History of the NFL 1920 - 1932

So, how did the NFL start? To begin with, the League was first known as the American Professional Football Association, or simply the APFA)! And for those who played professionally, the game was known as post-graduate football!

Check out the beginning and note how unstable the league was! Take a quick check to see how many teams played just a portion of their games before folding. In 1926, the NFL fielded 26 teams. Five years later, the league was down to 10 and some teams were bleeding red ink (Bears and Packers).

Fact: before becoming the Chicago Bears, the team formed in central Illinois and went by a man's last name. The city of Chicago, meanwhile, already had 2 other teams in play - one of which hung around until moving to St. Louis in 1959.

Were you aware that the Green Bay Packers (formerly Acme Packing) were briefly expelled from the League for adding 3 Notre Dame players prior to their game vs. The Racine (Chicago) Cardinals? Thankfully, they were reinstated before the 1922 season.

This was the era of contested championships, competition from the new (and short-lived) AFL, and a much-heralded RB from University of Illinois, aka, The Galloping Ghost.

If you liked 0-0 ties, this was your league. But things had to change. And thanks to modifications to the field and the ball made prior to the 1932 NFL championship (played indoors!), the sport began to take off.