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In professional American football, the 'Pro Bowl' is the all-star game of the National Football League (NFL). It is played at the end of the season after the Super Bowl, the league championship game. Since the merger with the rival American Football League (AFL) in 1970, it has been officially called the 'AFC-NFC Pro Bowl', matching players in the American Football Conference (AFC) against those in the National Football Conference (NFC). The game has been played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA since January 1980.
A postseason All-Star game between the new league champion and a team of professional all-stars was added to the NFL schedule at the end of the 1938 season. On January 15, 1939, at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles, California, the New York Giants won the first "Pro All-Star Game", 13-10, defeating a team of players from NFL teams and two independent clubs, the Los Angeles Bulldogs and the Hollywood Stars.
This format continued for the next four seasons, except that the all-star team now consisted solely of NFL players. In January 1942, in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, the game was moved from Los Angeles to the Polo Grounds in New York City. The last "Pro All-Star Game" was held in December 1942. With the wartime NFL playing a reduced schedule starting in 1943, the series was abandoned.
The NFL revived the game (now dubbed the ''"Pro Bowl"'') in January 1951, after the 1950 season. The game was now a contest between conference all-star teams: American vs. National (1951-53) and Eastern vs. Western (1954-70). The rival AFL, meanwhile, staged its own All-Star Game from 1962-70, using the same East vs. West format. The AFL departed from this format once, in the January 1966 game, when the league champion Buffalo Bills played all-stars from the rest of the league.
After the AFL-NFL Merger of 1970, the name of the NFL's all-star game was changed to the ''"AFC-NFC Pro Bowl"''. Since the merger, the head coaches of the teams that lost in the AFC and NFC championship games have been selected as the coaches for the respective Pro Bowl squads - a compromise that arose from the decision to discontinue the Playoff Bowl, which had it been retained, would have matched up the two teams that lost the conference title games.
Currently, players are voted into the Pro Bowl by the coaches, the players themselves, and the fans. Each group's ballots count for one third of the votes. The fans vote online at the NFL's official site.
There are also replacements that go to the game should any selected player be unable to play due to injuries. Prior to 1995, only the coaches and the players made Pro Bowl selections.
The first Most Valuable Player award (or Most Outstanding Player) in the Pro Bowl was presented in 1951. From 1957 to 1971, two awards were presented to an offensive back and a defensive lineman. In 1972, there were awards for both an offensive player and a defensive player. Since 1973, only one MVP award has been presented (though three times this award has been presented to multiple players).
Since the Pro Bowl has absolutely no effect upon players' or teams' statistics and records, and the fact that the game is played at the very end of the season, the players generally take the contest much less seriously than the average regular season games. Conventional wisdom holds that they tend to "play soft" to avoid serious injuries which could impede or end their football careers, although there have been some notable exceptions (see below). Players commonly make weak blocks and tackles. Defensive linemen will usually simply stand up when the ball is snapped during field goals attempts and punts instead of trying to block them. This injury minimalizing attitude generally manifests in a strongly offensively weighted game, along with the willingness of players and coaches to go for big offensive plays.
With a large portion of the competitive nature of the game removed, players and the media tend to treat the game as more of a fun get-together than a hard-fought battle. The rotation of players into and out of the game also presents an opportunity for TV interviews of personalities who are only ever seen during the game from afar, or afterwards in press conferences.
However, contrary to popular opinion this "soft" Pro Bowl attitude is a recent change. The vast majority of early Pro Bowls beginning with the merger were relatively low scoring, 20 of 26 games from the 1970 season through 1995 featuring less than 45 points. During the decade of NFC dominance of the Super Bowl from the mid-'80s through mid-'90s, the Pro Bowl became a type of grudge match for the AFC and produced some of the most brutally physical games of the entire season, with scores like 10-6, 15-6 and 17-3. Once the AFC re-established conference parity the Pro Bowl became much looser and offensive-minded, with 8 of the 9 games between the 1996 and 2004 seasons producing at least 49 points, and an average of 64.1. To demonstrate how dramatic the change has been, in the late '80s through mid '90s the Pro Bowl over/under betting line was always in the 39-41 range, and generally bet toward the under by Las Vegas wise guys. The 2007 Pro Bowl had an over/under of 65.
