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In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League (NFL). Since the merger with the rival American Football League (AFL) in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference (AFC) against those in the National Football Conference (NFC).
Unlike most other sports leagues, which hold their all-star games during (roughly) the halfway point of their respective regular seasons, the Pro Bowl is played at the end of the NFL season. The NFL's all-star game has a tattered image.[1] It is the only major all-star game that draws lower ratings than its regular-season games.[2] However, the biggest concern of players is to avoid injuries to the star players.[1]
The first "Pro All-Star Game," featuring the all-stars of the 1938 season (as well as three players from the Hollywood Stars and Los Angeles Bulldogs, who were not members of the league), was played on January 15, 1939 at Los Angeles's Wrigley Field.[3] The NFL All-Star Game was played again in Los Angeles in 1940 and then in New York and Philadelphia in 1941 and 1942 respectively, after which the game was suspended due to World War II. The concept of an all-star game would not be revived until 1951, when the newly rechristened Pro Bowl played at various venues before being held at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii for 30 consecutive seasons from 1980 to 2009. The 2010 Pro Bowl was played at Sun Life Stadium, the home stadium of the Miami Dolphins and host site of Super Bowl XLIV, on January 31, the first time ever that the Pro Bowl was held before the championship game, with the conference teams not including players from the teams that will be playing in the Super Bowl. The 2011 Pro Bowl was played again in Hawaii, but again held during the week before the Super Bowl. The 2012 game is also tentatively scheduled for Hawaii.
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Currently, players are voted into the Pro Bowl by the coaches, the players themselves, and the fans. Each group's ballots count for one third of the votes. The fans vote online at the NFL's official website. There are also replacements that go to the game should any selected player be unable to play due to injuries. Prior to 1995, only the coaches and the players made Pro Bowl selections.
In order to be considered a Pro Bowler for a given year, a player must either have been one of the initial players selected to the team, or a player who accepts an invitation to the Pro Bowl as an alternate; invited alternates who decline to attend are not considered Pro Bowlers. Being a Pro Bowler is considered to be a mark of honor, and players who are accepted into the Pro Bowl are considered to be elite.
The Pro Bowl head coaches are traditionally the head coaches of the teams that lost in the AFC and NFC championship games for the same season of the Pro Bowl in question (not the case for the 1980 and 81 seasons played in 1981 and 1982). However, for the 2010 and 2011 Pro Bowls, a new rule was presented: The teams that lose in the divisional playoff game with the best regular-season record will have their coaching staffs lead their respective conference Pro Bowl team. If the losing teams of each conference had the same regular season record the coaches from the higher-seeded team will get the Pro Bowl honor.[4] This was, presumably, to allow the coaches more time with the players while the Pro Bowl is held during the week before the Super Bowl, since the conference championship losers would only have one week to prepare as opposed to three weeks when the Pro Bowl was held the week before the Super Bowl.
A Player of the Game was honored from 1951–56. From 1957–71, awards were presented to both an Outstanding Back and an Outstanding Lineman. In 1972, there were awards for both an Outstanding Offensive Player and a Outstanding Defensive Player. From 1973–2007, only one Player of the Game award was honored (though three times this award has been presented to multiple players in a single game). In 2008 the award was changed to Most Valuable Player (MVP).[5] Since 1984 the winner has received the Dan McGuire Award.
The Pro Bowl has different rules from other NFL games to make the game safer.[6][7]
The teams are made of players from different NFL teams, so using their own uniforms would be too confusing. The players each wear the helmet of their team, but the home jerseys and pants are either a solid blue for the NFC or solid red for the AFC, while white jerseys with blue or red accents, respectively, for the away team. While it has been speculated that the color of Pro Bowl jerseys is determined by the winner of the Super Bowl, this is untrue. The design of Pro Bowl uniforms is changed every two years, and the color and white jerseys are rotated along with the design change. This has been Pro Bowl tradition since the switch to team specific helmets, which started with the January 1979 game. The two-year switch was originally created as a marketing ploy by Nike, and has been continued by Reebok, who won the merchandising contract in 2002. The early Pro Bowl, contested by the National Football League's Eastern and Western Division stars and played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, featured the same uniforms from the 1950s to mid-1960s; the Eastern team wore scarlet jerseys with white numerals and a white crescent shoulder stripe, white pants with red stripe, red socks, and a plain red helmet. The Western team wore white jerseys with royal-blue numerals and a Northwestern University-style triple stripe on the sleeves, white pants with blue stripe and socks and a plain blue helmet. Perhaps oddly, the Eastern team, wore home dark jerseys, although the host-city team, the Los Angeles Rams, were members of the Western Conference. From January 1967 to January 1970 both teams wore gold helmets with the NFL logo on the sides; the Eastern helmets featured a red-white-red tri-stripe and the Western a similar blue-white-blue tri-stripe. In fact the players brought their own game helmets to Los Angeles, which were then spray-painted and decorated for the contest. (For the 1970 game the helmets featured the 50 NFL logo, commemorating the league's half-century anniversary.)
