1.
Linebacker
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A linebacker is a playing position in American football and Canadian football. Linebackers are members of the team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen, and therefore back up the line. Linebackers generally align themselves before the ball is snapped by standing upright in a two point stance, the goal of the linebacker is to provide either extra run protection or extra pass protection based on the particular defensive play being executed. Another key play of the position is blitzing. A blitz occurs when a linebacker acts as a pass rusher running into any exposed gap. When a blitz is called by the defense, it is mainly to sack or hurry the opposing offenses quarterback. Linebackers are often regarded as the most important position in defence, due to their versatility in providing hard hits on running plays or a layer of pass protection. Similar to the safety position, linebackers are required to use their judgment on every snap. Before the advent of the two platoon system with units for offense and defense, the player who was the teams center on offense was often, though not always. Hence today one usually sees four defensive linemen to the five or more. Most sources claim coach Fielding H. Yost and center Germany Schulz of the University of Michigan invented the position, Schulz was Yosts first linebacker in 1904 when he stood up from his usual position on the line. Yost was horrified at first, but came to see the wisdom in Schulzs innovation, william Dunn of Penn St. was another Western linebacker soon after Schulz. However, there are historical claims tied to the linebacker position. For example, Percy Given of Georgetown is another center with a claim to the title first linebacker, despite Given, most sources have the first linebacker in the South as Frank Juhan of Sewanee. In the East, Ernest Cozens of Penn was one of the first of the centers, another, archaic term for the position. Walter E. Bachman of Lafayette was said to be the developer of the roving center concept, edgar Garbisch of Army was credited with developing the roving center method of playing defensive football in 1921. In professional football, Cal Hubbard is credited with pioneering the linebacker position and he starred as a tackle and end, playing off the line in a style similar to that of a modern linebacker. The middle or inside linebacker, sometimes called Mike or Mohr, is referred to as the quarterback of the defense
2.
Bartow, Florida
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Bartow is the county seat of Polk County, Florida, United States. Founded in 1851 as Fort Blount, the city was renamed in honor of Francis S. Bartow, according to the U. S. Census Bureau 2000 Census, the city had a population of 15,340 and an estimated population of 16,959 in 2009. It is part of the Lakeland−Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an population of 584,383 in 2009. As of 2016, the mayor of Bartow is Trish Pfeiffer, located near the source of the Peace River, Bartow is approximately 39 miles east of the Tampa Bay Area and 50 miles southwest of the Greater Orlando area. The city is near the center of Lightning Alley and has frequent afternoon thunderstorms in the summer, government, mining, and agriculture are the major sectors of the areas economy. The primary roads in the Bartow area are U. S. Route 17, U. S. Route 98 and State Road 60, the official city nickname is the City of Oaks and Azaleas. Three districts within the city are on the National Register of Historical Places, other historic landmarks include the Old Polk County Courthouse built in 1909 and Bartow High School, formerly Summerlin Institute, the oldest high school in the county. The current school within the school, Summerlin Academy, is named in honor of the school name. A Spanish map of the Florida peninsula drawn in 1527 shows a settlement called Rio de la Paz near present-day Bartow. The remnants of these peoples probably joined Creek Indians who arrived from the north. The first non-Indian settlement in the area was a colony of Black Seminoles who established Minatti south of Lake Hancock in the late 1810s and these maroons, as they were commonly called, were escaped slaves from Georgia and the Carolinas. The Black Seminoles of Minatti were allies of the Red Stick Creek in Talakchopko, the Seminole leader Osceola had strong ties to Talakchopko, and many of the events leading up to the Second Seminole War were associated with Osceola and the Minatti war chief Harry. By the end of the Second Seminole War in 1842, both Minatti and Talakchopko had been destroyed, the Armed Occupation Act of 1842 facilitated settlement of the Florida peninsula in the 1840s, although the act did prohibit settlement near the Peace River as that was considered Seminole land. Enforcement of that part of the act was not strictly enforced, however, as the settlement grew, the residents began to plant citrus trees and build one room school houses and churches. In 1851, Fort Blount was established by Redding Blount just west of current downtown Bartow, at some point in the 1850s, Fort Blount became Peace Creek or Peas Creek, a name dating back to the Rio de la Paz of early Spanish maps. About a month after the secession of Florida in 1861, the state established Polk County from the portion of Hillsborough County. A few months later, the American Civil War began with the Battle of Fort Sumter, because of the turmoil of secession and the war, the county had no official county seat for its first six years of existence. The state legislature had directed the voters of Polk County to choose a site for the county seat, during the war, the areas major contribution to the Confederacy was supplies of food
3.
Lakeland, Florida
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Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States, east of Tampa. According to the 2013 U. S. Census Bureau estimate and it is twinned with Richmond Hill, Ontario, Imabari, Ehime, Japan, Balti, Moldova, Portmore, Jamaica, and Chongming County, Shanghai, China through the Lakeland chapter of Sister Cities International. Native Americans began to live in the area 12,000 years ago, White settlers arrived in Lakeland in the 1870s and the city expanded in the 1880s with the arrival of rail service. Lakeland is home to the 1, 267-acre Circle B Bar Reserve, the first Paleo-Indians reached the central Florida area near the end of the last ice age, as they followed big game south. As the ice melted and sea levels rose, these Native Americans ended up staying, by the time the first Spanish conquistadors arrived, more than 250,000 Native Americans were living on the peninsula. Some of these first early tribes were the Tocobago, Timucua, in 1527, a Spanish map showed a settlement near the Rio de la Paz. The arrival of the Spanish turned out to be disastrous to these Native American tribes, within 150 years, the majority of the pre-Columbian Native American peoples of Florida had been wiped out. Those who had not succumbed to such as smallpox or yellow fever were either killed or enslaved. Little is left of these first Native Americans cultures in Polk County except for scant archaeological records, including a few personal artifacts, eventually, the remnants of these tribes merged with the Creek Indians who had arrived from the north and became the Seminole Indian tribe. Florida became a state in 1845, and Polk County was established in 1861, after the American Civil War, the county seat was established southeast of Lakeland in Bartow. Lakeland was first settled in the 1870s and began to develop as the lines reached the area in 1884. It was incorporated January 1,1885, the town was founded by Abraham Munn, who purchased 80 acres of land in what is now downtown Lakeland in 1882 and platted the land for the town in 1884. Lakeland was named for the lakes near the town site. In April 1898, the Spanish–American War began and started a crucial point in Lakelands development. While the war ended quickly and had little impact on most of the nation, the Florida peninsula was used as a point for the war. The Florida boom resulted in the construction of significant structures in Lakeland. This list includes the Terrace Hotel, New Florida Hotel, Polk Theatre, Frances Langford Promenade, Polk Museum of Art, Park Trammell Building, the city also has several historic districts with many large buildings built during the 1920s and 1940s. The Cleveland Indians held spring training there from 1923 to 1927 at Henley Field Ball Park, parks were developed surrounding Lake Mirror including Barnett Childrens Park, Hollis Gardens, and the newest, Allen Kryger Park
4.
