1.
Kauffman Stadium
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Kauffman Stadium, often called The K, is a baseball park located in Kansas City, Missouri, that is home to the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball. It is part of the Truman Sports Complex together with the adjacent Arrowhead Stadium, the ballpark is named for Ewing Kauffman, the founder and first owner of the Royals. It opened in 1973 as Royals Stadium and was named for Kauffman on July 2,1993, the ballparks listed seating capacity since 2009 is 37,903. Kauffman Stadium was built specifically for baseball during an era where building multisport cookie-cutter stadiums were commonplace and it is often held up along with Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles as one of the best examples of modernist stadium design. It is currently the only ballpark in the American League to be named after a person and is one of ten stadiums in Major League Baseball that does not have a corporate-sponsored name. Finley, had just signed a new lease to remain in Kansas City and this was a very unusual proposal, conventional wisdom at the time held that separate football and baseball stadiums were not commercially viable. Before the 1968 season, however, Finley moved the As to Oakland, California, after the move, Missouri Senator Stuart Symington threatened to press for the revocation of baseballs anti-trust exemption if they did not give Kansas City a new team. Baseball responded by hastily granting expansion franchises to four cities, including a Kansas City team owned by local pharmaceutical magnate Ewing Kauffman, the new teams were due to start play in 1971. However, Symington was not about to have Kansas City wait three years for the return of baseball, and forced MLB to move up the date to 1969. Jackson County continued its plans to build a new ballpark, after playing four seasons in Kansas City Municipal Stadium, on April 10,1973, the Royals inaugurated Royals Stadium with a win over the Texas Rangers. On May 15,1973, the stadium, barely a month into its existence, saw Nolan Ryan, pitching for the California Angels, throw the first of his seven no-hitters, blanking the Royals 3–0. On July 24,1973, Royals Stadium hosted its first of two Major League Baseball All-Star Games, on October 9,1976, the Royals competed in their first post-season game in franchise history, losing 4–1 to the New York Yankees at Royals Stadium in the ALCS. The Royals came back to win the game on October 10, 6–3. On October 17,1980, the first World Series game held in Kansas City featured the hometown Royals against the Philadelphia Phillies, in his first at-bat, George Brett hit a home run down the right field line. The Royals would go on to record their first-ever World Series win, however, the Royals would lose the World Series that year in six games. The Royals went on to win the American League pennant in seven games, on October 27 of that same year, the Royals clinched their first World Series title in franchise history, winning Game 7 in Royals Stadium. Led by the pitching of Bret Saberhagen, Darryl Motleys two-run home run, and George Bretts four hits, the Royals were the first team in the history of the World Series to lose the first two games of the series at home and come back to win. In 2012, the stadium hosted its second All-Star Game, which the National League won 8-0, the stadium hosted the Royals first playoff game in nearly 29 years when the citys former team, the Athletics, came to town for the 2014 American League Wild Card Game
2.
Kansas City, Missouri
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Kansas City is the largest city in Missouri and the sixth largest city in the Midwest. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the city had an population of 475,378 in 2015. It is the city of the Kansas City metropolitan area. Kansas City was founded in the 1830s as a Missouri River port at its confluence with the Kansas River coming in from the west, on June 1,1850 the town of Kansas was incorporated, shortly after came the establishment of the Kansas Territory. Confusion between the two ensued and the name Kansas City was assigned to them soon thereafter. Most of the city lies within Jackson County, but portions spill into Clay, Cass, along with Independence, it serves as one of the two county seats for Jackson County. Major suburbs include the Missouri cities of Independence and Lees Summit and the Kansas cities of Overland Park, Olathe, and Kansas City. The city is composed of neighborhoods, including the River Market District in the north, the 18th and Vine District in the east. Kansas City is also known for its cuisine, its craft breweries, Kansas City, Missouri was officially incorporated as a town on June 1,1850, and as a city on March 28,1853. The territory straddling the border between Missouri and Kansas at the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers was considered a place to build settlements. The Antioch Christian Church, Dr. James Compton House, the first documented European visitor to Kansas City was Étienne de Veniard, Sieur de Bourgmont, who was also the first European to explore the lower Missouri River. Criticized for his response to the Native American attack on Fort Détroit, Bourgmont lived with a Native American wife in a village about 90 miles east near Brunswick, Missouri, where he illegally traded furs. In the documents, he describes the junction of the Grande Riv des Cansez and Missouri River, French cartographer Guillaume Delisle used the descriptions to make the areas first reasonably accurate map. The Spanish took over the region in the Treaty of Paris in 1763, the French continued their fur trade under Spanish license. After the 1804 Louisiana Purchase, Lewis and Clark visited the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers, in 1831, a group of Mormons from New York settled in what would become the city. They built the first school within Kansas Citys current boundaries, but were forced out by mob violence in 1833, in 1833 John McCoy established West Port along the Santa Fe Trail,3 miles away from the river. In 1834 McCoy established Westport Landing on a bend in the Missouri to serve as a point for West Port. Soon after, the Kansas Town Company, a group of investors, began to settle the area, in 1850, the landing area was incorporated as the Town of Kansas
3.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
4.
Kansas City Chiefs
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The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League as a club of the leagues American Football Conference West division. The team was founded in 1960 as the Dallas Texans by businessman Lamar Hunt and was a member of the American Football League. In 1963, the relocated to Kansas City and assumed their current name. The Chiefs joined the NFL as a result of the merger in 1970, the team is valued at just under $1 billion. The Chiefs were also the team, after the Green Bay Packers, to appear in more than one Super Bowl. The Chiefs Wild-Card playoff victory ended what was at the time the third-longest drought in the NFL, in 1959, Lamar Hunt began discussions with other businessmen to establish a professional football league that would rival the National Football League. Hunts desire to secure a team was heightened after watching the 1958 NFL Championship Game between the New York Giants and Baltimore Colts. After unsuccessful attempts to purchase and relocate the NFLs Chicago Cardinals to his hometown of Dallas, Texas, Hunt went to the NFL and asked to create an expansion franchise in Dallas. The NFL turned him down, so Hunt then established the American Football League and started his own team, the Dallas Texans, to begin play in 1960. Hunt hired an assistant coach from the University of Miami football team, Hank Stram, to be the teams head coach after the job offer was declined by Bud Wilkinson. The Texans shared the Cotton Bowl with the NFLs cross-town competition Dallas Cowboys for three seasons, the Texans were to have exclusive access to the stadium until the NFL put an expansion team, the Dallas Cowboys, there. While the team averaged a league-best 24,500 at the Cotton Bowl, in the franchises first two seasons, the team managed only a 14–14 record. In their third season, the Texans strolled to an 11–3 record, the game was broadcast nationally on ABC and the Texans defeated the Oilers 20–17 in double overtime. The game lasted 77 minutes and 54 seconds, which stands as the longest championship game in professional football history. It turned out to be the last game the team would play as the Dallas Texans and he considered moving the Texans to either Atlanta or Miami for the 1963 season. However, he was swayed by an offer from Kansas City Mayor Harold Roe Bartle. Bartle promised to triple the franchises season ticket sales and expand the capacity of Municipal Stadium to accommodate the team
5.
Seating capacity
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Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats hundreds of thousands of people. The International Fire Code, portions of which have adopted by many jurisdictions, is directed more towards the use of a facility than the construction. It specifies, For areas having fixed seating without dividing arms and it also requires that every public venue submit a detailed site plan to the local fire code official, including details of the means of egress, seating capacity, arrangement of the seating. Once safety considerations have been satisfied, determinations of seating capacity turn on the size of the venue. For sports venues, the decision on maximum seating capacity is determined by several factors, chief among these are the primary sports program and the size of the market area. Seating capacity of venues also plays a role in what media they are able to provide, in contracting to permit performers to use a theatre or other performing space, the seating capacity of the performance facility must be disclosed. Seating capacity may influence the kind of contract to be used, the seating capacity must also be disclosed to the copyright owner in seeking a license for the copyrighted work to be performed in that venue. Venues that may be leased for private functions such as ballrooms and auditoriums generally advertise their seating capacity, seating capacity is also an important consideration in the construction and use of sports venues such as stadiums and arenas. The seating capacity for restaurants is reported as covers, a restaurant that can seat 99 is said to have 99 covers, seating capacity differs from total capacity, which describes the total number of people who can fit in a venue or in a vehicle either sitting or standing. Use of the term public capacity indicates that a venue is allowed to more people than it can actually seat. Again, the total number of people can refer to either the physical space available or limitations set by law
6.
AstroTurf
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AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf playing surface. The original AstroTurf product was a synthetic turf. The prime reason to incorporate AstroTurf on game fields was to avoid the cost of laying natural turf, the name AstroTurf has evolved into a generic trademark and is sometimes used to refer to all brands of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf brand product was co-invented in 1965 by Donald L. Elbert, James M. Faria and it was patented in 1965 and originally sold under the name ChemGrass. It was re-branded as AstroTurf by an employee named John A. Wortmann after its first well-publicized use at the Houston Astrodome stadium in 1966. Early iterations of the short pile turf swept the major stadia, concerns over directionality and traction led Monsantos R&D department to implement a texturized nylon system. By imparting a crimped texture to the nylon after it was extruded, in 1987, Monsanto consolidated its AstroTurf management, marketing, and technical activities in Dalton, Georgia, as AstroTurf Industries, Inc. In 1988, Balsam AG purchased all the stock of AstroTurf Industries. In 1994, Southwest Recreational Industries, Inc. acquired the AstroTurf brand, in 1996, SRI was acquired by American Sports Products Group Inc. While AstroTurf was the leader throughout the late 20th century. FieldTurf, AstroTurfs chief competitor in the early 2000s and today and this third generation turf, as it became known, changed the landscape of the marketplace. Although SRI successfully marketed AstroPlay, a third generation turf product, increased competition, despite their legal victory, increased competition took its toll. Out of the proceedings, Textile Management Associates, Inc. of Dalton, Georgia, acquired the AstroTurf brand. TMA began marketing the AstroTurf brand under the company AstroTurf, LLC, in 2006, General Sports Venue became TMAs marketing partner for the AstroTurf brand for the American market. AstroTurf, LLC handled the marketing of AstroTurf in the rest of the world, in 2009, TMA acquired GSV in order to enter the marketplace as a direct seller. AstroTurf, LLC focused its efforts on research and development, which has promoted rapid growth, AstroTurf introduced new product features and installation methods, including AstroFlect and field prefabrication. AstroTurf also introduced a product called RootZone consisting of crimped fibers designed to encapsulate infill and this product has been adopted by many professional organizations and colleges in the United States. In 2016, SportGroup Holding announced that it would purchase AstroTurf,1964 The Moses Brown School in Providence, Rhode Island, installs ChemGrass
7.
