(Redirected from NFL Championship Game)This is a 'list of National Football League champions' prior to the 1970 AFL-NFL Merger, that is, all the franchises that have won the championship of the National Football League. From 1920-1932, the league champion was determined by a team's win-loss percentage, with ties omitted. In 1932, due to a tie in the final standings, a playoff game was played to determine the championship.
In
1933, the NFL was split into two divisions (after
1949, called "conferences"). The winners of each played to determine the league champion. This format would remain through the
1966 season. Any ties in the regular season standings resulted in a playoff game, while the winner of the other conference stood idle. This last occurred in
1965.
In
1967, the now 16-team NFL split each conference into two divisions of 4 teams each. From
1967-
69, the division winners met in a conference championship game. The two conference champions then played for the NFL championship. Starting with the
1966 season, the NFL champion played the
American Football League champion in what would become the
Super Bowl.
Since the completion of the
merger in
1970, the
Super Bowl has served as the NFL championship game. Unlike the Super Bowl, which is contested at a site selected years in advance,
NFL championship games from
1933-
69 took place at the home field of one of the competing teams. Home field was not determined by record, but alternated between the conferences: the east hosted the even-numbered seasons and the west the odds.
Starting with the 1934 game the winning team received the 'Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy'. The trophy was named after Ed Thorp, a noted referee, rules expert, sporting goods dealer. Thorp died in 1934 and a large, traveling trophy was made that year, passed along from champion to champion each season with each championship team's name inscribed on it. Teams would also receive a replica trophy. The trophy was last awarded to the Minnesota Vikings in 1969. The actual trophy however is now missing.
[1]
End-of-season championships
:'''Note:' From 1920–1971, the NFL did not officially include tie games in the winning percentage.''
★ No official standings were maintained for the 1920 season, and the championship was awarded to the
Akron Pros in a league meeting on
April 30 1921. Clubs played schedules that included games against non-league opponents.
★ The Chicago Staleys were renamed the
Chicago Bears in 1922.
★ The NFL considers the
Canton Bulldogs and the
Cleveland Bulldogs to be separate franchises.
★ At the end of the 1932 season the Chicago Bears and
Portsmouth Spartans finished regularly scheduled games tied for first place. The Bears won a
playoff game, which counted in the standings, 9-0.
NFL Championships
| 'Eastern/American Division/Conference' | 'Western/National Division/Conference' |
|-
|
1936
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|
Green Bay Packers (4)
|21-6
|bgcolor="#FFCBCB"|
Boston Redskins
|
Polo Grounds (2)
|29,545
|-
|
1937
|bgcolor="#FFCBCB"|
Washington Redskins
|28-21
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|
Chicago Bears
|
Wrigley Field (2)
|15,870
|-
|
1938
|bgcolor="#FFCBCB"|
New York Giants (3)
|23-17
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|
Green Bay Packers
|
Polo Grounds (3)
|48,120
|-
|
1939
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|
Green Bay Packers (5)
|27-0
|bgcolor="#FFCBCB"|
New York Giants
|
Wisconsin State Fair Park (
West Allis,
WI)
|32,279
|-
|
1940
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|
Chicago Bears (4)
|73-0
|bgcolor="#FFCBCB"|
Washington Redskins
|
Griffith Stadium
|36,034
|-
|
1941
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|
Chicago Bears (5)
|37-9
|bgcolor="#FFCBCB"|
New York Giants
|
Wrigley Field (3)
|13,341
|-
|
1942
|bgcolor="#FFCBCB"|
Washington Redskins (2)
|14-6
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|
Chicago Bears
|
Griffith Stadium (2)
|36,006
|-
|
1943
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|
Chicago Bears (6)
|41-21
|bgcolor="#FFCBCB"|
Washington Redskins
|
Wrigley Field (4)
|34,320
|-
|
1944
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|
Green Bay Packers (6)
|14-7
|bgcolor="#FFCBCB"|
New York Giants
|
Polo Grounds (4)
|46,016
|-
|
1945
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|
Cleveland Rams
|15-14
|bgcolor="#FFCBCB"|
Washington Redskins
|
Cleveland Municipal Stadium
|32,178
|-
|
1946
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|
Chicago Bears (7)
|24-14
|bgcolor="#FFCBCB"|
New York Giants
|
Polo Grounds (5)
|58,346
|-
|
1947
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|
Chicago Cardinals (2)
|28-21
|bgcolor="#FFCBCB"|
Philadelphia Eagles
|
Comiskey Park
|30,759
|-
|
1948
|bgcolor="#FFCBCB"|
Philadelphia Eagles
|7-0
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|
Chicago Cardinals
|
Shibe Park
|36,309
|-
|
1949
|bgcolor="#FFCBCB"|
Philadelphia Eagles (2)
|14-0
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|
Los Angeles Rams
|
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
|27,980
|-
|
1950
|bgcolor="#FFCBCB"|
Cleveland Browns
|30-28
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|
Los Angeles Rams
|
Cleveland Municipal Stadium (2)
|29,751
|-
|
1951
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|
Los Angeles Rams (2)
|24-17
|bgcolor="#FFCBCB"|
Cleveland Browns
|
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (2)
|57,522
|-
|
1952
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|
Detroit Lions (2)
|17-7
|bgcolor="#FFCBCB"|
Cleveland Browns
|
Cleveland Municipal Stadium (3)
|50,934
|-
|