Even now there are certain players who treat it just like a regular game and will go for big hits and go the length of the field to make a play. These tend to be younger players but even some veterans are known. Examples from the 2004 Pro Bowl are Roy Williams' hit on Todd Heap and Ed Reed blocking a punt and returning it for a touchdown, the only blocked punt returned in Pro Bowl history. Also in the 2007 Pro Bowl Sean Taylor laid a crushing blow on Brian Moorman during an attempted fake punt. This may be a trend perpetuated by the safety position, however Drew Brees dislocated his left (non-throwing) elbow in the 2007 game, after being tripped up by Terrell Suggs.
Because the teams are made of players from different NFL teams, using their own uniforms would be too confusing. The players all wear the helmet of their team, but the jerseys and pants are either a solid blue for the NFC or solid red for the AFC, or a white jersey with blue for the NFC or a white jersey with red accents for the AFC (away). While it has been speculated that the color of Pro Bowl jerseys is determined by the winner of the Super Bowl, this is untrue. The design of Pro bowl uniforms is changed every two years, and the color and white jerseys are rotated along with the design change. This has been Pro Bowl tradition since the switch to team specific helmets in the early 90s. The two year switch was originally created as a marketing ploy by Nike, and has been continued by Reebok, who won the merchandising contract in 2002.
In the earliest years of the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl, the players did not wear their unique helmets, as they do now. The AFC All-Stars wore a solid red helmet with a white "A" on it, while the NFC players wore a solid white helmet with a blue "N" on it. The AFC's red helmets were paired with white jerseys and red pants, while the NFC's white helmets were paired with blue jerseys and white pants.
Two players with the same number who are elected to the Pro Bowl can wear the same number for that game; however, usually one player wears a different number, usually the more experienced player has numerical rights. Prior to a few years ago, all players were required to wear different numbers, regardless of what jersey number they wore on their regular team. This changed a few years ago, when players wore the jersey number on their regular team jersey, thus initially resulting in virtually every wide receiver on the field being numbered 80 or 81, a situation that, predictably, created significant confusion. Thus, it is recommended-- although not required-- that players use different jersey numbers.
:''No Most Valuable Player awards were presented during these games''
★ 1943-50 - No games
★ Overall AFC/NFC Series: AFC leads 19-18
★ The National/Western Conference won 13 of 20 games played against the American/Eastern Conference.
★ Of interesting note is that in the 20 seasons of the format, the Western/National Conference won both the Pro Bowl and the NFL Championship game 9 times, while the Eastern/American won both 2 times. In the years they have split, the East won the Pro Bowl and West won the NFL title 5 times, while the reverse has occurred 4 times.
★ Of interesting note is that in the 37 seasons since the AFL-NFL Merger, the NFC has won both the Pro Bowl and the Super Bowl 9 times, while the AFC has won both 9 times as well. In the years they have split, the AFC has won the Pro Bowl and NFC won the Super Bowl 10 times, while the reverse has occurred 9 times.
★ Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns players have won 4 MVP awards, more than any other teams. The Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams have won 3, while 10 teams have won 2, and 13 teams have won 1 each. The Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos and Houston Texans have never had a player win an MVP award. The Cardinals did however have two players win MVP awards during the 1951-70 Pro Bowl era.
★ Quarterbacks have won 13 MVP awards; wide receivers are second with 7.
★ Only 2 AFC-NFC Pro Bowls have gone to overtime. Both have been won by the AFC in overtime with field goals.
★ Due to the rescheduling of Super Bowl XXXVI in the wake of 9/11, the 2002 game was moved from Sunday to the following Saturday, one week later.
2004 Chiefs/ Ravens 8
2005 Eagles 10
2006 Colts 7
2007 Chargers 10
★ The single-season record for most players voted to the Pro Bowl from one team is the 1993 Dallas Cowboys, with eleven.
