Michael Keller Ditka (born Michael Dyczko; October 18, 1939) is an American former football player, coach, and television commentator. During his playing career, he was UPI NFL Rookie of Year in 1961, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, and a six-time All-Pro tight end with the Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, and Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League (NFL); he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988. Ditka was the first tight end in NFL history to reach 1,000 yards receiving.
He was an NFL champion with the 1963 Bears and is a three-time Super Bowl champion, playing on the Cowboys' Super Bowl VI team, winning as an assistant coach for the Cowboys in Super Bowl XII, and coaching the Bears to victory in Super Bowl XX. He was named to the NFL's 75th- and 100th-Anniversary All-Time Teams.
As a head coach for the Bears from 1982 to 1992, he was twice both the AP and UPI NFL Coach of Year (1985 and 1988). He also was the head coach of the New Orleans Saints from 1997 to 1999.
Ditka and Tom Flores are the only people to win an NFL title as a player, an assistant coach, and a head coach. Ditka, Flores, Gary Kubiak, and Doug Pederson are also the only people in modern NFL history to win a championship as head coach of a team for which they played previously.[1] Ditka is the only person to participate in both of the last two Chicago Bears' league championships, as a player in 1963 and as head coach in 1985.
In 2020, Ditka became the owner of the X League, a women's tackle football league that was originally the Lingerie Football League.[2]
He is known by the nickname "Iron Mike", which he has said comes from his being born and raised in a steel town in Pennsylvania.[3]
Early years
Ditka was born as Michael Dyczko in the Pittsburgh-area town of Carnegie, Pennsylvania on October 18, 1939. The oldest child of Charlotte (Keller) and Mike Ditka Sr.[4] he grew up in nearby Aliquippa[5] with siblings Ashton, David, and Mary Ann. His father, a welder, was one of three brothers of a Polish[6] and Ukrainian[7] family in the coal-mining and steel-manufacturing area in Western Pennsylvania. His ancestry on his mother's side is Irish and German.[8] The Ukrainian surname "Dyczko" was difficult to pronounce in his hometown, so the family name was changed to "Ditka".[7] Ditka attended St. Titus School.
Under head coach Press Maravich, Ditka was a three-sport star at Aliquippa High School. The team doctor, John L. Miller, took Mike and other players to Pitt games and encouraged them to play for Pitt. Ditka is quoted as saying, "Doc Miller patched me up many times". Ditka hoped to escape his hometown's manufacturing jobs by attending college with a football scholarship. Planning to become a dentist,[5] he was recruited by Notre Dame, Penn State, and the University of Pittsburgh.
College career
Ditka in 1960 playing for Pitt.
Ditka played for the University of Pittsburgh from 1958 until 1960, where he also became a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. He was a three-sport athlete at Pitt, playing baseball (outfielder) and basketball (forward).[9] He also was an intramural wrestling champion.
He started on the football team all three seasons, leading the team in receiving in each, while also serving as a linebacker, defensive end, and punter. As a sophomore, he led the team with 18 receptions for 252 yards and averaged 42.5 yards per punt. He had one touchdown reception (tied for second on the team).
As a junior, he led the team with 16 receptions for 249 yards and four receiving touchdowns. He also averaged 38.3 yards per punt.
As a senior, he was named a team captain, while leading the team with 11 receptions for 229 yards and two receiving touchdowns. He was a unanimous first-team selection on the College Football All-America Team as a two-way end. He finished his college career with 45 passes for 730 yards and seven touchdowns.[10]
In 1986, Ditka was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.[11] In 1997, his 89 jersey number was retired by the University of Pittsburgh at halftime of the game against the University of Miami. In 2018, he was inducted into the inaugural 16-member class of the University of Pittsburgh Athletics Hall of Fame.[12]
Playing career
Chicago Bears
The 1961 Chicago Bears offensive line in action: "Bears Workout at Soldier Field for Armed Forces game Friday"; Ditka is far left
Ditka was selected by the Chicago Bears fifth overall in the 1961 NFL Draft, while the Houston Oilers drafted him eighth overall in the first round of the 1961 AFL Draft. He signed with the Bears and his presence was immediately felt. In his first season, Ditka had 58 receptions, introducing a new dimension to a tight end position that had previously been dedicated to blocking. He also scored 12 receiving touchdowns, which was the most by a Bears rookie.[13] His success earned him Rookie of the Year honors. He continued to play for the Bears for the next five years, earning a Pro Bowl trip each season.
Ditka on a 1963 Topps card
He played on the 1963 NFL championship team. Many of the players from that team, including Ditka, were drafted by assistant coach George Allen, a future Hall of Famer, who was then in charge of the Bears' drafts. During the season, against the Los Angeles Rams, Ditka tied Harlon Hill's franchise record for the most receiving touchdowns in a game with four.[13] Ditka ranks first among tight ends and fourth in Bears history with 4,503 yards, fifth in both receptions (316) and touchdown catches (34).[14]
In 1962, he started all 14 games, making 58 receptions (tied for the team lead) for 904 yards (led the team) and five receiving touchdowns (led the team). In 1963, he led the team with 59 catches for 794 yards and eight touchdowns.
In 1964, he was second on the team with 75 receptions for 897 yards and five touchdowns. The next year, he posted 36 receptions (second on the team), 454 receiving yards (third on the team), and two receiving touchdowns (tied for fourth on the team).
In 1966, he registered 32 receptions (second on the team), 378 yards (third on the team) and two touchdowns (tied for second on the team). Ditka was also noted for decking football fan Felix Carbajal, who had run onto the playing field late in a Week 2 31–17 loss to the Rams at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 16.[15] He had played out his option that season after not being able to reach a contract agreement with Bears' owner/head coach George Halas.
On February 8, 1967, The New York Times reported that just before the AFL–NFL merger, Ditka had signed a $300,000 contract with a $50,000 signing bonus with the Houston Oilers, the team that owned his AFL draft rights.[16][17][18]
Philadelphia Eagles
On April 26, 1967, Ditka was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles along with a 1968 fourth-round pick (#106-Alan Bush), in exchange for quarterback Jack Concannon. The transaction was intended to fill roster vacancies created by the retirements of Eagles' tight end Pete Retzlaff and Bears' quarterback Rudy Bukich.[19] His Oilers contract was transferred to the Eagles and Ditka was able to keep his $50,000 bonus to avoid any legal conflicts.[20] His time as a Bears player bitterly came to an end with a parting shot in which he stated that Halas "threw nickels around like manhole covers."[18] He wore number 98 in his first season with the Eagles, while only playing in nine games with four starts because of injuries.[21] Ditka was outplayed by tight end Jim Kelly, registering 26 receptions for 274 yards and two touchdowns.
In 1968, he changed his jersey number back to his usual 89. He appeared in 11 games with six starts, and his statistics were below tight end Fred Hill. He posted 13 receptions for 111 yards and two touchdowns.
Dallas Cowboys
On January 28, 1969, he was traded to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for wide receiver Dave McDaniels.[22] Pettis Norman ended up being named the starting tight end, but Ditka still was able to play in 12 games with four starts, while making 17 receptions for 268 yards and three touchdowns.
In 1970, he remained a reserve player behind Norman. He appeared in 14 games, while tallying eight receptions for 98 yards and no touchdowns. The Cowboys reached their first Super Bowl, losing 13–16 against the Baltimore Colts, by way of a field goal scored with five seconds left in regulation time.
In 1971, he was a backup player behind Billy Truax, appearing in 14 games with four starts. He set the franchise record for tight ends with 30 receptions in a season, while also compiling 360 receiving yards, one touchdown, and three kickoff returns for 30 yards. His highlight was a touchdown reception in the Cowboys' 24–3 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VI.
In 1972, he was named the starter at tight end, after Truax was limited by off-season knee surgery. He started all 14 games, posting 17 receptions for 198 yards and one touchdown, while alternating in some passing situations with rookie Jean Fugett.
On March 1, 1973, Ditka announced his retirement as a player, opening the door for him to be named the Cowboys wide receiver assistant coach under head coach Tom Landry.[23] At the time, his 427 receptions were the most by a tight end in NFL history.
Hall of Fame
In 1988,[24] his blocking and 427 career receptions for 5,812 yards and 43 touchdowns earned him the honor of being the first tight end inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.[14] Ditka also scored two touchdowns on offensive fumble recoveries, tying seven other players for the most in NFL history. In 1999, he was ranked number 90 on The Sporting News's list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.
Coaching career
Retiring after the 1972 season, Ditka was immediately hired as an assistant coach by Landry. Ditka spent nine seasons as an assistant coach with the Cowboys. During his tenure, the Cowboys made the playoffs eight times, won six division titles, three NFC championships, and a Super Bowl victory in 1977.
While working with the Cowboys, Ditka sent a letter to George Halas, his former head coach, who was still owner of the Bears. In the letter, Ditka expressed regret for the acrimonious manner in which his time with the Bears had come to an end and said that he would like to come back to Chicago and be the head coach of the Bears "when he was ready".[25] Meanwhile, the Cowboys continued to win games, although they did not win another Super Bowl while Ditka was there. His last game with the Cowboys was the 1981 NFC Championship Game, where the team fell to the San Francisco 49ers.
Chicago Bears
After firing previous coach Neill Armstrong following the 1981 season, Halas decided to take Ditka up on his offer from several years earlier, and hired him to become the team's head coach for 1982 season. Although the Bears had made the playoffs under Armstrong and his predecessor Jack Pardee, those were the only two winning seasons since Halas' retirement as coach, so he was looking for a coach who would bring the Bears back to prominence. Shortly after his hiring, as recounted by Mike Singletary in 2006, Ditka called a team meeting. In the meeting, he warned that the team would experience some turnover, but if they were all willing to work hard for him and stand with him, Ditka promised a trip to the Super Bowl within three seasons.[25] Specifically, Ditka said, "Give me three years, and if you walk with me, we'll get to the dance."[26]
By his third season, Ditka led the Bears to the NFC Championship Game, where the Bears were shut out by the eventual Super Bowl-winning 49ers in San Francisco. The following year, Ditka's coaching career hit its pinnacle on January 26, 1986, with a 46–10 win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.[27] Ditka has stated that one of his biggest regrets in life was not letting Walter Payton score a touchdown in the Super Bowl, instead opting for Jim McMahon to run it in twice and rookie defensive tackle William "The Refrigerator" Perry to run it in once. Nevertheless, Ditka has contended that his reluctance to give Payton the ball was justified on account of the disproportionately heavy coverage the Bears' star running back faced from the Patriots' defense, and insisted that Payton's mere presence on the field was a decisive factor in the Bears' crushing victory notwithstanding personal statistics.
"1985 Chicago Bears Visit the White House', 2011 video
In 1985, Ditka led the Bears to a 15–1 record, and he was named NFL Coach of the Year by the Associated Press following the regular season.[28] Football commentators widely regard the 1985 Bears defense as one of the best.[citation needed] It was masterminded by defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, with little oversight from Ditka; in fact, Ditka and Ryan had a largely adversarial relationship dating back to Ditka's hiring as Ryan, who was already on the coaching staff when Ditka joined the Bears, felt that he should have been promoted into the head-coaching position. Although the two men continued to work together, the relationship continued to deteriorate, and with the Bears trailing by three touchdowns in a late-season Monday-night game against the Miami Dolphins that resulted in the team's only loss, Ryan finally snapped after Ditka, as he recounted in 2006 for NFL Network, told him that the defensive scheme was not working. The two began throwing punches at each other and had to be separated, and Ditka said that the relationship at that point became unsalvageable. In an unusual gesture, following the Bears Super Bowl victory, the players carried both Ryan and Ditka off the field. In addition, the 1985 Chicago Bears are one of several teams to consistently challenge the undefeated 1972 Dolphins for the unofficial title of the "Greatest NFL Team of All-Time".[29] The NFL Network series America's Game rated the 1985 Bears as the second-best Super Bowl champion, only behind the 1972 Miami Dolphins.
Buddy Ryan left in 1986 to become the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. When asked if he was happy Ryan was gone, Ditka replied he was not happy, but "elated". In 1986, 1987, and 1988, the Bears won the Central Division title and earned three home playoff games. The first of those years saw the Bears finish the regular season with a 14–2 record to tie the New York Giants for the best in the entire league. However, the Bears were upset by the Washington Redskins in their first playoff game. The next year, the Bears finished second in the NFC with an 11–4 record, but were again upended by the Redskins en route to that team's second Super Bowl victory of the decade. The Bears finished 12–4 in 1988 and got homefield advantage. They defeated Ryan's Eagles in the Fog Bowl in their first game, but the team was defeated by the 49ers in the NFC championship game. This was the third time in five years that Ditka led the Bears to the NFC championship game, and was the last time they advanced this far until 2006.
Ditka suffered a heart attack during the 1988 season, which he attributed to stress since he was in excellent physical condition and had no significant family history of heart disease. However, despite being expected to miss much of the season, Ditka was on the sidelines as an "advisor" the next week and back in full charge the week after. He led the Bears to a 12–4 record and received his second coach of the year award from the AP.[30]
The Bears started 4–0 in 1989, but a series of last-second losses eventually led to a complete meltdown at the end of the season, as the Bears finished 6–10. The Bears rallied to win a weak Central Division in 1990 and make the playoffs as a wild card in 1991, but were eliminated convincingly in the early rounds. After dropping to 5–11 in the 1992 season, the Bears fired Ditka on January 5, 1993. His 106 wins are the second-most in Bears history, behind only Halas.[13]
On December 9, 2013, Ditka's Bears jersey, number 89, was retired in a halftime ceremony during a Monday Night Football game in Chicago as the Bears hosted the Dallas Cowboys, for whom Ditka also played and worked as an assistant coach under the late Tom Landry. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, and go Bears!" Ditka told the crowd.[31]
New Orleans Saints
In 1997, after a five-year absence in which he had served as a television analyst, Ditka returned to the NFL to take over as the permanent replacement for Jim Mora with the New Orleans Saints. Ditka inherited a team that had not made the playoffs, nor had recorded a record above .500, since 1992, and had finished the 1996 season, during which Mora had resigned, tied with the Atlanta Falcons for the second-worst record in the league (only the New York Jets, who only won once, had a worse record).
In Ditka's first season back in the league, he struggled early, as the Saints lost four of their first five games. They did manage to beat his former team, the Bears, along the way, and recorded five more wins, but after winning only one game in the division (even being swept by the last-place St. Louis Rams), the Saints finished at 6–10.
Ditka's team played more inconsistently in 1998, as the Saints started out 3–0, but could not keep the momentum going. Still, they were in playoff contention toward the end of the season, and defeated the eventual NFC East champions in Ditka's other former squad, the Cowboys, to get to 6–7 with three games to go. They dropped their last three, though, and were eliminated in week 16 on a last-second field goal against the Arizona Cardinals.
Then, in the offseason that followed, Ditka was roundly criticized for the trading of all of the team's 1999 draft picks (plus their first-round draft pick in 2000) to the Washington Redskins to move up in the draft and select Texas running back Ricky Williams (Washington later used the picks to select future All-Pro and Hall of Famer Champ Bailey, Jon Jansen, and LaVar Arrington). The trade was further mocked because of a magazine cover in which Ditka posed with Williams, who was wearing a wedding dress.[32]
The 1999 season proved to be the worst of Ditka's coaching career. After winning the season opener against the Carolina Panthers, the Saints dropped their next seven games, including a loss to the expansion Cleveland Browns. As the season wore on, Ditka's frustrations began showing in the local media. After a late-season practice with the team sitting at 2–7, a grumpy Ditka gave a sixty-second press conference where he was very short tempered and dismissive of what he thought were stupid questions. When one of them made it a point to ask him why he was so angry, Ditka responded by saying "what do you care?", and then followed up by saying to the reporter "if you were 2-7, you'd be in a bad mood too." Ditka would take one more question before muttering to the reporters, "not very much fun, is it?", then going inside.[33]
The low point of the season came three weeks later in a loss to the Falcons, which was the Saints' 10th in 11 weeks. Ditka came into the postgame press conference appearing emotionally exhausted, and said he felt his charges “broke” him. He then said the Saints would be better off hiring someone else to coach the team, claiming he was the "wrong guy" to lead them and that "[he] didn't have it anymore", saying "God puts people in places for reasons, and he probably put me here to be humbled. I deserve it."
Ditka said that he did not feel the Saints had much talent on the offensive side of the field, blaming himself for that and saying that he had let the players down by not having them ready. He also cited the Saints’ lack of playmaking ability, as they dropped several passes and failed to take advantage of three Falcons fumbles while turning the ball over seven times themselves. Ditka was asked if he felt the team had quit on him, which he denied; however, when he was asked if he was thinking about leaving immediately he responded affirmatively. However, Ditka also said that he would not do it unless he knew for certain he would be fired before the end of the year. Before leaving the press conference, the defeated Ditka called himself a "hypocrite" and said the entire exercise was "silly".
After two more losses, Ditka and the Saints faced the 7–7 Cowboys in their home finale on Christmas Eve. Ditka chose to give the start to Jake Delhomme, his third-string quarterback. In his first NFL start, Delhomme threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third, and Fred Weary took a forced fumble 56 yards for the game-winning score, as the Saints knocked off the Cowboys, 31–24. This proved to be Ditka's final victory as a head coach; after a 45–13 loss to the Panthers the following week left the Saints with a 3–13 record and their seventh consecutive nonwinning season, Ditka and general manager Bill Kuharich were fired on January 6, 2000.
