Art Modell. What the media WON'T Tell you.

Art Modell has passed on and of course, a lot of The Media and The NFL is spinning it as if he was the greatest owner in the History of The NFL. (Now granted, some in the media are also bringing up his shortcomings and controversies.)

Now, you're about to hear the WHOLE Truth about him.

Yes, I am a Browns Fan, and this is A LOT more than just him moving the team to Baltimore.

This is a man who after purchasing the Browns in 1961:

1. Fired The Team's Namesake, Paul Brown after the 1962 Season. All Paul Brown did was Coach The Browns to Ten Straight League Championship Game Appearances between 1946 and 1955. Four in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) in 1948, '47, '48 and 1949. (The 1948 Browns went Undefeated, 24 Years before The '72 Dolphins pulled it off.). Make it to Six Straight NFL Championship Games between 1950 and '55, winning it in 1950, '54 and 1955. (The Modern Version is making it to six straight Super Bowls.) and come up with many innovations that are now common practice in football.


2. Outside of listing them in the Official Record, Refused to acknowledge the Browns Past Championships won in the ways an owner can acknowledge them all because The Man he Fired, (Paul Brown) built and coached those teams. (...and none of them took place while HE owned the team.) Later, this policy was adopted by The NFL after the NFL/AFL Merger judging by the League's treatment of most things from the Pre-Super Bowl Era.


3. De-Emphasized the one NFL Championship he did win in Cleveland (1964) all to adhere to the NFL's Culture of "If it happened before The Super Bowl Era, It doesn't count." because he was a "Good Company Man" when it came to The NFL. (Translation: He cared more about The NFL than he did The Browns.)


4. Crippled the Browns with Bad Trades, Bad Drafts, Bad Decisions and Incompetent Meddling in General, and ran The Browns into the ground for years. Not to mention The Financial Blunder known as The Stadium Corporation.

You would swear that The Browns were always a sorry, moribund franchise from Day One, when in fact, they were at one time, THE Model Franchise of Pro Football. (...and a Top Franchise in all of Pro Sports.)

Their first decade of existence (1946-1955) can be categorized as a True Sports Dynasty. Of course, Modell screwed all that up denying generations of Browns Fans Championships that they could enjoy.

Memo to The Media and The NFL: This Weasel

doesn't deserve any praise and respect, just

condemnation. Him winning The Super Bowl in

Baltimore is proof of three things:

1. God does not care who wins ball games.

2. Karma is a Myth.

3. Sends a bad message that "Crime Does Pay".

So, how did an owner who is this incompetent and smarmy gain so much Political Power within The NFL?

1. Because they were of the same Generation, and the fact that he was The NFL Commissioner, Modell sidled up to Pete Rozelle and they remained friends until Rozelle's death in 1996. Yes, I know that any team owner needs to have some type of relationship with the League Commissioner.

2. Because of his business background, which was predominantly Television Production. (Along with Advertising and Public Relations.) He was The NFL's Lead Negotiator in the Television Contract Talks with The Networks. These Contracts reaped Hundreds of Millions, (...and eventually, Billions.) helping The NFL to become one of the most profitable businesses in The World.

If he were as good in running The Browns as he was negotiating The TV Contracts for the NFL, The Browns wouldn't have become a moribund, snake bitten laughingstock that they became under his watch. Maybe he wouldn't have moved to Baltimore and maybe have some Super Bowl Titles in Cleveland and not seen as a Pariah.

It's also amazing how he ran that Illegitimate Bastard of a Franchise known as The Ravens in a manner that is the complete opposite of the way he did  The Browns when it comes to On The Field. Off The Field, Same Crap, Different City. In spite of the fact that The State of Maryland paid for virtually everything and the NFL is very profitable, he STILL LOST MONEY so he had to sell most of the team to Daniel Biscotti. (Modell still owned 1% just to stay in.)

MODELL AND MONEY

When he bought the Browns in 1961, officially, he bought them for $4 Million (Around 29.2 Million in 2011 Dollars.) which was then a record. However, he only used $250,000 (Around 1.82 Million in 2011 Dollars.) of his own money while Borrowing $2.7 Million (Around 19.7 Million in 2011 Dollars) from The Bank and finding partners for the rest.

