Birth of the New NFL: How The 1966 Nfl/Afl Merger Transformed Pro Football
The year 1966 marked the birth of the National Football League as we know it, when owners in the NFL and the upstart American Football League agreed to an unprecedented merger, to take place at the start of the 1970 season. They also agreed to play, beginning at the end of the '66 season, a game between each league's champion—a game that came to be called The Super Bowl.

The Birth of the New NFLtells the story of that historic season, leading to the game between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs. It also tells the off-the-field story, the one between warring owners and cities—a story often more brutal than the one on the field. Larry Felser has interviewed the leading men of the day, from Al Davis and Jack Kemp, to Wellington Mara, Art Modell, Lamar Hunt, Gene Upshaw, Dan Rooney, and many others. He presents the struggles of top teams for the chance to represent their respective leagues in the biggest game ever, while also offering a behind-closed-doors view of the wheeling and dealing it took to reach the agreement.
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Birth of the New NFL: How The 1966 Nfl/Afl Merger Transformed Pro Football
The year 1966 marked the birth of the National Football League as we know it, when owners in the NFL and the upstart American Football League agreed to an unprecedented merger, to take place at the start of the 1970 season. They also agreed to play, beginning at the end of the '66 season, a game between each league's champion—a game that came to be called The Super Bowl.

The Birth of the New NFLtells the story of that historic season, leading to the game between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs. It also tells the off-the-field story, the one between warring owners and cities—a story often more brutal than the one on the field. Larry Felser has interviewed the leading men of the day, from Al Davis and Jack Kemp, to Wellington Mara, Art Modell, Lamar Hunt, Gene Upshaw, Dan Rooney, and many others. He presents the struggles of top teams for the chance to represent their respective leagues in the biggest game ever, while also offering a behind-closed-doors view of the wheeling and dealing it took to reach the agreement.
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Birth of the New NFL: How The 1966 Nfl/Afl Merger Transformed Pro Football

Birth of the New NFL: How The 1966 Nfl/Afl Merger Transformed Pro Football

by Larry Felser
Birth of the New NFL: How The 1966 Nfl/Afl Merger Transformed Pro Football

Birth of the New NFL: How The 1966 Nfl/Afl Merger Transformed Pro Football

by Larry Felser

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Overview

The year 1966 marked the birth of the National Football League as we know it, when owners in the NFL and the upstart American Football League agreed to an unprecedented merger, to take place at the start of the 1970 season. They also agreed to play, beginning at the end of the '66 season, a game between each league's champion—a game that came to be called The Super Bowl.

The Birth of the New NFLtells the story of that historic season, leading to the game between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs. It also tells the off-the-field story, the one between warring owners and cities—a story often more brutal than the one on the field. Larry Felser has interviewed the leading men of the day, from Al Davis and Jack Kemp, to Wellington Mara, Art Modell, Lamar Hunt, Gene Upshaw, Dan Rooney, and many others. He presents the struggles of top teams for the chance to represent their respective leagues in the biggest game ever, while also offering a behind-closed-doors view of the wheeling and dealing it took to reach the agreement.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781599211510
Publisher: Globe Pequot Publishing
Publication date: 09/16/2008
Pages: 256
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 10.88(h) x 0.71(d)

About the Author

Larry Felser is a former president of the Pro Football Writers of America. In 1983 he was elected to the writers' wing of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He reported on the Buffalo Bills from their inception through 1962 for the Buffalo Courier-Express and from 1963 through 1976 for the Buffalo News.

Table of Contents


Foreword   Ernie Accorsi     vii
Introduction     xi
The Preliminaries     1
Harry and Pete     11
The Neighbors     22
The Ace     32
Brooklyn Al     41
The NFL Owners in Shock     50
Show Them the Money     53
Texas Showdown     62
Cease Fire     70
A New Challenge     76
The AFL Contenders     85
Manny Celler's Goal-Line Stand     94
The Semifinals     102
The Precursor     114
Vince's Crusade     120
Goliath Beats David     131
Unfinished Business     139
Thin Revenge     148
Triumphant Exit     157
Mickey Mouse Roars     167
The Convincer     186
Aftermath     205
Team Relocation and League Expansion     214
Evolution of the National Football League (1959-2008)     215
Acknowledgments     224
Index     227
About the Author     236
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