History of the National Football League

Football rules written

Jan 1, 1876

NFL HistoryAt the Massasoit convention, the first rules for American football were written. Walter Camp, who would become known as the father of American football, first became involved with the game.This is important because it standardized the game making it a universal game that can spread into the high school/ college/ and professional level teams we see today.

Field Goal points changed

Jan 1, 1909

Field goal point changeA field goal dropped from four points to three. Without this change the outcomes of many important games following this change could've changed.

Invention of cleats

Jan 1, 1925

History of Football cleats

Official added

Jan 1, 1947

Addition of fifth officialBack Judge dutiesThe NFL added a fifth official, the back judge. In general the more official on a single game creates a more fair game. It decreases bias from a single official and puts more eyes on the game. The back judge ensures there's no more than 11 players from the defensive team on the field, eatches eligible recievers on his side of the field, watches for clipping on kick returns and more. This addition provided more stardarization to the game.

First NFL team to have Cheerleaders

Jan 14, 1954

href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Football_League_Cheerleading' >NFL Cheerleading History</a> kickoff.
The Baltimore Colts became the first team to have a cheersquad in 1954. Today this is an iconic element of American Football. NFL cheerleaders today are not cheerleaders at all, but dancers. The title is kept for traditions sake. What's Sunday football without your favorite halftime show?

T.V. Contracts legalized

Sep 30, 1961

TV contracts legalizedA bill legalizing single-network television contracts by professional sports leagues was introduced in Congress by Representative Emanuel Celler. It passed the House and Senate and was signed into law by President John F. Kennedy. Because of how much money is made off of major games in our society, the ability for tv stations to reap the benefits exclusively brings benefits outside the teams.

First African American league office employee

Feb 1, 1966

Buddy Young became the first black executive to be hired by a major sports league when he joined the NFL commissioner's office. This is a major event for equality in the NFL

Instant Replay first used in NFL

Sep 7, 1986

Instant Replay
Instant Replay allows officials to look back plays to make a proper and fair call, this makes the game more consistant throughout the NFL. It's gives the coaches the opportunity to challange a call and gives the officals evidence to reiterate their decision.

Highest paid attendance

Jan 1, 1989

Highest Paid AttendanceNFL paid attendance of 17,399,538 was the highest total in league history. This included a total of 13,625,662 for an average of 60,829-both NFL records-for the 224-game regular season.

Dallas Cowboys win Superbowl XXVII

Jan 31, 1993

Cowboys win Superbowl XXVIIThe Dallas Cowboys defeated the Buffalo Bills 52-17 in Super Bowl XXVII to capture their first NFL title since 1978. The game was played before a crowd of 98,374 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The NBC broadcast of the game was the most watched program in television history and was seen by 133,400,000 people in the United States. The rating for the game was 45.1, the tenth highest for any televised sports event. The game also was seen live or taped in 101 other countries.