Stadium does not provide adequate seating. The stadium also plays host to several games each year. In late spring of 2013, the Eagles announced that there will be some major upgrades to Lincoln Financial Field over the next 2 years, the total project estimate is valued at over $125 million. The upgrades included seating expansion, two new HD video boards, upgraded amenities, WiFi, and two new connecting bridges for upper levels and these upgrades were decided upon after research from season ticket holders, advisory boards, and fan focus groups. The majority of changes, including WiFi, were completed by the 2013 home opener. The upgraded sound systems and video boards were finished for the 2014 season, August 3,2003, Lincoln Financial Field hosted its first ticketed event, a soccer match between Manchester United and FC Barcelona. August 22,2003, The Philadelphia Eagles hosted the New England Patriots in the first pre-season football game at Lincoln Financial Field, September 6,2003, Lincoln Financial Field hosted its first regular-season college football game, a college matchup of local Philadelphia rivals, Villanova and Temple. Villanova prevailed 23–20 in double overtime, September 8,2003, The Eagles and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers competed on Monday Night Football in the first regular-season NFL game at Lincoln Financial Field. The game was referenced as the Inaugural Game at Lincoln Financial Field, the Buccaneers defeated the Eagles 17–0 in their new home. NFC Divisional Playoff, January 11,2004 and this game is also known as The Miracle of 4th and 26
15.
Cedar Fire (2003)
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The Cedar Fire was a wildfire which burned over 280,000 acres of land in San Diego County, California during October and November 2003. The fires rapid growth was driven by the Santa Ana winds, by the time the fire was fully contained on November 4, it had burned 280,278 acres of land, destroyed 2,820 buildings and killed 15 people, including one firefighter. The fire remains the largest wildfire in California history, according to CALFIRE, it is also the third deadliest and second most destructive wildfire in state history. The Cedar Fire began in the Cuyamaca Mountains within the Cleveland National Forest and it was first reported at 5,37 PM PDT on October 25,2003, to the south of Ramona in central San Diego County. At the time it began, at least eleven other wildfires were burning in southern California. Within ten minutes of the report, the U. S. Forest Service had deployed 10 fire engines. Within 30 minutes,320 firefighters and six fire chiefs were en route, a San Diego County Sheriffs Department ASTREA helicopter that was rescuing a hunter spotted the fire at about the same time as the first phone report was received and called for an air response. Another Sheriffs helicopter equipped with a Bambi bucket was dispatched to drop water on the fire, when the helicopter was only minutes away from the fire, a Forest Service fire chief cancelled the water drop because policy required the cutoff of aerial firefighting 30 minutes before sunset. Between the time the fire started and midnight the predicted strong easterly Santa Ana winds surfaced, by 3,00 AM,62,000 acres had burned. Overnight, the fire killed 12 people living in Wildcat Canyon and Muth Valley in the northern part of Lakeside. The fire destroyed 39 homes on the Barona Indian Reservation, in only a few hours, the Cedar Fire pushed southwest over 30 miles and burned over 100,000 acres at rates of up to 6,000 acres per hour. On October 26, the fire forged into Alpine, Harbison Canyon and Crest, by October 28, the strong easterly Santa Ana winds died down and the fire turned east, consuming another 114,000 acres. The entire community of Cuyamaca, most of nearby Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, on October 29, a fire company attempting to defend a house in Riverwood Estates near Santa Ysabel became entrapped and overrun by the fire. Another firefighter sustained severe injuries, and two others were hurt, firefighters finally achieved full containment of the Cedar Fire on November 3, and total containment of all 2003 wildfires on December 5. President George W. Bush declared Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Diego, air travel in and around the region was also disrupted due to the effect on air traffic control radar. The decision to move the game to Arizona was made less than 24 hours before the game started, investigators determined that the fire was started by Sergio Martinez of West Covina, California, a novice hunter who had been hunting in the area and had become lost. After gathering sticks and brush together, Martinez lit the brush and quickly lost control of the fire because of the heat, low humidity, Martinez was charged in federal court on October 7,2004 with setting the fire and lying about it. In November 2005, a judge sentenced Martinez to six months in a work-furlough program
16.