Kivett and Myers
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Kivett & Myers was a Kansas City, Missouri architecture firm that pioneered the design of modern professional sports stadiums. Clarence Kivett graduated from the University of Kansas in 1928 and his first big project was the art deco design of Katz Drug at Main Street. He was joined by Ralph Myers in 1940, a prominent feature of the stadia design favoured by Kivett and Myers is the spiral ramps leading to the higher echelons of seating. This can be seen at Kauffman Stadium and Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, as well as the now-demolished Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, the concepts of separate stadiums for baseball and football was revolutionary at the time when stadiums were designed as gigantic multipurpose venues. The rolling roof was too expensive and too impractical in Kansas City however it was to be applied at several stadiums elsewhere in the decades that followed. In 1978 the Kansas City civil engineering and architecture firm HNTB acquired Kivett and Myers and went on to several professional stadiums, indoor arenas. In 1988 several more architects left HNTB and opened an architecture office in Kansas City for Ellerbe Becket. This practice was primarily for professional indoor sports arenas, but was also responsible for several major stadia. KC Public Library History Kansas City Biz Journal profile
8.
Populous (company)
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Populous is a global architectural firm specializing in the design of sports facilities, arenas and convention centers, as well as the planning of major special events. Populous formerly operated as HOK Sport Venue Event, which was part of the HOK Group, in January 2009, Populous was created through a management buyout, becoming independently owned and operated. It is reported to be one of the largest architecture firms in the world, in 1983, HOK under Jerry Sincoff created a sports group. The firm initially consisted of eight architects in Kansas City, on several projects, HOK Sport had teamed with international design practice LOBB Partnership, which maintained offices in London, England, and Brisbane, Australia. On HOK Sports 15th anniversary in November 1998, the merged with LOBB. The new practice retained headquarters in all three cities, the Kansas City, Missouri, office was first based in the citys Garment District in the Lucas Place office building. It was the first major company to relocate to the neighborhood in several decades, in March 2009, HOK Sport Venue Event changed its name to Populous after a managers’ buyout by HOK Group. In October 2015, Populous relocated to its new headquarters at the newly renovated Board of Trade building at 4800 Main street near the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City. Other firms with sports design presence in Kansas City that trace their roots to Kivett include Ellerbe Becket Inc. Populous is credited for spearheading a new era of baseball park design in the 1990s, beginning with Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Starting with the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati in 2003, subsequent stadium exteriors featuring this motif opened in Washington and Minnesota. And because the stadiums were designed for baseball instead of several sports, Camden Yards was not only hugely popular with baseball fans. The success of a new ballpark in downtown Baltimore convinced many cities to invest public funds in their own new ballparks to help revitalize struggling urban neighborhoods, from 1992 to 2012, HOK Sport/Populous were the lead architects on 14 Major League Baseball stadiums and helped renovate four existing stadiums. One sportswriter said the attempt to emulate the old parks in this way is contrived. S, Louis, Missouri – St. Louis Cardinals Nationals Park, Washington, D. C. Sir Bobby Robson Stand at Portman Road – Ipswich, England, UK – Ipswich Town Football Club Estádio da Luz – Lisbon, benfica Estádio Algarve – Loulé, Portugal – S. C. Monterrey Stade des Lumières – Décines, France – Olympique Lyonnais City of Manchester Stadium expansion – Manchester, UK – Manchester City F. C. C. Petersburg, Florida (joint project with Lescher & Mahoney Sports & Criswell, Blizzard & Blouin Architects Ervin J. Paul, Minnesota, USA2015 – Final Four - Indianapolis, Indiana, USA Official website
9.
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
10.
Sporting Kansas City
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Sporting Kansas City is an American professional soccer club based in Kansas City, Missouri, playing its home games in Kansas City, Kansas. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference in MLS, Sporting KC began play in 1996 as a charter team in the league, then known as the Kansas City Wiz. The team was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1995, since moving across the state line, they have been the only major professional sports league franchise to play their home games in Kansas. For the majority of their existence, the franchise were known as the Kansas City Wizards, the team rebranded in November 2010, coinciding with its move to their home stadium, now known as Childrens Mercy Park. The franchise has won the MLS Cup twice, the Supporters Shield in 2000, the club also has a reserve team, Swope Park Rangers, that plays in the third-tier United Soccer League. Sporting is also affiliated with the separately owned FC Kansas City of the National Womens Soccer League, with the team using Sportings facilities for practices. The Kansas City MLS franchise was founded by Lamar Hunt, who was also the founder of the American Football League, the Kansas City Chiefs, the United Soccer Association, and Major League Soccer. The Kansas City Wiz played their first game on April 13,1996, defeating the Colorado Rapids at Arrowhead Stadium, the Wiz players included Preki, Mo Johnston and Digital Takawira, and were coached by Ron Newman. The team finished fifth in the 1996 regular season with a 17–15 record, in the 1996 conference semi-finals, the Wiz beat the Dallas Burn in three games, winning the final game in a shootout, before losing the conference final to the LA Galaxy. Following the 1996 season, the Wiz changed names, becoming the Wizards, for the 1997 MLS season, their record was 21–11, sufficient for the Western Conference regular season championship. Preki was named 1997 MLS MVP, in the first round of the playoffs, the Wizards lost to the last-seeded Colorado Rapids. The Wizards had losing records for the 1998 and 1999 seasons, the Wizards fired Ron Newman early during the 1999 season, and replaced him with Bob Gansler. The Wizards finished the 1999 season with a record of 8–24, in 2000, their first full season under Bob Gansler, the Wizards opened the season on a 12-game unbeaten streak. Goalkeeper Tony Meola recorded an MLS record shutout streak at 681 minutes and 16 shutouts, Peter Vermes was named 2000 MLS Defender of the Year. The Wizards finished the 2000 regular season 16–7–9, the best record in the league, at RFK Stadium in Washington, D. C. the Wizards, with the leagues best defense, faced the team with the leagues best offense, the Chicago Fire. The Wizards took the lead on an 11th-minute goal by Miklos Molnar, the Fire put ten shots on goal, but Tony Meola and the defense held, and the Wizards claimed their first MLS Cup Championship. Tony Meola was named 2000 MLS Cup MVP, after the loss of Preki to the Miami Fusion, the team struggled to defend their championship in 2001, making the playoffs as the 8th seed with a record of 11–13–3. In the first round, the Wizards reign as champion ended with a 6 points to 3 loss to Preki, despite getting back Preki, the Wizards sat in last place in the Western Conference in 2002
11.
Major League Soccer
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Major League Soccer is a mens professional soccer league, sanctioned by U. S. Soccer, that represents the sports highest level in both the United States and Canada. MLS constitutes one of the professional sports leagues of the United States. The league comprises 22 teams—19 in the U. S. and 3 in Canada, the MLS regular season runs from March to October, with each team playing 34 games, the team with the best record is awarded the Supporters Shield. The postseason includes twelve teams competing in the MLS Cup Playoffs through November and December, culminating in the championship game, MLS teams also play in other domestic competitions against teams from other divisions in the U. S. Open Cup and in the Canadian Championship. MLS teams also compete against continental rivals in the CONCACAF Champions League, Major League Soccer was founded in 1993 as part of the United States successful bid to host the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The first season took place in 1996 with ten teams, MLS experienced financial and operational struggles in its first few years, The league lost millions of dollars, teams played in mostly empty American football stadiums, and two teams folded in 2002. Instead of operating as an association of independently owned teams, MLS is an entity in which each team is owned and controlled by the leagues investors. The investor-operators control their teams as owners control teams in other leagues, MLS headquarters is located in New York City. Major League Soccers regular season runs from March to October, teams are divided into the Eastern and Western Conferences. Teams play 34 games in a schedule,23 matches against teams within their conference. Midway through the season, teams break for the annual All-Star Game, at the end of the regular season, the team with the highest point total is awarded the Supporters Shield. While MLS has looked into changing to a format, there are no current plans to do so. If the league were to change its schedule, a break would be needed, especially with several teams in colder climates. It would also have to compete with the more popular National Football League, National Hockey League, MLS teams also play in other competitions. Every year, up to five MLS teams play in the CONCACAF Champions League against other clubs from the CONCACAF region, two U. S. -based MLS teams qualify based on MLS regular-season results, the winner of the Western conference and the winner of the Eastern conference. The third U. S. team to qualify is the winner of the MLS Cup. A fourth U. S. -based MLS team can qualify via the U. S. Open Cup, Canadian MLS clubs play against lower division Canadian clubs in the Canadian Championship for the one Champions League spot allocated to Canada. MLSs 22 teams are divided between the Eastern and Western Conferences, each club is allowed up to 28 players on its first team roster
12.
Truman Sports Complex
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The Harry S. Truman Sports Complex is a sports and entertainment facility located in Kansas City, Missouri. It is home to two sports venues, Arrowhead Stadium—home of the National Football Leagues Kansas City Chiefs. The complex also hosts other events during the year. The Truman Sports Complex was built and owned by the government of Jackson County and managed by the Jackson County Sports Complex Authority, the original plan called for separate side-by-side stadiums with a mutual rolling roof. However, the roof was never built due to cost, the complex was revolutionary in an age when new stadiums tended to be built as multiuse venues for planning and cost purposes. The design not only made Deatons reputation, but also made that of the architects that implemented his plans, Kivett and Myers. In 1975, the merged with Kansas City architect firm HNTB and went on to design stadiums like Giants Stadium, the RCA Dome, Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Kansas City began a project to renovate both Arrowhead and Kauffman Stadiums in 2007, following the passage of a ⅜ cent sales tax increase in a referendum in 2006. Improvements to Kauffman Stadium were finished in time for the MLB Opening Day in 2009, a separate tax referendum to raise funds to finally build the rolling roof failed. Both stadiums are being renovated by Populous, with renovations, both the Royals and Chiefs have leases on the stadiums through January 31,2031. Their previous lease which was renegotiated in 1990 had been set to expire January 31,2015, Arrowhead Stadium, home of the National Football Leagues Kansas City Chiefs, opened in the fall of 1972. George Halas called Arrowhead the most revolutionary, futuristic sports complex I have ever seen, fans occasionally refer to the stadium as The Sea of Red or simply just Arrowhead. The stadium is referred to as the Home of the CHIEFS at the beginning of every home game. Arrowhead has long held a reputation for being one of, if not the, in recent years, Arrowhead has competed with CenturyLink Field in Seattle for the loudest open-air stadium in the world, as certified by the Guinness Book of World Records. Arrowhead reclaimed the title, however, on September 29,2014 when noise levels reached 142.2 decibels as the Chiefs defeated the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football. Kauffman Stadium, home of Major League Baseballs Kansas City Royals, the stadiums name was changed in 1993 to honor Royals founder Ewing Kauffman just months before his death. Even though the stadium is slightly older than 40 years old, it is the sixth-oldest stadium in the MLB and it was the only baseball-specific stadium completed from the early 1960s until the early 1990s. It is also one of nine stadiums in Major League Baseball that doesnt have a corporate-sponsored name
13.