Over a total of 14 seasons as a head coach, Ditka amassed a regular-season record of 121–95 and a postseason record of 6–6.
Head coaching record
Team Year Regular season Postseason
Won Lost Ties Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
CHI 1982 3 6 0 .333 12th in NFC — — — —
CHI 1983 8 8 0 .500 3rd in NFC Central — — — —
CHI 1984 10 6 0 .625 1st in NFC Central 1 1 .500 Lost to San Francisco 49ers in NFC Championship Game
CHI 1985 15 1 0 .938 1st in NFC Central 3 0 1.000 Super Bowl XX champions
CHI 1986 14 2 0 .875 1st in NFC Central 0 1 .000 Lost to Washington Redskins in NFC Divisional Game
CHI 1987 11 4 0 .733 1st in NFC Central 0 1 .000 Lost to Washington Redskins in NFC Divisional Game
CHI 1988 12 4 0 .750 1st in NFC Central 1 1 .500 Lost to San Francisco 49ers in NFC Championship Game
CHI 1989 6 10 0 .375 4th in NFC Central — — — —
CHI 1990 11 5 0 .688 1st in NFC Central 1 1 .500 Lost to New York Giants in NFC Divisional Game
CHI 1991 11 5 0 .688 2nd in NFC Central 0 1 .000 Lost to Dallas Cowboys in NFC Wild Card Game
CHI 1992 5 11 0 .313 4th in NFC Central — — — —
CHI total 106 62 0 .631 6 6 .500
NO 1997 6 10 0 .375 4th in NFC West — — — —
NO 1998 6 10 0 .375 3rd in NFC West — — — —
NO 1999 3 13 0 .188 5th in NFC West — — — —
NO total 15 33 0 .313 — — —
Total 121 95 0 .560 6 6 .500
Broadcasting career
Almost immediately after his dismissal from the Bears in 1992, Ditka took a broadcasting job with NBC, working as an analyst on NFL Live and as a color commentator for many other NBC broadcasts. After he was fired by the Saints, Ditka joined CBS Sports, spending the 2000 and 2001 seasons as a studio analyst on The NFL Today. He is currently a commentator on ESPN's NFL Live, ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown, and CBS Radio–Westwood One's Monday Night Football pregame show. On his radio show, Coach Ditka is called "America's Coach" by well-known sidekick Jim Gray. Beginning in 2006, Ditka appeared on a Seattle radio program, "Groz with Gas" on 950 KJR-AM Seattle, on Thursday afternoons with Dave Grosby and Mike Gastineau. Ditka regularly appears on Chicago radio station ESPN 1000 (WMVP-AM), often broadcasting on Thursday mornings from one of his eponymous restaurants along with ESPN 1000 mid-morning hosts Marc Silverman and Tom Waddle, a former Bears player under Ditka.
Ditka served as color commentator for ESPN's September 10, 2007, broadcast of Monday Night Football, alongside Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic.[34] He replicated this role on the second game of the doubleheader in 2008, as well. Ditka spent several years with ESPN working on Sunday NFL Countdown. In March 2016, ESPN and Ditka announced he would move to SportsCenter for remote-broadcasting analysis, as Ditka disliked the long distance from his home to the studio. This new role allows him to stay at home, while still maintaining an analyst role with the network.[35]
Other ventures
Ditka has written or contributed to a number of books since 1986. He wrote Ditka: An Autobiography with friend and sports journalist Don Pierson;[36] he authored The 85 Bears: We Were the Greatest with Rick Telander.[37] He also wrote with Telander In Life First you Kick Ass: Reflections on the 1985 Bears and Wisdom from Da Coach.[38]
Ditka has also been the subject of several books including Ditka: Monster of the Midway by Armen Keteyian[39] and Ditka: The Player, the Coach, the Chicago Bears Legend which is a compilation of Chicago Tribune stories written about Ditka throughout the years.[40] He is also a large topic in books written about the Bears as a team such as Then Ditka said to Payton[41] and Monsters: The 1985 Chicago Bears and the Wild Heart of Football.[42]
In 1987, following the success of the Chicago Bears' charity single "The Super Bowl Shuffle", the video's producer Richard E. Meyer created a similar music video starring Ditka, titled "The Grabowski Shuffle." The video, about "working hard to get what you want", was inspired by a comment Ditka had made about his team's reputation: "There are Smiths and there are Grabowskis; we're the Grabowskis."[43]
In 1991, Ditka cooperated with Accolade to produce the computer game Mike Ditka Ultimate Football and the Sega Mega Drive game Mike Ditka Power Football. In 1995, Ditka starred as a football coach in a full-motion video game called Quarterback Attack with Mike Ditka, released for the Sega Saturn, PC, and 3DO. Quarterback Attack was re-released for iTunes and Google Play in December 2016.
In 1993, Ditka appeared as himself in the 271st and final episode of the American television sitcom Cheers.[44] Ditka also appeared as himself in the show According to Jim, in the 2002 episode "Cars & Chicks".[45] Ditka has made guest appearances and cameos on several other shows, including L.A. Law, Saturday Night Live and 3rd Rock from the Sun. In 2005, Ditka had a major role in the comedy Kicking & Screaming, playing himself; he was recruited by Will Ferrell's character to be an assistant little league soccer coach.
Ditka appeared in several ads for Montgomery Ward in the early 1990s, promoting their electronics and appliances department, known as Electric Avenue. Ditka also starred in ad for 'Big Shot' soda in 1997.
Ditka performed "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during a Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley Field in 1998, the first season after the death of Harry Caray, who had previously led the song. Chicago Now blogger Marcus Leshock derided the performance, dubbing Ditka "the worst 7th-inning singer in history."[46]
Ditka was inducted to the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.
In January 2007, Ditka used the Super Bowl return of the Chicago Bears as a platform to promote efforts by many early NFL players trying to raise support for former NFL players in need of money and medical assistance; he is a key member in the Gridiron Greats. Angry at the wealthy NFL for ignoring the players who helped to create the league, Ditka and other former players have since been attempting to raise funds, in the words of Hall of Famer Joe DeLamielleure, "for guys who made this league and built it on their backs, their knees, their legs and now they're all broken down and they can't even get a decent pension."[47] Ultimately, however, in December 2007, Ditka folded his "Hall of Fame Assistance Trust Fund" charity amidst revelations that, "in 2005, the group gave out more money to pay celebrities to play golf than the group in its entire three years of operation gave out to injured players", according to Laurie Styron of the American Institute of Philanthropy.[48] During Super Bowl XLIV, Ditka (who was not in the original group) joined other members of the 1985 Chicago Bears in resurrecting the "Super Bowl Shuffle" in a Boost Mobile commercial.[49]
In the spring of 2007, Ditka worked alongside X Management and Geneva Hospitality to form Mike Ditka Resorts, currently consisting of two resorts in the Orlando, Florida, area. Ditka owns a chain of restaurants, "Ditka's", which has three locations in Illinois and one in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Ditka discovered singer John Vincent, who has been performing at his Chicago restaurant since 2001. Vincent performs in 20 different voices and sings the National Anthem regularly for the NFL, NBA, and MLB. Ditka and Vincent also own a record label together.[50][51]
Ditka presenting a keynote speech for attendees of the IGC Show in Chicago, 2010
Ditka was a co-owner the Chicago Rush, an Arena Football League team. In August 2011, media reports noted that Ditka would be a financial investor for the new Elite Football League of India, a proposed American football league that will be India's first.[52][53]
In 2012, Ditka partnered with Terlato Wines to produce his own collection of wines, produced in California.[54] The partnership stemmed from a 20-year friendship between Ditka and Bill Terlato and their shared love of sports and food and wine. The first Mike Ditka Wines were released in fall 2012, including eight labels highlighting his career: "The Player" (2011 Pinot Grigio and 2010 Merlot), "The Coach" (2011 Sauvignon Blanc and 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon), " The Hall of Famer" (2011 Chardonnay and 2011 Pinot Noir), and "The Restaurateur" pair which includes "The Icon" (2010 Cabernet Sauvignon) and "The Champion" (2010 Red Blend)."[55] The same year, Ditka and Camacho Cigars partnered and produced a line of cigars called "The Mike Ditka Kickoff Series".[56] These cigars are named to highlight the milestones of Coach Ditka's football career: "The Player", The Coach", and "The Hall of Famer". All of these cigars are produced in Honduras.[57]
In 2013, Ditka and Vienna Beef partnered to create Ditka Sausages, which will be eight inches long and one-third pound in weight. The two types are "Hot Beef Polish Sausage" and "Chicken Sausage with Mozzarella and Sun-Dried Tomatoes".[58]
Also in 2013, Ditka and former Bears quarterback Jim McMahon are featured in a new series of commercials for the online discount retailer Overstock.com.[59]
In 2014, Ditka and Resultly partnered to feature his profile and product collections. Ditka's profile is featured on Resultly and he regularly interacts with users about the collections he creates of his favorite items from all over the web.
In 2015, Ditka did several television ads for McDonald's. He was seen wearing a Green Bay Packers sweater vest. Some would later question if Ditka "jinxed" the Packers, as their six-game undefeated streak halted to a three-game losing streak during the airing of the commercials (including a loss to the Bears on Thanksgiving, which was part of a three-game winning streak they were enjoying at the time). A follow-up commercial would show Ditka throwing the Packers sweater vest out the window and donning his more familiar Bears sweater vest once the contest was over. Just hours after the spot was aired, the Packers went on to beat the Vikings, ending the "curse".[60]
Personal life
Ditka was married to his first wife, Marge from 1961 to 1973.[61] They had four children together, Mark, Matt, Mike and Megan. He married his current wife Diane (née Trantham) Ditka in 1977.
During the 1985 season, he was arrested on Interstate 294 near O'Hare International Airport and later convicted of DUI after returning from a game against the San Francisco 49ers.
In the midst of a successful 1988 season, he suffered a heart attack, but bounced back quickly. In November 2012, he suffered a minor stroke at a suburban country club in Chicago. Later in the day, Ditka reported he was feeling "good right now and it's not a big deal."[62]
From 1989 until 1997, Ditka lived in Bannockburn, Illinois.[63]
From 1997 until 2001, Ditka lived in an area of New Orleans known as English Turn.[64]
He is a practicing Roman Catholic[65] and a member of the Knights of Columbus.[66][67][68]
On November 23, 2018, Ditka was hospitalized in Naples, Florida, after suffering a heart attack while playing golf.[69]
Political views
Ditka is known for his vocal conservative views. In July 2004, Ditka, a self-described "ultra-ultra-ultra conservative",[70] was reportedly considering running against the Democratic candidate, state senator Barack Obama, for an open seat in the U.S. Senate for Illinois in the 2004 Senate election. The seat was being vacated by Peter Fitzgerald, a Republican, and Republican nominee Jack Ryan withdrew from the race amid controversy at the end of June, leaving the Republicans in a bind. Local and national political leaders, from Illinois Republican Party Chair Judy Baar Topinka to National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Sen. George Allen, whose father by the same name was an assistant coach with the Bears in the 1960s when Ditka played, met with Ditka in an effort to persuade him to fill the spot on the ticket. On July 14, however, Ditka announced he would not seek the nomination, citing personal and business considerations. His wife was against the run and he operates a chain of restaurants.[71] Obama went on to defeat the eventual Republican candidate, former U.S. ambassador Alan Keyes, in a landslide in the November 2004 election. Ditka has since regretted not running. Ditka believes that Obama never would have been elected president if Ditka had run against Obama for Senate in 2004, and claims that Obama is the worst president in United States history.[72]
In stark contrast to the above-stated positions, Ditka appeared in an ad during the 2010 Illinois gubernatorial election for incumbent Democratic governor Pat Quinn. In the ad, Ditka stated that, "[D]oing the right thing for the people who put you in office is more important than what you can do for yourself in office ... and I think he'll do that. I think he understands that ... and I think he's good people." Quinn, at the time, was locked into a tight race against State Senator Bill Brady, a conservative Republican from Bloomington. Quinn would go on to narrowly defeat Brady. Four years later, in 2014, Ditka appeared in a televised campaign ad for Quinn's Republican challenger, Bruce Rauner, who defeated Quinn in the general election.[73]
In October 2011, Ditka and the 1985 team went to the White House after they did not attend in 1986 due to the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. He presented President Obama with a Chicago Bears jersey with the number 85 on it with "Obama" on the back of it.[74]
Ditka was a vocal supporter of Donald Trump's election campaign, saying "I support Trump all the way. I really do."[75]
Some of Ditka's comments, most notably regarding former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's national anthem protests, have garnered controversy due to Ditka's position with ESPN. Under the network's new social media policy (implemented in late 2017 in the wake of Curt Schilling's firing and Jemele Hill's suspension),[76] Ditka is to refrain from making controversial statements, but made a series of remarks in late 2017 that drew widespread criticism. In a September interview with a Dallas-based radio station, Ditka was critical of Kaepernick's protests, saying "I think it's a problem. Anybody who disrespects this country and the flag. If they don't like the country they don't like our flag, get the hell out."[77] In the same interview, Ditka was dismissive of social issues in America, saying "I don't see all the atrocities going on in this country that people say are going on, I see opportunities if people want to look for opportunity – now if they don't want to look for them – then you can find problems with anything, but this is the land of opportunity because you can be anything you want to be if you work. If you don't work, that's a different problem."[77]
One of Ditka's more controversial remarks came in October 2018 during a Bears/Vikings pregame show, when he said he did not believe that there was any oppression in America for the last 100 years: "There has been no oppression in the last 100 years that I know of. Now maybe I'm not watching it as carefully as other people."[78] Ditka immediately came under criticism for his comments from many sources, including former New York Jets star and fellow Beaver County, Pennsylvania native Joe Namath, who said that Ditka needed to "look up the meaning of oppression. Look up the definition of oppression, and you understand that it's obviously taken place,"[79] as well as from columnists at the Chicago Sun-Times who said Ditka was "not a Chicagoan"[80] and "a white man who is blind to the plight of people of color in this country."[81] The NFL distanced itself from Ditka's comments, saying, "Everyone's entitled to an opinion. The league would not express that opinion, by any stretch of the imagination."[82] Ditka quickly clarified his remarks in a release, apologizing to anyone who may have been offended by his comments: "The characterization of the statement that I made does not reflect the context of the question that I was answering and certainly does not reflect my views throughout my lifetime. I have absolutely seen oppression in society in the last 100 years and I am completely intolerant of any discrimination."[82]
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games[1] (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed throughout the years. Between 1939 and 1942, the NFL experimented with all-star games pitting the league's champion against a team of all-stars. The first official Pro Bowl was played in January 1951, matching the top players in the American/Eastern Conference against those in the National/Western Conference. From the merger with the rival American Football League (AFL) in 1970 up through 2013 and also in 2017, it was officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference (AFC) against those in the National Football Conference (NFC). From 2014 through 2016, the NFL experimented with an unconferenced format, where the teams were selected by two honorary team captains (who are each in the Hall of Fame), instead of selecting players from each conference.[2] The players were picked in a televised "schoolyard pick" prior to the game.[3]
For years, the game suffered from lack of interest for its perceived low quality,[4] with observers and commentators expressing their disfavor with it.[5] It drew lower television ratings than regular season NFL games,[6] although the game drew similar ratings to the all-star games of the other major North American sports leagues, such as the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.[7] However, the biggest concern was to avoid injuries to the star players.[8] The Associated Press wrote that players in the 2012 game were "hitting each other as though they were having a pillow fight".[9] Despite these criticisms, however, players who were selected to the Pro Bowl were nonetheless honored in a similar standing to their counterparts in the other leagues, and being named to it is considered to be a significant accomplishment for any player. In September 2022, the NFL announced that the Pro Bowl game would switch to a non-contact flag football game in 2023, as well as a partnership with Peyton Manning's Omaha Productions to revamp Pro Bowl week as the "Pro Bowl Games".[1]
Unlike the other major North American sports leagues, which hold their all star weekends roughly midway through their regular seasons, the NFL has held theirs at or near the end of NFL season. Before the merger, the game was played annually after the NFL Championship Game. Between 1970 and 2009, the Pro Bowl was usually held the weekend after the Super Bowl. From 2010 to 2022, it was played on the Sunday before the Super Bowl and since 2023, it was played on the first Thursday and first Sunday of February; as a result, players from the two teams competing in the Super Bowl will not participate.
History of the Pro Bowl
The first "Pro All-Star Game", featuring the all-stars of the 1938 season (as well as three players from the Los Angeles Bulldogs and Hollywood Bears, who were not members of the league), was played on January 15, 1939, at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles.[10][11] The NFL All-Star Game was played again in Los Angeles in 1940 and then in New York and Philadelphia in 1941 and 1942 respectively. Although originally planned as an annual contest, the all-star game was discontinued after 1942 because of travel restrictions put in place during World War II.[12] During the first five all-star games, an all-star team would face that year's league champion. The league champion won the first four games before the all-stars were victorious in the final game of this early series.
The concept of an all-star game was not revived until June 1950, when the newly christened "Pro Bowl" was approved.[12] The game was sponsored by the Los Angeles Publishers Association. It was decided that the game would feature all-star teams from each of the league's two conferences rather than the league champion versus all-star format which had been used previously. This was done to avoid confusion with the Chicago College All-Star Game, an annual game which featured the league champion against a collegiate all-star team. The teams would be led by the coach of each of the conference champions.[12] Immediately prior to the Pro Bowl, following the 1949 season, the All-America Football Conference, which contributed three teams to the NFL in a partial merger in 1950, held its own all-star game, the Shamrock Bowl.
