List of defunct National Football League franchises

The following is a list and brief history of American football franchises that at one time played in the National Football League (NFL). Note that the list represents NFL franchises that no longer exist, not franchises/teams that relocated. However, during the 1920s it is hard to tell if some teams changed nicknames from year to year or if each nickname represented a new franchise. It was also not uncommon for two or more teams to have the same nickname during the same season. No NFL franchise has folded since 1952. The Buccaneers, Colts, Cowboys, Giants, Lions, Panthers, and Texans franchises listed on this page are not the current franchises of those names.

A defunct team, in this case, refers to a team which has had the rights to have a team returned to the NFL (or league collective at the time). Many defunct teams played in markets still occupied by the NFL with a different team, or in markets which now have substantial fanbases for nearby teams. A notable example is the Green Bay Packers' claim to the Milwaukee area, long after the city's own NFL team, the Badgers, ceased to exist. Also notable is that the city where the league was founded - Canton, Ohio - is now part of the market area for the Cleveland Browns.

Teams that won an NFL championship are marked with an asterisk (*).

Contents 1 1920s 2 1930s 3 1940s-1950s 4 Rejected franchises 5 See also

1920s

• Akron Pros / Indians* (1920-26)
• Brooklyn Lions (1926)
• Buffalo All Americans / Bisons / Rangers (1920-29)
• Canton Bulldogs* (1920-26)
• Chicago Tigers (1920)
• Cincinnati Celts (1921)
• Cleveland Indians/Bulldogs* (1923-27)
• Columbus Panhandles/Tigers (1920-26)
• Dayton Triangles (1920-29)
  • It can be argued that the Triangles still exist today as the Indianapolis Colts; see the team article for details.
• Detroit Heralds (1920)
• Detroit Tigers (1921)
• Detroit Panthers (1925-26)
• Detroit Wolverines (1928)
• Duluth Kelleys/Eskimos (1923-27)
  • It can be argued that the Kelleys/Eskimos still exist today as the Washington Redskins; see the team article for details.
• Evansville Crimson Giants (1921-22)
• Frankford Yellow Jackets* (1924-31)
• Hammond Pros (1920-26)
• Hartford Blues (1926)
• Kansas City Blues/Cowboys (1924-26)
• Kenosha Maroons (1924)
• Los Angeles Buccaneers (1926)
• Louisville Breckenridges (a.k.a. "Brecks") (1921-23)
• Louisville Colonels (1926)
• Massillon Tigers (Attended the August 1920 meeting but never fielded a team in the APFA/NFL)
• Milwaukee Badgers (1922-26)
• Minneapolis Marines (1921-24)
• Minneapolis Red Jackets (1929-30)
• Muncie Flyers (1920-21)
• New York Brickley Giants (1921)
• New York Yankees (1926-28)
• Newark Tornadoes (1930)
• Oorang Indians (1922-23)
• Orange Tornadoes (1929)
• Pottsville Maroons/Boston Bulldogs (1925-29)
• Providence Steam Roller* (1925-31)
• Racine Legion (1922-24)
• Racine Tornadoes (1926)
• Rochester Jeffersons (1920-25)
• Rock Island Independents (1920-25)
• Staten Island Stapletons (1929-32)
• St. Louis All Stars (1923)
• Syracuse Pros (1921; it is disputed whether or not this team actually joined the league)
• Toledo Maroons (1922-23)
• Tonawanda Kardex (1921)
• Washington Senators (1921)
• Youngstown Patricians (1922; joined league and had schedule planned but never played)

1930s

• Brooklyn Dodgers/Tigers (1930-44)
• Cincinnati Reds (1933-34)
• Cleveland Indians (1931)
• St. Louis Gunners (1934)

1940s-1950s

• Baltimore Colts (1950)
• Boston Yanks (1944-48) / New York Bulldogs (1949) / New York Yanks (1950-51)
• Dallas Texans (1952)

Rejected franchises

These are all teams that applied to join the NFL but were refused entry. Some existed only as proposals, but others had full organizations. Unless otherwise noted, each team folded after their unsuccessful bid to join the NFL.

• Los Angeles Bulldogs (1936) Approved as a probational franchise with the intention of becoming a full-fledged member in 1937. However, the Cleveland Rams were admitted in their place, due to travel cost concerns. The Bulldogs would go on to play in other leagues until 1948, while the Rams, coincidentally, would move to Los Angeles themselves in 1946.
• Pennsylvania Keystoners (1940) Proposed merger of the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Pirates that was rejected by league ownership. A temporary merger was instituted in 1943 due to player shortages as a result of World War II.
• Buffalo Bills (AAFC) (1950) Members of the All-America Football Conference. Four NFL owners blocked Buffalo's entry into the NFL. Current Bills franchise is unrelated other than in name.
• Memphis Grizzlies (1975) Members of the World Football League. Unsuccessfully sued NFL to attempt to force admission (see: Mid-South Grizzlies v. NFL).
• New Jersey Generals (1986). Members of the United States Football League. Owner Donald Trump was among those seeking to force a merger of the USFL and the NFL, but were unable to do so.
• Memphis Hound Dogs (1993). Proposed expansion team. Later played as Memphis Mad Dogs in CFL USA in 1995.
• Baltimore Bombers (1993). Proposed expansion team.
• St. Louis Stallions (1993). Proposed expansion team.