To finalize the Merger in 1970, three of the old school NFL Teams had to move to the newly formed AFC so that the AFC and NFC would each have 13 teams. After a lot of discussion, The Baltimore Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns agreed to move to The AFC. The NFL makes it sound like they did this for the good of The League when in fact, The three Teams were paid $3 Million each to do so. (Around 16.8 Million in 2011 Dollars.) So much for the "Doing it for the good of the NFL" Propaganda.

Modell's biggest Financial Blunder was the "Stadium Corporation" which he formed in 1973. The Stadium had become a debt ridden liability to The City of Cleveland. In this deal, he would rent the stadium from the city for One Dollar a year and assume all operating and repair costs of the stadium and sublease the stadium to both The Browns and The Indians. (Making it where The Browns were essentially paying rent to themselves.)

Modell built Loges in the Stadium, but the Indians didn't see a penny of that money, and what profit Modell did get from them did not go towards offsetting The Stadium Debt. (...and those Loges were always used during Browns Games, which usually had great attendance at the Old Stadium.)

MOVING THE TEAM TO BALTIMORE. HOW LONG WAS HE REALLY PLANNING TO DO THIS? (...AND ALL THE DECEPTION ALONG THE WAY.)

One Myth that Modell Apologists love to tell is that Modell was never offered a piece of The Gateway Project which was formed around 1990. (The Project that led to the building of what is now Progressive Field, QuickenLoans Arena and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.)

Not true. He in fact was offered a piece of this (Which was to be a Domed Stadium.) but Modell instead asked the City for more money for the old Cleveland Stadium.

Around 1992 when The NFL expanded with The Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers, there were of course other cities bidding for an Expansion Team. Among them of course was Baltimore. Art Modell went out of his way in using his Political Power within The NFL to ruin it for The Baltimore Expansion Effort (The Team was to be known as "The Bombers".) and smugly stated "The NFL has no business being in Baltimore". Was he saving it for himself?

In the Browns Media Guides dating back to the early 90's, the mailing address for the Browns Backers Headquarters (Where people could apply to form an official Browns Backers Chapter.) is in MARYLAND.

With all that, Modell still managed to persuade The City of Berea Ohio (Home of Baldwin-Wallace College, where The Browns practiced for years.) to build a brand new practice and administrative complex at this time. (...and yet, they still didn't move the headquarters for the Browns Backers Clubs into the new building.)

HOW I FINALLY CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT MODELL WAS PLANNING THE MOVE FOR YEARS.

This is the Logo I designed for what would have been The Cleveland
Browns' 50th Anniversary in the 1996 Season. Something that
Browns Fans never got to celebrate thanks to Art Modell.

Okay, you have the events with The Gateway Project, The Mailing Address of The Browns Backers being in Maryland, NFL Expansion and the building of the Facility in Berea OH, all while many believe that Modell was planning the move to Baltimore.

Well, what I am about to tell you really happened in February of 1995 (About Nine Months before Modell officially announced that he was moving the team to Baltimore.

In February of 1995, I went to a charity event in Strongsville OH hosted by Debby Belichick and "The Browns Wives". (Bill Belichick at the time being The Browns Head Coach.) This was attended by The Browns Front Office, Coaches and their Wives. Art Modell and his Wife were there briefly as well.

Me, being a bit of an artist, decided to create a logo for the 1996 Season as it was to be The Browns 50th Anniversary of coming into existence in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) along with The San Francisco 49ers who also began in the AAFC. Both The Browns and The 49ers went into The NFL in 1950.

So, the NFL does not recognize the AAFC and will not allow
a team that started there to Commemorate their beginning in
the AAFC? Really? Then explain this 49ers 50th
Anniversary Logo they wore on their jerseys in 1996.
(Courtesy of Sports Logos.net)

I showed the "Browns 50 Logo" (as I call it, and seen above.) to Kevin Byrne, who at the time, was Vice-President of Public Relations with the Browns. (and retained that position with the team when they moved to Baltimore.) Byrne told me that the NFL does not recognize the AAFC Years and wouldn't allow The Browns to commemorate this. I took Byrne at his word since The NFL does have a history of not recognizing certain aspects of Pro Football History that did not involve them.

Of course in October of 1995. Modell made The Announcement.