Miami Hurricanes football
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The Miami Hurricanes football team represents the University of Miami in the sport of American football. The Hurricanes compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association s Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, the program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships. Miami is ranked fourth on the list of All-time Associated Press National Poll Championships, tied with Southern California and Ohio State and behind Alabama, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma. Miami also holds a number of NFL Draft records, including most first round selections in a single draft, two Hurricanes have won the Heisman Trophy and nine have been inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame. The team plays its games at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. The Hurricanes are currently coached by Mark Richt, UM began with just a freshman football team in 1926. Its first game was played on October 23,1926, a 7–0 win over Rollins College before 304 fans, under the guidance of head coach Howard P. Buck, the freshman team posted a perfect 8–0 record in its inaugural season. Two of the wins were against the University of Havana, one on Thanksgiving Day in Miami, Miamis last home game at of the season featured a first, the first Hurricane football game played on New Years Day against Howard at Miamis University Stadium. Varsity competition began in 1927, with Miami beating Rollins 39–3 in its first game and going on to a 3–6–1 record. The team improved to 4–4–1 in 1928, but it was not enough for Buck to keep his job, rixs arrival was funded by a group of local businessmen. That off-season, the program, which competed as an independent during its first two years of existence, joined the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association,1929 saw Miami play its first varsity road game, and Rix led the team to its first winning season, going 3–2. His tenure, however, was short-lived, off-campus financing for the dried up in the wake of the 1929 stock market crash. Ernest Brett replaced Rix, and in 1930, Miami played Temple in its first game outside the South, losing 34–0 to the Owls in Atlantic City, New Jersey. On October 31,1930, the Hurricanes played in one of the nations first night games vs. Bowden College in Miami, Brett only lasted one year, and Tom McCann became the programs fourth head coach in 1931. Under McCann, the program experienced its most successful seasons to that point. After a difficult first year, Miami put together a record in 1932 and served as host to the inaugural Palm Festival. A 5–1–2 campaign and another Palm Festival berth followed in 1933, and in 1934, in 1935, a group of Miami football supporters sought to hire Red Grange as coach. However, the move was vetoed by President Bowman Foster Ashe, instead Irl Tubbs took over as head coach in 1935, and though Miami compiled an 11–5–2 record in his two seasons, it did not play in a bowl in either year
5.
1996 NFL Draft
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The 1996 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting, the draft was held April 20–21,1996, at the Paramount Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. No teams chose to claim any players in the draft that year. This draft is considered one of the best draft classes ever for the position of wide receiver, combined,1996 wide receivers have totalled 7,646 receptions for 105,866 yards, eclipsing any other class by more than 1,000 receptions and 10,000 yards. As of 2016, it was the last draft without a quarterback selected in the first round, previously, the 1988 draft had been the last with no quarterback selected in the first round. It was also one of the best draft years for middle linebackers, Lewis won Super Bowl XXXV and was selected MVP of that game. Lewis also won Super Bowl XLVII in the game of his career. Other linebackers who made at least one Pro Bowl from this draft are Tedy Bruschi, Kevin Hardy, Simeon Rice, John Mobley, randall Godfrey, Earl Holmes, and Carlos Emmons also had solid careers in the league. The trade was immediately after the Rams drafted Nebraska running back Lawrence Phillips. Jonathan Ogden, offensive tackle from UCLA, taken 1st round 4th overall by the Baltimore Ravens, inducted, Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2013. Marvin Harrison, wide receiver from Syracuse, taken 1st round 19th overall by the Indianapolis Colts, inducted, Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 2016. NFL. com –1996 Draft databaseFootball. com –1996 Draft Pro Football Hall of Fame
6.
Baltimore Ravens
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The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League as a club of the American Football Conference North division. The team plays its games at M&T Bank Stadium and is headquartered in Owings Mills. The Ravens were established in 1996, when Art Modell, who was then the owner of the Cleveland Browns, in return, he was allowed to take his own personnel and team to Baltimore, where such personnel would then form an expansion team. The Ravens organization has been led by general manager Ozzie Newsome since 1996, the team is owned by Steve Bisciotti and valued at $1.5 billion, making the Ravens the 24th-most valuable sports franchise in the world. The name Ravens was inspired by Edgar Allan Poes poem The Raven, chosen in a fan contest that drew 33,288 voters, the allusion honors Poe, who spent the early part of his career in Baltimore and is buried there. As the Baltimore Sun reported at the time, fans also liked the tie-in with the birds in town, the Orioles. After the controversial relocation of the Colts to Indianapolis, several attempts were made to bring an NFL team back to Baltimore. In 1993, ahead of the 1995 league expansion, the city was considered a favorite, behind only St. Louis and this led to public outrage and the Baltimore Sun describing Taglibue as having an Anybody But Baltimore policy. Maryland governor William Donald Schaefer said afterward that Taglibue had led him on, praising Baltimore, by May 1994, Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos had gathered a new group of investors, including author Tom Clancy, to bid on teams whose owners had expressed interest in relocating. Angelos found a partner in Georgia Frontiere, who was open to moving the Los Angeles Rams to Baltimore. Jack Kent Cooke opposed the move, intending to build the Redskins new stadium in Laurel, Maryland and this led to heated arguments between Cooke and Angelos, who accused Cooke of being a carpetbagger. Following this, Angelos made an unsuccessful $200 million bid to bring the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to Baltimore, enticed by Baltimores available funds for a first-class stadium, Modell announced on November 6,1995 his intention to relocate the team from Cleveland to Baltimore the following year. The resulting controversy ended when representatives of Cleveland and the NFL reached a settlement on February 8,1996, tagliabue promised the city of Cleveland that an NFL team would be located in Cleveland, either through relocation or expansion, no later than 1999. Additionally, the agreement stipulated that the Browns name, colors, uniform design, the franchise history includes Browns club records and connections with Pro Football Hall of Fame players. Modells Baltimore team, while retaining all current player contracts, would, for purposes of history, appear as an expansion team. Not all players, staff or front office would make the move to Baltimore, after relocation, Modell hired Ted Marchibroda as the head coach for his new team in Baltimore. Marchibroda was already well known because of his work as coach of the Baltimore Colts during the 1970s
7.
1996 NFL season
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The 1996 NFL season was the 77th regular season of the National Football League and the season was marked by notable controversies from beginning to end. The season ended with Super Bowl XXXI when the Green Bay Packers defeated the New England Patriots 35-21 at the Louisiana Superdome, either way, the beloved Cleveland Browns would continue, while the Baltimore Ravens began their new history when the 1996 season started. The season was also the season for the Houston Oilers before leaving Texas for Memphis for the following season. This move left Houston with no football team until the 2002 debut of the Texans. For that, and his excellent performance on kick-off and punt returns throughout the game, Howard was named Super Bowl MVP, the only time that a special teams player has earned that distinction. In the event, Parcells did not even return with the players, and telephone records showed he was talking to the Jets in the days before, New Orleans Saints – New numbers on uniforms. On home uniform old gold numbers with white trim, and road uniforms old gold numbers with black trim, similar to teams original jerseys worn from 1967–69, 30th anniversary patch worn on the left chest. New uniforms, with green color. Dallas Cowboys – New color road uniforms, Baltimore Ravens – New team in new city. Purple jerseys with white numbers trimmed in black and gold at home, white jerseys with black numbers trimmed in purple, black pants worn with both jerseys. San Francisco 49ers – New uniforms, darker red, white pants, and updated team logo. Minnesota Vikings – Changes in uniforms, Vikings logo on sleeve ends of home uniforms. Arizona Cardinals - New road jerseys, black trim removed from numbers, logo removed from sleeves, and Arizona state flag moved above sleeve stripes. Arizona Cardinals - Vince Tobin new head coach, replaced Buddy Ryan, who was fired after the 1995 season. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Tony Dungy new head coach, replaced Sam Wyche who was fired after the 1995 season. Miami Dolphins – Jimmy Johnson new head coach, replaced Don Shula who retired after the 1995 season. Indianapolis Colts – Lindy Infante new head coach, replaced Ted Marchibroda who was offered a job from the Baltimore Ravens. Cincinnati Bengals – Dave Shula was fired by mid season and was replaced by head coach Bruce Coslet
8.
