NFL
NFL history
How the competition came to look the way it does.
Thirty-two teams, one Sunday a week
American football grew out of the college game, and the professional league spent its early years establishing that a paid, city-based competition could survive alongside it.
A merger with a rival league created the two-conference structure that still defines the postseason, and produced the championship game between conference winners.
Rule changes around passing, player safety and overtime have repeatedly altered how the sport is played. SportsArena365's NFL overtime guide covers the most recent of those changes in detail.
Season-by-season champions, records and historical tables need a licensed historical data source. Until we have one, this page carries written history only.
