The beginnings of American Football can be traced back to the English sport of rugby, which began in the Rugby Boy's School in England some time in 1823. It can also be traced back to soccer, which is also an English game that was played as early as the 1820s. The rules of American Football were instituted by Walter Camp, a coach and athletic director from Yale but were a collaborative effort from different American universities. In a sense, Pro American Football was developed from competitions among colleges, which at that time, had very fierce team rivalries when it came to sports. The rivalries soon picked up a national audience and its immense popularity resulted to the establishment of a professional football association.
The First Professional American Football League
The first American Football association was formed in 1920 and was named the American Professional Football Association (APFA). The APFA handed out franchises around the United States with little discretion and regard for professional capabilities of players and teams. During its operation from 1920 to 1922, it consisted of 23 teams. Two years after the APFA was established it was reorganized and renamed as the National Football League (NFL). Unlike the APFA, the NFL was limited to only ten teams.
The American Football League competes with the NFL
In 1960, the American Football League (AFL) was established and operated in direct competition with the NFL. Because it was not the pioneer, it was first seen as inferior to the NFL, attracting minor teams and players. However, by the mid-1960's the AFL started to aggressively recruit top players from colleges as well as from the NFL. It signed football stars and legends such as Johnny Robinson, Billy Cannon, and Hall of Famer Ron Mix. The AFL operated from 1960 to 1969 and later merged with the NFL in 1970.
The NFL and AFL Merger
In 1970, the merger of NFL and AFL combined sixteen NFL teams and ten AFL teams, comprising one league with two conferences. Through the years, the league expanded even more and 1939 became a thirty-team league. Some of its original teams include Akron Pros Buffalo, All-Americans Decatur, Dayton Triangles, Chicago Cardinals, Canton Bulldogs, Cleveland Tigers, Detroit Heralds, Columbus Panhandles, and Muncie Flyers. The NFL was further realigned into eight divisions, each with four teams. Today the NFL has a little over thirty teams including the Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, and Carolina Panthers.
Other Pro Football Leagues
Besides the NFL and AFL, a number of competitive leagues were established but did not reach the popularity of either NFL or AFL. Many of them were short-lived such as the All-American Football conference (1946 to 1949) and the World Football League (1974 to 1975). There is also an indoor football league called the Arena Football. It debuted in 1987 and is played during spring, with only eight players in each team. Although it is still being played today, it does not enjoy the international, or even national, success and popularity of the NFL.
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