In the earliest years of the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, the players did not wear their unique helmets, as they do now. The AFC All-Stars wore a solid red helmet with a white A on it, while the NFC players wore a solid white helmet with a blue N on it. The AFC's red helmets were paired with white jerseys and red pants, while the NFC's white helmets were paired with blue jerseys and white pants.
Two players with the same number who are elected to the Pro Bowl can now wear the same number for that game. This was not always the case in the past.
The 2008 Pro Bowl included a unique example of several players from the same team wearing the same number in a Pro Bowl. For the game, Washington Redskins players T Chris Samuels, TE Chris Cooley, and LS Ethan Albright all wore the number 21 (a number normally inappropriate for their positions) in memory of their teammate Sean Taylor who had been murdered during the 2007 season.[8]
Season | Date | Score | Venue | Attendance | Head Coaches |
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1938 | January 15, 1939 | New York Giants 13, Pro All-Stars 10 | Wrigley Field, Los Angeles | 20,000 | AS: Ray Flaherty (Washington) & Gus Henderson (Detroit) NY: Steve Owen |
1939 | January 14, 1940 | Green Bay Packers 16, NFL All-Stars 7 | Gilmore Stadium, Los Angeles | 18,000 | AS:Steve Owen (New York) GB Curly Lambeau |
1940 | December 29, 1940 | Chicago Bears 28, NFL All-Stars 14 | Gilmore Stadium, Los Angeles | 21,624 | AS:Ray Flaherty (Washington) CB:George Halas |
1941 | January 4, 1942 | Chicago Bears 35, NFL All-Stars 24 | Polo Grounds, New York City | 17,725 | AS:Steve Owen (New York) CB:George Halas |
1942 | December 27, 1942 | NFL All-Stars 17, Washington Redskins 14 | Shibe Park, Philadelphia | 18,671 | AS: Hunk Anderson (Chicago Bears) Wash:Ray Flaherty |
Season | Date | Score | Series | Most Valuable Players | Venue[9] | Attendance | Head Coaches | Television |
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1950 | January 14, 1951 | American Conference 28, National Conference 27 | AC, 1-0 | Otto Graham, Cleveland Browns, Quarterback | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 53,676 | AC: Paul Brown, Cleveland NC:Joe Stydahar, Los Angeles |
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1951 | January 12, 1952[10] | National Conference 30, American Conference 13 | Tied, 1-1 | Dan Towler, Los Angeles Rams, Running back | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 19,400 | AC: Paul Brown, Cleveland NC:Joe Stydahar, Los Angeles |
NBC |
1952 | January 10, 1953[10] | National Conference 27, American Conference 7 | NC, 2-1 | Don Doll, Detroit Lions, Defensive back | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 34,208 | AC: Paul Brown, Cleveland NC:Buddy Parker, Detroit |
NBC |
1953 | January 17, 1954 | East 20, West 9 | Tied, 2-2 | Chuck Bednarik, Philadelphia Eagles, Linebacker | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 44,214 | EC: Paul Brown, Cleveland WC: Buddy Parker, Detroit |
DuMont |
1954 | January 16, 1955 | West 26, East 19 | West, 3-2 | Billy Wilson, San Francisco 49ers, End | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 43,972 | EC: Jim Trimble, Philadelphia WC:Buck Shaw, San Francisco |
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1955 | January 15, 1956 | East 31, West 30 | Tied, 3-3 | Ollie Matson, Chicago Cardinals, Running back | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 37,867 | EC: Joe Kuharich, Washington WC: Sid Gillman, Los Angeles |
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1956 | January 13, 1957 | West 19, East 10 | West, 4-3 | Back: Bert Rechichar, Baltimore Colts Lineman: Ernie Stautner, Pittsburgh Steelers |
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 44,177 | EC:Jim Lee Howell, New York WC: Paddy Driscoll, Chicago Bears |
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1957 | January 12, 1958 | West 26, East 7 | West, 5-3 | Back: Hugh McElhenny, San Francisco 49ers Lineman: Gene Brito, Washington Redskins |
