1.
Ottawa Redblacks
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The Ottawa Redblacks are a professional Canadian football team based in Ottawa, Ontario. The team plays in the East Division of the Canadian Football League, starting play in 2014, the Redblacks are the third CFL team to play in the city. The Ottawa Rough Riders, formed in 1876, were a member of the CFL in 1958. A new Ottawa franchise was formed as the Renegades in 2002, the Redblacks won the 2016 Grey Cup Championship, which ended a 40 year Grey Cup championship drought for the City of Ottawa. Inaugural Season,2014 Helmet design, Black background with a saw blade featuring an italicized Rough Riders-style R in the forefront, uniform colours, Red, black and white. The Ottawa Renegades abruptly ceased operations prior to the 2006 CFL season, the league liquidated the Renegades roster in a dispersal draft and placed the Ottawa CFL franchise up for sale, with the intent of eventually returning to the city. On March 25,2008, Jeff Hunt, the owner of the Ontario Hockey Leagues Ottawa 67s spearheaded a group that was awarded a franchise. The team planned to play in 2010, but cracks in the concrete structure in the south stands of Frank Clair Stadium led to the demolition of those stands. The league then set a new date of 2013 for the teams debut, the team and league then announced plans to play at a remodelled Frank Clair Stadium—now called TD Place Stadium—by 2014 if construction remained on schedule. In any event, after lawsuits and delays, the renovations were not completed until 2014. Hosting the Grey Cup is an included in the agreement of franchise ownership. A C$7-million franchise fee was reported to have paid to the CFL. Questions arose about the design in terms of whether or not it could be used by a CFL team in place of the aging Frank Clair Stadium. However, the CFL and MLS groups could not come to any agreement on coordinating their plans, furthermore, municipal officials questioned whether the city could support both CFL and MLS franchises. In April 2009, the staff of the City of Ottawa presented a report to city council on the merits of the soccer stadium, the city held public hearings based on the report, which questioned the necessity of the spending but gave a slight edge to the Lansdowne proposal. Councillors attempted to find out whether the SSE group would support sharing their stadium with a planned CFL franchise, consequently, on April 22,2009, city council chose the Lansdowne proposal over the SSE proposal as its choice for an outdoor stadium. Negotiations were conducted over the several months, leading to an August 26 presentation to council so that it could decide the fate of football in Ottawa in the foreseeable future. On November 12 and 13, council held a debate to discuss what should be done with the area at Lansdowne Park
2.
Spiro, Oklahoma
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Spiro is a town in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area, the population was 2,164 at the 2010 census, a 2.8 percent decline from 2,227 at the 2000 census. Developed as a station in an agricultural area in the late 19th century. This is a Mississippian culture center that was active from about 850CE to 1450CE, today the 80-acre site with several earthwork mounds is preserved as Oklahomas only State Archeological Park and one of North Americas most important archaeological sites. It is the westernmost site of the expansive Mississippian culture, which had associated centers through the Mississippi and tributary river valleys. In 1895 -1896, the Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad established a station at the present site of Spiro and this railroad access attracted residents from the nearby town of Skullyville and Spiro soon developed as the principal town in this area. The town population was 543 in 1900, the US Post Office at Spiro was established in 1898. Several accounts differ as to how the post office was named, one claims that Spiro was the maiden name of the first postmistress. Another claims it was the name of the mother of a Fort Smith banker. Yet another claims it was named for the father-in-law of a Fort Smith banker, for a time the local economy was based on cotton as a commodity crop. In 1901, Spiro had three cotton yards and one gin, by 1910, there were three cotton gins and the population had grown to 1,173. Cotton cultivation became more mechanized and labor needs declined, in addition, timber harvesting and processing and livestock became important industries in the region. The population declined to 969 in 1930, as workers migrated to other areas for jobs. It rebounded to 1,365 by 1950 as the economy grew, on March 26,1976, the town was struck by an F5 tornado, the highest level on the Fujita scale, resulting in two deaths. Spiro is located at 35°14′29″N 94°37′15″W and it is 3 miles south of the Arkansas River,17 miles southwest of Fort Smith, Arkansas, and 10 miles west of the Oklahoma-Arkansas border. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has an area of 2.2 square miles. As of the census of 2000, there were 2,227 people,875 households, the population density was 1,049.5 people per square mile. There were 992 housing units at a density of 467.5 per square mile
3.
Canadian Football League
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The Canadian Football League is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football and its nine teams, which are located in nine separate cities, are divided into two divisions, the East Division, with four teams, and the West Division with five teams. As of 2016, the features a 20-week regular season. The CFL was officially founded on January 19,1958, the league was formed from a merger between the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union founded in 1907 and the Western Interprovincial Football Union founded in 1936. Rugby football began to be played in Canada in the 1860s, the CRFU was reorganized as the Canadian Rugby Union in 1891, and served as an umbrella organization for several provincial and regional unions. The Grey Cup was donated by Governor General Earl Grey in 1909 to the winning the Senior Amateur Football Championship of Canada. By that time, the sport as played in Canada had diverged markedly from its rugby origins, in 1956, the IRFU and WIFU formed a new umbrella organization, the Canadian Football Council. In 1958, the CFC left the CRU and became the Canadian Football League, as part of an agreement between the CRU and CFL, the CFL took possession of the Grey Cup, even though amateurs had not competed for it since 1954. The CRU remained the governing body for amateur play in Canada, initially, the two unions remained autonomous, and there was no intersectional play between eastern and western teams except at the Grey Cup final. This situation was analogous to how the American baseball leagues operated for years. The IRFU was renamed the Eastern Football Conference in 1960, while the WIFU was renamed the Western Football Conference in 1961, also in 1961, limited intersectional play was introduced. It was not until 1981 that the two agreed to a full merger, becoming the East and West Divisions of the CFL. With the merger came a full interlocking schedule of 16 games per season, Other team names had traditional origins. With rowing a national craze in the late 19th century, the Argonaut Rowing Club of Toronto formed a team for its members off-season participation. The football team name Toronto Argonauts still remains though it. After World War II, the two teams in Hamilton—the Tigers and the Flying Wildcats—merged both their organizations into the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, after the 1981 season, the Alouettes folded and were replaced the next year by a new franchise named the Concordes. In 1986 the Concordes were renamed the Alouettes to attract more fan support, the demise of the Alouettes forced the League to move its easternmost Western team, Winnipeg, into the East Division. In 1993, the league admitted its first United States-based franchise, after modest success, the league then expanded further in the U. S. in 1994 with the Las Vegas Posse, Baltimore Stallions, and Shreveport Pirates
4.
American football positions
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In American football, each team has 11 players on the field at one time. The specific role that a player takes on the field is called his position, under the modern rules of American football, teams are allowed unlimited substitutions, that is, teams may change any number of players after any play. This has resulted in the development of three platoons of players, the offense, the defense, and the special teams, within those platoons, various specific positions exist depending on what each players main job is. In American football, the offense is the side in which the players have possession of the ball and it is their job to advance the ball towards the opponents end zone to score points. The backs and receivers are also known as skill position players or as eligible receivers. Offensive linemen are not usually eligible to advance the ball past the line of scrimmage during a play, the organization of the offense is strictly mandated by the rules, there must be at least seven players on the line of scrimmage and no more than four players behind it. The only players eligible to handle the ball during a play are the backs. The remaining players are considered ineligible, and may only block, within these strictures, however, creative coaches have developed a wide array of offensive formations to take advantage of different player skills and game situations. The following positions are standard in every game, though different teams will use different arrangements of them. The offensive line is responsible for blocking. The offensive line consists of, Center The center is the player who begins the play from scrimmage by snapping the ball to the quarterback. As the name suggests, the center usually plays in the middle of the offensive line, like all offensive linemen, the center has the responsibility to block defensive players. The center often also has the responsibility to call out blocking assignments, offensive guard Two guards line up directly on either side of the center. Like all interior linemen, their function is to block on both running and passing plays, in such cases, the guard is referred to as a pulling guard. Guards are typically shorter builds than tackles but taller than centers, offensive tackle Two tackles play outside of the guards. Their role is primarily to block on both running and passing plays, the area from one tackle to the other is an area of close line play in which blocks from behind, which are prohibited elsewhere on the field, are allowed. For a right-handed quarterback, the tackle is charged with protecting the quarterback from being hit from behind. Like a guard, the tackle may have to pull, on a running play, the six backs and receivers are those that line up outside or behind the offensive line
5.
