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In 1876 Walter Camp aka "Father of American Football
at theMassasoit Convention wrote the first rules for American Football.In 1892
Allegheny Athletic Association paid Pudge Heffelfinger was paid $500 becomeing
the first paid professional player.In 1893 halfback Grant Dibert gets the first
professional football contract.The Allegheny Athletic Assocaition became the
first all professional team.In 1899 Chris O'Brien forms the Morgan Athletic
Club,then through several name changes becomes the Chicago Cardinals, the St.Louis
Cardinal, Phoenix Cardinals and the Arizona Cardinals in 1994. The Arizona Cardinals
are oldest remaining football team.In 1900 William C. Temple became the first
individual team owner.In 1902 Philadelphia Athletics and Philadelphia Phillies
joined the Pittsburgh Stars to become the National
Football League but later was disbanded.All three claimed the Championship
for the year but President Dave Berry said the Stars were the champions. A world
series of football which was a five-team tournament was played between the New
York,New York Knickerbockers, Syracuse AC, Warlow AC and the Orange AC;Syracuse
won the tournament. Football in Pennsylvania declined and moved west to Ohio.
In 1913 Jim Thorpe a football and track star at Carlisle Indian School,PA, and
double gold medal winner joined the Pine Village Pros in Indiana.Thorpe was
signed to Canton for $250 a game.In 1916-18 Canton won the pro football championship.In
1919 the Green Bay Packers were formed and went 10-0-1.In 1920 the American
Professional Football Association was formed but was very unorganized.In 1921
Joe Carr took over as the APFA president and develeped a league constitution,
and other such rules, and the total memebership was now 22 teams.The professional
team the Decatur Staleys won the APFA championship.In 1922 the APFA became the
National Football League.The NFL only had 18
teams at this time.In 1925 several new teams were admitted after few football
teams disbanded such as;New York Giants and the Pottsville Maroons who were
the most successful independent pro team.In 1925 the Chicago Cardinals and the
Pottsville Maroons were the top contenders for the league title but the Pottsville
Maroons were suspended because they disobeyed league rules and the the Cardinals
were named champions.In 1926 the American Football League was formed my petitioners
who were against the NFL and had 9 temas. It disbnaded after one year.The NFL
grew to 22 teams.In 1927 the NFL was dropped to 12 temas, then 1928 it was dropped
to 10 teams till 1932 where it decreaseed to 8 teams.1933 three new teams joined
and the NFL was divided into 2 divisions the eastern and western division the
best team in each playing for the Championship.The NFL continued to adopt new
rules and do new things such as; the NFL draft,games were nationally televised,and
the first NFL comissioner was hired.A rival league known as the AFL was developed
but crashed after two years.In 1943 because of World War II. Players were also
now required to wear helmets and all teams were given a 10 game season.Another
rival league was formed and it was called the All-America Football Conference
and it had a roster of 8 teams.in 1949 the AAFC merged with the NFL.And in 1950
the NFL became know was the National-American Football League, and the American
and National Conferences were created.In 1951 a new rule was adopted that no
guard,center,or tackle could catch a forward pass.The American and National
Conference were changed back to Eastern and Western Divisions.In 1959 a second
league was formed called the American Football League.in 1962 the AFL sued the
NFL for a monopoly and lost the case.In 1963 the Pro Football Hall of Fame opened.In
1967 the NFL and AFL merged and each would have their own conference and the
2 best teams play against each other in the world championship game.In 1969
the National and American Football Conferences were formed and had playoff formats.A
rival league call the World Football League formed in 1974 but was nothing because
in 1975 it folded.From 1975 till present day the NFL continued to become more
popular and expand coming to a 32 team franchise and divded into two conferences
each with four divisions.
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