Kansas City Royals
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The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball as a team of the American League Central division. The team was founded as a franchise in 1969, and has participated in four World Series, winning in 1985 and 2015. The name Royals originates from the American Royal, a show, horse show, rodeo. Entering the American League in 1969 along with the Seattle Pilots, since April 10,1973, the Royals have played at Kauffman Stadium, formerly known as Royals Stadium. The team remained competitive throughout the early 1990s, but then had one winning season from 1995 to 2012. For 28 consecutive seasons, the Royals did not qualify to play in the Major League Baseball postseason, the team broke this streak in 2014 by securing the franchises first wild card berth and advancing to the World Series. The Royals followed this up by winning the teams first Central Division title in 2015, the Royals began play in 1969 in Kansas City, Missouri. In their inaugural game, on April 8,1969, the Royals defeated the Minnesota Twins 4–3 in 12 innings, in 1971, the Royals had their first winning season, with manager Bob Lemon leading them to a second-place finish. In 1973, under manager Jack McKeon, the Royals adopted their iconic powder blue road uniforms, the 1973 All-Star Game was hosted at Royals Stadium, with Otis and Mayberry in the AL starting lineup. The event was held at Municipal Stadium in 1960, when the Athletics were based in Kansas City. However, the Royals lost to the New York Yankees in three straight American League Championship Series encounters, after the Royals finished in second place in 1979, Herzog was fired and replaced by Jim Frey. Under Frey, the Royals rebounded in 1980 and advanced to the ALCS, the Royals vanquished the Yankees in a three-game sweep punctuated by a George Brett home run off of Yankees star relief pitcher Goose Gossage. After reaching their first World Series, the Royals fell to the Philadelphia Phillies in six games, Game 6 was also significant because it remains the most-watched game in World Series history with a television audience of 54.9 million viewers. In July 1983, while the Royals were headed for a second-place finish behind the Chicago White Sox another chapter in the rivalry with the New York Yankees occurred. After Yankee Manager Billy Martin came out of the dugout to talk to home plate umpire Tim McClelland, McClelland, McClelland then pointed to Brett in the dugout and gave the out sign, disallowing the home run. Brett stormed out of the dugout, angry and hysterical, the homer was later reinstated by AL President Lee MacPhail, and the Royals won the game after it was resumed several weeks later. The 1983 season was notable for some transitional changes in the Royals organization
14.
Major League Baseball
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Major League Baseball is a professional baseball organization, the oldest of the four major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. A total of 30 teams now play in the National League and American League, the NL and AL operated as separate legal entities from 1876 and 1901 respectively. After cooperating but remaining legally separate entities since 1903, the merged into a single organization led by the Commissioner of Baseball in 2000. The organization also oversees Minor League Baseball, which comprises about 240 teams affiliated with the Major League clubs, with the World Baseball Softball Confederation, MLB manages the international World Baseball Classic tournament. Baseballs first professional team was founded in Cincinnati in 1869,30 years after Abner Doubleday supposedly invented the game of baseball, the first few decades of professional baseball were characterized by rivalries between leagues and by players who often jumped from one team or league to another. The period before 1920 in baseball was known as the dead-ball era, Baseball survived a conspiracy to fix the 1919 World Series, which came to be known as the Black Sox Scandal. The sport rose in popularity in the 1920s, and survived potential downturns during the Great Depression, shortly after the war, baseballs color barrier was broken by Jackie Robinson. The 1950s and 1960s were a time of expansion for the AL and NL, then new stadiums, Home runs dominated the game during the 1990s, and media reports began to discuss the use of anabolic steroids among Major League players in the mid-2000s. In 2006, an investigation produced the Mitchell Report, which implicated many players in the use of performance-enhancing substances, today, MLB is composed of thirty teams, twenty-nine in the United States and one in Canada. Baseball broadcasts are aired on television, radio, and the Internet throughout North America, MLB has the highest season attendance of any sports league in the world with more than 73 million spectators in 2015. MLB is governed by the Major League Baseball Constitution and this document has undergone several incarnations since 1875, with the most recent revisions being made in 2012. Under the direction of the Commissioner of Baseball, MLB hires and maintains the sports umpiring crews, and negotiates marketing, labor, MLB maintains a unique, controlling relationship over the sport, including most aspects of Minor League Baseball. This ruling has been weakened only slightly in subsequent years, the weakened ruling granted more stability to the owners of teams and has resulted in values increasing at double-digit rates. There were several challenges to MLBs primacy in the sport between the 1870s and the Federal League in 1916, the last attempt at a new league was the aborted Continental League in 1960. The chief executive of MLB is the commissioner, Rob Manfred, the chief operating officer is Tony Petitti. There are five other executives, president, chief officer, chief legal officer, chief financial officer. The multimedia branch of MLB, which is based in Manhattan, is MLB Advanced Media and this branch oversees MLB. com and each of the 30 teams websites. Its charter states that MLB Advanced Media holds editorial independence from the league, MLB Productions is a similarly structured wing of the league, focusing on video and traditional broadcast media
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American Football League
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The American Football League was a major professional American football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when it merged with the National Football League. The upstart AFL operated in competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence. The AFL was created by a number of owners who had been refused NFL expansion franchises or had shares of NFL franchises. The league first gained attention by signing 75% of the NFLs first-round draft choices in 1960, the transformation of the struggling Titans into the New York Jets under new ownership further solidified the leagues reputation among the major media. As fierce competition made player salaries skyrocket in both leagues, especially after a series of raids, the agreed to a merger in 1966. Among the conditions were a common draft and a game played between the two league champions, which would eventually become known as the Super Bowl. The AFL and NFL operated as separate leagues until 1970, with regular season. During this time the AFL added the Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals, in 1970, the AFL was absorbed into the NFL, and the ten AFL franchises along with the Baltimore Colts, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers became the American Football Conference. During the 1950s, the National Football League had grown to rival Major League Baseball as one of the most popular sports leagues in the United States. One franchise that did not share in this success of the league was the Chicago Cardinals, owned by the Bidwill family. The Bidwills hoped to relocate their franchise, preferably to St. Louis, needing cash, the Bidwills began entertaining offers from would-be investors, and one of the men who approached the Bidwills was Lamar Hunt, son and heir of millionaire oilman H. L. Hunt. Hunt offered to buy the Cardinals and move them to Dallas, while Hunt negotiated with the Bidwills, similar offers were made by Bud Adams, Bob Howsam, and Max Winter. When Hunt, Adams, and Howsam were unable to secure a controlling interest in the Cardinals, they approached NFL commissioner Bert Bell, Bell, wary of expanding the 12-team league and risking its newfound success, rejected the offer. On his return flight to Dallas, Hunt conceived the idea of a new league. He contacted Adams, Howsam, and Winter to gauge their interest in starting a new league, hunts first meeting with Adams was held in March 1959. Hunt, who felt a regional rivalry would be critical for the success of the new league, convinced Adams to join, Hunt next secured an agreement from Howsam to bring a team to Denver. After Winter and Boyer agreed to start a team in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Hunt then approached Willard Rhodes, who hoped to bring pro football to Seattle. With no place for his team to play, Rhodes effort came to nothing, Hunt also sought franchises in Los Angeles, Buffalo and New York City
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Municipal Stadium (Kansas City, Missouri)
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Kansas City Municipal Stadium was an American baseball and football stadium that formerly stood in Kansas City, Missouri. It was located at the corner of Brooklyn Avenue and E. 22nd Street, Municipal Stadium hosted both the minor-league Kansas City Blues of the American Association and the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro leagues from 1923 to 1954. The stadium was almost completely rebuilt prior to the 1955 baseball season when the Kansas City Athletics moved to Kansas City from Philadelphia. The As played from 1955 to 1967, the Kansas City Royals from 1969 to 1972, the Kansas City Chiefs from 1963 to 1971, the stadium hosted the 1960 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl IV after appearing in the very first Super Bowl, Municipal Stadium was the site of the longest NFL game in history, in a playoff game between the Chiefs and the Miami Dolphins on Christmas Day,1971. Jackie Robinson played at the stadium for the Kansas City Monarchs in 1945 until he was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers, Municipal Stadium was originally built as Muehlebach Field in 1923 for the minor-league Blues for $400,000. It was named for Blues owner George E. Muehlebach, who also owned Kansas City businesses including Muehlebach Beer and it was located in the inner-city neighborhood near 18th and Vine to house the minor-league white Kansas City Blues baseball team and the Negro League Kansas City Monarchs. The first Negro League World Series game was held at the stadium in 1924, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, founded in 1990, is a few blocks from the site. The stadium consisted of a single-decked, mostly covered, grandstand, extending from the foul pole down. When the New York Yankees bought the Blues as its top team in 1937. Ruppert died two years later and the stadium was renamed Blues Stadium in 1943, Arnold Johnson, a Chicago real estate magnate, bought both Blues Stadium and Yankee Stadium in 1953. A year later, he bought the Philadelphia Athletics from Connie Mack in November 1954, Johnson then sold Blues Stadium to the city, who renamed it Municipal Stadium and leased it back to the As. Muehlebach had anticipated that Kansas City would eventually get a major league team, however, when work began on double-decking the stadium, it was discovered that the footings were no longer strong enough to support the weight of a second deck. City officials elected to almost completely demolish the stadium and rebuild from scratch, the city ran three shifts and the new stadium was built in 90 days, completed in time for the April 1955 opening. The new construction was financed by a bond issuance, the expanded stadium was supposed to seat 38,000, but cost overruns as a result of overtime payments forced officials to reduce capacity to just over 30,000. The Braves Field scoreboard was purchased for $100,000 and moved from Boston to Kansas City, while temporary bleachers were added in the left field corner, on opening day 1955, former President Harry S. Truman, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Connie Mack and legendary player Jimmie Foxx were also in attendance, the As defeated the Detroit Tigers, 8–2, The baseball field was aligned northeast at an approximate elevation of 900 feet above sea level. The Kansas City Monarchs were the longest running franchise in the Negro Leagues and were successful and they appeared in four Negro League World Series
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History of the Oakland Athletics
