The American Football League (AFL) is the primary professional football league of the United States. The AFL was founded with 11 teams in 1920, while today it is comprised of as many as 40 teams; in 1970, the AFL absorbed its smaller rivals, the NFL (Northern Football League) and the WFC (Western Football Conference), adding a total of 11 new teams to the league's roster.
It is currently divided into five divisions: Eastern, Northern, Midwest, Southern, and Western. Every January or February (following the season's conclusion), two teams, champions of the regular season and the League's Playoffs, compete in the Super Bowl, the annual championship game. The first game, Super Bowl I (SB-I) was played in January 1967, at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum, between the San Francisco 49ers and the Boston Patriots. The current champions are the Milwaukee Flyers, who defeated the Boston Patriots (35 to 14) to win Super Bowl XXXI at the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis.
Teams[]
The AFL is composed of 40 teams at present, divided into five major divisions as follows:
Eastern Division[]
Division | Team | Stadium | City | Founded | Joined |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eastern | Boston Patriots | Hunt Field | Boston, MA | 1959 | 1970 |
Eastern | New York Titans | Titan Stadium | New York City, MH | 1959 | 1970 |
Eastern | Buffalo Bills | Rich Stadium | Orchard Park, NY | 1959 | 1970 |
Eastern | Miami Dolphins | Dolphins Stadium | Miami, EF | 1965 | 1974 |
Eastern | New York Giants | Giants Stadium | East Rutherford, NJ | 1925 | 1925 |
Eastern | Philadelphia Eagles | Veterans Stadium | Philadelphia, PA | 1933 | 1933 |
Eastern | Washington Senators | American Park | Washington, D.C. | 1921 | 1921 |
Eastern | Baltimore Colts | Memorial Stadium | Baltimore, MD | 1950 | 1958 |
Eastern | Halifax Hurricanes | North Harbor Field | Halifax, NS | 1951 | 1959 |
Eastern | New England Islanders | Kelvin Dome | Kelvin, NE | 1959 | 1970 |
Eastern | Brooklyn Dodgers | Ebbets Field | Brooklyn, MH | 1930 | 1930 |
Northern Division[]
Division | Team | Stadium | City | Founded | Joined |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Northern | Pittsburgh Steelers | Three Rivers Stadium | Pittsburgh, PA | 1933 | 1933 |
Northern | Cleveland Indians | Indian Field | Cleveland, OH | 1923 | 1923 |
Northern | Detroit Wolverines | Detroit Metro Park | Detroit, SM | 1928 | 1928 |
Northern | Milwaukee Flyers | McNally-Conzelman Field | Milwaukee, WI | 1922 | 1922 |
Northern | Chicago Cardinals | Harbor Park | Chicago, IL | 1920¹ | 1920 |
Northern | Yorktown Tigers | Lakedome | Yorktown, ER | 1930 | 1930 |
¹ (Oldest team still playing in the League)
Midwest Division[]
Division | Team | Stadium | City | Founded | Joined |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Midwest | Columbus Hawks | Scioto Field | Columbus, OH | 1920² | 1920 |
Midwest | Cincinnati Redskins | Riverfront Stadium | Cincinnati, OH | 1933 | 1933 |
Midwest | Indianapolis Tornadoes | Hoosier Dome | Indianapolis, IN | 1953 | 1954 |
Midwest | Kansas City Blues | Bluefield Stadium | Kansas City, MO | 1924 | 1924 |
² (Second oldest team in the League; was founded and joined the AFL only three months after the Cardinals)
Southern Division[]
Division | Team | Stadium | City | Founded | Joined |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Southern | Miko Chiefs | Kaw City Superdome | Miko, OK | 1959 | 1970 |
Southern | Memphis Cherokees | Memphis Memorial Stadium | Memphis, TN | 1981³ | 1981 |
Southern | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Tampa Stadium | Tampa, EF | 1974 | 1974 |
Southern | Ocala Panthers | Panther Field | Ocala, EF | 1970 | 1970 |
Southern | Dallas Mustangs | Texas Stadium | Dallas, TX | 1960 | 1960 |
Southern | Galveston Texans | Texas City Center | Galveston, TX | 1960 | 1961 |
Southern | Atlanta Falcons | Georgia Dome | Atlanta, GA | 1965 | 1965 |
Southern | Manheim Bobcats | Louisiana Dome | Manheim, LA | 1966 | 1966 |
Southern | Havana Tempest | Tempest Stadium | Havana, CU | 1959 | 1959 |
Southern | Santo Domingo Sailors | Sailor Field | Santo Domingo, DM | 1961 | 1961 |
³ (Most recent team to join the AFL)
Western Division[]
Division | Team | Stadium | City | Founded | Joined |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Western | Los Angeles Rams | LA City Stadium | Los Angeles, CA | 1946 | 1946 |
Western | San Francisco 49ers | Candlestick Park | San Francisco, CA | 1944 | 1944 |
Western | San Diego Chargers | Jack Murphy Stadium | San Diego, BA | 1959 | 1970 |
Western | Seattle Seahawks | Kingdome | Seattle, WA | 1974 | 1974 |
Western | Lewis Marines | Marine Memorial Stadium | Lewis, CL | 1959 | 1970 |
Western | Denver Broncos | Mile-High Stadium | Denver, CO | 1959 | 1970 |
Western | Phoenix Raptors | Sun Devil Stadium | Tempe, AZ | 1959 | 1970 |
Western | La Paz Californians | Bay City Bowl | La Paz, BA | 1959 | 1970 |
Western | Pacific City Chinooks | Pacific Field | Pacific City, OR | 1959 | 1970 |
Playoffs[]
Following the conclusion of the regular season, eight teams head to the playoff bracket: the division winners, the runner-ups of each division (excluding the Northern and Midwestern due to their small division size), and two wild-cards based on best record. The bracket is set up as a seed system (i.e. 1v8, 2v7, 3v6, 4v5).
