Football players are outrageous these days will be shocked to learn that the first paid player got $500 for one game. In 1892, that was a small fortune. The cause of it was a serious local rivalry. The Allegheny Athletic Association (AAA) was playing the Pittsburgh Athletic Club (PAC). The AAA was so desperate to win this game that they found a guard who played for Yale and the All-America team and paid him to make sure they won. His name was William "Pudge" Heffelfinger, and the AAA did win (four to nothing) after he ran 35 yards for a touchdown.
In 1893, the PAC wised up. They made a smarter decision than their rivals did, and signed the first player to a professional paid contract. The player had to play for Pittsburgh for the entire year. Not to be outdone, in 1896, the AAA decided to have the first completely pro team, but only played two games that season.
In 1897, the Latrobe Athletic Association team also went to a completely paid team, and they were the first to play a full season as professionals. The history of football now goes pro.
In 1899, the longest running pro team began. On the south side of Chicago, the Morgan Athletic Club was formed. After going through a handful of name changes, they are now (since 1994) the Arizona Cardinals.
For the next twenty years, chaos grew. Salaries were rising, and the players were abandoning teams and contracts and running to the highest bidder. College players were playing both college and pro, teams were disbanding and forming throughout every season, and the sport lacked organization. In 1920, the American Professional Football Association was formed.
In 1922, the association officially changed their name to the National Football League. The first American Football League came and went in 1926, lasting only the one season. There were several other leagues, including the AAFC, USFL (a spring league), and many reincarnations of the AFL. All finally merged with the NFL..
The first NFL draft took place in 1936. The first drafted player was Jay Berwanger, a halfback for Chicago. He chose not to play.
On September 7, 1963, the Pro Football Hall of Fame opened in Canton, Ohio, where the NFL was first formed as the APFA. That same year, NFL Properties, Inc., was formed to deal with the licensing of merchandise including replica jerseys.
Birth of the Super Bowl
1966 was the most contentious year between the NFL and the AFL. Both leagues spent a record amount of money recruiting the best players. They finally agreed to merge, but not until 1970. At the end of the 1966 season, the first AFL - NFL World Championship Game was played. The Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs 35 to 10. The third AFL-NFL World Championship was called the "Super Bowl" in 1969 (after the 1968 season). The name stuck, and the 1967 World Championship became the first Super Bowl. After the two leagues combined in 1970, the Super Bowl became a game played between the two best NFL teams, which were now divided into conferences.
Ever wonders when the Super Bowl commercials started to become big business? In 1984, a British director named Ridley Scott directed a commercial for Apple Computers where they announced the upcoming availability of Macintosh Computers. The rest is history - Scott became a famous director (Black Hawk Down, Gladiator), and Super Bowl commercials are definitely the most expensive, and usually the most entertaining, on television.
In 1893, the PAC wised up. They made a smarter decision than their rivals did, and signed the first player to a professional paid contract. The player had to play for Pittsburgh for the entire year. Not to be outdone, in 1896, the AAA decided to have the first completely pro team, but only played two games that season.
In 1897, the Latrobe Athletic Association team also went to a completely paid team, and they were the first to play a full season as professionals. The history of football now goes pro.
In 1899, the longest running pro team began. On the south side of Chicago, the Morgan Athletic Club was formed. After going through a handful of name changes, they are now (since 1994) the Arizona Cardinals.
For the next twenty years, chaos grew. Salaries were rising, and the players were abandoning teams and contracts and running to the highest bidder. College players were playing both college and pro, teams were disbanding and forming throughout every season, and the sport lacked organization. In 1920, the American Professional Football Association was formed.
In 1922, the association officially changed their name to the National Football League. The first American Football League came and went in 1926, lasting only the one season. There were several other leagues, including the AAFC, USFL (a spring league), and many reincarnations of the AFL. All finally merged with the NFL..
The first NFL draft took place in 1936. The first drafted player was Jay Berwanger, a halfback for Chicago. He chose not to play.
On September 7, 1963, the Pro Football Hall of Fame opened in Canton, Ohio, where the NFL was first formed as the APFA. That same year, NFL Properties, Inc., was formed to deal with the licensing of merchandise including replica jerseys.
Birth of the Super Bowl
1966 was the most contentious year between the NFL and the AFL. Both leagues spent a record amount of money recruiting the best players. They finally agreed to merge, but not until 1970. At the end of the 1966 season, the first AFL - NFL World Championship Game was played. The Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs 35 to 10. The third AFL-NFL World Championship was called the "Super Bowl" in 1969 (after the 1968 season). The name stuck, and the 1967 World Championship became the first Super Bowl. After the two leagues combined in 1970, the Super Bowl became a game played between the two best NFL teams, which were now divided into conferences.
Ever wonders when the Super Bowl commercials started to become big business? In 1984, a British director named Ridley Scott directed a commercial for Apple Computers where they announced the upcoming availability of Macintosh Computers. The rest is history - Scott became a famous director (Black Hawk Down, Gladiator), and Super Bowl commercials are definitely the most expensive, and usually the most entertaining, on television.
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