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In 1954, Chicago real estate magnate Arnold Johnson bought the Philadelphia Athletics and moved them to Kansas City. Although he was initially a hero for making Kansas City a major-league town, hed also bought Blues Stadium in Kansas City, home of the Yankees top farm team, the Kansas City Blues of the American Association. After Johnson got permission to move the As to Kansas City, he sold Blues Stadium to the city, the lease gave Johnson a three-year escape clause if the team failed to draw one million or more customers per season. The subsequent lease signed in 1960 also contained a clause if the team failed to draw 850,000 per season. Major-league rules of the time gave the Yankees the major-league rights to Kansas City, however, the Yankees waived these payments as soon as the purchase was approved. This, combined with the Yankees thinly concealed support for the sale, rumors abounded that Johnsons real motive was to operate the Athletics in Kansas City for a few years, then move the team to Los Angeles. Whatever the concern about the move to Kansas City, fans turned out in numbers for the era. That number would never be approached again while the team was in Kansas City, Johnsons previous business ties to the Yankees resulted in several trades between the Athletics and the Bronx Bombers that helped keep the New York dynasty afloat. Invariably, any good young As player was traded to the Yankees for aging veterans, however, with few exceptions, the trades were heavily weighted in favor of the Yankees. On the positive side, Johnson devoted attention to development for the first time in the history of the franchise. Previously, Connie Mack either did not or could not spend any money building a farm system, when Johnson bought the team, the As only had three scouts in the entire organization. Johnson did make some improvements to the system, but was unwilling to pay top dollar for players that could get the As within sight of contention. Johnson was returning from watching the Athletics in spring training when he was stricken with a cerebral hemorrhage. He died in West Palm Beach, Florida on March 3,1960 at the age of 53, on December 19,1960, Charles Charlie O. Finley purchased a controlling interest in the team from Johnsons estate after losing out to Johnson six years earlier in Philadelphia. He bought out the minority owners a year later, Finley promised the fans a new day. In a highly publicized move, he purchased a bus, pointed it in the direction of New York and he called another press conference to burn the existing lease at Municipal Stadium which included the despised escape clause. He spent over $400,000 of his own money in stadium improvements and he introduced new uniforms which had Kansas City on the road uniforms for the first time ever and an interlocking KC on the cap. This was the first time the franchise had acknowledged its home city on its uniforms and he announced, My intentions are to keep the As permanently in Kansas City and build a winning ball club
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Jackson County, Missouri
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Jackson County is a county located in the western portion of the U. S. state of Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the population was 674,158, making it the second-most populous county in the state. Although Independence retains its status as the county seat, Kansas City serves as a second county seat. The county was organized December 15,1826 and named for President Andrew Jackson, Jackson County is the central county of the Kansas City, MO-KS Metropolitan Statistical Area. Jackson County was home to members of the Osage Native American tribe, the first known European explorers were French trappers who used the Missouri River as a highway for explorations and trading with Native American tribes. Jackson County was a part of New France, until the British victory in the French and Indian War in 1763 resulted in the cession of territory to Great Britains ally. Spain was forced by the Third Treaty of San Ildefonso in 1800 to return its Louisiana Territory to France, explorers Merriwether Lewis and William Clark passed through Jackson County on their famous Lewis and Clark expedition in 1804. Among other items, their report indicated a high, commanding position along the river within the current boundaries of Jackson County that in 1808 became Fort Osage. This stockade and trading post was one of the first U. S. military installations within the Louisiana purchase territory, in 1821, Jackson County became part of the newly admitted state of Missouri. Jackson County was organized on December 15,1826 and named for Andrew Jackson and its county seat was designated as Independence, which was at the time only a minuscule settlement near a spring. With the American Civil War and the coming of the railroads, nearby Kansas City ultimately eclipsed Independence, in 1838, a small piece of land was bought along the Missouri River in northern Jackson County by the Town Company, which established Westport Landing. The area outside of Westport Landing was renamed the Town of Kansas, after the local Kanza Native Americans, the town was chartered by Jackson County in 1850 and incorporated by the State of Missouri as the City of Kansas in 1853. In 1889, with a population of around 60,000, in 1897, Kansas City annexed Westport. Jackson County figures prominently in the history of the Latter Day Saint movement, traveling to the area in the Summer of 1831, Smith and some associates formally proclaimed Jackson County as the site, in a ceremony in August 1831. Joseph Smith was then told that the members of the Church should buy as much land as possible west from Independence up to the line that designated the land of the Native Americans. Learning that Jackson County Missouri was Zion meant much to Joseph Smith, according to Mormon belief, Zion is a place where the pure in heart live. After receiving this revelation, Joseph began making arrangements to build up a city, on August 2,1831, he helped lay the logs for the first house built in Zion. The first log was carried and placed by twelve men to represent the tribes of Israel
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Interstate 70
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Interstate 70 is a major Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah to I-695 near Baltimore, Maryland. I-70 approximately traces the path of U. S. Route 40 east of the Rocky Mountains, West of the Rockies, the route of I-70 was derived from multiple sources. The Interstate runs through or near major cities, including Denver, Kansas City, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Columbus, Pittsburgh. The sections of the interstate in Missouri and Kansas have laid claim to be the first interstate in the United States. The construction of I-70 in Colorado and Utah is considered an engineering marvel as the passes through the Eisenhower Tunnel, Glenwood Canyon. The Eisenhower Tunnel is the highest point along the Interstate Highway system with an elevation of 11,158 ft. Interstate 70 begins at an interchange with Interstate 15 near Cove Fort. Upon leaving the valley near Salina, I-70 crosses 7,923 ft Salina Summit, prior to the construction of I-70, the swell was inaccessible via paved roads and relatively undiscovered. It also became the longest piece of highway to be opened at one time. Although opened in 1970, this section was not formally complete until 1990, since I-70s construction, the swell has been noted for its desolate beauty. The swell has since been nominated for National Park and/or National Monument status on multiple occasions, if the swell is granted this status it arguably would be the first time a National Park owes its existence to an interstate highway. Most of the exits in this span are rest areas, brake check areas, I-70 exits the swell near Green River. From Green River to the Colorado state line, I-70 follows the edge of the Book Cliffs. Entering from Utah, I-70 descends into the Grand Valley where it meets the Colorado River, here I-70 serves the Grand Junction metro area before traversing more mountainous terrain. The last section of I-70 to be completed was the 15-mile Glenwood Canyon, construction was delayed for many years due to environmental concerns. Much of the highway is elevated above the Colorado River, the speed limit in this section is 50 mph due to the limited sight distance and sharp corners. The Eisenhower–Johnson Memorial Tunnel, the highest vehicular tunnel in North America, because of the rugged and narrow terrain of the Rocky Mountains, I-70 is one of few roads connecting Colorados ski resorts with Denver. Descending through the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, the Denver skyline can be seen on a clear day. This can fool truckers and other unsuspecting drivers because there is still over 10 miles of steep grade road before reaching the city, a series of signs warns truckers of the steep grade
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Interstate 435
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Interstate 435 is an Interstate Highway beltway that encircles much of the Kansas City, Missouri, Metropolitan Area in the states of Kansas and Missouri in the United States. I-435, a route of I-35, is 80.81 miles long. The majority—52.8 miles —of I-435 is within the state of Missouri, the first/last exit is at I-435s parent route, I-35, in Lenexa, Kansas. Going clockwise around Kansas City, the interchange is exit 1A for Lackman Road. The milepost numbers do not start over when I-435 crosses the line, but where it shares the same roadway as I-29. I-435 in Kansas City was built piece by piece starting in the mid-1960s, in 1965, the first segment of I-435 was built and opened between I-35 and US-69 near Overland Park, Kansas. A second segment was opened the year between I-70 and US-50 in eastern Kansas City, Missouri, but the two were not connected. By 1968, the segment of I-435 was extended south to Gregory Boulevard. By 1969, I-435 was fully built between two segments, through southern and eastern Kansas City. By 1971, the freeway was extended from 23rd Street/Route 78 to US-24, in 1973, I-435 was extended north from the former terminus of US-24 across the Missouri River to I-35 in Claycomo. It now extended halfway around the city, in 1983, a small segment was opened on the outskirts of Kansas City north between US-169 and Route 291 near Kansas City International Airport. By 1985, this segment was connected with the rest of the freeway. A segment was built heading almost due north from I-35 in Claycomo to Route 291/Cookingham Drive at North Reinking Road, in this year, the southwest end was also extended to K-10. In 1987, the freeway was opened all the way around the city, the northwest end was signed on I-29 for eight miles northwest, then exited, near Platte City and bore south on the west side of KCI. It crossed several small highways before crossing the Missouri River into Wyandotte County and it continued generally south or southwest, crossed several state highways and I-70, then the Kaw River, before connecting with the former southwest end at K-10. Kansas Highway Maps, Current, Historic, KDOT
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Charles Deaton
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Charles Utter Deaton was an American architect. He designed several athletic stadiums, and is noted for his futuristic Sculptured House that was featured in the 1973 film Sleeper and he is also noted as the designer of Kansas Citys Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman Stadium. Deaton was born in Clayton, New Mexico and his family lived in a tent on the Oklahoma plains for two years, Deaton studied structural engineering, industrial design and architecture on his own, and earned certification. He designed the futuristic Sculptured House on Genesee Mountain near Denver and he also designed a similar Key Savings and Loan Association building in Englewood, Colorado and the Wyoming National Bank in Casper, Wyoming. In 1967, Kansas City, Missouri was planning to build a new arena for its professional baseball and football teams. Deaton caught the ear of Kansas City Chiefs General Manager Jack Steadman, the entire complex would share parking facilities and highway infrastructure. Deatons design for Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman Stadium was implemented by Kivett, Deaton was also a notable board game designer who received three US Patents for that work. He applied for his first patent at age 19 for the board game Gusher, Deaton received US Letters Patent 2,299,803 for Gusher in 1942. Gusher is something of a version of Monopoly-style trading games. Deatons other two patents also involve games which utilize interactive boards and he received US Letters Patent 2,295,452 in 1942 for Magnetic Minesweeper, marketed in 1941 by the Walco Bead Co. of New York City. He received US Letters Patent 4,078,805 in 1978 for Country Road, Deaton also received additional patents for his various commercial designs, including furniture and interior lighting. He received his final US Letters Patent 4,688,357 in 1987 for a multi-use baseball/football sports stadium with movable seating, in 1969, the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans honored Deaton by naming him to its membership. Deaton died in Morrison, Colorado at the age of 75, colonial Bank Building in Colorado Charles Deaton on YouTube
22.
