193 Fun Facts About NFL

Which venue hosted the first Super Bowl in January 1967, where about a third of the seats sat empty?

The Los Angeles Coliseum drew only 61,946 to what was officially the AFL-NFL World Championship Game; the Super Bowl name was not formally adopted until the third game.

Tom Brady won his seventh and final Super Bowl ring with which team?

The Buccaneers signed Brady after 20 seasons with his first club, and he won at once, giving him seven rings, more than any single team has collected.

Which quarterback led the San Francisco 49ers to four Super Bowl wins between the 1981 and 1989 seasons?

Joe Montana won all four and was MVP of three; before the 92-yard winning drive in Super Bowl XXIII he relaxed his huddle by pointing out actor John Candy in the stands.

Which running back tied a 91-year-old NFL record by rushing for six touchdowns in December 2020?

Alvin Kamara matched Ernie Nevers, who scored all 40 points of a 1929 game, and the league then fined Kamara $5,000 for playing in festive red-and-green cleats.

Before the NFL's only perfect season, which team went unbeaten in the rival AAFC in 1948?

The Cleveland Browns went 14–0 and won the AAFC title game 49–7, a perfect season the NFL left out of its record book for 75 years, until owners voted in 2025 to count AAFC statistics.

Which NFL team is known as 'America's Team'?

The Dallas Cowboys got the name from their 1978 NFL Films highlight reel, whose writer had noticed how many of their fans turned up in rival stadiums.

Which Chiefs pass rusher set the NFL single-game record with seven sacks in 1990?

Derrick Thomas sacked Seattle's Dave Krieg seven times on November 11, 1990, yet Krieg slipped his grasp on the final play and threw the winning touchdown.

Which coach has won the most Super Bowls?

Bill Belichick won six as a head coach, two more than anyone else, plus two as the Giants' defensive coordinator; his game plan from the second of those is kept in the Hall of Fame.

An executive of which company sketched the Super Bowl trophy on a cocktail napkin over lunch in 1966?

Tiffany & Co.'s designer drew it at lunch with the NFL commissioner; unlike the Stanley Cup, a new sterling-silver trophy is made every year and the winners keep it for good.

Who set the NFL single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards in 1984?

Eric Dickerson ran for 2,105 yards for the Rams in 1984, passing O. J. Simpson's 2,003, though Simpson had set his mark in a 14-game season and Dickerson had 16.

What is a 'Hail Mary' in football?

A Hail Mary is a last-ditch heave downfield; the name stuck after Roger Staubach said of his late playoff winner to Drew Pearson in 1975, 'I closed my eyes and said a Hail Mary.'

Which Titan carried Frank Wycheck's lateral 75 yards for the winning score in the 'Music City Miracle'?

Kevin Dyson scored on the trick kickoff return to win the wild-card game, then three weeks later was tackled one yard short of the tying touchdown as time expired in Super Bowl XXXIV.

The NFL was founded at a meeting in a Hupmobile auto showroom in which Ohio city?

Canton hosted both founding meetings in Ralph Hay's car showroom, where the clubs set a $100 membership fee to give the league an air of respectability, though no team ever paid it.

Which quarterback went first overall in the 2024 NFL Draft?

Caleb Williams led six quarterbacks taken in the first 12 picks, tying the 1983 record, and then no passer at all was chosen in rounds two, three or four.

Which franchise, which began play in 2002, is the youngest in the NFL?

The Houston Texans arrived as the league's 32nd team, and that even number let the NFL realign into eight divisions of four teams each.

Which NFL stadium is known as 'The Frozen Tundra'?

Lambeau Field's nickname is traced to NFL Films' telling of the 1967 Ice Bowl, played in bitter sub-zero cold after the field's new underground heating system failed.

Which Dallas defender is the only player from a losing team ever named Super Bowl MVP?

Chuck Howley intercepted two passes in Dallas's 16–13 loss in Super Bowl V; a year later he added another interception and a fumble recovery as his team won its first title.

Which quarterback is known as 'The Sheriff'?

Peyton Manning got the nickname from Jon Gruden on Monday Night Football, for the way he policed the line of scrimmage with pre-snap audibles.

The 2024 NFL Draft drew a then-record crowd of more than 775,000 in which host city?

Detroit passed the old record, the 600,000 Nashville drew in 2019, before its final day was over, and Michigan's governor announced it to the crowd with 700,000 already counted.

Super Bowl LVIII in February 2024 was the first played in which state?

Nevada's first Super Bowl went to overtime under new rules that gave each team the ball: San Francisco settled for a field goal, then Kansas City drove 75 yards for the winning touchdown.

Who is the all-time leading scorer in NFL history?

Adam Vinatieri scored 2,673 points in 24 seasons, and two of his field goals won Super Bowls in the dying seconds: a 48-yarder as time expired and a 41-yarder with four seconds left.

On an American football field, the 'red zone' runs from the goal line out to which yard line?

The red zone is the area inside the opponent's 20-yard line; nothing on the field is actually red, and the term is a statistical label for scoring position.

Which player has the most career sacks in NFL history?

Bruce Smith reached 200 by playing 19 seasons, passing Reggie White's 198 in his final year; the list only counts from 1982, when sacks became an official statistic.

Which common offensive penalty costs 10 yards, with the down replayed?

Holding by the offense costs 10 yards, twice the price of being offside; when the defense holds it is only 5 yards, but the offense gets an automatic first down.

