The Arena Football League (AFL) can refer to one of three successive professional indoor American football leagues in the United States. The first of these was founded in 1986,and played its first official games in the 1987 season,running for 22 consecutive seasons until going bankrupt following the 2008 season. The second league,consisting largely of teams from the first AFL and arenafootball2,purchased the first league's assets out of bankruptcy and resumed play in 2010 as a continuation of the first AFL;this second AFL ran for ten further seasons,before again going bankrupt following the 2019 season. A third AFL,which is not directly connected to the previous two iterations of the league but claiming their histories and trademarks,intends to launch in 2024.
Sidney Gillman was an American football player,coach and executive. Gillman's insistence on stretching the football field by throwing deep downfield passes,instead of short passes to running backs or wide receivers at the sides of the line of scrimmage,was instrumental in making football into the modern game that it is today. He was inducted as a coach into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983,and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1989.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football,located in Canton,Ohio. Opened on September 7,1963,the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football,including players,coaches,officials,franchise owners,and front-office personnel,almost all of whom made their primary contributions to the game in the National Football League (NFL).
Alvin Ray "Pete" Rozelle was an American businessman and executive. Rozelle served as the commissioner of the National Football League (NFL) for nearly thirty years,from January 1960 until his retirement in November 1989. He became the youngest commissioner in NFL history at just the age of 33. He is credited with making the NFL into one of the most successful sports leagues in the world.
Thomas Raymond Flores is an American former professional football player in the American Football League (AFL) and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played as a quarterback for nine seasons in the AFL,primarily with the Oakland Raiders. After his retirement as a coach,he was a radio announcer for more than twenty years.
Allen Davis was an American football coach and executive. He was the principal owner and general manager of the National Football League (NFL) Oakland Raiders for 39 years,from 1972 until his death in 2011. Prior to becoming principal owner of the Raiders,he served as the team's head coach from 1963 to 1965 and part owner from 1966 to 1971,assuming both positions while the Raiders were part of the American Football League (AFL). He also served as AFL commissioner in 1966.
Johnny Nolan Robinson is a former American football player. He was primarily a safety,but also played on offense as a halfback and flanker early in his career. He played college football at Louisiana State University (LSU) for the Tigers.
Lance Dwight Alworth,nicknamed "Bambi",is an American former professional football wide receiver who played for the San Diego Chargers of the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL) and Dallas Cowboys of the NFL. Often considered one of the greatest wide receivers of all time,he played for 11 seasons,from 1962 through 1972,and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1978. He was the first player inducted whose playing career was principally in the AFL. Alworth is also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. His teammates called him Bambi because he had a baby face and could run like a deer.
Ralph Cookerly Wilson Jr. was an American businessman and sports executive. He was best known as the founder and owner of the Buffalo Bills,a team in the National Football League (NFL). He was one of the founding owners of the American Football League (AFL),the league with which the NFL merged in 1970,and was the last of the original AFL owners to own his team. At the time of his death he was the oldest owner in the NFL,at age 95,and the third-longest tenured owner in NFL history. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009.
James Foster is the inventor of the game of Arena Football,,the founder and first commissioner of the Arena Football League (AFL).
Lynn Curtis Swann is an American former football player,broadcaster,politician,and athletic director,best known for his association with the University of Southern California and the Pittsburgh Steelers. He served on the President's Council on Fitness,Sports,and Nutrition from 2002 to 2005. In 2006,he was the Republican nominee for Governor of Pennsylvania.
Derrick Dewan Brooks is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for his entire 14-year career in the National Football League (NFL) with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brooks played college football for the Florida State Seminoles,earning consensus All-American honors twice. He was selected by the Buccaneers in the first round of the 1995 NFL Draft. An 11-time Pro Bowl selection and five-time first-team All-Pro,Brooks was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2002 en route to winning the franchise's first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XXXVII. Following his retirement,Brooks served as co-owner and president of the Tampa Bay Storm in the Arena Football League (AFL) from 2011 to 2017. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
John Mackey was an American professional football player who was a tight end for the Baltimore Colts and the San Diego Chargers. He was born in Roosevelt,New York and attended Syracuse University. He was the first president of the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) following the AFL-NFL merger,serving from 1970 to 1973. Mackey was also a major reason the NFLPA created the "88 Plan",which financially supports ex-players who required living assistance in later years.
Terry Wayne Baker is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) and the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football and basketball at Oregon State University,where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta. Baker played for the Oregon State Beavers football team from 1960 to 1962,winning the Heisman Trophy as a senior. In the spring of his senior year,he led the basketball team to the 1963 Final Four. To date,he is the only athlete to win a Heisman Trophy and play in the Final Four. Baker was the first overall pick in the 1963 NFL draft and played with the Los Angeles Rams from 1963 to 1965. He then played for one season in the CFL with the Edmonton Eskimos in 1967. Baker was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1982.
Samuel David Baker is a former American football offensive tackle. He played college football for the University of Southern California (USC),and was a three-time All-American. He was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft.
Curley Culp was an American football defensive lineman who was a defensive tackle in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Arizona State University,where he was also an NCAA heavyweight wrestling champion. He played football professionally in the AFL for the Kansas City Chiefs in 1968 and 1969,and in the NFL for the Chiefs,Houston Oilers,and Detroit Lions. He was an AFL All-Star in 1969 and a six-time AFC–NFC Pro Bowler.
Milton P. Woodard was an American sports writer and sport executive. He was the President of the American Football League until it merged with the NFL in 1970. Woodard served from July 1966 to March 1970,succeeding Commissioner Al Davis as chief executive of the League.
Jack Sack was an American football player and coach. Sack was a college football player at the University of Pittsburgh and coach,and played professional football in both the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL).
