USA Football

[1892-1902]

1892 - The First Professional Football Player

• On November 12, a rivalry between neighboring Allegheny Athletic Association (AAA) and the Pittsburgh Athletic Club (PAC) spurred the making of the first professional football player. William "Pudge" Heffelfinger, of AAA, received $500 for his efforts against PAC. The signing proved instrumental for AAA as Heffelfinger returned a fumble recovery 35 yards for a touchdown. AAA won, 4-0.

1893 - The First Known Football Contract is Signed

• While many players had played for money previous to him, halfback Grant Dibert was credited as being the first football player to sign a pro football contract. Dibert inked a deal with the Pittsburgh Athletic Club (PAC).

[1903-1913]

1904 - The First Black Football Player Emerges

• Charles Follis was the first known African-American football player to sign a professional contract. The halfback joined the Shelby (Ohio) AC.

1912 - Touchdown!

• Fourteen years after its last scoring change, the rules committee agreed to award a touchdown six points; it was previously worth five.
  
  

  Olympian Jim Thorpe

• In 1912, Jim Thorpe, a former high school phenom from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, participated in the Olympics, winning two gold medals. A year later, Thorpe embarked on a professional football career with the Pine Village Pros of Indiana. In 1915, Thorpe signed a contract with Canton worth $250 a game. With Thorpe leading the way, Canton won the Ohio League Championship with a 9-0-1 record in 1916.

[1914-1924]

1919 - The Green Bay Packers are Born

• Spearheaded by Earl "Curly" Lambeau and George Calhoun, the Green Bay Packers were created. The Indian Packing Company, Lambeau's employer, funded the initial budget for the team, providing $500 for equipment, while allowing the team to practice on the company field.
  
  In their inaugural season, the Packers went 10-1. Lambeau, who doubled as the team's starting halfback from 1919-1929, coached Green Bay until 1949, compiling 212 wins including six World Championships. He is credited with pioneering the forward pass in professional football. In 1963, Lambeau was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

1922 - The Birth of the NFL

• On June 24, The American Football Association renamed itself the National Football League. The Chicago Staley's also in the renaming business, changed their name to the Chicago Bears.

[1925-1935]

1925 - The NFL Gets a Dosage of "Red"

• Fighting financial woes, the NFL made, perhaps, its greatest coup of all time by gaining the services of All-America Harold "Red" Grange. Following the completion of the college football season, Grange, a local standout at the University of Illinois, signed with the Chicago Bears. An NFL record 36,000 fans turned out to watch the Bears battle the Chicago Cardinals on Thanksgiving Day. The teams played to a scoreless tie, but word spread about the remarkable feats of "Red" Grange.
  
  Soon thereafter, 73,000 spectators turned out to watch Grange and the Bears play against the New York Giants. Less than two weeks later, 75,000 fans gathered to see "Red" and the Bears clash with the Los Angeles Tigers.

1932 - Stats Become Official

• In 1932, the NFL began keeping official statistics.

1933 - New Rules for the NFL

• The NFL, which in the past had followed the lead of the college game when it came to governing playing rules, changed a number of rules. Among them were inbounds lines, hash marks, goalposts, and goal lines. The forward pass became legal from anywhere behind the line of scrimmage.
  
  Two divisions now separated the NFL. The champions of each division were scheduled to meet annually following each regular season. The Western Division Champion Chicago Bears beat the Eastern Division champion New York Giants, 23-21, in the first NFL Championship game.
  
  
• On October 8, Cliff Battles of the Boston Redskins became the first player to top 200 yards in a game? The running back galloped for 215 yards as the Redskins defeated the New York Giants, 21-20.

[1936-1946]

1939 - The NFL Hits the T.V. Screen

• NBC was the first to televise an NFL game, broadcasting a game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Philadelphia Eagles. The game took place at Ebbets Field and was broadcast to nearly 1,000 television sets throughout New York City. For the first time, the NFL surpassed 1 million in season attendance.