So The 1996 NFL Season comes around. I'm watching an Exhibition Game involving The 49ers and what do I see. A 50th Anniversary Patch on the 49ers Jerseys. (You can see that to the left and above this text.) The same 49ers who like The Browns, began life in the AAFC in 1946 and went to the NFL in 1950. This after being told by Kevin Byrne (Who is a Higher Up in the Browns/now Ravens Front Office.) that the NFL would not allow it.

This is what convinced me once and for all that Art Modell was planning the move for years and only certain high ranking members of the front office also knew he was planning to move the team.

I am also willing to sign a Legal Affidavit stating that what I have stated above is true.

The Irony is that Modell is a native of Brooklyn. Remember the Dodgers?

Now, I don't lay all the blame on Modell. But I do blame him for the overwhelming majority of this.

Some (ESPECIALLY Modell Apologists.) blame the local and state politicians in Ohio. I blame them a little, but nowhere near the level that others do.

I also put a big part of the blame on then NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue. Before Modell moved the team to Baltimore, Tagliabue stopped then Seattle Seahawks Owner Ken Behring from moving them to Los Angeles, forcing him to sell the team to Microsoft Co-Founder Paul Allen. This means that if he wanted to, he could have stopped Modell from moving the team and forcing him to sell them.

In my opinion, the reason why Tagliabue did not stop Modell is because Tagliabue wanted all the teams to build new stadiums and I think he was looking for that one excuse where he can say "This is what will happen if you don't have a new stadium." and the Browns were that excuse. Huge, Loyal Fan Base with a National Following, etc. So Tagliabue in my opinion was an enabler. Believe me, Tagliabue isn't highly thought of among Cleveland Fans.

As the late Paul Harvey would say: "Now You Know THE REST of The Story."

Ten Best Pro Football Hall of Famers you maybe never heard of (Numbers 5 to 1.)

Because of the NFL's "If it happened before the Super Bowl Era, It Doesn't Count" Culture, there is a LOT of Pro Football History that the Casual Pro Football Fan simply does not know about. Great Players, Teams, Championship Games, Breaking The Color Barrier one year before Jackie Robinson made his debut with The Brooklyn Dodgers, etc. (I did discuss this briefly with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell during the Cleveland Browns Season Ticket Holder Teleconference. Would like to discuss changing this mentality with him some more.)

Part of this are Hall Of Fame Players who for the most part, are forgotten (Except in the Cities they played in and by the teams' fan bases.) and are not brought up when it comes to "The Greatest (Insert Position Here) of All Time" discussions.

So with this in mind, here is my list of The Ten Best Pro Football Hall of Famers you maybe never heard of. (Numbers 5 to 1.)

1. OTTO GRAHAM
Quarterback: Cleveland Browns 1946-49 (AAFC) 1950-55 (NFL)
Inducted into The Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965.

Whenever the Subject of "Greatest Quarterbacks of All Time" is discussed, Otto Graham is rarely, if ever brought up. This is simply because his entire career took place before The Super Bowl era, and even before The Sport really took off on Television. The Fact is, he SHOULD BE in the Discussion.

These Days, If any Quarterback leads his team to Six Straight Super Bowls, winning three of them, that Quarterback would be in the "Greatest Quarterbacks of All Time" discussion. Well, that hasn't happened yet in the Super Bowl Era. However, The Pre-Super Bowl Era equivalent of this DID happen in the early 1950's, and it was Otto Graham who pulled this off.

When The Cleveland Browns came into The NFL in 1950 from the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), They were already an established Championship team as they won all four AAFC Titles (In fact. The 1948 Browns were Undefeated.). Their first NFL Season in 1950, they opened up with the defending (1949) NFL Champions, Philadelphia Eagles and defeated them 35-10. They defeated The L.A. Rams 30-28 for the NFL Championship. The Browns with Graham at Quarterback went to Six Straight NFL Championships from 1950 to 1955 and winning three of those (1950, 1954 and 1955.)

If you include the AAFC Years from 1946 to 1949, Where The Browns won every single Title, (The NFL does not.) that would make TEN Straight Trips to the Championship Game, winning Seven of them. That is dominating an Era. Unfortunately, it's being ignored for the most part.