Who was named Most Valuable Player of the first Super Bowl in January 1967?

Bart Starr threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns, both to Max McGee, a little-used veteran who had broken curfew the night before and only played because the starter was hurt.

Patrick Mahomes's father, Pat, played which sport professionally?

Baseball: Pat Mahomes pitched for six major-league clubs, and Patrick was himself picked in the 2014 MLB draft before choosing football.

Which NFL team plays its home games at Arrowhead Stadium?

The Kansas City Chiefs have played at Arrowhead since 1972, and in 2014 their fans took back the Guinness record for the loudest stadium crowd with a 142.2-decibel roar.

A 'nickel' defense adds a fifth defensive back; what is a six-back package called?

Dime follows nickel as the next coin up, even though the package has six defensive backs rather than ten.

Who caught the 'Helmet Catch' in Super Bowl XLII?

David Tyree, a special-teams player with four catches all season, pinned the ball to his helmet with one hand, keeping alive the drive that ended an opponent's bid for a 19–0 season.

An NFL field is 120 yards: 100 of play plus 10 behind each of which lines?

Goal lines stand 100 yards apart with a 10-yard end zone behind each; until 1912 football's playing field ran 110 yards, and it was cut to 100 when end zones were added.

In 1998 the Colts drafted a Tennessee quarterback first overall instead of which Washington State passer, taken second?

Ryan Leaf went second to San Diego, won only four of his 18 starts there and was out of the league within four years, while the passer taken ahead of him won five MVP awards.

Downing a runner in his own end zone scores what?

A safety gives the defense two points and the ball as well, because the team that was scored on must then send it away with a free kick.

Who was named MVP as the Saints won their only Super Bowl, in February 2010?

Drew Brees completed 32 of 39 passes, and the Saints turned the game by opening the second half with a surprise onside kick.

Since the 1970 merger, the Super Bowl has matched the champions of which two conferences?

The AFC and NFC date from the 1970 merger, when three old NFL clubs, from Baltimore, Cleveland and Pittsburgh, agreed to cross over so that each conference had 13 teams.

Which coach won four Super Bowls in six 1970s seasons with the 'Steel Curtain' defense?

Chuck Noll lost 13 of his 14 games in his first season, 1969, then built through the draft the team that won Super Bowls IX, X, XIII and XIV.

Tom Tupa scored the NFL's first two-point conversion in 1994 on a faked extra point; what was his regular position?

Punter: Tupa, a converted quarterback, ran the fake in against Cincinnati in the rule's first week, and two more conversions that season earned him the nickname 'Two-Point Tupa'.

Which Bears running back was nicknamed 'Sweetness'?

Walter Payton retired in 1987 as the NFL's career rushing leader; after his death in 1999 the league renamed its Man of the Year award, for work off the field, in his honor.

The 1978 rule limiting contact with receivers beyond five yards is nicknamed after which Steelers cornerback?

Mel Blount overpowered receivers with bump-and-run coverage all the way downfield, so the league restricted contact beyond five yards to open up the passing game.

Which AFL owner first used the term 'Super Bowl' during the merger meetings of the mid-1960s?

Lamar Hunt, the AFL's founder, wrote in 1966 that he had 'kiddingly called it the Super Bowl, which obviously can be improved upon'; he later credited his children's Super Ball toy.

Who holds the NFL record for receiving yards in a single season?

Calvin Johnson ('Megatron') gained 1,964 yards for the Lions in 2012, breaking a 17-year-old record by 116 yards, and retired at 30 three seasons later.

How many players does each NFL team have on the field during a play?

Each team fields 11 players, so 22 take part in every play; a 12th man on the field when the ball is snapped draws a penalty flag.

Which running back caught a Super Bowl-record 14 passes and scored the overtime winner in Super Bowl LI?

James White caught 14 passes, a Super Bowl record, and his 20 points (three touchdowns and a two-point conversion) were also a record; MVP Tom Brady said afterwards that White deserved the award.

Which NFL designation keeps a would-be free agent for one year at the average of his position's top five salaries?

The franchise tag stops a star reaching the open market: he gets that average or 120 percent of his old salary, whichever is higher, guaranteed once he signs.

Which head coach holds the NFL record for career victories, with 347?

Don Shula won 347 games with Baltimore and Miami, passing the old record in 1993 in a game that rookie Doug Pederson, his third quarterback, had to finish after injuries removed the first two.

Which Vikings safety holds the NFL record for career interceptions, with 81?

Paul Krause intercepted 28 passes in four seasons with Washington, which still traded him to Minnesota for a linebacker and a seventh-round pick; he took 53 more there.

How long is the NFL play clock that starts when the previous play ends?

The play clock allows 40 seconds from the end of the previous play, or 25 after a stoppage such as a timeout; letting it run out costs five yards for delay of game.

Which two NFL teams were tied for the most Super Bowl wins, six each, entering the 2025 season?

Patriots and Steelers have six each: Pittsburgh won four before New England had won any, and the Patriots collected all six of theirs between 2002 and 2019.

Which star player was elected the first president of the league that became the NFL, at its 1920 founding?

Jim Thorpe, a double Olympic champion in 1912, was chosen so the new league could trade on his fame; he went on playing and gave way to a new president after one season.

Who holds the NFL record for the most career rushing yards?

Emmitt Smith passed Walter Payton in October 2002, a target he had set himself as a rookie, and finished with 18,355 yards after two last seasons in Arizona.

