Other Sports > Football Transactions
Significant Dates in Pro Football History
| Date | Description |
| 1920-09-17 | George Halas, representing the Decatur Staleys, met with representatives of the Akron Professionals, Canton Bulldogs, Racine Cardinals, Cleveland Tigers, Dayton Triangles, Hammond Pros, Muncie Flyers, Rochester (N.Y.) Jeffersons, Rock Island Independents, at Ralph Hay's Hupmobile showroom in Canton, Ohio, forming the American Professional Football Association. Later, the Buffalo All-Americans, Chicago Tigers, Columbus Panhandles, and Detroit Heralds joined the league prior to the 1920 season. Membership is set at $100. |
| 1921 | Chicago Tigers folded between 1920 and 1921 season |
| 1921 | Decatur Staleys moved to Chicago |
| 1921 | Cincinnati Celts , Evansville Crimson Giants, Green Bay Packers, Louisville Brecks, Minneapolis Marines, New York Brickleys Giants , Tonawanda Kardex (a.k.a. Lumbermen), and Washington Senators joined the APFA |
| 1921-08-27 | Green Bay granted APFA franchise (Packers) |
| 1922 | APFA changed its name to the National Football League (NFL) |
| 1922 | Racine Cardinals moved to Chicago |
| 1922 | Cincinnati Celts, Cleveland Tigers, Detroit Heralds, Muncie Flyers, New York Brickleys Giants, Tonawanda Kardex, and Washington Senators folded after 1921 season |
| 1922 | Marion Oorang Indians, Milwaukee Badgers, Racine Legion, and Toledo Maroons joined NFL prior to 1922 season |
| 1922 | Racine Cardinals moved to Chicago |
| 1922-01-28 | Chicago Staleys changed their name to Bears |
| 1923 | Columbus Panhandles and Evansville Crimson Giants folded after 1922 season |
| 1923 | Cleveland Indians, Columbus Tigers, Duluth Kelleys, and St. Louis All-Stars joined NFL prior to 1923 season |
| 1924 | Canton Bulldogs, Cleveland Indians, Louisville Brecks, Marion Oorang Indians, Racine Legion, St. Louis All-Stars, and Toledo Maroons folded |
| 1924 | Buffalo All-Americans changed their name to Bisons |
| 1924 | Cleveland Bulldogs, Frankford Yellow Jackets, Kansas City Blues, and Kenosha Maroons joined NFL prior to 1924 season |
| 1925 | Kenosha Maroons, Minneapolis Marines, and Columbus Tigers folded after 1924 season |
| 1925 | Kansas City Blues changed their name to Cowboys |
| 1925 | Canton Bulldogs re-entered NFL after an inactive 1924 season |
| 1925 | Racine Legion was inactive for 1925 season |
| 1925 | Detroit Panthers, New York Giants, Providence Steam Roller, and Pottsville Maroons joined NFL prior to 1925 season |
| 1926 | Cleveland Bulldogs and Rochester Jeffersons folded afer 1925 season |
| 1926 | Rock Island Independents left NFL |
| 1926 | Buffalo Bisons changed their name to Rangers prior to 1926 season |
| 1926 | Brooklyn Lions, Hartford Blues, Los Angeles Buccaneers joined NFL prior to 1926 season |
| 1926 | Akron Pros changed their name to Indians prior to 1926 season |
| 1926 | Racine Tornadoes (formerly Racine Legion) re-entered the NFL prior to 1926 season |
| 1926 | Duluth Kelleys became the Duluth Eskimos priot to 1926 season |
| 1926 | Louisville Colonels (formerly the Louisville Brecks) re-entered the NFL as a road team out of Chicago |