SDCCU Stadium
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Qualcomm Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in San Diego, California, United States. The stadium opened in 1967 as San Diego Stadium and was known for many years as Jack Murphy Stadium. Since 1997, the naming rights have been owned by Qualcomm. It is the home of the San Diego State Aztecs football team from San Diego State University, two college football bowl games, the Holiday Bowl and Poinsettia Bowl, are held in the stadium every December. The stadium was the home of two professional franchises, the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League and the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball. The stadium has hosted three Super Bowl games, Super Bowl XXII in 1988, Super Bowl XXXII in 1998, humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis and Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Qualcomm Stadium is located immediately northwest of the interchange of Interstate 8, the stadium is served by the Qualcomm Stadium station of the San Diego Trolley, accessible via the Green Line running toward Downtown San Diego to the west, and Santee to the east. In the early 1960s, local sportswriter Jack Murphy, the brother of New York Mets broadcaster Bob Murphy, in November 1965, a $27 million bond was passed allowing construction to begin on a stadium, which was designed in the Brutalist style. Construction on the stadium began one month later, when completed, the facility was named San Diego Stadium. The Chargers played the first game ever at the stadium on August 20,1967, San Diego Stadium had a capacity of around 50,000, the three-tier grandstand was in the shape of a horseshoe, with the east end low. Due to expansion of Major League Baseball, this team was replaced by the current San Diego Padres major-league team beginning in the 1969 season and this was replaced in 1987 by a White Way Sign scoreboard, in which the video screen is surrounded almost entirely by three messageboards. The original video board was replaced in 1996 by a Sony JumboTron, after Jack Murphys death in September 1980, San Diego Stadium was renamed San Diego–Jack Murphy Stadium by a 6–2 vote of the San Diego City Council on January 6,1981. In 1983, over 9,000 bleachers were added to the deck on the open end of the stadium raising the capacity to 59,022. The most substantial addition was completed in 1997, when the stadium was fully enclosed, nearly 11,000 seats were added in readiness for Super Bowl XXXII in 1998, bringing the capacity to 70,561. Also in 1997, the facility was renamed Qualcomm Stadium after Qualcomm Corporation paid $18 million for the naming rights, the naming rights will belong to Qualcomm until 2017. In order to continue to honor Murphy, the city named the stadium site Jack Murphy Field, however, as part of the naming agreement Jack Murphy Field was not allowed to be used alongside Qualcomm Stadium. Some San Diegans, however, still refer to the stadium as Jack Murphy or simply The Murph, before his death in 2004, Bob Murphy still referred to it as Jack Murphy Stadium during New York Mets broadcasts, even after it was renamed. The stadium was temporarily renamed Snapdragon Stadium for 10 days in December 2011 as a tie in for Qualcomms Snapdragon brand
17.
