Nfl Afl Merger Teams
The official source for NFL news, video highlights, fantasy football, game-day coverage, schedules, stats, scores and more. AFL-NFL Merger In 1966, Alvin Rozelle and other Professional Football executives lobbied the 89th United States Congress to pass legislation permitting the merger of the NFL with the American Football League. They appeared before the Congress' Subcommittee on Antitrust, chaired by New York congressman Emanuel Celler.In their appearances, two points were repeatedly made. The NFL and AFL completed a merger in 1970, creating a 26-team circuit under the name of the older NFL. Since then the league has expanded four times, adding six new franchises. Following an agreement to merge the NFL with the rival American Football League (AFL), the Super Bowl was first held in 1967 to determine a champion between the best teams from the two leagues and has remained as the final game of each NFL season since the merger was completed in 1970. Following the merger in 1970, the Super Bowl name continued as the game to determine the NFL champion. The most important factor of the merger was that all ten AFL teams joined the NFL in 1970 and every AFL championship game and record is included in NFL record books.
In 1966, Alvin Rozelle and other Professional Football executives lobbied the 89th United States Congress to pass legislation permitting the merger of the NFL with the American Football League.
They appeared before the Congress' Subcommittee on Antitrust, chaired by New York congressman Emanuel Celler. In their appearances, two points were repeatedly made:
(1) Rozelle promised that if the merger was allowed, no existing Professional Football franchise of either league would be moved from any city; and |
Nfl Afl Merger Teams Rosters
That is, if the merger was permitted, Professional Football would keep its existing teams in the cities AND stadiums that had teams in 1966.
For passing Public Law 89-800 (PL 89-800) and agreeing to allow the merger that eliminated the name, logo and identity of the American Football League (the genesis of modern Professional Football); and for then ignoring the breach of trust the NFL repeatedly committed by allowing teams to move and demand ever-larger stadiums; the 89th United States Congress is consigned to the 'American Football League Hall of Infamy'.
Nfl And Afl Football Teams
Below is an article about the merger, written in 1971 by Baltimore News-American Sports Editor John Steadman. To see the scanned version of the article, go to 'John Steadman article'. Also see Jerry Magee's more recent column for the San Diego Union.