NFL Champions


Oct 8, 2022 16:42:56 GMT -6 2 Replies
I’m often thinking about football. Those thoughts range from current Vikings stuff to past Vikings stuff to current NFL stuff to past NFL stuff. It’s a lot of stuff. Football stuff. I’m currently reading a biography of Bronko Nagurski by Chris Willis. It’s an excellent, informative read. It has me thinking about past NFL stuff. In particular, it has me thinking about past NFL champions. Nagurski played an important role in the the first games that actually decided NFL titles. That’s no surprise as he was one of the greatest players of his era and one of the few players that probably could’ve played in any era.

Through the 2021 season, there have been 102 NFL champions. Actually, there have been 100 NFL Champions as the professional football league that we know as the National Football League was called the American Professional Football Association (APFA) in 1920 and 1921.

From 1920 to 1932, the APFA/NFL champion was the team with the best regular season record, pending the approval of the league’s owners. Here are those champions.

NFL Champions

1920: Akron Pros
1921: Chicago Staleys (Bears)
1922: Canton Bulldogs
1923: Canton Bulldogs
1924: Cleveland Bulldogs
1925: Chicago Cardinals
1926: Frankford Yellow Jackets
1927: New York Giants
1928: Providence Steam Roller
1929: Green Bay Packers
1930: Green Bay Packers
1931: Green Bay Packers
1932: Chicago Bears

The 1932 NFL title was an historical pivot point for the young league. At the completion of the regular season, the Chicago Bears and Portsmouth Spartans (today’s Detroit Lions) were tied. The Bears were 6-1-6 and the Spartans were 6-1-4. In those years, ties were dropped when determining the best record. In those low-scoring years, there were a lot of ties. The Bears and Spartans played in a quickly arranged game to determine the 1932 NFL Champion. This game would change professional football more than any game ever played. One of the most significant changes was the addition of an NFL Championship Game to the league schedule. Starting in 1933 the NFL title would be decided on the field with one final game.

NFL Championship Games

1933: Chicago Bears 23
          New York Giants 21

1934: New York Giants 30
          Chicago Bears 13

1935: Detroit Lions 26
          New York Giants 7

1936: Green Bay Packers 21
          Boston Redskins 6

1937: Washington Redskins 28
          Chicago Bears 21

1938: New York Giants 23
          Green Bay Packers 17

1939: Green Bay Packers 27
          New York Giants 0

1940: Chicago Bears 73
          Washington Redskins 0

1941: Chicago Bears 37
          New York Giants 9

1942: Washington Redskins 14
          Chicago Bears 6

1943: Chicago Bears 41
          Washington Redskins 21

1944: Green Bay Packers 14
          New York Giants 7

1945: Cleveland Rams 15
          Washington Redskins 14

1946: Chicago Bears 24
          New York Giants 14

1947: Chicago Cardinals 28
          Philadelphia Eagles 21

1948: Philadelphia Eagles 7
          Chicago Cardinals 0

1949: Philadelphia Eagles 14
          Los Angeles Rams 0

At this point, I must introduce the All-America Football Conference. The NFL was challenged by “another league” on several occasions through it’s 102 years. Most everyone knows about the American Football League. There were actually three of those. Red Grange and his squirrelly agent C.C. “Cash and Carry” Pyle formed the first AFL in 1926. It wasn’t successful and Grange was soon back with the Bears. There was an AFL in 1940. That was less successful than the first one. Then there’s the AFL in the 1960s. That was a success as all of the teams from that league are now members of the NFL. The All-America Football Conference was formed in 1946. As players returned home from World War II and the country returned to some degree of normalcy, a few football dreamers decided that there was room for two leagues. The AAFC rivaled the NFL for four seasons. If success of “another league” is measured by it’s eventual absorption into the NFL, the AAFC was a partial success. The Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, and Baltimore Colts joined the NFL in 1950. The Colts team that joined the NFL in 1950 is not the Colts team that’s playing in Indianapolis today. It’s not even the Colts team that won titles for Baltimore in the late 1950s. The Colts team that joined the NFL in 1950 folded after a single season. The Colts team that’s playing in Indianapolis today finds it’s origins with the New York Yanks franchise that floundered in 1951, moved to Dallas, became the Texans, and folded after the 1952 season. That Yanks/Texans franchise was re-born as the Baltimore Colts in 1953. The absorption of the Browns and 49ers from the AAFC in 1950 and the clunky Colts (re)addition in 1953 would change the NFL title landscape. The incredibly talented Browns team would do so immediately. The Colts would do so soon. The 49ers would eventually have their title run.