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 66,634 | EC: Buddy Parker, Pittsburgh WC:George Wilson, Detroit |
NBC |
1958 | January 11, 1959 | East 28, West 21 | West, 5-4 | Back: Frank Gifford, New York Giants Lineman: Doug Atkins, Chicago Bears |
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 72,250 | EC:Jim Lee Howell, New York WC:Weeb Ewbank, Baltimore |
NBC |
1959 | January 17, 1960 | West 38, East 21 | West, 6-4 | Back: Johnny Unitas, Baltimore Colts Lineman: Eugene "Big Daddy" Lipscomb, Pittsburgh Steelers |
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 56,876 | EC:Buck Shaw, Philadelphia WC:Red Hickey, San Francisco |
NBC |
1960 | January 15, 1961 | West 35, East 31 | West, 7-4 | Back: Johnny Unitas, Baltimore Colts Lineman: Sam Huff, New York Giants |
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 62,971 | EC:Buck Shaw, Philadelphia WC:Vince Lombardi, Green Bay |
NBC |
1961 | January 14, 1962 | West 31, East 30 | West, 8-4 | Back: Jim Brown, Cleveland Browns Lineman: Henry Jordan, Green Bay Packers |
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 57,409 | EC: Allie Sherman, New York WC:Norm Van Brocklin, Minnesota |
NBC |
1962 | January 13, 1963 | East 30, West 20 | West, 8-5 | Back: Jim Brown, Cleveland Browns Lineman: Eugene Lipscomb, Pittsburgh Steelers |
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 61,374 | EC: Allie Sherman, New York WC: Vince Lombardi, Green Bay |
NBC |
1963 | January 12, 1964 | West 31, East 17 | West, 9-5 | Back: Johnny Unitas, Baltimore Colts Lineman: Gino Marchetti, Baltimore Colts |
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 67,242 | EC: Allie Sherman, New York WC:George Halas, Chicago |
NBC |
1964 | January 10, 1965 | West 34, East 14 | West, 10-5 | Back: Fran Tarkenton, Vikings Lineman: Terry Barr, Detroit Lions |
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 60,598 | EC: Blanton Collier, Cleveland WC:Don Shula, Baltimore |
NBC |
1965 | January 15, 1966 | East 36, West 7 | West, 10-6 | Back: Jim Brown, Cleveland Browns Lineman: Dale Meinert, St. Louis Cardinals |
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 60,124 | EC: Blanton Collier, Cleveland WC: Vince Lombardi, Green Bay |
CBS |
1966 | January 22, 1967 | East 20, West 10 | West, 10-7 | Back: Gale Sayers, Chicago Bears Lineman: Floyd Peters, Philadelphia Eagles |
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 15,062 | EC: Tom Landry, Dallas WC: George Allen, Los Angeles |
CBS |
1967 | January 21, 1968 | West 38, East 20 | West, 11-7 | Back: Gale Sayers, Chicago Bears Lineman: Dave Robinson, Green Bay Packers |
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 53,289 | EC:Otto Graham, Washington WC: Don Shula, Baltimore |
CBS |
1968 | January 19, 1969 | West 10, East 7 | West, 12-7 | Back: Roman Gabriel, Los Angeles Rams Lineman: Merlin Olsen, Los Angeles Rams |
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 32,050 | EC: Tom Landry, Dallas WC: George Allen, Los Angeles |
CBS |
1969 | January 18, 1970 | West 16, East 13 | West, 13-7 | Back: Gale Sayers, Chicago Bears Lineman: George Andrie, Dallas Cowboys |
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 57,786 | EC: Tom Fears, New Orleans WC:Norm Van Brocklin, Atlanta |
CBS |
Season | Date | Score | Series | Most Valuable Player(s) | Venue | Attendance | Head Coaches | Television |
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1970 | January 24, 1971 | NFC, 27-6 | NFC, 1-0 | Lineman: Fred Carr, Packers Back: Mel Renfro, Cowboys |
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California | 48,222 | AFC: John Madden, Oakland NFC: Dick Nolan, San Francisco |
CBS |
1971 | January 23, 1972 | AFC, 26-13 | Tied, 1-1 | Defense: Willie Lanier, Chiefs Offense: Jan Stenerud, Chiefs |
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California | 53,647 | AFC: Don McCafferty, Baltimore NFC: Dick Nolan, San Francisco |
NBC |
1972 | January 21, 1973 | AFC, 33-28 | AFC, 2-1 | O.J. Simpson, Bills, Running back | Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas | 37,091 | AFC: Chuck Noll, Pittsburgh NFC: Tom Landry, Dallas |
