List of NFL champions

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This is a list of National Football League champions prior to the 1970 AFL-NFL Merger, that is, all the franchises that have won the championship of the National Football League. From 1920–1932, the league champion was determined by a team's win-loss percentage, with ties omitted. In 1932, due to a tie in the final standings, a playoff game was played to determine the championship.

In 1933, the NFL was split into two divisions (after 1949, called conferences). The winners of each played to determine the league champion. This format would remain through the 1966 season. Any ties in the regular season standings resulted in a playoff game, while the winner of the other conference stood idle. This last occurred in 1965.

In 1967, the now 16-team NFL split each conference into two divisions of four teams each. From 1967–69, the division winners met in a conference championship game. The two conference champions then played for the NFL championship. Starting with the 1966 season, the NFL champion played the American Football League champion in what would become the Super Bowl.

Since the completion of the merger in 1970, the Super Bowl has served as the NFL championship game. Unlike the Super Bowl, which is contested at a site selected years in advance, NFL championship games from 1933–69 took place at the home field of one of the competing teams. Home field was not determined by record, but alternated between the conferences: the east hosted the even-numbered seasons and the west the odds.

Starting with the 1934 game the winning team received the Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy. The trophy was named after Ed Thorp, a noted referee, rules expert, sporting goods dealer. Thorp died in 1934 and a large, traveling trophy was made that year, passed along from champion to champion each season with each championship team's name inscribed on it. Teams would also receive a replica trophy. The trophy was last awarded to the Minnesota Vikings in 1969. The actual trophy however is now missing.^[1]

[edit] End-of-season championships

Note: From 1920–1971, the NFL did not officially include tie games in the winning percentage.

1. No official standings were maintained for the 1920 season, and the championship was awarded to the Akron Pros in a league meeting on April 30, 1921. Clubs played schedules that included games against non-league opponents.
2. The Buffalo All-Americans disputed the title but lost. The Chicago Staleys were renamed the Chicago Bears in 1922.
3. The NFL considers the Canton Bulldogs and the Cleveland Bulldogs to be separate franchises.
4. The Cardinals were named the 1925 NFL Champions as a result of the league's controversial ruling concerning the Pottsville Maroons.
5. At the end of the 1932 season the Chicago Bears and Portsmouth Spartans finished regularly scheduled games tied for first place. The Bears won a playoff game, which counted in the standings, 9-0.

[edit] NFL Championships

• In 1950, 1951, and 1952, the league's two divisions (Eastern and Western) were renamed the American and National Conferences, respectively. In 1953, the conferences were renamed the Eastern and Western Conferences.
• Between 1966 and the merger in 1970, the NFL champions would go on to play the AFL champions in Super Bowls I, II, III, and IV.
• The site at Wisconsin State Fair Park where the Packers played their two games a year was the infield of The Milwaukee Mile.

[edit] NFL Championship Game appearances 1933-1969

[edit] Records

• The Cleveland Browns made six straight appearances in the NFL championship game (1950-55). The Chicago Bears made four straight (1940-43).
• The Green Bay Packers won 3 straight championship games (1965-67), and the most over all championships with 12.
• The Browns lost 3 straight (1951-53) as did the New York Giants (1961-63).
• The Boston Redskins were the host team for the 1936 championship game, but team owner George Preston Marshall sold the game site to the Polo Grounds in New York City. The Redskins moved south to Washington following the game.
• In the 37 NFL Championship games played, the teams from the Western Division / National / Western Conference won 25 of the games to the Eastern Division / American / Eastern Conference teams total of 12.
• The home team was 25-12 (.676).

Attendance

• Largest - 85,693 in 1955 at Los Angeles.
• Smallest - 13,341 in 1941 at Chicago.

Host Stadiums

• Cleveland Municipal Stadium hosted 6 games (1 with the Rams and 5 with the Browns)
• Wrigley Field hosted 5 (all with the Bears)
• Polo Grounds hosted 5 (4 with the Giants and the 1936 game moved by the Redskins)

First and last points scored

• 1933: first points were scored by Chicago's Jack Manders a field goal. The first touchdown was scored by New York on a touchdown pass from Harry Newman to Morris "Red" Badrgo.
• 1969: last field goal was scored on a 3rd quarter kick by Minnesota's Fred Cox. The last points scored was on a Cleveland touchdown pass from Bill Nelsen to Gary Collins with the extra point scored by Don Cockroft.

Winning and losing player shares

• 1933 - Each Chicago player received US$210.34 and each New York player received US$140.22.

Note

• After the 1970 AFL-NFL merger and the emergence of the Super Bowl, all NFL league championship games prior to merger are listed along with the NFC conference championship games in the NFL's official records.
• A third-place game was played during the 1960s. The Playoff Bowl was played in January in Miami. The NFL officially classifies these ten games (and statistics) as exhibitions, not playoff games.

[edit] See also

• List of Super Bowl champions
• National Football League championships history
• NFL lore

[edit] References

• The NFL History Network

[edit] External links

• National Football League