Which kicker broke the NFL record with a 68-yard field goal in November 2025?

Cam Little's 68-yarder for Jacksonville beat Justin Tucker's 66 from 2021, months after Little had hit from 70 yards in a preseason game that did not count toward the record.

Which star of Notre Dame's 'Four Horsemen' became the NFL's first commissioner in 1941?

Elmer Layden, fullback of Notre Dame's famed 1924 backfield, held the new post for five years until the owners declined to renew his contract and replaced him with Bert Bell.

Under what name did the NFL play its first two seasons, in 1920 and 1921?

The American Professional Football Association took that name a month after its founders first formed a 'Conference', and became the National Football League in June 1922.

Who became the first quarterback to throw for 5,000 yards in a season, with 5,084 in 1984?

Dan Marino threw for 5,084 yards in 1984, only his second season, and reached the Super Bowl, but lost it and never played in another.

Which team reached four straight Super Bowls in the early 1990s and lost them all?

The Buffalo Bills lost Super Bowls XXV to XXVIII; the first got away 20–19 when Scott Norwood's 47-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right as time ran out.

Which team did Joe Namath's Jets upset in Super Bowl III?

The Baltimore Colts were favoured by about 18 points, but Jets quarterback Joe Namath publicly guaranteed a win three days before the game and delivered it, 16–7.

The NFL's best-known Defensive Player of the Year award is presented by which organisation, which also votes on the MVP?

The Associated Press has given the award since 1971; its panel of 50 sportswriters judges the regular season only, so playoff performances never count.

Which team holds the record for most NFL championships, including pre-Super Bowl titles?

The Green Bay Packers have 13 titles, nine before the Super Bowl era and four Super Bowls, despite playing in the smallest market in major North American pro sports.

Who holds the NFL record for most career receiving yards?

Jerry Rice piled up 22,895 yards over 20 seasons and credited effort, not talent: 'I don't think I'm such a natural, I think what I'm doing is very hard work.'

Which pop star headlined the Super Bowl halftime show in January 1993, at the Rose Bowl?

Michael Jackson was booked after a rival network's live comedy special lured away more than a fifth of the previous year's halftime audience.

Which team completed the NFL's only undefeated season, playoffs included?

The 1972 Miami Dolphins went 17–0 even though quarterback Bob Griese was hurt in the fifth game; 38-year-old backup Earl Morrall won every start until Griese returned in the playoffs.

Which fullback scooped up the deflected pass and scored on the 'Immaculate Reception'?

Franco Harris caught the ricochet of a fourth-down pass meant for John Fuqua just above the turf and ran it in, giving Pittsburgh the first playoff win in its 40-year history.

Who was the first African American starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl?

Doug Williams trailed 10–0 after one quarter of Super Bowl XXII, then threw four touchdown passes in the second as Washington scored 35 points in 15 minutes.

Which team suffered the most lopsided Super Bowl defeat ever, losing 55–10 in Super Bowl XXIV?

The Denver Broncos lost their third Super Bowl in four seasons that day, by a combined 136–40, yet quarterback John Elway ended his career by winning the next two he reached.

How many points is a touchdown worth in American football?

A touchdown is worth 6 points; it counted only four until 1898 and five until 1912, and the kick or conversion that follows is a separate play.

After Super Bowl LX in 2026, which two cities were tied for most Super Bowls hosted?

Miami and New Orleans have hosted 11 each, more than a third of the first 60 games between them, because the league traditionally wants a warm climate or a roof.

Which broadcaster cut from the 1968 Raiders–Jets game to a children's film, so viewers missed two late touchdowns?

NBC switched to the film 'Heidi' on schedule, so viewers missed Oakland scoring twice in the final minute to win 43–32; six weeks later the Jets beat the same Raiders for the AFL title.

The Packers won the 1967 'Ice Bowl' in the final seconds on what kind of play?

A quarterback sneak: after two handoffs had gone nowhere on the ice, Green Bay's quarterback, out of timeouts, kept the ball himself from the one-yard line.

Which team won the 1988 playoff game known as the 'Fog Bowl'?

The Chicago Bears beat Philadelphia 20–12 at Soldier Field; Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham threw for 407 yards through the fog yet never found the end zone.

Which Raiders defender's hit on Tom Brady led to the tuck rule call in January 2002?

Charles Woodson, Brady's old Michigan teammate, knocked the ball loose and Oakland recovered, but replay turned the fumble into an incomplete pass; the NFL abolished the tuck rule in 2013.

In the 1982 'Snowplow Game', a convict on work release cleared a spot for which team's winning field goal?

The New England Patriots won 3–0 after coach Ron Meyer waved Mark Henderson's tractor onto the snowy field; Henderson was later handed a game ball of his own.

Which running back was Super Bowl MVP after the strike-shortened 1982 season?

John Riggins ran 38 times for 166 yards for Washington, taking the lead for good with a 43-yard touchdown on fourth down; the nine-game season had ended in a one-off 16-team playoff tournament.

The NFL played three weeks of its 1987 season with rosters made up of whom?

Replacement players filled the rosters for weeks four to six of 1987 after week three was cancelled outright; the results counted in the standings, and the strikers returned for week seven.

Who became the NFL's first Black head coach of the modern era when the Raiders promoted him in 1989?