1941 - Layden Named Commissioner

• On March 1, Elmer Layden was named the first commissioner of the NFL. Also for the first time, an Official NFL Record Manual was published. NFL headquarters were moved to Chicago.

1943 - Did You Know?

• In 1943, Sammy Baugh of the Washington Redskins led the league in passing, punting, and interceptions?
  
  Baugh also helped lead the Redskins to a tie with the Giants for the Eastern Division title. Baugh sparked a 28-0 defeat of the Giants in the divisional playoff game. Washington eventually fell to the Chicago Bears 41-21 in the NFL Championship game.

[1947-1957]

1949 - Running Wild

• For the first time in its history, the NFL had two 1,000-yard rushers in the same season. Steve Van Buren accomplished the feat for the Philadelphia Eagles, while Green Bay's Tony Canadeo hit the milestone for the Packers.

1950 - Flying Cardinal

• On October 2, Bob Shaw set an NFL record with five touchdown catches as the Chicago Cardinals defeated the Baltimore Colts 55-13. The mark has since been tied by Kellen Winslow in 1981 and Jerry Rice in 1990.

1951 - Broadcasting Coast-to-Coast

• On December 23, the NFL Championship game was televised coast-to-coast for the first time. The Rams stymied the Browns, 24-27.

1953 - Death of a Legend

Jim Thorpe

• Star halfback Jim Thorpe died at age 64. Thorpe played well past his prime until age 41, retiring in 1928. Excelling at nearly every sport he played, Thorpe is one of two men in history who played for both the New York football (running back) and the baseball (outfielder) Giants. In a 2003 auction, a worn Thorpe jersey from the early 1900s yielded a winning bid of $210,000.

1955 - Galloping Rookie

• On October 1, Baltimore Colts' running back Alan Ameche became the first rookie league history to surpass 100 yards rushing in his first two games? Ameche ran for 194 against Chicago then gained 153 yards the next week against Detroit.

1957 - Historic Draft Class

• In one of the deepest drafts in league history, eight players eventually found themselves in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Paul Hornung, QB/HB, drafted 1st overall by the Green Bay Packers; Len Dawson, QB, drafted 5th by the Pittsburgh Steelers; Jim Brown, RB, drafted 6th by the Cleveland Browns; Jim Parkers, OL, drafted 8th by the Baltimore Colts; Tommy McDonald, WR, drafted 31st by the Philadelphia Eagles; Sonny Jurgensen, QB, drafted 43rd by the Philadelphia Eagles; Henry Jordan, DT, drafted 53rd by the Cleveland Browns; Don Maynard, WR/HB, drafted 109th by the New York Giants.

[1958-1968]

1958 - Jim Brown

• Running back Jim Brown of Cleveland gallops for 1,527 rushing yard to set an NFL record for most yards rushing in a season.

1959 - Lombardi & the Packers

• In 1959, the Green Bay Packers hired former New York Giant assistant Vince Lombardi to a five-year contract. Lombardi, an assistant under Jim Lee Howell with the Giants, was 45-years old and some what of an unknown at the time of his hire but the hire changed the fortunes of the Packers. In Lombardi's third season the Packers defeated the Giants 37-0 to win the NFL Championship. The Packers won six division titles, five NFL Championships and two Super Bowls under Lombardi who compiled a record of 98-30-4.

Vince Lombardi

• After a brief retirement as coach, Lombardi returned to the coaching ranks as the top man with the Washington Redskins. Lombardi's efforts immediately paid dividends for the Redskins as he led them to their first winning season in 14 years. Lombardi never got the opportunity to lead Washington to the Super Bowl as he was diagnosed with intestinal cancer. Lombardi, who once said, "there is only one way to succeed in anything, and that is to give it everything," died Sept. 3, 1970. More than 3,500 people attended his funeral.
  