Quarterback
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A quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the team and line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is considered the leader of the offensive team. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually the leader of the offense, the quarterback touches the ball on almost every offensive play, and his successes and failures can have a significant impact on the fortunes of his team. Accordingly, the quarterback is among the most glorified and scrutinized positions in team sports, prior to each play, the quarterback will usually tell the rest of his team which play the team will run. After the team is lined up, the center will pass the ball back to the quarterback, usually on a running play, the quarterback will then hand or pitch the ball backwards to a half back or full back. On a passing play, the quarterback is almost always the responsible for trying to throw the ball downfield to an eligible receiver downfield. Depending on the scheme by his team, the quarterbacks role can vary. While quarterbacks in Canadian football need to be able to throw the ball often, in the NFL, quarterbacks are required to wear a uniform number between 1 and 19. In the CFL, the quarterback can wear any number from 0 to 49 and 70 to 99. Because of their numbering, quarterbacks are eligible receivers in the NCAA, NFHS, after a Super Bowl victory, the starting quarterback is the first player to be presented with the Vince Lombardi Trophy. The starting quarterback of the victorious Super Bowl team is chosen for the Im going to Disney World. Campaign, whether they are the Super Bowl MVP or not, examples include Joe Montana, Trent Dilfer, Dilfer was chosen even though teammate Ray Lewis was the MVP of Super Bowl XXXV, due to the bad publicity from Lewis murder trial the prior year. In addition to their role, quarterbacks are occasionally used in other roles. Most teams utilize a backup quarterback as their holder on placekicks, in the Wildcat, a formation where a halfback lines up behind the center and the quarterback lines up out wide, the quarterback can be used as a receiving target or a blocker. A more rare use for a quarterback is to punt the ball himself, Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway was known to perform quick kicks occasionally, typically when the Broncos were facing a third-and-long situation. As Roger Staubachs back-up, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Danny White was also the teams punter, ascending the starting role upon Staubachs retirement, White held his position as the teams punter for several seasons—a double duty he performed to All-American standard at Arizona State University. White also had two touchdown receptions as a Dallas Cowboy, both from the halfback option, if quarterbacks are uncomfortable with the formation the defense is using, they may call an audible change to their play
6.
College football
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It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. No minor league farm organizations exist in American football and it is in college football where a players performance directly impacts his chances of playing professional football. The best collegiate players will declare for the professional draft after 3 to 4 years of collegiate competition. Those not selected can still attempt to land an NFL roster spot as a free agent. Even after the emergence of the professional National Football League, college football remained extremely popular throughout the U. S, in many cases, college stadiums employ bench-style seating, as opposed to individual seats with backs and arm rests. This allows them to more fans in a given amount of space than the typical professional stadium. College athletes, unlike players in the NFL, are not permitted by the NCAA to be paid salaries, colleges are only allowed to provide non-monetary compensation such as athletic scholarships that provide for tuition, housing, and books. Modern North American football has its origins in various games, all known as football, by the 1840s, students at Rugby School were playing a game in which players were able to pick up the ball and run with it, a sport later known as Rugby football. The game was taken to Canada by British soldiers stationed there and was soon being played at Canadian colleges, the first documented gridiron football match was a game played at University College, a college of the University of Toronto, November 9,1861. One of the participants in the game involving University of Toronto students was William Mulock, a football club was formed at the university soon afterward, although its rules of play at this stage are unclear. In 1864, at Trinity College, also a college of the University of Toronto, F. Barlow Cumberland, modern Canadian football is widely regarded as having originated with a game played in Montreal, in 1865, when British Army officers played local civilians. The game gradually gained a following, and the Montreal Football Club was formed in 1868, early games appear to have had much in common with the traditional mob football played in England. The games remained largely unorganized until the 19th century, when games of football began to be played on college campuses. Each school played its own variety of football, Princeton University students played a game called ballown as early as 1820. A Harvard tradition known as Bloody Monday began in 1827, which consisted of a mass ballgame between the freshman and sophomore classes, in 1860, both the town police and the college authorities agreed the Bloody Monday had to go. The Harvard students responded by going into mourning for a figure called Football Fightum. The authorities held firm and it was a dozen years before football was again played at Harvard. Dartmouth played its own version called Old division football, the rules of which were first published in 1871, all of these games, and others, shared certain commonalities
7.
Temple Owls football
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The Temple Owls football team represents Temple University in the sport of college football. The Temple Owls compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the American Athletic Conference and they play their home games at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. The Owls were a member of the Big East Conference from 1991 until 2004. Temple was expelled from the due to a lack of commitment to the football program from university officials. Temple played the 2005 and 2006 seasons as an independent before playing in the Mid-American Conference from 2007 to 2011, in March 2012, the Owls rejoined the Big East Conference, with football membership beginning in the 2012 season and all other sports beginning conference play in 2013. That same year, the conference was renamed the American Athletic Conference after several basketball-only schools split off to form a new conference that kept the Big East name, Temple is the last original Big East football member still in the The American. Five of the eight members play in the ACC, while the other two teams play in the Big 12 and the Big Ten. Temple began playing organized football in 1894, a decade after the school was founded, physical education instructor and basketball coach Charles M. Williams organized an 11-man squad that won their first game against Philadelphia Dental College. For its first few years, the team played small schools. The Owls modern era began in 1925 and that was the year that Henry J. Heinie Miller was hired as head coach, and for a time, the Owls were a regional power. In the 1927 season, after wildly mismatched victories over Blue Ridge College, Juniata, Gallaudet and Washington College and their only loss that season came from Dartmouth, and a 44-year long rivalry with Bucknell College began with Temple posting a 19–13 victory. To start the 1928 season, the Owls moved to Temple Stadium, Miller coached eight seasons and compiled a 50–15–8 record, with two notable victories over growing regional football power Penn State. Following Millers departure in 1933, the Owls made a splash with the hiring of their next coach. Warner had spent the previous 19 years at Pittsburgh and Stanford and he ended his career at Temple, going 31–18–2 in six seasons. In 1934, the Owls went 7–0–2 in the season and were invited to play in the inaugural Sugar Bowl on New Years Day,1935. In 1936, the Owls were ranked in the AP Poll in its first year for two weeks, in Warners last game, Temple upset Florida 20–12, who were coached by future Temple coach Josh Cody. From the time Warner retired at the end of the 1938 season until 1963, Warners top assistant, Fred H. Swan, took over as head coach in 1939. He lasted one season before Temple hired SMU coach Ray Morrison, during this time, Temple had several successful seasons and had All-American and All-Star players
8.
Calgary Stampeders
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The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta, competing in the West Division of the Canadian Football League. The Stampeders play their games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-oldest active franchise in the CFL. The Stampeders were officially founded in 1945, although there were clubs in Calgary as early as 1909, the Stampeders have won seven Grey Cups, most recently in 2014, from their appearances in 15 Grey Cup Championship games. They have won 19 Western Division Championships and one Northern Division Championship in the franchises history, the team has a provincial rivalry with the Edmonton Eskimos, as well as fierce divisional rivalries with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the BC Lions. Helmet design, red background with a white, running horse and this design has been in place, with slight variations, since the 1967 season. These teams were a dominant force in football in Alberta winning championships 15 times over the next 30 years, world War II brought a halt to football in Calgary for a few years. 1940 was the year for the Bronks. The WIFU returned to Calgary on September 29,1945 with the formation of the Calgary Stampeders, in their very first game played on October 22 at Mewata Stadium they beat the Regina Roughriders 12–0 before 4,000 fans in attendance. They returned to the Grey Cup the following year, with a 13–1 record and it was 19 years until Calgary once again reached the Grey Cup, losing 24–21 to Ottawa in the 1968 final and not until 1971 when they were crowned champions, defeating the Toronto Argonauts 14–11. The year 1960 brought the Stampeders a new home, McMahon Stadium and their first game in their new stadium was on August 15,1960, a 23-38 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. From 1968 to 1971 the Stampeders made it to the Grey Cup 3 out of the 4 years, after having some great years at the end of the 1960s,1972 started a long period of struggles for the Stampeders. In the 14 seasons from 1972 to 1985 the Stampeders only made the playoffs 4 times, the Stampeders nearly folded after the 1985 season due to years of declining attendance, financial woes and a poor 3–13 record. Wally Buono took over the coaching duties in 1990. The next 13 years would be some of the most successful years in Stampeders history and they reached the Grey Cup six times, winning in 1992,1998, and 2001, losing in 1991,1995, and 1999. Nevertheless, they did not win a game for several years. In 2008, the Stampeders ended their playoff drought en route to winning the teams sixth Grey Cup 22–14 against the Montreal Alouettes, Burris was named the Grey Cup Most Valuable Player with DeAngelis being the top Canadian for their efforts. John Hufnagel has been interviewed by several NFL and College football teams, Hufnagel was also the teams head coach until the end of the 2015 season, when he turned over the head coaching duties to former Stampeder and BC Lions star Dave Dickenson. Between 2009 and 2014, the Stampeders have reached the Western Final every year except 2011 and they were able to reach the Grey Cup game the following year only to come up short against the Argonauts, falling by a score of 35–22
9.
