1.
2000 Baltimore Ravens season
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The 2000 Baltimore Ravens season was the franchises 5th season in the National Football League and the second under head coach Brian Billick. The Ravens concluded their season with a 12–4 record, and came in for second place in the AFC central, and also earning them a spot in the playoffs as a wild card team. The Ravens won three games in the 2000 AFC playoffs, culminating in a trip to Tampa Florida for Super Bowl XXXV. The teams defense, which allowed 10.3 points per game in the season, is considered among the greatest of all time. On June 5, a bargain was struck, and murder. Lewis pleaded guilty to one count of obstruction of justice and was sentenced to a year of probation, the Ravens started the season with a 5–1 start, with three of their victories coming by shutout. Despite the great play of the defense, the hit a major swoon after the first month of the season. Following a 37–0 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, the Ravens would not score a touchdown for five consecutive games. The Ravens won the first two of these games thanks to their defense, but lost the three, including a critical division loss at home to the Tennessee Titans. During this game, quarterback Tony Banks was benched in favor of Trent Dilfer, after a loss at home to Pittsburgh, the Ravens broke both their touchdown-less streak and losing streak against the Bengals the next week. It would be the first of seven wins to end the season. The Ravens finished one game behind the Tennessee Titans in the AFC central, the team cruised to a 21–3 victory, setting up a date with the Titans the following week in Nashville. The Ravens prevailed 24–10, thanks to linebacker Ray Lewis 50 yard interception return for a touchdown that put the game away. The Ravens easily defeated the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV, 34–7, the Ravens relied heavily on their defense, which set several records during the 2000 season, including fewest points allowed during a 16-game season and fewest rushing yards allowed. The defense finished the season number one overall in points allowed, starting cornerbacks Chris McAlister and Duane Starks combined to intercept ten passes, and defensive end Rob Burnett contributed with 10.5 sacks. Offensively, the Ravens relied heavily on the running game, rookie running back Jamal Lewis led the way with 1364 yards and veteran Priest Holmes added 588 yards. The passing game was rather pedestrian, but Trent Dilfer brought stability to the position when he took over for Tony Banks mid-season. Tight end Shannon Sharpe, acquired as a free agent from Denver during the offseason, was the teams leading pass receiver with 67 catches for 810 yards
2.
American Football Conference
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The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League, the highest professional level of American football in the United States. This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference, currently contain 16 teams each, a series of league expansions and division realignments have occurred since the merger, thus making the current total 16 clubs per each conference. Since the 1970 AFL–NFL merger, the New England Patriots have won nine AFC titles, the most of any team in the conference, since 2002, the AFC has 16 teams, organized into four divisions each with four teams, East, North, South and West. Two of these games are assigned on the basis of a teams final divisional standing from the previous season. The remaining 8 games are split between the roster of two other NFL divisions and this assignment shifts each year and will follow a standard cycle. Using the 2012 regular season schedule as an example, each team in the AFC West plays against every team in the AFC North and NFC South. In this way, non-divisional competition will be mostly among common opponents – the exception being the two games assigned based on the teams prior-season divisional standing, at the end of each season, the top six teams in the conference proceeds into the playoff. These teams consist of the four winners and the top two wild card teams. The AFC playoffs culminate in the AFC Championship Game with the receiving the Lamar Hunt Trophy. The AFC Champion then plays the NFC Champion in the Super Bowl, both the AFC and the NFC were created after the NFL merged with the American Football League in 1970. The AFL began play in 1960 with eight teams, and added two expansion clubs before the merger. In order to equalize the number of teams in each conference, since the merger, five expansion teams have joined the AFC and two have left, thus making the current total 16. When the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers joined the league in 1976 and this arrangement lasted for one season only before the two teams switched conferences. The Seahawks eventually returned to the NFC as a result of the 2002 realignment, the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars joined the AFC in 1995. There have been five teams that have relocated at least once, in 1984, the Baltimore Colts relocated to Indianapolis in 1984. In California, the Oakland Raiders relocated to Los Angeles in 1982, the Houston Oilers moved to Tennessee in 1997, where they were renamed the Tennessee Oilers. The team would change its name again, two later, to the Tennessee Titans. The NFL would again expand in 2002, adding the Houston Texans to the AFC, by contrast, the NFC has sent 12 different teams during that same time frame
3.
National Football Conference
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The National Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League, the highest professional level of American football in the United States. This conference and its counterpart, the American Football Conference, currently contain 16 teams each, a series of league expansions and division realignments have occurred since the merger, thus making the current total 16 clubs per each conference. Since the 1970 AFL–NFL merger, the Dallas Cowboys lead the NFC with the most conference titles, the current NFC title holders are the Atlanta Falcons. Since 2002, the NFC has 16 teams that organized into four divisions each with four teams, East, North, South, two of these games are assigned on the basis of a particular teams final divisional standing from the previous season. The remaining 8 games are split between the roster of two other NFL divisions and this assignment shifts each year and will follow a standard cycle. Using the 2012 regular season schedule as an example, each team in the NFC West plays against every team in the AFC East and NFC North. In this way, non-divisional competition will be mostly among common opponents – the exception being the two games assigned based on the teams prior-season divisional standing, at the end of each season, the top six teams in the conference proceeds into the playoff. These teams consist of the four winners and the top two wild card teams. The NFC playoffs culminate in the NFC Championship Game with the receiving the George Halas Trophy. The NFC Champion then plays the AFC Champion in the Super Bowl, both the AFC and NFC were created after the NFL merged with the American Football League in 1970. When the AFL began play in 1960 with eight teams, the NFL consisted of 13 clubs, by 1969, the AFL had expanded to ten teams and NFL to 16 clubs. However, team owners could not agree to a plan on how to align the clubs in the NFC. When the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers joined the league in 1976, they were placed in the NFC and AFC, respectively. The Seahawks returned to the NFC as a result of the 2002 realignment, the Carolina Panthers joined the NFC in 1995. Parity is generally greater among NFC teams than AFC teams, the only NFC team that has never made a Super Bowl appearance is the Detroit Lions. Since the 2002 realignment, the time that an NFC team made back-to-back Super Bowl appearances was the Seattle Seahawks in 2013 and 2014. Since 1970, only two teams have relocated, in 1988, the St. Louis Cardinals moved to Phoenix, Arizona, while the Los Angeles Rams moved to St. Louis in 1995, and back to Los Angeles again in 2016. The original NFC logo, in use from 1970–2009, depicted a blue N with three stars across it, the three stars represented the three divisions that were used from 1970–2001
4.
Raymond James Stadium
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Raymond James Stadium, also known as the Ray Jay, is a multi-purpose football stadium located in Tampa, Florida. It is home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League as well as the NCAAs South Florida Bulls football team, the stadium seats 65,890, and is expandable to 75,000 for special events. The stadium also hosts the annual Outback Bowl on New Years Day, Raymond James Stadium hosted Super Bowls XXXV and XLIII, as well as the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship. Raymond James Stadium was built to replace Houlihans Stadium at the demand of the new Bucs owner Malcolm Glazer and it is located adjacent to the site of the old stadium on the former location of Al Lopez Field, a minor-league baseball stadium that had been demolished in 1989. Once completed, the final cost of the new stadium was $168.5 million and it was known as Tampa Community Stadium during construction, but the naming rights were bought for US$32.5 million for a 13–year deal by St. Petersburg-based Raymond James Financial in June 1998. On April 27,2006, an extension was signed to maintain naming rights through 2015, in May 2016 the Buccaneers announced that the naming rights were extended an additional 12 years ensuring that Raymond James Financials name will continue to appear through 2028. The stadium officially opened on September 21,1998, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Chicago Bears, the stadium hosted its first soccer game on March 20,1999, when the Tampa Bay Mutiny lost to D. C. The stadium was selected to host the ACC Championship Game in 2008 and 2009, the stadium is home field for the University of South Florida Bulls of the American Athletic Conference. The largest crowd ever recorded in Raymond James Stadium came on January 9,2017 as the stadium hosted the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship, through to the 2009 season, every Buccaneers game at Raymond James Stadium sold out. In 2010, no home game achieved a ticket sell out, the streak carried over until week four of the 2011 season, when it sold enough tickets for its Monday night game with the Indianapolis Colts on October 3 to avoid a local blackout. The stadium was home to the former Tampa Bay Mutiny of Major League Soccer. For example, on June 8,2012, it hosted the United States mens national teams opening qualifying match against Antigua and Barbuda for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The cannon fires once for each point scored, in addition, when the Buccaneers enter their opponents red zone, stadium hosts hoist team flags around the perimeter of the upper deck. The segment is known as a Mini Gasparilla to most fans. An animated parrot sits on the stern of the pirate ship, controlled by radio and remote control, the parrot picks fans out of the crowd and talks to those passing by. During Super Bowl XXXV on CBS, the pregame, halftime, nBCs Super Bowl XLIII and ESPNs 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship coverage also emanated from the ship. Buccaneer Cove features a weathered, two–story fishing village facade, housing stadium concessions, all areas of the stadium are ADA compliant. Temporary bleachers were erected in the end zones for Super Bowl XXXV, the stadium attendance record has since been surpassed by the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship, which also made use of temporary seating
5.