2. DON HUTSON
End: Green Bay Packers 1935-1945
Inducted into The Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963

Hutson was The NFL's First "Super End". (An End back then for the most part is a Wide Receiver today. The term "Tight End" evolved around the 1950's.) Hutson also was a Safety and Placekicker. He was The Receiving Champion in Eight of his Eleven Seasons, Was All-NFL (Now, All-Pro) Nine of his Eleven Seasons, The NFL Scoring Leader Five Times and was The NFL MVP in 1941 and 1942. Was also part of Three NFL World Championship Teams (1936, 1939 and 1944.), Was named the All-Time End on the NFL's 50th Anniversary Team in 1969. At the time he retired after the 1945 Season, he held 18 NFL Records.

3. (SLINGIN') SAMMY BAUGH
Quarterback: Washington Redskins 1937-1952
Inducted into The Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963

Another Quarterback that should be included in any and all "Greatest Quarterbacks of All Time" Discussions, it could be said that Baugh was The NFL's first "Gunslinger" Quarterback with his Arm Strength. He helped bring the Passing Game into The NFL.

He was also a Punter and Defensive Back. (Averaged 45.1 Yards Per Punt and had 31 Interceptions in his NFL Career.) In 1943, He pulled off the rare feat of leading The NFL in Passing, Punting and Interceptions. Was All-NFL Seven Times and was The NFL Passing Leader Six Times.

4. BRONISLAW (BRONKO) NAGURSKI
Fullback: Chicago Bears 1930-1937, 1943
Inducted into The Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963

Nagurski was Pro Football's Original Power Running Back. Paving the way for the likes of Marion Motley, John Henry Johnson, Jim Brown, Larry Csonka, Christian Okoye, Mike Alstott and Peyton Hillis. Running Backs who gave out punishment when they ran the ball. Nagurski was also a Linebacker. (Remember, this is back when players played on both sides of the ball.) He even filled in as an Offensive Tackle if there was an injury.

Nagurski was All-NFL Five Times. He also threw two touchdown passes (The second ended up as a lateral.) in the NFL's First Official World Championship Game in 1933 vs The New York Giants. He later came out of retirement for the 1943 Season (Due to the Player Shortage because of World War II.) and helped the Bears win The 1943 NFL Championship.

BOBBY LAYNE
Quarterback: Chicago Bears 1948, New York Bulldogs 1949, Detroit Lions 1950-1958, Pittsburgh Steelers 1958-1962
Indicted into The Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967

A Quarterback with above average skills and statistics, Layne had all the Intangibles and then some when is came to success: Leadership, Determination, Competetiveness and Guts. Layne was one of the great clutch players in NFL History. Some of his Leadership even included leading his teammates in late night hard partying the night before a game. The partying never got in the way of winning.

His greatest Pro Seasons were with The Lions where they won the NFL Championship in 1953, 1954 and 1957. Layne was a Five Time Pro Bowl Selection in 1951, 1952, 1953, 1956 and 1959.

Ten Best Pro Football Hall of Famers you maybe never heard of (Numbers 10 to 6.)

                                 
Because of the NFL's "If it happened before the Super Bowl Era, It Doesn't Count" Culture, there is a LOT of Pro Football History that the Casual Pro Football Fan simply does not know about. Great Players, Teams, Championship Games, Breaking The Color Barrier one year before Jackie Robinson made his debut with The Brooklyn Dodgers, etc. (I did discuss this briefly with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell during the Cleveland Browns Season Ticket Holder Teleconference. Would like to discuss changing this mentality with him some more.)

Part of this are Hall Of Fame Players who for the most part, are forgotten (Except in the Cities they played in and by the teams' fan bases.) and are not brought up when it comes to "The Greatest (Insert Position Here) of All Time" discussions.

So with this in mind, here is my list of The Ten Best Pro Football Hall of Famers you maybe never heard of. (Numbers 10 to 6.)

6. STEVE VAN BUREN
Halfback: Philadelphia Eagles 1944-1951
Inducted into The Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965

Was All-NFL Six Straight Years and won the Rushing Title Four Times. Listed as a Halfback but played more like a Fullback with a hard hitting, bruising style. The Eagles never finished above Fourth Place until he arrived. Helped lead the Eagles to The NFL Titles in 1948 and 1949. He scored the only Touchdown vs The Chicago Cardinals in Blizzard Conditions in the 1948 NFL Title Game. He rushed for 196 yards in the 1949 NFL Title Game.

In 1945, Van Buren pulled of a Rare Triple Crown when he led the NFL in Rushing, Scoring and Kickoff Returns.