See also

• National Football League franchise moves and mergers
• Steagles
• Card-Pitt
• List of defunct National Basketball Association teams
• List of defunct NHL teams

Defunct National Football League franchises Chicago Tigers (1920) Cleveland Tigers/Indians (1920–1921) Muncie Flyers (1920–1921) Rochester Jeffersons (1920–1925) Rock Island Independents (1920–1925) Akron Pros/Indians (1920–1926) Canton Bulldogs (1920–1926) Columbus Panhandles/Tigers (1920–1926) Hammond Pros (1920–1926) Detroit Heralds/Tigers/Panthers/Wolverines (1920–1928) Buffalo All-Americans/Bisons/Rangers (1920–1929) Dayton Triangles (1920–1929) Cincinnati Celts (1921) New York Brickley Giants (1921) Syracuse Pros (1921, unofficial) Tonawanda Kardex (1921) Washington Senators (1921) Evansville Crimson Giants (1921–1922) Louisville Breckenridges (Brecks)/Colonels (1921–1923, 1926) Minneapolis Marines/Red Jackets (1921–1924, 1929–1931) Oorang Indians (1922–1923) Toledo Maroons (1922–1923) Racine Legion/Tornadoes (1922–1924, 1926) Milwaukee Badgers (1922–1926) St. Louis All-Stars (1923) Cleveland Indians/Bulldogs (1923–1927) Duluth Kelleys/Eskimos (1923–1927) Kenosha Maroons (1924) Kansas City Blues/Cowboys (1924–1926) Frankford Yellow Jackets (1924–1931) Pottsville Maroons/Boston Bulldogs (1925–1929) Providence Steam Roller (1925–1931) Brooklyn Lions (1926) Hartford Blues (1926) Los Angeles Buccaneers (1926) New York Yankees (1927–1928) Orange/Newark Tornadoes (1929–1930) Staten Island Stapletons (1929–1932) Brooklyn Dodgers/Tigers (1930–1944) Cleveland Indians (1931) Cincinnati Reds (1933–1934) St. Louis Gunners (1934) Boston Yanks (1944–1948) Baltimore Colts (1950) New York Bulldogs/Yanks (1949–1951) Dallas Texans (1952)

AFC	East	North	South	West
	Buffalo Bills	Baltimore Ravens	Houston Texans	Denver Broncos
	Miami Dolphins	Cincinnati Bengals	Indianapolis Colts	Kansas City Chiefs
	New England Patriots	Cleveland Browns	Jacksonville Jaguars	Oakland Raiders
	New York Jets	Pittsburgh Steelers	Tennessee Titans	San Diego Chargers
NFC	East	North	South	West
	Dallas Cowboys	Chicago Bears	Atlanta Falcons	Arizona Cardinals
	New York Giants	Detroit Lions	Carolina Panthers	St. Louis Rams
	Philadelphia Eagles	Green Bay Packers	New Orleans Saints	San Francisco 49ers
	Washington Redskins	Minnesota Vikings	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Seattle Seahawks
Seasons (by team) · Regular season · Playoffs · AFC Championship · NFC Championship · Super Bowl (champions · quarterbacks) · Pro Bowl League Championship History: AFL Championship (1960–1969) · NFL Championship (1920–1969) · One-game playoff · Playoff Bowl
Defunct franchises · Owners · Officials · Properties · Stadiums (chronology) · Franchise timeline · Records (individual, team, Super Bowl) · All-Pro · Hall of Fame · Lore · Nicknames · AFL · Merger · History in Los Angeles, Toronto (Bills Series) · International Series · Europa (World Bowl) · TV · Radio · Management Council · NFLPA · Player conduct · Draft · Training camp · Preseason (Hall of Fame Game, American Bowl) · Kickoff · Monday Night Football · Thanksgiving Classic · Christmas games · Playoff droughts · Rivalries · Tied games  · Cancelled games

American Football Conference
AFC East Buffalo Bills Miami Dolphins New England Patriots New York Jets	AFC North Baltimore Ravens Cincinnati Bengals Cleveland Browns Pittsburgh Steelers	AFC South Houston Texans Indianapolis Colts Jacksonville Jaguars Tennessee Titans	AFC West Denver Broncos Kansas City Chiefs Oakland Raiders San Diego Chargers
National Football Conference
NFC East Dallas Cowboys New York Giants Philadelphia Eagles Washington Redskins	NFC North Chicago Bears Detroit Lions Green Bay Packers Minnesota Vikings	NFC South Atlanta Falcons Carolina Panthers New Orleans Saints Tampa Bay Buccaneers	NFC West Arizona Cardinals St. Louis Rams San Francisco 49ers Seattle Seahawks
Defunct Teams