1.
San Francisco
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San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the cultural, commercial, and financial center of Northern California. It is the birthplace of the United Nations, the California Gold Rush of 1849 brought rapid growth, making it the largest city on the West Coast at the time. San Francisco became a consolidated city-county in 1856, after three-quarters of the city was destroyed by the 1906 earthquake and fire, San Francisco was quickly rebuilt, hosting the Panama-Pacific International Exposition nine years later. In World War II, San Francisco was a port of embarkation for service members shipping out to the Pacific Theater. Politically, the city votes strongly along liberal Democratic Party lines, San Francisco is also the headquarters of five major banking institutions and various other companies such as Levi Strauss & Co. Dolby, Airbnb, Weebly, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Yelp, Pinterest, Twitter, Uber, Lyft, Mozilla, Wikimedia Foundation, as of 2016, San Francisco is ranked high on world liveability rankings. The earliest archaeological evidence of habitation of the territory of the city of San Francisco dates to 3000 BC. Upon independence from Spain in 1821, the became part of Mexico. Under Mexican rule, the system gradually ended, and its lands became privatized. In 1835, Englishman William Richardson erected the first independent homestead, together with Alcalde Francisco de Haro, he laid out a street plan for the expanded settlement, and the town, named Yerba Buena, began to attract American settlers. Commodore John D. Sloat claimed California for the United States on July 7,1846, during the Mexican–American War, montgomery arrived to claim Yerba Buena two days later. Yerba Buena was renamed San Francisco on January 30 of the next year, despite its attractive location as a port and naval base, San Francisco was still a small settlement with inhospitable geography. The California Gold Rush brought a flood of treasure seekers, with their sourdough bread in tow, prospectors accumulated in San Francisco over rival Benicia, raising the population from 1,000 in 1848 to 25,000 by December 1849. The promise of fabulous riches was so strong that crews on arriving vessels deserted and rushed off to the gold fields, leaving behind a forest of masts in San Francisco harbor. Some of these approximately 500 abandoned ships were used at times as storeships, saloons and hotels, many were left to rot, by 1851 the harbor was extended out into the bay by wharves while buildings were erected on piles among the ships. By 1870 Yerba Buena Cove had been filled to create new land, buried ships are occasionally exposed when foundations are dug for new buildings. California was quickly granted statehood in 1850 and the U. S. military built Fort Point at the Golden Gate, silver discoveries, including the Comstock Lode in Nevada in 1859, further drove rapid population growth. With hordes of fortune seekers streaming through the city, lawlessness was common, and the Barbary Coast section of town gained notoriety as a haven for criminals, prostitution, entrepreneurs sought to capitalize on the wealth generated by the Gold Rush
2.
California
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California is the most populous state in the United States and the third most extensive by area. Located on the western coast of the U. S, California is bordered by the other U. S. states of Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona and shares an international border with the Mexican state of Baja California. Los Angeles is Californias most populous city, and the second largest after New York City. The Los Angeles Area and the San Francisco Bay Area are the nations second- and fifth-most populous urban regions, California also has the nations most populous county, Los Angeles County, and its largest county by area, San Bernardino County. The Central Valley, an agricultural area, dominates the states center. What is now California was first settled by various Native American tribes before being explored by a number of European expeditions during the 16th and 17th centuries, the Spanish Empire then claimed it as part of Alta California in their New Spain colony. The area became a part of Mexico in 1821 following its war for independence. The western portion of Alta California then was organized as the State of California, the California Gold Rush starting in 1848 led to dramatic social and demographic changes, with large-scale emigration from the east and abroad with an accompanying economic boom. If it were a country, California would be the 6th largest economy in the world, fifty-eight percent of the states economy is centered on finance, government, real estate services, technology, and professional, scientific and technical business services. Although it accounts for only 1.5 percent of the states economy, the story of Calafia is recorded in a 1510 work The Adventures of Esplandián, written as a sequel to Amadis de Gaula by Spanish adventure writer Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo. The kingdom of Queen Calafia, according to Montalvo, was said to be a land inhabited by griffins and other strange beasts. This conventional wisdom that California was an island, with maps drawn to reflect this belief, shortened forms of the states name include CA, Cal. Calif. and US-CA. Settled by successive waves of arrivals during the last 10,000 years, various estimates of the native population range from 100,000 to 300,000. The Indigenous peoples of California included more than 70 distinct groups of Native Americans, ranging from large, settled populations living on the coast to groups in the interior. California groups also were diverse in their organization with bands, tribes, villages. Trade, intermarriage and military alliances fostered many social and economic relationships among the diverse groups, the first European effort to explore the coast as far north as the Russian River was a Spanish sailing expedition, led by Portuguese captain Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, in 1542. Some 37 years later English explorer Francis Drake also explored and claimed a portion of the California coast in 1579. Spanish traders made unintended visits with the Manila galleons on their trips from the Philippines beginning in 1565
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.