  During his 11-year head coaching tenure, Lombardi never had a losing season. To honor Lombardi's achievements as a man and coach, one week after his death the NFL renamed its Super Bowl Trophy the Vince Lombardi Super Bowl Trophy.

1961 - Canton and the Pro Football Hall of Fame

• The NFL went back to its roots, choosing Canton, Ohio, where the league that became the NFL was formed in 1920, as the site of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Dick McCann, a former Redskins executive, was named executive director.

1963 - Welcome to Canton, Ohio

• The doors of the Pro Football Hall of Fame were officially opened in Canton, Ohio. The 19,000-square-foot, two-building structure enshrined a class of 17 former stars: Sammy Baugh, Bert Bell, Joe Carr, Dutch Clark, Harold "Red" Grange, George Halas, Mel Hein, Wilbur "Pete" Henry, Cal Hubbard, Don Hutson, Curly Lambeau, Tim Mara, George Preston Marshall, John "Blood" McNally, Bronko Nagurski, Ernie Nevers, and Jim Thorpe.

1964 - Fumble!

• On November 15, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson fumbled a record seven times against San Diego.

1966 - All the Way Auer

• On September 2, Miami Dolphins' kick-returner Joe Auer returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a Miami touchdown in the Dolphins' first regular-season game.
  
  On November 27, the Washington Redskins beat the New York Giants 72-41 in the highest-scoring game in league history. The Redskins' also established a new record for points by one team in a regular season game.

1967 - Super Bowl I

• On January 15, in front of nearly 62,000 spectators, the Packers defeated the Chiefs 35-10 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in the first game between AFL and NFL teams.

1968 - Heidi

• On November 17, the final 1:05 of the Jets-Raiders game was cut off the air with New York leading 32-29 to permit the children's special "Heidi" to air on time? Oakland scored twice in the final 42 seconds to pull out a 43-32 victory.

[1969-1979]

1969 - Broadway Joe and His Prediction

Super Bowl Trophy

• The AFL, 0-2 since the two leagues decided to have their champions play each other in the Super Bowl, received a firm backing from New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath. Prior to Super Bowl III, which pitted Namath's underdog Jets against the NFL's Baltimore Colts, Namath proclaimed, "The Jets will beat the Colts, I guarantee it."
  
  Namath proved to be a prophet as the New York Jets defeated Baltimore, 16-7, at Miami, in Super Bowl III. 1969 also marked the first time the title of "Super Bowl" was recognized by the NFL.
  
  
• 1969 was also the year that Monday Night Football was signed up for broadcasts beginning in 1970. ABC acquired the rights to televise 13 NFL regular-season Monday night games in 1970, 1971, and 1972.
  
  

1970 - Are You Ready For Some Football?

• The NFL reached four-year television contracts with CBS and NBC. CBS agreed to televise all NFC games, while NBC signed a deal to broadcast all AFC games (except Monday night games). The two reached an agreement to divide televising the Super Bowl and AFC-NFC Pro Bowl games. On Sept. 21, ABC aired the first regular season Monday Night Football game. The Cleveland Browns defeated the New York Jets 31-21 in front of 85,703 fans at Cleveland's Municipal Stadium.
  
  
• On November 8, Tom Dempsey, born without a complete foot, booted a 63-yard field goal for the New Orleans Saints. The previous record was 56 yards, held by Baltimore's Bert Rechichar.
  
  

Johnny Unitas

1972 - The 'Immaculate Reception'

• Franco Harris's "Immaculate Reception" gave the Pittsburgh Steelers their first postseason win ever, 13-7 over the Raiders.
  
  
• On September 24, 1972, New York Jets' star quarterback Joe Namath and Baltimore Colts standout quarterback Johnny Unitas dueled in record fashion as Namath threw for 496 yards and six touchdowns and Unitas passed for 376 yards. The New York Jets defeated Baltimore 44-34, but the teams combined for a record 872 passing yards.