NFL on Thanksgiving Day
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The National Football League on Thanksgiving Day is a traditional series of games played during the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. It has been a regular occurrence since the inception in 1920. Currently, three NFL games are played every Thanksgiving, the first two are hosted by the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys, a third game, with no fixed opponents, has been played annually since 2006. The concept of American football games being played on Thanksgiving Day dates back to 1876, shortly after the game had been invented, in that year, the college football teams at Yale and Princeton began an annual tradition of playing each other on Thanksgiving Day. The University of Michigan also made it a tradition to play annual Thanksgiving games, the Thanksgiving Day games between Michigan and the Chicago Maroons in the 1890s have been cited as The Beginning of Thanksgiving Day Football. In some areas, high-school teams play on Thanksgiving, usually to wrap-up the regular-season, by the time football had become a professional event, playing on Thanksgiving had already become an institution. Records of pro football being played on Thanksgiving date back to as early as the 1890s, with the first pro–am team, members of the Ohio League, during its early years, usually placed their marquee matchups on Thanksgiving Day. For instance, in 1905 and 1906 the Latrobe Athletic Association and Canton Bulldogs, a rigging scandal with the Tigers leading up to the 1906 game led to severe drops in attendance for the Bulldogs and ultimately led to their suspension of operations. During the 1910s, the Ohio League stopped holding Thanksgiving games because many of its players coached high school teams and were unavailable. This was not the case in other circuits, in 1919. The game ended in a tie, leading to a rematch the next Sunday for the league championship. During the Franksgiving controversy in 1939 and 1940, the two teams to play the game were the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles, as both teams were in the same state. When the Thanksgiving games resumed in 1945, only the Lions annual home game would remain on the Thanksgiving holiday, in 1951, the Packers began a thirteen-season run as the perpetual opponent to the Lions each year through 1963. In 1966, the Dallas Cowboys, who had founded six years earlier. It is widely rumored that the Cowboys sought a guarantee that they would regularly host Thanksgiving games as a condition of their very first one, in 1975 and 1977, the St. Louis Cardinals replaced Dallas as a host team. This, combined with St. Louiss consistently weak attendance and opposition from the Kirkwood–Webster Groves Turkey Day Game led to Dallas resuming regular hosting duties in 1978. Notwithstanding the aforementioned St. Louis-hosted games in 1975 and 1977, thus, the AFC could showcase only one team on Thanksgiving, and the AFC team was always the visiting team. Since 2006, a third NFL game on Thanksgiving has been played at night and it originally aired on the NFL Network as part of its Thursday Night Football package until 2011, NBC began carrying the night game in 2012
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Denver Broncos
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The Denver Broncos are an American football team based in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos compete in the National Football League as a club of the leagues American Football Conference West division. The team began play in 1960 as a member of the American Football League. The Broncos are owned by the Pat Bowlen trust, the Broncos have played at Sports Authority Field at Mile High since 2001, after previously playing at Mile High Stadium from 1960 to 2000. The Broncos were barely competitive during their 10-year run in the AFL and they did not complete a winning season until 1973. In 1977, four years later, they qualified for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, since 1975, the Broncos have become one of the NFLs more successful teams, having suffered only six losing seasons. However, the Broncos have the NFL record for most Super Bowl losses and they have five players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, John Elway, Floyd Little, Gary Zimmerman, Shannon Sharpe, and the most recently elected member, Terrell Davis. The Denver Broncos were founded on August 14,1959, when Minor League Baseball owner Bob Howsam was awarded an American Football League charter franchise, the Broncos won the first-ever AFL game over the Boston Patriots 13–10, on September 9,1960. On August 5,1967, they became the first-ever AFL team to defeat an NFL team, however, the Broncos were not successful in the 1960s, compiling a record of 39–97–4 in the league. Denver came close to losing its franchise in 1965, until an ownership group took control. The teams first superstar, Franchise Floyd Little, was instrumental in keeping the team in Denver, due to his signing in 1967 as well as his Pro Bowl efforts on, in 1972, the Broncos hired former Stanford University coach John Ralston as their head coach. In 1973, he was the UPIs AFC Coach of the Year, in five seasons with the Broncos, Ralston guided the team to winning seasons three times. Though Ralston finished the 1976 season with a 9–5 record, the team, as was the case in Ralstons previous winning seasons, following the season, several prominent players publicly voiced their discontent with Ralston, which soon led to his resignation. Dan Reeves became the youngest head coach in the NFL when he joined the Broncos in 1981 as vice president, quarterback John Elway, who played college football at Stanford, arrived in 1983 via a trade. Prior to Elway, the Broncos had over 24 different starting quarterbacks in its 23 seasons to that point, Reeves and Elway guided the Broncos to six post-season appearances, five AFC West divisional titles, three AFC championships and three Super Bowl appearances during their 12-year span together. Reeves was fired after the 1992 season and replaced by his protégé and friend Wade Phillips, Phillips was fired after a mediocre 1994 season, in which management felt he lost control of the team. In 1995, Mike Shanahan, who had served under Reeves as the Broncos offensive coordinator. Shanahan drafted rookie running back Terrell Davis, in 1996, the Broncos were the top seed in the AFC with a 13–3 record, dominating most of the teams that year
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History of the St. Louis Cardinals (NFL)
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The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in St. Louis, Missouri from 1960 to 1987. This article chronicles the history during their time as the St. Louis Cardinals. Chicago Cardinals owner Violet Bidwill had married St. Louis businessman Walter Wolfner in 1949, when it became obvious that the Cardinals could no longer hope to compete with the Chicago Bears, a move to St. Louis seemed to make sense. The NFL conducted a survey of St. Louis, and concluded that it was capable of supporting a team, the leagues 12 owners unanimously approved the move, ending their 62-year stay in Chicago. During the Cardinals tenure in St. Louis, they were called the Big Red or the Football Cardinals in order to avoid confusion with the baseball team They shared Sportsmans Park with the baseball team. However, St. Louis had not had a football team since the early days of the NFL. The Cardinals initially held practices in the city park and their first home game was a loss to the Giants on October 2,1960, and they finished the year at 6–5–1. In 1961, they even at 7–7–0 and fell to 4–9–1 in 1962. Improving to 9–5–0 in 1963, the Cardinals almost reached the playoffs, during the Cardinals 28-year stay in St. Louis, they advanced to the playoffs just three times, never hosting or winning in any appearance. The new St. Louis football Cardinals were competitive for much of the 1960s, New stars emerged in Larry Wilson, Charley Johnson, Jim Bakken, Sonny Randle, and Jim Hart. Violet Bidwill Wolfner died in 1962, and her sons, Bill and Charles, although the Cardinals were competitive again in the 60s, they failed to achieve a playoff appearance during the decade. Only four teams qualified during this period, in 1964, the Bidwills, unsatisfied with St. Louis, considered moving the team to Atlanta. They wanted a new stadium, and that city was planning the construction of one, however, St. Louis persuaded them to stay with the promise of a stadium—what would become Busch Memorial Stadium. The Cardinals got off to a start, and tied the Cleveland Browns 33–33 on the road. They finished 9–4–1 and second in the Eastern Conference, but a victory by the Browns over the New York Giants denied them a playoff berth, the team finished the year with a meaningless win over the Packers. A 4–1–0 start to the 1965 season evaporated into a 5–9–0 finish, another middling season followed in 1967, with six wins, seven losses, and one tie. In 1970, the Cardinals were placed in the new NFC East division following the merger with the AFL. They posted three shutouts in November, blanking the Houston Oilers, Boston Patriots, and the Cowboys
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Oakland Raiders
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The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football franchise based in Oakland, California. The Raiders currently compete in the NFL as a club of the leagues American Football Conference West division. At the end of the NFLs 2015 season, the Raiders boasted a lifetime record of 444 wins,397 losses. The Raiders plan to remain in Oakland through 2018 – and possibly 2019 –, the Raiders off-field fortunes have varied considerably over the years. The teams first three years of operation were marred by poor performance, financial difficulties, and spotty attendance. In 1963, however, the Raiders fortunes improved dramatically with the introduction of head coach Al Davis, in 1967, after several years of improvement, the Raiders reached the postseason for the first time. The team would go on to win its first AFL Championship that year, in doing so, the Raiders advanced to Super Bowl II, the Raiders run of success intensified during the 1970s. From 1970 to 1977, the team won six division titles, in 1976, the team captured its first NFL Championship with a convincing victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI. In 1982, amidst much controversy, the Raiders relocated to Los Angeles, the team finished with the NFLs best regular season record that year, one year later, the Raiders beat the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII to capture their third Super Bowl championship. The Raiders fortunes declined following the 1985 season, they would win just one division title. In 1995, the Raiders returned to Oakland, after several years of continued mediocrity, the team entered a brief period of pronounced success in the early 2000s. From 2000 to 2002, the Raiders won three division titles and four playoff games, their renaissance culminated with a lopsided 2002 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII. The Super Bowl loss marked the beginning of a period of futility for the Raiders, from 2003 through 2015. In 2016, the Raiders finally ended their postseason drought with a victory over the division rival San Diego Chargers. At the end of the 2016 NFL season, the finished with a 12–4 record. The Raiders are known for their fan base and distinctive team culture. Since 1963, the team has won 15 division titles, four AFC Championships, one AFL Championship, fourteen former members of the team have been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Having enjoyed a successful coaching career at Navy during the 1950s
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Pro Bowl
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The Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League. Between 2014 and 2016, the NFL experimented with an unconferenced format, the players were picked in a televised schoolyard pick prior to the game. Unlike most major leagues, which hold their all-star games roughly midway through their respective regular seasons. Between 1970 and 2009, it was held the weekend after the Super Bowl. Since 2010, the Pro Bowl has been played the weekend before the Super Bowl, Players from the two teams competing in the Super Bowl do not participate. Observers and commentators expressed their disfavor with the Pro Bowl in its current state and it draws lower TV ratings than its regular-season games, although the game draws similar ratings to other major all-star games, such as the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. However, the biggest concern of teams is to avoid injuries to the star players, the Associated Press wrote that players in the 2012 game were hitting each other as though they were having a pillow fight. Between 1980 and 2016, the game was played at Aloha Stadium in Hawaii, on June 1,2016, the NFL announced that they reached a multi-year deal to move the game to Orlando, Florida as part of the leagues ongoing efforts to make the game more relevant. For years, the game has suffered from lack of interest due to perceived low quality, the 2017 Pro Bowl will also mark a return to the AFC–NFC format. The first Pro All-Star Game, featuring the all-stars of the 1938 season, was played on January 15,1939 at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles. The NFL All-Star Game was played again in Los Angeles in 1940 and then in New York, although originally planned as an annual contest, the all-star game was discontinued after 1942 because of travel restrictions put in place during World War II. During the first five games, an all-star team would face that years league champion. The league champion won the first four games before the all-stars were victorious in the game of this early series. The concept of a game was not revived until June 1950. The game was sponsored by the Los Angeles Publishers Association and it was decided that the game would feature all-star teams from each of the leagues two conferences rather than the league champion versus all-star format which had been used previously. This was done to avoid confusion with the Chicago College All-Star Game, the teams would be led by the coach of each of the conference champions. The first 21 games of the series were played in Los Angeles, the site of the game was changed annually for each of the next seven years before the game was moved to Aloha Stadium in Halawa, Hawaii for 30 straight seasons from 1980 through 2009. With the new rule being that the teams do not include players from the teams that will be playing in the Super Bowl
27.
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
28.
American Football Conference
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The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League, the highest professional level of American football in the United States. This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference, currently contain 16 teams each, a series of league expansions and division realignments have occurred since the merger, thus making the current total 16 clubs per each conference. Since the 1970 AFL–NFL merger, the New England Patriots have won nine AFC titles, the most of any team in the conference, since 2002, the AFC has 16 teams, organized into four divisions each with four teams, East, North, South and West. Two of these games are assigned on the basis of a teams final divisional standing from the previous season. The remaining 8 games are split between the roster of two other NFL divisions and this assignment shifts each year and will follow a standard cycle. Using the 2012 regular season schedule as an example, each team in the AFC West plays against every team in the AFC North and NFC South. In this way, non-divisional competition will be mostly among common opponents – the exception being the two games assigned based on the teams prior-season divisional standing, at the end of each season, the top six teams in the conference proceeds into the playoff. These teams consist of the four winners and the top two wild card teams. The AFC playoffs culminate in the AFC Championship Game with the receiving the Lamar Hunt Trophy. The AFC Champion then plays the NFC Champion in the Super Bowl, both the AFC and the NFC were created after the NFL merged with the American Football League in 1970. The AFL began play in 1960 with eight teams, and added two expansion clubs before the merger. In order to equalize the number of teams in each conference, since the merger, five expansion teams have joined the AFC and two have left, thus making the current total 16. When the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers joined the league in 1976 and this arrangement lasted for one season only before the two teams switched conferences. The Seahawks eventually returned to the NFC as a result of the 2002 realignment, the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars joined the AFC in 1995. There have been five teams that have relocated at least once, in 1984, the Baltimore Colts relocated to Indianapolis in 1984. In California, the Oakland Raiders relocated to Los Angeles in 1982, the Houston Oilers moved to Tennessee in 1997, where they were renamed the Tennessee Oilers. The team would change its name again, two later, to the Tennessee Titans. The NFL would again expand in 2002, adding the Houston Texans to the AFC, by contrast, the NFC has sent 12 different teams during that same time frame
29.