San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department
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The San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department is the city agency responsible for governing and maintaining all city owned parks and recreational facilities in San Francisco, California. The Recreation & Parks Department also runs Sharp Park in Pacifica, California and Camp Mather in Tuolumne County, current facilities include 4,113 acres of total recreational and open space with 3,400 acres of that land within San Francisco. As San Francisco grew over of the years, parks and facilities were added all over the city, separately the city was running playgrounds, athletic fields, and recreational facilities under the direction of the Recreation Commission. In 1950 the two commissions were merged and the San Francisco Recreation & Park Department was born, the General Manager is appointed by the mayor of San Francisco. The Recreation & Parks Department is governed by a commission who are also appointed by the mayor of San Francisco to 4 year terms. The Commission President is elected by fellow Commissioners, Commission meetings are held once a month at San Francisco City Hall. Mark Buell, Allan Low, Gloria Bonilla, Tom Harrison, Meagan Levitan, in the past, there have been efforts to change the selection process for commissioners. This proposal had 5 votes on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors but was not able to get the vote necessary to put it on the ballot. The Department is responsible for over 220 neighborhood parks and Golden Gate Park, the largest, the Golden Gate National Recreation Area is federal and is administered by the National Park Service. Golden Gate Park is San Franciscos premier municipal park, planted in 1871 the park covers 1,017 acres of land across the western edge of San Francisco. Configured as a rectangle the park is three miles long east to west and about half a mile north to south. McLaren Park is the second largest municipal park in San Francisco, located in south-east San Francisco, the park is surrounded by the Excelsior, Crocker-Amazon, Visitacion Valley, Portola and University Mound neighborhoods. Dolores Park is a city park located two blocks south of Mission Dolores at the edge of the Mission District. Dolores Park is bounded by 18th Street on the north, 20th Street on the south, Dolores Street on the east, coit Tower is a 210-foot tower in the Telegraph Hill neighborhood. The tower, in the citys Pioneer Park, was built in 1933 using Lillie Hitchcock Coits bequest to beautify the city of San Francisco, the tower was proposed in 1931 as an appropriate use of Coits gift. The Zoo is owned by the Recreation & Parks Department and managed by its partner non-profit San Francisco Zoological Society, Candlestick Park was home of the San Francisco 49ers through the 2013 season and was home of the San Francisco Giants until 2000. In 2014 the 49ers moved to the new Levis Stadium and Candlestick Park is being torn down, Kezar Stadium is and outdoor 10,000 seat multi-purpose stadium located in the southeastern corner of Golden Gate Park. Before being renovated and downsized in 1989 it was the home of the San Francisco 49ers
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.
Poaceae
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Poaceae or Gramineae is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants known as grasses. Poaceae includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and cultivated lawns, Grasses have stems that are hollow except at the nodes and narrow alternate leaves borne in two ranks. The lower part of each leaf encloses the stem, forming a leaf-sheath, with ca 780 genera and around 12,000 species, Poaceae are the fifth-largest plant family, following the Asteraceae, Orchidaceae, Fabaceae and Rubiaceae. Grasslands such as savannah and prairie grasses are dominant are estimated to constitute 40. 5% of the land area of the Earth, excluding Greenland. Grasses are also an important part of the vegetation in many habitats, including wetlands, forests. Though commonly called grasses, seagrasses, rushes, and sedges fall outside this family, the rushes and sedges are related to the Poaceae, being members of the order Poales, but the seagrasses are members of order Alismatales. The name Poaceae was given by John Hendley Barnhart in 1895, based on the tribe Poeae described in 1814 by Robert Brown, the term is derived from the Ancient Greek πόα. Grasses include some of the most versatile plant life-forms, a cladogram shows subfamilies and approximate species numbers in brackets, Before 2005, fossil findings indicated that grasses evolved around 55 million years ago. Recent findings of grass-like phytoliths in Cretaceous dinosaur coprolites have pushed this back to 66 million years ago. In 2011, revised dating of the origins of the rice tribe Oryzeae suggested a date as early as 107 to 129 Mya, a multituberculate mammal with grass-eating adaptations seems to suggest that grasses were already around at 120 mya. This separation occurred within the short time span of about 4 million years. Grass leaves are always alternate and distichous, and have parallel veins. Each leaf is differentiated into a lower sheath hugging the stem, the leaf blades of many grasses are hardened with silica phytoliths, which discourage grazing animals, some, such as sword grass, are sharp enough to cut human skin. A membranous appendage or fringe of hairs called the ligule lies at the junction between sheath and blade, preventing water or insects from penetrating into the sheath, flowers of Poaceae are characteristically arranged in spikelets, each having one or more florets. The spikelets are further grouped into panicles or spikes, the part of the spikelet that bears the florets is called the rachilla. A spikelet consists of two bracts at the base, called glumes, followed by one or more florets, a floret consists of the flower surrounded by two bracts, one external—the lemma—and one internal—the palea. The flowers are usually hermaphroditic—maize being an important exception—and anemophilous or wind-pollinated, the perianth is reduced to two scales, called lodicules, that expand and contract to spread the lemma and palea, these are generally interpreted to be modified sepals. This complex structure can be seen in the image on the right, the fruit of grasses is a caryopsis, in which the seed coat is fused to the fruit wall
7.