Super Bowl
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The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the National Football League. The game is the culmination to a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. Normally, Roman numerals are used to each game, rather than the year in which it is held. For example, Super Bowl I was played on January 15,1967, the single exception to this rule is Super Bowl 50, which was played on February 7,2016, following the 2015 regular season. The next game, Super Bowl LII, scheduled for February 4,2018, the game was created as part of a merger agreement between the NFL and its then-rival league, the American Football League. It was agreed that the two champion teams would play in the AFL–NFL World Championship Game until the merger was to officially begin in 1970. After the merger, each league was redesignated as a conference, currently, the National Football Conference leads the league with 26 wins to 25 wins for the American Football Conference. The Pittsburgh Steelers have the most Super Bowl championship titles, with six, the New England Patriots have the most Super Bowl appearances, with nine. The day on which the Super Bowl is played, now considered by some as an unofficial American national holiday, is called Super Bowl Sunday and it is the second-largest day for U. S. food consumption, after Thanksgiving Day. In addition, the Super Bowl has frequently been the most-watched American television broadcast of the year, in 2015, Super Bowl XLIX became the most-watched American television program in history with an average audience of 114. The NFL restricts the use of its Super Bowl trademark, it is called the Big Game or other generic terms by non-sponsoring corporations. As a result, watching and discussing the broadcasts commercials has become a significant aspect of the event, for four decades after its 1920 inception, the NFL successfully fended off several rival leagues. However, in 1960, it encountered its most serious competitor when the American Football League was formed. The AFL vied heavily with the NFL for both players and fans, but by the middle of the decade the strain of competition led to merger talks between the two leagues. Prior to the 1966 season, the NFL and AFL reached an agreement that was to take effect for the 1970 season. As part of the merger, the champions of the two agreed to meet in a world championship game for professional American football until the merger was effected. A bowl game is a college football game. Exploiting the Rose Bowl Games popularity, post-season college football contests were created for Miami, New Orleans, and El Paso, Texas in 1935, by the time the first Super Bowl was played, the term bowl for any major American football game was well established
9.
Super Bowl XXXV
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The Ravens defeated the Giants by the score of 34–7, tied for the seventh largest Super Bowl margin of victory with Super Bowl XXXVII. The game was played on January 28,2001 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, the Ravens, who posted a 12–4 regular season record, became the third wild card team to win the Super Bowl and the second in four years. The Giants entered the game seeking to go 3–0 in Super Bowls after also finishing the season with a 12–4 record. The game was the first Super Bowl contested by teams representing cities that had contested a previous Super Bowl with two different franchises, Baltimore allowed only 152 yards of offense by New York, recorded 4 sacks, and forced 5 turnovers. All 16 of the Giants possessions ended with punts or interceptions, with the exception of the last one, New Yorks lone touchdown, a 97-yard kickoff return, was quickly answered by Baltimore on an 84-yard touchdown return on the ensuing kickoff. NFL owners awarded Super Bowl XXXV to Tampa during their October 31,1996 meeting in New Orleans, Tampa became the fourth metropolitan area to host the game at least three times, joining New Orleans, Miami, and Los Angeles. Other cities under consideration at the meeting were Miami, Atlanta, owners initially planned on selecting only two hosts, but decided to name three after strong showings by the respective delegations. Tampa was essentially promised a Super Bowl after committing to the construction of a new stadium, Miami, Atlanta, and Tampa were selected to host XXXIII, XXXIV, and XXXV, respectively. The Ravens entered the game with the second-best defense in allowing yards in the league, with the fewest points allowed and the fewest rushing yards allowed during the regular season. At the time, they were the team to hold the opposition to under 1,000 yards rushing in a season since the NFL adopted a 16-game schedule in 1978. Baltimores 165 points allowed broke the record set by the 1986 Chicago Bears, the Ravens defense had held their opponents to 10 or fewer points in 11 games, including four shutouts. The defense was led by a trio of outstanding linebackers, Peter Boulware, Jamie Sharper, during the regular season, Boulware recorded 7 sacks, while Sharper forced 5 fumbles and made one interception. Lewis was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year by recording 3 sacks, making 138 tackles, Pro Bowl defensive tackle Sam Adams and veteran Tony Siragusa anchored the defensive line, along with defensive ends Rob Burnett and Pro Bowler Michael McCrary. Baltimore also had a corps of defensive backs led by Pro Bowl veteran safety Rod Woodson, who along with Kim Herring, Duane Starks. On offense, the Ravens main strength was rushing, led by rookie Jamal Lewis, also, tight end Shannon Sharpe recorded 67 receptions for 810 yards and 5 touchdowns. Receiver Qadry Ismail added 49 receptions for 655 yards and four touchdowns, the offensive line was anchored by tackle Jonathan Ogden, who was named to the Pro Bowl for the 4th consecutive season. On special teams, Jermaine Lewis ranked second in the NFL with 36 punt returns for 578 yards, kicker Matt Stover led the NFL in field goals made and attempted, while ranking 7th in field goal percentage and second in scoring. However, the Baltimore offense was mediocre, ranking only 13th in the league in scoring, 16th in total yards, the team had a lot of trouble scoring, and at one point they went through five games without scoring an offensive touchdown
10.
Super Bowl XLVII
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The Ravens defeated the 49ers by the score of 34–31, handing the 49ers their first Super Bowl loss in franchise history. The game was played on February 3,2013, at Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans and this was the tenth Super Bowl to be played in New Orleans, equaling Miamis record of ten in an individual city. In addition, Super Bowl XLVII was the first to two teams that had undefeated records in previous Super Bowl games. The Ravens, who posted a 10–6 regular-season record, made their second Super Bowl appearance in 12 years, Baltimore built a 28–6 lead early in the third quarter before a partial power outage in the Superdome suspended play for 34 minutes. After play resumed, San Francisco scored 17 unanswered third-quarter points to cut the Ravens lead to 28–23, with the Ravens leading late in the game, 34–29, the 49ers advanced to the Baltimore 7-yard line just before the two-minute warning but turned the ball over on downs. The Ravens then took a safety in the waning moments of the game to preserve the victory. CBS broadcast the game in the U. S. and charged an average of $4 million for a 30-second commercial during the game, the highest rate for any Super Bowl. According to Nielsen, Super Bowl XLVII was viewed by an average of 108.69 million people in the United States. Beyoncé performed in the Super Bowl XLVII halftime show, which featured a reunion with her fellow members from Destinys Child, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Currently, this phenomenon can only be repeated if either the Ravens or the New York Jets play against either the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or the New Orleans Saints in a subsequent Super Bowl. Baltimores victory made them the only current NFL franchise to have appeared in at least two Super Bowls without ever losing any of their appearances. This was the time that the city has hosted the Super Bowl, by far the most by an individual city. New Orleans artist Ally Burguieres was selected to design the official medallion for Super Bowl XLVII, because of the February 3 date of Super Bowl XLVII, the 2013 Mardi Gras calendar in Orleans Parish was changed. Parades scheduled for February 3 and before were moved one week. The same situation occurred in 2002 when the 9/11 attacks caused a delay in the 2001 NFL season. This was the 49ers second Super Bowl played at the Superdome—the first being Super Bowl XXIV when they beat the Denver Broncos 55–10, the 49ers, Broncos and New England Patriots are the only teams so far to play two or more Super Bowls at the Superdome. The 49ers also joined the Broncos and the Colts in playing two Super Bowls at two different stadiums, the 49ers won Super Bowls XXIII and XXIX in Miami at what is now known as Hard Rock Stadium. Due to an outage affecting half the stadium during the third quarter
11.
Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award
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The Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award, or Super Bowl MVP, is presented annually to the most valuable player of the Super Bowl, the National Football Leagues championship game. The winner is chosen by a fan vote during the game, the media panels ballots count for 80 percent of the vote tally, while the viewers ballots make up the other 20 percent. The games viewing audience can vote on the Internet or by using cellular phones, Super Bowl XXXV, the Super Bowl MVP has been awarded annually since the games inception in 1967. Through 1989, the award was presented by SPORT magazine, bart Starr was the MVP of the first two Super Bowls. Since 1990, the award has been presented by the NFL, at Super Bowl XXV, the league first awarded the Pete Rozelle Trophy, named after the former NFL commissioner, to the Super Bowl MVP. Ottis Anderson was the first to win the trophy, Most award winners have received cars from various sponsors. The most recent Super Bowl MVP was New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, Brady is the only player to have won four Super Bowl MVP awards, Joe Montana has won three and three others—Starr, Terry Bradshaw, and Eli Manning—have won the award twice. Starr and Bradshaw are the ones to have won it in back-to-back years. The MVP has come from the team every year except 1971. Harvey Martin and Randy White were named co-MVPs of Super Bowl XII, including the Super Bowl XII co-MVPs, seven Cowboys players have won Super Bowl MVP awards, the most of any NFL team. Quarterbacks have earned the honor 28 times in 51 games, mark Rypien and Hines Ward are the only players born outside the United States to earn the Super Bowl MVP, having been born in Canada and South Korea, respectively
12.
Pro Bowl
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The Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League. Between 2014 and 2016, the NFL experimented with an unconferenced format, the players were picked in a televised schoolyard pick prior to the game. Unlike most major leagues, which hold their all-star games roughly midway through their respective regular seasons. Between 1970 and 2009, it was held the weekend after the Super Bowl. Since 2010, the Pro Bowl has been played the weekend before the Super Bowl, Players from the two teams competing in the Super Bowl do not participate. Observers and commentators expressed their disfavor with the Pro Bowl in its current state and it draws lower TV ratings than its regular-season games, although the game draws similar ratings to other major all-star games, such as the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. However, the biggest concern of teams is to avoid injuries to the star players, the Associated Press wrote that players in the 2012 game were hitting each other as though they were having a pillow fight. Between 1980 and 2016, the game was played at Aloha Stadium in Hawaii, on June 1,2016, the NFL announced that they reached a multi-year deal to move the game to Orlando, Florida as part of the leagues ongoing efforts to make the game more relevant. For years, the game has suffered from lack of interest due to perceived low quality, the 2017 Pro Bowl will also mark a return to the AFC–NFC format. The first Pro All-Star Game, featuring the all-stars of the 1938 season, was played on January 15,1939 at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles. The NFL All-Star Game was played again in Los Angeles in 1940 and then in New York, although originally planned as an annual contest, the all-star game was discontinued after 1942 because of travel restrictions put in place during World War II. During the first five games, an all-star team would face that years league champion. The league champion won the first four games before the all-stars were victorious in the game of this early series. The concept of a game was not revived until June 1950. The game was sponsored by the Los Angeles Publishers Association and it was decided that the game would feature all-star teams from each of the leagues two conferences rather than the league champion versus all-star format which had been used previously. This was done to avoid confusion with the Chicago College All-Star Game, the teams would be led by the coach of each of the conference champions. The first 21 games of the series were played in Los Angeles, the site of the game was changed annually for each of the next seven years before the game was moved to Aloha Stadium in Halawa, Hawaii for 30 straight seasons from 1980 through 2009. With the new rule being that the teams do not include players from the teams that will be playing in the Super Bowl
13.
2004 Pro Bowl
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The 2004 Pro Bowl was the NFLs all-star game for the 2003 season. The game was played on February 8,2004, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, the final score was NFC55, AFC52, the most points scored in a Pro Bowl game. Marc Bulger of the St. Louis Rams was the games MVP, the AFCs first play set the tone for what would become a high-scoring affair. Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair faked a handoff to running back Jamal Lewis before throwing to Chad Johnson for a 90-yard touchdown pass, after the NFC got the ball back, they were forced to punt after a three-and-out. However, the punt by Todd Sauerbrun was blocked, and Ed Reed of the Ravens recovered it and ran it into the end zone, giving the AFC a 14–0 lead early on. The NFC responded with a touchdown by Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander, after Mike Vanderjagt kicked a field goal of his own, the score at the end of the first quarter was 17–10 AFC. Peyton Manning came on for the AFC at the second quarter, Wilkins kicked another field goal for the NFC, and the halftime score was 31–13 in favor of the AFC. The AFC continued to add onto their lead with a Jamal Lewis touchdown, once again, the AFC struck quickly at the start of a quarter, when Trent Green hit Clinton Portis with a 22-yard touchdown pass. With less than 14 minutes remaining in the game, the score was 45–27, Bulger quickly threw a scoring pass to tight end Alge Crumpler, and a short time later hit Alexander with another touchdown pass. Although the two-point conversion attempt after Alexanders touchdown failed, the score was still 45–40 with just over five minutes to play. Just after that, Dré Bly picked off Manning and returned the interception for a touchdown, counting the successful two-point conversion after Blys touchdown, the NFC had scored 18 points in 8 minutes. Alexander scored another rushing touchdown with three and a half remaining to add to the NFCs lead. Manning, however, responded with a pass to Hines Ward. Safety Brock Marion picked off Bulger in the end zone and ran it back to the AFCs 22-yard line, Manning had 1,15 left on the clock and no timeouts. After two passes to his target, Harrison, as well as another to Ward, the AFC found itself on the NFCs 21-yard line. Kris Jenkins sacked Manning to send the AFC back, though, and with six seconds left, Vanderjagt, who hadnt missed a kick all season, was wide right on a 51-yard attempt. Ironically, the AFCs total of 31 points in the first half was a Pro Bowl record, 1st Quarter AFC – Chad Johnson 90-yard pass from Steve McNair,12,25. Drive,1 play,90 yards,0,15, AFC – Ed Reed 23-yard blocked punt return,11,02
14.