Saskatchewan Roughriders
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The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League, the Roughriders were founded in 1910 as the Regina Rugby Club. Although they were not the first team to play football in Western Canada, the Roughriders are the third-oldest professional gridiron football team in existence today, and one of the oldest professional sports teams still in existence in North America. The team changed their name to the Regina Roughriders from the Regina Rugby Club in 1924, the Roughriders have played their home games at Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field since 1936. The team draws fans from across Saskatchewan and Canada who are known as the Rider Nation. The Roughriders play in the smallest market in the CFL, and they have finished first in the Western Division seven times and have won the Western championship a record 28 times. They have played in the championship game 19 times and won four Grey Cups, the team has had 20 players inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. The Riders biggest rival is the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, games between the two are sold out before the beginning of the season. The Roughriders Football Club and the city of Regina have hosted the Grey Cup three times, including a Roughrider win in the 101st Grey Cup, in July 2012, the Province of Saskatchewan announced that the Roughriders will have a new stadium completed in time for the 2017 season. They played most of their games at Park Hughes on 10th Avenue in Reginas north central section. The team was also a member of the Saskatchewan Rugby Football Union as it was organized on September 22 of that year. Regina played their first game against the Moose Jaw Tigers on October 1,1910, the Regina Rugby Club changed their colours again in 1912 to red and black and began an era of western football dominance. For every season of play in the SRFU, Regina won the championship, exerting their prowess over teams from Moose Jaw, Saskatoon. Beginning in the 1912 season, Regina won seven straight WCRFU titles, in 1923, Regina returned to power as they won their eighth western championship over the Winnipeg Victorias and earned the right to compete in the national playoffs. The club was given a bye and advanced straight to the Grey Cup finals for the first time, but were severely outmatched, losing 54–0 to Queens University at Varsity Stadium in Toronto. This was, and still is, the most lopsided defeat in Grey Cup history as the defending champion Queens won their third national championship at the expense of the Regina Rugby Club. Following their first Grey Cup loss, the changed their name to the Regina Roughriders in 1924 while retaining the colours of red. Ottawa also had a called the Ottawa Rough Riders, but the spelling was different
10.
2001 NFL season
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The 2001 NFL season was the 82nd regular season of the National Football League. In the wake of the September 11 attacks, the NFLs week 2 games were postponed and re-scheduled to the weekend of January 6–7, in order to retain the full playoff format, all playoff games, including Super Bowl XXXVI, were re-scheduled one week later. The New England Patriots won the Super Bowl, defeating the St. Louis Rams 20–17 at the Louisiana Superdome, following a pattern set in 1999, the first week of the season was permanently moved to the weekend following Labor Day. With Super Bowls XXXVI-XXXVII already scheduled for fixed dates, the league decided to eliminate the Super Bowl bye weeks for 2001 and 2002 to adjust. In the wake of the September 11 attacks, the originally scheduled for September 16–17 were postponed and re-scheduled to the weekend of January 6–7. In order to retain the full playoff format, all playoff games, the season-ending Pro Bowl was also moved to one week later. This was the last season in each conference had 3 divisions. Canceling the games scheduled for September 16–17 was considered and rejected since it would have canceled a game for half the teams of the league. As a result of rescheduling Week 2 as Week 17, the Pittsburgh Steelers ended up not playing a game for the entire month of September. The ESPN Sunday Night Football game for that week was also changed and it was originally scheduled to be Cleveland at Pittsburgh, but it was replaced with Philadelphia at Tampa Bay, which was seen as a more interesting matchup. Ironically, the Eagles and the Buccaneers would both rest their starters that night, and they would meet one week later in the playoffs. This way of flexible scheduling would not be utilized at all in 2007, the games that eventually made up Week 17 marked the latest regular season games to be played during what is traditionally defined as NFL season. Another scheduling change took place in October, when the Dallas Cowboys-Oakland Raiders game was moved from October 21 to 7 to accommodate a possible Oakland Athletics home playoff game on the 21st. The rescheduling ended up being unnecessary as the Athletics would not make it past the Division Series round. Also, this was the only NFL season where every jersey had a patch to remember those who died on 9/11, the season ended with Super Bowl XXXVI when the New England Patriots defeated the St. Louis Rams. Fumble recoveries will be awarded at the spot of the recovery, taunting rules and roughing the passer will be strictly enforced. New Orleans Saints – Replaced their gold pants with black pants, Pittsburgh Steelers – New stadium, Heinz Field. San Diego Chargers – White pants with road uniforms, denver Broncos – New stadium, Invesco Field
11.
Green Bay Packers
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The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League as a club of the leagues National Football Conference North division. They are also the third-oldest franchise in the NFL, organized and it is the only non-profit, community-owned major league professional sports team based in the United States. Home games are played at Lambeau Field, the Packers are the last vestige of small town teams common in the NFL during the 1920s and 1930s. Founded in 1919 by Earl Curly Lambeau and George Whitney Calhoun, between 1919 and 1920, the Packers competed against other semi-pro clubs from around Wisconsin and the Midwest. They joined the American Professional Football Association, the forerunner of todays NFL, the Packers have won 13 league championships, the most in NFL history, with nine NFL titles before the Super Bowl era and four Super Bowl victories. They won the first two Super Bowls in 1967 and 1968 and were the only NFL team to defeat the American Football League prior to the AFL–NFL merger. The Vince Lombardi Trophy is named after the Packers head coach of the same name and their two further Super Bowl wins came in 1997 and 2011. The Packers are long-standing adversaries of the Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, and Detroit Lions, the Bears–Packers rivalry is one of the oldest in NFL history, dating back to 1921. The Green Bay Packers were founded on August 11,1919 by former high-school football rivals Earl Curly Lambeau, Lambeau solicited funds for uniforms from his employer, the Indian Packing Company. He was given $500 for uniforms and equipment, on the condition that the team be named for its sponsor, the Green Bay Packers have played in their original city longer than any other team in the NFL. On August 27,1921, the Packers were granted a franchise in the new pro football league that had been formed the previous year. Financial troubles plagued the team and the franchise was forfeited within the year, before Lambeau found new financial backers and these backers, known as the Hungry Five, formed the Green Bay Football Corporation. After a near-miss in 1927, Lambeaus squad claimed the Packers first NFL title in 1929 with an undefeated 12–0–1 campaign, among the many impressive accomplishments of these years was the Packers streak of 29 consecutive home games without defeat, an NFL record which still stands. The arrival of end Don Hutson from Alabama in 1935 gave Lambeau, credited with inventing pass patterns, Hutson would lead the league in receptions eight seasons and spur the Packers to NFL championships in 1936,1939 and 1944. An iron man, Hutson played both ways, leading the league in interceptions as a safety in 1940, Hutson claimed 18 NFL records when he retired in 1945, many of which still stand. In 1951, his number 14 was the first to be retired by the Packers, after Hutsons retirement, Lambeau could not stop the Packers slide. He purchased a large lodge near Green Bay for team members, rockwood Lodge was the home of the 1946-1949 Packers, though the 1947 and 1948 seasons produced a record of 12-10-1, and 1949 was even worse at 3-9
12.