Art Shell, a Hall of Fame tackle for the Raiders, was fired after the 1994 season, a move the team's owner often said he regretted; the Raiders hired Shell back in 2006.

Which Rams receiver set the single-game receiving record with 336 yards against the Saints in 1989?

Flipper Anderson caught 15 passes for 336 yards on November 26, 1989, seeing extra work because Henry Ellard was out with a pulled hamstring; his last catches came in overtime.

Who set the NFL's single-season interception record with 14 as a rookie in 1952?

Night Train Lane walked into the Rams' office with a scrapbook of clippings and asked for a tryout, then intercepted 14 passes as a 1952 rookie in a 12-game season; no one had matched it through 2025.

In which city did Jets rookie Steve O'Neal kick a 98-yard punt in 1969, the longest in pro football history?

Denver: playing only his second pro game, O'Neal punted from inside his own 1-yard line at Mile High Stadium and the ball travelled 98 yards, yet the Jets lost the game.

Whose field goal won the NFL's longest game for the Dolphins, a playoff against the Chiefs on Christmas Day 1971?

Garo Yepremian's 37-yard kick ended it after more than 82 minutes of play, and the NFL did not stage another game on December 25 until 1989.

Which quarterback and kicker was still playing at 48, the oldest player in NFL history, when he retired in 1976?

George Blanda played 26 seasons; at 43 in 1970 he came off the Raiders' bench in five straight games to deliver four wins and a tie with late touchdown passes and field goals.

Which moving company's trucks carried the Colts out of Baltimore overnight in March 1984?

Mayflower's chief was a neighbour of Indianapolis's mayor, who asked him for the vans; they emptied the Colts' complex on the night of March 28–29, 1984, before Maryland could seize the team by eminent domain.

Which two-way Eagles legend knocked Frank Gifford unconscious in 1960?

Chuck Bednarik, 'Concrete Charlie', was 35 and playing both center and linebacker that season; Gifford missed the rest of 1960, retired, and did not return to the Giants until 1962.

Which city did the Cleveland Rams move to in 1946, a month after winning the NFL championship?

The Rams moved to Los Angeles for 1946, and to lease the publicly owned Coliseum they signed Kenny Washington and Woody Strode, the NFL's first Black players since 1933.

Which Jets quarterback ran into his own lineman's backside and fumbled on Thanksgiving 2012, the infamous 'Butt Fumble'?

Mark Sanchez collided with guard Brandon Moore and lost the ball; New England's Steve Gregory returned it 32 yards, one of three Patriots touchdowns in 52 seconds of game time.

Which offensive coordinator designed the Rams' 'Greatest Show on Turf' in 1999?

Mike Martz arrived as Dick Vermeil's coordinator in 1999 and his offense led the league with 526 points on the way to the title; he took over as head coach in 2000.

Under what name did the Chicago Bears begin play in 1920?

The Decatur Staleys, sponsored by the A. E. Staley starch company, moved to Chicago in 1921 and became the Bears in 1922.

Which franchise, founded in Chicago in 1898, is the NFL's oldest continuously run team?

The Arizona Cardinals began as Chicago's Morgan Athletic Club, took their name from the cardinal-red jerseys of their early years, and left for St. Louis in 1960 and Arizona in 1988.

Which two NFL teams merged for the 1943 season because of wartime player shortages?

Wartime player shortages forced the Steelers and Eagles to merge as the 'Steagles' for 1943; a Card-Pitt combine of the Cardinals and Steelers followed in 1944.

Each new member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame receives a bust and a jacket of which colour?

Gold: each inductee gets the jacket as well as a bust that stays on display at the Hall, and earlier members nearly always wear theirs when they return to welcome a new class.

Which Monday Night Football broadcaster told viewers of John Lennon's death during a December 1980 game?

Howard Cosell broke the news late in a Patriots–Dolphins game; he was reluctant to do it until booth partner Frank Gifford persuaded him that viewers had to be told.

Which broadcaster began handing a turkey leg to the star of the NFL's Thanksgiving Day game in 1989?

John Madden gave the first drumstick to Reggie White in 1989, and in later years turkeys were built with extra legs so that more players could share the prize.

The Rooney Rule, requiring interviews of minority candidates for head coaching jobs, is named after which team's owner?

Dan Rooney, owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, chaired the league's diversity committee when the rule was adopted in 2003.

Who made 'The Catch' to beat the Cowboys in the NFC Championship Game in January 1982?

Dwight Clark's leaping six-yard grab capped an 89-yard drive and gave the 49ers a 28–27 win over Dallas on January 10, 1982, sending them to their first Super Bowl.

Which Rams defensive end made the head slap his trademark pass-rush move in the 1960s?

Deacon Jones said the head slap was not his invention, but that his quick hands and long arms made it perfect for him; the league outlawed the move after he left the game.

Besides football, Jim Brown is considered one of the all-time greats of which sport?

Lacrosse: Brown was an All-American in it at Syracuse as well as in football before choosing football as his career, and the Premier Lacrosse League later named its MVP award after him.

Vince Lombardi played guard in the 'Seven Blocks of Granite' line at which university?

Fordham: Lombardi, undersized for a guard at about 180 pounds, played in the 1936 line, then waited until he was 45 for his first NFL head coaching job, at Green Bay.

Which commissioner oversaw the AFL–NFL merger and the creation of Monday Night Football?

Pete Rozelle was a 33-year-old surprise choice in 1960, picked only after more than 20 ballots had failed to produce a commissioner; he held the job until 1989 as the league grew from 12 teams to 28.