2005 Pro Bowl
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The 2005 Pro Bowl was the NFLs all-star game for the 2004 season. The game was played February 13,2005, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, the final score was AFC38 – NFC27. The most valuable player was Peyton Manning of the Colts, the game holds the record as the latest Pro Bowl played during the calendar year. The AFC was forced to punt away its first possession, two plays later, the AFC opened up scoring with a 62-yard pass from Peyton Manning to his Indianapolis Colts teammate, Marvin Harrison. The NFC drove back quickly, but Donovan McNabbs pass was intercepted by Joey Porter, Manning then hooked up with Hines Ward for a 41-yard score, and the AFC led 14–0. The NFC came back with a time consuming drive that spanned the end of the first quarter to the beginning of the second, and ended with a 12-yard run by Brian Westbrook to bring the NFC within 7. However, David Akers attempted onside kick would prove costly, as Ward recovered the kick and returned it 39 yards for a score, daunte Culpepper attempted to bring the NFC back, but was intercepted by Takeo Spikes. That interception led to another Manning touchdown, this time a 12-yard pass to Antonio Gates which gave the AFC a comfortable 28–7 lead, the NFC once again came down the field, led by Culpepper, but the drive was not without problems. On the second play, Torry Holt caught a pass but was hit by Tory James, john Lynch recovered the fumble for the AFC, but the play was negated after a penalty on Marcus Stroud. Akers ended up kicking a 33-yard field goal to bring the score to 28–10, the third quarter was all NFC, who started off the half by scoring within the first 3 minutes, when Michael Vick hit Holt with a 27-yard pass to make the score 28–17. They later picked off Tom Brady when Lito Sheppard intercepted a pass on the NFC31, the drive ended when Vick ran it in from 3 yards out, making the score 28–24. Adam Vinatieri and Akers then traded field goals before LaDainian Tomlinson added a touchdown to make the score 38–27. The NFC made one final drive late in the game, but Vick was intercepted by Nate Clements, Manning, whose 3 passing TDs led the AFCs offense, won the Most Valuable Player award while Vick was called the greatest of all time by the announcers. The NFL asked him to sing the Star-Spangled Banner instead, the national anthem was instead performed by Jason Mraz. Halftime entertainment was provided by Don Ho, Jasmine Trias and Kapena in the Idols and this game marked the latest the NFL schedule has ever gone, February 13
15.
2007 Pro Bowl
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The 2007 Pro Bowl was the National Football Leagues all-star game for the 2006 season. The game took place on February 10,2007, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, the game was held on a Saturday instead of the usual Sunday after the Super Bowl because of a request by broadcaster CBS. The 2007 Pro Bowl marked the 28th consecutive time that the National Football Leagues all-star game is held in Honolulu, the NFC was coached by Sean Payton of the New Orleans Saints. The AFC was coached by Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots, AFC quarterback Carson Palmer was selected as the Most Valuable Player of the game. This Pro Bowl is mainly remembered for Sean Taylors big hit on Buffalo Bills punter Brian Moorman, 2nd Quarter NFC – Tiki Barber 1-yard run,12,24. Drive,9 plays,67 yards,10,40, AFC – Reggie Wayne 72-yard pass from Carson Palmer,11,19. Drive,4 plays,74 yards,1,05, AFC – Adalius Thomas 70-yard fumble return,7,42. NFC – Frank Gore 1-yard run,4,09, drive,7 plays,53 yards,3,33. 3rd Quarter AFC – LaDainian Tomlinson 3-yard run,9,36, drive,9 plays,57 yards,5,19. 4th Quarter AFC – Chad Johnson 42-yard pass from Palmer,12,47, drive,3 plays,71 yards,1,24. NFC – Steven Jackson 4-yard run,2,52, drive,4 plays,11 yards,1,25. NFC – Anquan Boldin 47-yard pass from Tony Romo,1,48, drive,4 plays,58 yards,1,04. AFC – Nate Kaeding 21-yard FG,0,00, drive,7 plays,63 yards,1,48. Louis Rams Jessica Diaz, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Kimberly Linberger, Washington Redskins Palmer leads AFC to Pro Bowl win over NFC, NFL Gamebook –2007 Pro Bowl. 2007 AFC Pro Bowl roster 2007 NFC Pro Bowl roster
16.
2012 Pro Bowl
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The 2012 Pro Bowl was the National Football Leagues all-star game for the 2011 season. It took place at 2,00 pm local time on Sunday, January 29,2012 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, the AFC defeated the NFC, 59–41. The 59 points scored by the AFC team were a Pro Bowl record, the AFC team was coached by Gary Kubiak of the Houston Texans while Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy led the NFC all-stars. The referee for the game was Walt Coleman, the telecast of the game garnered a Nielsen rating of 7.9 nationally. While this represented an eight percent drop over the 2011 Pro Bowl ratings, the game drew more viewers than the 2011 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. NBC also broadcast the 2013 game as Super Bowl broadcaster CBS had declined to carry it, the NFL loosened its rules which forbid players from communicating via social media during games, by setting up a computer on each sideline to allow players to use Twitter. Washington Redskins linebacker London Fletcher used the occasion to propose a contest among his Twitter followers to predict the final score. However, the NFL had him rescind the offer and he gave away a signed jersey instead of cash. The pop band Hot Chelle Rae played during the ceremonies for the game. United States Air Force Technical Sergeant Richard Vazquez sang the anthem prior to kickoff. Simon Samano of NFL. com wrote about the game, Players love the trip to Hawaii and they have no desire to risk injury in a meaningless game, which is why they dont play hard, which is how you end up with 59–41 as the final score. Its that lack of effort that caused fans to boo during portions of this years game. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers stated on his radio show and it should be noted that the Pro Bowl has different rules than a regular season NFL game. Blitzing is not allowed and the 4–3 formation must always be used in defensive formations, philip Rivers also questioned some of the players efforts in the Pro Bowl game. Still, we have to think of the fans and try to stay true to the game, official Pro Bowl website at NFL. com
17.
College Football All-America Team
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The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best American college football players at their respective positions. Camp took over the responsibility for picking the All-America team and was recognized as the selector in the early years of the 20th century. com. As of 2009, the National Collegiate Athletic Association recognizes the All-America teams selected by the AP, AFCA, FWAA, Sporting News, if three of these organizations select a player to their first team, he automatically receives the consensus honor. If a player is named an All-American by all five organizations, depending upon the distribution of first team honors at any given position, it is possible to be consensus with fewer than three first-team selections. The University of Notre Dame has produced the most unanimous All Americans of any program, there have been 2,868 players from 156 colleges and universities since 1889 who were selected to at least one All-American first team. It has selected an All-America team since 1925, the American Football Coaches Association has selected an All-America team every year since 1945. It is often referred to as the Coaches All-America Team, the Coaches’ All-America Team has been sponsored by various entities throughout the years but it is now under its own banner, the AFCA. These are the sponsors/publishers of the team throughout the years and it is sometimes referred to as the Writers All-America Team. The FWAA has selected an All-America team with the help of its members, the All-America team is selected by a committee of writers representing all conferences and regions of the NCAA. The Writers Team has been highlighted in various media forums, from 1946-70, Look published the FWAA team and brought players and selected writers to New York City for a celebration. During that 25-year period, the FWAA team was introduced on television shows by Bob Hope, Steve Allen, Perry Como. After Look folded, the FWAA started an association with NCAA Films. The team was part of ABC Televisions 1981 College Football Series, from 1983-90, the team was either on ABC or ESPN, and since 1991 has returned to the national spotlight on ABC. The corporate sponsor for the Writers team is AT&T, after years of Cingular being the sponsor. Walter Camp, The Father of American Football, first selected an All-America team in 1889, the WCF claims an 80% participation rate in the voting for its All-America team. Sporting News, formerly known as The Sporting News and known colloquially as TSN, have teams college football editors and staff select teams, from that year through the 1962 season TSNs All-America team was picked by a poll of sportswriters. Beginning in 1964 the team was selected by professional scouts and observers, the Sporting News cited the advent of two-platoon football as the need to go to that system. United Press International is a organization that selected players in a national poll of sportswriters
18.