Tampa, Florida
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Tampa is a major city in, and the county seat of, Hillsborough County, Florida. It is located on the west coast of Florida on Tampa Bay, near the Gulf of Mexico, the city had a population of 346,037 in 2011. The current location of Tampa was once inhabited by peoples of the Safety Harbor culture. The area was explored by Spanish explorers in the 16th century, resulting in violent conflicts and the introduction of European diseases, which wiped out the original native cultures. In 1824, the United States Army established a frontier outpost called Fort Brooke at the mouth of the Hillsborough River, near the site of todays Tampa Convention Center. The first civilian residents were pioneers who settled near the fort for protection from the nearby Seminole population, today, Tampa is part of the metropolitan area most commonly referred to as the Tampa Bay Area. For U. S. Census purposes, Tampa is part of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, the Greater Tampa Bay area has over 4 million residents and generally includes the Tampa and Sarasota metro areas. The Tampa Bay Partnership and U. S. Census data showed an annual growth of 2.47 percent. A2012 estimate shows the Tampa Bay area population to have 4,310,524 people, Tampa was ranked as the 5th best outdoor city by Forbes in 2008. Tampa also ranks as the fifth most popular American city, based on where people want to live, a 2004 survey by the NYU newspaper Washington Square News ranked Tampa as a top city for twenty-somethings. Tampa is ranked as a Gamma+ world city by Loughborough University, ranked alongside other world cities such as Phoenix, Charlotte, Rotterdam, and Santo Domingo. The word Tampa may mean sticks of fire in the language of the Calusa and this might be a reference to the many lightning strikes that the area receives during the summer months. Other historians claim the name means the place to gather sticks, toponymist George R. Stewart writes that the name was the result of a miscommunication between the Spanish and the Indians, the Indian word being itimpi, meaning simply near it. The name first appears in the Memoir of Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda and he calls it Tanpa and describes it as an important Calusa town. While Tanpa may be the basis for the modern name Tampa, archaeologist Jerald Milanich places the Calusa village of Tanpa at the mouth of Charlotte Harbor, the original Bay of Tanpa. A later Spanish expedition did not notice Charlotte Harbor while sailing north along the west coast of Florida, the name was accidentally transferred north. Map makers were using the term Bay or Bahia Tampa as early as 1695, people from Tampa are known as Tampans or Tampanians. Latin Americans from Tampa are known as tampeños, or tampeñas for females and these terms of Spanish origin emerged after 1900 for the immigrant communities in West Tampa and Ybor City
6.
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
7.
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
8.
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
9.
Jonathan Ogden
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Jonathan Phillip Ogden is a former American football offensive tackle who played his entire career with the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He played college football for the University of California, Los Angeles and he was drafted by the Ravens 4th overall in the 1996 NFL Draft. He was an eleven-time Pro Bowl selection and a nine-time All-Pro, on February 2,2013, Ogden was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the first inductee to spend his entire playing career as a Raven. Ogden was born in Washington, D. C and he received his education at St. Albans School in Washington, excelling not only in high school football but also in track and field. He was a high school All-American in both football and track and he had high school-best throws of 19.23 meters in the shot put and 56.73 meters in the discus throw. Ogden decided to attend the University of California, Los Angeles instead of the University of Florida because the UCLA Bruins football coaches would let him participate in track, as a sophomore, he helped UCLA to the 1993 Pac-10 Championship and Rose Bowl. He later won the 1996 NCAA Mens Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships in the shot put, Ogden had an outstanding career with the Bruins football team, starting as left tackle for four years. In 23 games during his junior and senior years, he allowed just two sacks, in 1995, Ogden received the Outland Trophy and the Morris Trophy, was the UPI Lineman of the Year, and was a unanimous first-team All-American. Ogdens father, an investment banker, told his son to accept UCLAs decision to him from right to left tackle. Ogdens jersey has been retired, making him only the player in UCLA history to receive that honor. He was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006, on December 5,2012 Ogden, who majored in history at UCLA, was enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame. During the 1996 NFL Draft, Ogden was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round with the overall choice. Ozzie Newsome wanted to select Ogden but owner, Art Modell wanted to select the late Lawrence Phillips, Phillips played in 3 NFL seasons and rushed for a career yardage total of 1,453. He was named a nine-time All-Pro and an eleven-time Pro Bowler at left tackle, during his career, Ogden caught two passes – both for one yard and both for touchdowns. He also recovered 10 fumbles, and recorded 10 tackles, Ogden also won a reputation for smiling. Hes a laugher, joked former New York Giants DE Michael Strahan and you see him, you think to yourself this guy is not mean enough to handle the mean guys out there in the NFL. Jonathan would rip your limbs off, and hed smile. Ogden also threw his helmet in frustration several times. He is widely considered one of the best tackles to ever play the game, in 2001, Ogden won a Super Bowl ring with the Ravens when they defeated the New York Giants 34–7 in Super Bowl XXXV
10.
Shannon Sharpe
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He is currently a TV presenter who appears on Skip and Shannon, Undisputed with Skip Bayless and Joy Taylor. He was inducted into to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on August 6,2011, Sharpe holds the distinction of being the first tight end to ever amass over 10,000 receiving yards. Sharpe was also named to the First Team of the NFLs All-Decade Team of the 1990s, Shannon, the younger brother of former NFL star wide receiver Sterling Sharpe, grew up poor in Glennville, Georgia. He once joked, We were so poor, a robber once broke into our house, Sharpe graduated with a degree in criminal justice from Savannah State College. He commented, I was a terrible student, I didnt graduate magna cum laude, I graduated Thank you, Lawdy. At Savannah State, he played football and basketball, and also competed in track, in track, he competed in jumping and throwing events. He had personal-bests of 6.73 meters in the jump and 14.73 meters in the triple jump. He also got a top throw of 42.06 meters in the discus throw, Sharpe was a three-time All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection from 1987 to 1989 and the SIAC Player of the Year in 1987. He was also selected as a Kodak Division II All-American in 1989 and he led the Tigers football team to their best records in the programs history, 7-3 in 1988 and 8-1 in 1989. He was inducted into the Division II Football Hall of Fame in 2009, Sharpe was drafted in the 7th round of the 1990 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos, 192nd overall. He remained with Denver until 1999, winning two championship rings in Super Bowl XXXII and Super Bowl XXXIII in the process, after the 1997 season championship - his first - he appeared on General Mills Wheaties boxes with four other Broncos. After a two-year stint with the Baltimore Ravens, where he won another ring in Super Bowl XXXV. From there, he retired to become an NFL analyst for CBS, ozzie Newsome, the Ravens general manager, said of Sharpe during his career, I think hes a threat when hes on the field. Hes proven that he can make the big plays, Sharpe was selected to the All-Pro Team 4 times, played in eight Pro Bowls and amassed over 1,000 receiving yards in three different seasons. In a 1993 playoff game against the Los Angeles Raiders, Sharpe tied a record with 13 receptions for 156 yards. In the Ravens 2000 AFC title game against the Raiders, he caught a pass on 3rd down and 18 from his own four-yard line and took it 96 yards for a touchdown. Sharpe also caught a 50+ yard pass in each of their two playoff games. He finished his 14-year career with 815 receptions for 10,060 yards and 62 touchdowns in 203 games, in the 2004 NFL regular season, Sharpe defeated Marino and Esiason in the pick em game of The NFL Today with a 53-21 record
11.
Rod Woodson
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Roderick Kevin Woodson is a former American football player who played in the National Football League for seventeen seasons. He had a 10-year stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers and was a key member of the Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl XXXV championship team that beat the New York Giants and he also played for the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders, wearing the jersey number 26 throughout his career. He holds the NFL record for interceptions returned for touchdown, and was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1993 and his 71 career interceptions is the third-most in NFL history. He was an inductee of the Class of 2009 of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Rod played most of career as a cornerback then switched to safety during the later part of his great career. From his retirement in 2003 to February 2011, Woodson worked as an analyst for the NFL Network and he spent the 2011 season as the Raiders cornerbacks coach. He then returned to broadcasting, working for Westwood One as an analyst on college football, Woodson was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He was the youngest of three siblings, with whom he had close relationships and his father, the late James Woodson, was African-American, and his mother, Linda Jo, was Caucasian. Woodson attended R. Nelson Snider High School in Fort Wayne and he played defensive back and a variety of offensive skill positions and was named Parade and USA Today All-American, all-state his junior and senior seasons. Woodson was named Indiana Mr. Football in 1982, Woodson accepted a full scholarship to play football at Purdue University, in part because of a desire to pursue a degree in electrical engineering. He played primarily as a cornerback and kick returner, but also saw time on offense as a running back and he was named an All-American defensive back in 1985 and 1986, he was named an All-American returner in 1986 and was a three time All-Big Ten first team selection. Woodson left Purdue with 13 individual records, tying the record with eleven career interceptions. He currently is ranked in the top ten in career interceptions, solo tackles, total tackles, passes deflected, Woodson was inducted into the Purdue Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003. On December 11,2014, the Big Ten Network included Woodson on The Mount Rushmore of Purdue Football, Woodson was joined in the honor by Drew Brees, Bob Griese, and Leroy Keyes. He finished second at the 1985 NCAA championships in the 55 meter hurdles, Woodson held the NCAA60 meter hurdles record for 10 years. As of January 2009, he holds the school records in both the 60 and 110 meter hurdles. He earned five Big Ten championships while at Purdue, in 1984, he qualified for the Olympic Trials in the 110 meter hurdles, but elected to continue his football career in the NFL after graduating from Purdue with a degree in criminal justice. In 1987, Woodson was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers as the 10th overall draft pick and he returned punts and played cornerback for Pittsburgh through the 1996 season. Woodson and the team initially had difficulty coming to terms, to date Woodson is the longest draft choice holdout the Pittsburgh Steelers have ever had
12.
Wellington Mara
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Wellington Timothy Mara was the co-owner of the New York Giants of the National Football League from 1959 until his death, and one of the most influential and iconic figures in the history of the NFL. He was the son of Tim Mara, who founded the Giants in 1925. Wellington was a boy for that year. Mara was born in Rochester, New York, the son of Elizabeth Lizette, a homemaker, Mara was an alumnus of Loyola School and Fordham University, both New York City Jesuit schools. In 1930, Timothy James Mara split his ownership interests between Wellington and his older brother Jack, soon after graduating from Fordham University, Wellington moved into the Giants front office as team treasurer and assistant to his father. He became the secretary in 1940. After fighting in World War II, he returned to the Giants as team vice president, when Jack, who had been president since 1941, died in 1965, Wellington became team president. For his first 37 years in the organization, he handled the franchises football decisions, however, his growing involvement in league affairs led him to turn over most of his day-to-day responsibilities to operations director Andy Robustelli in 1974. He didnt relinquish full control over the side of the operation until 1979. The Giants were hamstrung for several years by a relationship between Wellington and his nephew, Tim J. Mara, who inherited Jacks stake in the team upon Jacks death. By the 1970s, they almost never spoke to other. The Maras continued to close control over the Giants day-to-day operations long after most other owners had delegated such authority. Under Maras direction the New York Football Giants won six NFL titles, nine conference championships, the Giants have also accumulated the third highest number of victories in National Football League history. Mara was also liked by the Giants players, and was known to stick by them even when they struggled with off-the-field problems. Taylor has since lived a life style and credits Mara with helping him fight his addiction. The Wilson football used in NFL games prior to the AFL merger was nicknamed THE DUKE after Mara, for the 2006 season and beyond, a new version of THE DUKE has been used in NFL games. He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997, Mara was married to Ann Mara. His granddaughters include actresses Kate Mara and Rooney Mara, in 2012, Mara was elected into the New Jersey Hall of Fame
13.