1973 - A Farewell to Yankee Stadium

• On September 23, 1973, the final NFL game at Yankee Stadium was played on . The New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles played to a 23-23 tie. New York played its remaining home games at the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Conn.
  
  
• On October 21, Fred Dryer, a defensive ends for the Los Angeles Rams, became the first player to record two safeties in one game in the Rams' 24-7 victory over the Green Bay Packers.

1976 - Madden Wins Super Bowl

• After a 13-1 regular season, the Oakland Raiders, coached by John Madden, won Super Bowl XI. Madden would retire after the 1978 season; he accumulated 103 victories during his 10-year tenure as the Raiders head coach. Madden's .750 winning percentage is the highest in NFL history. Madden soon found success as a television football analyst. He is currently an analyst for ABC's Monday Night Football.

[1980-1990]

1980 - Steel Curtain

• On January 20, 1980, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Rams 31-19 in Super Bowl XIV at Pasadena to become the first team to win four Super Bowls.
  
  
• On October 26, Baltimore Colts' quarterback Bert Jones was sacked a record 12 times against St. Louis. Warren Moon, of the Houston Oilers would equal the mark on September 29, 1985 at Dallas.
  
  

1981 - Wildcard Raiders

• After an 11-5 regular season campaign, the Raiders became the first wildcard team to win a Super Bowl, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10. The Eagles were also a wildcard team having finished second in the NFC East to Dallas.
  
  
• While watching an indoor soccer game at Madison Square Garden, James Foster conceived the idea of indoor "arena" football. Foster drew the outline of a miniature football field over the hockey rink on an envelope and wrote notes on what would evolve into Arena Football. Foster's idea took America's favorite sport, the NFL, and transformed it into a high-flying game played with eight players with drop kicks and rebound nets all on a 50-yard field. After a test game in 1986 and a showcase early in 1987, the Arena Football League made its national debut in June 1987.
  
  The AFL fielded four teams in the 1987 season: Chicago Bruisers, Denver Dynamite, Pittsburgh Gladiators and Washington Commandos. The Dynamite, led by quarterback Whit Taylor, defeated the Gladiators, 45-16, to become champions of Arena Bowl I before 13,232 fans in Pittsburgh's Civic Arena and a live ESPN audience. The average attendance in that inaugural season was 11,279.

1982 - Players Strike

• A 57-day players' strike shortened the 1982 season from a 16-game schedule to nine. Following a game between the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants a strike was called by the NFLPA at midnight on Sept. 20. Play resumed Nov. 21 following ratification of the Collective Bargaining Agreement by NFL owners, Nov. 17 in New York.
  
  
• On May 11, David Dixon, a New Orleans art and antique dealer, announced the creation of the United States Football League in New York City. The USFL was a professional league made up of 12 teams in major cities across the country that would play its games during the spring and summer months. These markets included New York/New Jersey, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Boston, Tampa, Oakland, Denver, Washington, Philadelphia, Birmingham, and San Diego. ESPN's Chet Simmons was named the league's first commissioner.
  
  

1983 - Historic Draft Class

• The 1983 college draft was often referred to as the "Year of the Quarterback," because of the six signal-callers chosen in Round 1 - John Elway (No. 1, Baltimore Colts, later traded to Denver), Todd Blackledge (7, Kansas City), Jim Kelly (14, Buffalo), Tony Eason (15, New England), Ken O'Brien (24, New York Jets) and Dan Marino (27, Miami). The '83 draft was not limited to just quarterbacks as, of the 28 players drafted in the first round, 15 made at least one Pro Bowl.
  
