NFL was started in Canton,ohio on September 17, 1920 by a group of enterprising men. Initially NFL was known as American Professional Football Association (AFPA). American Professional Football Association later got rechristened as National Football League (NFL) in 1922 and became America's favorite sport. Jim Thorpe who was a professional Football player was the first president of NFL and helped add credibility and pouplarity for the sport. Actually Pro Football began in 1892 at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania when former Yale star William "Pudge" Heffelfinger was paid a notable sum of $500 to play in a single game for the Allegheny Athletic Association on November 12 1892. Then Pro Football was played mostly in the small towns of Pennsylvania and was mostly a Pennsylvanian sport before it started becoming popular in the eastern and Midwestern states like Ohio. Initial Pro Football days faced several problems including lack of rules, keeping the players in order and professional recognition. But with the formation of APFA all the problems started to wade away. Actually there were 11 franchises were presented at the first APFA meeting. They were Canton Bulldogs
Decatur Staleys
Chicago Cardinals
Akron Pros
Cleveland Indians
Dayton Triangles
Massillon Tigers
Hammond Pros
Muncie Flyers
Rock Island Independents
Rochester Jeffersons On September 26, 1920, the first game featuring a team from the APFA was played at Douglas Park in Rock Island, Illinois. The Independents were victorious as they rolled to a 48-0 win over the St. Paul Ideals. One week later, two league teams battled head-to-head for the fist time. The Dayton Triangles beat Columbus Panhandles, 14-0 in Triangle Park. The Akron Pros, with an 8-0-3 regular season record, were crowned the league's first champion. Only two of the original franchises of APFA still exist today. Decatur Staleys moved to Chicago and their franchise name was changed to the current Chicago Bears. Chicago Cardinals moved their home to Arizona and they are known as Arizona Cardinals. |
