50 Fun Facts About Cincinnati Bengals

Which former Cleveland Browns coach founded the Bengals and coached them for their first eight seasons?

He chose the exact shade of orange used by his old team, and his son Mike still runs the franchise.

The Bengals began play in 1968 as a member of which organisation?

The franchise was approved on May 23, 1967, and joined the NFL through the 1970 merger; the first season ended 3-11.

The Bengals' first home, still used by the Cincinnati Bearcats, was which venue?

They moved to Riverfront Stadium on the Ohio River in 1970, sharing it with the Reds.

In which year did the Bengals introduce their orange helmets with black tiger stripes?

The then-unique design arrived the same season the team reached its first Super Bowl.

The Bengals lost both of their 1980s Super Bowls to which team?

Super Bowl XVI ended 26-21 and Super Bowl XXIII 20-16, both decided by a Hall of Fame quarterback's offense.

Where was Super Bowl XVI, the first played in a cold-weather city, held?

Ken Anderson threw for 300 yards and Cris Collinsworth caught 5 passes for 107, but a goal-line stand doomed Cincinnati.

What was the wind chill at the Freezer Bowl, the Bengals' 1981 AFC Championship win over San Diego?

The 27-7 win at Riverfront Stadium on January 10, 1982 remains the coldest game in NFL history by wind chill.

Which Bengals quarterback was named NFL MVP in 1981 after playing college ball at tiny Augustana College?

A third-round pick in 1971, he spent all 16 seasons in Cincinnati and set a completion-percentage record of 70.6% in 1982 that stood for over 25 years.

Which left-handed Bengals quarterback won the NFL MVP award in 1988?

Born Norman Julius Esiason, he later became a CBS analyst and WFAN morning host, and his foundation fights cystic fibrosis.

Which 1988 Bengals head coach, with Bruce Coslet, made the no-huddle the team's standard offense?

He had been talked out of retirement in 1979 to join Bill Walsh's 49ers staff, the team that beat him in Super Bowl XXIII.

Rookie running back Elbert Woods scored 15 rushing touchdowns in 1988 and celebrated each with what?

Better known by his nickname, the UNLV product revived the dance in a 2014 GEICO commercial at a deli counter.

In Super Bowl XXIII, which 49ers receiver caught the winning touchdown pass with 34 seconds left?

The 92-yard drive undid a Bengals lead built partly on Stanford Jennings's 93-yard kickoff return; Rice was MVP with 215 yards.

Super Bowl XXIII was played on January 22, 1989, at which Miami venue?

The Miami venue has since been renamed several times and is now Hard Rock Stadium.

Which offensive tackle, drafted from USC in 1980, became the first career-long Bengal in the Hall of Fame?

He made 11 Pro Bowls, was inducted in 1998, and was named to the NFL's 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.

After 1990, how many years did the Bengals go without a playoff berth or a winning record?

The stretch earned them the nickname 'The Bungles', coined by Steelers broadcaster Myron Cope.

Which Steelers broadcaster coined the disparaging nickname 'The Bungles'?

The two teams have met twice a year since becoming division rivals in 1970.

On October 22, 2000, Corey Dillon broke Walter Payton's single-game rushing record with how many yards?

As a rookie in 1997 he had already broken Jim Brown's 40-year-old rookie single-game mark with 246 yards against Tennessee.

Which team did Corey Dillon torch for his record-setting 2000 rushing day?

Dillon was traded to New England in 2004 and was the top rusher in the Patriots' Super Bowl XXXIX win.

Which head coach, hired in 2003, led the Bengals for 16 seasons without a playoff win?

He was the 2009 AP Coach of the Year and had run the record-setting Ravens defense that won Super Bowl XXXV.

Wide receiver Chad Johnson legally changed his surname in 2008 to what?

It was a nod to his No. 85 jersey; he still holds franchise records with 751 catches and 10,783 receiving yards.

Chad Johnson played college football at which school after transferring in 2000?

He later reached the final four on Dancing with the Stars in 2010.

The Bengals' riverfront stadium opened on August 19, 2000, under what name?

It was renamed Paycor Stadium in a 2022 naming-rights deal.

What is the nickname of Paycor Stadium?

The stadium seats 65,515 and looks out on the Ohio River bridges.

The Bengals' official mascot, a Bengal tiger, is named what?

The name comes from the fans' chant, which asks who is going to beat the Bengals.

The Bengals' rivalry with the Cleveland Browns is often called what?