The first 21 games of the series (1951–1972) were played in Los Angeles. The site of the game was changed annually for each of the next seven years before the game was moved to Aloha Stadium in Halawa, Hawaii, for 30 straight seasons from 1980 through 2009. The 2010 Pro Bowl was played at Sun Life Stadium, the home stadium of the Miami Dolphins and host site of Super Bowl XLIV, on January 31, the first time ever that the Pro Bowl was held before the championship game (a decision probably due to increasingly low Nielsen ratings from being regarded as an anti-climax to the Super Bowl). With the new rule being that the conference teams do not include players from the teams that will be playing in the Super Bowl, the Pro Bowl then returned to Hawaii in 2011 but was again held during the week before the Super Bowl, where it remained for three more years.
The 2012 game was met with criticism from fans and sports writers for the lack of quality play by the players. On October 24, 2012, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had second thoughts about the Pro Bowl, telling a Sirius XM show that if the players did not play more competitively [in the 2013 Pro Bowl], he was "not inclined to play it anymore".[13] During the ensuing off-season, the NFL Players Association lobbied to keep the Pro Bowl, and negotiated several rule changes to be implemented for the 2014 game. Among them, the teams would no longer be AFC vs. NFC, and instead be selected by captains in a fantasy draft. For the 2014 game, Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders were chosen as alumni captains, while their captains were Drew Brees and Robert Quinn (Rice), along with Jamaal Charles and J. J. Watt (Sanders).[14]
On April 9, 2014, the NFL announced that the 2015 Pro Bowl would be played the week before the Super Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on January 25, 2015.[15] The game returned to Hawaii in 2016, and the "unconferenced" format was its last.[16]
For 2017, the league considered hosting the game at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which would have been the first time the game had been hosted outside the United States.[17] The NFL was also considering future Pro Bowls in Mexico and Germany to leverage international markets.[18] A report released May 19, 2016, indicated that the 2017 Pro Bowl would instead be hosted at a newly renovated Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida; Orlando beat out Brazil (which apparently did not make the final round of voting), Honolulu, Super Bowl host site Houston, and a bid from Sydney, Australia, for the hosting rights.[19] On June 1, 2016, the league announced that it was restoring the old conference format.[20]
Since the 2017 Pro Bowl, the NFL has also hosted a series of side events leading up to the game called the Pro Bowl Skills Showdown, which includes competitions like passing contests and dodgeball among the players.[21]
The 2021 Pro Bowl game was canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic, and new host Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas was held over to the 2022 Pro Bowl.[22] The roster was still voted on and named, and alternative broadcast and streaming events were held during the week of the game.[23][24][25]
In May 2022, Commissioner Roger Goodell questioned the future of the Pro Bowl, arguing that it "doesn't work", and that "another way to celebrate the players" was needed.[26] On September 26, 2022, it was announced that the NFL would host the 2023 event as "The Pro Bowl Games"—in partnership with Peyton Manning's Omaha Productions—which will replace the culminating event with a flag football game.[1][27]
Player selection
See also: List of Pro Bowl players
Jeremiah Trotter tackling Ladainian Tomlinson during the 2006 Pro Bowl in Hawaii
Players are voted into the Pro Bowl by the coaches, the players themselves, and the fans. Each group's ballots count for ⅓, or 33.3%, of the votes. Fans vote on their preferred players at NFL.com. Replacements are selected should any selected player be unable to play for injuries, self-withdrawal, or Super Bowl contention. Prior to 1995, only the coaches and the players made Pro Bowl selections.
In order to be considered a Pro Bowler for a given year, a player must either have been one of the initial players selected to the team, or a player who accepts an invitation to the Pro Bowl as an alternate; invited alternates who decline to attend are not considered Pro Bowlers. Since 2010, players of the two teams that advance to the Super Bowl will not play in the Pro Bowl, and they are replaced by alternate players. Players who would have been invited as an alternate but could not play because they were slated to play in that season's Super Bowl are also considered Pro Bowlers (for example, Tom Brady in 2016).[28]
From 2014 to 2016, players did not play according to conference; instead, they were placed in a draft pool and chosen by team captains.[14]
Coaching staff
When the Pro Bowl was held after the Super Bowl, the head coaches were traditionally the head coaches of the teams that lost in the AFC and NFC championship games for the same season of the Pro Bowl in question. From 1978 through 1982, the head coaches of the highest ranked divisional champion that lost in the Divisional Playoff Round were chosen.[29] For the 1983 Pro Bowl, the NFL resumed selecting the losing head coaches in the conference championship games. In the 1999 Pro Bowl, New York Jets head coach Bill Parcells, after his team lost to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game, had to decline for health reasons and Jets assistant head coach Bill Belichick took his place.[30]
When the Pro Bowl was moved to the weekend between the Conference Championship games and the Super Bowl in 2009, the team that lost in the Divisional Playoff Round with the best regular season record would have their coaching staffs lead their respective conference Pro Bowl team returning to the format used from 1978 to 1982. It remained that way through 2013; it resumed in 2017. If the losing teams of each conference had the same regular season record the coaches from the higher-seeded team will get the Pro Bowl honor.[31] From 2014 to 2016, the Pro Bowl coaches came from the two teams with the best records that lost in the Divisional Playoffs. (In the 2015 Pro Bowl, when John Fox left his coaching job with Denver after his playoff loss to Indianapolis that year, John Harbaugh of Baltimore took over. The next year saw Green Bay's assistant coach Winston Moss took over as Mike McCarthy resigned from coaching for illness.)
After changing to the Pro Bowl Games format in 2022, Manningcast hosts Peyton Manning and Eli Manning served as the "honorary" coaches for the AFC and NFC respectively. Peyton spent his entire playing career exclusively in the AFC with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos, while Eli played his whole career with the New York Giants in the NFC.
Game honors
Kyle Rudolph with the Pro Bowl MVP trophy in 2013.
A Player of the Game was honored 1951–1956. 1957–1971, awards were presented to both an Outstanding Back and an Outstanding Lineman. In 1972 and since 2014, there are awards for both an Outstanding Offensive Player and an Outstanding Defensive Player. 1973–2007, only one Player of the Game award was honored (though thrice this award has been presented to multiple players in a single game). In 2008 the award was changed to Most Valuable Player (MVP).[32]
Players are paid for participating in the game with the winning team receiving a larger payout. The chart below shows how much the players of their respective teams earn:[citation needed]
Years Winners Losers
2011/2013 $50,000 $25,000
2012 $65,000 $40,000
2014 $53,000 $26,000
2015/2016 $55,000 $28,000
2017 $61,000 $30,000
2018 $64,000 $32,000
2019 $67,000 $39,000
2020 $74,000 $37,000
2022–23 $84,000 $42,000
2024 TBA
Rule differences
This section needs to be updated. The reason given is: rule diffs are cited to 2011, and there have been at least two major changes since then. E.g., "No rushing punts, PATs or FG attempts" appears to be at least partially wrong. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (January 2020)
Although there is no official rule against tackling, the players in the Pro Bowl have come to a gentlemen's agreement to do little if any tackling. On the vast majority of plays, the ball carrier either gives up as soon as a defensive player grabs him, or goes out of bounds to avoid contact. In that sense it is essentially a two-hand touch football game.[33] A future ban on tackling and contact is being considered.
In addition to the above, the Pro Bowl does have different rules from regular NFL games to make the game safer with a view towards incorporating some of these rules to future NFL regular season games.[34][35]
No motion or shifting by the offense
Offense must have a running back and tight end in all formations
Offense may have up to three receivers on the same side
Intentional grounding is legal
No rushing the passer
More than one forward pass thrown on the same play is allowed
Defense must run a 4–3 at all times, though the Cover 2 and press coverage is allowed[14]
No blitz; DEs and tackles can rush on passing plays, provided they are on same side of ball
No blindside or below the waist blocks
No rushing the punter
No rushing the kicker
No rushing the holder
Coin toss determines who receives first; loser receives to start third period. Procedure repeats at the start of first overtime.
Kickoffs are eliminated (including free kicks)[14]
Punt returns are eliminated by the automatic fair catch
Teams will start on their own 25-yard line after any score or at the start of each half/odd overtime[14]
If a team that would otherwise be kicking off wants to attempt to retain possession (situations where an onside kick would be attempted if there were kickoffs), they may run a single scrimmage play from their own 25-yard line; should the ball be advanced 15 yards forward, the team retains possession[36]
Receivers may flinch or raise either foot without incurring penalty
35-second play clock to run plays
Deep middle safety must be aligned within hash marks
Replay reviews are allowed
44-player roster per team
Two-minute warning in effect for all quarters, plus overtime
Game clock runs on incompletions except at two minutes left in half or overtime period
Very limited contact is allowed much like touch football, provided the ball carrier is surrounded by opponents
In case of a tie after regulation, multiple 15-minute OT periods will be played (with each team receiving two time outs per period), and in the first overtime teams receive one possession to score unless one of them scores a safety on its first possession. True sudden death rules apply thereafter if both teams have had their initial possession and the game remains tied. The Pro Bowl is not allowed to end in a tie, unlike preseason and regular season games. (In general, beyond the first overtime, whoever scores first wins. The first overtime starts as if the game had started over, like the NFL Playoffs.)
2023 and hereafter has a flag football game which is a 50-yard by 28-yard field (like arena football), seven players on field per team, two 10-minute halves, 15-minute halftime, plus multiple best-of-three round plays from the 5-yard line for 1 point or 10-yard line for two points, from double overtime hereafter, championship game only. In overtime, no matter if a touchdown is scored or not, teams get one possession. If the teams are tied after one possession, true sudden death rules apply hereafter. No punts due to short field.
Pro Bowl uniforms
Quarterback Peyton Manning (#18) before the 2006 Pro Bowl.
The teams are made of players from different NFL teams, so using their own uniforms would be too confusing. However, the players do wear the helmet of their respective team, but the home jerseys and pants are either a solid blue for the NFC or solid red for the AFC, with white jerseys with blue or red accents, respectively, for the away team.
The early Pro Bowl, contested by the National Football League's Eastern and Western Division stars and played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, featured the same uniforms from the 1950s to mid-1960s; the Eastern team wore scarlet jerseys with white numerals and a white crescent shoulder stripe, white pants with red stripe, red socks, and a plain red helmet. The Western team wore white jerseys with royal-blue numerals and a Northwestern University-style Ukon triple stripe on the sleeves, white pants with blue stripe and socks and a plain blue helmet. Perhaps oddly, the Eastern team wore home dark jerseys, although the host city team, the Los Angeles Rams, were members of the Western Conference. From January 1967 to January 1970 both teams wore gold helmets with the NFL logo on the sides; the Eastern helmets featured a red-white-red tri-stripe and the Western a similar blue-white-blue tri-stripe. In fact, the players brought their own game helmets to Los Angeles, which were then spray-painted and decorated for the contest. For the 1970 game the helmets featured the '50 NFL' logo, commemorating the league's half-century anniversary.
In the earliest years of the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, the players did not wear their unique helmets. The AFC All-Stars wore a solid red helmet with a white A on it, while the NFC players wore a solid white helmet with a blue N on it. The AFC's red helmets were paired with white jerseys and red pants, while the NFC's white helmets were paired with blue jerseys and white pants. Beginning with the 1979 game, players wore the helmets of their respective teams.
Two players with the same number who were elected to the Pro Bowl could wear the same number for that game, which was not always the case in the past.
The 2008 Pro Bowl included a unique example of several players from the same team wearing the same number in a Pro Bowl. For the game, Washington Redskins players T Chris Samuels, TE Chris Cooley, and LS Ethan Albright all wore the number 21 (a number normally inappropriate for their positions) in memory of their teammate Sean Taylor, who had been murdered during the 2007 season.[37]
On October 7, 2013, Nike unveiled the uniforms for the 2014 Pro Bowl, which revealed that the red, white and blue colors that the game uniforms bore throughout its entire history would not be used for the game. As the NFC–AFC format was not used between 2014 through 2016, team 1 sported a white uniform with bright orange and team 2 sported a gray uniform with volt green.[38] The new uniforms received mixed reviews from fans and sports columnists alike, one even mentioning that the game would look like an "Oregon vs. Oklahoma State" game.[39]
Since 2017, when the conference format was restored, the league took an approach similar to the NFL Color Rush initiative, in which jerseys, pants, and socks were all a uniform color (red for the AFC, blue for the NFC).
With the switch to the Pro Bowl Games format in 2023, players are no longer required to wear standard football uniforms, helmets and pads. Instead they wore red (for AFC) or blue (for NFC) shirts and either gray shorts or pants. Some players would also wear caps as headgear and compression tights.
Game results
NFL All-Star Games (1938–1942)
No Most Valuable Player awards were presented during these games.
Season Date Score Venue Attendance Head coaches
1938 January 15, 1939 New York Giants 13, NFL All-Stars 10 Wrigley Field 15,000[40] AS: Ray Flaherty (Washington) and Gus Henderson (Detroit)
NYG: Steve Owen
1939 January 14, 1940 Green Bay Packers 16, NFL All-Stars 7 Gilmore Stadium 18,000 AS: Steve Owen (New York)
GB: Curly Lambeau
1940 December 29, 1940 Chicago Bears 28, NFL All-Stars 14 Gilmore Stadium 21,624 AS: Ray Flaherty (Washington)
CHI: George Halas
1941 January 4, 1942 Chicago Bears 35, NFL All-Stars 24 Polo Grounds 17,725 AS: Steve Owen (New York)
CHI: George Halas
1942 December 27, 1942 NFL All-Stars 17, Washington Redskins 14 Shibe Park 18,671 AS: Hunk Anderson (Chicago Bears)
WAS: Ray Flaherty
No game was played from 1943 to 1950.