Who is the only athlete to have played in both a Super Bowl and a World Series?

Deion Sanders batted .533 for Atlanta in the 1992 World Series, but the Braves lost it to Toronto; his championship rings came in football, with the 49ers and Cowboys. No one else had played in both through 2025.

Which coach, nicknamed 'The Genius', popularized the West Coast offense with the 49ers?

Bill Walsh devised the short, quick passing game as a Cincinnati assistant to suit a quarterback with an accurate but weak arm, then won three Super Bowls with it in San Francisco.

Which two teams met at Wembley in 2007 in the first NFL International Series game, won by that season's eventual champions?

Dolphins and Giants: Miami gave up a home game for the trip and lost 13–10 on the way to a 1–15 season, while New York went on to win the Super Bowl.

Which Saints kicker, born without toes on his kicking foot, made a record 63-yard field goal in 1970?

Tom Dempsey's kick beat Detroit 19–17 as time expired; in 1977 the league ruled that a kicker with an artificial limb must wear a shoe shaped like a normal kicking shoe.

Which former overcoat salesman's film company became NFL Films, later run by his son Steve?

Ed Sabol named his film company after his daughter Blair and won the right to shoot the 1962 NFL title game by doubling the going bid; the league later made the firm its own as NFL Films.

With which overall pick was Tom Brady selected in the 2000 draft?

Tom Brady went 199th overall, a compensatory sixth-round pick in 2000; six quarterbacks, including Chad Pennington and Giovanni Carmazzi, were taken ahead of him.

Before his NFL stardom, Kurt Warner stocked shelves in Iowa for $5.50 an hour at which grocery chain?

Kurt Warner worked nights at a Hy-Vee in Cedar Falls, Iowa, for $5.50 an hour after going undrafted in 1994, then played three seasons for the Arena League's Iowa Barnstormers.

Which Raiders quarterback's forward fumble became the winning 'Holy Roller' touchdown against San Diego in 1978?

Ken Stabler lost the ball forward with ten seconds left, Dave Casper fell on it in the end zone for a 21–20 win, and the league changed its fumble rule after the season.

The 1985 Bears' famed '46 defense' was named after which player's jersey number?

Buddy Ryan named the scheme after safety Doug Plank, who wore No. 46 and played in its early-1980s versions; the 1985 Bears rode it to a 46–10 win in Super Bowl XX.

Which running back scored a record 31 touchdowns in 2006, the season he was named NFL MVP?

LaDainian Tomlinson ran for 28 touchdowns and caught three more for San Diego, breaking the record of 28 that Shaun Alexander had set only a year earlier.

Which running back abruptly retired at 31 in 1999, just 1,457 yards short of the career rushing record?

Barry Sanders announced it in a fax to his hometown newspaper in Wichita the day before training camp opened, having made the Pro Bowl in each of his ten seasons.

Which NFL team did Bo Jackson play for while also being an All-Star outfielder?

Bo Jackson played for the Los Angeles Raiders from 1987 to 1990 alongside his career with the Kansas City Royals, until a hip injury in a January 1991 playoff game ended his football days.

The Baltimore Ravens take their name from a poem by which writer?

Edgar Allan Poe lived in Baltimore early in his career and is buried there; fans chose the name in a 1996 poll, and the team's three mascots are called Edgar, Allan and Poe.

The Tennessee Titans were originally which AFL franchise?

The Houston Oilers, founded by Bud Adams in 1959 as an AFL charter team, moved to Tennessee in 1997, played a season in Memphis, and became the Titans in 1999.

Which team's fans twice set the Guinness record for loudest crowd noise during the 2013 NFL season?

The Seattle Seahawks' crowd reached 136.6 decibels against San Francisco in September 2013, lost the record to Kansas City a month later, and took it back at 137.6 against New Orleans in December.

Which Pittsburgh broadcaster invented the Terrible Towel in 1975?

Myron Cope, the Steelers' radio colour man, came up with the Terrible Towel before a December 1975 playoff game; he later gave the rights to the Allegheny Valley School, which serves people with disabilities.

In 1943 Sammy Baugh led the NFL in passing, punting and which defensive statistic?

Interceptions: Baugh led the league with 11 as a defensive back in 1943, and in one game against Detroit that season he threw four touchdown passes and intercepted four himself.

Which Illinois star known as 'the Galloping Ghost' joined the Bears for a 1925 barnstorming tour?

Red Grange signed with the Bears shortly after his last Illinois game in 1925, and the exhausting barnstorming tour that followed won pro football thousands of new fans.

Which quarterback threw a touchdown pass in 47 straight games from 1956 to 1960, a record that stood 52 years?

Johnny Unitas had been cut by the Steelers and was playing semi-pro football for $6 a game when the Colts signed him in 1956; his streak was not beaten until 2012.

The 1958 'Greatest Game Ever Played' was the first NFL title game decided by what?

Sudden death overtime: the Colts tied it with a field goal seven seconds from the end of regulation, then drove for Alan Ameche's winning touchdown to beat the Giants 23–17.

Joe Namath was nicknamed 'Broadway Joe' in 1965 after appearing on the cover of which magazine?

Sports Illustrated put the Jets rookie on its cover in July 1965, and his teammate Sherman Plunkett, an offensive tackle, came up with the nickname soon afterwards.