| 1927 | Akron Indians, Brooklyn Lions, Buffalo Rangers, Canton Bulldogs, Columbus Tigers, Detroit Panthers, Hammond Pros, Hartford Blues, Kansas City Cowboys, Los Angeles Buccaneers, Louisville Colonels, Milwaukee Badgers, and Racine Tornadoes folded after 1926 season |
| 1927 | Cleveland Bulldogs and New York Yankees joined NFL prior to 1927 season |
| 1928 | Buffalo Bison, Cleveland Bulldogs, and Duluth Eskimos folded after 1927 season |
| 1928 | Detroit Wolverines joined NFL prior to 1928 season |
| 1929 | New York Yankees folded after 1928 season |
| 1929 | Boston Bulldogs (were in reality the Pottsville Maroons relocated, inactive for the 1928 season), Buffalo Bisons, Minneapolis Red Jackets, Orange Tornadoes, and Staten Island Stapletons joined NFL prior to 1929 season |
| 1930 | Boston Bulldogs, Buffalo Bisons, and Dayton Triangles folded after 1929 season |
| 1930 | Brooklyn Dodgers and Portsmouth Spartans joined NFL prior to 1930 season |
| 1930 | Orange Tornadoes change their name to Newark Tornadoes prior to 1930 season |
| 1931 | Minneapolis Red Jackets and Newark Tornadoes folded after 1930 season |
| 1931 | Cleveland Indians joined NFL prior to 1931 season |
| 1932 | Cleveland Indians and Providence Steam Roller folded after 1931 season |
| 1932-07-09 | Boston Braves joined NFL |
| 1932 | Frankford Yellow Jackets folded during 1932 season |
| 1933 | Staten Island Stapletons folded after 1932 season |
| 1933 | Boston Braves renamed Redskins |
| 1933-07-08 | Pittsburgh Pirates (Steelers) entered the NFL |
| 1933-07-09 | Philadelphia Eagles joined NFL |
| 1933 | Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates joined NFL prior to 1933 season |
| 1934-06-30 | Portsmouth Spartans moved to Detroit and renamed Lions |
| 1934 | Cincinnati Reds moved to St. Louis and renamed Gunners prior to 1934 season |
| 1935 | St. Louis Gunners folded after 1934 season |
| 1935-05-19 | NFL league owners approved a plan for a draft of college players following the 1936 season. Under the plan, proposed by Philadelphia Eagles' owner & GM Bert Bell (who later became NFL commissioner), teams drafted in reverse order of their finish |
| 1936-02-08 | 1936 NFL draft |
| 1936-12-12 | 1937 NFL draft |
| 1937-12-12 | 1938 NFL draft |
| 1937-02-13 | Cleveland Rams entered the NFL as an expansion franchise |
| 1937-02-13 | Boston Redskins received approval to move to Washington |
| 1938-12-09 | 1939 NFL draft |
| 1939-12-09 | 1940 NFL draft |
| 1940 | Pittsburgh Pirates renamed Steelers |
| 1943-04-06 | Cleveland Rams suspended operation |
| 1943 | Eagles and Steelers merged due to war-time measures |
| 1944 | Cardinals and Steelers merged due to war-time measures (team was called Card-Pitt) |
| 1944 | Brooklyn Dodgers renamed Tigers |
| 1944 | Boston Yanks are granted an NFL franchise |
| 1944-04-19 | Cleveland Rams resumed operation |
| 1945-04-10 | Boston Yanks merged with Brooklyn Tigers |
| 1946-01-11 | Cleveland Rams received approval to move to Los Angeles |
| 1946 | Brooklyn Tigers folded. |
| 1946-12-28 | Miami Seahawks (AAFC) moved to Baltimore and renamed the Colts |
| 1949-01-21 | NFL cancels Boston franchise and awards franchise to Ted Collins as the New York Bulldogs |