Back to the NFL Championship Games.

1950: Cleveland Browns 30
          Los Angeles Rams 28

1951: Los Angeles Rams 24
          Cleveland Browns 17

1952: Detroit Lions 17
          Cleveland Browns 7

1953: Detroit Lions 17
          Cleveland Browns16

1954: Cleveland Browns 56
          Detroit Lions 10

1955: Cleveland Browns 38
          Los Angeles Rams 14

1956: New York Giants 47
          Chicago Bears 7

1957: Detroit Lions 59
          Cleveland Browns 14

1958: Baltimore Colts 23
          New York Giants 17

1959: Baltimore Colts 31
          New York Giants 16

Here, we must depart from the NFL titles to introduce the AFL titles. The American Football League joined the football fun in 1960 with eight teams peppered about the country. The eight owners, the “Foolish Club,” were determined and wealthy. Some were very, very wealthy. They also had a TV contract and they knew how to use it. The eight owners weren’t foolish. By the end of the decade, all eight teams and two teams added along the way would become part of the NFL.

AFL Championship Games

1960: Houston Oilers 24
          Los Angeles Chargers 16

1961: Houston Oilers 10
          San Diego Chargers 3

1962: Dallas Texans 20
          Houston Oilers 17

1963: San Diego Chargers 51
          Boston Patriots 10

1964: Buffalo Bills 20
          San Diego Chargers 7

1965: Buffalo Bills 23
          San Diego Chargers 0

1966: Kansas City Chiefs 31
          Buffalo Bills 7

1967: Oakland Raiders 40
          Houston Oilers 7

1968: New York Jets 27
          Oakland Raiders 23

1969: Kansas City Chiefs 17
          Oakland Raiders 7

Back to the NFL Championship Games

NFL Championship Games

1960: Philadelphia Eagles 17
          Green Bay Packers 13

1961: Green Bay Packers 37
          New York Giants 0

1962: Green Bay Packers 16
          New York Giants 7

1963: Chicago Bears 14
          New York Giants 10

1964: Cleveland Browns 27
          Baltimore Colts 0

1965: Green Bay Packers 23
          Cleveland Browns 12

1966: Green Bay Packers 34
          Dallas Cowboys 27

1967: Green Bay Packers 21
          Dallas Cowboys 17

1968: Baltimore Colts 34
          Cleveland Browns 0

1969: Minnesota Vikings 27
          Cleveland Browns 7

The NFL and AFL agreed to merge in June of 1966. Since the two leagues didn’t fully merge until the 1970 season, it would seem that the only thing to come out of the 1966 agreement was to hold a championship game between the two leagues. There was much more to it than that. Pete Rozelle became the commissioner of both leagues, there was a combined draft, and the junior league adopted the same playing rules of the senior league. The AFL competed their final four seasons under the umbrella of the NFL. The only thing kept separate between the two leagues was their regular season and playoffs. At the end of the 1966 season, the champions of the NFL played the champions of the AFL for the first time. The game had names like “World Championship Game” or “AFL-NFL World Championship.” That game wasn’t called the “Super Bowl” when it was played. Neither was the 1967 game. Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt came up with “Super Bowl” as the name for the game. He was inspired by the Wham-o Super Ball toy with which his children played. I’ve heard various tales as to when “Super Bowl” was officially put into use. Supposedly, it became the official name during the 1968 season. However, the ticket of what should be Super Bowl III had “Third World Championship Game” printed on it. Perhaps the tickets were printed before the decision was made. Who knows? Sometimes, I feel like I’m the only one that even cares. All of the games are Super Bowls now. Through the 2021 season, there have been 56 Super Bowls. Here are those games and the NFL champions from 1966-2021.