Which team did John Madden's Raiders beat in Super Bowl XI?

The Minnesota Vikings lost 32–14 at the Rose Bowl, their fourth Super Bowl defeat in eight seasons; Madden quit coaching two years later at 42, never having had a losing season.

Whom did Jerry Jones fire immediately after buying the Cowboys in 1989?

Tom Landry had coached the Cowboys since their founding; Jones replaced him with his old Arkansas teammate Jimmy Johnson.

Which stadium has hosted the NFL's championship game a record eight times, as of 2025?

The Superdome hosted its eighth Super Bowl, LIX, in February 2025; it also served as a shelter of last resort during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Who took over as AFL commissioner in April 1966 and went after the NFL's star players until the leagues agreed to merge?

Al Davis had been in the job only two months when the merger, negotiated without his knowledge, was announced on June 8, 1966; he resigned and went back to the Raiders.

Which winner of the first Heisman Trophy was also the first player ever picked in an NFL draft, in 1936?

Jay Berwanger of Chicago went first to Philadelphia, which passed his rights to the Bears; he and the Bears could not agree on a salary, and he took a job with a rubber company instead.

How many games was Tom Brady suspended over Deflategate?

Four: a judge threw the suspension out before the 2015 season, an appeals court restored it in 2016, and Brady sat out that season's first four games while the Patriots paid a $1 million fine.

Which Bears founder coached the team in four separate stints between 1920 and 1967, winning 324 games?

George Halas stepped away from coaching three times, once to serve in the Navy in the Second World War, and came back each time; his sixth and last title as coach came in 1963.

Roughly how much does the sterling-silver trophy awarded to the Super Bowl winner weigh?

7 pounds: the trophy stands 22 inches tall, and unlike hockey's Stanley Cup a new one is made every year for the winning team to keep.

Which Giants linebacker was named NFL MVP in 1986 with 20.5 sacks?

Lawrence Taylor's 20.5 sacks made him the first defensive player named league MVP since Alan Page in 1971, and the Giants went on to win the Super Bowl that season.

Which quarterback started a record 297 consecutive regular-season games?

Brett Favre took over in Green Bay when Don Majkowski hurt his ankle in September 1992 and did not miss a start until a shoulder injury as a Viking in December 2010.

Patrick Mahomes played college football for which program?

Texas Tech: in one 2016 game against Oklahoma, Mahomes threw for 734 yards, tying the college record, and still lost 66–59.

Who became the NFL's first African-American head coach, with the Akron Pros in 1921?

Fritz Pollard co-coached the Akron Pros in 1921 while still playing halfback; he and Bobby Marshall had been the league's first two Black players in 1920.

Which coach is credited with inventing the draw play and helping to develop the modern face mask?

Paul Brown coached Cleveland from its first game in 1946 until a new owner fired him in 1963; five years later he founded the Cincinnati Bengals.

Which rookie quarterback threw the disputed 'Fail Mary' touchdown pass that beat Green Bay in September 2012?

Russell Wilson's pass was ruled a touchdown although a Packers defender also had hold of the ball; within two days the NFL had ended its lockout of the regular referees.

Who threw the 61-yard 'Minneapolis Miracle' touchdown to Stefon Diggs in January 2018?

Case Keenum hit Stefon Diggs for 61 yards as time expired to beat New Orleans 29–24 on January 14, 2018, after Saints safety Marcus Williams whiffed on the tackle.

Which Eagle threw the 'Philly Special' touchdown pass to Nick Foles in Super Bowl LII?

Trey Burton, a tight end who had never thrown an NFL pass, took Corey Clement's pitch and found Foles on fourth-and-goal; Foles had suggested the play himself during the timeout.

Which Saints head coach was suspended for the whole of the 2012 NFL season over Bountygate?

Sean Payton sat out the whole 2012 season for failing to stop the bounty pool run by defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who was banned indefinitely; the Saints were also fined $500,000.

Who was the first pro quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards in a season?

Joe Namath threw for 4,007 yards in the 14-game 1967 AFL season, with more interceptions (28) than touchdowns (26); no one reached 4,000 again until Dan Fouts in 1979.

Which Redskins quarterback's leg was broken on a Monday Night sack by the Giants in 1985?

Joe Theismann's right leg was broken in two places when a flea-flicker went wrong on November 18, 1985; he was 36 and never played again.

When the NFL adopted a 17-game schedule in 2021, what did it cut in return?

A preseason week: the preseason shrank to three games per team, while the regular season grew to 18 weeks and pushed the Super Bowl back to the second Sunday in February.

Greasy Neale coached which team to shutout wins in both the 1948 and 1949 NFL title games?

The Philadelphia Eagles won 7–0 in a snowstorm so heavy that players from both teams helped haul the tarp off the field, then shut out the Rams 14–0 a year later.

Which team went 0–16 in 2008, the first winless season of the 16-game era?

The Detroit Lions lost all 16 games in 2008, a year after a 7–9 finish that had been their best record since 2000; Cleveland matched the 0–16 mark in 2017.

Until 2015 the NFL's league office held which legal status, which Roger Goodell called a 'distraction' when giving it up?

Tax-exempt nonprofit: the tax code listed professional football leagues beside chambers of commerce, so the league office paid no income tax while its clubs paid tax on their own profits.

Which streaming service became the exclusive home of the NFL's Thursday Night Football in 2022?