| 1949-12-08 | AAFC/NFL merger approved — Baltimore Colts, Cleveland Browns, and San Francisco 49ers entered the NFL |
| 1949-12-09 | 1950 NFL draft (per Colts web site) |
| 1950-01-21 — 1950-01-22 | 1950 NFL draft |
| 1950 | New York Bulldogs changed their name to Yanks |
| 1951-01-18 | Baltimore Colts folded |
| 1951-01-18 — 1951-01-19 | 1951 NFL draft |
| 1952-01-17 | 1952 NFL draft |
| 1952-01-19 | League purchases assets of New York Yanks and awards franchise to Dallas Texans |
| 1953-01-22 | 1953 NFL draft |
| 1953-01-23 | Dallas Texans moved to Baltimore and renamed the Colts |
| 1954-01-28 | 1954 NFL draft |
| 1955-01-27 — 1955-01-28 | 1955 NFL draft |
| 1955-11-29 (rounds 1-3), 1956-01-19 (rounds 4-30) | 1956 NFL draft |
| 1956-11-27 (rounds 1-4), 1957-01-31 (rounds 5-30) | 1957 NFL draft |
| 1957-12-02 (rounds 1-4), 1958-01-28 (rounds 5-30) | 1958 NFL draft |
| 1958-12-02 (rounds 1-4), 1959-01-21 (rounds 5-30) | 1959 NFL draft |
| 1959-08-14 | Charter franchises in AFL granted to Dallas (Texans), New York (Titans), Houston (Oilers), Denver (Broncos), Los Angeles (Chargers), and Minneapolis |
| 1959-08-22 | AFL officially christened as such |
| 1959-10-28 | AFL granted franchise to Buffalo (Bills) |
| 1959-10-31 | AFL Houston franchise named Oilers |
| 1959-11-22 | AFL granted franchise to Boston (Patriots) |
| 1959-11-22 | Buffalo Bills entered AFL |
| 1959-11-22 | 1960 AFL draft (Rounds 1-33) |
| 1959-11-30 | 1960 NFL draft |
| 1959-11-30 | AFL Buffalo franchise named Bills |
| 1959-12-02 | 1960 AFL draft (Rounds 34-54) |
| 1960-01-27 | Minneapolis franchise withdrew from AFL |
| 1960-01-27 | Boston Patriots entered AFL |
| 1960-01-28 | NFL expansion franchise awarded to Dallas (Cowboys) & Minnesota (Vikings) |
| 1960-01-30 | AFL franchise granted to Oakland (Raiders) |
| 1960-02-09 | AFL and NFL announced a verbal no-tampering pact in regard to player contracts |
| 1960-03-13 | Chicago Cardinals moved to St. Louis |
| 1960-03-13 | NFL expansion draft (Dallas Cowboys) |
| 1960-12-27 — 1960-12-28 | 1961 NFL draft |
| 1961-02-10 | Los Angeles Chargers (AFL) moved to San Diego |
| 1961 | Atlanta and Chicago grated AFL expension franchises. |
| 1961-12-04 | 1962 NFL draft |
| 1962-12-03 | 1963 NFL draft |
| 1963-02-08 | Dallas Texans (AFL) announced move to Kansas City |
| 1963-04-15 | New York Titans (AFL) renamed Jets. |
| 1963-05-22 | Dallas Texans (AFL) announce move to Kansas City (per Chiefs web site). |
| 1963-05-26 | Kansas City Texans (AFL) renamed Chiefs |
| 1963-12-02 | 1964 NFL draft |
| 1964-11-28 | 1965 NFL draft |
| 1965-06-30 | NFL expansion franchise awarded to Atlanta (Falcons) for 1968 season |
| 1965-08-16 | AFL expansion franchise awarded to Miami (Dolphins) for 1966 season. |
| 1965-11-27 | 1966 NFL draft |
| 1965-11-27 | 1966 AFL draft |
| 1966-01-15 | AFL expansion draft (Miami Dolphins) |
| 1966-06-08 | NFL/AFL merger announced (actual merger to take place in 1970) (date 6/6 per Chiefs web site) |
| 1966-11-01 | NFL expansion franchise awarded to New Orleans (Saints) 1967 |
| 1967-01-09 | New Orleans franchise named the Saints |
| 1967-02-07 | NFL expansion draft (New Orleans Saints) |
| 1967-02-15 | NFL expanded regular season schedule to 16 games |