United States dollar
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The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States and its insular territories per the United States Constitution. It is divided into 100 smaller cent units, the circulating paper money consists of Federal Reserve Notes that are denominated in United States dollars. The U. S. dollar was originally commodity money of silver as enacted by the Coinage Act of 1792 which determined the dollar to be 371 4/16 grain pure or 416 grain standard silver, the currency most used in international transactions, it is the worlds primary reserve currency. Several countries use it as their currency, and in many others it is the de facto currency. Besides the United States, it is used as the sole currency in two British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean, the British Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands. A few countries use the Federal Reserve Notes for paper money, while the country mints its own coins, or also accepts U. S. coins that can be used as payment in U. S. dollars. After Nixon shock of 1971, USD became fiat currency, Article I, Section 8 of the U. S. Constitution provides that the Congress has the power To coin money, laws implementing this power are currently codified at 31 U. S. C. Section 5112 prescribes the forms in which the United States dollars should be issued and these coins are both designated in Section 5112 as legal tender in payment of debts. The Sacagawea dollar is one example of the copper alloy dollar, the pure silver dollar is known as the American Silver Eagle. Section 5112 also provides for the minting and issuance of other coins and these other coins are more fully described in Coins of the United States dollar. The Constitution provides that a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and that provision of the Constitution is made specific by Section 331 of Title 31 of the United States Code. The sums of money reported in the Statements are currently being expressed in U. S. dollars, the U. S. dollar may therefore be described as the unit of account of the United States. The word dollar is one of the words in the first paragraph of Section 9 of Article I of the Constitution, there, dollars is a reference to the Spanish milled dollar, a coin that had a monetary value of 8 Spanish units of currency, or reales. In 1792 the U. S. Congress passed a Coinage Act, Section 20 of the act provided, That the money of account of the United States shall be expressed in dollars, or units. And that all accounts in the offices and all proceedings in the courts of the United States shall be kept and had in conformity to this regulation. In other words, this act designated the United States dollar as the unit of currency of the United States, unlike the Spanish milled dollar the U. S. dollar is based upon a decimal system of values. Both one-dollar coins and notes are produced today, although the form is significantly more common
8.