7. SID LUCKMAN
Quarterback: Chicago Bears 1939-1950
Inshrined into The Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965

Luckman was the first T-Formation Quarterback in the NFL. The Bears' Success with Luckman and the T-Formation spurred other NFL Teams to go to this offense.

Luckman was a Five Time All-Pro, Led the NFL Three Times in Touchdown Passes, Was the NFL MVP in 1943. Once threw Seven Touchdown Passes in one Game, and led The Bears to The NFL Championship in 1940, 1941, 1943 and 1946. Threw Five Touchdown Passes in the 1943 NFL Championship Game vs The Washington Redskins.

8. BILL WILLIS
Middle Guard: Cleveland Browns 1946-1949 (AAFC), 1950-1953
Inducted into The Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977

One Year before Jackie Robinson made his Major League Baseball debut in 1947, Pro Football broke the Color Barrier when The Los Angeles Rams signed Kenny Washington and Woody Strode out of UCLA. (When the Rams moved from Cleveland to Los Angeles after the 1945 Season, The Commissioners of The Los Angeles Coliseum put in a stipulation that the NFL intergrates as part of the agreement.) There were also several AAFC Teams that signed African-American Players from the begining of the League, The Cleveland Browns being one of them.

Willis was a quick player with great technique. Willis played at Ohio State for Paul Brown. (Brown broke The Color Barrier at Ohio State when he persuaded Willis to join the team.) Willis proved he could play Middle Guard at the Pro Level on The First Day of Practice, he kept running by the Center to get The Quarterback. (Willis was considered light for his position.)

Willis was an All-Pro Selection (BOTH The AAFC and NFL Versions.) every year of his Pro Career. Was also named to the NFL's All-1940's Team.

9. MARION MOTLEY
Fullback: Cleveland Browns 1946-1949 (AAFC), 1950-1953 (NFL), Pittsburgh Steelers 1955
Inducted into The Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968

Before Jim Brown, there was Marion Motley. Ran with Power.

Was All-Pro (AAFC) all four years of the League and All-Pro (NFL) in 1950. The All Time Rushing Leader in AAFC History. Led The NFL in Rushing in 1950. Averaged 5.7 Yards a Carry in his Career. Named to both the NFL All 1940's Team and The NFL 75th Anniversary All Time Team. Great Runner and Blocker in the Browns Trap Play.

10. DICK (NIGHT TRAIN) LANE
Cornerback: Los Angeles Rams 1952-1953, Chicago Cardinals 1954-1959, Detroit Lions 1960-1965
Inducted into The Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1974

This is one of the most unlikely success stories in the history of pro football. Lane was in the Army, then had a job at an aircraft factory. Fed up with his job, he asked The Los Angeles Rams for a tryout. He tried out as an End/Reciever (...which is why he wore 81.) but was moved to Cornerback.

As a Rookie with the Rams, he intercepted 14 passes in a 12 Game Season. (Still a Record even as the number of games in a season has expanded since.)

Aside from his ball hawking abilities, Lane was also a vicious tackler. He loved to tackle his opponents around the Head and Neck Area (Back then, it was Legal.) and this technique was nicknamed "The Night Train Necktie".

Lane was a Six Time First Team All-Pro, named to the 1950's All Decade Team and The NFL 75th Anniversary Team.

"Night Train" is also considered by many to be the most famous nickname in the history of sports.

Athletes ARE NOT Warriors!

                                                                                        





On this Memorial Day when we remember our loved ones as well as Honor those who served our Country, I would like to address what has to be one of my biggest peeves about Sports, The Constant Refering to Athletes as Warriors.

ATHLETES ARE NOT WARRIORS! PEOPLE IN THE MILITARY ARE WARRIORS!

Granted, there are sports teams on all levels called "Warriors", and there have been many athletes who did/do serve in the military and the Service Academies have Varsity Sports Teams, but in general, I get annoyed when sportscatsers, etc, refer to an Athlete as a Warrior. I personally think it's disrespectful of anyone who are now or did serve in the military.

Now, if you wish to refer to an athlete as a Gladiator, that's fine as it's a more accurate term. Just please confine the use of the term "Warrior" to those who are/were in the Military or playing for one of the Service Academies. (...or if they happen to play for a team called the "Warriors".)

Thank You.

The AAFC and The AFL: Legacy Continues in The NFL.