NFL Pro Bowls (1950–1969)
Season Date Score Series Most Valuable Players Venue[41] Attendance Head coaches Network
1950 January 14, 1951 American Conference 28, National Conference 27 AC, 1–0 Otto Graham, Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 53,676 AC: Paul Brown, Cleveland
NC: Joe Stydahar, Los Angeles
1951 January 12, 1952[42] National Conference 30, American Conference 13 Tied, 1–1 Dan Towler, Los Angeles Rams, Running back Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 19,400 AC: Paul Brown, Cleveland
NC: Joe Stydahar, Los Angeles NBC
1952 January 10, 1953[42] National Conference 27, American Conference 7 NC, 2–1 Don Doll, Detroit Lions, Defensive back Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 34,208 AC: Paul Brown, Cleveland
NC: Buddy Parker, Detroit NBC
1953 January 17, 1954 East 20, West 9 Tied, 2–2 Chuck Bednarik, Philadelphia Eagles, Linebacker Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 44,214 EC: Paul Brown, Cleveland
WC: Buddy Parker, Detroit DuMont
1954 January 16, 1955 West 26, East 19 West, 3–2 Billy Wilson, San Francisco 49ers, End Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 43,972 EC: Jim Trimble, Philadelphia
WC: Buck Shaw, San Francisco
1955 January 15, 1956 East 31, West 30 Tied, 3–3 Ollie Matson, Chicago Cardinals, Running back Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 37,867 EC: Joe Kuharich, Washington
WC: Sid Gillman, Los Angeles
1956 January 13, 1957 West 19, East 10 West, 4–3 Back: Bert Rechichar, Baltimore Colts
Lineman: Ernie Stautner, Pittsburgh Steelers Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 44,177 EC: Jim Lee Howell, New York
WC: Paddy Driscoll, Chicago Bears
1957 January 12, 1958 West 26, East 7 West, 5–3 Back: Hugh McElhenny, San Francisco 49ers
Lineman: Gene Brito, Washington Redskins Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 66,634 EC: Buddy Parker, Pittsburgh
WC: George Wilson, Detroit NBC
1958 January 11, 1959 East 28, West 21 West, 5–4 Back: Frank Gifford, New York Giants
Lineman: Doug Atkins, Chicago Bears Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 72,250 EC: Jim Lee Howell, New York
WC: Weeb Ewbank, Baltimore NBC
1959 January 17, 1960 West 38, East 21 West, 6–4 Back: Johnny Unitas, Baltimore Colts
Lineman: Eugene "Big Daddy" Lipscomb, Baltimore Colts Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 56,876 EC: Buck Shaw, Philadelphia
WC: Red Hickey, San Francisco NBC
1960 January 15, 1961 West 35, East 31 West, 7–4 Back: Johnny Unitas, Baltimore Colts
Lineman: Sam Huff, New York Giants Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 62,971 EC: Buck Shaw, Philadelphia
WC: Vince Lombardi, Green Bay NBC
1961 January 14, 1962 West 31, East 30 West, 8–4 Back: Jim Brown, Cleveland Browns
Lineman: Henry Jordan, Green Bay Packers Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 57,409 EC: Allie Sherman, New York
WC: Norm Van Brocklin, Minnesota NBC
1962 January 13, 1963 East 30, West 20 West, 8–5 Back: Jim Brown, Cleveland Browns
Lineman: Eugene Lipscomb, Pittsburgh Steelers Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 61,374 EC: Allie Sherman, New York
WC: Vince Lombardi, Green Bay NBC
1963 January 12, 1964 West 31, East 17 West, 9–5 Back: Johnny Unitas, Baltimore Colts
Lineman: Gino Marchetti, Baltimore Colts Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 67,242 EC: Allie Sherman, New York
WC: George Halas, Chicago NBC
1964 January 10, 1965 West 34, East 14 West, 10–5 Back: Fran Tarkenton, Minnesota Vikings
Lineman: Terry Barr, Detroit Lions Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 60,598 EC: Blanton Collier, Cleveland
WC: Don Shula, Baltimore NBC
1965 January 16, 1966 East 36, West 7 West, 10–6 Back: Jim Brown, Cleveland Browns
Lineman: Dale Meinert, St. Louis Cardinals Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 60,124 EC: Blanton Collier, Cleveland
WC: Vince Lombardi, Green Bay CBS
1966 January 22, 1967 East 20, West 10 West, 10–7 Back: Gale Sayers, Chicago Bears
Lineman: Floyd Peters, Philadelphia Eagles Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 15,062 EC: Tom Landry, Dallas
WC: George Allen, Los Angeles CBS
1967 January 21, 1968 West 38, East 20 West, 11–7 Back: Gale Sayers, Chicago Bears
Lineman: Dave Robinson, Green Bay Packers Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 53,289 EC:Otto Graham, Washington
WC: Don Shula, Baltimore CBS
1968 January 19, 1969 West 10, East 7 West, 12–7 Back: Roman Gabriel, Los Angeles Rams
Lineman: Merlin Olsen, Los Angeles Rams Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 32,050 EC: Tom Landry, Dallas
WC: George Allen, Los Angeles CBS
1969 January 18, 1970 West 16, East 13 West, 13–7 Back: Gale Sayers, Chicago Bears
Lineman: George Andrie, Dallas Cowboys Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 57,786 EC: Tom Fears, New Orleans
WC: Norm Van Brocklin, Atlanta CBS
AFC–NFC Pro Bowls (1970–2012)
Season Date Score Series Most Valuable Player(s) Venue Attendance Head coaches Network
1970 January 24, 1971 NFC, 27–6 NFC, 1–0 Lineman: Fred Carr, Packers
Back: Mel Renfro, Cowboys Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 48,222 AFC: John Madden, Oakland
NFC: Dick Nolan, San Francisco CBS
1971 January 23, 1972 AFC, 26–13 Tied, 1–1 Defense: Willie Lanier, Chiefs
Offense: Jan Stenerud, Chiefs Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 53,647 AFC: Don McCafferty, Baltimore
NFC: Dick Nolan, San Francisco NBC
1972 January 21, 1973 AFC, 33–28 AFC, 2–1 O. J. Simpson, Bills, Running back Texas Stadium 37,091 AFC: Chuck Noll, Pittsburgh
NFC: Tom Landry, Dallas CBS
1973 January 20, 1974 AFC, 15–13 AFC, 3–1 Garo Yepremian, Dolphins, Placekicker Arrowhead Stadium 66,918 AFC: John Madden, Oakland
NFC: Tom Landry, Dallas NBC
1974 January 20, 1975[43] NFC, 17–10 AFC, 3–2 James Harris, Rams, Quarterback Miami Orange Bowl 26,484 AFC: John Madden, Oakland
NFC: Chuck Knox, Los Angeles ABC
1975 January 26, 1976[43] NFC, 23–20 Tied, 3–3 Billy Johnson, Oilers, Kick returner Louisiana Superdome 30,546 AFC: John Madden, Oakland
NFC: Chuck Knox, Los Angeles ABC
1976 January 17, 1977[43] AFC, 24–14 AFC, 4–3 Mel Blount, Steelers, Cornerback The Kingdome 64,752 AFC: Chuck Noll, Pittsburgh
NFC: Chuck Knox, Los Angeles ABC
1977 January 23, 1978[43] NFC, 14–13 Tied, 4–4 Walter Payton, Bears, Running back Tampa Stadium 51,337 AFC: Ted Marchibroda, Baltimore
NFC: Chuck Knox, Los Angeles ABC
1978 January 29, 1979[43] NFC, 13–7 NFC, 5–4 Ahmad Rashad, Vikings, Wide receiver Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 46,281 AFC: Chuck Fairbanks, New England
NFC: Bud Grant, Minnesota ABC
1979 January 27, 1980 NFC, 37–27 NFC, 6–4 Chuck Muncie, Saints, Running back Aloha Stadium 49,800 AFC: Don Coryell, San Diego
NFC: Tom Landry, Dallas ABC
1980 February 1, 1981 NFC, 21–7 NFC, 7–4 Eddie Murray, Lions, Placekicker Aloha Stadium 50,360 AFC: Sam Rutigliano, Cleveland
NFC: Leeman Bennett, Atlanta ABC
1981 January 31, 1982 AFC, 16–13 NFC, 7–5 Lee Roy Selmon, Buccaneers, Defensive end
Kellen Winslow, Chargers, Tight end Aloha Stadium 50,402 AFC: Don Shula, Miami
NFC: John McKay, Tampa Bay ABC
1982 February 6, 1983 NFC, 20–19 NFC, 8–5 Dan Fouts, Chargers, Quarterback
John Jefferson, Packers, Wide receiver Aloha Stadium 49,883 AFC: Walt Michaels, New York Jets
NFC: Tom Landry, Dallas ABC
1983 January 29, 1984 NFC, 45–3 NFC, 9–5 Joe Theismann, Redskins, Quarterback Aloha Stadium 50,445 AFC: Chuck Knox, Seattle
NFC: Bill Walsh, San Francisco ABC
1984 January 27, 1985 AFC, 22–14 NFC, 9–6 Mark Gastineau, Jets, Defensive end Aloha Stadium 50,385 AFC: Chuck Noll, Pittsburgh
NFC: Mike Ditka, Chicago ABC
1985 February 2, 1986 NFC, 28–24 NFC, 10–6 Phil Simms, Giants, Quarterback Aloha Stadium 50,101 AFC: Don Shula, Miami
NFC: John Robinson, L.A. Rams ABC
1986 February 1, 1987 AFC, 10–6 NFC, 10–7 Reggie White, Eagles, Defensive end Aloha Stadium 50,101 AFC: Marty Schottenheimer, Cleveland
NFC: Joe Gibbs, Washington ABC
1987 February 7, 1988 AFC, 15–6 NFC, 10–8 Bruce Smith, Bills, Defensive end Aloha Stadium 50,113 AFC: Marty Schottenheimer, Cleveland
NFC: Jerry Burns, Minnesota ESPN
1988 January 29, 1989 NFC, 34–3 NFC, 11–8 Randall Cunningham, Eagles, Quarterback Aloha Stadium 50,113 AFC: Marv Levy, Buffalo
NFC: Mike Ditka, Chicago ESPN
1989 February 4, 1990 NFC, 27–21 NFC, 12–8 Jerry Gray, Rams, Cornerback Aloha Stadium 50,445 AFC: Bud Carson, Cleveland
NFC: John Robinson, L.A. Rams ESPN
1990 February 3, 1991 AFC, 23–21 NFC, 12–9 Jim Kelly, Bills, Quarterback Aloha Stadium 50,345 AFC: Art Shell, L.A. Raiders
NFC: George Seifert, San Francisco ESPN
1991 February 2, 1992 NFC, 21–15 NFC, 13–9 Michael Irvin, Cowboys, Wide receiver Aloha Stadium 50,209 AFC: Dan Reeves, Denver
NFC: Wayne Fontes, Detroit ESPN
1992 February 7, 1993 AFC, 23–20 (OT) NFC, 13–10 Steve Tasker, Bills, Special teams Aloha Stadium 50,007 AFC: Don Shula, Miami
NFC: George Seifert, San Francisco ESPN
1993 February 6, 1994 NFC, 17–3 NFC, 14–10 Andre Rison, Falcons, Wide receiver Aloha Stadium 50,026 AFC: Marty Schottenheimer, Kansas City
NFC: George Seifert, San Francisco ESPN
1994 February 5, 1995 AFC, 41–13 NFC, 14–11 Marshall Faulk, Colts, Running back Aloha Stadium 49,121 AFC: Bill Cowher, Pittsburgh
NFC: Barry Switzer, Dallas ABC
1995 February 4, 1996 NFC, 20–13 NFC, 15–11 Jerry Rice, 49ers, Wide receiver Aloha Stadium 50,034 AFC: Ted Marchibroda, Indianapolis
NFC: Mike Holmgren, Green Bay ABC
1996 February 2, 1997 AFC, 26–23 (OT) NFC, 15–12 Mark Brunell, Jaguars, Quarterback Aloha Stadium 50,031 AFC: Tom Coughlin, Jacksonville
NFC: Dom Capers, Carolina ABC
1997 February 1, 1998 AFC, 29–24 NFC, 15–13 Warren Moon, Seahawks, Quarterback Aloha Stadium 49,995 AFC: Bill Cowher, Pittsburgh
NFC: Steve Mariucci, San Francisco ABC
1998 February 7, 1999 AFC, 23–10 NFC, 15–14 Keyshawn Johnson, Jets, Wide receiver
Ty Law, Patriots, Cornerback Aloha Stadium 50,075 AFC: Bill Belichick,[44] N.Y. Jets
NFC: Dennis Green, Minnesota ABC
1999 February 6, 2000 NFC, 51–31 NFC, 16–14 Randy Moss, Vikings, Wide receiver Aloha Stadium 50,112 AFC: Tom Coughlin, Jacksonville
NFC: Tony Dungy, Tampa Bay ABC
2000 February 4, 2001 AFC, 38–17 NFC, 16–15 Rich Gannon, Raiders, Quarterback Aloha Stadium 50,128 AFC: Jon Gruden, Oakland
NFC: Dennis Green, Minnesota ABC
2001 February 9, 2002[42] AFC, 38–30 Tied, 16–16 Rich Gannon, Raiders, Quarterback Aloha Stadium 50,301 AFC: Bill Cowher, Pittsburgh
NFC: Andy Reid, Philadelphia ABC
2002 February 2, 2003 AFC, 45–20 AFC, 17–16 Ricky Williams, Dolphins, Running back Aloha Stadium 50,125 AFC: Jeff Fisher, Tennessee
NFC: Andy Reid, Philadelphia ABC
2003 February 8, 2004 NFC, 55–52 Tied, 17–17 Marc Bulger, Rams, Quarterback Aloha Stadium 50,127 AFC: Tony Dungy, Indianapolis
NFC: Andy Reid, Philadelphia ESPN
2004 February 13, 2005 AFC, 38–27 AFC, 18–17 Peyton Manning, Colts, Quarterback Aloha Stadium 50,225 AFC: Bill Cowher, Pittsburgh
NFC: Jim L. Mora, Atlanta ESPN
2005 February 12, 2006 NFC 23–17 Tied, 18–18 Derrick Brooks, Buccaneers, Linebacker Aloha Stadium 50,190 AFC: Mike Shanahan, Denver
NFC: John Fox, Carolina ESPN
2006 February 10, 2007[42] AFC 31–28 AFC, 19–18 Carson Palmer, Bengals, Quarterback Aloha Stadium 50,410 AFC: Bill Belichick, New England
NFC: Sean Payton, New Orleans CBS
2007 February 10, 2008 NFC 42–30 Tied, 19–19 Adrian Peterson, Vikings, Running back Aloha Stadium 50,044 AFC: Norv Turner, San Diego
NFC: Mike McCarthy, Green Bay Fox
2008 February 8, 2009 NFC 30–21 NFC, 20–19 Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals, Wide receiver Aloha Stadium 49,958 AFC: John Harbaugh, Baltimore
NFC: Andy Reid, Philadelphia NBC
2009 January 31, 2010 AFC 41–34 Tied, 20–20 Matt Schaub, Texans, Quarterback Sun Life Stadium 70,697 AFC: Norv Turner, San Diego
NFC: Wade Phillips, Dallas ESPN
2010 January 30, 2011 NFC 55–41 NFC, 21–20 DeAngelo Hall, Redskins, Cornerback Aloha Stadium 49,338 AFC: Bill Belichick, New England
NFC: Mike Smith, Atlanta Fox
2011 January 29, 2012 AFC 59–41 Tied, 21–21 Brandon Marshall, Dolphins, Wide receiver Aloha Stadium 48,423 AFC: Gary Kubiak, Houston
NFC: Mike McCarthy, Green Bay NBC
2012 January 27, 2013 NFC 62–35 NFC, 22–21 Kyle Rudolph, Vikings, Tight end Aloha Stadium 47,134 AFC: John Fox, Denver
NFC: Mike McCarthy, Green Bay NBC
Unconferenced Pro Bowls (2013–2015)
Season Date Score Most Valuable Player(s) Venue Attendance Head coaches Network
2013 January 26, 2014 Team Rice 22,
Team Sanders 21 Offense: Nick Foles, Eagles, Quarterback
Defense: Derrick Johnson, Chiefs, Linebacker Aloha Stadium 47,270 Rice: Ron Rivera, Carolina
Sanders: Chuck Pagano, Indianapolis NBC
2014 January 25, 2015 Team Irvin 32,
Team Carter 28 Offense: Matthew Stafford, Lions, Quarterback
Defense: J. J. Watt, Texans, Defensive end University of Phoenix Stadium 63,225 Irvin: Jason Garrett, Dallas
Carter: John Harbaugh, Baltimore
ESPN
2015 January 31, 2016 Team Irvin 49,
Team Rice 27 Offense: Russell Wilson, Seahawks, Quarterback
Defense: Michael Bennett, Seahawks, Defensive end Aloha Stadium 50,000 Irvin: Winston Moss, Green Bay
Rice: Andy Reid, Kansas City
AFC–NFC Pro Bowls (2016–2022)
Season Date Score Series Most Valuable Player(s) Venue Attendance Head coaches Network
2016 January 29, 2017 AFC 20–13 Tied, 22–22 Offensive: Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs, Tight end
Defensive: Lorenzo Alexander, Buffalo Bills, Linebacker Camping World Stadium 60,834 AFC: Andy Reid, Kansas City
NFC: Jason Garrett, Dallas ESPN
2017 January 28, 2018 AFC 24–23 AFC, 23–22 Offensive: Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans, Tight end
Defensive: Von Miller, Denver Broncos, Linebacker Camping World Stadium 51,019 AFC: Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh
NFC: Sean Payton, New Orleans ESPN/ABC
2018 January 27, 2019 AFC 26–7 AFC, 24–22 Offensive: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs, Quarterback
Defensive: Jamal Adams, New York Jets, Safety Camping World Stadium 57,875 AFC: Anthony Lynn, L.A. Chargers
NFC: Jason Garrett, Dallas ESPN/ABC/Disney XD
2019 January 26, 2020 AFC 38–33 AFC, 25–22 Offensive: Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens, Quarterback
Defensive: Calais Campbell, Jacksonville Jaguars, Defensive end Camping World Stadium 54,024 AFC: John Harbaugh, Baltimore
NFC: Pete Carroll, Seattle ESPN/ABC/Disney XD
2020 January 31, 2021 NFC 32–12 AFC, 25–23 Kyler Murray, Arizona, Quarterback N/A (Game played in Madden NFL 21 controlled by teams of NFL players, alumni, and celebrity guests due to COVID-19) YouTube
2021 February 6, 2022 AFC 41–35 AFC, 26–23 Offensive: Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers, Quarterback
Defensive: Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders, Defensive end Allegiant Stadium 56,206 AFC: Mike Vrabel, Tennessee
NFC: Matt LaFleur, Green Bay ESPN/ABC/Disney XD
Pro Bowl Games (2023–present)
Season Date Score Series Most Valuable Player(s) Venue Attendance Head coaches Network
2022 February 5, 2023 NFC 35–33 AFC, 26–24 N/A Allegiant Stadium 58,331 AFC: Peyton Manning
NFC: Eli Manning[45] ESPN/ABC/Disney XD
2023 February 4, 2024 NFC 64–59 AFC, 26–25 Offensive:
Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay, Quarterback
Defensive:
Demario Davis, New Orleans, Linebacker Camping World Stadium 55,709 AFC: Peyton Manning
NFC: Eli Manning
ESPN/ABC/Disney XD
Stadiums that have hosted the Pro Bowl
Wrigley Field (1939)
Gilmore Stadium (January and December 1940)
Polo Grounds (January 1942)
Shibe Park (December 1942)
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (1951–1972, 1979)
Texas Stadium (1973)
Arrowhead Stadium (1974)
Miami Orange Bowl (1975)
Louisiana Superdome (1976)
Kingdome (1977)
Tampa Stadium (1978)
Aloha Stadium (1980–2009, 2011–2014, 2016)
Sun Life Stadium (2010)
University of Phoenix Stadium (2015)
Camping World Stadium (2017–2020, 2024)
Allegiant Stadium (2022–2023)
Records
Main article: NFL Pro Bowl records
Players with most invitations
As of the 2024 Pro Bowl, 29 players have been invited to at least 11 Pro Bowls in their careers.[46] Except for those that are current active or not yet eligible, each of these players have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. With his selection in the 2022 Pro Bowl, quarterback Tom Brady has the all-time invitations record at 15.[47] Of currently active players Trent Williams has the most Pro Bowl invitations with each 11.[48]
Pro
Bowls Player Pos Seasons by team Selection years Year of induction
into Hall of Fame
15 Tom Brady QB New England Patriots (2000–2019)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2020–2022) 2001, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009–2018, 2021 Eligible in 2028
14 Tony Gonzalez TE Kansas City Chiefs (1997–2008)
Atlanta Falcons (2009–2013) 1999–2008, 2010–2013 2019
Peyton Manning QB Indianapolis Colts (1998–2011)
Denver Broncos (2012–2015) 1999, 2000, 2002–2010, 2012–2014 2021
Bruce Matthews G Houston Oilers / Tennessee Oilers /
Tennessee Titans (1983–2001) 1988–2001 2007
Merlin Olsen DT Los Angeles Rams (1962–1976) 1962–1975 1982
13 Drew Brees QB San Diego Chargers (2001–2005)
New Orleans Saints (2006–2020) 2004, 2006, 2008–2014, 2016–2019 Eligible in 2026
Ray Lewis LB Baltimore Ravens (1996–2012) 1997–2001, 2003, 2004, 2006–2011 2018
Jerry Rice WR San Francisco 49ers (1985–2000)
Oakland Raiders (2001–2004)
Seattle Seahawks (2004) 1986–1996, 1998, 2002 2010
Reggie White DE Philadelphia Eagles (1985–1992)
Green Bay Packers (1993–1998)
Carolina Panthers (2000) 1986–1998 2006
12 Champ Bailey CB Washington Redskins (1999–2003)
Denver Broncos (2004–2013) 2000–2007, 2009–2012 2019
Ken Houston S Houston Oilers (1967–1972)
Washington Redskins (1973–1980) 1968–1979 1986
Randall McDaniel G Minnesota Vikings (1988–1999)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2000–2001) 1989–2000 2009
Jim Otto C Oakland Raiders (1960–1974) 1961–1972 1980
Junior Seau LB San Diego Chargers (1990–2002)
Miami Dolphins (2003–2005)
New England Patriots (2006–2009) 1991–2002 2015
Will Shields G Kansas City Chiefs (1993–2006) 1995–2006 2015
11 Larry Allen G Dallas Cowboys (1994–2005)
San Francisco 49ers (2006–2007) 1995–2001, 2003–2006 2013
Derrick Brooks LB Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1995–2008) 1997–2006, 2008 2014
Brett Favre QB Atlanta Falcons (1991)
Green Bay Packers (1992–2007)
New York Jets (2008)
Minnesota Vikings (2009–2010) 1992, 1993, 1995–1997, 2001–2003, 2007–2009 2016
Larry Fitzgerald WR Arizona Cardinals (2004–2020) 2005, 2007–2013, 2015–2017 Eligible in 2026
Bob Lilly DT Dallas Cowboys (1961–1974) 1962, 1964–1973 1980
Tom Mack G Los Angeles Rams (1966–1978) 1967–1975, 1977, 1978 1999
Gino Marchetti DE Dallas Texans (1952)
Baltimore Colts (1953–1964; 1966) 1954–1964 1972
Anthony Muñoz OT Cincinnati Bengals (1980–1992) 1981–1991 1998
Jonathan Ogden OT Baltimore Ravens (1996–2007) 1997–2007 2013
Willie Roaf OT New Orleans Saints (1993–2001)
Kansas City Chiefs (2002–2005) 1994–2000, 2002–2005 2012
Bruce Smith DE Buffalo Bills (1985–1999)
Washington Redskins (2000–2003) 1987–1990, 1992–1998 2009
Trent Williams OT Washington Redskins (2010–2019)
San Francisco 49ers (2020–present) 2012–2018, 2020−2023 Currently Playing
Jason Witten TE Dallas Cowboys (2003–2017, 2019)
Las Vegas Raiders (2020) 2004–2010, 2012–2014, 2017 Eligible in 2026
Rod Woodson CB Pittsburgh Steelers (1987–1996)
San Francisco 49ers (1997)
Baltimore Ravens (1998–2001)
Oakland Raiders (2002–2003) 1989–1994, 1996, 1999–2002 2009
Television
See also: List of Pro Bowl broadcasters
The Pro Bowl was originally broadcast on an alternative basis by CBS and NBC from 1971 to 1974, while the other network broadcast the Super Bowl. The game was then broadcast as part of the Monday Night Football package on ABC from 1975 to 1987. Sister network ESPN took it over as part of the ESPN Sunday Night Football package from 1988 to 1994. The game then returned to ABC for the 1995 through 2003 games. In the early 2000s, after suffering through several years of dwindling ratings ABC considered moving the game to Monday night, but the network instead decided to sell off the rights for the 2004–2006 games to ESPN.