Super Bowl Champs

1966
Super Bowl I
Green Bay Packers 35
Kansas City Chiefs 10

1967
Super Bowl II
Green Bay Packers 33
Oakland Raiders 14

1968
Super Bowl III
New York Jets 16
Baltimore Colts 7

1969
Super Bowl IV
Kansas City Chiefs 23
Minnesota Vikings 7

1970
Super Bowl V
Baltimore Colts 16
Dallas Cowboys 13

1971
Super Bowl VI
Dallas Cowboys 24
Miami Dolphins 3

1972
Super Bowl VII
Miami Dolphins 14
Washington Redskins 7

1973
Super Bowl VIII
Miami Dolphins 24
Minnesota Vikings 7

1974
Super Bowl IX
Pittsburgh Steelers 16
Minnesota Vikings 6

1975
Super Bowl X
Pittsburgh Steelers 21
Dallas Cowboys 17

1976
Super Bowl XI
Oakland Raiders 32
Minnesota Vikings 14

1977
Super Bowl XII
Dallas Cowboys 27
Denver Broncos 10

1978
Super Bowl XIII
Pittsburgh Steelers 35
Dallas Cowboys 31

1979
Super Bowl XIV
Pittsburgh Steelers 31
Los Angeles Rams 19

1980
Super Bowl XV
Oakland Raiders 27
Philadelphia Eagles 10

1981
Super Bowl XVI
San Francisco 49ers 26
Cincinnati Bengals 21

1982
Super Bowl XVII
Washington Redskins 27
Miami Dolphins 17

1983
Super Bowl XVIII
Los Angeles Raiders 38
Washington Redskins 9

1984
Super Bowl XIX
San Francisco 49ers 38
Miami Dolphins 16

1985
Super Bowl XX
Chicago Bears 46
New England Patriots 10

1986
Super Bowl XXI
New York Giants 39
Denver Broncos 20

1987
Super Bowl XXII
Washington Redskins 42
Denver Broncos 10

1988
Super Bowl XXIII
San Francisco 49ers 20
Cincinnati Bengals 16

1989
Super Bowl XXIV
San Francisco 49ers 55
Denver Broncos 10

1990
Super Bowl XXV
New York Giants 20
Buffalo Bills 19

1991
Super Bowl XXVI
Washington Redskins 37
Buffalo Bills 24

1992
Super Bowl XXVII
Dallas Cowboys 52
Buffalo Bills 17

1993
Super Bowl XVIII
Dallas Cowboys 30
Buffalo Bills 13

1994
Super Bowl XXIX
San Francisco 49ers 49
San Diego Chargers 26

1995
Super Bowl XXX
Dallas Cowboys 27
Pittsburgh Steelers 17

1996
Super Bowl XXXI
Green Bay Packers 35
New England Patriots 21

1997
Super Bowl XXXII
Denver Broncos 31
Green Bay Packers 24

1998
Super Bowl XXXIII
Denver Broncos 34
Atlanta Falcons 19

1999
Super Bowl XXXIV
St. Louis Rams 23
Tennessee Titans 16

2000
Super Bowl XXXV
Baltimore Ravens 34
New York Giants 7

2001
Super Bowl XXXVI
New England Patriots 20
Los Angeles Rams 17

2002
Super Bowl XXXVII
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48
Oakland Raiders 21

2003
Super Bowl XXXVIII
New England Patriots 32
Carolina Panthers 29

2004
Super Bowl XXXIX
New England Patriots 24
Philadelphia Eagles 21

2005
Super Bowl XL
Pittsburgh Steelers 21
Seattle Seahawks 10

2006
Super Bowl XLI
Indianapolis Colts 29
Chicago Bears 17

2007
Super Bowl XLII
New York Giants 17
New England Patriots 14

2008
Super Bowl XLIII
Pittsburgh Steelers 27
Arizona Cardinals 23

2009
Super Bowl XLIV
New Orleans Saints 31
Indianapolis Colts 17

2010
Super Bowl XLV
Green Bay Packers 31
Pittsburgh Steelers 25

2011
Super Bowl XLVI
New York Giants 21
New England Patriots 17

2012
Super Bowl XLVII
Baltimore Ravens 34
San Francisco 49ers 31

2013
Super Bowl XLVIII
Seattle Seahawks 43
Denver Broncos 8

2014
Super Bowl XLIX
New England Patriots 28
Seattle Seahawks 24

2015
Super Bowl L
Denver Broncos 24
Carolina Panthers 10

2016
Super Bowl LI
New England Patriots 34
Atlanta Falcons 28

2017
Super Bowl LII
Philadelphia Eagles 41
New England Patriots 33

2018
Super Bowl LIII
New England Patriots 13
Los Angeles Rams 3

2019
Super Bowl LIV
Kansas City Chiefs 31
San Francisco 49ers 20

2020
Super Bowl LV
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31
Kansas City Chiefs 9

2021