National Football Conference
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The National Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League, the highest professional level of American football in the United States. This conference and its counterpart, the American Football Conference, currently contain 16 teams each, a series of league expansions and division realignments have occurred since the merger, thus making the current total 16 clubs per each conference. Since the 1970 AFL–NFL merger, the Dallas Cowboys lead the NFC with the most conference titles, the current NFC title holders are the Atlanta Falcons. Since 2002, the NFC has 16 teams that organized into four divisions each with four teams, East, North, South, two of these games are assigned on the basis of a particular teams final divisional standing from the previous season. The remaining 8 games are split between the roster of two other NFL divisions and this assignment shifts each year and will follow a standard cycle. Using the 2012 regular season schedule as an example, each team in the NFC West plays against every team in the AFC East and NFC North. In this way, non-divisional competition will be mostly among common opponents – the exception being the two games assigned based on the teams prior-season divisional standing, at the end of each season, the top six teams in the conference proceeds into the playoff. These teams consist of the four winners and the top two wild card teams. The NFC playoffs culminate in the NFC Championship Game with the receiving the George Halas Trophy. The NFC Champion then plays the AFC Champion in the Super Bowl, both the AFC and NFC were created after the NFL merged with the American Football League in 1970. When the AFL began play in 1960 with eight teams, the NFL consisted of 13 clubs, by 1969, the AFL had expanded to ten teams and NFL to 16 clubs. However, team owners could not agree to a plan on how to align the clubs in the NFC. When the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers joined the league in 1976, they were placed in the NFC and AFC, respectively. The Seahawks returned to the NFC as a result of the 2002 realignment, the Carolina Panthers joined the NFC in 1995. Parity is generally greater among NFC teams than AFC teams, the only NFC team that has never made a Super Bowl appearance is the Detroit Lions. Since the 2002 realignment, the time that an NFC team made back-to-back Super Bowl appearances was the Seattle Seahawks in 2013 and 2014. Since 1970, only two teams have relocated, in 1988, the St. Louis Cardinals moved to Phoenix, Arizona, while the Los Angeles Rams moved to St. Louis in 1995, and back to Los Angeles again in 2016. The original NFC logo, in use from 1970–2009, depicted a blue N with three stars across it, the three stars represented the three divisions that were used from 1970–2001
30.
Drum Corps International
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Drum Corps International, formed in 1972, is the non-profit governing body for junior drum and bugle corps in the U. S. and Canada. Junior corps are composed of members 21 years of age and younger, DCI is composed of member corps who have earned their membership through competition. It is responsible for developing and enforcing the rules of competition and is the body for junior corps competitions. DCI is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana and its Board of Directors is composed primarily of directors of the member corps. The stated purpose of a DCI corps is. to provide a life changing experience for youth through the art of marching music performance, the DCI competitive summer tour, consisting of DCI-sanctioned competitions throughout the United States, culminates in August with the week-long DCI World Championships. Other drum corps associations around the world are based upon DCI. The corps felt that not only were they having their creative potential as artistic performing groups stifled, the two groups members felt that the corps should be making their own rules, operating their own competitions and championships, and keeping the bulk of the monies those shows earned. For the 1971 season, the Combine and the Alliance stuck together, in 1972, the ten corps from the Alliance and the Midwest Combine, plus the Anaheim Kingsmen, Argonne Rebels, and De La Salle Oaklands were the founding members of Drum Corps International. The inaugural DCI World Championships were held at Warhawks Stadium on the campus of University of Wisconsin–Whitewater with 39 corps from 15 states, the Anaheim Kingsmen were crowned the first DCI World Champions on August 18,1972. Currently, DCI assigns North American corps to two classes, and corps from Europe and Asia are assigned to the International Class, Corps from all classes often compete together, but are judged and ranked separately. In the past, classes have been fully or partially determined by the number of marching members in each corps, at present, the higher a corps is ranked at the DCI Championships, the higher the performance fees they will earn for the following seasons performances. Open Class corps are generally smaller or committed to a competitive level. In September 2007, DCI combined the former Divisions II and III into this new division, International Class is for corps based outside North America that wish to participate in DCI competitions. International corps which abide by DCI rules, however, would be eligible to march in Open or World Class, through 2015, corps have competed in International Class from, Guatemala, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom. Source, Open Class had a limit of 128. Class A generally had 90 members or fewer although the limit was 128. All-Girl Class was for corps with membership restricted to girls only, there was no class for corps restricted to all-boy membership. Class A60 and the later Division III had a maximum of 60 members, Division II had the same membership limit as Division I but a generally lower level of competitive expertise
31.
Daktronics
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The company is known for its electronic LED displays. Daktronics was founded in 1968 by Aelred Kurtenbach and Duane Sander, professors of engineering at South Dakota State University in Brookings. The company began with the design and manufacture of electronic voting systems for state legislatures,1971 Daktronics developed the patented Matside wrestling scoreboard, the first product in the companys line. 1976 Daktronics scoreboards were first used at Olympics, became a publicly traded company, offering shares under the symbol DAKT on the NASDAQ National Market system. 2014 Daktronics installs worlds largest HD display for the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field, Daktronics acquired Keyframe Inc. a video production and consulting company, in 2000. Today, Daktronics Creative Services designs digital content in HD video, 3D animation and motion graphics, specializing in media networks, Daktronics has been supplying scoreboards and video displays for the Olympics for several years. However, the Olympic Games often have contracts with corporations, such as Swiss Timing. Daktronics has been an influence in NBA rule changes in the 2000s, the company manufactured the first backboard light strips to comply with buzzer beater instant replay rulings, and in 2004, developed a see-through shot clock to improve spectator visibility. Aquatic timing system Scoreboard Official website
32.
Brookings, South Dakota
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Brookings is a city in Brookings County, South Dakota, United States. Brookings is the fourth largest city in South Dakota, with a population of 22,056 at the 2010 census and it is the county seat of Brookings County, and home to South Dakota State University, the largest institution of higher education in the state. The county and city were named after one of South Dakotas pioneer promoters, Wilmot Brookings. Brookings set out for the Dakota Territory in June 1857 and he arrived at Sioux Falls on August 27,1857, and became one of the first settlers there. He and his group represented the Western Town Company, after a time in Sioux Falls, Brookings and a companion set out for the Yankton area to locate a town in an area that was soon to be ceded by the Native Americans. This trip was begun in January 1858, and the two encountered a blizzard that froze Brookings feet which both had to be amputated. He rose to a position in the Territory, once being a member of the Squatter Territorial Legislature. Brookings then became appointed superintendent of a road that was to be built from the Minnesota state line west to the Missouri River about 30 miles north of Ft. Pierre. It was during the construction of road that Brookings came into contact with land that was part of this county at the time. Because of his drive to settle the Dakota Territory, Brookings County and city were named for a pioneer promoter. Wilmot W. Brookings made settlement of this area a real possibility for many people, the first real town that was organized in Brookings County was Medary in 1857. Along with Sioux Falls and Flandreau, Medary was one of the first three European settlements to be established in South Dakota, in 1857, the men put up quarters in preparation to live out the winter in Medary. Many other settlers moved into the area in 1858, but in the spring of that year, a large group of Yankton and Yanktonnia Indians drove the settlers from the area, and Medary remained nearly abandoned for the next 11 years. In 1869, a group of 10 Norwegian pioneers moved west into the Dakota Territory and resettled the area of Medary, the county of Brookings was formally organized in Medary in the cabin of Martin Trygstad on July 3,1871. The original boundaries of the county extended to two miles south of Flandreau, until the legislature relocated the boundaries of the county to the current location on January 8,1873. Two other small settlements, Oakwood and Fountain, appeared in the Brookings County area around this time. All three settlements hoped that they would be the town by which the railroad would decide to lay tracks through as it moved westward. As it turned out, none of the three towns were chosen to be passed through by the railroad
33.
John Elway
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John Albert Elway Jr. is a former American football quarterback and current executive vice president of football operations and general manager of the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. Elway played college football at Stanford and his entire 16-year professional career with the Denver Broncos, at the time of his retirement in early 1999, Elway recorded the most victories by a starting quarterback and statistically was the second most prolific passer in NFL history. He was also a prolific rusher of the ball, being one of two players ever to score a rushing touchdown in four different Super Bowls and the only quarterback to do so. Elway set several records for passing attempts and completions while at Stanford. He was the first selection in the 1983 NFL Draft, famously known as the class of 1983. The moment is known in National Football League lore as The Drive, following that game in Cleveland, Elway and the Broncos lost in Super Bowl XXI to the New York Giants. The Broncos repeated as champions the following season in Super Bowl XXXIII by defeating the Atlanta Falcons 34–19, as Denvers quarterback, Elway led his teams to six AFC Championship Games and five Super Bowls, winning two. Elway was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004 in his first year of eligibility, Elway and his twin sister were born in Port Angeles, Washington, to Janet and Jack Elway, then the head coach at Port Angeles High School on the Olympic Peninsula. The family of five included sister Lee Ann, an older than the twins. They moved the year to southwestern Washington, where Jack was the junior college head football coach at Grays Harbor Community College in Aberdeen for five seasons. As a youth, Elway lived primarily in Missoula, Montana, and Pullman, Washington, in February 1976, Jack joined the staff at Palouse neighbor Idaho, but a month later became the head coach at Cal State-Northridge, a Division II program in southern California. Also an accomplished player, Elway was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 18th round of the 1979 Major League Baseball draft. In 1979, he started attending Stanford University, where he played football and baseball. In his senior season in 1982, Stanford was 5-5 and needed to win their final game, with two minutes remaining in the game, Stanford was down 19-17 and had 4th-and-17 on their own 13-yard line. Elway completed a 29-yard pass and drove the ball downfield to the 35-yard line, however, the clock had four seconds remaining, so Stanford had to kick off. What followed is now known as The Play, in which Cal players lateraled the ball, rugby-style. Elway was bitter about the game afterward, stating that the officials ruined my last game as a football player. Stanford athletics director Andy Geiger said the loss cost Elway the Heisman Trophy, twenty years later, Elway came to terms with The Play, saying that each year it gets a little funnier
34.
Guinness World Records
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The book itself holds a world record, as the best-selling copyrighted book of all time. As of the 2017 edition, it is now in its 63rd year of publication, the international franchise has extended beyond print to include television series and museums. On 10 November 1951, Sir Hugh Beaver, then the director of the Guinness Breweries, went on a shooting party in the North Slob, by the River Slaney in County Wexford. After missing a shot at a golden plover, he involved in an argument over which was the fastest game bird in Europe. That evening at Castlebridge House, he realised that it was impossible to confirm in reference books whether or not the golden plover was Europes fastest game bird. Beaver knew that there must be numerous other questions debated nightly in pubs throughout Ireland and abroad and he realised then that a book supplying the answers to this sort of question might prove successful. Beavers idea became reality when Guinness employee Christopher Chataway recommended University friends Norris and Ross McWhirter, the twin brothers were commissioned to compile what became The Guinness Book of Records in August 1954. A thousand copies were printed and given away, after the founding of The Guinness Book of Records at 107 Fleet Street, the first 198-page edition was bound on 27 August 1955 and went to the top of the British best seller lists by Christmas. The following year, it launched in the US, and sold 70,000 copies, since then, Guinness World Records has become a household name and the global leader in world records. Because the book became a hit, many further editions were printed, eventually settling into a pattern of one revision a year, published in September/October. The McWhirters continued to compile it for many years, Ross McWhirter was assassinated by the Provisional Irish Republican Army in 1975. Following Ross assassination, the feature in the show where questions about records posed by children were answered was called Norris on the Spot, Guinness Superlatives Limited was formed in 1954 to publish the first book. Sterling Publishing owned the rights to the Guinness book in the US for decades, and, under their management, the group was owned by Guinness PLC and subsequently Diageo until 2001, when it was purchased by Gullane Entertainment. Gullane was itself purchased by HIT Entertainment in 2002, with offices in New York City and Tokyo, Guinness World Records global headquarters remain in London, while its museum attractions are based at Ripley headquarters in Orlando, Florida, US. Recent editions have focused on record feats by person competitors, many records also relate to the youngest person who achieved something, such as the youngest person to visit all nations of the world, being Maurizio Giuliano. Each edition contains a selection of the records from the Guinness database, as well as new records. The majority of records are no longer listed in the book or on the website. For those unable to wait the 4–6 weeks for a reply, the Guinness Book of Records is the worlds most sold copyrighted book, earning it an entry within its own pages
35.