For the 2007 to 2014 Pro Bowls, the network which aired the Super Bowl that season also aired the Pro Bowl. The 2007 game on CBS was held on the Saturday after Super Bowl XLI because of the 49th Grammy Awards. The 2008 game was on Fox, broadcaster of Super Bowl XLII. Likewise, the 2009 game was on NBC, broadcaster of Super Bowl XLIII. CBS sold off their rights to the 2010 game to ESPN, which was played a week before the Super Bowl at the Super Bowl site, Sun Life Stadium. CBS also declined to broadcast the 2013 game, which was instead shown on NBC. The 2014 game, also shown on NBC, was the final Pro Bowl on network television for four years.
ESPN then began holding exclusive rights to the Pro Bowl starting in 2015. In 2018, the Pro Bowl returned to network television for the first time in four years as part of a joint ABC/ESPN simulcast (both sister networks are owned by The Walt Disney Company). Disney XD was added to the simulcast for 2019.[49] The ESPN/ABC simulcasts of the game continued through 2022.
Throughout his broadcasting career, the late John Madden declined to be part of the announcing crew when his network carried the Pro Bowl for his aviatophobia and claustrophobia (a joke referencing both is made in the Madden NFL '97 video game before the beginning of the Pro Bowl in season mode, where Madden quips that he drove his "Madden Bus" to Hawaii, rather than flying). Until Madden's retirement from broadcasting after the 2009 Pro Bowl, it had only occurred twice: Former San Diego Chargers quarterback and MNF personality Dan Fouts, whom Madden had replaced, took his place on ABC in 2003, and Cris Collinsworth took his place on NBC in 2009 (Collinsworth ended up replacing Madden permanently upon the latter's retirement).
In conjunction with the Professional Bowlers Association, the Pro Bowl also sponsors a charity bowling tournament the occurs during the weekend leading up to the game. The tournament is open to all NFL players regardless of whether they have been selected to play in the Pro Bowl. Winners are announced at halftime, and are presented with a check in their name payable to their favorite charity.
Most watched Pro Bowls
Since 2000
Rank Game Date Matchup Network Viewers (millions) TV rating[50] Location
1 2011 Pro Bowl January 29, 2011 AFC 41 NFC 55 Fox 13.4 7.7 Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI
2 2000 Pro Bowl February 6, 2000 AFC 31 NFC 51 ABC 13.2 8.6
3 2012 Pro Bowl January 29, 2012 NFC 41 AFC 59 NBC 12.5 7.3
4 2010 Pro Bowl January 31, 2010 AFC 41 NFC 34 ESPN 12.3 7.1 Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL
5 2013 Pro Bowl January 27, 2013 AFC 35 NFC 62 NBC 12.2 7.1 Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI
6 2014 Pro Bowl January 26, 2014 Team Rice 22 Team Sanders 21 11.4 6.6
7 2008 Pro Bowl February 10, 2008 AFC 30 NFC 42 Fox 10.0 6.3
8 2003 Pro Bowl February 2, 2003 NFC 23 AFC 45 ABC 9.1 5.9
9 2009 Pro Bowl February 8, 2009 NFC 30 AFC 21 NBC 8.8 5.4
10 2015 Pro Bowl January 25, 2015 Team Irvin 32 Team Carter 28 ESPN 8.8 5.1 University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ
Blackout policy
Prior to 2015, the Pro Bowl was still subject to the NFL's blackout policies, requiring the game to be blacked out within 75 miles (121 km) of the stadium site if the game does not sell out all of the stadium's seats.[51][52] However, with the lifting of the NFL's blackout rules in 2015, the game can be shown within the host stadium regardless of attendance.
Criticism
Quality
For decades, the Pro Bowl has been criticized as a glamor event more than a football game. This is due to the voluntary nature of the game, the arbitrary voting process, and the fear of player injury.
While players are financially compensated for participating in the Pro Bowl, for a star player, the pay can be less than 1% of their salary. Many star players have excused themselves from participation over the years, meaning that the very best players are not necessarily featured. Not having the best players in the Pro Bowl was exacerbated by the introduction of fan voting (see section below).
Another criticism of the game is that the players—particularly on defense—are not competing at the same level of intensity as they would during the regular season or the playoffs. This is because player injury plays a much greater part in a team's success in the NFL as compared to the other major American sports. For this reason, unlike the NBA, NHL, and MLB (which host their all-star events as a mid-season break), the Pro Bowl was historically held after the completion of the season and playoffs. This means that a player injured in the Pro Bowl would have at least six months to rehab before the next season begins. However, starting in 2010, the Pro Bowl was moved from the week after the Super Bowl to the week before it. Because of the above-noted fear of injury, players from the two teams participating in the Super Bowl were banned from participation, thus increasing the absence of star players.
With the dearth of stars making the game the subject of much derision (Sports Illustrated website refused to even include one pre-game story on the event in 2012),[citation needed] the players on the field appear to be taking it less seriously as well.[citation needed] In the 2012 game, the lack of defensive effort was apparent, not only to anyone watching, but additionally evidenced by the combined score of 100 points. Brett Keisel, an NFL player watching the game said, "They probably should have just put flags on them,"[53] indicating that the quality was about on the level of flag football. Commissioner Roger Goodell stated that the game needed to improve, otherwise it would be eliminated.[54][55] It is worth noting that entire teams have declined to participate after losing the conference championship, like the 2015 New England Patriots, which had seven starters on the Pro Bowl roster. This, among other factors, caused the 2016 Pro Bowl to be more of a game featuring emerging players, with a record of 133 players selected overall (including those who were absent), and ended up including rookie quarterback Jameis Winston instead of recognized veterans Tom Brady and Carson Palmer, who were both in the conversation for the 2015 NFL season MVP before losing in their respective conference finals.[56] In 2022 and 2023, Josh Allen turned down invitations to the Pro Bowl in favor of playing in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament,[57] decisions that he stated were to allow himself to recover from several minor injuries.[58] In 2023, Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs called the event "stupid" and stated that he would prefer to go on vacation rather than play in the game. The event was set to be hosted in Las Vegas that year.[59]
Selection process
Fan voting has increased criticism[according to whom?] of the Pro Bowl. Voting by fans makes up 1/3 of the vote for Pro Bowl players. Some teams earn more selections of their players because fans often vote for their favorite team and not necessarily the best player. In the 2008 Pro Bowl, the Dallas Cowboys had thirteen players on the NFC roster, an NFL record. "If you're in a small market, no one really gets to see you play", said Minnesota Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield, who spent much of his early career with the small-market Buffalo Bills. "If you're a quiet guy, it's hard to get the attention. You just have to work hard and play." Winfield made the Pro Bowl in 2008 after ten seasons of being shut out.[60]
The player voting has also been subject to significant criticism. It is not uncommon for players to pick the same players over and over again; former offensive lineman (and Sports Illustrated analyst) Ross Tucker has cited politics, incumbency, personal vendettas, and compensation for injury in previous years as primary factors in players' choices. Thus, players who have seen their play decline with age can still be perennially elected to the Pro Bowl for their popularity among other players, something particularly common among positions such as the offensive line, where few statistics are available.[61] For example, in 2010, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs admitted voting for Ryan Fitzpatrick (then the backup quarterback of the Buffalo Bills) over eventual league most valuable player Tom Brady not because he thought Fitzpatrick was the better player but as a vote of disrespect toward Brady's team, the New England Patriots.[62]
Some players have had a surprisingly small number of Pro Bowl selections despite distinguished careers. Hall of Fame fullback John Riggins was selected only once in his career from 1971 to 1985. He was not selected in the year after which he set the record for rushing touchdowns in a season and his team made it to the Super Bowl (although he did make the All-Pro team). Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke only made the Pro Bowl once, despite being named All-Pro seven times and being the MVP of the 1962 NFL Championship Game. Defensive back Ken Riley never made the Pro Bowl in his 15 seasons, even though he recorded 65 interceptions, the fourth-highest total in NFL history at the time of his retirement. Former Jacksonville Jaguars halfback Fred Taylor, who is 15th in all-time rushing yards, was elected to his only Pro Bowl in 2007, despite averaging 4.6 yards per carry for his career, better than all but five running backs ranked in the top 30 in all-time rushing. Aaron Smith made it to the Pro Bowl once in 13 years (2004) despite winning two Super Bowl rings with the Pittsburgh Steelers and being named to the Sports Illustrated 2000s All Decade Team and defensive teammates such as Troy Polamalu, Casey Hampton, and James Harrison being named to multiple Pro Bowls during his career; Smith would often be ranked as one of the NFL's most underrated players during his career.[63]
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963,[1] 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).
As of the Class of 2023, there are a total of 371 members of the Hall of Fame.[2] Between four and nine new inductees are normally enshrined every year. For the 2020 class, a 20-person group consisting of five modern-era players and an additional 15 members, known as the "Centennial Slate", were elected to the Hall of Fame to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the NFL.[3]
The Chicago Bears have the most inductees, with 32 (40, including players with minor portion of their career with team).
History
Part of the American football series on the
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Origins of American football
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Topics
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Original entrance to the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Inside the original structure in 2008
The city of Canton, Ohio successfully lobbied the NFL to have the Hall of Fame built in Canton, citing three reasons. First, the NFL was founded in Canton on September 17, 1920,[4] (at that time it was known as the American Professional Football Association). Second, the now-defunct Canton Bulldogs were a successful pro football team and the NFL's first repeat champion (in 1922 and 1923). Third, the Canton community held a fundraising effort that garnered nearly $400,000 (equivalent to $2,978,000 in 2022) to get the Hall of Fame built.[5] Groundbreaking for the building was held on August 11, 1962[6][7] and the Hall of Fame was opened to the public on September 7, 1963.[1]
The original building contained just two rooms and 19,000 square feet (1,800 m2) of interior space.[8] In April 1970, ground was broken for the first of many expansions. This first expansion cost $620,000, and was completed on May 10, 1971.[1] The size was increased to 34,000 square feet (3,200 m2) by adding another room. The pro shop opened with this expansion. This was also an important milestone for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, as yearly attendance passed the 200,000 mark for the first time. This was at least in some part due to the increase in popularity of professional football caused by the advent of the American Football League and its success in the final two AFL-NFL World Championship games.[8]
In November 1977, work began on another expansion project, costing $1,200,000. It was completed in November 1978, enlarging the gift shop and research library, while doubling the size of the theater. The total size of the hall was now 50,500 square feet (4,690 m2), more than 2.5 times the original size.[8]
The building remained largely unchanged until July 1993. The Hall then announced yet another expansion, costing $9,200,000, and adding a fifth room. This expansion was completed on October 1, 1995,[1] and increased the building's size to 82,307 square feet (7,647 m2). The most notable addition was the GameDay Stadium, which shows an NFL Films production on a 20-by-42-foot (6.1 m × 12.8 m) Cinemascope screen.[8]
In 2013, the Hall of Fame completed its largest expansion and renovation to date; the total size of the hall is now 118,000 square feet (11,000 m2).
Hall of Fame Village
[icon]
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (March 2023)
Hall of Fame Village, an estimated $900 million expansion project adjacent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, completed Phase I of construction in 2022, a Phase II is planned, although no recent news has been put out recently. [9][10]
Executive directors or presidents
Dick McCann (April 4, 1962 – November 5, 1967)
Dick Gallagher (April 1968 – December 31, 1975)
Pete Elliott (February 1979 – October 31, 1996)
John Bankert (November 1, 1996 – December 31, 2005)
Steve Perry (April 24, 2006 – January 2014)
David Baker (January 6, 2014 – October 16, 2021)[5][11]
Jim Porter (2021 – present)
Inductees
Main article: List of Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees
The Hall is made up of several sections with display of the inductees at its heart
Through 2022, all players in the Hall, except Buffalo Bills guard Billy Shaw, played at least some part of their professional career in the NFL; Shaw played his entire career in the American Football League (AFL) prior to the 1970 AFL–NFL merger.
Though several Hall of Famers have had AFL, Canadian Football League, World Football League, United States Football League, Arena Football League and/or Indoor Football League experience, and there is a division of the Hall devoted to alternative leagues such as these, to this point no player, coach or contributor have made the Hall without having made significant contributions to either the NFL, AFL, or All-America Football Conference.
For CFL stars, there is a corresponding Canadian Football Hall of Fame; only one player, Warren Moon, and two coaches, Bud Grant and Marv Levy, are enshrined in both halls.
Again for the Arena Football League, there is also a corresponding Arena Football Hall of Fame; similarly, only one player, Kurt Warner, has been enshrined into both halls. The Indoor Football League, in which Terrell Owens played one season,[12] has also established a Hall of Fame.
The Chicago Bears have the most Hall of Famers among the league's franchises with either 40 or 32 enshrinees depending on whether players that only played a small portion of their careers with the team are counted.[13]
Selection process
Selection Committee
Enshrinees are selected by a 50-person committee, largely made up of media members, officially known as the Selection Committee.[14]
Each city that has a current NFL team sends one representative from the local media to the committee; a city with more than one franchise sends one representative for each franchise.
There are also 15 at-large delegates, including one representative from the Pro Football Writers Association. Except for the PFWA representative, who is appointed to a two-year term, all other appointments are open-ended, and terminated only by death, incapacitation, retirement, or resignation.
Voting procedure
Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium with the Hall of Fame in lower right
To be eligible for the nominating process, a player or coach must have been retired for at least five years; any other contributor such as a team owner or executive can be voted in at any time.