Michael Strahan
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Michael Anthony Strahan is a media personality and former American football defensive end who spent his entire 15-year career with the New York Giants of the National Football League. Strahan set a record for the most sacks in a season in 2001, after retiring from the NFL, Strahan became a media personality. He starred in and produced the short-lived Fox sitcom Brothers and appeared as host for Pros vs. Joes alongside fellow Fox football analyst Jay Glazer, on February 1,2014, he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. As of 2016, he is the host of the ABC game show The $100,000 Pyramid, Strahan was born in Houston, Texas. The youngest of six children, he is the son of Louise Strahan, a coach, and Gene Willie Strahan, a retired Army Major. He is the nephew of retired professional football player Arthur Strahan, Gene was a major in the U. S. Army, and when Michael was 9, the family moved to an army post - BFV - in Mannheim, West Germany. The summer before Strahans senior year of school, his father sent him to live with his uncle Art in Houston so he could attend Westbury High School. Strahan played one season of football, which was enough for him to get an offer from Texas Southern University. He then flew back to Germany for the term, where he graduated from Mannheim Christian. Strahan followed in the footsteps of his uncle Art, who played defensive end at Texas Southern University. Strahan was so dominant he drew double teams, and TSU coaches dubbed Strahan double teaming Strahan rules, by his junior season, Strahan began to turn himself into an NFL prospect. He recorded 62 tackles with a school-record 19 quarterback sacks and 32 tackles totaling 142 yards in losses and he was also selected Division I-AA Defensive Player of the Year by The Poor Mans Guide and Edd Hayes Black College Sports Report. In 1992, he was named First Team All-Southwestern Athletic Conference and he was also named Black College Defensive Player of the Year. As a junior in 1991, Strahan led the SWAC with 14.5 quarterback sacks and his 41.5 career sacks is a Texas Southern record. He played in only 9 games due to injuries, and missed the Giants two playoff games that season, after a few unremarkable seasons, Strahan had a breakout season in 1997, recording 14 sacks. He was voted into his first Pro Bowl and was also named First Team All-Pro by the Associated Press, in 1998, Strahan continued his success, racking up 15 sacks and being voted into his second Pro-Bowl and All-Pro team. Strahan was a member of the 2000 Giants and participated in their run to Super Bowl XXXV. In 2002, Michael Strahan and the Giants negotiated on a new contract and he said the team failed to negotiate after he turned down its first contract proposal
14.
Backstreet Boys
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The Backstreet Boys are an American vocal group, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1993. The group consists of AJ McLean, Howie D, Nick Carter, Kevin Richardson, and Brian Littrell. The group rose to fame with their international album, Backstreet Boys. In the following year released their second international album Backstreets Back. They rose to superstardom with their studio album Millennium and its follow-up album. After a two-year hiatus, they regrouped and released a comeback album Never Gone, after the conclusion of the Never Gone Tour in 2006, Richardson left the group to pursue other interests. The group then released two albums as a quartet, Unbreakable and This Is Us, in 2012, the group announced that Richardson had rejoined them permanently. In the following year they celebrated their 20th anniversary and released their first independent album, the group also released their first documentary movie, titled Backstreet Boys, Show Em What Youre Made Of in January 2015. The Backstreet Boys have sold over 130 million records worldwide, making them the boy band in history. They are the first group since Sade to have their first nine albums reach the top 10 on the Billboard 200, and they also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on April 22,2013. Howie Dorough and AJ McLean were natives of Orlando, Florida, the three, realizing that they could harmonize together, decided to form a trio. Cousins Kevin Richardson and Brian Littrell, both from Lexington, Kentucky, sang in church choirs and festivals when they were children. Richardson moved to Orlando in 1990, where he worked at Walt Disney World, eventually, he met Dorough, Carter, and McLean through a co-worker, and the four decided to form a group. In the course of all this, Lou Pearlman in 1992 placed an ad in the Orlando Sentinel to compose a vocal group, McLean, who was the first to audition for Pearlman in his living room, became the groups first member. In January 1993, Pearlman held a casting call and hundreds of young performers auditioned at his blimp hangar in Kissimmee. Eventually, Carter, Dorough, and Richardson were selected after meeting Pearlmans expectations, Littrell flew from Kentucky to Orlando to formally join the group on April 20,1993, a day after receiving a phone call from Richardson about it. Thus, April 20 became their anniversary date, Pearlman decided to call them Backstreet Boys, after Orlandos Backstreet Market, an outdoor flea market near International Drive which was also a teen hangout. The Backstreet Boys had their very first performance at SeaWorld Orlando on May 8,1993, the group then continued to perform in various venues during summer 1993, from shopping malls, restaurants, to a high-profile charity gala in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
15.
Marcus Allen
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Marcus LeMarr Allen is a former American football running back and football analyst for CBS. As a professional, Allen ran for 12,243 yards and he scored 145 touchdowns, including a then league record 123 rushing touchdowns, and was elected to six Pro Bowls over the course of his career. He was also a good passer for a running back, completing 12 of 27 passes for 285 yards and six touchdowns. Allen was the first player ever to gain more than 10,000 rushing yards and 5,000 receiving yards during his career, Allen is considered one of the greatest goal line and short-yard runners in National Football League history. His younger brother, Damon Allen, played quarterback for 23 seasons in the Canadian Football League and was professional footballs all-time leader in passing yards. Allen has the distinction of being the player in the history of football to have won a Heisman Trophy, an NCAA National Championship, a Super Bowl. He has also inducted into both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Allen played football at Abraham Lincoln High School in San Diego, California, Allen played running back at the University of Southern California from 1978 to 1981. He was recruited as a back, but head coach John Robinson switched him to tailback. As a freshman in 1978, Allen was a member of the Trojans National Championship team, in 1979, he was moved to fullback. Eventually, in 1980, Allen became the starter at tailback and rushed for 1,563 yards, the third-most in the nation that year. In 1981, Allen rushed for 2,342 yards, becoming the player in NCAA history to rush for over 2,000 yards in one season. He also gained a total of 2,683 offensive yards, led the nation in scoring, and won the Heisman Trophy, the Maxwell Award and he was also the Pac-10 Player of the Year. Allen shares the NCAA record for most 200-yard rushing games with Ricky Williams and Ron Dayne, Allen finished his four college seasons with 4,664 rushing yards,5,232 total yards, and 46 touchdowns, while averaging 5.2 yards per carry. USC has retired his jersey #33, Allen was drafted with the 10th overall selection of the 1982 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Raiders. In a recent ad on NFL Network, Allen recalls shortly before being drafted that the Raiders asked him his weight at the time and then drafted him soon after. Though his rookie season was shortened by a strike, Allen rushed for 697 yards. He was voted the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, the Raiders would lose to the New York Jets in the AFC Divisional Playoffs
16.
Ottis Anderson
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Anderson is a former American football running back who played professionally in the National Football League. He was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1979, and he played college football at the University of Miami. Anderson was born and raised in West Palm Beach, Florida and he was a football and track star at Forest Hill High School in West Palm Beach, Florida before graduating in 1975. He went on to attend the University of Miami on an athletic scholarship. Anderson was selected in the first round of the 1979 NFL Draft and he had what was probably the greatest debut game in NFL history when he rushed for 193 yards. His single season 1,605 rushing yard performance was one of the few spots in the Cardinals 1979 season. He earned the first of back-to-back Pro Bowl selections that year, in his first six seasons, Anderson rushed for over 1,000 yards in five seasons. The lone exception was in the 1982 strike-shortened season, when he rushed for 587 yards in eight games, the Cardinals made the playoffs in 1982, thanks to an expanded field due to the brevity of the season. It was the franchises first postseason appearance since 1975 and last until 1998, Anderson rushed for 58 yards on eight carries against the Green Bay Packers in the teams lone playoff game. Injuries drastically decreased the number of games Anderson played each season, after a year and a half, Stump Mitchell emerged as the Cards top running back, and the expendable Anderson was traded to the New York Giants in the middle of the 1986 season. He ended up deep in the Giants depth chart, by this time in his career, it was clear that he was better used in goal line or short yardage situations. Anderson would rush for six yards on seven carries in the 1986 playoffs. In his first two and a half seasons with New York, Anderson did not fumble once in his 100 offensive touches, in 1989, Anderson become the top running back for Bill Parcells ball control offense and was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year. He scored a career high 14 rushing touchdowns, and rushed for 1,023 yards on 325 carries. He was also the top running back for the Giants the following year, when they won Super Bowl XXV, and was named Super Bowl MVP for his 102 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. As a testament to the Giants ball control strategy, their time of possession was double that of the Buffalo Bills, their opponents, Anderson is one of only four running backs in NFL history to score rushing touchdowns in two Super Bowls and win Super Bowl MVP. Anderson was replaced by Rodney Hampton in 1991, Anderson fumbled just three times in 739 touches as a Giant, from 1987–1992. When he retired, Anderson ranked seventh in rushing TDs and eighth in rushing yards, at the 2014 season, Anderson was ranked 18th in career rushing touchdowns and is one of 29 running backs in the history of the NFL to rush for more than 10,000 yards
17.