Miami Dolphins
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The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football franchise based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League as a club of the leagues American Football Conference East division. The Dolphins play their games at Hard Rock Stadium in the northern suburb of Miami Gardens, Florida. The Dolphins and the Atlanta Falcons are the oldest NFL franchises in the Deep South, however, of the four AFC East teams, they are the only team in the division that was not a charter member of the American Football League. The Dolphins team was founded by attorney-politician Joe Robbie and actor-comedian Danny Thomas and they began play in the AFL in 1966. For the first few years the Dolphins full-time training camp and practice facilities were at Saint Andrews School, in 1970 the Dolphins joined the NFL when the AFL–NFL merger occurred. The team made its first Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl VI, Miami also appeared in Super Bowl XVII and Super Bowl XIX, losing both games. For most of their history, the Dolphins were coached by Don Shula. Under Shula, the Dolphins posted losing records in two of his 26 seasons as the head coach. During the period spanning 1983 to the end of 1999, quarterback Dan Marino became one of the most prolific passers in NFL history, Marino led the Dolphins to five division titles,10 playoff appearances, and Super Bowl XIX before retiring following the 1999 season. During the summer of 1966, the Dolphins training camp was in St. Pete Beach with practices in August at Boca Ciega High School in Gulfport. The Dolphins had a combined 15–39–2 record in their first four seasons under head coach George Wilson, before Don Shula was hired as head coach. Shula was a Paul Brown disciple who had been lured from the Baltimore Colts after losing Super Bowl III two seasons earlier to the AFLs New York Jets and finishing 8–5–1 the following season. Interestingly, Shula got his first NFL coaching job from then-Detroit Head Coach George Wilson, when Shula replaced Wilson at Miami the Colts charged the Dolphins with tampering in their hiring of Shula, costing the Dolphins their first round draft pick in 1971. Shula introduced himself to the Miami press by saying that he didnt have any magic formulas, Shulas early training camps with the Dolphins, with four workouts a day, would soon be the stuff of sweltering, painful legend. But Shulas hard work paid dividends, as Miami improved to a 10–4 record and their first-ever playoff appearance. The Dolphins were successful in the early 1970s, becoming the first team to advance to the AFC Championship for three consecutive seasons and they captured the AFC championship in 1971 behind quarterback Bob Griese, running backs Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick, and wide receiver Paul Warfield. The AFC Divisional Playoff Game, in which the Dolphins defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, was the longest contest in NFL history, in Super Bowl VI, however, Miami lost to the Dallas Cowboys 24–3
18.
History of the San Diego Chargers
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The Los Angeles Chargers franchise was founded in 1959 as a charter member of the American Football League. The team played the 1960 season in Los Angeles, moving to San Diego in 1961, the Chargers played in San Diego for 56 years. In 2017, the Chargers owner announced a move to Los Angeles, effective with the 2017 season, the Chargers original owner was hotel heir Barron Hilton, son of Hilton Hotels founder Conrad Hilton. Frank Leahy, a former Notre Dame University football coach, was named the teams first general manager, the Chargers initially considered playing at the Rose Bowl, but instead signed a lease to play at the Los Angeles Coliseum. There is also a theory about a man named Gerald Courtney of Hollywood who won an all-expenses-paid trip to Mexico City. They played ten years in the AFL before the merging of the league into the older NFL and their only coach for the ten-year life of the AFL was Sid Gillman, former coach of the NFLs Los Angeles Rams, who originally signed a three-year contract as head coach. Gillman, who was voted to the Hall of Fame, was widely recognized as a great offensive innovator. He also took on the role of coach and general manager after Frank Leahy resigned because of poor health. The early AFL years of the San Diego Chargers were highlighted by the play of wide receiver Lance Alworth with 543 receptions for 10,266 yards in his 11-AFL/NFL-season career. In addition, he set the pro football record of games with a reception during his career. With players such as Alworth, Paul Lowe, Keith Lincoln and John Hadl, the high-scoring Chargers reached the AFL Championship Game five times winning once during that ten-year span. The Chargers spent only one season in L. A. before moving in 1961, on that season, the defense recorded 49 pass interceptions as the AFL played an exciting brand of football featuring strong passing attacks. The Chargers were the originators of the term Fearsome Foursome to describe their all-star defensive line, anchored by Earl Faison, the phrase was later appropriated by various NFL teams. Houston defeated the Chargers 10–3 before 29,556 persons in Balboa Stadium to win the second AFL championship. The next year, the Chargers stumbled to a 4-10 record, as of 2016, this was the last professional sports championship for the city of San Diego. In 1964, the AFL teams signed a television contract with National Broadcasting Company for a record $36 million. The Chargers and New York Jets tied 17-17 before a record AFL crowd of 50,222 fans,46,828 paid in New Yorks Shea Stadium, a Balboa Stadium attendance record of 34,865 was set as Buffalo defeated San Diego 27-24 on Thanksgiving Day. The Chargers defeated the Jets 38-3 before 25,753 persons in Balboa Stadium to clinch their fourth AFL West title in five years, in 1965, San Diego won their fifth AFL West title in six years by defeating Houston on December 12 by the score of 37-26
19.