CBS |
1973 | January 20, 1974 | AFC, 15-13 | AFC, 3-1 | Garo Yepremian, Dolphins, Placekicker | Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri | 66,918 | AFC: John Madden, Oakland NFC: Tom Landry, Dallas |
NBC |
1974 | January 20, 1975[11] | NFC, 17-10 | AFC, 3-2 | James Harris, Rams, Quarterback | Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida | 26,484 | AFC: John Madden, Oakland NFC: Chuck Knox, Los Angeles |
ABC |
1975 | January 26, 1976[11] | NFC, 23-20 | Tied, 3-3 | Billy Johnson, Oilers, Kick returner | Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana | 30,546 | AFC: John Madden, Oakland NFC: Chuck Knox, Los Angeles |
ABC |
1976 | January 17, 1977[11] | AFC, 24-14 | AFC, 4-3 | Mel Blount, Steelers, Cornerback | The Kingdome, Seattle, Washington | 64,752 | AFC: Chuck Noll, Pittsburgh NFC: Chuck Knox, Los Angeles |
ABC |
1977 | January 23, 1978[11] | NFC, 14-13 | Tied, 4-4 | Walter Payton, Bears, Running back | Tampa Stadium, Tampa, Florida | 51,337 | AFC: John Madden, Oakland NFC: Bud Grant, Minnesota |
ABC |
1978 | January 29, 1979[11] | NFC, 13-7 | NFC, 5-4 | Ahmad Rashad, Vikings, Wide receiver | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California | 46,281 | AFC: Bum Phillips, Houston NFC: Ray Malavasi, Los Angeles |
ABC |
1979 | January 27, 1980 | NFC, 37-27 | NFC, 6-4 | Chuck Muncie, Saints, Running back | Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii | 49,800 | AFC: Bum Phillips, Houston NFC: John McKay, Tampa Bay |
ABC |
1980 | February 1, 1981 | NFC, 21-7 | NFC, 7-4 | Eddie Murray, Lions, Placekicker | Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii | 50,360 | AFC: Sam Rutigliano , Cleveland NFC: Leeman Bennett , Atlanta |
ABC |
1981 | January 31, 1982 | AFC, 16-13 | NFC, 7-5 | Lee Roy Selmon, Buccaneers, Defensive end Kellen Winslow, Chargers, Tight end |
Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii | 50,402 | AFC: Don Shula, Miami NFC: Jim McKay, Tampa Bay |
ABC |
1982 | February 6, 1983 | NFC, 20-19 | NFC, 8-5 | Dan Fouts, Chargers, Quarterback John Jefferson, Packers, Wide receiver |
Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii | 49,883 | AFC: Walt Michaels, N.Y. Jets NFC: Tom Landry, Dallas |
ABC |
1983 | January 29, 1984 | NFC, 45-3 | NFC, 9-5 | Joe Theismann, Redskins, Quarterback | Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii | 50,445 | AFC: Chuck Knox, Seattle NFC: Bill Walsh, San Francisco |
ABC |
1984 | January 27, 1985 | AFC, 22-14 | NFC, 9-6 | Mark Gastineau, Jets, Defensive end | Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii | 50,385 | AFC: Chuck Noll, Pittsburgh NFC: Mike Ditka, Chicago |
ABC |
1985 | February 2, 1986 | NFC, 28-24 | NFC, 10-6 | Phil Simms, Giants, Quarterback | Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii | 50,101 | AFC: Don Shula, Miami NFC: John Robinson, L.A. Rams |
ABC |
1986 | February 1, 1987 | AFC, 10-6 | NFC, 10-7 | Reggie White, Eagles, Defensive end | Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii | 50,101 | AFC: Marty Schottenheimer, Cleveland NFC: Joe Gibbs, Washington |
ABC |
1987 | February 7, 1988 | AFC, 15-6 | NFC, 10-8 | Bruce Smith, Bills, Defensive end | Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii | 50,113 | AFC: Marty Schottenheimer, Cleveland NFC: Jerry Burns, Minnesota |
ESPN |
1988 | January 29, 1989 | NFC, 34-3 | NFC, 11-8 | Randall Cunningham, Eagles, Quarterback | Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii | 50,113 | AFC: Marv Levy, Buffalo NFC: Mike Ditka, Chicago |
ESPN |
1989 | February 4, 1990 | NFC, 27-21 | NFC, 12-8 | Jerry Gray, Rams, Cornerback | Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii | 50,445 | AFC: Bud Carson, Cleveland NFC: John Robinson, L.A. Rams |
ESPN |
1990 | February 3, 1991 | AFC, 23-21 | NFC, 12-9 | Jim Kelly, Bills, Quarterback | Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii | 50,345 | AFC: Art Shell, L.A. Raiders NFC: George Seifert, San Francisco |
ESPN |