★ Under the current NFL television contract, the network which airs the Super Bowl will air the Pro Bowl.
★ The 2007 game on CBS was held on the Saturday after Super Bowl XLI because of the 2007 Grammy Awards. The 2008 game on FOX will revert to Sunday, because FOX has the Budweiser Shootout on the Saturday after Super Bowl XLII. Likewise, NBC's first turn in the Pro Bowl rotation comes in 2009, after their broadcast of Super Bowl XLIII.
★ The Pro Bowl was previously broadcasted as part of the ''Monday Night Football'' package on ABC. In 2004-2006, ABC sold its rights to the Pro Bowl to sister network ESPN. In those years, the ''ESPN Sunday Night Football'' crew covered the game.
★ In the early 2000s, after suffering through several years of dismal ratings (caused in part by airing the NHL All-Star Game beforehand), ABC considered moving the game to Monday night. The idea was scrapped, however, when the game was successfully moved to ESPN.
★ In February 2003, John Madden declined to be part of the announcing crew due to his aviatophobia and claustrophobia. Former San Diego Chargers quarterback and ''MNF'' personality Dan Fouts, whom Madden had replaced, took his place.
★ American Football League All-Star games
★ All-America Football Conference All-Star Game
★ NFL Pro Bowl Cheerleaders
★ List of Pro Bowl broadcasters
★ The Complete History of the Pro Bowl
★ Pro Bowl info, pictures and news
★ The NFL's official website
History
Tackle during 2006 Pro Bowl in Hawaii
A postseason All-Star game between the new league champion and a team of professional all-stars was added to the NFL schedule at the end of the 1938 season. On January 15, 1939, at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles, California, the New York Giants won the first "Pro All-Star Game", 13-10, defeating a team of players from NFL teams and two independent clubs, the Los Angeles Bulldogs and the Hollywood Stars.
This format continued for the next four seasons, except that the all-star team now consisted solely of NFL players. In January 1942, in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, the game was moved from Los Angeles to the Polo Grounds in New York City. The last "Pro All-Star Game" was held in December 1942. With the wartime NFL playing a reduced schedule starting in 1943, the series was abandoned.
The NFL revived the game (now dubbed the ''"Pro Bowl"'') in January 1951, after the 1950 season. The game was now a contest between conference all-star teams: American vs. National (1951-53) and Eastern vs. Western (1954-70). The rival AFL, meanwhile, staged its own All-Star Game from 1962-70, using the same East vs. West format. The AFL departed from this format once, in the January 1966 game, when the league champion Buffalo Bills played all-stars from the rest of the league.
After the AFL-NFL Merger of 1970, the name of the NFL's all-star game was changed to the ''"AFC-NFC Pro Bowl"''. Since the merger, the head coaches of the teams that lost in the AFC and NFC championship games have been selected as the coaches for the respective Pro Bowl squads - a compromise that arose from the decision to discontinue the Playoff Bowl, which had it been retained, would have matched up the two teams that lost the conference title games.
Currently, players are voted into the Pro Bowl by the coaches, the players themselves, and the fans. Each group's ballots count for one third of the votes. The fans vote online at the NFL's official site.
There are also replacements that go to the game should any selected player be unable to play due to injuries. Prior to 1995, only the coaches and the players made Pro Bowl selections.
Pro Bowl MVP
The first Most Valuable Player award (or Most Outstanding Player) in the Pro Bowl was presented in 1951. From 1957 to 1971, two awards were presented to an offensive back and a defensive lineman. In 1972, there were awards for both an offensive player and a defensive player. Since 1973, only one MVP award has been presented (though three times this award has been presented to multiple players).