Willis Polk
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Willis Jefferson Polk was an American architect best known for his work in San Francisco, California. For ten years, he was the West Coast representative of D. H. Burnham & Company, in 1915, Polk oversaw the architectural committee for the Panama–Pacific International Exposition. He was born in Jacksonville, Illinois and was related to United States President James Polk and he began his architectural training when he was eight years old in a local contractors office. In his teens, he worked in his fathers shop in St. Louis. In 1887, Polk moved to Kansas City to join the firm of Van Brunt & Howe, a few years later he studied under former Van Brunt associate William Robert Ware at Columbia University in New York City. He also worked at the firm of A, in the 1890s, Polk moved to San Francisco to launch his own firm. He struggled to earn commissions, and in 1897 he declared bankruptcy, however, an opportunity presented itself in 1899. Francis Hamilton, of the local firm Percy & Hamilton, died, Polk was primarily in charge of design and employee management, while Percy focused on the business end. The partnership gave Polk a relief to his debt and the opportunity to work on commercial structures. The partnership designed five buildings, including One Lombard Street, addison Mizner was one of his apprentices and later a partner. Willis Polks early career included work with McKim, Mead & White, Polk also worked with Daniel Burnham in Chicago, and then moved to San Francisco to establish and direct Burnhams San Francisco office. Before long, Polk started his own firm and spent many years designing highly regarded California commercial and residential architecture, in 1901, Polk went on a tour of Europe and Chicago. In Chicago, he met prominent architect Daniel Burnham, from 1903 to 1913, Polk was the West Coast representative of D. H. Burnham & Company. Polk designed several of his most notable structures while associated with the firm, including the Merchants Exchange Building, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake opened up numerous opportunities for Polk to design Burnham structures. He was a member of Mayor Eugene Schmitzs Committee of Fifty leaders who undertook ambitious plans to rebuild a world-class city, Polk was tasked with convincing city officials to adopt Burnhams 1905 Plan of San Francisco. By 1910, Willis Polk was recognized as one of the most influential architects, Polk was again credited for designing the tallest building in San Francisco when his Hobart Building was completed in 1914. In 1915, Polk was appointed the chair of the planning committee for the Panama–Pacific International Exposition. When the exposition concluded, Polk led the effort to preserve Bernard Maybecks Palace of Fine Arts, One of Polks most influential commissions came in 1916, when he was tasked to design the Hallidie Building
9.
San Francisco Dons football
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The team competed in NCAA Division II as a Division II Independent football program. The schools first football team was fielded in 1917, compared to local rivals Santa Clara and Saint Marys, USFs football teams were historically not as strong. However, the 1951 Dons entered college football lore by fielding a team that would go undefeated, the Sugar, Orange and Gator Bowls all considered inviting the Dons. However, all three were located in the South and were willing to invite the Dons if they left Matson and Burl Toler. Although the football program was in financial straits, the Dons turned down all bids that would have excluded their black teammates. As a result, USFs finest football team ever was to be its last in Division I, football made a brief comeback as a Division II sport from the 1960s to the early 1980s, but USF has not fielded a varsity team since 1982. The coach, Joe Kuharich, at times, would delegate recruiting responsibilities to his freshman coach, Lynn had little to offer prospective players in the way of scholarship inducements beyond tuition and room and board in an old ROTC barracks. However, Lynn would take recruits to the highest hill on campus, only a handful of players from that 1951 team had been considered blue-ribbon prospects in high school. Two of the teams best players, Toler and guard Louis Stephens, had not even played high school football, future Hall of Famer Marchetti was a high school dropout who had played only sparingly when he was in school. The 1951 Dons were honored during the 2008 Fiesta Bowl and are the subject of a 2014 documentary 51 Dons, notable alumni include, Gino Marchetti Ollie Matson Bob St. Clair Dick Stanfel
10.
NCAA Division I
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Division I is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States. This level was called the University Division of the NCAA, in contrast to the lower level College Division. For football only, Division I was further subdivided in 1978 into Division I-A, Division I-AA, in 2006, Division I-A and I-AA were renamed Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Subdivision, respectively. FCS teams are allowed to award scholarships, a practice technically allowed. FBS teams also have to meet attendance requirements, while FCS teams do not need to meet minimum attendance requirements. Another difference is post season play, starting with the 2014 postseason, a four-team playoff called the College Football Playoff, replaced the previous one game championship format. Even so, Division I FBS football is still the only NCAA sport in which a champion is not determined by an NCAA-sanctioned championship event. All D-I schools must field teams in at least seven sports for men and seven for women or six for men and eight for women, with at least two team sports for each gender. Division I schools must meet minimum financial aid awards for their athletics program, Several other NCAA sanctioned minimums and differences that distinguish Division I from Divisions II and III. Each playing season has to be represented by each gender as well, there are contest and participant minimums for each sport, as well as scheduling criteria. Mens and womens teams have to play all but two games against Division I teams, for men, they must play one-third of all their contests in the home arena. The NCAA has limits on the financial aid each Division I member may award in each sport that the school sponsors. Equivalency sports, in which the NCAA limits the total financial aid that a school can offer in a sport to the equivalent of a set number of full scholarships. Roster limitations may or may not apply, depending on the sport, the term counter is also key to this concept. The NCAA defines a counter as an individual who is receiving financial aid that is countable against the aid limitations in a sport. The number of scholarships that Division I members may award in sport is listed below. In this table, scholarship numbers for head-count sports are indicated without a point, for equivalency sports, they are listed with a decimal point. An exception exists for players at non-scholarship FCS programs who receive aid in another sport, participants in basketball are counted in that sport, unless they also play football
11.