Bill Parcells
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Duane Charles Bill Parcells, also known as The Big Tuna, is a former American football coach, best known as a head coach in the National Football League for 19 seasons. He rose to prominence as the coach of the New York Giants. Parcells later served as the coach of the New England Patriots, New York Jets. Throughout his career, he coached teams that were in a period of decline and he is the only coach in NFL history to lead four different teams to the playoffs and three different teams to a conference championship game. Parcells brought new success to the team and within four years and his tenure with the Giants spanned eight seasons and concluded with a second championship victory in Super Bowl XXV. After the Super Bowl win, Parcells retired as a coach in 1991, in 1993, Parcells came out of retirement to become the head coach of the Patriots, another struggling franchise at the time. Once again, Parcells changed the fortunes for the team and led them to an appearance in Super Bowl XXXI during his season as their coach. Amid conflicts with Patriots owner Robert Kraft, he left the franchise after their Super Bowl loss and became the head coach of the Jets for the next season. Under Parcells, the Jets went from having only one victory in the season to obtaining a winning record. After three seasons as the Jets head coach, Parcells retired for a time in 1999. He coached the Cowboys for four seasons and helped them qualify for the playoffs twice, following the teams loss in a 2006 NFC Wild Card game, Parcells retired from coaching for good in 2007. Since his final retirement from coaching, Parcells currently serves as an NFL analyst for ESPN and he was also the Vice President of Football Operations with the Miami Dolphins, a position he held from 2008 to 2010. In 2013, Parcells was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Parcells was born in Englewood, New Jersey, on August 22,1941. He grew up in the town of Hasbrouck Heights. His mother, Ida Parcells, was a housewife while his father, Charles Parcells, played quarterback at Georgetown University, Bill Parcells is of Irish, Scottish, English, and Italian descent. Prior to his year in high school, the Parcells family moved a few miles north to the town of Oradell. While he was at River Dell, he was mistaken for another boy named Bill. As he had disliked his given name of Duane, he decided to adopt Bill as his nickname
18.
Aerosmith
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Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as the Bad Boys from Boston and Americas Greatest Rock and Roll Band. Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues. They were formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1970, in 1971, Tabano was replaced by Brad Whitford, and the band began developing a following in Boston. They were signed to Columbia Records in 1972, and released a string of gold and platinum albums, beginning with their 1973 eponymous debut album, followed by Get Your Wings in 1974. In 1975, the broke into the mainstream with the album Toys in the Attic. Two additional albums followed in 1977 and 1979 and their first five albums have since attained multi-platinum status. Throughout the 1970s, the band toured extensively and charted a dozen Hot 100 singles, by the end of the decade, they were among the most popular hard rock bands in the world and developed a loyal following of fans, often referred to as the Blue Army. The band did not fare well between 1980 and 1984, releasing the album Rock in a Hard Place, which was certified gold, Perry and Whitford returned to Aerosmith in 1984 and the band signed a new deal with Geffen Records. After a comeback tour, the band recorded Done with Mirrors, the band also became a pop culture phenomenon with popular music videos and notable appearances in television, film, and video games. Their comeback has been described as one of the most remarkable, additional albums followed in 2001,2004, and 2012. Since 2001, the band has toured every year, except 2008, Aerosmith is the best-selling American hard rock band of all time, having sold more than 150 million records worldwide, including over 70 million records in the United States alone. The band has scored 21 Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, nine number-one Mainstream Rock hits, four Grammy Awards, six American Music Awards, and ten MTV Video Music Awards. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, in 2013, the bands principal songwriters, Tyler and Perry, were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 1964, Steven Tyler formed his own called the Strangeurs—later Chain Reaction—in New Hampshire. Meanwhile, Perry and Hamilton formed the Jam Band, which was based on free-form, Hamilton and Perry moved to Boston, Massachusetts in September 1969. There they met Joey Kramer, a drummer from Yonkers, New York, Kramer knew Tyler and had always hoped to play in a band with him. Kramer, a Berklee College of Music student, decided to school to join Jam Band. In 1970, Chain Reaction and Jam Band played at the same gig, Tyler immediately loved Jam Bands sound, and wanted to combine the two bands
19.
Britney Spears
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Britney Jean Spears is an American singer, dancer, and actress. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, she performed acting roles in stage productions, Spearss first and second studio albums. Baby One More Time and Oops. I Did It Again, became international successes, with the former becoming the album by a teenage solo artist. Title tracks. Baby One More Time and Oops, I Did It Again broke international sales records. In 2001, Spears released her third studio album, Britney. She assumed creative control of her studio album, In the Zone. In 2007, Spearss much-publicized personal issues sent her career into hiatus and her fifth studio album, Blackout, was released later that year, and spawned singles such as Gimme More and Piece of Me. Her erratic behavior and hospitalizations continued through the year, at which point she was placed under a still ongoing conservatorship. Spearss sixth studio album, Circus, included the international chart-topping single Womanizer and her seventh studio album, Femme Fatale, became her first to yield three top-ten singles in the United States. She released her studio album Britney Jean in 2013. Later that year, Spears began the four-year residency show, Britney, Piece of Me, in 2016, Spears released her ninth studio album, Glory. Spears is regarded as a pop icon and credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and she became the best-selling teenage artist of all time and garnered honorific titles including the Princess of Pop. In 2009, Billboard ranked her as the 8th overall Artist of the Decade, the Recording Industry Association of America lists Spears as the eighth top-selling female artist in the United States, with 34 million certified albums. She has sold 100 million albums and over 100 million singles worldwide making her one of the music artists of all time. According to Billboard Spears has sold about 22.38 million singles in digital downloads in US and is the fourth best-selling female artist since Nielsen SoundScan began. Forbes reported that Spears was the highest paid musician of 2012, with earnings of $58 million. Spears was born in McComb, Mississippi, the child of Lynne Irene Bridges and James Parnell Spears. Her maternal grandmother, Lillian Portell, was English, and one of Spearss maternal great-great-grandfathers was Maltese and her siblings are Bryan James and Jamie Lynn
20.
Nelly
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Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr. known professionally as Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, entrepreneur, investor, and occasional actor from St. Louis, Missouri. Nelly embarked on his career with Midwest hip hop group St. Lunatics, in 1993. Under Universal, Nelly began his career in the year 2000, with his debut album Country Grammar. The album debuted at three on the Billboard 200 and went on to peak at number one. Country Grammar is Nellys best-selling album to date, selling over 8.4 million copies in the United States and his following album Nellyville, produced the number-one hits Hot in Herre and Dilemma. Other singles included Work It, Air Force Ones, Pimp Juice, with the same-day dual release of Sweat, Suit and the compilation Sweatsuit, Nelly continued to generate many chart-topping hits. Sweat debuted at two on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 342,000 copies in its first week. On the same week of release, Suit debuted at number one, Nellys fifth studio album, Brass Knuckles, was released on September 16,2008, after several delays. It produced the singles Party People, Stepped on My Jz, in 2010, Nelly released the album 5.0. The lead single, Just a Dream, was certified platinum in the United States. It also included the singles Move That Body and Gone, Nelly won Grammy Awards in 2003 and 2004 and had a supporting role in the 2005 remake film The Longest Yard with Adam Sandler and Chris Rock. He has two clothing lines, Vokal and Apple Bottoms, on December 11,2009, Billboard ranked Nelly the number three Top Artist of the Decade. Nelly was born in Austin, Texas, where his father was serving in the military, when he was seven, his parents divorced. Nelly moved with his mother from St. Louis to University City, while still in high school, Nelly formed the St. Lunatics, a hip hop group who enjoyed local popularity with their single Gimme What Ya Got. Nelly decided to go solo, after a record deal failed to appear. He was signed to Universal Music Group by A&R Kevin Law, Nelly was unusual for being a rapper from the Midwest at a time when the hip-hop scenes were centered around the East Coast, West Coast and the South. The label used this to their advantage by branding Nelly as a star of the Midwest, hoping to inspire pride in the people of St Louis, Nelly was signed with St. Lunatics. Kevin Law and Country from FoReel Entertainment decided to do a record with Nelly first
21.
Mary J. Blige
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Mary Jane Blige is an American singer, songwriter, model, record producer and actress. My Life, in particular, is considered among the greatest albums ever recorded according to Rolling Stone, Time, for her part in combining hip hop and soul in the early 1990s and its subsequent commercial success, Blige received the Legends Award at the World Music Awards. Blige made Time magazines Time 100 list of individuals around the world in 2007. As of 2013, Blige has sold more than 50 million albums and 25 million singles worldwide, Billboard ranked Blige as the most successful female R&B artist of the past 25 years. The magazine also lists her 2006 song Be Without You as the top R&B song of the 2000s, in 2011, VH1 ranked Blige as the 80th greatest artist of all time. Moreover, she is ranked number 100 on the list of 100 greatest singers of all time by Rolling Stone magazine, in 2012, VH1 ranked Blige at number 9 in The 100 Greatest Women in Music. Blige also earned high remarks for her work in film and she starred in the 2009 Tyler Perry box-office hit I Can Do Bad All By Myself and played a role in the film Rock of Ages. She received a Golden Globe Award nomination for her contribution to the film The Help. In partnership with the Home Shopping Network and Carols Daughter, Blige released her My Life perfume, the perfume broke HSN records by selling 65,000 bottles during its premiere. The scent went on to win two FiFi Awards, including the Fragrance Sales Breakthrough award, in 2017, she stars in the period drama film Mudbound directed by Dee Rees. Blige spent her years in Richmond Hill, Georgia, where she sang in a Pentecostal church. Blige later moved to Schlobohm Houses in Yonkers, New York, immediately north of New York City, Blige dropped out of high school in her junior year. Pursuing a musical career, Blige spent a period of time in a Yonkers band named Pride with band drummer Eddie DAprile. In early 1988, she recorded a cover of Anita Bakers Caught Up in the Rapture at a recording booth in the Galleria Mall in White Plains. Her mothers boyfriend at the later played the cassette for Jeff Redd. Redd sent it to the president and CEO of the label, Harrell met with Blige and in 1989 she was signed to the label, becoming the companys youngest and first female artist. After being signed to Uptown Records, Blige began working with record producer Puff Daddy and he became the executive producer and produced a majority of the album. Derived from Bliges past occupation as a 4-1-1 operator, it was also an indication by Blige of being the real deal, the music was described as revelatory on a frequent basis
22.
