List of defunct NFL franchises
Membership in the National Football League (NFL) is certified by a franchise. A franchise is awarded by the league to each member club and serves as the league's authorization to operate as a professional football club in their city. Franchises award member clubs the exclusive right to hold professional football games between league members within a 75-mile radius of their city as well as the exclusive rights to market games in their area.[1] There are currently 32 clubs in the league, and new members can only be approved with the support of 3/4s of current members.[2] In the case of egregious misbehavior, a club's franchise can be revoked or suspended by the league's commissioner.[3]
The NFL has had a total of 49 franchises become defunct over its history;[4] this includes ten of the league's twelve founding members, with only the Chicago Bears and Arizona Cardinals surviving to the present day.[5] By 1926, the league had expanded to 22 franchises, but a league meeting in April 1927 led to the decision to revoke the franchises of the clubs in the weakest financial situations; 10 franchises were ultimately revoked.[6]
Five defunct NFL franchises (the
Defunct franchises
| ^ | Denotes the club had won an NFL championship before folding[8]
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|---|
See also
- National Football League franchise moves and mergers
- Steagles
- Card-Pitt
- List of defunct and relocated Major League Baseball teams
- List of defunct National Basketball Association teams
- List of defunct and relocated National Hockey League teams
- Major League Soccer defunct clubs
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Founding member of the league.[9]
- Baltimore Colts were originally members of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), but the franchise was accepted into the NFL when the AAFC folded in 1949.[10]
- Buffalo Bisons franchise was inactive for the 1928 season.[7]
- ^ The Canton Bulldogs franchise was inactive for the 1924 season.[7]
- ^ a b The Cincinnati Reds franchise was revoked with three games remaining in the 1934 season, and the St. Louis Gunners were temporarily enfranchised at that time to finish the Reds' schedule.
- ^ The Cleveland Bulldogs franchise was inactive for the 1926 season.[7]
- Louisville Brecks franchise was inactive for the 1924 and 1925 seasons.[7]
- ^ The Minneapolis Marines franchise was inactive from 1925 to 1928.[7]
References
General
- "Constitution and Bylaws of the National Football League" (PDF). NFL.com. 2006. Archived from the original(PDF) on March 7, 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
Specific
- ^ NFL Bylaws, p. 6, 12-15.
- ^ NFL Bylaws, p. 3.
- ^ NFL Bylaws, p. 28-35.
- ^ "Pro Football teams that came and went". ESPN.com. August 14, 2019. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
- ^ "National Football League (NFL)". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on June 20, 2013. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
- NFL.com. Archivedfrom the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb "National Football League Franchise Histories". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f "NFL Champions". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on January 7, 2013. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
- NFL.com. Archivedfrom the original on January 15, 2008. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
- ^ Grosshandler, Stan (1980). "All-America Football Conference" (PDF). The Coffin Corner. 2 (7). Professional Football Researchers Association: 3, 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 19, 2013. Retrieved January 22, 2014.