Fans may nominate any player, coach or contributor by simply writing via letter or email to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Selection Committee is then polled three times by mail (once in March, once in September, and once in October) to eventually narrow the list to 25 semi-finalists. In November, the committee then selects 15 finalists by mail balloting.
A Seniors and Contributors Committee, subcommittees of the overall Selection Committee, nominate Seniors (those players who completed their careers more than 25 years ago) and Contributors (individuals who made contributions to the game in areas other than playing or coaching). The Seniors Committee and Contributors Committee add one or two finalist(s) on alternating years, which makes a final ballot of 18 finalists under consideration by the full committee each year. Committee members are instructed to only consider a candidate's professional football contributions and to disregard all other factors.[15]
The Selection Committee then meets on "Selection Saturday", the day before each Super Bowl game to elect a new class. To be elected, a finalist must receive at least 80% support from the Committee. At least four, but no more than nine, candidates are elected annually.[14]
2020 Centennial Slate
In 2020, a special Blue-Ribbon Panel selected an additional 15 new members, known as the Centennial Slate, to be inducted into the Hall of Fame to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the NFL. Among these 15 members, ten would be seniors.[16] On January 11, during the weekend of the NFL divisional playoffs, Hall of Fame president David Baker went on the set of The NFL Today to personally tell Bill Cowher, who was working as an analyst on that pregame show, that he was selected as one of the members of the Centennial Slate.
One day later, Baker went on the set of Fox NFL Sunday to inform Jimmy Johnson, working as an analyst on Fox's studio show, that he was also selected.[17] The rest of the Centennial Slate members were revealed on January 15.[3]
The remaining 13 members of the Centennial Slate elected to the Hall of Fame in 2020 are: Jim Covert, Winston Hill, Harold Carmichael, Duke Slater, Ed Sprinkle, Steve Sabol, Alex Karras, Bobby Dillon, Donnie Shell, George Young, Cliff Harris, Mac Speedie, and former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue.[18]
They were enshrined in 2021 due to COVID-19, but are still considered part of the Centennial Class of 2020.
Enshrinement ceremony
A football signed by the 1974 Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement class
The enshrinement ceremony is the main event of the annual Enshrinement Week Powered by Johnson Controls that kicks off every NFL season. The celebration is held in Canton, throughout the week surrounding the enshrinement ceremony.[19] All members of the Hall of Fame are invited to attend the annual ceremony.[15]
Enshrinees do not go into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of a certain team. Rather, all of an enshrinee's affiliations are listed equally. While the Baseball Hall of Fame plaques generally depict each of their inductees wearing a particular club's cap (with a few exceptions, such as Catfish Hunter and Greg Maddux), the bust sculptures of each Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee make no reference to any specific team. In addition to the bust that goes on permanent display at the Hall of Fame, inductees receive a distinctive Gold Jacket, and previous inductees nearly always wear theirs when participating at the new inductee ceremonies.[20]
Previous induction ceremonies were held during the next day (Sunday from 1999 to 2005, Saturday in 2006), situated on the steps of the Hall of Fame building.
Starting in 2002, the ceremony was moved to Fawcett Stadium (now Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium), where it was held from 1963 to 1965. Since 2007, the enshrinement ceremony has been held on the Saturday night, since 2017 two days after the Hall of Fame Game.[21] In 2022, the ceremony was moved to noon ET.[22]
Hall of Fame Game
Main article: Pro Football Hall of Fame Game
The Hall of Fame Game, the annual NFL preseason opener, is played in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium at Hall of Fame Village in Canton, Ohio. In 2017, the Hall of Fame Game was held for the first time on Thursday night. The preseason classic kicks off Enshrinement Week Powered by Johnson Controls and officially kicks off the NFL preseason.
Black College Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame museum includes a permanent exhibit recognizing the inductees of the Black College Football Hall of Fame. The two organizations partnered in 2016, also creating the Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.[23][24]
Ralph Hay Pioneer Award
The Ralph Hay Pioneer Award is an American football award given by the Pro Football Hall of Fame periodically to an individual who has made significant and innovative contributions to professional football. The award is named after Canton Bulldogs owner and National Football League founder and chief organizer Ralph Hay. It was originally called the Daniel F. Reeves Pioneer Award, named after Los Angeles Rams owner and hall of fame inductee Dan Reeves. The award is the highest and the most prestigious honor given by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, other than enshrinement.[25] As of 2022, Steve Sabol, Art McNally, Marion Motley and Bill Willis are the only people to receive the award and also become a Hall of Fame inductee.
Honorees
Elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Year Recipient Notability Note(s)
1972 Fred Gehrke Designer of the first football helmet logo
1975 Arch Ward Founder of the Chicago College All-Star Game and All-America Football Conference
1986 John Facenda Voice of NFL Films Awarded the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award in 2021[26]
1992 David Boss Photographer, artist, and logo designer
2001 George Toma Groundskeeper at Arrowhead Stadium
2004 City of Pottsville, Pennsylvania Birthplace of the Anthracite League and Pottsville Maroons
2007 Steve Sabol Co-founder of NFL Films Inducted to the Hall of Fame as a contributor in 2020
2012 Art McNally Supervisor of officials for the NFL and World League, 1968–95 Inducted to the Hall of Fame as a contributor in 2022
2016 Joe Browne[27] 50-year employee of the NFL central office
2022 Marion Motley[28] Reintegrated professional football in 1946 Inducted to the Hall of Fame 1968
Woody Strode Reintegrated professional football in 1946
Kenny Washington Reintegrated professional football in 1946
Bill Willis Reintegrated professional football in 1946 Inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1977
Criticism
Sign at the old entrance to the Pro Football Hall of Fame
The small number of candidates elected each year has helped foster what some perceive as an inequality of representation at certain positions or in certain categories of player, to the exclusion of defensive players in general (defensive backs and outside linebackers in particular), special teams players, wide receivers, and those from the "seniors" category. There has also been criticism that deserving players have been overlooked because they played most or all of their careers on poor teams.[29]
In 2009, a New York Times article criticized the Hall for not including punter Ray Guy on its ballot.[30] Guy was eventually inducted as part of the 2014 class for the Hall of Fame.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is unique among North American major league sports halls of fame in that officials have been generally excluded. Only two figures, both inducted for their work as supervisor or director of officiating as opposed to game officiating—1966 inductee Hugh "Shorty" Ray[31] and 2022 inductee Art McNally—have been enshrined; McNally is the only inductee in the Hall to have experience as an in-game official.[32][33] The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and Hockey Hall of Fame have each inducted game officials as members.
Another prominent absence from the Hall is sports-journalist Howard Cosell, who has yet to either be awarded the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award or even get fully inducted despite his well-known association with Monday Night Football; an August 2010 Sports Illustrated article hints that Cosell may have even been "blacklisted" by the NFL.[34][35]
As the late 2010s approached, a number of controversial and polarizing figures began to reach eligibility for the Hall. For example, Darren Sharper's career achievements make him a candidate for the Hall, but there is debate over whether he should be inducted due to his conviction on multiple rape and drug distribution charges after he retired.[36]
Terrell Owens' exclusion from the Hall in his first two years of eligibility despite his strong individual statistics was a subject of public debate:[37] while Owens was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2018, he refused to attend the enshrinement ceremony.[38]
See also
List of Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees
Touchdown Club Charities Hall of Fame
Canadian Football Hall of Fame
Arena Football Hall of Fame
Indoor Football League Hall of Fame
Dick McCann Memorial Award—sometimes referred to as the "writer's wing" of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award
John Bunn Award: the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame's comparable award
The Super Bowl is the annual league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game has been played on the second Sunday in February. Prior Super Bowls were played on Sundays in early to mid-January from 1967 to 1978, late January from 1979 to 2003,[a] and the first Sunday of February from 2004 to 2021. Winning teams are awarded the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named after the eponymous coach who won the first two Super Bowls. Because the NFL restricts use of its "Super Bowl" trademark, it is frequently referred to as the "big game" or other generic terms by non-sponsoring corporations. The day the game is played is often referred to as "Super Bowl Sunday" or simply "Super Sunday".
The game was created as part of a 1966 merger agreement between the NFL and the competing American Football League (AFL) to have their 'best' teams compete for a championship. It was originally called the AFL–NFL World Championship Game until the "Super Bowl" moniker was adopted in 1969's Super Bowl III. The first four Super Bowls from 1967 to 1970 were played prior to the merger, with the NFL and AFL each winning two. After the merger in 1970, the 10 AFL teams and 3 of the NFL teams formed the American Football Conference (AFC), while the remaining 13 NFL teams formed the National Football Conference (NFC). All games since 1971's Super Bowl V have been played between the best team from each of the two conferences, with the NFC tied with the AFC 29–29 in wins.
Among the NFL's current 32 teams, 20 (11 NFC, nine AFC) have won a Super Bowl and 15 (eight AFC, seven NFC) hold multiple titles. The AFC's Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots have the most Super Bowl titles at six each. The Patriots also have the most Super Bowl appearances at 11.[1] Among NFC franchises, the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers are tied for both the most titles at five each and the most appearances at eight each. The Patriots and the Denver Broncos of the AFC hold the record for the most defeats in the Super Bowl at five each. The Baltimore Ravens of the AFC and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFC are the only franchises to be undefeated in multiple Super Bowls, having each won two. Among the 12 teams who have not won a Super Bowl, the AFC's Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, and Jacksonville Jaguars, and the NFC's Detroit Lions are the only four to have not appeared in the game.
The Super Bowl is among the world's most-watched single sporting events and frequently commands the largest audience among all American broadcasts during the year. It is second only to the UEFA Champions League final as the most watched annual club sporting event worldwide,[2] and the seven most-watched broadcasts in American television history are Super Bowls.[3] Commercial airtime during the Super Bowl broadcast is the most expensive of the year because of the high viewership, leading to companies regularly developing their most expensive advertisements for the broadcast and commercial viewership becoming an integral part of the event. The Super Bowl is also the second-largest event for American food consumption, behind Thanksgiving dinner.[4]
Origin
The first Super Bowl at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Since the turn of the 20th century, college football teams from across the United States have scheduled "bowl games" against each other. The original "bowl game" was the Rose Bowl Game in Pasadena, California, which was first played in 1902 as the "Tournament East–West football game" as part of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses. In 1923, the Tournament East-West football game moved to the new Rose Bowl Stadium; the stadium got its name from the fact that the game played there was part of the Tournament of Roses and that it was shaped like a bowl, much like the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut. The Tournament of Roses football game thus eventually came to be known as the Rose Bowl Game. Exploiting the Rose Bowl Game's popularity, post-season college football contests were created for Miami (the Orange Bowl), New Orleans (the Sugar Bowl), and El Paso (the Sun Bowl) in 1935, and for Dallas (the Cotton Bowl) in 1937. By the time the first Super Bowl was played, the term "bowl" for any major American football game was well established.[5]
The Packers defeated the Chiefs in the first AFL–NFL Championship Game, Super Bowl I.
For four decades after its 1920 inception, the NFL successfully fended off several rival leagues. In 1960, it encountered its most serious competitor when the American Football League (AFL) was formed. The AFL vied with the NFL for players and fans. After the AFL's inaugural season, AFL commissioner Joe Foss sent an invitation to the NFL on January 14, 1961, to schedule a "World Playoff" game between the two leagues' champions, beginning with the upcoming 1961 season.[6] The first World Playoff game, if actually played, would have matched up the AFL champion Houston Oilers against the NFL champion Green Bay Packers. However, it took a half-dozen more seasons for this idea to become a reality.[citation needed]
In the mid-1960s, Lamar Hunt, owner of the AFL's Kansas City Chiefs, first used the term "Super Bowl"[7] to refer to the AFL–NFL championship game in the merger meetings. Hunt later said the name was likely in his head because his children had been playing with a Super Ball toy;[8] a vintage example of the ball is on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. In a July 25, 1966, letter to NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle, Hunt wrote, "I have kiddingly called it the 'Super Bowl,' which obviously can be improved upon."
The leagues' owners chose the name "AFL–NFL Championship Game",[9] but in July 1966 the Kansas City Star quoted Hunt in discussing "the Super Bowl—that's my term for the championship game between the two leagues",[10] and the media immediately began using the term.[11] Although the league stated in 1967 that "not many people like it", asking for suggestions and considering alternatives such as "Merger Bowl" and "The Game", the Associated Press reported that "Super Bowl" "grew and grew and grew—until it reached the point that there was Super Week, Super Sunday, Super Teams, Super Players, ad infinitum".[9] "Super Bowl" became official beginning with the third annual game.[12]
Roman numerals are used to identify each Super Bowl, rather than the year in which it is held, since the fifth edition, in January 1971.[13] The sole exception to this naming convention tradition occurred with Super Bowl 50, which was played on February 7, 2016, following the 2015 regular season. The following year, the nomenclature returned to Roman numerals for Super Bowl LI, following the 2016 regular season.
The Jets were the first AFL team to win a Super Bowl (Super Bowl III), defeating the Colts.
After the NFL's Green Bay Packers won the first two Super Bowls, some team owners feared for the future of the merger. At the time, many doubted the competitiveness of AFL teams compared with their NFL counterparts, though that perception changed when the AFL's New York Jets defeated the heavily favored NFL contender Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III in Miami. One year later, the AFL's Kansas City Chiefs defeated the NFL's Minnesota Vikings 23–7 in Super Bowl IV in New Orleans, which was the final AFL–NFL World Championship Game played before the merger. Beginning with the 1970 season, the NFL realigned into two conferences; the former AFL teams plus three NFL teams (the Baltimore Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Cleveland Browns) would constitute the American Football Conference (AFC), while the remaining NFL clubs would form the National Football Conference (NFC). The champions of the two conferences would play each other in the Super Bowl.
The winning team receives the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named after the former coach of the Green Bay Packers, who won the first two Super Bowl games as well as five NFL championships preceding the merger in 1961, 1962, 1965, 1966 and 1967. Following Lombardi's death in September 1970, the trophy was named after him. The first trophy awarded under the new name was presented to the Baltimore Colts following their win in Super Bowl V in Miami.
Game history
For a full list of Super Bowl games and champions, see List of Super Bowl champions.
The Super Bowl was held in January from its inception until 2002, when the week of games following the September 11 attacks were postponed and rescheduled, extending the season by a week and causing Super Bowl XXXVI to be played on February 3. Beginning with Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004, the Super Bowl was scheduled for the first Sunday in February until the schedule expansion of the 2021 season moved the game to the second Sunday.[14]
The current NFL schedule begins on the weekend immediately after Labor Day (the first Monday in September). That weekend is the first of an 18-week regular season, followed by three weeks of playoff games and one week for the Pro Bowl. The Super Bowl is contested the week after the Pro Bowl. This schedule has been in effect since an 18th week (and 17th regular season game) were added to the NFL schedule for the 2021 season, with Super Bowl LVI on February 13, 2022, the first to be played under this format.
The Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots are tied with a record six Super Bowl wins. The Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers have five victories each, while the Packers, Chiefs and New York Giants have four. Fourteen other NFL franchises have won at least one Super Bowl.
The Patriots own the record for most Super Bowl appearances with eleven. The Cowboys, Steelers, Broncos and the 49ers are tied for second with eight appearances apiece, reaching that milestone in this respective order. Bill Belichick owns the record for the most Super Bowl wins (eight) and appearances (twelve: nine times as head coach, once as assistant head coach, and twice as defensive coordinator) by an individual. Tom Brady has the most Super Bowl starts (ten) and wins as a player (seven), while Charles Haley has the second-most wins among players with five.
Eight teams have appeared in Super Bowl games without a win. The Minnesota Vikings were the first team to appear four times without a win, while the Buffalo Bills played in a record four consecutive Super Bowls, losing in each. The Patriots and Broncos are tied for the most Super Bowl losses at five.
The Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, and Jacksonville Jaguars are the four teams to have never appeared in a Super Bowl, although the Browns and Lions both won NFL championships before the Super Bowl era. The Jaguars, who began play in 1995, and the Texans, who began play in 2002, are among the youngest franchises in the league.
1960s: Early history and Packers dominance
The Packers won the first two AFL–NFL World Championship Games, later renamed Super Bowls, defeating the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders following the 1966 and 1967 seasons, respectively. The Packers were led by quarterback Bart Starr, who was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) for both games. These two championships, coupled with the Packers' NFL championships in 1961, 1962, and 1965, amount to the most successful stretch in NFL History; five championships in seven years, and the second threepeat in NFL history (1965, 1966, and 1967). The Packers are the only team to threepeat, as they also accomplished the feat in the pre-playoff era (1929, 1930 and 1931). The first playoff game in the NFL was in 1932.
In Super Bowl III, the AFL's New York Jets defeated the 19.5-point favorite Baltimore Colts of the NFL, 16–7. The Jets were led by quarterback Joe Namath, who had famously guaranteed a Jets win before the game, and former Colts head coach Weeb Ewbank, and their victory proved that the AFL was the NFL's competitive equal. This was reinforced the following year when the Chiefs defeated the NFL's Vikings 23–7 in Super Bowl IV.
1970s: Dominant franchises
After the AFL–NFL merger was completed in 1970, three franchises—the Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, and Steelers—would go on to dominate the 1970s, winning a combined eight Super Bowls between them in the decade, with the Steelers winning four of the eight.
The Baltimore Colts, now a member of the AFC, would start the decade by defeating the Cowboys in Super Bowl V, a game which is notable as being the only Super Bowl to date in which a player from the losing team won the Super Bowl MVP (Cowboys' linebacker Chuck Howley). Beginning with this Super Bowl, all Super Bowls have served as the NFL's championship game.