NSYNC
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NSYNC was an American boy band formed in Orlando, Florida in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich. NSYNC consisted of Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone, and Lance Bass.42 million copies in one week, blige, country music supergroup Alabama, and Gloria Estefan. Although NSYNC announced the start of a hiatus in early 2002. In 2007, Lance Bass confirmed that the group had broken up. They have sold over 70 million albums during their career, becoming the eighth-best-selling boy band in history, rolling Stone recognized their instant success as one of the Top 25 Teen Idol Breakout Moments of all time. Chris Kirkpatrick, who had missed the cut for the Backstreet Boys, Pearlman said that he would finance the group if Kirkpatrick would find other young male singers. This prompted Kirkpatrick to call Joey Fatone, a friend he had met while working at Universal Studios, then, Fatone and Kirkpatrick approached Lou Pearlman for more suggestions. Pearlman looked through some tapes they had, and one of Justin Timberlake from The Mickey Mouse Club caught his eye, Timberlake soon joined the group and recommended his friend JC Chasez, who also was a cast member on Disney Channels Mickey Mouse Club. Soon, they decided to out their sound by recruiting Jason Galasso as their bass singer. NSYNC received its name after Justin Timberlakes mother commented on how in sync the groups singing voices were, the groups name is also a play on the last letter of each of the original members names, JustiN, ChriS, JoeY, JasoN, and JC. After several weeks of rehearsals, the set up a showcase. However, at the last minute, Galasso dropped out and he was not fond of the groups musical direction, claiming that being a teen idol was never a goal of his. In need of a bass, the group auditioned several people without success, Timberlake soon called his vocal coach, who suggested a 16-year-old from Mississippi named Lance Bass. Bass flew to Orlando to audition and was accepted into the group. He was nicknamed Lansten so they could keep the name NSYNC, Pearlman hired Johnny Wright, manager of the Backstreet Boys, to manage the group. NSYNC sent him a two-song demo-tape including Ill Be Back for More and We Can Work It Out, the group performed for him and a group of BMG executives. Although the record company had concerns with the bands name and Basss dancing abilities. After being signed to BMG Ariola Munich, the group was sent to Sweden to begin working on their album with the help of producers such as Denniz Pop, Max Martin
23.
NFL on CBS
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The NFL on CBS is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League games that are produced by CBS Sports, the sports division of the CBS television network in the United States. The network has aired NFL game telecasts since 1956, since 2014, CBS has also broadcast Thursday Night Football games during the first half of the NFL season, through a production partnership with the NFL Network. CBS coverage began on September 30,1956, before the 1970 AFL–NFL merger, prior to 1968, CBS had an assigned crew for each NFL team. As an result, CBS became the first network to broadcast some NFL regular season games to selected markets across the country. From 1970 until the end of the 1993 season, when Fox won the broadcast television contract to that particular conference, since 1975, game coverage has been preceded by pre-game show The NFL Today, which features game previews, extensive analysis and interviews. CBSs first attempts to broadcast the NFL on television were notable for there being no broadcasting contract with the league as a whole. Instead, CBS had to strike deals with individual teams to broadcast games into the teams own markets, often the games would be broadcast with split audio – that is, a game between two franchises would have the same picture in both teams networks. Each teams network had different announcers, chris Schenkel was their play-by-play announcer in that early era when each team was assigned its own network voice on its regional telecasts. At the time, there were few if any true national telecasts until the NFL championship game, Schenkel was joined by Jim McKay, later Johnny Lujack through the 1950s and the early 1960s. As Giants players retired to the broadcast booth in the early and 1960s, first Pat Summerall, as the 1970 merger of the NFL and AFL approached, CBS moved to a more generic announcer approach while Schenkel left to join ABC Sports. From 1956 to 1959, the Baltimore Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers, when these three played at home, there was no need for the usage of split audio. Instead, the teams telecasts were produced in a simple singular audio-video feed. In 1959,1960 and 1961, NBC had the rights to televise Colts, while the game broadcasts were blacked out in those cities, they were available to other NBC-affiliated stations. The Chicago Bears and Chicago Cardinals only produced home telecasts for their vast network. Because of this, if the Bears played the Colts in Baltimore or the Cardinals visited Forbes Field to play the Steelers during this period, meanwhile, the Cleveland Browns had their own network, part of Sports Network Incorporated and Carling Beer. In 1961, then-CBS affiliate WISN-TV in Milwaukee opted not to carry that years annual telecast of The Wizard of Oz, running a Green Bay Packers football game instead. In contrast to the infamous Heidi telecast in 1968, the popularity of The Wizard of Oz as a television event at that time was such that the station ran the movie locally at a later date. In 1962, the NFL followed the American Football Leagues suit with its own revenue sharing plan after CBS agreed to telecast all regular season games for a fee of US$4.65 million
24.
Greg Gumbel
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Greg Gumbel is an American television sportscaster. He is best known for his various assignments on the CBS network, Gumbel is currently the host of Inside the NFL on Showtime and NFL Network. He works alongside Boomer Esiason, Phil Simms, Ed Reed, Gumbel was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the first child of parents Richard Gumbel, a judge, and Rhea Alice LeCesne. As a young man, Gumbel grew up on Chicagos South Side, before becoming a broadcaster, Gumbel graduated with a B. A. degree in English from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa where he also played on the baseball team. He also has two sisters, Renee Gumbel-Farrahi and Rhonda Gumbel-Thomas, in 1973, Gregs brother Bryant Gumbel informed him that a Chicago TV station was auditioning for a sports announcer. At the time, Greg was selling hospital supplies in Detroit and he ultimately got the job and worked there for seven years. The sportscaster he replaced, Dennis Swanson, went on to become president of ABC Sports, prior to his rising to prominence at CBS, Gumbel worked for MSG, ESPN, and WFAN radio in New York City. At ESPN, he anchored the show SportsCenter and did play-by-play for early NBA games, on MSG, Gumbel served as a backup announcer for Marv Albert on New York Knicks broadcasts as well as providing coverage for college basketball. When MSG signed a contract to broadcast New York Yankees games in 1989. In addition to his MSG duties, he was the host of the first radio morning show on radio station WFAN, gumbels CBS career began with part-time work as an NFL announcer in 1988. Also in 1989, Gumbel began announcing college basketball as well and he became host of The NFL Today for the 1990 to 1993 seasons. He also anchored CBS coverage of Major League Baseball, college football, besides his hosting duties, Gumbel provided play-by-play for the NBA, Major League Baseball including the 1993 American League Championship Series, and College World Series baseball. He was the prime time anchor for the 1994 Winter Olympic Games from Lillehammer, Norway and co-anchor for the morning broadcasts of the 1992 Winter Olympics from Albertville. Gumbel moved to NBC in 1994 following CBS losses of the NFL, while at NBC, Gumbel hosted NBCs coverage of the 1994 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Gumbel left NBC after the network broadcast of Super Bowl XXXII to return to CBS and his first major assignment was to serve as studio host for the networks coverage of college basketball, including the NCAA mens basketball tournament, something he continues to do to this day. As CBS had just acquired the rights to NBCs previous NFL package, Gumbel was the lead announcer for the NFL on CBS between 1998 and 2003, calling Super Bowls XXXV and XXXVIII. For the 2004 NFL season, Gumbel traded positions with Jim Nantz as host of The NFL Today with Nantz taking over as lead announcer, at the end of the 2005 NFL season, Gumbel was replaced as studio host of The NFL Today by James Brown. Gumbel returned to the broadcast booth as the #2 play-by-play man, replacing Dick Enberg, Greg, his wife Marcy, brother Bryant, and Gregs married daughter Michelle all reside in the Fort Lauderdale, Florida area
25.
Phil Simms
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Phillip Martin Simms is a former American football quarterback who spent his entire 14-year professional career playing for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He is currently a sportscaster for the CBS network. He also was named to the Pro Bowl for his performances in the 1985 and 1993 seasons and he is the father of former NFL quarterback, New England Patriots assistant coach, and current Fox Sports college football analyst Chris Simms, as well as Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Simms. Simms was born in Springfield, Kentucky on his grandfathers farm, while an elementary school student his family moved and Simms grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. He went to St. Rita catholic grade school also and he attended Southern High School in Louisville and was quarterback of the Southern Trojans, graduating in 1974. Simms chose to attend Morehead State University in nearby Morehead, Kentucky, the team also finished with a 2–6–1 record in his senior season and failed to make a bowl game during Simms four years. Simms finished his career at Morehead State with 409 completions in 835 attempts for a 48. 9% completion percentage and he also totalled 32 touchdowns,45 interceptions, and a school-record 5,545 yards. Before the 1979 NFL Draft, Bill Walsh, who was the new coach of the San Francisco 49ers, Walsh was so impressed with Simms that he planned to draft him in the third round, preferring him over another young quarterback they scouted and ultimately drafted, Joe Montana. But the New York Giants decided to make Simms their first round pick to the surprise of many, as Simms acknowledged, most people have never heard of me. When Simmss name was announced by Commissioner Pete Rozelle in front of the audience at the draft, his selection was booed loudly by the Giants fans in attendance. Simms was not happy being a Giant either, All I was thinking was which teams I would rather play for—the Green Bay Packers, nonetheless, he became popular with his teammates who jokingly dubbed him Prince Valiant in his rookie training camp. Simms won his first five starts of his rookie year and he led the team to a 6–4 record as a starter, throwing for 1,743 yards and 13 touchdown passes and was named to the NFL All Rookie Team. He was runner-up in 1979 for Rookie of the Year, losing out to future teammate, Simms next four years were marred by injuries and inconsistent play. He finished the 1980 season with 15 touchdowns and 19 interceptions, in 1981, Simms threw for 2,031 yards,11 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions on 54. 4% completion percentage before suffering a separated shoulder in a November 15 loss to the Washington Redskins. With Simms out, the Giants went on a run led by Scott Brunner, Simms suffered a torn knee ligament in a preseason game against the New York Jets, preventing him from playing the entire 1982 season. Following the season, Ray Perkins resigned as coach to take over the same position at the University of Alabama. In the coming years this change would prove crucial to the Giants, one of Parcells first decisions as coach was to replace Simms as the starting quarterback with Brunner. Simms asked to be traded after the benching, but his request was ignored, during the sixth game of the Giants 1983 Season, Simms came in to replace the struggling Brunner against the Philadelphia Eagles
26.