1991 | February 2, 1992 | NFC, 21-15 | NFC, 13-9 | Michael Irvin, Cowboys, Wide receiver | Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii | 50,209 | AFC: Dan Reeves, Denver NFC: Wayne Fontes, Detroit |
ESPN |
1992 | February 7, 1993 | AFC, 23-20 (OT) | NFC, 13-10 | Steve Tasker, Bills, Special teams | Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii | 50,007 | AFC: Don Shula, Miami NFC: George Seifert, San Francisco |
ESPN |
1993 | February 6, 1994 | NFC, 17-3 | NFC, 14-10 | Andre Rison, Falcons, Wide receiver | Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii | 50,026 | AFC: Marty Schottenheimer, Kansas City NFC: George Seifert, San Francisco |
ESPN |
1994 | February 5, 1995 | AFC, 41-13 | NFC, 14-11 | Marshall Faulk, Colts, Running back | Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii | 49,121 | AFC: Bill Cowher, Pittsburgh NFC: Barry Switzer, Dallas |
ABC |
1995 | February 4, 1996 | NFC, 20-13 | NFC, 15-11 | Jerry Rice, 49ers, Wide receiver | Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii | 50,034 | AFC: Ted Marchibroda, Indianapolis NFC: Mike Holmgren, Green Bay |
ABC |
1996 | February 2, 1997 | AFC, 26-23 (OT) | NFC, 15-12 | Mark Brunell, Jaguars, Quarterback | Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii | 50,031 | AFC: Tom Coughlin, Jacksonville NFC: Dom Capers, Carolina |
ABC |
1997 | February 1, 1998 | AFC, 29-24 | NFC, 15-13 | Warren Moon, Seahawks, Quarterback | Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii | 49,995 | AFC: Bill Cowher, Pittsburgh NFC: Steve Mariucci, San Francisco |
ABC |
1998 | February 7, 1999 | AFC, 23-10 | NFC, 15-14 | Keyshawn Johnson, Jets, Wide receiver Ty Law, Patriots, Cornerback |
Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii | 50,075 | AFC: Bill Belichick,[12] N.Y. Jets NFC: Dennis Green, Minnesota |
ABC |
1999 | February 6, 2000 | NFC, 51-31 | NFC, 16-14 | Randy Moss, Vikings, Wide receiver | Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii | 50,112 | AFC: Tom Coughlin, Jacksonville NFC: Tony Dungy, Tampa Bay |
ABC |
2000 | February 4, 2001 | AFC, 38-17 | NFC, 16-15 | Rich Gannon, Raiders, Quarterback | Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii | 50,128 | AFC: Jon Gruden, Oakland NFC: Dennis Green, Minnesota |
ABC |
2001 | February 9, 2002[10] | AFC, 38-30 | Tied, 16-16 | Rich Gannon, Raiders, Quarterback | Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii | 50,301 | AFC: Bill Cowher, Pittsburgh NFC: Andy Reid, Philadelphia |
ABC |
2002 | February 2, 2003 | AFC, 45-20 | AFC, 17-16 | Ricky Williams, Dolphins, Running back | Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii | 50,125 | AFC: Jeff Fisher, Tennessee NFC: Andy Reid, Philadelphia |
ABC |
2003 | February 8, 2004 | NFC, 55-52 | Tied, 17-17 | Marc Bulger, Rams, Quarterback | Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii | 50,127 | AFC: Tony Dungy, Indianapolis NFC: Andy Reid, Philadelphia |
ESPN |
2004 | February 13, 2005 | AFC, 38-27 | AFC, 18-17 | Peyton Manning, Colts, Quarterback | Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii | 50,225 | AFC: Bill Cowher, Pittsburgh NFC: Jim L. Mora, Atlanta |
ESPN |
2005 | February 12, 2006 | NFC 23-17 | Tied, 18-18 | Derrick Brooks, Buccaneers, Linebacker | Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii | 50,190 | AFC: Mike Shanahan, Denver NFC: John Fox, Carolina |
ESPN |
2006 | February 10, 2007[10] | AFC 31-28 | AFC, 19-18 | Carson Palmer, Bengals, Quarterback | Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii | 50,410 | AFC: Bill Belichick, New England NFC: Sean Payton, New Orleans |
CBS |
2007 | February 10, 2008 | NFC 42-30 | Tied, 19-19 | Adrian Peterson, Vikings, Running Back | Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii | 50,044 | AFC: Norv Turner, San Diego, NFC: Mike McCarthy, Green Bay |
Fox |
2008 | February 8, 2009 | NFC 30-21 | NFC 20-19 | Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals, Wide receiver | Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii | 49,958 | AFC: John Harbaugh, Baltimore NFC: Andy Reid, Philadelphia |