Sun Devil Stadium
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Sun Devil Stadium is an outdoor football stadium on the campus of Arizona State University, in Tempe, Arizona, United States. It is home to the Arizona State Sun Devils football team of the Pac-12 Conference, the stadiums current seating capacity is 56,232 and the playing surface is natural grass. The gridiron within the stadium was named Frank Kush Field in honor of the coach of the ASU football team in 1996. Sun Devil Stadium is undergoing a $256 million renovation that is scheduled to be completed before the 2018 season, the stadium has hosted two annual college football bowl games, the Fiesta Bowl from 1971 to 2006, and the Cactus Bowl from 2006 to 2015. Sun Devil Stadium was the home stadium of the NFLs Arizona Cardinals after the teams arrival to the Phoenix metropolitan area in 1988. The Cardinals moved across the Valley to University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale following the 2005 season, built in 1958, the stadiums original capacity was 30,000. The first addition in 1976 substantially raised the capacity to 57,722, seating was added to the south end zone, along with press and sky boxes. A year later, in 1977, the tier was completed to bring seating to 70,311. In 1988,1,700 more seats were added to bring the facility, during that time the Carson Student Athlete Center was added to the south end. The building is the home of the ASU Athletic Department, in 2007, engineers realized the stadiums concrete base of the stadium was buckling due to the rusting of structural steel supporting the foundation. Stadium designers had neglected to waterproof the structure when it was built, engineers estimated $45 million in repairs would be needed to maintain the stadium beyond 2010. A new Arizona bill allows the Arizona Board of Regents to set up a district on ASU property to collect revenue from local businesses, money from the fee will go toward the funding of renovation projects of ASUs athletic facilities, including the stadium. It was estimated the fund would accumulate enough money to begin planning renovations within 2–5 years, in April 2012, Sun Devil Athletics unveiled an estimated $300 million plan for renovated Sun Devil Stadium that entails reduced stadium capacity, field turf and fabric roof shading. The plan to cover the stadium with fabric was later scrapped, in October 2013, Sun Devil Athletics announced the removal of approximately 5,700 north end zone upper deck seats that reduced the stadium capacity to 65,870 for the 2014 season. The 2016 and 2017 Cactus Bowls, which are played in Sun Devil Stadium. Phase 1, Sections of the deck were removed. The bleachers behind the end zone were replaced with a steel. Phase 2, The west side of the bowl was demolished
20.
Arizona Cardinals
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The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football franchise based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League as a member of the leagues National Football Conference West division, the Cardinals were founded as the Morgan Athletic Club in 1898, and are the oldest continuously run professional football team in the United States. The Cardinals play their games at the University of Phoenix Stadium. The team was established in Chicago in 1898 and was a member of the NFL in 1920. Along with the Chicago Bears, the club is one of two NFL charter member franchises still in operation since the leagues founding, the club then moved to St. Louis in 1960 and played in that city through 1987. Before the 1988 season, the team moved west to Tempe, Arizona, a suburb east of Phoenix. In 2006, the club playing all home games at the newly constructed University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. The franchise has won two NFL championships, both while it was based in Chicago, the first occurred in 1925, but is the subject of controversy, with supporters of the Pottsville Maroons believing that Pottsville should have won the title. Their second title, and the first to be won in a game, came in 1947. They returned to the game to defend in 1948. In 2012 the Cardinals became the first NFL franchise to lose 700 games since its inception, the franchises all-time win-loss record at the conclusion of the 2016 season is 549–741–40. They have been to the ten times and have won seven playoff games. During that season, they won their only NFC Championship Game since the 1970 AFL–NFL merger, the team has also won five division titles since their 1947–1948 NFL championship game appearances. From 1988 through 2012, the Cardinals conducted their summer training camp at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. The Cardinals moved their camp to University of Phoenix Stadium in 2013. The stadium was the site of the 2015 Pro Bowl, unlike in past years, the stadium also played host to Super Bowls XLII and XLIX. The franchises inception dates back to 1898, when a group gathered to play in the Chicago South Side. Chicago painting and building contractor Chris OBrien acquired the team, which he relocated to Normal Field on Racine Avenue, the team was known as Racine Normals until 1901, when OBrien bought used jerseys from the University of Chicago
21.