The Steelers defeated the Rams in Super Bowl XIV to win an unprecedented four championships in six years.
The Cowboys, coming back from a loss the previous season, won Super Bowl VI over the Dolphins. However, this would be the Dolphins' final loss for over a year, as the next year, the Dolphins would go 14–0 in the regular season and eventually win all their playoff games, capped off with a 14–7 victory in Super Bowl VII, becoming the first and only team to finish an entire perfect regular and postseason. The Dolphins would repeat as league champions by winning Super Bowl VIII a year later.
In the mid to late 1970s, the Steelers became the first NFL dynasty of the post-merger era by winning four Super Bowls (IX, X, XIII, and XIV) in six years. They were led by head coach Chuck Noll, the play of offensive stars Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, and Mike Webster, and their dominant "Steel Curtain" defense, led by "Mean" Joe Greene, L. C. Greenwood, Ernie Holmes, Mel Blount, Jack Ham, and Jack Lambert. Many of the team's key players were selected in the 1974 draft, in which Pittsburgh selected four future Hall of Famers, the most for any team in any sport in a single draft.[15] A fifth player, Donnie Shell, was signed by Pittsburgh after going unselected in the 1974 NFL Draft; he too was later enshrined in the Hall of Fame.[16] The Steelers were the first team to win three and then four Super Bowls and appeared in six AFC Championship Games during the decade, making the playoffs in eight straight seasons. Pittsburgh still remains the only team to win back-to-back Super Bowls twice and four Super Bowls in a six-year period.
The Steelers' 1970s dynasty was interrupted only by the Raiders' first Super Bowl win in Super Bowl XI and the Cowboys' second Super Bowl win in Super Bowl XII. Conversely, the Vikings, with their Purple People Eaters defense, were the only other team to appear in multiple Super Bowls (IV, VIII, IX and XI) during the decade but failed to win each one.
1981–1996: The NFC's winning streak
In the 1980s and 1990s, the tables turned for the AFC, as the NFC dominated the Super Bowls of the new decade and most of those in the 1990s. The NFC won 16 of the 20 Super Bowls during these two decades, including 13 straight from Super Bowl XIX to Super Bowl XXXI.
The 49ers against the Dolphins in Super Bowl XIX
The most successful team of the 1980s was the 49ers, which featured the West Coast offense of Hall of Fame head coach Bill Walsh. This offense was led by three-time Super Bowl MVP and Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana, Super Bowl MVP and Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice, running back Roger Craig, and Hall of Fame defensive safety/cornerback Ronnie Lott. Under their leadership, the 49ers won four Super Bowls in the decade (XVI, XIX, XXIII, and XXIV) and made nine playoff appearances between 1981 and 1990, including eight division championships, becoming the second dynasty of the post-merger NFL. The 1984 San Francisco 49ers were the first team to achieve an 18–1 record, doing so under Walsh. The 1989 San Francisco 49ers, under first-year head coach George Seifert, posted the most lop-sided victory in Super Bowl history, defeating the Denver Broncos by a score of 55–10 in Super Bowl XXIV.
The 1980s also produced the 1985 Chicago Bears, who posted an 18–1 record under head coach Mike Ditka; quarterback Jim McMahon; and Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton. Their team won Super Bowl XX in dominant fashion. The Washington Redskins and New York Giants were also top teams of this period; Washington won Super Bowls XVII, XXII, and XXVI. The Giants claimed Super Bowls XXI and XXV. Both teams won multiple Super Bowls with different starting quarterbacks; Washington won with Joe Theismann (XVII), Doug Williams (XXII) and Mark Rypien (XXVI), and the Giants with Phil Simms (XXI) and Jeff Hostetler (XXV). As in the 1970s, the Raiders were the only AFC team to interrupt the Super Bowl dominance of NFC teams; they won Super Bowls XV and XVIII (the latter as the Los Angeles Raiders).
Conversely, the Cincinnati Bengals (XVI and XXIII), Dolphins, (XVII and XIX), and Broncos (XXI, XXII and XXIV) made multiple Super Bowls in the 1980s without winning one.
Following several seasons with poor records in the 1980s, the Cowboys rose back to prominence in the 1990s. During this decade, the Cowboys made post-season appearances every year except for the seasons of 1990 and 1997. From 1992 to 1996, the Cowboys won their division championship each year. In this same period, the Buffalo Bills had made their mark reaching the Super Bowl for a record four consecutive years, only to lose all four (XXV-XXVIII). After Super Bowl championships by division rivals New York (1990) and Washington (1991), the Cowboys won three of the next four Super Bowls (XXVII, XXVIII, and XXX) led by quarterback Troy Aikman, running back Emmitt Smith, and wide receiver Michael Irvin. All three of these players went to the Hall of Fame. The Cowboys' streak was interrupted by the 49ers, who were the first team to win their league-leading fifth title overall with Super Bowl XXIX with a dominant performance featuring the Super Bowl MVP and Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young (who threw a Super Bowl record 6 touchdown passes), Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice, and Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders; however, the Cowboys' victory in Super Bowl XXX the next year also gave them five titles overall and they did so with Sanders after he won the Super Bowl the previous year with the 49ers. The NFC's winning streak was continued by the Packers led by Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre, won Super Bowl XXXI, their first championship since Super Bowl II in 1967.
The Patriots made their maiden Super Bowl appearances in XX (1985) and XXXI (1996) but lost both times. However, the turn of the century would soon bring hope and glory to the franchise.
1997–2009: AFC resurgence and the rise of the Patriots
See also: Brady-Belichick era
Super Bowl XXXII saw quarterback John Elway and running back Terrell Davis lead the Denver Broncos to an upset victory over the defending champion Packers, snapping the NFC's thirteen-year winning streak. The following year, the Broncos defeated the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII, Elway's fifth Super Bowl appearance, his second NFL championship, and his final NFL game. The back-to-back victories heralded a change in momentum in which AFC teams would win nine out of 12 Super Bowls. In the years between 1995 and 2018, five teams—the Steelers, Patriots, Broncos, Baltimore Ravens, and Indianapolis Colts—accounted for 22 of the 24 AFC Super Bowl appearances (including the last 16), with those same teams often meeting each other earlier in the playoffs. In contrast, the NFC saw a different representative in the Super Bowl every season from 2001 through 2010.
The Patriots playing against the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX
The New England Patriots became the dominant team throughout the early 2000s, winning the championship three out of four years early in the decade. They would become only the second team in the history of the NFL to do so (after the 1990s Dallas Cowboys). In Super Bowl XXXVI, first-year starting quarterback Tom Brady led his team to a 20–17 upset victory over the St. Louis Rams, who two seasons earlier won Super Bowl XXXIV. Brady would go on to win the MVP award for this game. The Patriots also won Super Bowls XXXVIII[17] and XXXIX defeating the Carolina Panthers and the Philadelphia Eagles respectively. This four-year stretch of Patriot dominance was interrupted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 48–21 Super Bowl XXXVII victory over the Oakland Raiders.
The Steelers and Colts continued the era of AFC dominance by winning Super Bowls XL and XLI in the 2005 and 2006 seasons, respectively defeating the Seattle Seahawks and Chicago Bears.
In the 2007 season, the Patriots became the fourth team in NFL history to have a perfect unbeaten and untied regular-season record, the second in the Super Bowl era after the 1972 Miami Dolphins, and the first to finish 16–0. They easily marched through the AFC playoffs and were heavy favorites in Super Bowl XLII. However, they lost that game to Eli Manning and the New York Giants 17–14, leaving the Patriots' 2007 record at 18–1.
The following season, the Steelers logged their record sixth Super Bowl title (XLIII) in a 27–23, final-minute victory against the Arizona Cardinals.
The 2009 season saw the New Orleans Saints defeat the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV by a score of 31–17 to take home their first Championship. With this victory, the Saints joined the New York Jets as the only teams to have won in their sole Super Bowl appearance, a distinction the Ravens also enjoyed in winning Super Bowl XXXV after the 2000 season and the Buccaneers in 2002.
2010s: Patriots reign; parity in the NFC
The New England Patriots postgame speech after Super Bowl LI, February 5, 2017
The Philadelphia Eagles are presented with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl LII, February 4, 2018
In the AFC, this era was dominated by the Patriots, with the only four other teams to represent the conference being the Steelers, Ravens, Broncos, and Chiefs. The Patriots had tied a record with the 1970s Dallas Cowboys for most Super Bowl appearances in a decade with five appearances (2011, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018). The Patriots also had four Super Bowl appearances in five years. They also had eight consecutive AFC championship appearances spanning 2011–2018.
The Super Bowls of the 2000s and 2010s are notable for the performances (and the pedigrees) of several of the participating quarterbacks, especially on the AFC side in repeated appearances by the same teams and players. In particular, Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, or Peyton Manning appeared as the AFC team's quarterback in all but two of the Super Bowls from 2001 through 2018. Conversely, the only NFC teams to make the Super Bowl multiple times with the same quarterback in this era were the Seahawks, led by quarterback Russell Wilson, and the Giants, led by quarterback Eli Manning.
One of these teams was featured in the culmination of the 2010 season, Super Bowl XLV, which brought the Packers their fourth Super Bowl victory and record thirteenth NFL championship overall with the defeat of the Steelers in February 2011. This became Aaron Rodgers' only Super Bowl victory so far.
The following year, in Super Bowl XLVI, the Patriots made their first appearance of the decade, a position where they would become a mainstay. The Patriots, however, lost to the Eli Manning-led Giants, 21–17, who had beaten the Patriots four years before. This was the Giants' fourth Super Bowl victory.
In Super Bowl XLVII, the NFC's 49ers were defeated by the Ravens 34–31. The game had been dubbed as the 'Harbaugh Bowl' in the weeks leading up to the game, due to the fact that the coaches of the two teams, John Harbaugh and Jim Harbaugh, are brothers. During the third quarter, the Ravens had a commanding 28–6 lead. However, there was a blackout in New Orleans, where the game was being played. The game was delayed for 34 minutes, and after play resumed, San Francisco stormed back with 17 straight points, but still lost.
Super Bowl XLVIII, played at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium in February 2014, was the first Super Bowl held outdoors in a cold-weather environment. The Seahawks won their first NFL title with a 43–8 defeat of the Broncos, in a highly touted matchup that pitted Seattle's top-ranked defense against a Peyton Manning-led Denver offense that had broken the NFL's single-season scoring record.
In Super Bowl XLIX, the Patriots beat the defending Super Bowl champions, the Seahawks, by a score of 28–24. Down by 10, the Patriots mounted a late fourth quarter comeback to win the game with Tom Brady scoring two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. In a key play in the final seconds of the game, then-rookie free agent Malcolm Butler would intercept a pass by Russell Wilson at the one-yard line, allowing the Patriots to run out the clock and end the game. Tom Brady was awarded his third Super Bowl MVP, tying Joe Montana for the most Super Bowl MVP awards.
In Super Bowl 50, the first Super Bowl to be branded with Arabic numerals, the Broncos, led by the league's top-ranked defense, defeated the Panthers, who had the league's top-ranked offense, in what became the final game of quarterback Peyton Manning's career. Von Miller dominated, totaling 2.5 sacks and forcing two Cam Newton fumbles; both fumbles leading to Broncos touchdowns.
In Super Bowl LI, the first Super Bowl to end in overtime, the Atlanta Falcons led 28–3 late in the third quarter; however, they squandered the lead as the Patriots would tie the game 28–28 on back to back touchdowns and two-point conversions. The Falcons lost to the Patriots 34–28 in overtime. This 25-point deficit would be the largest comeback win for any team in a Super Bowl, breaking the previous of 10-point deficit to come back and win. The Patriots never held the lead until the game-winning touchdown in overtime. Tom Brady was awarded his record fourth Super Bowl MVP and 5th win as a Super Bowl Champion, throwing a then-record 466 yards for 43 completions.
In Super Bowl LII, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the defending champion Patriots, 41–33, ending a 57-year championship drought for the franchise. Nick Foles won the Super Bowl MVP. The Patriots totaled 613 yards in defeat, with Tom Brady breaking his previous Super Bowl record of 466 passing yards with an all-time playoff record of 505 passing yards in the high-scoring game; while the Eagles would gain 538 yards in the victory. The combined total of 1,151 yards of offense for both teams broke an NFL record (for any game) that had stood for nearly seven decades. The Patriots' 33 points were the highest losing score in Super Bowl history, a record held until 2023, when the Eagles lost Super Bowl LVII to the Kansas City Chiefs by a score of 38–35. It was the Eagles' third Super Bowl appearance and their first win in franchise history. With the Eagles' victory, the NFC East became the first division to have each team win at least one Super Bowl.
While Super Bowl LII produced the second highest-scoring Super Bowl, the following year's Super Bowl LIII became the lowest-scoring Super Bowl. The Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 13–3. In so doing, they became the team with the lowest point total by a winning team in Super Bowl history. Tom Brady would receive a record sixth Super Bowl championship, the most of any player in NFL history, surpassing his tie with Charles Haley for five wins. Brady would also become the oldest player to ever win a Super Bowl at age 41, while Bill Belichick would be the oldest coach to ever win a Super Bowl at age 66. Wide receiver Julian Edelman was named Super Bowl MVP.
2020s: Beginning of Chiefs' dominance
In Super Bowl LIV, the Chiefs defeated the 49ers in a comeback, 31–20, for their first Super Bowl title in 50 years. This victory marked the first time since 1991 that the NFC did not have more Super Bowl victories than the AFC. Notable was the absence of the Patriots, who after making it to the Super Bowl the last three years and winning two of them, had lost in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, being bested by the Tennessee Titans 20–13. That game represented Tom Brady's final game as a New England Patriot.
In Super Bowl LV, which took place in Tampa, Florida, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the defending champion Chiefs, 31–9.[18] No player on the Buccaneers who scored points (Rob Gronkowski, Antonio Brown, Leonard Fournette and Ryan Succop) was on the Buccaneers' roster the previous season. This marked a record seventh Super Bowl victory for Tom Brady, also more than any individual NFL franchise, and who would also break his own record for the oldest quarterback to win a championship at 43 years old. Tampa Bay head coach Bruce Arians would also break Bill Belichick's record for the oldest head coach to win a championship at 68. Super Bowl LV also marked the first time in the history of the modern league that a host city's professional football franchise got to play in a Super Bowl that was hosted in their home stadium.
A year later in Inglewood, California, the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23–20 to win Super Bowl LVI, becoming the second team to win the Super Bowl in its home stadium.[19]
On February 12, 2023, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, the Chiefs overcame a 10-point deficit at halftime to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles 38–35, winning Super Bowl LVII on a last-minute field goal.[20]
On February 11, 2024, the Chiefs won Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium on an overtime touchdown. The Chiefs yet again came back from a 10-point deficit. The first Super Bowl in Las Vegas, this was a rematch of Super Bowl LIV between the 49ers and the Chiefs. The second Super Bowl to go into overtime, the Chiefs won in their fourth appearance in five years to secure back-to-back championships for the first time since the 2004 New England Patriots.[21]
Television coverage and ratings
Main article: Super Bowl television ratings
See also: List of most watched television broadcasts in the United States
The Super Bowl XXXV broadcasting compound, full of satellite trucks
The Super Bowl is one of the most-watched annual sporting events in the world, with viewership overwhelmingly domestic.[2] The only other annual event that gathers more viewers is the UEFA Champions League final.[2] For many years, the Super Bowl has possessed a large US and global television viewership, and it is often the most-watched United States originating television program of the year.[22] The game tends to have a high Nielsen television rating, which is usually around a 40 rating and 60 shares. This means that, on average, more than 100 million people from the United States alone are tuned into the Super Bowl at any given moment.
In press releases preceding the game, the NFL has claimed that the Super Bowl has a potential worldwide audience of around one billion people in over 200 countries.[23] However, this figure refers to the number of people able to watch the game, not the number of people who will actually be watching. Regardless, the statements have been frequently misinterpreted in the media as referring to the latter figure, leading to a misperception about the game's actual global audience.[24][25] The New York-based media research firm Initiative measured the global audience for the Super Bowl XXXIX at 93 million people, with 98 percent of that figure being viewers in North America, which meant roughly two million people outside North America watched the Super Bowl that year.[24]
Super Bowl LVIII holds the record for average number of US viewers, with 123.7 million, making the game the most-viewed television broadcast of any kind in American history. The halftime show set a record with 129.2 million viewers tuning in.[26]
The highest-rated game according to Nielsen was Super Bowl XVI in 1982, which was watched in 49.1% of households (73 shares), or 40,020,000 households at the time. Ratings for that game, a San Francisco victory over Cincinnati, may have been aided by a large blizzard that had affected much of the northeastern United States on game day, leaving residents to stay at home more than usual.[citation needed] Super Bowl XVI still ranks fourth on Nielsen's list of top-rated programs of all time, with three other Super Bowls (XVII, XX, and XLIX) in the top ten.
Famous Super Bowl commercials include the 1984 introduction of Apple's Macintosh computer, the Budweiser "Bud Bowl" campaign, and the dot-com ads aired during Super Bowl XXXIV. As the television ratings of the Super Bowl have steadily increased over the years, commercial prices have also increased, with advertisers paying as much as $7 million for a thirty-second spot during Super Bowl LVI in 2022.[27] A segment of the audience tunes into the Super Bowl solely to view commercials.[28] In 2010, Nielsen reported that 51 percent of Super Bowl viewers tune in for the commercials.[29]
Since 1991, the Super Bowl has begun between 6:19 and 6:40 PM EST so that most of the game is played during the primetime hours on the East Coast.[30]
US television rights
See also: List of Super Bowl broadcasters and National Football League on television
Throughout most of its history, the Super Bowl has been rotated annually between the same American television networks that broadcast the NFL's regular season and postseason games.