Prime Video had streamed Thursday games alongside Fox and NFL Network before taking them over outright in 2022, a year earlier than first agreed, with Al Michaels calling the games.

From 2010 to 2025, when was the NFL's Pro Bowl played relative to the Super Bowl?

The week before: the 2010 game was the first ever played ahead of the Super Bowl, which is why players from the two Super Bowl teams stopped taking part.

Under the NFL's blackout policy, in force through 2014, a home game was blacked out locally unless the stadium did what?

Sold out: tickets had to be gone 72 hours before kickoff. Until Congress stepped in in 1973, every home game had been blacked out locally, sold out or not.

Which quarterback threw for a then-record 414 yards in Super Bowl XXXIV in January 2000?

Kurt Warner's 414 yards included the 73-yard touchdown to Isaac Bruce that won it 23–16 with under two minutes left, in his first season as an NFL starter.

Which team led Super Bowl LI 28–3 in the third quarter, only to lose in overtime?

Atlanta Falcons fans still wince at the score 28–3. Before that night, no team had ever come back from more than 10 points down to win a Super Bowl.

Which NFL team played simply as the 'Football Team' in 2020 and 2021 before choosing a new name?

The Commanders name arrived only after two Washington seasons in which the helmets carried each player's number in place of a logo.

Which pop star's 1993 Super Bowl halftime show turned the interval into a stage for superstars?

Michael Jackson was booked after a rival network pulled viewers away with a comedy special during the previous year's halftime. His set made the audience grow between halves for the first time.

Which sports drink do NFL players dump over a winning coach, a ritual the Giants began in the mid-1980s?

Gatorade showers began when Giants nose tackle Jim Burt drenched coach Bill Parcells, as revenge for a punishing week of practice.

Since Phil Simms in 1987, Super Bowl heroes have shouted on camera that they are going where?

Disney World paid Simms $75,000 for the line. Stars usually film a second version naming Disneyland, so each half of the country sees its nearer park.

Which 2009 film, which won Sandra Bullock an Oscar, tells the story of NFL lineman Michael Oher?

The Blind Side is based on a Michael Lewis book, and Oher has said he dislikes how the film portrays his intelligence.

Green Bay's NFL team is named after its first sponsor, which was what kind of business?

A canned-meat firm, the Indian Packing Company, gave the team's founder $500 for uniforms and equipment on condition that the players carried its name.

What stopped Super Bowl XLVII for 34 minutes shortly after the second-half kickoff?

A power outage darkened half the stadium, and the game is still nicknamed the Blackout Bowl.

Which brothers became the first siblings to face each other as players in a Super Bowl, in 2023?

Jason and Travis Kelce met in Super Bowl LVII, which was nicknamed the Kelce Bowl. Travis finished on the winning team, 38–35.

Which TV channel has shown the Puppy Bowl opposite the Super Bowl every year since 2005?

Animal Planet fills its miniature stadium with puppies from shelters, and the show exists to get viewers to adopt.

Which NFL team played every 2005 home game away from its own city after Hurricane Katrina?

The Saints split their 'home' dates between San Antonio and Baton Rouge, and even opened with a home game staged at the Giants' stadium.

Which NFL team has worn orange helmets covered in black stripes, with no logo, since 1981?

The Bengals began with plain orange helmets that simply spelled out the team name in black block letters on each side.

Which NFL expansion franchise lost the first 26 games in its history, in 1976 and 1977?

Tampa Bay went 0–14 as a newcomer and did not win a game until the 13th week of its second season.

Which NFL team is named after the prospectors of the California gold rush?

The 49ers first used a logo of a mustached gold miner leaping in midair and firing a pistol from each hand.

Which NFL team spent 56 seasons in San Diego before moving north up the California coast in 2017?

The Chargers were going back where they began: they spent only the 1960 season in their new home city before financial losses sent them south.

Which NFL team, based in Charlotte since 1995, officially represents two states at once?

The Panthers speak for both Carolinas, and spent their first season playing in Clemson while the Charlotte stadium was being built.

Which NFL franchise began play in 1996 after owner Art Modell moved his team out of Cleveland?

The Ravens started with a blank record book, because a settlement left the old team's name, colours and history behind for a successor club.

MetLife Stadium, shared by the NFL's Giants and Jets, stands in which US state?

New Jersey is home to both teams despite their names, and the stadium's lighting turns blue or green depending on which one is playing.

Which Florida city is home to the NFL's Jaguars, who joined the league as an expansion team in 1995?

Jacksonville won the league's 30th franchise when the owners voted 26–2 in its favour.

Dallas's NFL team shares which division with clubs from New York, Philadelphia and Washington?

NFC East teams sit in some of the country's biggest media markets, which is why the division's rivalries get so much national coverage.

Which 1996 Tom Cruise film features an NFL receiver who demands that his agent 'show me the money'?

Jerry Maguire won Cuba Gooding Jr. an Oscar for playing Rod Tidwell, a wide receiver disgruntled with his pay.

Which singer's national anthem at Super Bowl XXV, during the Gulf War, became a charity single?

Whitney Houston's recording raised funds for soldiers and their families, and it sold again when she reissued it after the September 11 attacks.

Which company's '1984' commercial, directed by Ridley Scott, aired during Super Bowl XVIII?

Apple used the spot, in which a runner carrying a sledgehammer takes on Big Brother, to launch the Macintosh. That Super Bowl break was its only national airing.

