 American football league history
Added: 02/16/2006 |
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Let's make an American football league review. Most of us perhaps know that the American Football League (AFL) was a professional league of American football that operated from 1960 to 1969. In 1970 the AFL merged operations with the National Football League. All ten AFL franchises became part of the merged league, which retained the NFL name.
Let's begin the American football league review with its history. In 1958 Lamar Hunt (son and heir of Texas oilman H. L. Hunt) endeavored to bring the NFL franchise to his native Dallas. Unfortunately, this attempt was declined by the league committee. In 1959, he made a second attempt, but it did not bring the results, either. Hunt was advised by league officials to contact the owners of the Chicago Cardinals, who offered to sell Hunt a 20 percent stake in the team. Hunt rejected the offer, and it was then that he began to envision not just a new team in the NFL, but an entirely new league.
Hunt began his quest for a new league by contacting others who had shown interest in the Cardinals, and assessing their interest in starting a new league. He found franchises in New York City and Los Angeles. But at the same time he sought the blessings of the NFL for his nascent league, as he did not seek a rivalry with the older and more established league. "I told myself I didn't want to go into this if it meant some kind of battle. Of course, this was one of the more naive thoughts in the history of pro sports." Soon after, Lamar Hunt got commitments from Harry Wismer (New York) and Barron Hilton (Los Angeles). On 14 August, 1959 the first league meeting took place in Chicago. Teams from Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Denver, Houston, New York and Dallas received charters. The league formed by Lamar Hunt was conferred the official status on 22 August and was named the American Football League. Later in the year, two more teams received franchises, namely, Boston (William H. Sullivan, on November 22) and Buffalo (Ralph Wilson, on October 28). On November 22, the American Football League's first draft was started. It lasted for 33 rounds.
One interesting incident with two American football leagues happened in the middle of the 20th century. Billy Cannon, who won the All-American Trophy and was a winner of the Heisman Trophy from LSU (Louisiana State University), had an extraordinary combination of speed of a sprinter and the brute strength. In 1960, his signing by the Houston Oilers followed a fierce bidding war that began when Oilers owner Bud Adams met Cannon in the end zone following LSU's Sugar Bowl victory. The case ended in court, with the AFL winning against the NFL. Only after that case the fledgling league was put on the new sports map in USA. Billy Cannon was one of the American Football League's most celebrated combatants. Playing halfback, he scored an 88-yard touchdown on a pass from George Blanda in the first AFL Championship game. Billy Cannon was a unique player. He became the only player ever selected to an All-star team as a halfback in one year (1961) and as a tight end in another (1969).
In spite of having a contract with the national television, the American Football League frequently found itself attempting to get a foothold, solely to grow up against roadblocks. For instance, the CBS-TV has rights to broadcast games of NFL and simply ignores the other league's results.
The bidding war, which was financially draining both leagues, and the rapidly rising AFL popularity were the key factors that eventually led to the merger, leaving a merged league named the NFL.
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