In the history of American Professional Football, there are two past leagues who still have teams existing in the NFL. The American Football League (AFL 1960-1969) and he lesser known All-America Football Conference (AAFC 1946-1949).

The AFL is of course, the more widely known league as all of the teams were part of the AFL-NFL Merger and this resulted in The Super Bowl. Because of this, The NFL recognizes all Pre-Merger Player Statistcs and History (Except for AFL Championships.) of the old AFL Teams that came in the Merger and are now in the AFC.

There is an excellent website called Remember The AFL that gives a detailed history of The American Football League.

The AAFC on the other hand is far lesser known to the casual fan. There were eight teams in the AAFC but only three were merged into The NFL after the 1949 Season: The Cleveland Browns, The San Francisco 49ers and The Baltimore Colts. Of those three, only The Browns and 49ers still exist. The AAFC Baltimore Colts do not have anything to do with the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts of Johnny Unitas and Peyton Manning. Because of this, The NFL to this day does not recognize the player and team stats of the Browns and 49ers AAFC years, although The Pro Football Hall of Fame does.

Where the AFL was started by Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs Owner Lamar Hunt (He wanted to bring an NFL Team to Dallas and was rejected.) and other businessmen who either wanted to outright purchase, buy into or start teams in The NFL, The AAFC was started by a Chicago Tribune Sports Writer named Arch Ward (Who also came up with The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, The College All-Star Game and The Golden Gloves Amateur Boxing Tournament.)

During WWII, Ward felt that The NFL should expand but would not.

Ward officially founded The AAFC on June 4, 1944 and was to start play in 1945 but was delayed until 1946 because of WWII.

It was the first Professional Sports League to have at least two teams on the West Coast as it had The Los Angeles Dons and San Francisco 49ers. When The NFL's Rams moved from Cleveland to Los Angeles, there was no second team on the West Coast until The 49ers came over from the AAFC in 1950. The AAFC (Along with the Los Angeles Rams of NFL.) helped desegragate Pro Football.

While The AAFC was a competitive league, it had ONE Dominant Team: The Cleveland Browns. The Browns won every AAFC Championship in its history from 1946 to 1949 and posted an Undefeated Season in 1948, 24 years before the 1972 Miami Dolphins did it in The NFL. A fact not known by many because of the NFL's refusal to count AAFC records and statistics. Because of the Domination of one team in the AAFC's Whole History, It was not taken seriously back then and to an extent, still true today.

Many experts speculate that Paul Brown's AAFC Browns Teams (Especially in 1948 and 1949.) were as good as The NFL's best teams at that time. This is supported by the fact that in their first NFL Regular Season Game in 1950, The Browns defeated the Defending NFL Champion Eagles 35-10 in Philadelphia.

Thanks for reading.

The Actual History of The NFL Championship Game. Part IV: The NFL and AFL Pre Meger Super Bowl Era Championship Games.

         

The following AFL and NFL League Championship Games took place after it was announced in June of 1966 that the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) would Merge by 1970.

Because the League Championship Games between the 1966 and 1969 Seasons not only determined who the NFL and AFL Champions were, but also who would go to The AFL-NFL World Championship Game (Later, officially called The Super Bowl.) People generally do not think of these in the same way they would think of other League Championship Games before and after the Merger.

The 1966 Season:
AFL: Kansas City Chiefs defeated The Buffalo Bills 31-7 in Buffalo (War Memorial Stadium)
NFL: Green Bay Packers defeated The Dallas Cowboys 34-27 in Dallas (Cotton Bowl Stadium)

The 1967 Season:
AFL: Oakland Raiders defeated The Houston Oilers 40-7 in Oakland (Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum)
NFL: Green Bay Packers defeated The Dallas Cowboys 21-17 in Green Bay (Lambeau Field)

The 1968 Season:
AFL: New York Jets defeated The Oakland Raiders 27-23 in Flushing (Queens) New York (Shea Stadium)
NFL: Baltimore Colts defeated The Cleveland Browns 34-0 in Cleveland (Cleveland Municipal Stadium)

The 1969 Season:
AFL: Kansas City Chiefs defeated The Oakland Raiders 17-7 in Oakland (Oakland-Alameda Coliseum)
NFL: Minnesota Vikings defeated The Cleveland Browns 27-7 in Bloomington Minnesota (Metropolitan Stadium)

The most famous of these games is of course, The 1967 NFL Championship Game between Green Bay and Dallas. Nicknamed "The Ice Bowl" due to it having the Coldest Actual Temperature for a Game. (-15 degrees.) It's also famous for the ending when Packers QB Bart Starr scored on a 1-yard Touchdown Run with 13 seconds left in the game.