| 1967-03-14 | 1967 NFL/AFL common draft |
| 1967-05-24 | AFL expansion franchise awarded to Cincinnati (Bengals) for 1968 |
| 1968-01-15 | AFL expansion draft (Cincinnati Bengals) |
| 1968-01-30 — 1968-01-31 | 1968 NFL/AFL common draft |
| 1969-01-28 — 1969-01-29 | 1969 NFL/AFL common draft |
| 1970-01-27 — 1970-01-28 | 1970 NFL/AFL common draft |
| 1970-03-13 | Milt Woodall resigned as president of the AFL and was replaced by Lamar Hunt |
| 1970-05-17 | Baltimore Colts, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to move to AFC with remaining NFL teams joining NFC |
| 1970-03-19 | NFL-AFL merger |
| 1970-07-19 | NFL players strike |
| 1970-08-03 | NFL players strike ended |
| 1971-01-28 — 1971-01-29 | 1971 NFL draft |
| 1972-02-01 — 1972-02-02 | 1972 NFL draft |
| 1973-01-30 — 1973-01-31 | 1973 NFL draft |
| 1974-01-29 — 1974-01-30 | 1974 NFL draft |
| 1974-04-24 | NFL expansion franchise awarded to Tampa Bay (Buccaneers) for 1976 |
| 1974-06-04 | NFL expansion franchise awarded to Seattle (Seahawks) for 1976 |
| 1974-07-09 | NFL players strike |
| 1975-01-28 — 1975-01-29 | 1975 NFL draft |
| 1976-03-30 | NFL expansion draft (Tampa Bay Buccaneers & Seattle Seahawks) |
| 1976-04-08 — 1976-04-09 | 1976 NFL draft |
| 1977-03-01 | NFL and the NFL Players Association agreed on a 5-year contract |
| 1977-03-29 | NFL owners voted to expand the regular season from 14 games to 16 and reduce the preseason to four games, starting in 1978. The playoffs were also expanded to include an additional wild card team per conference. |
| 1977-05-03 — 1977-05-04 | 1977 NFL draft |
| 1978-05-02 — 1978-05-03 | 1978 NFL draft |
| 1979-05-03 — 1979-05-04 | 1979 NFL draft |
| 1980-04-29 — 1980-04-30 | 1980 NFL draft |
| 1981-04-28 — 1981-04-29 | 1981 NFL draft |
| 1982-05-07 | Oakland Raiders moved to Los Angeles |
| 1982-05-11 | USFL is formed with charter franchises Birmingham Stallions, Boston Breakers, Chicago Blitz, Denver Gold, Detroit ?, Los Angeles Express, New Jersey Generals, Oakland Invaders, Philadelphia Stars, San Diego ?, Tampa Bay Bandits, and Washington Federals |
| 1982-04-27 — 1982-04-28 | 1982 NFL draft |
| 1982-08-06 | Oakland Invaders (USFL) move to Arizona |
| 1982-09-08 | Arizona Invaders (USFL) renamed Wranglers |
| 1982-09-20 | NFL players strike |
| 1982-11-16 | NFL players strike ended (agreed to new 5-year contract) |
| 1983-01-04 — 1983-01-05 | 1983 USFL draft (rounds 1-16 on 01-04, rounds 17-24 on 01-05) |
| 1983-04-28 | USFL granted expansion franchise to Pittsburgh (to begin play next March) |
| 1983-05-16 | USFL granted expansion franchise to San Diego (to begin play next March) |
| 1983-04-26 — 1983-04-27 | 1983 NFL draft |
| 1983-07-27 | USFL San Antonio franchise named Gunslingers |
| 1984-01-04 — 1984-01-05 | 1984 USFL draft (rounds 1-11 on 01-04, rounds 12-19 on 01-05) |
| 1984-03-28 | Baltimore Colts moved to Indianapolis |
| 1984-05-01 — 1984-05-02 | 1984 NFL draft |
| 1984-11-14 | New Orleans Breakers (USFL) announced move to Portland for 1985 season |
| 1985-01-03 | 1985 USFL draft |
| 1985-04-30 — 1985-05-01 | 1985 NFL draft |
| 1987-04-28 — 1987-04-29 | 1987 NFL draft |
| 1987-09-22 | NFL players strike |