NCAA Division II
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Division II is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment offered in Division III, before 1973, the NCAAs smaller schools were grouped together in the College Division. In 1973, the College Division split in two when the NCAA began using numeric designations for its competitions, nationally, ESPN televises the championship game in football, CBS televises the mens basketball championship, and ESPN2 televises the womens basketball championship. CBS Sports Network broadcasts six football games on Thursdays during the regular season, the official slogan of NCAA Division II, implemented in 2015, is Make It Yours. There are currently 300 full and 20 provisional members of Division II with seven institutions moving to full membership in September 2015, Division II schools tend to be smaller public universities and many private institutions. A large minority of Division II institutions have fewer than 2,499 students, only six institutions have more than 15,000 students. Division II has a membership, with two active member institutions in Alaska and four in Hawaii. Additionally, it is the division that has member institutions in Puerto Rico. Simon Fraser University became the first institution outside the US to enter the NCAA membership process and this occurred after the Division II Membership Committee accepted the institutions application during a July 7–9 meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana. Simon Fraser, located in the Vancouver suburb of Burnaby, British Columbia, prospective members also must complete at least one year of provisional status before being accepted as full-time Division II members. In the fall of 2012, the NCAA Presidents Council officially approved Simon Fraser University as the organizations first international member. Division II institutions have to sponsor at least five sports for men and five for women, for sports other than football and basketball there are no scheduling requirements. There are not attendance requirements for football, nor arena size requirements for basketball, there are maximum financial aid awards for each sport, as well as a separate limit on financial aid awards in mens sports, that a Division II school must not exceed. Division II teams usually feature a number of local or in-state student-athletes, many Division II student-athletes pay for school through a combination of scholarship money, grants, student loans and employment earnings. Division II athletics programs are financed in the institutions budget like other departments on campus. Traditional rivalries with regional institutions dominate schedules of many Division II athletics programs, Athletic scholarships are offered in most sponsored sports at most institutions, but with more stringent limits as to the numbers offered in any one sport than at the Division I level. For example, Division II schools may give financial aid in football equivalent to 36 full scholarships, two exceptions to this rule currently exist. First, football players transferring from a Division I FBS school to a Division I FCS school do not have to sit out a year
12.
San Francisco 49ers
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The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team located in the San Francisco Bay Area. They compete in the National Football League as a member of the leagues National Football Conference West division, the team currently plays its home games at Levis Stadium in Santa Clara, California, located 45 miles southeast of San Francisco in the heart of Silicon Valley. Since 1988, the 49ers have been headquartered in Santa Clara, the team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and joined the NFL in 1949 when the leagues merged. The 49ers were the first major professional sports franchise based in San Francisco. The name 49ers comes from the prospectors who arrived in Northern California in the 1849 Gold Rush, the team is legally and corporately registered as the San Francisco Forty Niners, Ltd. The team began play at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco before moving across town to Candlestick Park in 1970 and then to Levis Stadium in Santa Clara in 2014. The 49ers won five Super Bowl championships between 1981 and 1995, led by Hall of Famers Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, Steve Young, and coach Bill Walsh. As of the 2016 NFL season, the team has won a total of six championships, with the first in 1981. The 49ers have been in the playoffs a total of 26 times,25 times in the NFL. According to Forbes Magazine, the team is the 4th most-valuable team in the NFL, in 2016, the San Francisco 49ers were ranked the 10th most valuable sports team in the world, behind the Los Angeles Lakers and above Bayern Munich. In 1957, the 49ers enjoyed their first sustained success as members of the NFL, the 49ers fell behind the Bears 17–7. Tragically, 49ers owner Tony Morabito collapsed of a heart attack, the 49ers players learned of his death at halftime when coach Frankie Albert was handed a note with two words, Tonys gone. With tears running down their faces, and motivated to win for their departed owner, dicky Moegles late-game interception in the endzone sealed the victory. After Tonys death 49er ownership went to Victor Morabito and Tonys widow, the 49ers special assistant to the Morabitos, Louis G. Spadia was named general manager. They became the only full-house backfield inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, for most of the next 13 years, the 49ers hovered around.490, except for 1963 and 1964 when they went 2–12 and 4–10 respectively. Key players for these 49ers included running back Ken Willard, quarterback John Brodie, during this time the 49ers became the first NFL team to use the shotgun formation. It was named by the man who devised the formation, San Francisco 49ers coach Red Hickey. The formation, where the lines up seven yards behind the center, was designed to allow the quarterback extra time to throw
13.