Armen Keteyian
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Armen Keteyian is an American television journalist and author. He is currently a correspondent to 60 Minutes. Previous Franklin honorees include Walter Cronkite, Malcolm Forbes, John Glenn, Clive Davis, Henry Luce, Keteyian was born in Detroit, Michigan, and is of Armenian descent. Keteyian is a 1971 graduate of Bloomfield Hills Lahser High School in Bloomfield Hills, MI, in June of 1982 he was hired as a reporter for Sports Illustrated in New York, where he specialized in investigations. An 11-time Emmy award winner, Keteyian was named a correspondent for Showtimes 60 Minutes Sports. The show completed a run in March 2017 after more than 50 episodes. Prior to that he was CBS News chief investigative correspondent for seven years, after spending nine years as a sportscaster for HBO and CBS Sports. He has written or co-written 10 books including the New York Times best sellers, The System, Keteyian won a Womens Sports Foundation Journalism Award for a 1993 ABC News report on the landmark Title IX battle at Brown University. He also won 1993 and 1994 Emmy Awards in Sports Journalism, Keteyian joined CBS Sports as a special-features reporter in December 1997. He served as a reporter for CBSs coverage of the 1998 FedEx Orange Bowl and he was also the sideline reporter for the infamous Snow Bowl between the Patriots and Raiders on January 19,2002. Four were for CBS Sports, including three for coverage of the Tour de France and one for a Super Bowl pre-game piece about NFL quarterbacks and their sons. He also has two Sports Journalism Emmys for Real Sports - a report on the financing of the Bank One Ballpark in Arizona and he also was a featured correspondent for HBO Sports Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, from 1998–2006 and returned to the show from April 2010-December 2012. He has twice won Emmy Awards for RS in Sports Journalism, additionally, Keteyian co-produced and co-wrote A City on Fire, The Story of the 68 Detroit Tigers, a 2002 documentary aired as part of HBO Sports Sports of the 20th Century series. Keteyian is the co-author of The System, a look inside major college football to be published by Doubleday in the fall of 2013. He lives in Fairfield, CT, with his wife, Dede and he is currently working on a book about Tiger Woods with co-author Jeff Benedict to be published by Simon & Schuster in April of 2018. Keteyians CBS News Bio Primary Source Keteyians blog at CBS News Investigates Did Contractor Expose Troops To Toxin, CBS Evening News Exclusive, American Soldiers Are Dying Of Lung Cancer - And May Have Been Knowingly Exposed, WASHINGTON,22. Dec.08, Armen Keteyian
27.
Bonnie Bernstein
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Bonnie Lynn Bernstein is an American sports journalist and executive. She has been named one of the most accomplished female sportscasters in history by the American Sportscasters Association, Bernstein is Vice President, Content and Brand Development, of Campus Insiders, as well as the on-air face of the network. Additionally, she freelances for The Dan Patrick Show, ESPN, espnW and DirecTV and serves as a guest commentator on several networks, including MSNBC, NBC. Bernstein was born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York and she was salutatorian of her class at Howell High School, where she is a member of the school’s hall of fame. She attended the University of Maryland, where she graduated cum laude with a degree in broadcast journalism. She was a four-time Academic All-America in gymnastics, receiving the Thomas M. Fields award for excellence in academics and athletics and she also hosts TerpVision, a quarterly television program showcasing the University and its notable alumni. Bernstein spent three years climbing the local broadcast ladder, launching her career as the news and sports director at WXJN-FM radio in Lewes, Delaware. She transitioned to television at WMDT-TV in Salisbury, Maryland as the ABC affiliates weekend news anchor, then became Reno, Bernstein first joined ESPN in 1995 as its Chicago Bureau Chief, where she covered Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls record-setting championship run. Bernstein joined CBS Sports in 1998 as the sideline reporter for the NCAA Mens Basketball Championships. She transitioned to sideline reporting for the NFL on CBS and she worked with the Verne Lundquist/Dick Enberg and Dan Dierdorf crew until 2003, when she was promoted to the lead crew of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms. Upon signing with CBS/Westwood One Radio in 2001, Bernstein often pulled double duty during the NFL season, covering a Sunday game for CBS, during the 2003 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship, Bernstein was involved in an incident with University of Kansas basketball coach Roy Williams. After the Jayhawks narrowly lost to Syracuse, Bernstein, during her post-game interview, Williams, visibly perturbed, suggested a producer forced Bernstein to ask the question, and said, I could give a about North Carolina right now. Ive got thirteen kids in that room that I love. Williams later apologized for his profanity and accepted the North Carolina job one week later. Responding to the incident, CBS Sports President Sean McManus said and they had to be asked, and her performance was totally professional. Bernstein also covered tennis, track and field, horse racing and figure skating for the network and has hosted the U. S. Open Tennis Championships and the Hambletonian. In January 2006, Bernstein left CBS to and rejoined ESPN in July as a reporter for Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN with Jon Miller and Joe Morgan. In September 2009, Bernstein was named co-host and SportsCenter anchor for The Michael Kay Show on 1050 ESPN Radio in New York and she also covered the New York Jets and hosted specialty programming during the 2009-10 NFL playoffs
28.
Super Bowl XXXIV
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The Rams defeated the Titans by the score of 23–16, capturing their first Super Bowl win and first NFL championship since 1951. The game, played on January 30,2000 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, was the fourth Super Bowl to be held a week after the championship games. The Rams entered their second Super Bowl in team history with an NFC-best 13–3 regular season record and it was the franchises first playoff appearance since 1989, when they were still in Los Angeles. Tennessee finished in place in the AFC Central division behind the 14–2 Jacksonville Jaguars. The first two quarters of Super Bowl XXXIV were largely a defensive battle, despite outgaining the Titans in total offensive yards in the first half, 294–89, the Rams held only a 9–0 halftime lead on three field goals. St. Louis later scored their first touchdown midway through the 3rd quarter to go up 16–0, Tennessee then responded by scoring 16 consecutive points to tie the game with 2,12 left in regulation. This was the largest deficit to be erased in a Super Bowl, on the Rams ensuing drive, quarterback Kurt Warner completed a 73-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Isaac Bruce to regain the lead. The Titans then drove to the St and this play went into NFL lore as One Yard Short, or simply The Tackle. Warner was then named Super Bowl MVP, becoming the player to win both that award and the NFL MVP during the same season. At the time, his 414 passing yards and 45 pass attempts without an interception broke Super Bowl records and this game is often referred to as the Dot-com Super Bowl due to the large amount of advertisements purchased by dot-com companies. This game was featured as one of NFLs Greatest Games as The Longest Yard. NFL owners awarded Super Bowl XXXIV to Atlanta during their October 31,1996 meeting held in New Orleans, other cities under consideration were Miami, Tampa, and Los Angeles. Owners initially planned on selecting only two hosts, but decided to name three after strong showings by the respective delegations, Miami, Atlanta, and Tampa were selected to host XXXIII, XXXIV, and XXXV, respectively. The Rams entered 1999 having been among the leagues stragglers for a decade, the reasons are many, including, some suggest, mismanagement by executive John Shaw. The franchise moved to a stadium in St. Louis, Missouri for the 1995 season. In 1997, the team hired Dick Vermeil as their head coach, little was expected of the Rams for 1999. Indeed, ESPN The Magazines 1999 NFL preview predicted the Rams would be the worst team in the NFL, worse even than the Cleveland Browns, who had returned as an expansion team that year. The Rams proceeded to shock the NFL with an NFC-best 13–3 regular season record and outscored their opponents 526–242 and this was the Rams first playoff appearance since 1989 and only the second Super Bowl appearance in team history
29.
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
30.
Super Bowl XXXVI
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The Patriots defeated the Rams 20–17. It was New Englands first Super Bowl championship, and the franchises first league championship of any kind, the game was played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, on February 3,2002. Following the September 11 attacks earlier in the season, the NFL postponed a week of season games. As a result, Super Bowl XXXVI was rescheduled from the date of January 27 to February 3. Due to heightened security measures following the terrorist attacks, this was the first Super Bowl designated as a National Special Security Event by the Office of Homeland Security, the OHS would later name each subsequent Super Bowl an NSSE. This game marked the Rams third Super Bowl appearance in franchise history, St. Louis posted an NFL-best 14–2 regular season record, led by quarterback Kurt Warner and The Greatest Show on Turf offense. Although the Rams out-gained the Patriots 427–267 in total yards, New England built a 17–3 third-quarter lead off of three St. Louis turnovers, without any timeouts, Brady led his team down the field to set up kicker Adam Vinatieris game-winning 48-yard field goal as time expired. Brady, who completed 16 of 27 passes for 145 yards, after their Super Bowl-winning 1999 season, the Rams offense again dominated the league in 2000, leading the NFL in passing, scoring, and total yards. However, the Rams had one of the worst defenses in the league, ranking last in points allowed. This, along with problems and a coaching change from Super Bowl winning coach Dick Vermeil. The season ended with a loss to the New Orleans Saints in the wild card round of the playoffs. After signing several new players in the off-season, and hiring new defensive coordinator Lovie Smith. They led the league in total offensive yards and scoring. This was the Rams third consecutive season with over 500 points, on defense, they only allowed 271 points, improving their 31st ranking in 2000 to 7th in 2001. The Rams 1999–2001 offense, nicknamed The Greatest Show on Turf, is considered one of the best in NFL history. The team possessed an incredible amount of talent at nearly every position. Wide receivers Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce each amassed over 1,100 receiving yards, combining for 142 receptions,2,469 yards, wide receiver Ricky Proehl caught 40 passes for 563 yards and 5 touchdowns. Tight end Ernie Conwell caught 38 passes for 431 yards and 4 touchdowns, wide receiver Az-Zahir Hakim caught 39 passes for 374 yards, and added another 333 yards returning punts
31.