The Baltimore rivalry grew out of the same family tree, when the original Browns moved and became the Ravens.

Which head coach did the Bengals hire in 2019, taking them to Super Bowl LVI three seasons later?

He arrived from the Rams staff and ended up facing them in the Super Bowl.

Joe Burrow won the 2019 Heisman Trophy playing for which university?

He had transferred from Ohio State in May 2018 after realising he would not start, then won a national title.

With which pick of the 2020 NFL draft did the Bengals select Joe Burrow?

Sportswriters nicknamed him 'Joe Cool' and 'Joe Brrr' for his calm under pressure.

Joe Burrow attended high school in The Plains, Ohio, but he was born in which state?

His father Jimmy was a college coach, and the family moved with the jobs before settling near Athens, Ohio.

Which award did Joe Burrow win from the AP after returning from knee surgery in 2021?

In 2024 he led the league with 4,918 passing yards and 43 touchdowns.

Ja'Marr Chase won which college prize in 2019 as the nation's best receiver?

The pick reunited him with his college quarterback, and he was named Offensive Rookie of the Year.

In 2024 Ja'Marr Chase won the receiving triple crown. How many receiving yards did he post?

He also led the league with 127 catches and 17 touchdowns.

The Bengals' 26-19 Wild Card win in January 2022 was their first playoff victory since which season?

The win over the Raiders ended what was then the NFL's longest playoff-win drought.

Which team did the Bengals beat in overtime, 27-24, in the 2021 AFC Championship Game?

A week earlier the 19-16 divisional win at Tennessee had been the franchise's first-ever road playoff victory.

Super Bowl LVI, which the Bengals lost 23-20 to the Rams, was played at which venue?

It was Cincinnati's first Super Bowl since January 1989, and Cooper Kupp was named MVP.

Which of these acts performed in the Super Bowl LVI halftime show?

He shared the stage with Dr. Dre, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar, with 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak as surprise guests.

In which three seasons have the Bengals won the AFC championship?

Each trip ended in a loss decided by a single score.

Which running back was the AFL Rookie of the Year in the Bengals' first season, 1968?

He rushed for 1,023 yards on a team that finished 3-11.

Which is the only jersey number the Bengals have officially retired, in honour of center Bob Johnson?

Johnson was the franchise's first-ever draft pick in 1968 and played until 1979.

Which quarterback beat the Bengals in Super Bowls XVI and XXIII, winning MVP in the first?

In XVI he completed 14 of 22 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown; in XXIII he drove 92 yards in under three minutes.

Which team did the Bengals beat 27-7 in the Freezer Bowl to reach their first Super Bowl?

The visitors had played a sweltering overtime classic in Miami just a week earlier.

The Bengals' left-handed 1988 MVP quarterback played his college football for which program?

He holds several NFL career records for left-handed quarterbacks, including most touchdown passes.

The Bengals joined the American Football League in 1967 as which numbered franchise?

They were the AFL's final addition before the merger took full effect in 1970 and, like all AFL clubs, landed in the AFC.

Which future 49ers coach devised the West Coast offense while a Bengals assistant from 1968 to 1975?

He developed the high-percentage passing scheme under Paul Brown's tutelage; quarterback Virgil Carter was the first to run it.

In 2011 Mike Brown bought out the estate of which co-founder to become majority owner of the Bengals?

Brown had inherited controlling interest from his father Paul in 1991; a 2011 survey rated him among the worst owners in American pro sports.

Which executive was the Bengals' de facto general manager in their 2021 Super Bowl season?

The team has no official GM; its director of player personnel handled most personnel decisions in a front office dominated by the Brown family.

Which Ben-Gals cheerleader was the oldest in NFL history?

The squad shares the sideline with mascot Who Dey, whose jersey number is 1; in 2012 season-ticket holders also named a real zoo tiger Who Dey.

Which quarterback, drafted in 2003, sat out his whole rookie year while Jon Kitna won Comeback Player of the Year?

He took over as starter in 2004 and later forced his way out by announcing his retirement when the Bengals refused to trade him after 2010.

What was the Bengals' record in 2002, the worst in team history, prompting Marvin Lewis's hiring?

Lewis then coached the team for 16 seasons, making it a regular postseason contender without ever winning a playoff game.

The 2012 Cincinnati Zoo tiger named Who Dey by season-ticket holders was which subspecies?

More than 1,000 fans voted on the name; the animal was later traded to a zoo in Kansas.