Super Bowl[]
Season | Game | Winning Team | Losing Team | Venue |
---|---|---|---|---|
1967 | I | San Francisco 49ers | Boston Patriots | L.A. Memorial Coliseum |
1968 | II | Washington Senators | Atlanta Falcons | Memorial Stadium |
1969 | III | Manheim Bobcats | Miko Chiefs | Hoosier Dome |
1970 | IV | Kansas City Blues | New York Giants | North Harbor Field |
1971 | V | Manheim Bobcats | Halifax Hurricanes | Jack Murphy Stadium |
1972 | VI | Cleveland Indians | New York Giants | Pacific Field |
1973 | VII | Buffalo Bills | Chicago Cardinals | Veterans Stadium |
1974 | VIII | Galveston Texans | Los Angeles Rams | L.A. Memorial Coliseum |
1975 | IX | Pittsburgh Steelers | Milwaukee Flyers | Texas City Center |
1976 | X | Pittsburgh Steelers | Dallas Mustangs | McKinley Field |
1977 | XI | Lewis Marines | Detroit Wolverines | McNally-Conzelman Field |
1978 | XII | San Francisco 49ers | Pacific City Chinooks | Sun Devil Stadium |
1979 | XIII | Pittsburgh Steelers | Dallas Mustangs | Pacific Field |
1980 | XIV | Pittsburgh Steelers | Los Angeles Rams | Lakedome |
1981 | XV | La Paz Californians | San Diego Chargers | Louisiana Dome |
1982 | XVI | Phoenix Raptors | Columbus Hawks | Mile-High Stadium |
1983 | XVII | Lewis Marines | Ocala Panthers | Bluefield Stadium |
1984 | XVIII | Los Angeles Rams | Lewis Marines | Texas Stadium |
1985 | XIX | Miko Chiefs | Havana Cubans | Memphis Memorial Stadium |
1986 | XX | Miko Chiefs | San Diego Chargers | Kingdome |
1987 | XXI | Brooklyn Dodgers | Washington Senators | North Harbor Field |
1988 | XXII | Lewis Marines | Baltimore Colts | Detroit Metro Park |
1989 | XXIII | San Diego Chargers | New York Titans | Kelvin Dome |
1990 | XXIV | Halifax Hurricanes | Cincinnati Redskins | Jack Murphy Stadium |
1991 | XXV | Brooklyn Dodgers | Columbus Hawks | Marine Memorial Stadium |
1992 | XXVI | Halifax Hurricanes | Buffalo Bills | McKinley Field |
1993 | XXVII | New York Titans | Brooklyn Dodgers | Lakedome |
1994 | XXVIII | Havana Tempest | Memphis Cherokees | Harbor Park |
1995 | XXIX | Chicago Cardinals | Indianapolis Tornadoes | Georgia Dome |
1996 | XXX | Pittsburgh Steelers | Dallas Mustangs | Sun Devil Stadium |
1997 | XXXI | Milwaukee Flyers | Boston Patriots | Hoosier Dome |
All-stars[]
Mississippi Bowl[]
The Mississippi Bowl is the all-star conference game for AFL players in teams based east of the Mississippi River (or in those bordering it). Players selected for the Mississippi Bowl are considered the "best of the best", or the elite, of the League's eastern half and are sometimes referred to as "M-Bowlers". It has been traditionally held at the Louisiana Dome in Manheim, Louisiana every first Friday in March (post-Super Bowl) since the event's inception in 1971.