Interesting Facts resulting from The Pre-Merger Era:

ONLY COACH TO WIN BOTH THE NFL CHAMPIONSHIP, AFL CHAMPIONSHIP AS WELL AS A SUPER BOWL: Weeb Ewbank who coached The Baltimore Colts to the 1958 and 1959 NFL Championships and The New York Jets to the AFL Championship and then coached The Jets Win in Super Bowl III over his old team, The Colts. 

The only other Head Coach to win Championships in Two Different Leagues is Paul Brown (Who Ewbank was an assistant for before becoming a Head Coach.) who Coached The Browns to all four All-America Football Conference (AAFC) Championships from 1946 to '49 (Including an Undefeated Season in 1948.) and NFL Championships in 1950, '54 and '55.

ONLY TEAM TO WIN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS AS BOTH AN AFL & NFL TEAM: The Oakland Radiers. Who won their only AFL Title in 1967 (but lost to The Packers in Super Bowl II) then won three Post-Merger NFL Championships in 1976 (SB XI), 1980 (SB XV) and 1983 (SB XVIII).

The only other Active Team to win League Championships in two Separate Leagues is The Browns as mentioned above. (They also won the 1964 NFL Championship.)

ONLY TEAM TO WIN A SUPER BOWL ERA NFL TITLE, YET NEVER WIN A SUPER BOWL: Minnesota Vikings, who won the last NFL Title (1969) before the two leagues merged, went on to lose Super Bowls IV, then also lost Super Bowls VIII, IX and XI in the Post Merger Era.

OTHER FACTS:
Other than The 1967 Raiders, no team that won the AFL Title (both Pre Super Bowl and Pre Merger Super Bowl.) has won any NFL Titles in The Post Merger Era. The two teams that won Super Bowls III and IV (New York Jets, and KC Chiefs.) as AFL Teams have yet to make it back to a Super Bowl.

Next Blog: The AFL and The AAFC.

Thanks.

George.

The Actual History of The NFL Championship Game. Part III: The Complete List of Pre Super Bowl NFL Champions.

Here is the Complete List of Pre Super Bowl Era NFL Champions
Pre Championship Game Era (When The Champion was determined based on Regular Season Record.)

1920 Akron Pros [1]

1921 Chicago Staleys (Chicago Bears)

1922 Canton Bulldogs

1923 Canton Bulldogs

1924 Cleveland Bulldogs [2]

1925 Chicago Cardinals (Arizona Cardinals) [3]

1926 Frankford Yellow Jackets (Philadelphia Eagles)

1927 New York Giants

1928 Providence Steam Roller

1929 Green Bay Packers

1930 Green Bay Packers

1931 Green bay Packers

1932 Chicago Bears [4]

[1] The NFL did not keep official standings during the 1920 Season. The Akron Pros were awarded The League Championship in a league meeting on April 30, 1921. Teams also played non-league opponents . The Buffalo All-Americans and Decatur Staleys (Chicago Bears) disputed the title but lost.

[2] The NFL Considers The Canton Bulldogs and Cleveland Bulldogs to be separate franchises. Cleveland (Football) Indians owner Samuel Deutsch purchased the Canton Bulldogs and merged them with the Indians and renamed them The Cleveland Bulldogs. The Chicago Bears disputed the title but lost.

[3] The Infamous Dispute between The Cardinals and Pottsville (PA) Maroons.

[4] A one game playoff was required as The Bears and Portsmouth (OH) Spartans (Detroit Lions) ended up tied at the end of the regular season. The Bears defeated The Spartans 9-0 in Chicago in the playoff.