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
32.
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
33.
Super Bowl XXXVII
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The Buccaneers defeated the Raiders by the score of 48–21, tied with Super Bowl XXXV for the seventh largest Super Bowl margin of victory, and winning their first ever Super Bowl. The game, played on January 26,2003 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego and it was also the last Super Bowl played in the month of January. Super Bowl XXXVI was the first to be played in February, starting with Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004, the Super Bowl has been permanently played in February. This was the last Super Bowl until Super Bowl 50 to take place in California and it was the first and only time until Super Bowl XLVIII in Super Bowl history that the leagues number one-ranked offense was pitted against the leagues number one-ranked defense. Super Bowl XXXVII is also referred to as the Pirate Bowl, the game is sometimes referred to as the Gruden Bowl, because the primary storyline surrounding the game revolved around Jon Gruden. Gruden was the Raiders head coach from 1998 to 2001, Tampa Bay, Grudens new team, made their first Super Bowl appearance in team history after posting a 12–4 regular season record. Oakland, Grudens old team, advanced to their fifth Super Bowl after an 11–5 regular season and this was also the first Super Bowl to feature two former division rivals, as the Buccaneers and Raiders both played in the AFC West in 1976. The Raiders came into the game as four-point favorites, however, the Tampa Bay defense dominated the contest. Oakland quarterback Rich Gannon threw a Super Bowl record five interceptions, the Buccaneers also sacked Gannon five times, and scored 34 consecutive points to build a 34–3 lead late in the third quarter. Tampa Bay safety Dexter Jackson, who had two of interceptions and returned them for 34 yards, was named Super Bowl MVP. Jackson became only the safety and third defensive back named Super Bowl MVP. Super Bowl XXXVII was originally awarded to San Francisco on October 15,1997 by the NFL owners at a meeting in Washington. The 49ers had recently announced plans for a new stadium, and were awarded the Super Bowl contingent on its completion, however, the stadium plans had stalled by the fall of 1998 and the NFL reopened the bidding for the game. San Diego, which had lost out on XXXVI, announced its interest, the city was awarded the game during the May 26,1999 meeting at Atlanta. Miami was the other city in consideration. It was the last Super Bowl played in California until Super Bowl 50 at Levis Stadium in Santa Clara and it was the also the final Super Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium before the Chargers relocated to Los Angeles in 2017. It was then succeeded by itself again in 2016 when Super Bowl 50 took place in San Francisco, after moving back to Oakland, California in 1995, the Raiders suffered sub-par seasons, including a 4–12 record in 1997. Under Grudens leadership, the Raiders improved to 8–8 in both 1998 and 1999, the team was further boosted in 1999 with the signing of veteran quarterback Rich Gannon
34.
Baltimore
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Baltimore is the largest city in the U. S. state of Maryland, and the 29th-most populous city in the country. It was established by the Constitution of Maryland and is not part of any county, thus, it is the largest independent city in the United States, with a population of 621,849 as of 2015. As of 2010, the population of the Baltimore Metropolitan Area was 2.7 million, founded in 1729, Baltimore is the second largest seaport in the Mid-Atlantic. Baltimores Inner Harbor was once the leading port of entry for immigrants to the United States. With hundreds of identified districts, Baltimore has been dubbed a city of neighborhoods, in the War of 1812, Francis Scott Key wrote The Star-Spangled Banner, later the American national anthem, in Baltimore. More than 65,000 properties, or roughly one in three buildings in the city, are listed on the National Register, more than any city in the nation. The city has 289 properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the historical records of the government of Baltimore are located at the Baltimore City Archives. The city is named after Cecil Calvert, second Lord Baltimore, of the Irish House of Lords, Baltimore Manor was the name of the estate in County Longford on which the Calvert family lived in Ireland. Baltimore is an anglicization of the Irish name Baile an Tí Mhóir, in 1608, Captain John Smith traveled 210 miles from Jamestown to the uppermost Chesapeake Bay, leading the first European expedition to the Patapsco River. The name Patapsco is derived from pota-psk-ut, which translates to backwater or tide covered with froth in Algonquian dialect, a quarter century after John Smiths voyage, English colonists began to settle in Maryland. The area constituting the modern City of Baltimore and its area was first settled by David Jones in 1661. He claimed the area today as Harbor East on the east bank of the Jones Falls stream. In the early 1600s, the immediate Baltimore vicinity was populated, if at all. The Baltimore area had been inhabited by Native Americans since at least the 10th millennium BC, one Paleo-Indian site and several Archaic period and Woodland period archaeological sites have been identified in Baltimore, including four from the Late Woodland period. During the Late Woodland period, the culture that is called the Potomac Creek complex resided in the area from Baltimore to the Rappahannock River in Virginia. It was located on the Bush River on land that in 1773 became part of Harford County, in 1674, the General Assembly passed An Act for erecting a Court-house and Prison in each County within this Province. The site of the house and jail for Baltimore County was evidently Old Baltimore near the Bush River. In 1683, the General Assembly passed An Act for Advancement of Trade to establish towns, ports, one of the towns established by the act in Baltimore County was on Bush River, on Town Land, near the Court-House
35.
Super Bowl V
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The Colts defeated the Cowboys by the score of 16–13. The game was played on January 17,1971, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida and this was the first Super Bowl played after the completion of the AFL–NFL merger. As per the agreement, all 26 AFL and NFL teams were divided into two conferences with 13 teams in each of them. Along with the Colts, the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to join the 10 AFL teams to form the AFC, the remaining 13 NFL teams formed the NFC. This explains why the Colts represented the NFL in Super Bowl III, meanwhile, the Cowboys were making their first Super Bowl appearance after posting a 10–4 regular season record. The game is called the Blunder Bowl or the Stupor Bowl because it was filled with poor play, a missed PAT, penalties, turnovers. The two teams committed a Super Bowl record 11 combined turnovers in the game, and the Colts seven turnovers are currently the most ever committed by a team in a Super Bowl. Dallas also set a Super Bowl record with 10 penalties, costing them 133 yards and it was finally settled with nine seconds left when Colts rookie kicker Jim OBrien kicked a 32-yard field goal with 5 seconds left in the game. In order to win the game, Baltimore had to overcome a 13–6 deficit after three quarters, and losing their starting quarterback Johnny Unitas in the second quarter. It is the only Super Bowl in which the Most Valuable Player Award was given to a member of the team, Cowboys linebacker Chuck Howley. Howley was the first non-quarterback to win the MVP award, along this theme, Colts defensive end Bubba Smith would later refuse to wear his Super Bowl V ring because of the sloppy play. The NFL awarded hosting rights for Super Bowl V to the city of Miami on March 17,1970, the Colts were an unspectacular but well-balanced veteran team, led by 37-year-old quarterback Johnny Unitas. Unitas had regained his spot on the team in 1969 upon recovering from an injury that led him to miss the majority of the 1968 season. Unitas played inconsistently during the 1970 regular season, he threw for 2,213 yards, Unitas also had injury problems, causing him to miss two regular season games and thus giving Earl Morrall more significant playing time. Morrall put up better statistics than Unitas, but head coach Don McCafferty decided to start Unitas for the playoffs, in the backfield, running back Norm Bulaich was the teams top rusher with 426 yards and 3 touchdowns, while also catching 11 passes for another 123 yards. The Colts main strength was their defense, Pro Bowl defensive tackle Bubba Smith anchored the line. Behind him, the Colts had two outstanding linebackers, Pro Bowler Mike Curtis, who recorded 5 interceptions, and Ted Hendricks. In the secondary, Pro Bowl safety Jerry Logan recorded 6 interceptions for 92 return yards and 2 touchdowns, Don Klosterman, formerly with San Diego, Kansas City and Houston in the AFL, became the Colts General Manager in 1970
36.
Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars
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The Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars were a professional American football team which played in the United States Football League in the mid-1980s. Owned by real-estate magnate Myles Tanenbaum, they were the leagues dominant team. The Stars began in Philadelphia in the USFLs inaugural 1983 season and they compiled the leagues best regular season record of 15–3, and advanced to the 1983 USFL championship game. Their Doghouse Defense allowed only 204 points in an 18-game season—the least in the history of the league, the team also featured TSN all-star rookie punter Sean Landeta. In the league game at Denvers Mile High Stadium on July 17. Just as they had against the Blitz, the Stars opened the game sluggishly, the Stars solid season led some to suggest that they could have been a fairly competitive NFL team, along with Michigan and Chicago. The fact this comparison was even being made gave the USFL much-needed credibility and they remained in Philadelphia for the 1984 season, but were forced to relocate postseason home games to Franklin Field due to a conflict with the Philadelphia Phillies. The Stars roared through the season with the league best 16–2 record. It was the last traditional professional football championship for the city of Philadelphia, the Stars were also becoming increasingly successful off the field, as average home attendance jumped from approximately 18,000 in 1983 to 28,000 in 1984. After the league game, the Stars played a rare post-season exhibition game with Tampa Bay in England on July 21. The leagues owners, led by Donald Trump of the New Jersey Generals, the Stars, who shared Veterans Stadium with both the Philadelphia Eagles and Philadelphia Phillies, would likely not be able to play in a modern stadium with the USFLs switch to a fall schedule. In response, Tanenbaum moved the team to Baltimore, unfortunately, he was unable to get a lease for Baltimores Memorial Stadium. This was all compounded by the Washington Redskins success during these years which included playing in the Super Bowl in January 1983 and 1984. At least in part due to all the moving, the Stars initially struggled in 1985, even if theyd notched a better record, they may have lost home-field advantage for the playoffs due to poor attendance. Many Baltimoreans were not ready to make the 35-minute drive down Interstate 95 to see the Stars play in College Park, most were waiting for the team to begin play in the citys venerable Memorial Stadium a year later. Nevertheless, their games were broadcast on WBAL radio in Baltimore, ABC Sports, embarrassed at the attendance from around the league, told Usher it did not want to televise playoff games in near-empty stadiums. Since ABC had disproportionate influence on league affairs due to the structure of its contract with the USFL, Usher had little choice but to agree. However, the Stars managed to upend the favored New Jersey Generals, once there, the Baltimore Stars won the USFL title beating the Bobby Hebert-led Oakland Invaders, 28–24
37.