  Among the non-quarterbacks drafted in the first round were: Eric Dickerson (drafted No. 2 behind Elway to the Rams) Curt Warner (3, RB, Seahawks), Billy Ray Smith (5, LB, Chargers), Bruce Matthews (9, OG, Oilers), Willie Gualt (18, WR, Bears), Jim Jeffcoat (23, DE, Cowboys), Darrell Green (28, CB, Redskins). Other standouts from the draft included: Henry Ellard (2nd round), Roger Craig (2nd round), Leonard Marshall (2nd round), Darryl Talley (2nd round), Charles Mann (3rd round), Greg Townshed (4th round), Reggie Roby (6th round), Richard Dent (8th round), Mark Clayton (8th round), Karl Mecklenburg (12th round).
  
  Elway and Kelly made a combined nine Super Bowl starts. Meanwhile, Marino became the first rookie to start a Super Bowl in 1984. Until Elway broke through with two victories in 1997 and 1998, the famed class had been 0-9 in Super Bowls.
  
  
• The USFL made its debut with a dozen teams and a television contract with ESPN and ABC. Georgia phenom and Heisman Trophy winner, Herschel Walker was the league's top signee. Walker left Georgia a year early to sign a deal with the upstart league. Despite Walker's presence on the New Jersey Generals, the Michigan Panthers and Philadelphia Stars played in the 1983 USFL championship game.
  
  In 1984, six more franchises joined the league. Heisman winner Mike Rozier and a host of other top college stars signed contracts with the league. Those standouts included: Miami quarterback Jim Kelley, Tennessee defensive end Reggie White, and BYU quarterback Steve Young.

Dan Marino

1984 - Records Fall

• Four NFL records were shattered in 1984. Dan Marino set the league mark for passing yards in a season with 5,084 and 48 touchdowns. Eric Dickerson, in just his second season, broke OJ Simpson's rushing record by gaining 2,105 yards. Washington wide receiver Art Monk set the standard for pass receptions in a season with 106, while Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton broke Jim Brown's career rushing mark, finishing the season with 13,309.

1985 - Buffalo Bruce

• With the top pick in the 1985 NFL draft the Buffalo Bills selected Virginia Tech defensive end Bruce Smith. Smith would play 15 seasons for the Bills helping them to four consecutive Super Bowl appearances in the early 1990s. In 2003, as a member of the Washington Redskins, Smith set the NFL record for most sacks in a career with 200.
  
  
• The USFL announced that it would switch to a fall schedule to challenge the NFL and filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL. The change of playing season crippled the USFL as many cities faced competition with NFL teams in its city. Also Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie became the third consecutive Heisman winner to sign with the USFL instead NFL.
  
  

1986 - Tony Eason's Infamous Super Bowl Performance

• Tony Eason quarterbacked the New England Patriots to Super Bowl XX. In Super Bowl XX Eason failed to complete a pass against the famed 1985 Chicago Bears defense. Eason, who was pulled in the second quarter in favor of Steve Grogan, was 0-for-6 with a fumble and was sacked three times.

Eric Dickerson

1987 - Trading Spaces

• On October 31, Los Angeles Rams record-setting running back Eric Dickerson was just one player in a three-team deal involving 10 players and/or draft choices. Dickerson was sent to the Indianapolis Colts for six draft choices and two players. Buffalo obtained the rights to linebacker Cornelius Bennett from Indianapolis, sending Greg Bell and three draft choices to the Rams. The Colts added Owen Gill and three draft choices of their own to complete the deal with the Rams.

1988 - Johnny Grier makes History

• On September 4, Johnny Grier became the first African-American referee in NFL history.

1989 - Commissioner Rozelle out, Jerry Jones in

• On March 22, Commissioner Pete Rozelle announced his retirement, pending the naming of a successor, at the NFL annual meeting in Palm Desert, California. Paul Tagliabue was later named commissioner.
  
  
• On April 18, Jerry Jones purchased a majority interest in the Dallas Cowboys from H.R. (Bum) Bright. Jones would soon hire Jimmy Johnson, a move that helped propel the Cowboys to three Super Bowls in four years.
• On October 3, former Raider Art Shell was named head coach of the Los Angeles Raiders making him the NFL's first black head coach since Fritz Pollard coached the Akron Pros in 1921.