2016 NFL season
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For the first time since the 2003 NFL season, neither of the previous seasons Super Bowl participants made the playoffs. The 2016 season was also the last season for the San Diego Chargers before their return to their city of Los Angeles for 2017. The 2016 NFL league year began on March 9,2016 at 4,00 p. m. ET, all 2015 players contracts expired and trading period for 2016 begin. A total of 496 players were eligible for some form of free agency at the beginning of the free agency period, in addition, a number of highly paid players were released after the start of the league year to allow their teams to regain space under the salary cap. On March 9, the Philadelphia Eagles traded cornerback Byron Maxwell, linebacker Kiko Alonso, on March 9, the Philadelphia Eagles traded running back DeMarco Murray along with a 2016 fourth-round draft pick to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a 2016 fourth-round draft pick. On March 11, the Philadelphia Eagles traded quarterback Mark Sanchez to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a conditional 2017 seventh-round draft pick. On March 15, the New England Patriots traded Pro Bowl defensive end Chandler Jones to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for guard Jonathan Cooper and a 2016 second-round draft pick. On March 16, the Chicago Bears traded tight end Martellus Bennett along with a 2016 sixth-round draft pick to the New England Patriots in exchange for a 2016 fourth-round draft pick. On April 9, the Denver Broncos traded offensive tackle Ryan Clady, on August 16, the Tennessee Titans traded wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for G/T Dennis Kelly. On September 3, the Philadelphia Eagles traded quarterback Sam Bradford to the Minnesota Vikings for a 2017 first-round draft pick, on October 31, the New England Patriots traded linebacker Jamie Collins to the Cleveland Browns for a conditional 2017 third-round draft pick. The 2016 NFL Draft was held between April 28 − April 30,2016 in Chicago, by way of a trade with the Tennessee Titans, the Los Angeles Rams held the first overall pick and selected QB Jared Goff. Oakland Raiders defensive back Charles Woodson announced he would retire from football at the end of the 2015 season on December 21,2015. He played eighteen seasons, starting with the Raiders for eight seasons and after spending seven with the Green Bay Packers, he returned to the Raiders for his final three seasons. He was the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year for the 2009 season and is tied with Rod Woodson, Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch announced his retirement from professional football on February 7,2016. Lynch played nine seasons, four with the Buffalo Bills and the five with the Seahawks. Lynch was a five-time Pro Bowler, led the league in rushing touchdowns two seasons, co-led in total touchdowns one season, and won a title with the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII. Carolina Panthers defensive end Jared Allen announced his retirement from football on February 18,2016. Allen played twelve seasons, his first four with the Kansas City Chiefs, then six with the Minnesota Vikings, a five-time Pro Bowl and four-time All-Pro selection, Allen tallied 136 quarterback sacks during his career
22.