2002 NFL season
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The 2002 NFL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Football League. The league went back to a number of teams, expanding to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Texans. The clubs were then realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each, also, the Chicago Bears played the 2002 season in Champaign, Illinois at Memorial Stadium because of the reconstruction of their home stadium Soldier Field. The NFL title was won by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when they defeated the Oakland Raiders 48–21 in Super Bowl XXXVII, at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. With the Houston Texans joining the NFL, the teams were realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each division. In creating the new divisions, the tried to maintain the historical rivalries from the old alignment. The major changes were, The Seattle Seahawks became the team to switch conferences twice. The Arizona Cardinals moved from the NFC East to the NFC West and they had originally played in Chicago and then St. Louis before moving to Phoenix in 1988. The Indianapolis Colts, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Tennessee Titans, the Atlanta Falcons, the Carolina Panthers, the New Orleans Saints, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were placed into the newly formed NFC South. Both the AFC Central and the NFC Central were renamed AFC North and NFC North and they retained their team placement, minus the Titans, Jaguars and Buccaneers of their respective conferences. From 1999 to 2001, at least one team sat out each week because of an odd number of teams in the league. Under the new scheduling formula, only two of a teams games each season are based on the previous record, down from four under the previous system. All teams play four interconference games, an analysis of win percentages in 2008 showed a statistical trend upwards for top teams since this change, the top team each year then averaged 14.2 wins, versus 13.4 previously. The playoff format was modified, four division winners and two wild cards from each conference now advance to the playoffs, instead of three division winners and three wild cards. In each conference, the winners are now seeded 1 through 4. In the current system, the way a wild card team can host a playoff game is if both teams in the conferences championship game are wild cards. Since 1990, the number of teams is still 12. A player who touches a pylon remains in-bounds until any part of his body touches the ground out-of-bounds, continuing-action fouls now become dead-ball fouls and will result in the loss of down and distance
13.
Chicago Bears
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The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. The Bears compete in the National Football League as a club of the leagues National Football Conference North division. The Bears have won nine NFL Championships and one Super Bowl and hold the NFL record for the most enshrinees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Bears have also recorded more victories than any other NFL franchise. The franchise was founded in Decatur, Illinois, in 1919 and it is one of only two remaining franchises from the NFLs founding. The team played games at Wrigley Field on Chicagos North Side through the 1970 season, they now play at Soldier Field on the Near South Side. The Bears have a rivalry with the Green Bay Packers. The team headquarters, Halas Hall, is in the Chicago suburb of Lake Forest, the Bears practice at adjoining facilities there during the season. They hold their training camp from late July to mid-August at Ward Field on the campus of Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois. Originally named the Decatur Staleys, the club was established by the A. E. Staley food starch company of Decatur and this was the typical start for several early professional football franchises. The company hired George Halas and Edward Dutch Sternaman in 1920 to run the team, the 1920 Decatur Staleys season was their inaugural regular season completed in the newly formed American Professional Football Association. Full control of the team was turned over to Halas and Sternaman in 1921, official team and league records cite Halas as the founder as he took over the team in 1920 when it became a charter member of the NFL. The team relocated to Chicago in 1921, where the club was renamed the Chicago Staleys, under an agreement reached by Halas and Sternaman with Staley, Halas purchased the rights to the club from Staley for US$100. In 1922, Halas changed the name from the Staleys to the Bears. The team moved into Wrigley Field, which was home to the Chicago Cubs baseball franchise, as with several early NFL franchises, the Bears derived their nickname from their citys baseball team. Halas liked the bright colors of his alma mater, the University of Illinois. The Staleys/Bears dominated the league in the early years and their rivalry with the Chicago Cardinals, the oldest in the NFL, was key in four out of the first six league titles. During that span, the Bears posted 34 shutouts, the Bears rivalry with the Green Bay Packers is one of the oldest and most storied in American professional sports, dating back to 1921. The franchise was a success under Halas, capturing the NFL Championship in 1921
14.
Berlin Thunder
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The Berlin Thunder were a professional American football team in NFL Europe. The Thunder came into existence as a team, after the London/England Monarchs franchise shut down operations. Home games from 1999-2002 were played at Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark and one game in 2006, olympiastadion was the home stadium from 2003 to 2007. The Thunder won the World Bowl 3 times,2001,2002 and 2004 and they also made it to the World Bowl in 2005, but were narrowly defeated by the Amsterdam Admirals. Two Berlin quarterbacks, Rohan Davey and Dave Ragone, were named NFL Europe Offensive Most Valuable Players, linebacker Rich Scanlon was named NFL Europe Defensive MVP. On April Fools Day 2006, the Thunder recorded their very first tie in franchise history, trailing the Hamburg Sea Devils 17-0 at halftime, the Thunder erased their deficit to tie it up, going into overtime in which neither team could come up with a point. This was only the second tie in the history of NFL Europe, the previous tie came in the 1992 season between the Rhein Fire and the London Monarchs, also 17-17
15.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
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The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League, the Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Field. Since the 1950 merger, the team has won the Grey Cup championship eight times, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats Football Club also recognizes all Grey Cups won by Hamilton-based teams as part of their history, which would bring their win total to 15. However, the CFL does not recognize these wins under one franchise, neither of these teams won a championship in the first decade of the 21st century. In their first forty years of existence, the Tiger-Cats were a franchise, qualifying for the playoffs in all. They are one of six teams in the modern era to win the Grey Cup at home and were the first to accomplish this when they did it in 1972. However, since 1990, they have missed the playoffs on eleven occasions and have won just one Grey Cup in 1999 and their lowest moment came when they lost a Canadian Football League record 17 games in one season with just one win during their 2003 season. The franchise has started to return to prominence after qualifying for the post-season in four of the past five seasons, including a loss in the 101st Grey Cup, founded,1950, a merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. Formerly known as, The Hamilton Tigers and Hamilton Wildcats, the owner/caretaker of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats Football Club is businessman Bob Young, who purchased the club on October 7,2003. He was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and graduated from Victoria College at the University of Toronto and his fortune was earned in the software industry and he is currently the owner and CEO of Lulu, a self-publishing website. As of 2011, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats Executive Committee consists of three people, Bob Young, Caretaker, Scott Mitchell, President, and Doug Rye, although the current Hamilton Tiger-Cats were only founded in 1950, football in Hamilton goes back much further than that. The history of Hamilton Tiger-Cats Football Club can be traced back to November 3,1869 in a room above George Lee’s Fruit Store, the Hamilton football club played their first game on December 18,1869 against the 13th Battalion. In 1872, the Hamilton Football club began play at the Hamilton AAA Grounds, the Hamilton Tigers began play in the Ontario Rugby Football Union in 1883 and won their first Canadian Dominion Football Championship in 1906 when the Tigers beat McGill University 29–3. The Tigers continued in the ORFU until 1907, when the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union was formed, the IRFU later became known as the Big Four and eventually, the IRFU became the East division of the modern CFL in the 1950s. In the following season, the Tigers won their first of five Grey Cups when they beat the Toronto Parkdale Canoe Club by the margin of 44–2. The Alerts were refused entry into the ORFU in 1913 with many of its players opting to join the Tigers, the Alerts gave way to a team under the name Hamilton Rowing Club from 1913–1915, who also played in the ORFU. 1914 saw the amalgamation of the Hamilton Alerts and the Hamilton Tigers. In 1915, in the final season, the Hamilton Tigers won their second Grey Cup
16.