United States Football League
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The United States Football League was an American football league that played for three seasons,1983 through 1985. The league played a schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be played in the autumn/winter, however, the USFL ceased operations before its fourth season was scheduled to begin. Dixon had been a key player in the construction of the Louisiana Superdome and he developed The Dixon Plan—a blueprint for the USFL based upon securing NFL-caliber stadiums in top TV markets, securing a TV deal, and controlling spending—and found investors willing to buy in. The USFL had no salary cap, and some teams quickly escalated player payrolls to unsustainable levels despite pledges to keep costs under control. These problems were worsened as some owners began engaging in bidding wars for star players against NFL teams and each other, on the field, the USFL was regarded as a relatively good product. The Michigan Panthers won the first USFL championship in 1983, in 1985, the USFL voted to move from a spring to a fall schedule in 1986 to compete directly with the NFL. This was done at the urging of New Jersey Generals majority owner Donald Trump, as part of this strategy, the USFL filed an anti-trust lawsuit against the National Football League in 1986, and a jury ruled that the NFL had violated anti-monopoly laws. However, in a victory in only, the USFL was awarded a judgment of just $1. This court decision effectively ended the USFL, the league never played the 1986 season, and by the time it folded, it had lost over US$163 million. The USFL is historically significant in part for the level of talent that played in the league, a number of NFL veterans of all talent levels played in the USFL. It is true that some NFL backups such as quarterbacks Chuck Fusina and Cliff Stoudt, G Buddy Aydelette, however, many NFL backups struggled or did not make it in the USFL. The USFL was the brainchild of David Dixon, a New Orleans antiques dealer, in 1965, he envisioned football as a possible spring and summer sport. Over the next 15 years, he studied the last two challengers to the NFLs dominance of pro football—the American Football League and the World Football League, in 1980, he commissioned a study by Frank Magid Associates that found promising results for a spring and summer football league. He also assembled a list of prospective franchises located in markets attractive to a television partner. With respected college and NFL coach John Ralston as the first employee, Dixon signed up 12 cities—nine where there already were NFL teams, the Dixon Plan called for teams in top TV markets to entice the networks into offering the league a TV deal. All but two of the 12 initial teams were located in the top 13 media markets in the US. After almost two years of preparation, Dixon formally announced the USFLs formation at the 21 Club in New York City on May 11,1982, ESPN president Chet Simmons was named the leagues first commissioner in June 1982
38.
Baltimore Stallions
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The Baltimore Stallions were a Canadian Football League team based in Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States, which played the 1994 and 1995 seasons. They had winning records in season, won a division championship. They are thus one of three Grey Cup champions in the era to subsequently fold. The CFL considers the Stallions to be a franchise from the Alouettes. For 30 years, Baltimore had been home to the Baltimore Colts, Baltimore made two serious bids to get another NFL team. It heavily wooed the St. Louis Cardinals football team owned by the Bidwill family, in 1993, an ownership group failed to win an NFL expansion franchise as a replacement when the proposed Baltimore Bombers rejected. He initially called the team the Baltimore CFL Colts, however, the NFL went to court and successfully obtained a legal injunction against the franchises use of any version of Colts in their name just hours before the team was to play its first game. Local fans tended to continue referring to the team as the Baltimore Colts anyway, speross approach to building the team was simple. He knew Canadian football was different from the American game, so he made a point of hiring personnel. In contrast, the other American CFL teams stocked their rosters with former NFL players, former football players. Speros hired career CFL assistant Jim Popp as general manager, Popp and Matthews, in turn, brought in experienced CFL players like QB Tracy Ham, RB Mike Pringle, LB O. J. Brigance, DT Jearld Baylis, DE Elfrid Payton. One of the more prominent NFL castoffs was K Donald Igwebuike, even though they lacked an official name, the team finished second in the CFL East Division, with a 12–6 regular season record – a record for the most wins by a CFL expansion team. In addition, the team was ranked third in the entire CFL in team scoring, Mike Pringle was the teams offensive standout, earning the leagues leading rushing title with a record 1,972 yards and thirteen touchdowns. Pringle also returned 38 kicks for 814 yards, which him a CFL All-Star, Eastern All-Star. In the playoffs, Baltimore hosted the Toronto Argonauts in the East semifinals at Memorial Stadium and won the game, 34–15. After the semifinal game, Baltimore ended up defeating the favored Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Winnipeg Stadium 14–12 to become the first American, in the Grey Cup game, Baltimore was up against the B. C. Lions at BC Place Stadium in what amounted to a road game, just before the start of the 1995 season, a name-the-team fan poll was held to decide a new team name. The name change was a convenient one in that it allowed Baltimores logo, despite the changes to their name and team re-alignment, the Stallions returned with virtually the same roster for their next season
39.
Canadian Football League
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The Canadian Football League is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football and its nine teams, which are located in nine separate cities, are divided into two divisions, the East Division, with four teams, and the West Division with five teams. As of 2016, the features a 20-week regular season. The CFL was officially founded on January 19,1958, the league was formed from a merger between the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union founded in 1907 and the Western Interprovincial Football Union founded in 1936. Rugby football began to be played in Canada in the 1860s, the CRFU was reorganized as the Canadian Rugby Union in 1891, and served as an umbrella organization for several provincial and regional unions. The Grey Cup was donated by Governor General Earl Grey in 1909 to the winning the Senior Amateur Football Championship of Canada. By that time, the sport as played in Canada had diverged markedly from its rugby origins, in 1956, the IRFU and WIFU formed a new umbrella organization, the Canadian Football Council. In 1958, the CFC left the CRU and became the Canadian Football League, as part of an agreement between the CRU and CFL, the CFL took possession of the Grey Cup, even though amateurs had not competed for it since 1954. The CRU remained the governing body for amateur play in Canada, initially, the two unions remained autonomous, and there was no intersectional play between eastern and western teams except at the Grey Cup final. This situation was analogous to how the American baseball leagues operated for years. The IRFU was renamed the Eastern Football Conference in 1960, while the WIFU was renamed the Western Football Conference in 1961, also in 1961, limited intersectional play was introduced. It was not until 1981 that the two agreed to a full merger, becoming the East and West Divisions of the CFL. With the merger came a full interlocking schedule of 16 games per season, Other team names had traditional origins. With rowing a national craze in the late 19th century, the Argonaut Rowing Club of Toronto formed a team for its members off-season participation. The football team name Toronto Argonauts still remains though it. After World War II, the two teams in Hamilton—the Tigers and the Flying Wildcats—merged both their organizations into the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, after the 1981 season, the Alouettes folded and were replaced the next year by a new franchise named the Concordes. In 1986 the Concordes were renamed the Alouettes to attract more fan support, the demise of the Alouettes forced the League to move its easternmost Western team, Winnipeg, into the East Division. In 1993, the league admitted its first United States-based franchise, after modest success, the league then expanded further in the U. S. in 1994 with the Las Vegas Posse, Baltimore Stallions, and Shreveport Pirates
40.
Super Bowl III
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Super Bowl III was the third AFL–NFL Championship Game in professional American football, and the first to officially bear the name Super Bowl. The game, played on January 12,1969, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, the heavy underdog American Football League champion New York Jets defeated the National Football League champion Baltimore Colts by a score of 16–7. This was the first Super Bowl victory for the AFL, before the start of the game, most sports writers and fans believed that AFL teams were less talented than NFL clubs, and expected the Colts to defeat the Jets by a wide margin. Baltimore posted a 13–1 record during the 1968 NFL season before defeating the Cleveland Browns, 34–0, the Jets finished the 1968 AFL season at 11–3, and defeated the Oakland Raiders, 27–23, in the 1968 AFL Championship Game. Undaunted, Jets quarterback Joe Namath made a three days before the Super Bowl at the Miami Touchdown Club and brashly guaranteed a victory. His team backed up his words by controlling most of the game, building a 16–0 lead by the quarter off of a touchdown run by Matt Snell. Colts quarterback Earl Morrall threw three interceptions before being replaced by Johnny Unitas, who then led Baltimore to its only touchdown during the last few minutes of the game, with the victory, the Jets remain the only winning Super Bowl team to only score one touchdown. This was the first Super Bowl to feature famous celebrities during its ceremonies instead of just college bands, after the AFL–NFL merger in 1970, the Colts were one of three teams that moved to the newly formed American Football Conference, the same conference as the Jets. This thus remains the only Super Bowl contested by teams now in the same Conference, the game was awarded to Miami on May 14,1968 at the owners meetings held in Atlanta. The National Football League had dominated professional football from its origins after World War I, rival leagues had crumbled or merged with it, and when the American Football League began to play in 1960, it was the fourth to hold that similar name to challenge the older NFL. The junior league proved successful enough, in fact, to make offers to players. As the two leagues had an number of teams, realignment was advocated by some owners, but was opposed. Eventually, three NFL teams agreed to move over to join the original AFL franchises of 1960 in what became the American Football Conference, despite the ongoing merger, it was a commonly held view that the NFL was a far superior league. The Baltimore Colts had won the 1958 and 1959 NFL championships under Coach Weeb Ewbank, in the following years, however, the Colts failed to make the playoffs, and the Colts dismissed Ewbank after a 7–7 record in 1962. He was soon hired by New Yorks new AFL franchise, which had just changed its name from the Titans to the Jets. In Ewbanks place, Baltimore hired a young head coach, Don Shula. A. won the championship as it had better net points in the two games the teams played. The Colts finished 11–1–2, out of the playoffs, the NFL champion, in both cases the Green Bay Packers, had easily won the first two Super Bowls over the AFL winner, establishing for a while then the superiority of the older NFL circuit