Super Bowl LVI
Los Angeles Rams 23
Cincinnati Bengals 20


NFL Titles Tally
13 Green Bay Packers
9 Chicago Bears
8 New York Giants
6 New England Patriots
6 Pittsburgh Steelers
5 Washington Commanders
5 Dallas Cowboys
5 San Francisco 49ers
4 Los Angeles Rams
4 Cleveland Browns
4 Indianapolis Colts
4 Philadelphia Eagles
4 Detroit Lions
3 Denver Broncos
3 Las Vegas Raiders
2 Miami Dolphins
2 Arizona Cardinals
2 Kansas City Chiefs
2 Baltimore Ravens
2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2 Canton Bulldogs
1 Seattle Seahawks
1 New Orleans Saints
1 New York Jets
1 Providence Steam Roller
1 Frankford Yellow Jackets
1 Cleveland Bulldogs
1 Akron Pros


NFL Champions

Shoutbox

Purple Pain: Pick 6 Playoffs Edition for Championship Weekend: purplepainforums.com/thread/7572/pick-playoffs-edition-championship-weekend Jan 25, 2024 11:02:04 GMT -6
Purple Pain: Pick 6 Playoffs Edition for the Super Bowl is up: purplepainforums.com/thread/7585/pick-playoffs-edition-super-lviii Jan 31, 2024 11:33:55 GMT -6
salamander: Not feeling good unless we can find a QB. Haven't had a great one in a looooooong time. Feb 22, 2024 13:43:06 GMT -6
Reignman: March 11th, 2024 will live in history as Kirk Cousins Independence Day *cheerleader* Mar 11, 2024 16:34:20 GMT -6
salbrecht: Why can Pittsburg sign Russel Wilson fo 1.2 million and we get Sam Darnold for 10 million?? Mar 13, 2024 18:31:25 GMT -6
Reignman: when you put it like that, it's a real head scratcher, but this franchise is all about their precious culture, so I imagine they passed on a guy like Russ over something silly like that ... Darnold will have a big smile when he's throwing all the INT's Mar 14, 2024 17:44:47 GMT -6
shandman: If I am NE, I seriously consider getting Justin Fields and roll with Fields/Brisset this year.

For Vikings to actually pull this off they probably have to trade #11, #23 and 2025 first rounder. In return, they hopefully get #3 overall this year and NE's
Mar 15, 2024 19:29:01 GMT -6
glenwo2: Saying that Darnold will have a big smile when he's throwing all the INT's is quite the Take, Reignman. Mar 16, 2024 20:17:05 GMT -6
Nemesis: Good grief....first I hear....and then I hear...I think I better go back to being gone. *woot* ??? Mar 22, 2024 15:24:17 GMT -6
Norseman: You were gone? Mar 22, 2024 22:30:40 GMT -6
Nemesis: I'm a long gone daddy www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtpe6_2nCts Mar 23, 2024 9:39:00 GMT -6
glenwo2: Norseman is Nemesis' Daddy! You heard it here first, folks. Mar 25, 2024 12:26:17 GMT -6
glenwo2: I'm kidding of course, Nemesis. :) Mar 25, 2024 12:27:05 GMT -6
Norseman: How do you know that it isn't true? Mar 25, 2024 14:28:23 GMT -6
glenwo2: Because Nemesis is the Mod and I'm just a punk rookie acting like a goofball. Mar 25, 2024 16:57:35 GMT -6
Nemesis: Plus glenwo2 is probably my dad, he just likes messing with me from the beyond. Mar 26, 2024 17:13:40 GMT -6
Reignman: Oh great, Nemesis believes in ghosts now too? Did ghost dad remember his name or only the first initial after you recited the alphabet? Apr 1, 2024 22:17:26 GMT -6
Nemesis: We agreed before he died that he would use the name "glenwo" and contact me on the PP shoutbox, but the "2" has me a bit confused. Did I miss his first attempt at contact? Apr 5, 2024 8:22:45 GMT -6
glenwo2: Well glenwo1 was busy that day.... Apr 6, 2024 3:01:11 GMT -6
Nemesis: This is amazing. That's exactly what he told me he would say! :'( Apr 13, 2024 16:48:32 GMT -6
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