2014 CFL season
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The 2014 Canadian Football League season was the 61st season of modern Canadian professional football. It was the 57th season of the league, Vancouver hosted the 102nd Grey Cup on November 30. The league expanded to nine teams with the addition of the Ottawa Redblacks, as a result of the expansion, the schedule shifted to a 20-week regular season plus three weeks of playoffs, the season started on June 26,2014. The collective bargaining agreement between the CFL and the CFL Players Association expired on May 29,2014, with a new and more lucrative television contract with TSN beginning this season, revenue distribution was a major sticking point in CBA negotiations. Unlike other professional leagues in North America, the CFL salary cap is not tied to league revenues. The league had offered to raise the previous $4.4 million salary cap to $5 million, the CFLPA had indicated that it would not play the 2014 season under the terms of the expired agreement. After negotiations broke down on May 21, the CFLPA began preparations for a strike vote, had the players gone on strike, it would have been only the second work stoppage in CFL history and possibly the first to have caused the cancellation of regular season games. The first CFL strike, in 1974, occurred during training camp and was settled before the season began. On June 7, the CFL and CFLPA announced that they had reached a tentative labour agreement, the agreement was ratified by the players on June 12. The new collective bargaining agreement will be in place until May 15,2019 or the first day training camp in 2019, whichever comes later. However, if the nine member clubs total aggregate revenues increase by more than $27 million in any year starting in 2016, both sides will renegotiate the salary cap. The salary cap for the 2014 season is set at $5 million per team, both figures will increase by $50,000 each year until 2018. The minimum salary per player increased by $5000 to $50,000, the game-day roster increased from 42 players to 44 players, with 46 players still being named to the active roster, meaning the reserve roster decreased from four to two players. The practice roster for teams also increased from seven to ten players in the Summer, the nine-game injury list was replaced with a six-game injury list, while retaining the option of removing two players early from the list. Clubs are also permitted to keep players on the list past the six games, the league has also removed the option-year clause on contracts for veteran players, making it possible for players to sign one-year contracts. Rookie players must still have option years on their contracts, the team was able to sign players starting on the day after the 101st Grey Cup on November 25,2013 and an expansion draft for the club was held on December 16,2013. The 2013 CFL Expansion Draft allowed the RedBlacks to select one import, additionally, after selecting four players in the 2013 CFL Draft, the RedBlacks fully participated in the 2014 CFL Draft, with the first picks in each of the drafts seven rounds. Their first regular game was in Winnipeg on July 3
17.
Grey Cup
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The Grey Cup is the name of both the championship game of the Canadian Football League and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing Canadian football. It is contested between the winners of the CFLs East and West Divisional playoffs and is one of Canadian televisions largest annual sporting events, the Toronto Argonauts have 16 championships, more than any other team. The latest, the 104th Grey Cup, took place in Toronto, Ontario, on November 27,2016, the trophy was commissioned in 1909 by the Earl Grey, then Canadas governor general, who originally hoped to donate it for the countrys senior amateur hockey championship. After the Allan Cup was later donated for that purpose, Grey instead made his trophy available as the Canadian Dominion Football Championship of Canadian football. The trophy has a silver chalice attached to a base on which the names of all winning teams, players. The Grey Cup has been broken on several occasions, stolen twice and it survived a 1947 fire that destroyed numerous artifacts housed in the same building. The Grey Cup was first won by the University of Toronto Varsity Blues, play was suspended from 1916 to 1918 due to the First World War and in 1919 due to a rules dispute. The game has typically been contested in an east versus west format since the 1920s, the Edmonton Eskimos formed the Grey Cups longest dynasty, winning five consecutive championships from 1978 to 1982. While the Stanley Cup was created in 1893 as the Canadian amateur hockey championship, Grey instead offered an award to the Dominion amateur rugby football championship beginning in 1909. He initially failed to follow through on his offer, the trophy was not ordered until two weeks prior to the first championship game. The first Grey Cup game was held on December 4,1909, the trophy was not ready for presentation following the game, and the Varsity Blues did not receive it until March 1910. They retained the trophy in the two years, defeating the Hamilton Tigers in 1910 and the Toronto Argonauts in 1911. The University of Toronto failed to reach the 1912 Grey Cup, the Varsity Blues refused to hand over the trophy on the belief they could keep it until they were defeated in a title game. They kept the trophy until 1914 when they were defeated by the Argonauts, Canadas participation in the First World War resulted in the cancellation of the championship from 1916 to 1918, during which time the Cup was forgotten. Montreal Gazette writer Bob Dunn claimed that the trophy was later rediscovered as one of the heirlooms of an employee of the Toronto trust company where it had been sent for storage. Competition finally resumed in 1920 with the 8th Grey Cup game and it was the University of Torontos fourth, and final, championship. Competition for the Grey Cup was limited to member unions of the CRU, the Western Canada Rugby Football Union joined in 1921, allowing the Edmonton Eskimos to challenge. Facing the Argonauts in the 9th Grey Cup, the Eskimos became the first western team –, the Argonauts entered the game with an undefeated record, having outscored their opposition 226 to 55 during the season
18.
86th Grey Cup
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The 86th Grey Cup was held in 1998 in Winnipeg. The Calgary Stampeders won the game over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats with a score of 26-24, Calgary Stampeders - TDs, Jeff Garcia, Kelvin Anderson, FGs, Mark McLoughlin, cons. Hamilton Tiger-Cats - TDs, Ronald Williams, FGs, Paul Osbaldiston, however, after the sun went down, the temperatures plummeted. Mark McLoughlin missed the field goal attempt, but Calgary opened the scoring with a single point. The Ti-Cats ran the ball down the field, and Paul Osbaldiston kicked a 24-yard field goal to make the game 3-1, minutes later, McLoughlin made up for his earlier failure with a 34 field goal to put the Stampeders ahead 4-3. Kelvin Anderson ran in a 3-yard touchdown five minutes into the second quarter, the convert failed, and the Stamps led 10-3. Osbaldiston kicked in a Ti-Cats field goal from the 20-yard line to close the gap at 10-6, Hamilton got revenge with just over three minutes to go in the half, with a great reception by Ronald Williams. Osbaldiston nailed the convert and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats led 13-10, Osbaldiston finished out the half with his third field goal of the game to put the Ti-Cats up 16-10 going into half time. In the second half, Osbaldiston managed a single off a 44-yard missed field goal, four minutes later, Osbaldiston had another single on a 66-yard punt. Aldi Henry intercepted a Danny McManus pass to give the Stamps possession at the 13,00 mark of the fourth quarter, the Stampeders were only able to convert a field goal out of the opportunity, but it was enough to give them the lead in the game again. McLoughlin kicked another field goal 5 minutes later to give the Stamps a 23-18 advantage, archie Amerson made a terrific running play to take the ball to the two-yard line for the Ti-Cats. Williams ran in from the four, but the two point convert attempt failed, giving Hamilton a 24-23 lead with three minutes remaining, after a Calgary drive, place kicker Mark McLoughlin kicked the field goal on the last play of the game to give Calgary the win. McLoughlin made three goals in the fourth quarter and four altogether. Earlier in the year he had battled to gain his spot on the team, Jeff Garcia was named Grey Cup MVP, while Vince Danielsen was named Canadian MVP. Archived from the original on 2015-07-30
19.
96th Grey Cup
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The 96th Grey Cup was held in Montreal, Quebec at Olympic Stadium on November 23,2008. The Eastern Division Champion Montreal Alouettes hosted the Western Division Champion Calgary Stampeders, the Stampeders won the game 22-14, with quarterback Henry Burris winning the MVP award. Hoping to break the record for highest attendance for a Grey Cup game, a crowd of 66,308 attended the game, failing to break the record of 68,318 set in 1977, but good enough to be the second-highest attended Grey Cup game of all time. Montreal has now played host to the four largest Grey Cup games in history and this was the first Grey Cup not to be broadcast on CBC Television since they started broadcasting the Grey Cup. In Canada, the game was telecast solely on the cable channel TSN, internationally, both Versus, telecasting in the United States, and Canadian Forces Radio and Television, broadcasting to Canadian forces internationally, used the TSN feed and graphics. The game was available in HD on both TSN HD and RDS HD and shown in HD in the United States on Voom HD Networkss WorldSport and it was also seen online at ESPN360. com. Much like in 2001, there was a Grey Cup Village at the Dorchester Square, the organizers of the 96th Grey Cup hoped to break the 70,000 attendance mark. The current record for highest attendance was set at the 1977 Grey Cup, the attendance was reported at 66,308 during the TSN broadcast of the game. In so doing, the 2008 game displaced the 2001 Grey Cup, tickets were priced from $84 in the balcony to $274 in the platinum section. Tickets had three days, one during the 95th Grey Cup, one in December and one during Super Bowl XLII. Regular tickets went on sale in March 2008, Calgary Stampeders - TDs, Brett Ralph, FGs Sandro DeAngelis, cons. Montreal Alouettes - TDs, Avon Cobourne, FGs Damon Duval, single Duval, the game got off to a slow start with a Damon Duval 14 yard chip shot field goal for Montreal representing all the scoring in the first quarter. The drive was highlighted by a 55-yard completion from Alouettes quarterback Anthony Calvillo to Jamel Richardson, Sandro DeAngelis answered back in the second quarter with a 44-yard field goal to put the Calgary Stampeders back on even terms at 3-3. However, the Montreal Alouettes responded when Montreal linebacker, Reggie Hunt intercepted a Henry Burris pass, the Alouettes offence drove the ball deep into Calgary territory before running back, Avon Cobourne scored the games first touchdown in the second quarter on a 16-yard run. Then, special teams standout Larry Taylor gave the Alouettes great field position again with a 42-yard punt return, Duval again stepped in and made good on his 19-yard attempt to extend the Montreal lead to 13-3. In the second half of the game, it was all Calgary Stampeders, in the third quarter, Sandro DeAngelis kicked his second field goal of the game to tie the game 13-13. Montreal took a 14-13 lead after Damon Duval added a punt single, montreals offence started to threaten, but the Calgary defence responded. On the first play of the quarter, Anthony Calvillo was intercecpted by Calgarys Dwight Anderson that led to another field goal by DeAngelis to give the Stampeders a 19-14 advantage
20.