Joe Theismann
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Joseph Robert Theismann is a former professional gridiron football player, sports commentator, corporate speaker and restaurateur. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003, following his retirement from football in 1985 after a career-ending injury, Theismann worked as a sportscaster and an analyst on pro football broadcasts with ESPN for nearly 20 years. He primarily partnered with Mike Patrick, for the networks Sunday Night Football package and for one season of Monday Night Football with Mike Tirico, Theismann also worked as a color analyst on NFL Networks Thursday Night Football package with play-by-play voice Bob Papa and Matt Millen. Theismann also co-hosts the networks weekly show Playbook, since 2011, he has worked on the Redskins preseason television broadcast team. Additionally, he works on the NFL Network on a variety of programs, Theismann is the owner of Theismanns Restaurant and Bar in Alexandria, Virginia, founded 1975. He also performs as a speaker for events, speaking on topics such as leadership and self-motivation. Theismann was born to Austrian Joseph John Theismann who ran a gas station and his Hungarian mother, Olga Tóbiás worked for Johnson & Johnson until her retirement. Theismann was raised in South River, New Jersey, and attended South River High School, where he lettered in baseball, basketball, Theismann accepted a college football scholarship to attend the University of Notre Dame. At Notre Dame, Theismann became the quarterback as a sophomore. In the three remaining games in the season, he led the Irish to two wins and a tie. In 1969, Theismann led the Irish to a number five ranking, the next year, the Irish had a 10–1 record, a number two ranking, and won against Texas in the 1971 Cotton Bowl Classic, 24–11. That year, Theismann was an All-American and an Academic All-American, Theismann set school records for passing yards in a season and touchdowns in a season. He also set a record for passing yards in a game and completions in a game while playing against the University of Southern California in a torrential downpour in 1970. As a starting quarterback, Theismann compiled a 20–3–2 record while throwing for 4,411 yards and 31 touchdowns and his 4,411 passing yards rank fifth on Notre Dames career passing list. Theismann was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003 and he was the eighth Notre Dame quarterback enshrined into the hall, joining former Heisman Trophy winners Angelo Bertelli, John Lujack, and Paul Hornung. Theismann was selected in the round of the 1971 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. After prolonged negotiations with the Dolphins failed, Theismann elected to sign with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League for $50,000 per season. A fumble late in the quarter by Argonaut running back Leon McQuay close to the goal line cost the Argonauts what would have been their first Grey Cup victory since 1952
23.
Joe Namath
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Joseph William Namath, nicknamed Broadway Joe and Joe Willie, is a former American football quarterback and actor. Namath was an AFL icon and played for that leagues New York Jets for most of his football career. He finished his career with the Los Angeles Rams and he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985. Statistics belie Namaths enduring influence on the game of professional football and he retired after playing 143 games over 13 years in the AFL and NFL, including playoffs. Due mainly to chronic injuries that undermined his career at its peak, his record is 68 wins,71 losses, and four ties, 64–64–4 in 132 starts. He completed 1,886 passes for 27,663 yards, threw 173 touchdowns and he played for three division champions, earned one league championship, and one Super Bowl victory. In 1999, he was ranked number 96 on The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Football Players, in his 1975 autobiography, Alabama head coach Bryant called Namath the most natural athlete he had ever coached. Namath is known for boldly guaranteeing a Jets victory over Don Shulas NFL Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, already a celebrity, he was now established as a sports icon. He remained a recognizable figure in the media and sports worlds nearly half a century after his brashness cemented his identity in the public mind. Namath was born and raised in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania,30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh and he is the son of Rose and János John Andrew Namath, a steelworker. While growing up, Namath was close to both of his parents, who eventually divorced, following his parents divorce, he lived with his mother. He was the youngest of four sons, with an adopted sister. Namath excelled in all sports at Beaver Falls High School and was a quarterback in football, guard in basketball. In an age when dunks were uncommon in high school basketball, coached by Larry Bruno at Beaver Falls, Namaths football team won the WPIAL Class AA championship with a 9–0 record in 1960. Coach Bruno later was his presenter to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, upon graduation from high school in 1961, he received offers from several Major League Baseball teams, including the Yankees, Indians, Reds, Pirates, and Phillies, but football prevailed. Namath graduated from college at age 64 in 2007, after he returned to the University of Alabama about forty years after leaving early to pursue a professional football. He successfully finished a 30-hour external program bachelor of degree in interdisciplinary studies. He was rejected by Maryland because his college-board scores were just below the schools requirements, after ample recruiting by Bryant, Namath accepted a full scholarship to attend Alabama