1990 - Super Joe

• On January 28, San Francisco defeated Denver 55-10 in Super Bowl XXIV at the Louisiana Superdome, joining Pittsburgh as the NFL's only teams to win four Super Bowls. The victory over the Broncos gave Joe Montana his fourth Super Bowl ring.
  
  
• To start the 1990-91 season, every NFL club won at least one of its first four games, a first since 1957.
• All-Pro quarterback Warren Moon, of the Houston Oilers, passed for 369 yards in a 48-17 victory of the Cincinnati Bengals. Moon became the first quarterback to throw for more than 20,000 yards in two different leagues as he passed for 21,228 yards in the Canadian Football League. Moon finished his NFL career with 49,235 passing yards.
  
  
• On November 11, Derrick Thomas, a linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs, established an NFL record with seven quarterback sacks.

[1991-2001]

1991 - Wide Right

• On January 27, in perhaps the most exciting Super Bowl ever, Buffalo Bills kicker Scott Norwood missed a 47-yard field goal with eight seconds remaining as the New York Giants defeat the Buffalo Bills 20-19 in Super Bowl XXV. Norwood's kick was the closet the Bills ever got to a Super Bowl win as Buffalo was crushed three straight times. Norwood did not return to the Bills after 1991, never caught on with another team, and retired.

1994 - Dan the Man

• On September 4, Miami quarterback Dan Marino established a record by throwing five touchdown pass in the Dolphins'39-35 victory over New England. It is Marino's 18th game of four-or-more touchdown passes. One day later Jerry Rice, a San Francisco wide receiver, catches two touchdown passes and ran for another score in a 44-14 victory over the Raiders to surpass Jim Brown as the NFL's career touchdowns leader with 127.

Jerry Rice

1995 - San Francisco Treat

• On January 29, led by Steve Young's 325 passing yards and six touchdowns and Jerry Rice's 10 catches for 149 yards and three scores, the San Francisco 49ers became the first team to win five Super Bowls with a 48-26 triumph over the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX.
  
  
• The 1995-1996 season was a historic one as many records were eclipsed: Miami Dolphins' quarterback Dan Marino surpassed Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton in four major passing categories - attempts, completions, yards, and touchdowns - to become the NFL's all-time career leader. San Francisco 49er star wide receiver Jerry Rice became the all-time reception and receiving-yardage leader with career totals of 942 catches and 15,123 yards. Dallas Cowboys' running sensation Emmitt Smith scored 25 touchdowns, breaking the season record of 24 set by Washington's John Riggins in 1983.
• On April 10, the NFL became the first major U.S. sports league to establish a site on the Internet.

1997 - Say Cheese

• On January 26, led by All-Pro quarterback Brett Favre, the Green Bay Packers ended a 29-year Super Bowl drought by beating the New England Patriots 35-21 in Super Bowl XXXI. Favre finished with 246 passing yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions.
  
  
• April 6 was a sad day for the NFL as it lost one of its most respected owners. Washington Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke died at his home in Washington, D.C. Cooke, who helped guide Washington to three Super Bowls victories, became majority owner of the Redskins in 1974.
• On September 14, Detroit Lions halfback Barry Sanders ran for 161 yards in the Lions' 32-7 win over Chicago to begin his record streak of 14 straight 100-yard rushing games.

1998 - Elway all the Way

• For the first time in four tries John Elway left the NFL's biggest stage with a Vince Lombardi Trophy. Elway, who from 1987-1990 led the Denver Broncos to three Super Bowl appearances only to see his team falter, finally got his championship as Denver overpowered Green Bay 31-14.
  