Decibel
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The decibel is a logarithmic unit used to express the ratio of two values of a physical quantity. One of these values is often a reference value, in which case the decibel is used to express the level of the other value relative to this reference. When used in way, the decibel symbol is often qualified with a suffix that indicates the reference quantity that has been used or some other property of the quantity being measured. For example, dBm indicates a power of one milliwatt. There are two different scales used when expressing a ratio in decibels depending on the nature of the quantities, when expressing power quantities, the number of decibels is ten times the logarithm to base 10 of the ratio of two power quantities. That is, a change in power by a factor of 10 corresponds to a 10 dB change in level, when expressing field quantities, a change in amplitude by a factor of 10 corresponds to a 20 dB change in level. The difference in scales relates to the square law of fields in three-dimensional linear space. The decibel scales differ so that comparisons can be made between related power and field quantities when they are expressed in decibels. The definition of the decibel is based on the measurement of power in telephony of the early 20th century in the Bell System in the United States. One decibel is one tenth of one bel, named in honor of Alexander Graham Bell, however, today, the decibel is used for a wide variety of measurements in science and engineering, most prominently in acoustics, electronics, and control theory. In electronics, the gains of amplifiers, attenuation of signals, the decibel originates from methods used to quantify signal loss in telegraph and telephone circuits. The unit for loss was originally Miles of Standard Cable, the standard telephone cable implied was a cable having uniformly distributed resistance of 88 ohms per loop mile and uniformly distributed shunt capacitance of 0.054 microfarad per mile. 1 TU was defined such that the number of TUs was ten times the logarithm of the ratio of measured power to a reference power level. The definition was conveniently chosen such that 1 TU approximated 1 MSC, in 1928, the Bell system renamed the TU into the decibel, being one tenth of a newly defined unit for the base-10 logarithm of the power ratio. It was named the bel, in honor of the telecommunications pioneer Alexander Graham Bell, the bel is seldom used, as the decibel was the proposed working unit. However, the decibel is recognized by international bodies such as the International Electrotechnical Commission. The term field quantity is deprecated by ISO 80000-1, which favors root-power, in spite of their widespread use, suffixes are not recognized by the IEC or ISO. The ISO Standard 80000-3,2006 defines the following quantities, the decibel is one-tenth of a bel,1 dB =0.1 B
36.
Seattle Seahawks
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The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football franchise based in Seattle, Washington. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League as a club of the leagues National Football Conference West division. The Seahawks joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team, the Seahawks are owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and are currently coached by Pete Carroll. Since 2002, the Seahawks have played their games at CenturyLink Field. The Seahawks previously played games in the Kingdome and Husky Stadium. Seahawks fans have referred to collectively as the 12th Man, 12th Fan. Largent, Kennedy, Jones, and Easley have been voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame primarily or wholly for their accomplishments as Seahawks. Brown, Easley, Green, Jones, Kennedy, Krieg, Largent, Warner, the Seahawks have won ten division titles and three conference championships. They are the team to have played in both the AFC and NFC Championship Games. They are also the first, and to date only, post-merger expansion team in NFL history to play in consecutive Super Bowls, as per one of the agreed parts of the 1970 AFL–NFL merger, the NFL began planning to expand from 26 to 28 teams. In June 1972, Seattle Professional Football Inc. a group of Seattle business and community leaders, in June 1974, the NFL gave the city an expansion franchise. That December, NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle announced the signing of the franchise agreement by Lloyd W. Nordstrom. In March 1975, John Thompson, former Executive Director of the NFL Management Council, the name Seattle Seahawks was selected on June 17,1975 after a public naming contest which drew more than 20,000 entries and over 1,700 different names. Thompson recruited and hired Jack Patera, a Minnesota Vikings assistant coach, to be the first head coach of the Seahawks, the hiring was announced on January 3,1976. The expansion draft was held March 30–31,1976, with Seattle, the Seahawks were awarded the 2nd overall pick in the 1976 draft, a pick they used on defensive tackle Steve Niehaus. The team took the field for the first time on August 1,1976 in a game against the San Francisco 49ers in the then newly constructed Kingdome. The Seahawks are, to date, the only NFL team to switch conferences twice in the post-merger era, the franchise began play in 1976 in the aforementioned NFC West but switched conferences with the Buccaneers after one season and joined the AFC West. The Seahawks won both matchups against the Buccaneers in their first two seasons, the former of which was the Seahawks first regular season victory, in 1983, the Seahawks hired Chuck Knox as head coach
37.
12th man (football)
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The 12th man or 12th player is a term for fans of teams in eleven-a-side sports games, particularly American football or association football. Infrequently, the term has referred to individuals having a connection to their football team. In Canadian football,12 players are usually on the field at one time, similarly, in Australian rules football,18 players are on the field and the fans are often referred to as the 19th man. The term has a different meaning in cricket, referring instead to the first substitute player who fields when a member of the side is injured. The presence of fans can have a impact on how the teams perform. Namely, the team fans would like to see their team win the game. Noises are made by shouting, whistling, stomping and various other techniques, sometimes, the sideline is also referred to as the 12th man or 12th defender. Since a player is considered down when he out of bounds. This usage is less common than the one referring to the fans, the term can also be construed as implying that the referee is not impartial. Later, in the November 1912 edition of The Iowa Alumnus, McGowan described the 1903 game between Iowa and the University of Illinois. In his article, titled The Twelfth Player McGowan wrote, The eleven men had done their best, an early reference to the numerical 12th Man term occurred at the 1922 Dixie Classic, featuring Centre College and The Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas. During the game, A&M coach Dana X, bible realized that one more injury would leave him without another backfield player to send into the game. Bible sent for Gill and asked for him to suit up, Gill later said, I wish I could say that I went in and ran for the winning touchdown, but I did not. I simply stood by in case my team needed me, although he did not actually play in the game, his readiness to play was noted. Other individuals have occasionally been labeled by media as the Twelfth Man of their team. As it turned out it was not Mesko but George Larsen of Cranford and it was he who, midway through the fourth period that tingling afternoon, left the other 55,999 spectators in their seats to assist the Dartmouth Indians in a determined goal-line stand. It was he who lined up with the Hanoverians on the two yard stripe and prevented Jack White from scoring - and White boasted interference from the likes of Johnny Weller and Homer Spofford. It was the twelfth man who, though escorted unceremoniously off the field and out of the stadium without further ado
38.
CenturyLink Field
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CenturyLink Field is a multi-purpose stadium in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the field for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. Originally called Seahawks Stadium, it became Qwest Field on June 23,2004 and it received its current name in June 2011 after Qwests acquisition by CenturyLink. It is a facility with views of the Downtown Seattle skyline. The complex also includes the Event Center with the WaMu Theater, a garage. The venue hosts concerts, trade shows, and consumer shows along with sporting events, located within a mile of Downtown Seattle, the stadium is accessible by multiple freeways and forms of mass transit. The stadium was built between 2000 and 2002 on the site of the Kingdome after voters approved funding for the construction in an election held on June 17,1997. This vote created the Washington State Public Stadium Authority to oversee public ownership of the venue, the owner of the Seahawks, Paul Allen, formed First & Goal Inc. to develop and operate the new facilities. Allen was closely involved in the process and emphasized the importance of an open-air venue with an intimate atmosphere. The crowd at CenturyLink Field is notoriously loud during Seahawks games and it has twice held the Guinness World Record for loudest crowd roar at an outdoor stadium, first at 136.6 decibels in 2013, followed by a measurement of 137.6 decibels in 2014. The noise has contributed to the home field advantage with an increase in false start. The stadium was the first in the NFL to implement a FieldTurf artificial field, numerous college and high school American football games have also been played at the stadium. CenturyLink Field is also designed for soccer, the first sporting event held included a United Soccer Leagues Seattle Sounders match. The USL team began using the stadium regularly for games in 2003. The MLS expansion team Seattle Sounders FC, began its season in 2009 at the stadium. CenturyLink Field was the site of the MLS Cup in 2009, the venue also hosted the 2010 and 2011 tournament finals for the U. S. Open Cup. Sounders FC won both times and new records were set each year it was hosted at CenturyLink Field. On August 25,2013, the Sounders broke a new home attendance record when 67,385 fans turned out to watch them play the Portland Timbers
39.
New Orleans Saints
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The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Saints currently compete in the National Football League as a member of the leagues National Football Conference South division, the team was founded by John W. Mecom Jr. David Dixon and the city of New Orleans. The Saints began play in Tulane Stadium in 1967, the franchise was founded on November 1,1966. The teams primary colors are old gold and black, their logo is a simplified fleur-de-lis and they played their home games in Tulane Stadium through the 1974 NFL season. The following year, they moved to the new Louisiana Superdome, for most of their first 20 years, the Saints were barely competitive, only getting to.500 twice. In 1987, they finished 12–3—their first-ever winning season—and qualified for the NFL playoffs for the first time in franchise history, the next season of 1988 ended with a 10–6 record. In the year 2000, the Saints defeated the St. Louis Rams 31–28 to notch their first-ever playoff win, in 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and much of the Gulf Coast region. The Superdome was used as a temporary shelter for displaced residents. The stadium suffered damage from the hurricane, and from lack of available facilities, ultimately, however, the Superdome was repaired and renovated in time for the 2006 season at an estimated cost of US$185 million. The New Orleans Saints first post-Katrina home game was an emotionally charged Monday Night Football game versus their division rival, the Atlanta Falcons. The Saints, under head coach Sean Payton and new quarterback Drew Brees, defeated the Falcons 23–3. The 2009 season was a one for the Saints. Winning a franchise-record 13 games, they qualified for Super Bowl XLIV, over the course of 49 seasons, the Saints have compiled an overall record of 331–418–5, with a regular-season record of 324–409–5 and a playoff record of 7–9. First the brainchild of local sports entrepreneur Dave Dixon, who founded the Louisiana Superdome and the USFL. Senator Russell Long, and then–NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle, the NFL needed congressional approval of the proposed AFL–NFL merger. Dixon and a civic group had been seeking an NFL franchise for over five years and had hosted record crowds for NFL exhibition games. To seal the merger, Rozelle arrived in New Orleans within a week, and announced on November 1,1966, when the deal was reached a week earlier, Dixon strongly suggested to Rozelle that the announcement be delayed until then. Dixon told an interviewer that he cleared the name with New Orleans Archbishop Philip M. Hannan
40.