Pre Super Bowl NFL Championship Game Winners:

1933 Chicago Bears - Defeated The New York Giants 23-21 in Chicago (Wrigley Field)

1934 New York Giants - Defeated The Chicago Bears 30-13 in New York (Polo Grounds)

1935 Detroit Lions - Defeated The New York Giants 26-7 in Detroit (University of Detroit Stadium)

1936 Green Bay Packers - Defeated The Boston Redskins 21-6 in New York (Polo Grounds) [1]

1937 Washington Redskins - Defeated The Chicago Bears 28-21 in Chicago (Wrigley Field)

1938 New York Giants - Defeated The Green Bay Packers 23-17 in New York (Polo Grounds)

1939 Green Bay Packers - Defeated The New York Giants 27-0 in West Allis, Wisconsin (Wisconsin State Fair Park) [2]

1940 Chicago Bears - Defeated The Washington Redskins 73-0 in Washington DC (Griffith Stadium)

1941 Chicago Bears - Defeated The New York Giants 37-9 in Chicago (Wrigley Field)

1942 Washington Redskins - Defeated The Chicago Bears 14-6 in Washington DC (Griffith Stadium)

1943 Chicago Bears - Defeated The Washington Redskins 41-21 in Chicago (Wrigley Field)

1944 Green Bay Packers - Defeated The New York Giants 14-7 in New York (Polo Grounds)

1945 Cleveland Rams (St. Louis Rams) - Defeated The Washington Redskins 15-14 in Cleveland (Cleveland Municipal Stadium)

1946 Chicago Bears - Defeated The New York Giants 24-14 in New York (Polo Grounds)

1947 Chicago Cardinals (Arizona Cardinals) - Defeated The Philadelphia Eagles 28-21 in Chicago (Comiskey Park)

1948 Philadelphia Eagles - Defeated The Chicago Cardinals (Arizona Cardinals) 7-0 in Philadelphia (Shibe Park)

1949 Philadelphia Eagles - Defeated The Los Angeles Rams (St. Louis Rams) 14-0 in Los Angeles (Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum)

1950 Cleveland Browns - Defeated The Los Angeles Rams (St. Louis Rams) 30-28 in Cleveland (Cleveland Municipal Stadium)

1951 Los Angeles Rams (St. Louis Rams) - Defeated The Cleveland Browns 24-17 in Los Angeles (Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum)

1952 Detroit Lions - Defeated The Cleveland Browns 17-7 in Cleveland (Cleveland Municipal Stadium)

1953 Detroit Lions - Defeated The Cleveland Browns 17-16 in Detroit (Briggs Stadium a.k.a. Tiger Stadium)

1954 Cleveland Browns - Defeated The Detroit Lions 56-10 in Cleveland (Cleveland Municipal Stadium)

1955 Cleveland Browns - Defeated The Los Angeles Rams (St. Louis Rams) 38-14 in Los Angeles (Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum)

1956 New York Giants - Defeated The Chicago Bears 47-7 in New York (Yankee Stadium)

1957 Detroit Lions - Defeated The Cleveland Browns 59-14 in Detroit (Briggs Stadium a.k.a. Tiger Stadium)

1958 Baltimore Colts (Indianapolis Colts) - Defeated The New York Giants 23-17 in New York (Yankee Stadium) [3]

1959 Baltimore Colts (Indianapolis Colts) - Defeated The New York Giants 31-16 in Baltimore (Memorial Stadium)

1960 Philadelphia Eagles - Defeated The Green Bay Packers 17-13 in Philadelphia (Franklin Field)

1961 Green Bay Packers - Defeated The New York Giants 37-0 in Green Bay (City Stadium)

1962 Green Bay Packers - Defeated The New York Giants 16-7 in New York (Yankee Stadium)

1963 Chicago Bears - Defeated The New York Giants 14-10 in Chicago (Wrigley Field)

1964 Cleveland Browns - Defeated The Baltimore Colts (Indianapolis Colts) 27-0 in Cleveland (Cleveland Municipal Stadium)

1965 Green Bay Packers - Defeated The Cleveland Browns 23-12 in Green Bay (Lambeau Field)

 [1] The Redskins chose to move the Game from Fenway Park in Boston to The Polo Grounds in New York due to poor attendance all season. The next season, The Redskins moved to Washington DC.


[2] From 1933 to 1994, The Packers split their Home Games between Green Bay and Milwaukee. Between 1934 and 1951, Their Milwaukee Games took Place at a Stadium in Wisconsin State Fair Park which is loacated in the Milwaukee Suburb of West Allis.


[3] First ever NFL Postseason Game to go into Sudden Death Overtime.


Next: The NFL and AFL Pre Meger Super Bowl Era Championship Games.


Thanks


George.