Tackle (football move)
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Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary and important purposes of tackling are to dispossess an opponent of the ball, the word is used in some contact variations of football to describe the act of physically holding or wrestling a player to the ground. In others, it simply one or more methods of contesting for possession of the ball. It can therefore be used as both a defensive or attacking move, in Middle Dutch, the verb tacken meant to grab or to handle. By the 18th century, a use was applied to harnesses or equipment used with horses. Modern use in football comes from the sport of rugby. In any such case, the ball becomes dead, the down is over, a tackle is known as a quarterback sack when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage while attempting to throw a pass. A tackle for loss indicates a tackle that causes a loss of yardage for the running back or wide receiver. When a player who does not have the ball is taken down it is referred to as a block. Tackles can also be made by grabbing the ball carriers jersey, as mentioned above, the referee can declare that a play is dead if the ball carriers forward progress has been stopped, even if he has not actually been taken to the ground. To protect players from potentially catastrophic injury, there are restrictions on tackles. At no time may a defensive player tackle a player by grabbing the facemask of their helmet, doing so incurs a 15-yard penalty. A similar penalty is assessed to any player attempting to contact with his helmet against another opponents helmet. Grabbing a ball carrier by the pads behind his neck and pulling him down is known as a horse collar, a method which has been made illegal at all levels of American football. However, in the NFL a player can continue forward for one step, place kickers and punters are afforded an even greater protection from being tackled. Once the play is ruled complete, no contact is permitted, a player who makes contact with an opponent after the play is charged with unnecessary roughness and his team is assessed a 15-yard penalty. However, a player who plays on the line can block below the knees as long the block is five yards of the line. In the National Football League, tackles are tracked as a statistic by a scorekeeper hired by the home team
19.
Quarterback sack
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A quarterback that is pressured but avoids a sack can still be adversely affected by being forced to hurry. In the National Football League, it is possible to record a sack for zero yards, the QB must pass the statistical line of scrimmage to avoid the sack. A sack is also credited when a defender causes the quarterback to fumble the ball at or behind the line of scrimmage, to be considered a sack the quarterback must intend to throw a forward pass. If the play is designed for the quarterback to rush the ball, if the quarterbacks intent is not obvious, statisticians use certain criteria, such as the offensive line blocking scheme, to decide. Unique situations where a loss reduces a quarterbacks rushing total are kneel downs, a player will receive credit for half of a sack when multiple players contribute to the sacking of a quarterback, even if more than two players contributed. In the NFL yards lost on the play are added as negative yardage to the teams passing totals, however, NCAA continues to subtract sack yardage from individual rushing totals. The term sack was first popularized by Hall of Fame defensive end Deacon Jones in the 1960s, according to former NFL coach Marv Levy, it was Washington Redskins coach George Allen who actually coined the term when referring to Dallas Cowboys quarterback Craig Morton. Allen purportedly stated before a game, Before we play those Dallas Cowboys, we’re going to take that Morton salt, prior to sack, the term dump was often used, and the NFLs statistical office recorded all sacks under dumping the passer. The NFL only began to track of times passers lost yardage in 1961. Researcher John Turney of the Pro Football Researchers Association estimated that Jones recorded 173 1⁄2 sacks in his career, of all forms of defensive pressure against the oppositions passer, sacks provide the most immediate impact by ending the offensive play. However, quarterbacks sometimes avoid a sack by throwing a pass or risking an interception. According to Football Outsiders, a quarterback hurry is the most common form of pass pressure. In the 2009 NFL season, there were 1,106 sacks and 3,268 hurries,30,2007 NFL Game More Sacks Taken than Yards Passing, Five sacks and four yards passing by Colin Kaepernick on Dec.4,2016. NFL Super Bowl Most sacks, single game, 3*** Reggie White – Green Bay vs, new England, XXXI Darnell Dockett – Arizona vs. Pittsburgh, XLIII Kony Ealy – Carolina vs. Denver,50 Grady Jarrett – Atlanta vs. New England, LI NFL Super Bowl Most sacks, career,4, however, as sacks were not officially recorded by the NFL at that point, Michael Strahan is attributed the single season record. **Al Bubba Baker had 23 sacks in his rookie 1978 season, however, as sacks were not officially recorded by the NFL at that point, Jevon Kearse is attributed the single season rookie record. Since 1982, when the NFL first began keeping track of sacks, only 31 players have managed to reach the 100 sack milestone
20.
Interception
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In American or Canadian football, an interception occurs when a forward pass is caught by a player of the opposing team. This leads to a change of possession during the play. Following the stoppage of play, if the interceptor retained possession of the ball, interceptions are predominantly made by the secondary or the linebackers, who are usually closest to the quarterbacks intended targets, the wide receivers, running backs, and tight ends. Less frequently, a defensive lineman may get an interception from a ball, a near sack, a shovel pass, or a screen pass. For example, on December 4,2016, the Kansas City Chiefs strong safety Eric Berry scored the winning points via a pick two in a 29-28 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Berry also achieved an ordinary pick six earlier in the same game, if the intercepting team can run out the clock, the intercepting player may down the ball immediately and not attempt to gain any yardage. This eliminates the chance of a fumble that could be recovered by the other team, there are also player safety implications, when the ball is turned over, the play is now suddenly and unexpectedly moving in the opposite direction. All of the players on offense are instantly susceptible to unexpected blocks, even if not attempting to stop the ball carrier, additionally, offensive players, particularly the quarterback, are often inexperienced tacklers and are at risk of injuring themselves while tackling the ball carrier. Only the interception of a pass is recorded statistically as an interception. The interception of a pass is recorded as a fumble by the passer. Lester Hayes of the Oakland Raiders was one of the National Football Leagues leaders at interceptions in the late 1970s and he was known for covering his chest, shoulders and forearms with a copious amount of the adhesive Stickum to help him hold on to the ball. He continued to use the substance, which he called pick juice, paul Krause holds the record for most career interceptions, with 81, and is tied for third place for most interceptions by an NFL rookie in his first season, with 12. He played his first three years in the NFL from 1964 to 1967 with the Washington Redskins but was traded to the Minnesota Vikings, Krause played until 1979 and appeared in four Super Bowls with the Vikings. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998, Rod Woodson played 16 seasons with Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Baltimore, and Oakland, and holds the NFL record for most interception returns for touchdown in an NFL career with 12. Also, he holds the NFL record for most total defensive TD returns in a career with 13, Woodson, who is third on the NFL all-time career interception list with 71, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009. Sharper holds the NFL record for return yardage in a single season with 376 yards in 2009. He is also tied with Rod Woodson for most total defensive TD returns career with 13, charles Woodson, formerly with the Green Bay Packers and Oakland Raiders has 65 career interceptions and tied Rod Woodson for most defensive touchdowns with 13. Woodson and Sharper are tied for all time in interceptions returned for touchdowns with 11
21.