Monday Night Football
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Monday Night Football is a live television broadcast of weekly National Football League games on ESPN in the United States. From 1970 to 2005, it aired on sister broadcast network ABC, Monday Night Football is also broadcast in Canada on TSN and RDS, and in most of Europe. On September 7,2013, the NFL announced that British Eurosport would show Monday Night Football games live in the United Kingdom for the 2013 and 2014 seasons. A Spanish-language version airs on ESPN Deportes in the U. S. and on ESPN International in Latin America, while a Portuguese version airs on ESPN Brasil. On September 8,2011, the first day of the 2011 regular season, ESPN extended its contract for Monday Night Football for eight additional seasons, giving it rights to the broadcasts until 2021. The new deal, valued between $14.2 billion and $15.2 billion, also gives ESPN rights to expanded highlights, international and streaming rights, after 45 seasons, there now have been a total of 730 games televised by the Monday Night Football franchise. To avoid any scheduling unfairness where, just before the first playoff game, from 2003 to 2005, one game was played on Thursday and another Monday under the Monday Night Football banner. Starting in 2006, when the series moved to cable, two games are played on the opening Monday night to capitalize on fan interest during NFL Kickoff Weekend. Since no one knows during the first month of the if a team is indeed good, or will rebound from a difficult start. Since the MNF schedule is set in April and cannot be changed and it had seemed like a good pre-season matchup since the Falcons had played in the previous seasons Super Bowl and the 49ers coming into the 1999 season had posted 16 consecutive 10-win seasons. It is also possible for a team like the 1999 St. However, many MNF games occurring later in the season feature at least one team that is either headed to the playoffs or must win the MNF game to clinch a playoff spot. As a result of this, the NFL wished to move the Game of the Week idea to Sunday nights as to flex scheduling possible. This was a move which would mean the end of Monday Night Football on ABC. The league currently has no interest in expanding flexible scheduling to include Monday Night Football, citing the logistical issues of moving games back, the franchise with the most Monday night appearances is the Miami Dolphins. The San Francisco 49ers won their record 48th Monday Night game with a 28–0 win over the Los Angeles Rams on September 12,2016, the most common Monday Night Football pairings are Broncos vs. Raiders and Cowboys vs. Redskins. Candlestick Park in San Francisco has hosted the most Monday Night Football games, including its 36th, among the active stadiums following the conclusion of the 2013 season, Sun Life Stadium will have hosted the most games with 32. Monday Night Football has continued to provide as much entertainment as sports throughout its run, in addition to the extra cameras, the program has also pioneered technological broadcast innovations, such as the use of enhanced slow motion replays and computerized graphics. However, the late 1990s and early 2000s saw an even more increased reliance on the entertainment factor
41.
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
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Buffalo Bills
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The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League, as a club of the leagues American Football Conference East division. The team plays their games at New Era Field in Orchard Park. The Bills are the only NFL team that plays its games in the state of New York. The Bills conduct summer training camp at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, New York, the Bills began play as an original franchise of the American Football League in 1960. The club joined the NFL as a result of the AFL–NFL merger for the 1970 season, the 1964 and 1965 Bills were the only teams representing Buffalo that won major league professional sports championships. The Bills are the team to win four consecutive conference championships and are the only NFL team to lose four consecutive Super Bowl games. The team was owned by Ralph Wilson from the founding in 1960. After his death, Wilsons estate reached an agreement to sell the team to Terry and Kim Pegula, which was approved by the other NFL team owners on October 8,2014. The Bills began competitive play in 1960 as a member of the American Football League led by head coach Buster Ramsey. The Bills won two consecutive American Football League titles in 1964 and 1965, but the club has yet to win a championship since. Once the AFL–NFL merger took effect, the Bills became the second NFL team to represent the city, they followed the Buffalo All-Americans, Buffalos team in the All-America Football Conference in 1946 was the Bisons. In 1947 a contest was held to rename the team, which was owned by James Breuil of the Frontier Oil Company, the winning entry suggested Bills, reflecting on the famous western frontiersman, Buffalo Bill Cody. Carrying the frontier theme further, the contestant offered the team was being supported by Frontier Oil and was opening a new frontier in sports in Western New York. When Buffalo joined the new American Football League in 1960, the name of the citys earlier pro football entry was adopted, on October 8,2014, Buffalo Sabres owners Terry and Kim Pegula received unanimous approval to acquire the Bills during the NFL owners meetings. The Bills uniforms in its first two seasons were based on those of the Detroit Lions at the time, the teams original colors were Honolulu blue, silver and white, and the helmets were silver with no striping. There was no logo on the helmet, which displayed the players numbers on each side, in 1962, the standing red bison was designated as the logo and took its place on a white helmet. In 1962, the colors also changed to red, white
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Missouri Tigers
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The Missouri Tigers athletics programs include the extramural and intramural sports teams of the University of Missouri, located in Columbia, Missouri, United States. The name comes from a band of armed guards called the Fighting Tigers of Columbia who, in 1864, the University of Missouri is the flagship institution of the University of Missouri System. Mizzou is a member of the Southeastern Conference and is the only NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision program in Missouri and its wrestling program, the only one sponsored by an SEC member school, competes in the Mid-American Conference. Missouri competed in the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association starting in 1907, the Missouri Tigers are represented in the following NCAA Division I varsity sports, The first Missouri Tigers baseball team was in 1868. The first recorded season was in 1891, when the Tigers went 2–2, the Tigers won the National Championship in 1954. The presence of former Missouri Tiger baseball players in professional baseball continues to each year. Current MU head coach Tim Jamieson has seen 40 players in his 13-year tenure sign pro contracts, in 2006, pitcher Max Scherzer was selected in the first round with the 11th overall pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Scherzer went on to win the Al Cy Young Award with the Detroit Tigers in 2013, in 2008, pitcher Aaron Crow was picked 9th overall by the Washington Nationals. The Tigers were regularly a national power under Norm Stewart, whose tenure spanned four decades and he was replaced with then-UAB head coach Mike Anderson. In 2009 the team lost in the Elite Eight to the Connecticut Huskies, then, after a first-round exit from the NCAA tournament in 2011, Anderson took the head coaching position with the University of Arkansas. The head coaching vacancy was filled in early April 2011 with Frank Haith, in 2014, Kim Anderson became the new head basketball coach. The 1920–21 and 1921–22 teams were named national champions by the Premo-Porretta Power Poll. The current head coach of the basketball program is Robin Pingeton. She was hired in April 2010 to replace Cindy Stein, who resigned under pressure from boosters, the universitys first football team was formed in 1890 by the sophomore class of the Academic School. They challenged a team of Engineering students in April of that year upon encouragement of Dr. A. L. McRea, a university professor. Interest in the sport quickly grew among the students, professors, and administrators, the first intercollegiate game for the university took place on Thanksgiving Day,1890, when Missouri played Washington University before a crowd of 3,000 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Washington University team, which had already been playing for several years, Missouri has compiled a 15–16 record in bowl games, including a 41-31 victory over Oklahoma State in the 2014 Cotton Bowl and a 33-17 win over Minnesota in the 2015 Citrus Bowl. It has finished in the final Associated Press poll Top Ten eight times since the poll began in 1936, Missouri softball began play in 1975
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Kansas Jayhawks
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The Kansas Jayhawks, commonly referred to as KU, are the teams of the athletic department at the University of Kansas. KU is one of three schools in the state of Kansas that participate in NCAA Division I, the Jayhawks are also a member of the Big 12 Conference. The name Jayhawks comes from the Kansas Jayhawker freedom fighter and anti-slavery movement during the Bleeding Kansas era of the American Civil War, the University of Kansas officially sponsors the below sports. In addition, there are also club sports for rugby, ice hockey. The school used to sponsor a team, though the sport was discontinued during the 1960s. The origin of the term Jayhawk is uncertain, the term was adopted as a nickname by a group of emigrants traveling to California in 1849. The origin of the term may go back as far as the Revolutionary War, the term became part of the lexicon of the Missouri-Kansas border in about 1858, during the Kansas territorial period. The term was used to describe militant bands nominally associated with the free-state cause, in September 1861, the town of Osceola, Missouri was burned to the ground by Jayhawkers during the Sacking of Osceola. On the 150th anniversary of that event in 2011, the town asked the University of Kansas to remove the Jayhawk as its mascot, over time, proud of their states contributions to the end of slavery and the preservation of the Union, Kansans embraced the Jayhawker term. The term came to be applied to people or items related to Kansas, when the University of Kansas fielded their first football team in 1890, like many Universities at that time, they had no official mascot. They used many different independent mascots, including a pig, eventually, sometime during the 1890s, the team was referred to as the Jayhawkers by the student body. Over time, the name was supplanted by its shorter variant. The Jayhawk appears in several Kansas cheers, most notably, the Rock Chalk, Jayhawk chant in unison before and during games. In the traditions promoted by KU, the jayhawk is said to be a combination of two birds, the jay, a noisy, quarrelsome thing known to rob other nests, and the sparrow hawk. The link between the term Jayhawkers and any kind of mythical bird, if it ever existed, had been lost or at least obscured by the time KUs bird mascot was invented in 1912. The originator of the mascot, Henry Maloy, struggled for over two years to create a pictorial symbol for the team, until hitting upon the bird idea. As explained by Mr. Maloy, the term ‘jayhawk’ in the school yell was a verb, KUs current Jayhawk tradition largely springs from Frank W. Blackmar, a KU professor. In his 1926 address on the origin of the Jayhawk, Blackmar specifically referenced the blue jay, Big 12 Conference champions have the best conference regular season record, and titles are awarded to the winner of the postseason championship tournament
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Big 12 Championship Game
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The Big 12 Championship Game was a college football game held by the Big 12 Conference. The game was played each year since the formation in 1996 until 2010. From 1996 to 2010 the championship game pitted the Big 12 North Division champion against the South Division champion in a game held after the season was completed. The Big 12 South led the series 11–4 and outscored the Big 12 North 463–324 in the 15 years the game was held, however, the North division champion did not win after #13 Kansas States 35–7 upset victory over #1 Oklahoma in 2003. The first championship game was played after the 1996 regular season, like the SEC Championship Game, the game matched the winners of the conferences two six-team divisions. The championship game was held at sites within the Big 12 states, with Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 2008 Big 12 Championship Game was notable for the controversy over choosing the South Division representative, the Oklahoma Sooners, Texas Longhorns, and Texas Tech Red Raiders all finished with identical records and had each recorded a win and loss amongst one another. The Sooners earned a berth to the game because they had the highest Bowl Championship Series ranking of the three at the time of selection. Oklahoma defeated the Missouri Tigers and earned a berth in the 2009 BCS National Championship Game, from 2009 through 2013, the game was scheduled to be played at Cowboys Stadium, now known as AT&T Stadium, in Arlington, Texas. During June 2010, however, Nebraska and Colorado announced that they would leave the Big 12 for other conferences in 2011 and this led to plenty of criticism of how the Big 12 determined its champion. In April 2015, legislation was developed by the ACC and the Big 12 to deregulate conference championship games and it was announced by NCAA officials as being expected to pass in time for the start of the 2016 season. The legislation passed on January 14,2016 allowing a conference with fewer then twelve teams to stage a game between the top two teams so long as they play a round-robin schedule. In late 2016, the Big 12 decided to bring back the game in 2017. Rankings are from the AP Poll, baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech have yet to appear in a Big 12 Championship Game. TCU and West Virginia did not join the Big 12 until 2012, list of NCAA Division I FBS Conference Championship games