All-America Football Conference
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The All-America Football Conference was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League from 1946–1949. One of the NFLs most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the nations best players, However, the AAFC was ultimately unable to sustain itself in competition with the NFL. Three of its teams were admitted to the NFL, the San Francisco 49ers, the Cleveland Browns, the Cleveland Browns were the AAFCs most successful club, having won every annual championship in the leagues four years of operation. The AAFC was founded by Chicago Tribune sports editor Arch Ward on June 4,1944, Ward was also the originator of baseballs All-Star Game and footballs College All-Star Game. Ward brought together a number of pro football enthusiasts, some of whom had previously attempted to purchase NFL franchises. Ward had previously encouraged the NFL to expand, but now he hoped to bring about a permanent second league, on November 21,1944, the AAFC chose Jim Crowley, one of the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame, as its commissioner. Not coincidentally, the NFL commissioner at this time was Elmer Layden, during the next months, the AAFCs plans solidified. The league initially issued franchises for Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, New York, Brooklyn and Miami were later added. A group representing Baltimore was considered for admission, but could not secure a stadium, the league planned to begin play in 1945, but postponed its opening for a year as World War II continued. As the eight franchises built their teams, no move was more far-reaching than Clevelands choice of Paul Brown as its head coach, as coach of the Cleveland franchise, Brown would become one of American footballs greatest innovators. As might be expected, the NFL did not welcome its new rival, in 1945, Layden remarked that the AAFC, still a year from its first game, should first get a ball, then make a schedule, and then play a game. This insult, often paraphrased as Tell them to get a ball first, Washington Redskins owner George Preston Marshall was perhaps the NFLs hardest-liner regarding the AAFC. In 1945, he commented I did not realize there was another league, Later he declared, The worst team in our league could beat the best team in theirs. After the AAFC put a team in Baltimore, Marshalls opposition to it would be an obstacle to interleague peace. Not coincidentally, his team was badly hurt by the AAFC, a top team from 1936–1945, the Redskins began a decades-long title drought after coach Ray Flaherty and many key players defected in 1946. Laydens successor, Bert Bell, pursued a policy of official non-recognition, in 1947, Pro Football Illustrated previewed both leagues in its annual publication and was banned from NFL stadiums. The AAFC posed a formidable challenge, in most interleague sports wars, the established league has major advantages over the challenger in prestige, finance, size, and public awareness. The NFL-AAFC war differed in several respects, the NFL was just emerging from its wartime retrenchment
14.
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
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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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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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San Francisco Golden Gate Gales
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This article is about the United Soccer Association team. The league was made up of imported from foreign leagues. The San Francisco club was actually the ADO Den Haag from The Hague in the Netherlands and their home ground was Candlestick Park. Once a local team was established they were set to be coached by the Hungarian soccer player Ferenc Puskás, the Gales closed their franchise to yield to the Oakland Clippers and the owners bought a controlling interest in the Vancouver Royals
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San Francisco Seals (soccer)
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San Francisco Seals began as the senior team of the San Francisco United Soccer Club founded in 1985, a 501c3. The club is based in San Francisco, California, the team played its home games at Negoesco Stadium on the campus of the University of San Francisco. The teams colors were black, red and white, after the first season and for five straight seasons the Seals dominated soccer on the West Coast winning 5 division titles,3 regional titles and went to 3 national championship finals. In 1997 the Seals was called the Team of the Year by USA today after beating the Seattle Sounders, the Kansas City Wiz, the Seals continued in the A-League until 2000 when the franchise stopped professional soccer and returned to youth development. The Seals continued as members of the Y-League and expanded their development to include college level players in 2006 by entering the PDL. Since 2009 the Seals have concentrated on youth development from U6 to U23 soccer, the San Francisco United Soccer Club was first organized as a youth soccer club in 1985 for Tom Simpsons two children. SFUSC was the first San Francisco club to travel to the prestigious Gothia Cup in 1987. Drawing on talented players from throughout the Bay Area, SFUSC soon became a super club, in 1991 the club created two teams, the Red Team and the Blue Team, who both advanced deep into the California Youth Soccer Association – North State Cup. The 1991 Red Team won