Super Bowl 50 is the only one since the fifth to be branded without which traditional feature?

Roman numerals would have made it 'Super Bowl L', and the designers found the lone letter awkward to build a logo around.

Which sporting goods company has supplied every official NFL game ball since 1941?

Wilson cuts each game ball from panels of cowhide, despite the old nickname 'pigskin'.

Which Philadelphia newsman's NFL Films narration led fans to call him 'The Voice of God'?

John Facenda said he got the job by rhapsodising over slow-motion game footage in a tavern where the company's founder happened to be drinking.

Which commissioner was elected in 2006 to succeed the retiring Paul Tagliabue as head of the NFL?

Goodell fell one vote short on the fourth ballot of team owners before two of them switched sides on the fifth.

Which network first aired 'Hard Knocks', which follows an NFL team through training camp?

HBO used actor Liev Schreiber as narrator from the very first season in 2001, and Paul Rudd took one turn when the cameras followed the team he supports.

Which country staged the NFL's first regular-season game outside the United States, in October 2005?

Mexico staged it at Estadio Azteca under the billing 'Fútbol Americano', two years before the league first played a regular-season game in London.

Which mocking title goes to the final player chosen in each year's NFL Draft?

Mr. Irrelevant is celebrated with 'Irrelevant Week' in Newport Beach, California, where he is roasted and handed the Lowsman Trophy.

Which 335-pound Bears rookie, nicknamed 'The Refrigerator', ran in a touchdown in Super Bowl XX?

William Perry got the name in college, when a teammate squeezed into an elevator beside him and said he was about as big as a refrigerator.

Which Steelers running back was nicknamed 'The Bus' for his large size and forceful running style?

Jerome Bettis urged his teammates to get him to Super Bowl XL because it was being played in his hometown, and they won it.

Which Steelers star tossed his shirt to a young fan in a famous 1979 Coca-Cola commercial?

Joe Greene, known as 'Mean Joe', drinks the boy's whole bottle of Coke before throwing him the shirt, and the ad won a Clio Award.

Which NFL running back's 67-yard playoff run in 2011 set off crowd tremors caught by a seismometer?

Marshawn Lynch broke nine tackles on the way to the end zone, and the run became the Beast Quake after his nickname, Beast Mode.

Which kicker's 47-yard miss in the final seconds of Super Bowl XXV is remembered as 'Wide Right'?

Scott Norwood had made only one of five career attempts from beyond 40 yards on grass, and his team trailed by a single point.

Which Denver quarterback led 'The Drive', a 98-yard march to tie the January 1987 AFC title game?

John Elway needed 15 plays and just over five minutes to go almost the length of the field, levelling the score with 37 seconds left in regulation.

Which undrafted rookie's goal-line interception with 20 seconds left decided Super Bowl XLIX?

Malcolm Butler had come out of little-known West Alabama, and stepped in front of a pass thrown from the one-yard line.

Which San Francisco quarterback began kneeling during the national anthem in 2016 as a protest?

Colin Kaepernick had sat through the anthem at earlier games almost unnoticed, and teammate Eric Reid was the first to kneel beside him.

Which Giants pass rusher, later a 'Good Morning America' host, set a season sack record in 2001?

Michael Strahan finished with 22.5 sacks, edging half a sack past the old mark held by Mark Gastineau of the Jets.

Which running back became the first NFL player to rush for 2,000 yards in a season, back in 1973?

O.J. Simpson finished with 2,003 yards and is the only man to pass the mark in a 14-game season.

Which nickname did Seattle's secondary of Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor go by?

Legion of Boom began as a name for the starting defensive backs and grew to cover the whole Seattle defense.

Which nickname did Minnesota's defensive line of Alan Page and Carl Eller carry from 1967 to 1977?

Purple People Eaters was borrowed from a hit song of 1958, with a nod to the colour of the team's uniforms.

Which Arizona safety left the NFL to join the Army Rangers after the September 11 attacks?

Pat Tillman enlisted alongside his brother Kevin, and was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan in 2004.

Which Hall of Fame defensive end, an ordained minister, was nicknamed the 'Minister of Defense'?

Reggie White became an ordained minister at 17 and had earned the nickname by his senior year at the University of Tennessee.

Which coach won three Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks and later founded a NASCAR team?

Joe Gibbs won all three with Washington, then founded his racing team with his sons in 1992 and added NASCAR championships.

NFL game balls are stamped 'The Duke' in honour of which longtime owner of the Giants?

Wellington Mara was named after the Duke of Wellington, and the ball took his nickname as thanks to his father for arranging the supplier's contract.

Which Hall of Fame Raiders lineman swapped his rookie number 50 for the unusual 00?

Jim Otto took the double zero at the suggestion of the team's equipment manager, 'for recognition', and the league's commissioner went along with it.

Which backup receiver, not expecting to play, scored the first touchdown in Super Bowl history?

Max McGee came on for an injured teammate wearing a borrowed helmet and caught the 37-yard score one-handed. By his own account he was hungover.

Which veteran quarterback drop-kicked an extra point in January 2006, the NFL's first since 1941?

Doug Flutie made the kick as a backup in the last regular-season game of his final season, a feat nobody had managed since the 1941 title game.

Which returner became the first special-teams Super Bowl MVP after a 99-yard kickoff touchdown?

Desmond Howard, a Heisman Trophy winner at Michigan, set what was then a Super Bowl record with the return in Super Bowl XXXI.