Pro Bowl attitude
Since the Pro Bowl has absolutely no effect upon players' or teams' statistics and records, and the fact that the game is played at the very end of the season, the players generally take the contest much less seriously than the average regular season games. Conventional wisdom holds that they tend to "play soft" to avoid serious injuries which could impede or end their football careers, although there have been some notable exceptions (see below). Players commonly make weak blocks and tackles. Defensive linemen will usually simply stand up when the ball is snapped during field goals attempts and punts instead of trying to block them. This injury minimalizing attitude generally manifests in a strongly offensively weighted game, along with the willingness of players and coaches to go for big offensive plays.
With a large portion of the competitive nature of the game removed, players and the media tend to treat the game as more of a fun get-together than a hard-fought battle. The rotation of players into and out of the game also presents an opportunity for TV interviews of personalities who are only ever seen during the game from afar, or afterwards in press conferences.
However, contrary to popular opinion this "soft" Pro Bowl attitude is a recent change. The vast majority of early Pro Bowls beginning with the merger were relatively low scoring, 20 of 26 games from the 1970 season through 1995 featuring less than 45 points. During the decade of NFC dominance of the Super Bowl from the mid-'80s through mid-'90s, the Pro Bowl became a type of grudge match for the AFC and produced some of the most brutally physical games of the entire season, with scores like 10-6, 15-6 and 17-3. Once the AFC re-established conference parity the Pro Bowl became much looser and offensive-minded, with 8 of the 9 games between the 1996 and 2004 seasons producing at least 49 points, and an average of 64.1. To demonstrate how dramatic the change has been, in the late '80s through mid '90s the Pro Bowl over/under betting line was always in the 39-41 range, and generally bet toward the under by Las Vegas wise guys. The 2007 Pro Bowl had an over/under of 65.
Even now there are certain players who treat it just like a regular game and will go for big hits and go the length of the field to make a play. These tend to be younger players but even some veterans are known. Examples from the 2004 Pro Bowl are Roy Williams' hit on Todd Heap and Ed Reed blocking a punt and returning it for a touchdown, the only blocked punt returned in Pro Bowl history. Also in the 2007 Pro Bowl Sean Taylor laid a crushing blow on Brian Moorman during an attempted fake punt. This may be a trend perpetuated by the safety position, however Drew Brees dislocated his left (non-throwing) elbow in the 2007 game, after being tripped up by Terrell Suggs.
Pro Bowl uniforms
Quarterback Peyton Manning (#18) before the 2006 Pro Bowl.
Because the teams are made of players from different NFL teams, using their own uniforms would be too confusing. The players all wear the helmet of their team, but the jerseys and pants are either a solid blue for the NFC or solid red for the AFC, or a white jersey with blue for the NFC or a white jersey with red accents for the AFC (away). While it has been speculated that the color of Pro Bowl jerseys is determined by the winner of the Super Bowl, this is untrue. The design of Pro bowl uniforms is changed every two years, and the color and white jerseys are rotated along with the design change. This has been Pro Bowl tradition since the switch to team specific helmets in the early 90s. The two year switch was originally created as a marketing ploy by Nike, and has been continued by Reebok, who won the merchandising contract in 2002.
In the earliest years of the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl, the players did not wear their unique helmets, as they do now. The AFC All-Stars wore a solid red helmet with a white "A" on it, while the NFC players wore a solid white helmet with a blue "N" on it. The AFC's red helmets were paired with white jerseys and red pants, while the NFC's white helmets were paired with blue jerseys and white pants.
Two players with the same number who are elected to the Pro Bowl can wear the same number for that game; however, usually one player wears a different number, usually the more experienced player has numerical rights. Prior to a few years ago, all players were required to wear different numbers, regardless of what jersey number they wore on their regular team. This changed a few years ago, when players wore the jersey number on their regular team jersey, thus initially resulting in virtually every wide receiver on the field being numbered 80 or 81, a situation that, predictably, created significant confusion. Thus, it is recommended-- although not required-- that players use different jersey numbers.