1953
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|
Detroit Lions (3)
|17-16
|bgcolor="#FFCBCB"|
Cleveland Browns
|
Briggs Stadium
|54,577
|-
|
1954
|bgcolor="#FFCBCB"|
Cleveland Browns (2)
|56-10
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|
Detroit Lions
|
Cleveland Municipal Stadium (4)
|43,827
|-
|
1955
|bgcolor="#FFCBCB"|
Cleveland Browns (3)
|38-14
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|
Los Angeles Rams
|
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (3)
|85,693
|-
|
1956
|bgcolor="#FFCBCB"|
New York Giants (4)
|47-7
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|
Chicago Bears
|
Yankee Stadium
|56,836
|-
|
1957
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|
Detroit Lions (4)
|59-14
|bgcolor="#FFCBCB"|
Cleveland Browns
|
Briggs Stadium (2)
|55,263
|-
|
1958
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|
Baltimore Colts
|23-17 (OT)
|bgcolor="#FFCBCB"|
New York Giants
|
Yankee Stadium (2)
|64,185
|-
|
1959
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|
Baltimore Colts (2)
|31-16
|bgcolor="#FFCBCB"|
New York Giants
|
Memorial Stadium
|57,545
|-
|
1960
|bgcolor="#FFCBCB"|
Philadelphia Eagles (3)
|17-13
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|
Green Bay Packers
|
Franklin Field
|67,325
|-
|
1961
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|
Green Bay Packers (7)
|37-0
|bgcolor="#FFCBCB"|
New York Giants
|
"New" City Stadium
|39,029
|-
|
1962
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|
Green Bay Packers (8)
|16-7
|bgcolor="#FFCBCB"|
New York Giants
|
Yankee Stadium (3)
|64,892
|-
|
1963
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|
Chicago Bears (8)
|14-10
|bgcolor="#FFCBCB"|
New York Giants
|
Wrigley Field (5)
|45,801
|-
|
1964
|bgcolor="#FFCBCB"|
Cleveland Browns (4)
|27-0
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|
Baltimore Colts
|
Cleveland Municipal Stadium (5)
|79,544
|-
|
1965
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|
Green Bay Packers (9)
|23-12
|bgcolor="#FFCBCB"|
Cleveland Browns
|
Lambeau Field (2)
|50,777
|-
|
1966
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|
Green Bay Packers (10)
|34-27
|bgcolor="#FFCBCB"|
Dallas Cowboys
|
Cotton Bowl
|74,152
|-
|
1967
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|
Green Bay Packers (11)
|21-17
|bgcolor="#FFCBCB"|
Dallas Cowboys
|
Lambeau Field (3)
|50,861
|-
|
1968
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|
Baltimore Colts (3)
|34-0
|bgcolor="#FFCBCB"|
Cleveland Browns
|
Cleveland Municipal Stadium (6)
|78,410
|-
|
1969
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|
Minnesota Vikings (1)
|27-7
|bgcolor="#FFCBCB"|
Cleveland Browns
|
Metropolitan Stadium
|46,503
|}
★ In 1950, 1951, and 1952, the league's two divisions (Eastern and Western) were renamed the American and National Conferences, respectively. In 1953, the conferences were renamed the Eastern and Western Conferences.
★ Between 1966 and the merger in 1970, the NFL champions would go on to play the
AFL champions in
Super Bowls
I,
II,
III, and
IV.
★ The site at Wisconsin State Fair Park where the Packers played their two games a year was the infield of
The Milwaukee Mile.
NFL Championship Game appearances 1933-1969
| 'Eastern/American Division/Conference' | 'Western/National Division/Conference' |
Records
★ The
Cleveland Browns made six straight appearances in the NFL championship game (
1950-
55). The
Chicago Bears made four straight (
1940-
43).
★ The
Green Bay Packers won 3 straight championship games (
1965-
67).
★ The
Browns lost 3 straight (
1951-
53) as did the New York Giants (
1961-
63).
★ The
Boston Redskins were the host team for the
1936 championship game, but team owner
George Preston Marshall sold the game site to the
Polo Grounds in
New York City. The Redskins moved south to Washington following the game.
★ In the 37 NFL Championship games played, the teams from the Western Division / National / Western Conference won 25 of the games to the Eastern Division / American / Eastern Conference teams total of 12.
★ The home team was 25-12 (.676).
;Attendance
★ Largest - 85,693 in
1955 at
Los Angeles.
★ Smallest - 13,341 in
1941 at
Chicago.
;Host Stadiums
★ Cleveland Municipal Stadium hosted 6 games (1 with the Rams and 5 with the Browns)
★ Wrigley Field hosted 5 (all with the Bears)
★ Polo Grounds hosted 5 (4 with the Giants and the 1936 game moved by the Redskins)
;First and last points scored
★ 1933: first points were scored by Chicago's Jack Manders a field goal. The first touchdown was scored by New York on a touchdown pass from Harry Newman to Morris "Red" Badrgo.
★ 1969: last field goal was scored on a 3rd quarter kick by Minnesota's Fred Cox. The last points scored was on a Cleveland touchdown pass from Bill Nelsen to Gary Collins with the extra point scored by Don Cockroft.
;Winning and losing player shares
★
1933 - Each Chicago player received
US$210.34 and each New York player received US$140.22.
;Note
★ After the
1970 AFL-NFL merger and the emergence of the
Super Bowl, all NFL league championship games prior to merger are listed along with the NFC conference championship games in the NFL's official records.
★ A third-place game was played during the
1960s. The
Playoff Bowl was played in January in
Miami. The NFL officially classifies these ten games (and statistics) as exhibitions, not playoff games.
See also
★
List of Super Bowl champions
★
National Football League championships history
★
NFL lore
References
1. http://www.packers.com/news/stories/2007/03/12/1/
★
The NFL History Network
External link
★
National Football League
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