2010 CFL season
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The 2010 CFL season is the 57th season of modern Canadian professional football. Officially, it is the 53rd season of the league, the league announced on its Twitter page on January 29,2010 that the season would start on July 1,2010. As of 2016 this is the most recent CFL regular season to start in July, as the league approaches the 100th Grey Cup, the CFL will celebrate the 1970s with all eight teams wearing retro-themed uniforms from that era during Weeks 6 and 7. Since Saskatchewans alternate jersey is a version of the 1970s home jersey, they were the team to wear both home and away retro jerseys during these games. The CFL will begin a series of games in Moncton. Tickets for the sold out within 32 hours of going on sale. The success of Touchdown Atlantic 2010 has moved Moncton towards a position of candidate for CFL expansion, the collective bargaining agreement between the CFL and the CFL Players Association expires on June 5,2010. Negotiations between the two parties have been stalled since October 2009, a meeting is scheduled on April 26,2010 in Toronto, stu Laird, president of the CFLPA, has sent e-mails to all players. On June 29,2010, two days before the start of the season, it was announced that the CFL and CFLPA had agreed to a new 4-year CBA. While many changes were made, the most prominent were those made to the salaries, the 2010 team salary cap is set at $4,250,000 with a team salary floor of $3,900,000 and a minimum player salary of $42,000. The salary cap is set to increase $50,000 per season, reaching $4,400,000 by 2013, the minimum player salary is set to increase by $1000 per season until 2013 where it would be $45,000. A similar rule is used in United States intercollegiate football, where an overtime is used. This rule has been experimented in other football leagues like the World Football League, changes in regulation Will allow a team that gives up a field goal the option of scrimmaging from its 35-yard line instead of receiving a kick-off. In 2009, this option was eliminated, but has been overturned as it failed to any significant difference in entertainment value as it was intended. Will ensure there is no penalty for pass interference applied if a pass is deemed uncatchable. Fixing the no yards or halo rule that will result in a penalty of five instead of fifteen yards when a ball is punted, hits the ground, TSN remains the exclusive broadcaster for all CFL games in Canada. In the United States, the CFL ended its agreement with America One and signed a more limited deal with NFL Network. As with America One, NFL Network will simulcast the TSN broadcast, RDS remains the exclusive French broadcaster of the CFL showing all 18 Montreal Alouettes regular season games and all of the CFL Playoffs
21.
Canadian football
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In Canada, the term football may refer to Canadian football and American football collectively, or to either sport specifically, depending on context. The two sports have shared origins and are related but have significant differences. Rugby football in Canada originated in the early 1860s, and over time, active teams such as the Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats have similar longevity. The CFL is the most popular and only major professional Canadian football league and its championship game, the Grey Cup, is one of Canadas largest sporting events, attracting a broad television audience, though it has been shrinking in recent years. In 2009, about 40% of Canadas population watched part of the game, in 2014, it was closer to 33%, great achievements in Canadian football are enshrined in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame located in Hamilton, Ontario. Other organizations across Canada perform senior league Canadian football during the summer, the first documented football match was a practice game played on November 9,1861, at University College, University of Toronto. One of the participants in the game involving University of Toronto students was Sir William Mulock, a football club was formed at the university soon afterward, although its rules of play at this stage are unclear. The first written account of a game played was on October 15,1862 and it was between the First Battalion Grenadier Guards and the Second Battalion Scots Fusilier Guards resulting in a win by the Grenadier Guards 3 goals,2 rouges to nothing. In 1864, at Trinity College, Toronto, F. Barlow Cumberland, Frederick A. Bethune, the game gradually gained a following, with the Hamilton Football Club formed on November 3,1869. Montreal formed a team April 8,1872, Toronto was formed on October 4,1873, and this rugby-football soon became popular at Montreals McGill University. McGill challenged Harvard University to a game, in 1874 using a game of English rugby devised by the University of McGill. Later both the Ontario and Quebec Rugby Football Union were formed, and then the Interprovincial and Western Interprovincial Football Union, the CRFU reorganized into an umbrella organization forming the Canadian Rugby Union in 1891. The original forerunners to the current Canadian Football League, was established in 1956 when the IRFU and WIFU formed an umbrella organization, and then in 1958 the CFC left The CRFU to become the CFL. The Burnside rules closely resembling American football that were incorporated in 1903 by The ORFU, was an effort to distinguish it from a more rugby-oriented game, the rules were an attempt to standardize the rules throughout the country. The CIRFU, QRFU and CRU refused to adopt the new rules at first, the primary differences between the Canadian and American games stem from rule changes that the American side of the border adopted but the Canadian side did not. The Canadian field width was one rule that was not based on American rules, as the Canadian game was played in wider fields, initially an amateur competition, it eventually became dominated by professional teams in the 1940s and early 1950s. The Ontario Rugby Football Union, the last amateur organization to compete for the trophy, the move ushered in the modern era of Canadian professional football. Canadian football has mostly been confined to Canada, with the United States being the other country to have hosted high-level Canadian football games
22.
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
23.
Varsity letter
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A varsity letter is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its winner was a varsity team member. The award letter is made in the colors and initials representing the school that the recipient attends. The letter patch is primarily constructed of chenille and felt materials, standard sizes range from 4 inches to 8 inches. While 4 inches and 5 inches usually denote Junior Varsity achievements,6 inches to 8 inches would denote full Varsity, the stitching style used for creating the chenille look is called a moss stitch, while the outlining sew down is called a chain stitch. With the advent of organized sports, there was a need for uniforms, there was an additional need for identifications which was satisfied by the use of emblems or letters. In 1865, the Harvard baseball team added an Old English H, the H was embroidered on the gray flannel shirt. The football team started to use the H in 1875, if a player did not play in an important game, the player had to return the jersey at the end of the season. Awarding the H jersey may have been the birth of the varsity letter as an award, the letterman sweater was first regularly used by the 1891 Nine and was black with a small Crimson H on the left breast. It is not known when the letter came to high schools. The earliest known example of a sweater in a high school is found in the 1911 yearbook of Phoenix Union High School. A student in a photo is pictured, not in football uniform. The sweater seems to be the home of the letter from the 1890s until the 1930s. Another award during the 1920s and 1930s was a stadium style blanket given as an award, in the 1930s, the letter award started to appear on leather sleeved, wool-bodied jackets. The jackets from the 1930s were different in design than todays modern jacket, as a decorative clothing item, the varsity letter has a huge number of variations and no set standard is made to any school on how it should look. Chenille letters come in different forms and shapes. Some institutions use Old English or script style, two or three letter monogram, 3D shading, chenille bordered or the traditional straight block style, students generally receive only one actual letter, but can win the distinction multiple times. These additional designations are shown by adding embroidered sport insignias, modeled metal insert pins, some schools may embroider non-athletic letters with their award title, such as Academics or Arts”
24.