  Elway enjoyed a Hall of Fame career with the Broncos from 1983-1998. He was the first overall selection in the 1983 draft out of Stanford. Elway set league marks for wins by a quarterback with 148; tied the NFL record for most seasons with 3,000 yards passing with 12; was the oldest player to score a touchdown in a Super Bowl at age 37; the only quarterback in league history to start five Super Bowls, winning two; named the NFL's MVP in 1987 and the AFC's Offensive Player of the Year in 1993; set a NFL record with 41 fourth-quarter game-saving drives; and holds 53 Denver Broncos records.
  
  In 2004 Elway, along with former Detroit Lion's star running back Barry Sanders, tackle Bon Brown and defensive end Carl Eller, were inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Walter Payton

1999 - Thank You and Goodbye Sweetness

• On November 1, legendary Chicago Bears' running back and NFL all-time leading rusher Walter Payton died at age 45 of liver cancer. The former Jackson State star played for the Bears from 1975-1987 and rushed for a then-NFL record 16,726 yards. As one of the elite running backs in league history, Payton set many NFL records. His 3,838 carries set an NFL record.
  
  Other milestones Payton established are 10 seasons with 1,000 rushing yards or more (tied), four consecutive seasons leading the NFL in rushing (tied), and 77 games with 100 yards or more rushing. Following the 1985-86 season, Payton won his only Super Bowl ring as the Bears defeated the New England Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX.
  
  
• Also in 1999, after a four-year hiatus from the league, the Cleveland Browns return to the field for the first time since 1995. Two-weeks later on Aug. 21, Cleveland Browns Stadium opened in Cleveland, Ohio before a crowd of 71,398 as the Minnesota Vikings defeated the Browns in a preseason game, 24-17
  
  
• On January 31, the Denver Broncos won their second consecutive Super Bowl by defeating the upstart Atlanta Falcons 34-19 in Super Bowl XXXIII. Denver quarterback John Elway was named MVP after passing for 336 yards and a touchdown. Three months later, on May 2, 1999, 16 years to the day he was acquired by the Broncos, Elway retired.

2000 - Did You Know?

• On December 17, San Francisco 49ers' wide receiver Terrell Owens established a new single-game receiving record with 20 receptions (283 yards) against the Chicago Bears? Former Los Angles Rams standout Tom Fears held the old mark with 18 catches.

[2002-Present]

2002 - Boston Tee Party

• The heavy underdog New England Patriots won their first Super Bowl, 20-17, over the St. Louis Rams. On the final play of the game, Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri connected on a 48-yard field to give New England the victory.
  
  
• On September 11, Hall of Fame quarterback Johnny Unitas died of a heart attack at the age of 69. Unitas was drafted by the Pittsburg Steelers following a solid college career at the University of Louisville, but was cut prior to the start of the season. In 1956, Unitas surfaced in Baltimore, leading the Colts to the 1958 NFL title. In that 1958 championship game, the Colts defeated the New York Giants in the first sudden death overtime game in NFL history.
  
  Many experts claim that it was the greatest game ever played and is credited with sparking the rise of the NFL. During his 18-year career, Unitas earned two MVP awards, played in 10 Pro Bowls, and won three championships for the Colts, including Super Bowl V. He became the first quarterback to pass for 40,000 yards in a career and in 1974 retired with 22 NFL records; including most passing yards (40,239), most completions (2,830) and most touchdown passes (290).
  
  
• On September 29, Oakland Raiders wide receiver Jerry Rice had 151 yards from scrimmage, bringing his total to 21,281 to pass Walter Payton as the all-time leader. Rice finished the 2002 season with 22,242 yards from scrimmage.
  
  
• On October 27, Dallas Cowboys' tailback Emmitt Smith became the NFL's all-time rushing leader, eclipsing former Bears' great Walter Payton.

2003 - Rookie Initiation

• In the first game of his professional career, Arizona rookie wide receiver Anquan Boldin caught 10 passes for an NFL-debut record 217 yards. Boldin would finish the season with 101 catches, breaking the previous mark of 90 set by New England's Terry Glenn in 1996. Boldin's 1,377 receiving yards were the most by a rookie in 43 years.