The American Football League Is Created

On Aug. 14, 1959, at the call of Dallas businessman Lamar Hunt, a new professional football league to be called the American Football League (AFL) was organized to begin play in 1960. 

 Charter memberships were issued to Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and New York. Buffalo and Boston were admitted later that year. Early in 1960, Minneapolis defected to the National Football League (NFL) and Oakland was picked as a replacement city. 

The whole idea seemed so far-fetched, even after AFL teams started playing, that the eight team owners became known as the "Foolish Club."

At 9 a.m. on August 14, 1959, a group of visionary men that included Hall of Famer Lamar Hunt and Tennessee Titans Bud Adams met in the South Imperial Suite of The Conrad Hilton in Chicago, Illinois to form the American Football League.

Almost every element that makes pro football the world's most popular sport that it is today can be traced to the American Football League and the huge changes its presence eventually brought to the sport. 

By the time the fierce AFL-NFL war of the 1960s was over, the expanded National Football League of the 1970s stretched from coast-to-coast and from border to border. Fans poured into NFL stadiums in record numbers. Rapidly increasing television coverage introduced pro football to hundreds of millions of new fans on every continent.

The Super Bowl was destined to become the most watched sports spectacle in the history of the world. The AFL was viewed by the masses as a "David" matched against an unbeatable "Goliath" for almost half of its 10-year history. 

But when the "rags-to-riches" story was concluded, the AFL had achieved what no other NFL challenger had ever accomplished - equality in a new and exciting pro football world.  

The Green Bay Packers of the original NFL won the first two Super Bowls convincingly, causing many people to question if the AFL teams could compete. The very next year, the New York Jets of the AFL upset the Baltimore Colts of the NFL for the AFL's first Super Bowl Title. The Chiefs also of the AFL won the 4th Super Bowl, evening the record at 2-2.

Since the construction of the combined league, the original AFL teams have won 20 Super Bowls while original NFL teams have taken 25. Three Super Bowls have been won by teams created after the merger (the Seattle Seahawks and the Baltimore Ravens, twice.)

The Winner of each Super Bowl receives the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named after Vince Lombardi, the great coach for the Green Bay Packers who led his team to victory in each of the first two Super Bowls. Following his death, the trophy was named prior to Super Bowl V in his honor.

NFL Debuts Super Bowl

On Jan. 15, 1967, the NFL would host the first ever Super Bowl.

The site was Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, Calif. and the Green Bay Packers, led by quarterback Bart Starr, defeated Len Dawson and the Kansas City Chiefs by a score of 35-10.

Green Bay scored three touchdowns in the second half to break open a close game that was only 14-10 at the halfway point. Starr was 16-for-23 and 250 yards en route to being named the game's MVP.

The historic day marked the first-ever contest between the NFL and AFL, which were in competition with each other at the time.

The game was created as part of a merger agreement between the NFL and its then-rival league, the American Football League (AFL). It was agreed that the two leagues' champion teams would play in an AFL–NFL World Championship Game until the merger was to officially begin in 1970. After the merger, each league was redesignated as a "conference", and the game was then played between the conference champions. Currently, the National Football Conference (NFC) leads the series with 25 wins to 21 wins for the American Football Conference (AFC).

Three years later, the leagues merged and the single-greatest game in American team sports took off to become an advertising juggernaut, which is because the Super Bowl every year is one of the most watched sporting events on television.

But it is not just about television and advertising, the Super Bowl is about showing your dominance over the league, and bringing home a Vince Lombardi Trophy to your fans.

The day on which the Super Bowl is played, now considered by some a de facto American national holiday, is called "Super Bowl Sunday". It is the second-largest day for U.S. food consumption, after Thanksgiving Day.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have won six Super Bowls, the most of any team; the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers have five victories each; and both the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants have four Super Bowls championships.

Thirteen other NFL franchises have won at least one Super Bowl.

Ten teams have appeared in Super Bowl games without a win.

The Minnesota Vikings were the first team to have lost a record four times without a win. The Buffalo Bills played in a record four Super Bowls in a row, and lost every one. Four teams (the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Houston Texans) have never appeared in a Super Bowl.

The Browns and Lions both won NFL Championships prior to the Super Bowl's creation, while the Jaguars (1995) and Texans (2002) are both recent NFL expansion teams.

The Minnesota Vikings won the last NFL Championship before the merger, but lost to the AFL champion Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl IV.

Largent Breaks NFL Record

On Dec. 27, 1987, the Seattle Seahawks played against the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium.

The game wasn’t too amazing, but a record set by Seahawks wide receiver Steve Largent was, as he made his record breaking 751 receptions in the NFL.

Although Largent got his record of 751 catches and beyond, the Seahawks lost 41-20 as the season wound down. Largent had a touchdown catch in the game as well.

Largent would finish his career as the All-Time leader in the NFL with 819 receptions, 13,089 receiving yards, and 100 receiving touchdowns, and 177 consecutive games with a catch.

Though shortly after his retirement, former San Francisco 49ers great Jerry Rice would surpass all of his records.

Largent is still known today as one of the best white receivers to play the game, compiling over 13,000 receiving yards, 819 catches and 100 touchdowns.

His career accolades include being named to the Pro Bowl seven times, being an eight-time All-Pro selection, being named to the NFL 1980s All-Decade team, winning the 1988 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, the Bart Starr Man of the Year Award.

Largent was inducted into the Canton Football Hall of Fame in 1995.

He was enshrined into the Seahawks Ring of Honor, as well as having his no. 80 jersey retired by Seattle in 1992 and being named to the Seahawks 35^th Anniversary team in 2010.

After his football career Largent would go into Politics, where he has been in the U.S. House of Represenatives from Oklahoma’s first district from Nov. 29, 1994 to Feb. 15 2002. Largent would win all four elections he was up for by at least 24 percent of the vote.

Payton Sets NFL Record

On Nov. 20, 1977, Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton set the NFL record for most rushing yards in a single game with 275 Nov. 20, 1977. Payton scored the lone touchdown for the Chicago Bears en route to a 10-7 victory over their division rival the Minnesota Vikings.

ESPN reports his record is now fifth all-time as his record stood for 23 years.

The Vikings went on to lose in the NFC Championship game. Payton ran for his record while he was sick and battled the flu. Payton broke O.J. Simpson's record by two yards.

The current mark is 296 yards in one game set by Adrian Peterson playing for the Vikings Nov. 4, 2007.

Peterson’s record breaking 296-yards in a single game were only one-yard more than the record Jamal Lewis set rushing for the Baltimore Ravens against the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 14, 2003.

Since Peterson broke the single game rushing record, several backs have eclipsed the 200-yard rushing mark for a single game, and have come close to breaking Peterson’s record but none have done it.

Here are the list of backs in chronological order to get close to breaking the single-game rushing record:

Jerome Harrison at 26-years old ran for 286-yards for the Cleveland Browns vs. Kansas City Chiefs, on Dec. 20 2009. Harrison’s effort was good for third all-time.

Jamaal Charles at 23-years old ran for 259-yards for the  Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos, on  Jan. 3, 2010. Charles’ effort was good for eighth all-time.

DeMarco Murray at 23-years old ran for 253-yards for the  Dallas Cowboys vs. St. Louis Rams, on Oct. 23, 2011 . Murray’s effort was good for ninth all-time.

Last year the “Muscle Hamster” Doug Martin at 23-years old ran for 251-yards for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Oakland Raiders, on Nov. 4, 2012. Martin’s effort against the Raiders put him in the top 10 all-time tied with Mike Anderson’s 251-yard rushing game with the Denver Broncos vs. New Orleans Saints on Dec. 3, 2000.