High school football
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High school football is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular sports in both countries. It is also popular amongst American High school teams in Europe, High school football began in the late 19th century, concurrent with the start of many college football programs. In the late 19th and early 20th century, many college, other traditions of high school football such as pep rallies, marching bands, mascots, and homecomings are mirrored from college football. No true minor league farm organizations exist in American football, therefore, high school football is generally considered to be the third tier of American football in the United States, behind professional and college competition. The National Federation of State High School Associations establishes the rules of high school football in the United States, two states, Texas and Massachusetts, use NCAA playing rules except as shown below. Kickoffs take place at the kicking teams 40-yard line, as opposed to the 35 in college, if an attempted field goal is missed it is treated as a punt, normally it would be a touchback and the opposing team will start at the 20-yard line. However, if it not enter the end zone, it can be downed or returned as a normal punt. Any kick crossing the line is automatically a touchback, kicks cannot be returned out of the end zone. Pass interference by the results in a 15-yard penalty. Pass interference by the results in a 15-yard penalty, from the previous spot. The defense cannot return an extra-point attempt for a score, any defensive player that encroaches the neutral zone, regardless of whether the ball was snapped or not, commits a dead ball foul for encroachment. 5-yard penalty from the previous spot, prior to 2013, offensive pass interference resulted in a 15-yard penalty AND a loss of down. The loss of down provision has been deleted from the rules starting in 2013, in college and the NFL, offensive pass interference is only 10 yards. The use of overtime, and the type of overtime used, is up to the state association. The NFHS offers a suggested overtime procedure based on the Kansas Playoff, intentional grounding may be called even if the quarterback is outside the tackle box. The home team must wear dark-colored jerseys, and the team must wear white jerseys. In the NFL, the team has choice of jersey color, and in the NCAA
25.
Track and field
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Track and field is a sport which includes athletic contests established on the skills of running, jumping, and throwing. The name is derived from the sports venue, a stadium with an oval running track enclosing a grass field where the throwing and jumping events take place. Track and field is categorised under the sport of athletics, which also includes road running, cross country running. The foot racing events, which include sprints, middle- and long-distance events, the jumping and throwing events are won by the athlete who achieves the greatest distance or height. Regular jumping events include long jump, triple jump, high jump and pole vault, while the most common throwing events are shot put, javelin, discus and hammer. There are also combined events or multi events, such as the pentathlon consisting of five events, heptathlon consisting of seven events, in these, athletes participate in a combination of track and field events. Most track and field events are individual sports with a victor, the most prominent team events are relay races. Events are almost exclusively divided by gender, although both the mens and womens competitions are held at the same venue. It is one of the oldest sports, in ancient times, it was an event held in conjunction with festivals and sports meets such as the Ancient Olympic Games in Greece. The ancient Olympic Games began in the year 776 BC, when Koroibos, a cook from the city of Elis, won the stadium race. According to some traditions, this was the only athletic event of the games for the first 13 Olympic festivals. In modern times, the two most prestigious track and field competitions are athletics competition at the Olympic Games and the IAAF World Championships in Athletics. The International Association of Athletics Federations is the governing body. Records are kept of the best performances in specific events, at world and national levels, however, if athletes are deemed to have violated the events rules or regulations, they are disqualified from the competition and their marks are erased. In North America, the track and field may be used to refer to other athletics events, such as the marathon. The sport of track and field has its roots in human prehistory, Track and field-style events are among the oldest of all sporting competitions, as running, jumping and throwing are natural and universal forms of human physical expression. The first recorded examples of organized track and field events at a festival are the Ancient Olympic Games. At the first Games in 776 BC in Olympia, Greece, only one event was contested, Track and field events were also present at the Panhellenic Games in Greece around this period, and they spread to Rome in Italy around 200 BC
26.
Basketball
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Basketball is a non-contact team sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of five players each. The objective is to shoot a ball through a hoop 18 inches in diameter and 10 feet high that is mounted to a backboard at each end of the court. The game was invented in 1891 by Dr. James Naismith, a team can score a field goal by shooting the ball through the basket being defended by the opposition team during regular play. A field goal scores three points for the team if the player shoots from behind the three-point line. A team can also score via free throws, which are worth one point, the team with the most points at the end of the game wins, but additional time is mandated when the score is tied at the end of regulation. The ball can be advanced on the court by passing it to a teammate and it is a violation to lift, or drag, ones pivot foot without dribbling the ball, to carry it, or to hold the ball with both hands then resume dribbling. The game has many techniques for displaying skill—ball-handling, shooting, passing, dribbling, dunking, shot-blocking. The point guard directs the on court action of the team, implementing the coachs game plan, Basketball is one of the worlds most popular and widely viewed sports. Outside North America, the top clubs from national leagues qualify to continental championships such as the Euroleague, the FIBA Basketball World Cup attracts the top national teams from around the world. Each continent hosts regional competitions for teams, like EuroBasket. The FIBA Womens Basketball World Cup features the top womens basketball teams from continental championships. The main North American league is the WNBA, whereas the EuroLeague Women has been dominated by teams from the Russian Womens Basketball Premier League, in early December 1891, Canadian Dr. He sought a vigorous indoor game to keep his students occupied, after rejecting other ideas as either too rough or poorly suited to walled-in gymnasiums, he wrote the basic rules and nailed a peach basket onto a 10-foot elevated track. Basketball was originally played with a soccer ball and these laces could cause bounce passes and dribbling to be unpredictable. Eventually a lace-free ball construction method was invented, and this change to the game was endorsed by Naismith, dribbling was not part of the original game except for the bounce pass to teammates. Passing the ball was the means of ball movement. Dribbling was eventually introduced but limited by the shape of early balls. Dribbling only became a part of the game around the 1950s
27.
Baseball
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Baseball is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of nine players each, who take turns batting and fielding. A run is scored when a player advances around the bases, Players on the batting team take turns hitting against the pitcher of the fielding team, which tries to prevent runs by getting hitters out in any of several ways. A player on the team who reaches a base safely can later attempt to advance to subsequent bases during teammates turns batting. The teams switch between batting and fielding whenever the team records three outs. One turn batting for both teams, beginning with the team, constitutes an inning. A game is composed of nine innings, and the team with the number of runs at the end of the game wins. Baseball has no clock, although almost all games end in the ninth inning. Baseball evolved from older bat-and-ball games already being played in England by the mid-18th century and this game was brought by immigrants to North America, where the modern version developed. By the late 19th century, baseball was widely recognized as the sport of the United States. Baseball is now popular in North America and parts of Central and South America, the Caribbean, in the United States and Canada, professional Major League Baseball teams are divided into the National League and American League, each with three divisions, East, West, and Central. The major league champion is determined by playoffs that culminate in the World Series, the top level of play is similarly split in Japan between the Central and Pacific Leagues and in Cuba between the West League and East League. The evolution of baseball from older bat-and-ball games is difficult to trace with precision, a French manuscript from 1344 contains an illustration of clerics playing a game, possibly la soule, with similarities to baseball. Other old French games such as thèque, la balle au bâton, consensus once held that todays baseball is a North American development from the older game rounders, popular in Great Britain and Ireland. Baseball Before We Knew It, A Search for the Roots of the Game, by David Block, suggests that the game originated in England, recently uncovered historical evidence supports this position. Block argues that rounders and early baseball were actually regional variants of other. It has long believed that cricket also descended from such games. The earliest known reference to baseball is in a 1744 British publication, A Little Pretty Pocket-Book, David Block discovered that the first recorded game of Bass-Ball took place in 1749 in Surrey, and featured the Prince of Wales as a player. William Bray, an English lawyer, recorded a game of baseball on Easter Monday 1755 in Guildford and this early form of the game was apparently brought to Canada by English immigrants
28.