Fumble
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A fumble in American and Canadian football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed or scoring. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, a fumble may be forced by a defensive player who either grabs or punches the ball or butts the ball with his helmet. A fumbled ball may be recovered and advanced by either team and it is one of three events that can cause a turnover, where possession of the ball can change during play. Under American rules a fumble may be confused with a muff, a muff occurs where a player drops a ball that he does not have possession of, such as while attempting to catch a lateral pass or improperly fielding a kicking play such as a punt. Ball security is the ability of a player to control over the football during play. If the ball is fumbled the defensive team may recover the ball, the same is true for the offense, but usually when the offense recovers the ball it simply tries to down it. In American football the offense cannot advance the ball if it recovers its own fumble on fourth down, in American football, there is no separate signal to indicate a fumble recovery. If the offense recovers its own fumble, the official will indicate the recovery by a signal showing the next down. If the defense recovers the fumble, the official will indicate with a first down signal in the direction the team is driving the ball. Some officials have used a first down signal when the offense recovers its own fumble. This is not the thing as when a forward pass is attempted and is not caught. In this latter case, it is simply an incomplete pass, however, if the receiver catches the ball, but then drops it after gaining control of the ball, that is considered a fumble. Any number of fumbles can be committed during a play, including fumbles by the team originally on defense, Most famously, Dallas Cowboys defender Leon Lett fumbled during Super Bowl XXVII while celebrating during his own fumble return. A sometimes controversial rule is referred to as the ground cannot cause a fumble. If a player is tackled and loses control of the ball at or after the time he makes contact with the ground, the player is treated as down and the ball is not in play. However, in the NFL and CFL, if a ball carrier falls without an opponent contacting him and this is because in those leagues the ball carrier is not down unless an opponent first makes contact, or the runner is out of bounds. If a player fumbles in most other leagues, as soon as the knee or elbow touches the ground and it is also possible for the ground to cause a fumble in college football if the ball hits the ground before any part of the ball carriers body touches the ground. An example was the fumble by Arkansas quarterback Clint Stoerner vs. Tennessee in 1998, the effects of fumbles vary when the ball goes out of bounds without being recovered, A fumble going out-of-bounds between the end zones is retained by the last team with possession
22.
Touchdown
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A touchdown is a means of scoring in both American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, to score a touchdown, one team must take the football into the opposite end zone. The touchdown is scored the instant the ball crosses the plane of the line while in possession of a player whose team is trying to score in that end zone. The play is dead and the scores the moment the ball crosses the goal line in possession of a player. The slightest part of the ball being over the line is sufficient for a touchdown to score. However, only the ball counts, not a players helmet, foot, touching one of the pylons at either end of the goal line with the ball constitutes breaking the plane as well. Touchdowns are usually scored by the offense by running or passing the ball, however, the defense can also score a touchdown if they have recovered a fumble or made an interception and return it to the opposing end zone. Special teams can score a touchdown on a kickoff or punt return, in short, any play in which a player legally carries the ball across the goal line scores a touchdown, and the manner in which he gained possession is inconsequential. A touchdown is worth six points, the scoring team is also awarded the opportunity for an extra point or a two-point conversion. Afterwards, the team scored the touchdown kicks off to the opposing team. This rule was changed to the iteration in 1889. If the teammate could fair catch the ball, he could follow with a try for goal from the spot of the catch, the governing rule at the time read, A match shall be decided by a majority of touchdowns. A goal shall be equal to four touchdowns, but in the case of a tie, in 1881, the rules were modified so that a goal kicked from a touchdown took precedence over a goal kicked from the field in breaking ties. In 1882, four touchdowns were determined to take precedence over a goal kicked from the field, two safeties were equivalent to a touchdown. In 1883, points were introduced to football, and a touchdown counted as four points, a goal after a touchdown also counted as four points. In 1889, the provision requiring the ball to actually be touched to the ground was removed, a touchdown was now scored by possessing the ball beyond the goal line. In 1897, the touchdown scored five points, and the goal after touchdown added another point, in 1900, the definition of touchdown was changed to include situations where the ball becomes dead on or above the goal line. In 1912, the value of a touchdown was increased to six points, the end zone was also added
23.
American football
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The offense must advance at least ten yards in four downs, or plays, or else they turn over the football to the opposing team, if they succeed, they are given a new set of four downs. Points are primarily scored by advancing the ball into the teams end zone for a touchdown or kicking the ball through the opponents goalposts for a field goal. The team with the most points at the end of a game wins, American football evolved in the United States, originating from the sports of association football and rugby football. The first game of American football was played on November 6,1869, during the latter half of the 1870s, colleges playing association football switched to the Rugby Union code, which allowed carrying the ball. American football as a whole is the most popular sport in the United States, Professional football and college football are the most popular forms of the game, with the other major levels being high school and youth football. As of 2012, nearly 1.1 million high school athletes and 70,000 college athletes play the sport in the United States annually, almost all of them men, in the United States, American football is referred to as football. The term football was established in the rulebook for the 1876 college football season. The terms gridiron or American football are favored in English-speaking countries where other codes of football are popular, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, American football evolved from the sports of association football and rugby football. What is considered to be the first American football game was played on November 6,1869 between Rutgers and Princeton, two college teams, the game was played between two teams of 25 players each and used a round ball that could not be picked up or carried. It could, however, be kicked or batted with the feet, hands, head or sides, Rutgers won the game 6 goals to 4. Collegiate play continued for years in which matches were played using the rules of the host school. Representatives of Yale, Columbia, Princeton and Rutgers met on October 19,1873 to create a set of rules for all schools to adhere to. Teams were set at 20 players each, and fields of 400 by 250 feet were specified, Harvard abstained from the conference, as they favored a rugby-style game that allowed running with the ball. An 1875 Harvard-Yale game played under rugby-style rules was observed by two impressed Princeton athletes and these players introduced the sport to Princeton, a feat the Professional Football Researchers Association compared to selling refrigerators to Eskimos. Princeton, Harvard, Yale and Columbia then agreed to play using a form of rugby union rules with a modified scoring system. These schools formed the Intercollegiate Football Association, although Yale did not join until 1879, the introduction of the snap resulted in unexpected consequences. Prior to the snap, the strategy had been to punt if a scrum resulted in bad field position, however, a group of Princeton players realized that, as the snap was uncontested, they now could hold the ball indefinitely to prevent their opponent from scoring. In 1881, both teams in a game between Yale-Princeton used this strategy to maintain their undefeated records, each team held the ball, gaining no ground, for an entire half, resulting in a 0-0 tie
24.
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
25.
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
26.
University of Miami
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The University of Miami is a private, nonsectarian research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. As of 2015, the university enrolls 16,848 students in 12 separate colleges/schools, the university offers 116 undergraduate,105 masters, and 63 doctoral degree programs, of which 59 are research/scholarship and four professional areas of study. Over the years, the students have represented all 50 states. With more than 14,000 full and part-time faculty and staff, uM’s main campus in Coral Gables has 239 acres and over 5.7 million square feet of buildings. In the 2017 U. S. News and World Report study of colleges and universities, Research is a component of each academic division, with UM attracting $346.6 million per year in sponsored research grants. UM offers a library system with over 3.1 million volumes and exceptional holdings in Cuban heritage. UM also offers a range of student activities, including fraternities and sororities. UMs intercollegiate athletic teams, collectively known as the Miami Hurricanes, UMs football team has won five national championships since 1983 and its baseball team has won four national championships since 1982. They believed that a university would benefit their community. They were overly optimistic about future financial support for UM because the South Florida land boom was at its peak, the university began in earnest in 1925 when George E. Merrick, the founder of Coral Gables, gave 160 acres and nearly $5 million, to the effort. These contributions were land contracts and mortgages on real estate that had sold in the city. The university was chartered on April 18,1925 by the Circuit Court for Dade County. By the fall of 1926, when the first class of 372 students enrolled at UM, the boom had collapsed. For the next 15 years the university barely remained solvent, the construction of the first building on campus, now known as the Merrick Building, was left half built for over two decades due to economic difficulties. In the meantime, classes were held at the nearby Anastasia Hotel, with partitions separating classrooms, in 1929, Walsh and the other members of the Board of Regents resigned in the wake of the collapse of the Florida economy. UMs plight was so severe that students went door to door in Coral Gables collecting funds to keep it open, a reconstituted ten-member Board was chaired by UMs first president Bowman Foster Ashe. The new board included Merrick, Theodore Dickinson, E. B, douglas, David Fairchild, James H. Gilman, Richardson Saunders, Frank B. Shutts, Joseph H. Adams, and J. C, in 1930, several faculty members and more than 60 students came to UM when the University of Havana closed due to political unrest
27.
