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The first televised championship game
In the 1951 Championship Game, the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cleveland Browns, 24–17, on December 23, 1951. This Championship Game was the first one televised coast-to-coast. -
AFL is formed
The American Footbal Conference (AFL) is formed consisting of 8 teams:Dallas Texans
Los Angeles Chargers
Boston Patriots
New York Titans
Denver Broncos
Houston Oilers
Buffalo Bills
Oakland Raiders -
NFL Inc.
NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle creates NFL Properties, Inc. to manage the licensing of league logos and symbols. -
Television Deals
The NFL and AFL both negotiate lucrative new television deals. NBC offers the AFL $36 million for five years, while CBS gives the NFL $28.2 million for two years. -
AFL-NFL Merger
The NFL and AFL announce a merger prior to the 1966 season that will take full effect in the 1970 season. All 9 AFL teams join league. National and American Conferences are formed. Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore volunteer to join AFL. New line-up reads: NFC
New York Giants
Chicago Bears
Green Bay Packers
Detroit Lions
Dallas Cowboys
Washington Redskins
Los Angeles Rams
Sa Francisco 49ers
Minnesota Vikings
St. Louis Cardinals
Philadelphia Eagles
Atlanta Falcons -
The First SuperBowl
The Green Bay Packers, coached by Vince Lombardi, won the first Super Bowl, defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10. -
Ice Bowl
In the famous "Ice Bowl" game, held on the frozen tundra of Green Bay's Lambeau Field, the Packers beat the Dallas Cowboys 21-17 on a last-minute touchdown to win a return trip to the Super Bowl. -
The Perfect Season
The Miami Dolphins defeat the Washington Redskins 14-7 to win Super Bowl VII and cap a perfect 17-0 season—the only undefeated season in modern NFL history. -
SuperBowl XVI
The San Francisco 49ers win their first NFL championship in the highest-rated Super Bowl broadcast of all time. 49.1% of all American households with televisions watch the game, in which MVP quarterback Joe Montana leads San Francisco to a 26-21 win over Cincinnati. -
Halftime Performance
Super Bowl XVI, includes the first Super Bowl musical performance by a major recording industry superstar: Motown's own Diana Ross. Ross's performance will kick off a new era in elaborately produced pregame and halftime entertainment. -
New Commissioner
After 29 years in office, NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle announces his retirement. Rozelle's successor, Paul Tagliabue, will serve until 2006. -
Patriots Thriller
The New England Patriots win their first of three Super Bowls in the early 2000s, defeating the St. Louis Rams on a last-second 48-yard field goal by kicker Adam Vinatieri. Three untimely St. Louis turnovers lead to 17 of New England 20 points in the Patriots' narrow 20-17 victory. -
Roger Goodell
The NFL selects Roger Goodell, its own Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer since 2001, to succeed Paul Tagliabue as NFL Commissioner. Goodell has worked for the NFL since 1982 when he talked his way into a job as an administrative intern at league headquarters. The early years of Goodell's reign will be marked by a strong crackdown by the league against various acts of off-field misconduct by its players. -
The Patriots tie the all time Superbowl Record
The Patriots climbed into a tie for the most Super Bowls in NFL history with their Super Bowl LIII win over the Rams in 2018. All six titles have come since the turn of the millennium and roughly come out of two separate dynasties. -
Brady wins 7th Lombardi
Tom Brady won his seventh Super Bowl, giving him more victories than any other NFL franchise. He defeated three former Super Bowl MVP quarterbacks this postseason, in Drew Brees (SB XLIV), Aaron Rodgers (SB XLV) and Patrick Mahomes (SB LIV)