SFUSC won the Cal North Soccer State Cup, in 1992 SFUSC formed a team known as the San Francisco All Blacks based on its all black uniform and entered it in the USISL. After an initial 7–7 season with U19 players, the team excelled in the face of stiff national-level competition. In 1993 the New Zealand All Blacks sent a cease and desist letter claiming copyright infringement forcing the team to change their name to the San Francisco Bay Seals. In 1993,1994 and 1995 The Seals took first place in the Pacific Conference, won the regionals in 1995 and they won the Western Conference Division in 1996 and 1997, the Regional Title in 1996 and 1997, and went to the National Championships both years. In 1998, the Seals moved up to the A-League, in 2000, SFSCU sold the team to new ownership, which renamed the team the Bay Area Seals. However, the Seals lasted only to the end of the 2000 season before folding, the Seals were division champions three times, in 1994,1995 and 1997. In 1997, the Seals made an incredible and historic run to the finals of the US Open Cup. After winning the D3 US Open Cup, the Seals knocked out the Seattle Sounders and they then took out two Major League Soccer clubs. First came the Kansas City Wiz in the round of 16, the Seals Cinderella run through higher division clubs came to an end in the semi-finals when they lost 2–1 to D. C. Then, in 2006, after a gap, the original club owners resurrected the senior team
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San Francisco City FC
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San Francisco City Football Club, commonly abbreviated to SF City, is a supporter-owned amateur soccer club located in San Francisco, California that competes in the Premier Development League. Founded in 2001, SF City played its matches at Kezar Stadium. The club has hosted home matches at Cox Stadium, Raymond Kimbell Playground. As of 2017, the club play at Negoesco Stadium at the University of San Francisco. San Francisco City Football Club was founded in 2001 by current youth academy coach Jonathan Wright, after a decade in the competition, the club won back-to-back promotions to reach the SFSFL Premier Division in 2012. SF City filed a grievance with US Soccer contesting the Stompers claim, an independent arbiter eventually sided with SF City, but by the time the decision was made the club had already agreed to join the US Club Soccer NorCal Premier Soccer League. The merger was executed on the eve of the semifinal of the regional US Open Cup qualifying tournament. The April 25 play-in match between SF City and Cal FC set a US Open Cup preliminary round attendance record, with 1,519 spectators in the stands of the newly refurbished Kezar Stadium. SF City eventually fell 2-1, exiting the competition after two second half penalties awarded to Cal FC made the difference in a tightly contested match. In March 2015, San Francisco City confirmed via its official Twitter feed that it was looking into becoming a club of the North American Soccer League. SF City is a 51% supporter-owned club, with members paying dues in return for home match season tickets and voting rights in club matters. Club president Jacques Pelham, club founder Jonathan Wright, and VP of Community Development Steven Kenyon control SF Citys minority share, charles Wollin serves as SF City’s director of media and as the broadcaster/commentator for their games. The supporters of SF City are known collectively as El Lado Norte or as The Northsiders, the groups match day activities are usually centered around the famous Kezar Pub, located across the street from the stadium. SF Citys current kit sponsors are Classy, Campaign Monitor, and Street Soccer USA
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Premier Development League
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The Premier Development League is a development league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league system. It is currently considered the top-level mens amateur soccer competition in the United States, the league has 76 teams competing in four conferences, split into ten regional divisions. Unofficially, it is considered to be the fourth tier of competition, behind Major League Soccer, the North American Soccer League and the United Soccer League. With USL Pro re-branding as the United Soccer League in February 2015, Michigan Bucks are the current PDL champions, having defeated the Calgary Foothills FC 3–2 in the 2016 PDL Championship game on August 6,2016. The Premier Development League, as of the 2016 season, is divided into 4 conferences, the league season runs from May through July, with the playoffs decided through July and August. Most divisions aim to play a regular season schedule of between 12-14 games in a round-robin home and away format, with the top 2-3 teams of each division advancing to the playoffs. In 1995 the United States Interregional Soccer League changed its name to the United States International Soccer League, the inaugural season of the new USISL Premier League featured 27 teams, and the Richmond Kickers won the first title, beating the Cocoa Expos 3–1 in the championship game. Gabe Jones of the Austin Lone Stars was the top scorer. Pasi Kinturi of the Nashville Metros was the top scorer. In 1998 the PDSL took to the field with 33 teams, in the championship game the San Gabriel Valley Highlanders upset regular season champions Jackson Chargers 3–2, taking the trophy to California for the third straight year. The league took in several teams from the D3Pro league, expanding to 42 teams in six divisions, expansion franchise Chicago Sockers ultimately won the league, beating Spokane Shadow 3–1 for the title in a tight championship game. Fabio Eidenwein of the Sioux City Breeze was named League MVP and was the top scorer, the PDL expanded by a further eight franchises in 2000, and the Chicago Sockers won their second straight title, beating the Mid-Michigan Bucks in a close 1–0 championship game. The single goal was scored by Rodrigo Costa who, having received a pass from teammate Hamid Mehreioskouei, Fernando Salazar of the Los Angeles-based San Fernando Valley Heroes was the leagues MVP, while his teammate Arshak Abyanli took the honors as top goalscorer. The league grew from 41 to 44 teams in 2001 through the mix of relegation from D3Pro, teams folding. 