2012 Baltimore Ravens season
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The 2012 Baltimore Ravens season was the teams 17th season in the National Football League. They won their second Super Bowl victory, 34–31 against the 49ers and it was the first time in franchise history that the Ravens won consecutive division titles. This marks head coach John Harbaughs fifth season as the coach of the franchise. The Ravens played their games at M&T Bank Stadium. The Ravens dedicated their season to former owner and founder Art Modell, on Week 1, all team members wore an Art decal on their helmets, and for the rest of their season, they wore an Art patch on the left side of their jerseys. Following three dramatic postseason matchups including a thrilling 38–35 double OT victory against the top-seeded Denver Broncos, notes ^ The team traded its first-round selection to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for the #35 overall selection in the second round, as well as the Vikings fourth-round selection. ^ The team traded up from its original selection to the #84 overall selection. ^ The team traded its original selection to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for wide receiver Lee Evans. Source at the Wayback Machine Note, Intra-division opponents are in bold text, the Ravens started their season at home against the Bengals. They jumped out to a 3–0 lead in the first quarter with Justin Tuckers 46-yard field goal and this was followed up by Ray Rices 7-yard run to make the score 10–0. The Bengals got on the board in the 2nd quarter with Mike Nugents 34-yard field goal to shorten the lead to 10–3, however, the Ravens were able to pull away as Joe Flacco found Anquan Boldin on a 34-yard touchdown pass to move ahead 17–3. The Bengals responded coming within 7 when Benjarvus Green-Ellis ran for a 6-yard touchdown making the score 17–10 at halftime, in the 3rd quarter, the Bengals were able to get within 4 points with Nugent kicking a 19-yard field goal shortening the Ravens lead to 4 17–13. This was followed by an Ed Reed interception that was returned 34 yards for a moving the team ahead 34–13. In the 4th quarter, the Ravens scored again off of Rices 1-yard run for a 41–13 lead, Ed Reed returned an interception for a 34-yard touchdown, making Reed the all-time leader in career interception return yards with 1,497. The previous record of 1,483 yards was held by Rod Woodson, Baltimore took the lead in the second quarter and held it for most of the game, but with 1,57 remaining in the fourth quarter Michael Vick ran for a one-yard touchdown. With the surprising loss, the Ravens fell to 1–1 and this game was played in the shadow of the death of WR Torrey Smiths brother, who had died in a motorcycle crash the night before. The Ravens entered the game hoping to be able to avenge the AFC Championship loss of the previous season, new England started off fast as they drew to a 13–0 lead in the first quarter. However Baltimore scored 2 straight touchdowns to take the lead with 1,47 left to go in the half, then Brady scored a touchdown right at the end of the half to retake the lead 20–14
28.
Pro Football Hall of Fame
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The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football. As of 2017, there are a total of 310 members of the Hall of Fame, groundbreaking for the building was held on August 11,1962. The original building contained just two rooms, and 19,000 square feet of interior space, in April 1970, ground was broken for the first of many expansions. This first expansion cost $620,000, and was completed in May 1971, the size was increased to 34,000 square feet by adding another room. The pro shop opened with this expansion and this was also an important milestone for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, as yearly attendance passed the 200,000 mark for the first time. In November 1977, work began on another project, costing US$1,200,000. It was completed in November 1978, enlarging the shop and research library. The total size of the hall was now 50,500 square feet, the building remained largely unchanged until July 1993. The Hall then announced yet another expansion, costing US$9,200,000 and this expansion was completed in October 1995. The buildings size was increased to 82,307 square feet, the most notable addition was the GameDay Stadium, which shows an NFL Films production on a 20-foot by 42-foot Cinemascope screen. Through 2017, all inductees except one, played part of their professional career in the NFL. For CFL stars, there is a parallel Canadian Football Hall of Fame, only one player, the Chicago Bears have the most Hall of Famers among the leagues franchises with 32 enshrinees. Enshrinees are selected by a 46-person committee, largely made up of media members, each city that has a current NFL team sends one representative from the local media to the committee. A city with more than one franchise sends a representative for each franchise, there are also 13 at-large delegates, and one representative from the Pro Football Writers Association. Except for the PFWA representative, who is appointed to a term, all other appointments are open-ended and terminated only by death, incapacitation, retirement. To be eligible for the process, a player or coach must have been retired for at least five years. Any other contributor such as an owner or executive can be voted in at any time. Fans may nominate any player, coach or contributor by simply writing to the Pro Football Hall of Fame via letter or email
29.
University of Maryland, College Park
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Founded in 1856, the university is the flagship institution of the University System of Maryland. It is a member of the Association of American Universities and competes in athletics as a member of the Big Ten Conference, the University of Marylands proximity to the nations capital has resulted in research partnerships with the Federal government. The operating budget of the University of Maryland during the 2009 fiscal year was projected to be approximately $1.531 billion, for the same fiscal year, the University of Maryland received a total of $518 million in research funding, surpassing its 2008 mark by $118 million. As of December 12,2012, the universitys Great Expectations campaign had exceeded $1 billion in private donations, on March 6,1856, the forerunner of todays University of Maryland was chartered as the Maryland Agricultural College. Two years later, Charles Benedict Calvert, a future U. S. Congressman, Calvert founded the school later that year. On October 5,1859, the first 34 students entered the Maryland Agricultural College, the school became a land grant college in February 1864. During the Civil War, Confederate soldiers under Brigadier General Bradley Tyler Johnson moved past the college on July 12,1864 as part of Jubal Earlys raid on Washington, D. C. By the end of the war, financial problems forced the administrators to sell off 200 acres of land, for the next two years the campus was used as a boys preparatory school. Following the Civil War, in February 1866 the Maryland legislature assumed half ownership of the school, the college thus became in part a state institution. By October 1867, the school reopened with 11 students, in the next six years, enrollment grew and the schools debt was paid off. In 1873, Samuel Jones, a former Confederate Major General, twenty years later, the federally funded Agricultural Experiment Station was established there. Morrill Hall was built the following year, on November 29,1912, a fire destroyed the barracks where the students were housed, all the schools records, and most of the academic buildings, leaving only Morrill Hall untouched. There were no injuries or fatalities, and all but two returned to the university and insisted on classes continuing. Students were housed by families in neighboring towns until housing could be rebuilt, a large brick and concrete compass inlaid in the ground designates the former center of campus as it existed in 1912. The state took control of the school in 1916, and the institution was renamed Maryland State College and that year, the first female students enrolled at the school. On April 9,1920, the became part of the existing University of Maryland, replacing St. Johns College. In the same year, the school on the College Park campus awarded its first PhD degrees. In 1925 the university was accredited by the Association of American Universities, by the time the first black students enrolled at the university in 1951, enrollment had grown to nearly 10,000 students—4,000 of whom were women
