Top Moments in NFL History
There are so many special moments in National Football League history—how could you narrow them all down to a list of the 25 greatest moments? It’s not an easy task, but that’s what we’re going to do.
When we use the phrase best moments, we are looking for specific things that are beneficial to NFL fans and the NFL in general.
Since the early years of the NFL’s creation, and as time has progressed, the sport of football has continued to gain popularity, taking on a larger role in American sports and culture.
We ranked the 25 most memorable moments the NFL has offered to date. Now, on to the presentation…
National Football League Founded (1922)
The birth of professional organized football began with a meeting of seven men in Canton, Ohio in 1920. One of those in attendance was legendary Olympic athlete Jim Thorpe (pictured). The group decided to form a league that would consist of 10 teams playing in four states. The league is called the American Professional Football Association, or APFA for short. APFA was formed on September 17, 1920.
The APFA nominated and elected Thorpe to be league president. According to this article from History.com, some of the APFA league members include owners of four teams from Ohio, (Akron Pros, Canton Bulldogs, Cleveland Indians and Dayton Triangles) and from Illinois (Rock Island Independents, Chicago Cardinals and the Decatur Staley family).
This league only lasted for two years, then was reorganized on June 24, 1922 to become the National Football League. The only founding teams still in existence are the Arizona Cardinals (which started as the Chicago Cardinals), Decatur Staleys (which later became the Chicago Bears) and the Green Bay Packers.
Over the years, the National Football League became more organized, leading to the creation of the league’s first championship game in 1933. The National Football League began to take root and survive.
NFL Draft Created by Bert Bell (1935)
Burt Bell was one of the owners of the Philadelphia Eagles, and he struggled to produce a good product on the field. His Eagles team was having difficulty acquiring top-level talent, so in 1935, Bell proposed that the National Football League consider creating a draft.
Bell felt that the draft would improve competitive balance on the field to ensure the financial viability of all franchises. His proposal was adopted unanimously, and the NFL draft was born.
Bell’s plan stopped players from only joining the most prestigious teams in the league, and gave other teams the opportunity to compete every year. The draft has changed over the years in terms of trimming some rounds and making changes like adding compensatory picks, but the current draft is basically what Bell envisions.
The NFL is much better thanks to Bell’s insight and creativity. Bell also served as NFL Commissioner from 1946-1959. Bell was once a part owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but had to sell his shares in the team to accept the role of commissioner.
Most football fans are aware of the AFL and NFL merger, but Bell was responsible for the first true NFL merger. The merger occurred between the NFL and the All-American Football Conference. He also addressed a gambling scandal in 1946, and encouraged players to report whenever someone approached them in an attempt to bribe a player.
Another little known accomplishment was that Bell created his own NFL league schedule, in addition to creating a revenue sharing system that allowed teams from smaller markets to compete against teams from larger markets, which resulted in a much higher revenue stream. us to get other interesting information by visit us