| 1987-10-25 | NFL players strike ended |
| 1988-03-24 | St. Louis Cardinals moved to Phoenix |
| 1988-04-24 — 1988-04-25 | 1988 NFL draft |
| 1989-03-22 | Pete Rozelle retired as NFL commissioner |
| 1989-04-23 — 1989-04-24 | 1989 NFL draft |
| 1989-10-26 | Paul Tagliabue named NFL commissioner |
| 1990-02-27 | NFL announced it would play its 16-game schedule in a 17-week period, giving each team a bye week |
| 1990-03-01 | NFL revised its playoff format, allowing one extra wild card team in each conference to make the playoffs |
| 1990-04-22 — 1990-04-23 | 1990 NFL draft |
| 1991-03-23 | NFL launched the World League of American Football |
| 1991-04-21 — 1991-04-22 | 1991 NFL draft |
| 1993-04-26 — 1993-04-27 | 1992 NFL draft |
| 1993-04-25 — 1993-04-26 | 1993 NFL draft |
| 1993-10-26 | NFL expansion franchise awarded to Carolina (Panthers) |
| 1993-11-30 | NFL expansion franchise awarded to Jacksonville (Jaguars) |
| 1994-03-17 | Phoenix Cardinals renamed Arizona Cardinals |
| 1994-04-24 — 1994-04-25 | 1994 NFL draft |
| 1995-02-15 | NFL expansion draft (Carolina Panthers & Jacksonville Jaguars) |
| 1995-04-12 | NFL owners approved Los Angeles Rams move to St. Louis |
| 1995-06-23 | Los Angeles Raiders moved to Oakland |
| 1995-11-16 | Oilers owner K.S. "Bud" Adams, Jr. and Nashville Mayor Phil Bredesen sign a relocation agreement to move the Oilers to Tennessee |
| 1996-02-09 | NFL owners approved the Cleveland Browns move to Baltimore (where they were later renamed the Ravens) |
| 1996-03-29 | Baltimore Browns renamed the Ravens |
| 1996-04-30 | NFL owners approved Houston Oilers move to Tennessee |
| 1997-06-12 | Houston Oilers moved to Tennessee |
| 1998-04-18 — 1998-04-19 | 1998 NFL draft (rounds 1-3 on day 1, rounds 4-7 on day 2) |
| 1998-12-22 | Tennessee Oilers announced name change name to Titans beginning in 1999 season |
| 1999-02-09 | NFL expansion draft (Cleveland Browns) |
| 1999-04-17 — 1999-04-18 | 1999 NFL draft (rounds 1-3 on day 1, rounds 4-7 on day 2) |
| 1999-09-12 | Cleveland Browns begin play |
| 1999-10 | NFL expansion franchise awarded to Houston (Texans) |
| 2000-04-15 — 2000-04-16 | 2000 NFL draft (rounds 1-3 on day 1, rounds 4-7 on day 2) |
| 2001-04-21 — 2001-04-22 | 2001 NFL draft (rounds 1-3 on day 1, rounds 4-7 on day 2) |
| 2001-05-22 | NFL owners vote unanimously for realignment in 2002 |
| 2001-09-06 | Houston expansion franchise named Texans |
| 2002-02-18 | NFL expansion draft (Houston Texans) |
| 2002-04-20 — 2002-04-21 | 2002 NFL draft (rounds 1-3 on day 1, rounds 4-7 on day 2) |
| 2002-09-08 | Houston Texans begin play |
| 2003-04-26 — 2003-04-27 | 2003 NFL draft (rounds 1-3 on day 1, rounds 4-7 on day 2) |
| 2004-04-25 — 2004-04-26 | 2004 NFL draft (rounds 1-3 on day 1, rounds 4-7 on day 2) |
| 2005-04-23 — 2005-04-24 | 2005 NFL draft (rounds 1-3 on day 1, rounds 4-7 on day 2) |
| 2006-04-29 — 2006-04-30 | 2006 NFL draft (rounds 1-3 on day 1, rounds 4-7 on day 2) |
| 2007-04-28 — 2007-04-29 | 2007 NFL draft (rounds 1-3 on day 1, rounds 4-7 on day 2) |
| 2008-04-26 — 2008-04-27 | 2008 NFL draft (rounds 1-2 on day 1, rounds 3-7 on day 2) |
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