2002 also saw the debut of the soon-to-be PDL legend, Tomas Boltnar of Des Moines Menace, the mid-2000s was a period of steady growth and consolidation for the PDL. Des Moines Menace took the PDL Championship trophy back to Iowa in 2005 after beating the El Paso Patriots 6–5 on penalty kicks,2006 saw the beginning of two seasons of dominance for two teams, the Michigan Bucks and the Laredo Heat. The 2010s began with a record, as the Portland Timbers U23s ended the season as national champions, the Timbers also had the best regular season record, winning all their 16 games, scoring 53 goals and conceding just six along the way. Portland Timbers U23s striker Brent Richards was named League MVP and Rookie of the Year for his campaign with the national champions
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Pro Cricket
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Pro Cricket was a professional cricket league in the United States. It was operated by American Pro Cricket LLC, a company independent of the ICC. The league was formed in 2004 as one of several independent efforts by different organizations to develop, APC originally announced that it was fully funded for at least three years of competition, but the league struggled through in its initial season due to poor attendance. Also, a deal to televise games on Dish Network apparently fell through, the league quietly expired after the 2004 season. The format of the games were 20 overs a side, similar to Twenty20 cricket, however, there were two major changes from the rules of cricket used elsewhere, Overs consist of five balls instead of six. Bowlers could bowl up to five each, meaning only four bowlers are needed rather than five. Additionally, the league used a designated hitter rule, in which teams consist of 12 players,11 of whom field and 11 of whom bat and this was similar to such rules existing in some domestic List A cricket competitions. All of these changes were designed to shorten the game and produce more aggressive batting, each team was allowed a limited roster of global players from professional cricket teams outside the U. S. The ICC however ruled that because Pro Cricket was not organised by the USACA, however, several notable players without contracts, such as Ajay Jadeja, Daren Ganga, Mervyn Dillon, and Rahul Sanghvi took part in the competition. Although cricket had a following in the U. S. up to the mid-19th century, its popularity dwindled with the rise of baseball. Progress since has been slow but steady, and many hoped that Pro Cricket would prove to be a point in the popularity of the sport in the U. S. As events unfolded, it clear that this was not to be. The league consisted of eight teams in two divisions. C, the schedule ran from the opening game on 19 June 2004, to the final on 4 September 2004. In addition, Pro Cricket had a policy of not playing the games that have no importance to them on the points table, the game scheduled for 21 August 2004, between Chicago and Los Angeles was canceled due to the lack of importance of the game. Neither team could have made the even if they won the game, therefore. 2004–San Francisco Freedom defeated New Jersey Fire, major League Cricket Pro Cricket official web site Baysox Bowie, Pictures of D. C. Forward matches against Florida Thunder and Jersey Fire
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San Francisco Dragons
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The San Francisco Dragons were a professional field lacrosse team based in San Francisco and San Jose, California. From 2006–2008, they played in Major League Lacrosse and they ceased operations before the 2009 season due to the situation in the United States. The San Francisco Dragons were awarded an MLL franchise in July 2005, the original owners were Michael Levitt, Chris Bulger, and Charley Biggs. The inaugural season commenced on May 28,2006, against the Denver Outlaws and they lost the game 15–11, but went on to beat the Outlaws two times later in the season. The Dragons spent their first 2 seasons in Kezar Stadium, the Dragons had a strong inaugural season led by league MVP and Offensive Player of the Year, Ryan Powell. They finished the season 7–5 and a playoff team and they lost in the semifinals to emerging rivals the Denver Outlaws, 23–14. On April 4,2007 the Dragons were acquired by a local Bay Area investment group from the Dragons previous East Coast owner, the 2007 season began on May 19, with a loss in Denver to the Denver Outlaws, 14–21. The 2007 Home Opener was played on June 2 with a loss against the Long Island Lizards, for the 2008 season it was announced the Dragons would be moving 50 miles south to San Jose, California to play at Spartan Stadium. They were however still called the San Francisco Dragons
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