Temple University
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Temple University is a state-related-public doctoral university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by Baptist Minister Russell Conwell, in 1882, Conwell came to Pennsylvania to lead the Grace Baptist Church while he began tutoring working class citizens late at night to accommodate their work schedules. These students, later dubbed night owls, were taught in the basement of Conwells Baptist Temple, hence the origin of the universitys name, by 1907, the institution revised its institutional status and incorporated as a university. In 2015, Temple received $227.5 million in funding, ranking it 93rd out of 905 institutions in the NSF’s Higher Education Research. Temple is among the nations largest providers of education, preparing the largest body of professional practitioners in Pennsylvania. Conwell came to Pennsylvania in 1882 to lead the Grace Baptist Church while he began tutoring working class citizens late at night to accommodate their work schedules. These students, later dubbed night owls, were taught in the basement of Conwells Baptist Temple, hence the origin of the universitys name, the Grace Baptist Church quickly grew popular within the North Philadelphia area. A temporary board of trustees was created to handle the rapidly growing formalities associated with the churchs programs, when the board conducted its first meeting they named Russell H. Conwell president of The Temple College. Within the following months, Grace Baptist Church appointed a new board of trustees, printed official admissions files, regardless of whether they had the resources to support the school, Conwell’s desire was “to give education to those who were unable to get it through the usual channels”. Philadelphia granted a charter in 1888 to establish “The Temple College of Philadelphia”, by 1888, the enrollment of the college was nearly 600. It was in 1907 that Temple College revised its institutional status, Legal recognition as a university enhanced Temple in noticeable ways including its reputation, professional and graduate programs, overall enrollment, and financial support. Over time, Temple expanded, Samaritan Hospital was founded, a Medical School was added, after the merger, Temple officially reincorporated as Temple University on December 12,1907. Today, Temple is a Pennsylvania state-related university, meaning the university receives state funds, subject to state appropriations, but is independently operated. In U. S. News & World Reports 2017 rankings, Temple is tied for 56th among U. S. public universities, tied for 118th among all national universities, Temple undergraduate college is among the top colleges profiled in The Princeton Reviews The Best 379 colleges. Temples Social Science faculty is also ranked 76-100 in the world in 2015 by ARWU, Temple is ranked 94th out of 643 US institutions in National Science Foundations 2013 Higher education Research and Development Survey. Tylers graduate programs are highly selective, maintaining their reputation for providing one of the finest programs in the nation, as of 2015, Tyler’s overall ranking is 13th in the nation. Tyler’s individual graduate programs, as of 2015, ranked highly in their fields, painting and drawing, sculpture, printmaking, ceramics. Temples Fox School of Business, founded in 1918, is one of the largest business schools in the country, the Fox School offers 13 undergraduate majors,10 professional masters programs, two PhD programs, and the school has a variety of international partnerships
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Big East Conference
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The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in all sports except football, which is not sponsored. The conference has officially recognized as a Division I multi-sport conference. Butler University, Creighton University, and Xavier University also joined the conference on its July 1,2013 launch date. The football-playing members of the old Big East, along several other schools, formed the American Athletic Conference. However, both conferences claim 1979 as their founding date, as part of the separation agreement, the basketball schools were able to retain the basketball records while the football schools retained the football records respectively. Val Ackerman, former WNBA president, has been commissioner since June 26,2013, on the same day Ackerman was named as commissioner, it announced that it will be headquartered in New York City. None of the schools sponsor varsity football in the top-level Division I FBS. Georgetown, Villanova, and Butler do operate football programs in the second-level Division I FCS, the core of the Big East formed when Providence, St. Johns, Georgetown, and Syracuse invited Seton Hall, Connecticut, Holy Cross, Rutgers, and Boston College. Holy Cross turned down the invitation, as did Rutgers initially, while BC, Seton Hall, gavitt became the Big Easts first commissioner, and Villanova and Pittsburgh joined the conference shortly thereafter. PR firm Duffy & Shanley is credited with the branding and naming work for the conference. The conference remained largely unchanged until 1991, when it began to sponsor football, adding Miami as a member, and Rutgers, Temple, Virginia Tech. Rutgers and West Virginia upgraded to full Big East membership in 1995, Notre Dame also joined as a non-football member effective in 1995. Temple football was kicked out after the 2004 season, but rejoined in 2012, the unusual structure of the Big East, with the football and non-football schools, led to instability in the conference. The conference reorganized following the period of realignment that hobbled the Big East between 2010 and 2013. The Big East was one of the most severely impacted conferences during the most recent conference realignment period, in all,14 member schools announced their departure for other conferences, and 15 other schools announced plans to join the conference. Three of the group later backed out of their plans to join. On March 14,2013, it was reported that the Big East would be adding members in the seven to ten days. At a news conference in New York City on March 20,2013, the league was formally introduced with Butler, Xavier
30.
Jeff Garcia
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Jeffrey Jason Garcia is a former American football and Canadian football quarterback. After attending high school and junior college in Gilroy, California, Garcia played college football at San Jose State University, in 1999, Garcia debuted in the National Football League with the San Francisco 49ers. With the 49ers, Garcia made three Pro Bowl appearances and led the team to the playoffs in the 2001 and 2002 seasons, with the Philadelphia Eagles, Garcia returned to form late in the 2006 season, starting for an injured Donovan McNabb and leading Philadelphia to the playoffs. Garcia joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2007 and was the quarterback for most games of the 2007 and 2008 seasons. Again, Garcia led Tampa Bay to the playoffs in 2007, after his stint with Tampa, Garcia returned to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009 and played only one game. In 2010, Garcia played for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League, in 2011, Garcia signed with the Houston Texans but did not play a game with the team. The following year, Garcia joined the board for the now defunct United States Football League. Garcia attended Gilroy High School in Gilroy, California, and was a letterman in football and basketball, as a senior at Gilroy High, Garcia was a South Santa Clara County selection for the Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Football Game and played defensive back in the game. After graduating from Gilroy in 1988, Garcia attended Gavilan College and he was the starting quarterback on the football team for the 1989 season, in which he passed 2,038 yards for 18 touchdowns and rushed 584 yards for four touchdowns. After the season, Garcia earned junior college honorable mention All-America honors, in 1990, Garcia transferred to San Jose State University and redshirted his first year there. From 1991 to 1993, Garcia was starting quarterback on the San Jose State Spartans football team, under Garcia, San Jose State went 6-4-1 in 1991, 7-4 in 1992, and 2-9 in 1993. In 1991, Garcia had a career-high 61. 9% completion rate at San Jose State with 99-for-160 passing for 1,519 yards,12 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. He passed for 2,418 yards in 1992 on 209-for-371 passing with 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions and a career-high 2,608 yards in 1993 on 196-for-356 passing,21 touchdowns, for his junior season in 1992, Garcia earned UPI All-America honors. As of 2007, Garcia had the most career yards in San Jose State history. Garcia is one of only ten quarterbacks in NFL history who have achieved two consecutive thirty-touchdown passing seasons at least one time in their career. The others are Philip Rivers, Steve Bartkowski, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Dan Fouts, Dan Marino, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and he is also one of only thirteen quarterbacks to throw a 99-yard touchdown pass. At 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, Garcia was considered too small for the National Football League and was not selected in the 1994 NFL Draft, in 1994, Garcia started his professional career in Calgary with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. He won a place on Calgarys roster as their third string quarterback behind Doug Flutie, soon after he was named backup quarterback to Doug Flutie
31.
Edmonton Eskimos
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The Edmonton Eskimos are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta, competing in the West Division of the Canadian Football League. The Eskimos play their games at The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium and are the third-youngest franchise in the CFL. The Eskimos were founded in 1949, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895 and this includes a three-peat between 1954 and 1956 and an unmatched five consecutive wins between 1978 and 1982, and most recently in 2015. The Eskimos hold a North American professional sports record by qualifying for the playoffs for 34 consecutive years between 1972 and 2005, Edmonton has had the most regular season division championships in the modern era with 21, with their most recent coming in 2015. The team has a rivalry with the Calgary Stampeders and are one of the three community owned teams currently operating in the CFL. Founded,1949, although other teams named the Edmonton Eskimos existed 1895 to 1923 and 1929 to 1939 Formerly known as, The Esquimaux 1897 to 1910 and this was once the most common type of ownership in the CFL. In 2006 the Ottawa Sun reported that shares cost $10 each and this contrasts with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, one of the other community owned teams in the CFL, who have offered shares to the public. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are the community owned team. Edmonton Eskimos, Inc. is governed by a board of directors. The board consists of a chairman, treasurer, secretary six directors, the clubs president and CEO is Len Rhodes, he is not currently a member of the board. The story of teams name back to stories in the press from at least 1903 and possibly as far back as 1892. It is a legacy of the rivalry between the cities of Edmonton and Calgary, the so-called Battle of Alberta. In the early years of competition between the cities, the press in each town used colourful nicknames to insult the rival teams home. Edmontonian writers called Calgary the cow camp, horse country, or the village beside the Bow. Likewise Calgarys responded with insults about Edmontons northern latitude and frigid weather, the name remained an unofficial nickname, however until the arrival in Edmonton of American baseball coach and sports promoter William Deacon White in 1907. White founded the Edmonton Eskimos baseball team in 1909, the football Eskimos in 1910, of the three, only the football teams name has survived. Edmonton played its first series of organized games with the formation of the Alberta Rugby Football Union in 1895, in 1897 the name Esquimaux was adopted. In 1910 the club was named the Edmonton Eskimos
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