NFL All-Star Games (1939-1942)
:''No Most Valuable Player awards were presented during these games''
| Season | Date | Score | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | January 15, 1939 | New York Giants 13, Pro All-Stars 10 | Wrigley Field, Los Angeles |
| 1939 | January 14, 1940 | Green Bay Packers 16, NFL All-Stars 7 | Gilmore Stadium, Los Angeles |
| 1940 | December 29, 1940 | Chicago Bears 28, NFL All-Stars 14 | Gilmore Stadium, Los Angeles |
| 1941 | January 4, 1942 | Chicago Bears 35, NFL All-Stars 24 | Polo Grounds, New York City |
| 1942 | December 27, 1942 | NFL All-Stars 17, Washington Redskins 14 | Shibe Park, Philadelphia |
★ 1943-50 - No games
NFL Pro Bowls (1951-70)
AFC-NFC Pro Bowls (1971-present)
★ Overall AFC/NFC Series: AFC leads 19-18
Trivia
NFL Pro Bowls (1951-70)
★ The National/Western Conference won 13 of 20 games played against the American/Eastern Conference.
★ Of interesting note is that in the 20 seasons of the format, the Western/National Conference won both the Pro Bowl and the NFL Championship game 9 times, while the Eastern/American won both 2 times. In the years they have split, the East won the Pro Bowl and West won the NFL title 5 times, while the reverse has occurred 4 times.
AFC-NFC Pro Bowl (1971-present)
★ Of interesting note is that in the 37 seasons since the AFL-NFL Merger, the NFC has won both the Pro Bowl and the Super Bowl 9 times, while the AFC has won both 9 times as well. In the years they have split, the AFC has won the Pro Bowl and NFC won the Super Bowl 10 times, while the reverse has occurred 9 times.
★ Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns players have won 4 MVP awards, more than any other teams. The Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams have won 3, while 10 teams have won 2, and 13 teams have won 1 each. The Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos and Houston Texans have never had a player win an MVP award. The Cardinals did however have two players win MVP awards during the 1951-70 Pro Bowl era.
★ Quarterbacks have won 13 MVP awards; wide receivers are second with 7.
★ Only 2 AFC-NFC Pro Bowls have gone to overtime. Both have been won by the AFC in overtime with field goals.
★ Due to the rescheduling of Super Bowl XXXVI in the wake of 9/11, the 2002 game was moved from Sunday to the following Saturday, one week later.
Teams with the most players voted to the Pro Bowl (since 2004)
2004 Chiefs/ Ravens 8
2005 Eagles 10
2006 Colts 7
2007 Chargers 10
★ The single-season record for most players voted to the Pro Bowl from one team is the 1993 Dallas Cowboys, with eleven.
Television
★ Under the current NFL television contract, the network which airs the Super Bowl will air the Pro Bowl.
★ The 2007 game on CBS was held on the Saturday after Super Bowl XLI because of the 2007 Grammy Awards. The 2008 game on FOX will revert to Sunday, because FOX has the Budweiser Shootout on the Saturday after Super Bowl XLII. Likewise, NBC's first turn in the Pro Bowl rotation comes in 2009, after their broadcast of Super Bowl XLIII.
★ The Pro Bowl was previously broadcasted as part of the ''Monday Night Football'' package on ABC. In 2004-2006, ABC sold its rights to the Pro Bowl to sister network ESPN. In those years, the ''ESPN Sunday Night Football'' crew covered the game.
★ In the early 2000s, after suffering through several years of dismal ratings (caused in part by airing the NHL All-Star Game beforehand), ABC considered moving the game to Monday night. The idea was scrapped, however, when the game was successfully moved to ESPN.
★ In February 2003, John Madden declined to be part of the announcing crew due to his aviatophobia and claustrophobia. Former San Diego Chargers quarterback and ''MNF'' personality Dan Fouts, whom Madden had replaced, took his place.
See also
★ American Football League All-Star games
★ All-America Football Conference All-Star Game
★ NFL Pro Bowl Cheerleaders
★ List of Pro Bowl broadcasters
External links
★ The Complete History of the Pro Bowl
★ Pro Bowl info, pictures and news
★ The NFL's official website
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