NBC |
2009 | January 31, 2010 | AFC 41-34 | Tied, 20-20 | Matt Schaub, Texans, Quarterback | Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida | 70,697 | AFC: Norv Turner, San Diego NFC: Wade Phillips, Dallas |
ESPN |
2010 | January 30, 2011 | NFC 55-41 | NFC 21-20 | DeAngelo Hall, Redskins, Cornerback | Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii[13] | 49,338 | AFC: Bill Belichick, New England NFC: Mike Smith, Atlanta |
Fox |
2011 | January 29, 2012 (schedule) | Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii [14] | NBC |
This is a list of players with most Pro Bowl selections. Players listed in bold type are currently active as of the 2011 season.
Number | Player | Position | Seasons by team | Year of induction into Pro Football Hall of Fame |
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14 | Bruce Matthews | OL | Houston Oilers / Tennessee Oilers / Tennessee Titans (1983–2001) | 2007 |
14 | Merlin Olsen | DT | Los Angeles Rams (1962–1976) | 1982 |
13 | Jerry Rice | WR | San Francisco 49ers (1985–2000) Oakland Raiders (2001–2004) Seattle Seahawks (2004) |
2010 |
13 | Reggie White | DE | Philadelphia Eagles (1985–1992) Green Bay Packers (1993–1998) Carolina Panthers (2000) |
2006 |
12 | Ken Houston | S | Houston Oilers (1967–1972) Washington Redskins (1973–1980) |
1986 |
13 | Ray Lewis | LB | Baltimore Ravens (1996–present) | Still active |
12 | Randall McDaniel | OL | Minnesota Vikings (1988–1999) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2000–2001) |
2009 |
12 | Junior Seau | LB | San Diego Chargers (1990–2002) Miami Dolphins (2003–2005) New England Patriots (2006–2009) |
Not eligible |
12 | Will Shields | OL | Kansas City Chiefs (1993–2006) | Not eligible |
Although Hawaii does not have a NFL team of its own, the Pro Bowl is still subject to the NFL's blackout policies, requiring the game to be blacked out within the state of Hawaii if it does not sell out all of its seats.[17][18] This restriction was not in effect in Hawaii for the 2010 game, but was transferred to the Miami media market.
The Pro Bowl has been plagued with criticism ever since the NFL allowed fan voting. Voting by fans makes up 1/3 of the vote for Pro Bowl players. Many teams like Dallas, New York, and other large fan bases usually win because fans usually vote for their own team and not necessarily the best player. In the 2008 Pro Bowl, the Dallas Cowboys had thirteen players on the NFC roster, an NFL record. "If you're in a small market, no one really gets to see you play," said Minnesota Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield, who spent much of his early career with the small-market Buffalo Bills. "If you're a quiet guy, it's hard to get the attention. You just have to work hard and play." Winfield made the Pro Bowl in 2008 after ten seasons of being shut out.[19]
The player voting has also been subject to significant criticism. It is not uncommon for the players to pick the same players over and over again; former offensive lineman (and SI.com analyst) Ross Tucker has cited politics, incumbency, and compensation for injury in previous years as primary factors in player's choices among themselves.[20]
Some players have had a surprisingly small number of Pro Bowl selections despite distinguished careers. Hall of fame running back John Riggins was only selected once in his career from 1971-1985. He was not selected in the year where he set the record for rushing touchdowns in a season and his team made it to the Super Bowl (though he did make the all-pro team). Hall of fame linebacker Ray Nitschke only made the Pro Bowl once, despite being named all-pro seven times and being the MVP of the 1962 NFL Championship Game. Defensive Back Ken Riley never made the Pro Bowl in his 15 seasons, even though he recorded 65 interceptions, the fourth highest total in NFL history at the time of his retirement.
13. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories/121907dnspocowlede.2b2128f8.html
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