Super Bowl I, played in 1967, is the only Super Bowl to have been broadcast in the United States by two different broadcasters simultaneously. At the time, NBC held the rights to nationally televise AFL games while CBS had the rights to broadcast NFL games. Both networks were allowed to cover the game, and each network used its own announcers, but NBC was only allowed to use the CBS feed instead of producing its own.[31][32]
Beginning with Super Bowl II, NBC televised the game in even years and CBS in odd years. This annual rotation between the two networks continued through the 1970 AFL–NFL merger when NBC was given the rights to televise AFC games and CBS winning the rights to broadcast NFC games. Although ABC began broadcasting Monday Night Football in 1970, it was not added to the Super Bowl rotation until Super Bowl XIX, played in 1985. ABC, CBS and NBC then continued to rotate the Super Bowl until 1994, when Fox replaced CBS as the NFC broadcaster. CBS then took NBC's place in the rotation after the former replaced the latter as the AFC broadcaster in 1998. As a result of new contracts signed in 2006, with NBC taking over Sunday Night Football from ESPN, and Monday Night Football moving from ABC to ESPN, NBC took ABC's place in the Super Bowl rotation. The rotation between CBS, Fox, and NBC will continue until the new contracts that will take effect for the first time with Super Bowl LVIII, allowing ABC to return and starting a four-network rotation.[33]
The four-year rotation beginning with Super Bowl LVIII also allows each broadcaster to offer simulcasts or alternative broadcasts on its sister networks and platforms.[33] CBS's sister network Nickelodeon is planning to air an alternate children-oriented telecast of Super Bowl LVIII.[34] And ABC's rights include ESPN simulcasts and alternative broadcasts on other ESPN networks.[33]
The NFL has broken the traditional broadcasting rotation if it can be used to bolster other major sporting events a network airs afterwards.[35][36][37] For example, CBS was given Super Bowl XXVI (1992) after it won the rights to air the 1992 Winter Olympics, with NBC subsequently airing Super Bowl XXVII (1993) and Super Bowl XXVIII (1994) in consecutive years. Likewise, NBC aired Super Bowl LVI (2022) instead of CBS during the 2022 Winter Olympics, which were also aired by NBC.[37] CBS received Super Bowl LV (2021) in return.[37] Under the four-network rotation that will take effect beginning in 2024, the league will award NBC the Super Bowl during Winter Olympic years.[33]
The first six Super Bowls were blacked out in the television markets of the host cities, due to league restrictions then in place. Super Bowl VII (1973) was telecast in Los Angeles on an experimental basis after all tickets were sold ten days before the game.[38]
Game analyst John Madden is the only person to broadcast a Super Bowl for each of the four networks that have televised the game (five with CBS, three with Fox, two with ABC, and one with NBC).
Network Number broadcast Years broadcast Future scheduled telecasts[*]
ABC 7 (9[ˇ]) 1985, 1988, 1991, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2006 2027, 2031[ˇ]
Fox 10 (13[ˇ]) 1997, 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2014, 2017, 2020, 2023 2025, 2029, 2033[ˇ]
NBC 20 (23[ˇ]) 1967,[**] 1969, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1986, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2022 2026, 2030, 2034[ˇ]
CBS 22 (24[ˇ]) 1967,[**] 1968, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1987, 1990, 1992, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024 2028, 2032[ˇ]
Note: Years listed are the year the game was actually played (will be played[ˇ]) rather than what NFL season it is considered to have been.
^ *: The current TV contract with the networks expires after the 2033 season (or in early 2034). Under the deal, the Super Bowl is currently rotated annually between CBS, Fox, NBC, and ABC in that order. ABC will return to the rotation in the upcoming contract, which is scheduled to take effect at the start of the 2023 season.[33]
^ **: The first Super Bowl was simultaneously broadcast by CBS and NBC, with each network using the same video feed (from CBS), but providing its own commentary.
Lead-out programming
See also: List of Super Bowl lead-out programs
The Super Bowl provides an extremely strong lead-in to programming following it on the same channel, the effects of which can last for several hours. For instance, in discussing the ratings of a local TV station, Buffalo television critic Alan Pergament noted that following Super Bowl XLVII, which aired on CBS: "A paid program that ran on CBS 4 (WIVB-TV) at 2:30 in the morning had a 1.3 rating. That's higher than some CW prime time shows get on WNLO-TV, Channel 4's sister station."[39]
Because of this strong coattail effect, the network that airs the Super Bowl typically takes advantage of the large audience to air an episode of a hit series or to premiere the pilot of a promising new one in the lead-out slot, which immediately follows the Super Bowl and post-game coverage.
Ceremonies and entertainment
See also: List of national anthem performers at the Super Bowl and List of Super Bowl halftime shows
Initially, it was sort of a novelty and so it didn't quite feel right. But it was just like, this is the year ... Bands of our generation, you can sort of be seen on a stage like this or, like, not seen. There's not a lot of middle places. It is a tremendous venue.
— Bruce Springsteen on why he turned down several invitations to perform at the Super Bowl before finally agreeing to appear in Super Bowl XLIII[40]
Jennifer Hudson sings the national anthem at Super Bowl XLIII
Closing the opening ceremony of the Super Bowl 50
Early Super Bowls featured a halftime show consisting of marching bands from local colleges or high schools; but as the popularity of the game increased, a trend where popular singers and musicians performed during its pre-game ceremonies and the halftime show, or simply sang the national anthem of the United States, "America the Beautiful" or "Lift Every Voice And Sing" emerged.[41]
The U.S. national anthem has been performed at all but one Super Bowl: Super Bowl XI in 1977 when Vikki Carr sang "America the Beautiful" in place of the anthem. Beginning with Super Bowl XLIII in 2009, "America the Beautiful" is sung before the national anthem every year and is followed by the presentation of the colors and a military flyover preceded the anthem. Beginning with Super Bowl LV in 2021, "Lift Every Voice And Sing" is sung prior to "America the Beautiful" in honor of Black History Month.
For many years, Whitney Houston's performance of the national anthem at Super Bowl XXV in 1991, during the Gulf War, had long been regarded as one of the best renditions of the anthem in history.[42][43][44] Before Super Bowl XLVIII, soprano Renée Fleming became the first opera singer to perform the anthem.
Recently,[when?] the winner of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award has been acknowledged before "America the Beautiful" and "The Star-Spangled Banner".
Since Super Bowl XII in 1978, a former football player, a celebrity, or another special guest participates in the coin toss ceremony to recognize their community involvement or significance.
The pre-game ceremonies usually go in the following order:[citation needed]
Presentation of the Most Valuable Players, occurred every ten years since 1986
"Lift Every Voice and Sing"
Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award presentation
"America the Beautiful"
Presentation of the Colors
"The Star-Spangled Banner" followed by flyover
Coin Toss
Unlike regular season or playoff games, thirty minutes are allocated for the Super Bowl halftime. After a special live episode of the Fox sketch comedy series In Living Color caused a drop in viewership for the Super Bowl XXVI halftime show, the NFL sought to increase the Super Bowl's audience by hiring A-list talent to perform. They approached Michael Jackson, whose performance the following year drew higher figures than the game itself.[45][46] Another notable performance came during Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002, when U2 performed; during their third song, "Where the Streets Have No Name", the band played under a large projection screen which scrolled through names of the victims of the September 11 attacks.
The halftime show of Super Bowl XXXVIII attracted controversy, following an incident in which Justin Timberlake removed a piece of Janet Jackson's top, briefly exposing one of her breasts before the broadcast quickly cut away from the shot. The incident led to fines being issued by the FCC (and a larger crackdown over "indecent" content broadcast on television), and MTV (then a sister to the game's broadcaster that year, CBS, under Viacom) being banned by the NFL from producing the Super Bowl halftime show in the future. In an effort to prevent a repeat of the incident, the NFL held a moratorium on Super Bowl halftime shows featuring pop performers, and instead invited a single, headlining veteran act, such as Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Prince, and Bruce Springsteen. This practice ended at Super Bowl XLV, which returned to using current pop acts such as The Black Eyed Peas, Katy Perry, and Lady Gaga.[47][48]
Minnesota Vikings announcer Alan Roach is the official public address announcer of the Super Bowl since Super Bowl XL in 2006, with the exceptions of Super Bowl XLVIII, XLIX and 50 when the Denver Broncos played in those games. Roach was also Denver's regular P.A. announcer during those years, and thus the league felt it was a potential competitive advantage. In those years, NFL on Westwood One host and NFL Films voice Scott Graham held the duties.[49]
Excluding Super Bowl XXXIX, the famous "I'm going to Disney World!" advertising campaign took place in every Super Bowl since Super Bowl XXI in 1987, when quarterback Phil Simms from the Giants became the first player to say the tagline.
Venues
For a full list of Super Bowl games and venues, see List of Super Bowl champions.
The Caesars Superdome has hosted seven Super Bowls, more than any other stadium.
Hard Rock Stadium has hosted six out of the record eleven Super Bowls played in the Miami metropolitan area.
As of Super Bowl LVII, 29 of 57 Super Bowls have been played in three metropolitan areas: the Greater Miami area (eleven times),[50] New Orleans (ten times), and the Greater Los Angeles area (eight times). No market or region without an active NFL franchise has ever hosted a Super Bowl, and the presence of an NFL team in a market or region is now a de jure requirement for bidding on the game.[51][52] For instance, while Los Angeles has been an eight-time host city, with its most recent being Super Bowl LVI in 2022, it did not host one from the departure of both its NFL teams in 1995 until the Rams and the Chargers subsequently came back to Los Angeles in 2016 and 2017 respectively. The Caesars Superdome in New Orleans has hosted seven Super Bowls, the most of any venue, with an eighth Super Bowl scheduled to take place in 2025. The Orange Bowl was the only AFL stadium to host a Super Bowl and the only stadium to host consecutive Super Bowls, hosting Super Bowls II and III.
Seven Super Bowls have been held in a stadium other than the one the NFL team in that city was using at the time, a situation that has not arisen after Super Bowl XXVII's host stadium was selected on March 19, 1991. This was as the winning market was previously not required to host the Super Bowl in the same stadium that its NFL team used, if the stadium in which the Super Bowl was held was perceived to be a better stadium for a large high-profile event than the existing NFL home stadium in the same city; for example, five of Los Angeles's Bowls were played at the Rose Bowl, which has never been used by any NFL franchise outside of the Super Bowl. Besides the Rose Bowl, the only other Super Bowl venues that were not the home stadium to NFL teams at the time were Rice Stadium (the Houston Oilers had played in Rice Stadium previously but moved to the Astrodome several years before Super Bowl VIII) and Stanford Stadium. Starting with the selection of the Super Bowl XXVIII venue on May 23, 1990, the league has given preference in awarding the Super Bowl to brand new or recently renovated NFL stadiums, alongside a trend of teams demanding public money or relocating to play in new stadiums.
To date only two teams have qualified for a Super Bowl at their home stadiums: the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who won Super Bowl LV hosted at Raymond James Stadium (selected on May 23, 2017), and the 2021 Los Angeles Rams the following season, who won Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium. Before that, the closest any team had come to accomplishing this feat were the 2017 Minnesota Vikings, who reached the NFC Championship Game but lost to the Eagles. In that instance, U.S. Bank Stadium became the first Super Bowl host stadium (selected on May 20, 2014) to also host a Divisional Playoff Game in the same season (which the Vikings won); all previous times that the Super Bowl host stadium hosted another playoff game in the same postseason were all Wild Card games. Two teams have played the Super Bowl in their home market but at a different venue than their home stadium: the Los Angeles Rams, who lost Super Bowl XIV in the Rose Bowl instead of Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum; and the 49ers, who won Super Bowl XIX in Stanford Stadium instead of Candlestick Park, during a time when the league often picked a stadium that was not home to an NFL team to host the Super Bowl (see above).
Traditionally, the NFL does not award Super Bowls to stadiums that are located in climates with an expected average daily temperature less than 50 °F (10 °C) on game day unless the field can be completely covered by a fixed or retractable roof.[53] Six Super Bowls have been played in northern cities: two in the Detroit area—Super Bowl XVI at Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan, and Super Bowl XL at Ford Field in Detroit; two in Minneapolis—Super Bowl XXVI at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome and Super Bowl LII at the U.S. Bank Stadium; one in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium for Super Bowl XLVI; and one in the New York area—Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium. Only MetLife Stadium did not have a roof (be it fixed or retractable) but it was still picked as the host stadium for Super Bowl XLVIII in an apparent waiver of the warm-climate rule, with a contingency plan to reschedule the game in the event of heavy snowfall.[54] MetLife Stadium's selection over Sun Life Stadium generated controversy as the league requested a roof to be added to Sun Life Stadium (a venue afflicted with a heavy rainstorm during Super Bowl XLI) in order to be considered for future Super Bowls, which was done during a remodeling from 2015 into 2016. It then hosted Super Bowl LIV, and is scheduled to host Super Bowl LXIV.[55]
There have been a few instances where the league has rescinded the Super Bowl from cities. Super Bowl XXVII in 1993 was originally awarded to Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona, but after Arizona voters elected not to recognize Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a paid state employees' holiday in 1990, the NFL moved the game to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.[56] When voters in Arizona opted to create such a legal holiday in 1992, Super Bowl XXX in 1996 was awarded to Tempe. Super Bowl XXXIII was awarded first to Candlestick Park in San Francisco, but when plans to renovate the stadium fell through, the game was moved to Pro Player Stadium in greater Miami. Super Bowl XXXVII was awarded to a new stadium not yet built in San Francisco, but when that stadium failed to be built, the game was moved to Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. Super Bowl XLIV, slated for February 7, 2010, was withdrawn from New York City's proposed West Side Stadium, because the city, state, and proposed tenants (New York Jets) could not agree on funding. Super Bowl XLIV was then eventually awarded to Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Super Bowl XLIX in 2015 was originally given to Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, but after two sales taxes failed to pass at the ballot box (a renovation proposal had passed successfully, but a second ballot question to add a rolling roof structure to be shared with Kaufmann Stadium critical for the game to be hosted was rejected), and opposition by local business leaders and politicians increased, Kansas City eventually withdrew its request to host the game.[57] Super Bowl XLIX was then eventually awarded to University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Selection process
The location of the Super Bowl is chosen at a meeting of all NFL team owners, usually three to five years before the event. The game has never been played in a metropolitan area that lacked an NFL franchise at the time the game was played, although in 2007 NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suggested that a Super Bowl might be played in London, perhaps at Wembley Stadium.[58]
Through Super Bowl LVI, teams were allowed to bid for the rights to host Super Bowls, where cities submitted proposals to host a Super Bowl and were evaluated in terms of stadium renovation and their ability to host, but this competition was rescinded in 2018.[needs update][53][59] The league has made all decisions regarding hosting sites from Super Bowl LVII onward; the league chose a potential venue unilaterally, the chosen team put together a hosting proposal, and the league voted upon it to determine if it is acceptable.[60]
In 2014, a document listing the specific requirements of Super Bowl hosts was leaked, giving a clear list of what was required for a Super Bowl host.[61] Some of the host requirements include:
The host stadium must be in a market that hosts an NFL team and must have a minimum of 70,000 seats, with the media and electrical amenities necessary to produce the Super Bowl. Stadiums may include temporary seating for Super Bowls, but seating must be approved by the league. Stadiums where the average game day temperature is below 50 °F (10 °C) must either have a roof or a waiver given by the league. There must be a minimum of 35,000 parking spaces within one mile of the stadium.
The host stadium must have space for the Gameday Experience, a large pregame entertainment area, within walking distance of the stadium.
The host city must have space for the NFL Experience, the interactive football theme park which is operated the week before the Super Bowl. An indoor venue for the event must have a minimum of 850,000 square feet (79,000 m2), and an outdoor venue must have a minimum of 1,000,000 square feet (93,000 m2). Additionally, there must be space nearby for the Media Center, and space for all other events involved in the Super Bowl week, including golf courses and bowling alleys.
The necessary infrastructure must be in place around the stadium and other Super Bowl facilities, including parking, security, electrical needs, media needs, communication needs, and transportation needs.
There must be a minimum number of hotel spaces within one hour's drive of the stadium equaling 35% of the stadium's capacity, along with hotels for the teams, officials, media, and other dignitaries. (For Super Bowl XXXIX, the city of Jacksonville docked several luxury cruise liners at their port to act as temporary hotel space.[62])
There must be practice space of equal and comparable quality for both teams within a twenty-minute drive of the team hotels, and rehearsal space for all events within a reasonable distance to the stadium. The practice facilities must have one grass field and at least one field of the same surface as the host stadium.
The stadium must have a minimum of 70,000 fixed seats, including club and fixed suite seating, during regular season operations.
Much of the cost of a Super Bowl is to be assumed by the host community, although some costs are enumerated within the requirements to be assumed by the NFL. New Orleans, the site of Super Bowl XLVII in 2013, invested more than $1 billion in infrastructure improvements in the years leading up to the game.[63]
The NFL allocates backup stadiums for the Super Bowl every year, in the event of a last-minute relocation of the game.[64]
Home team designation
The designated "home team" alternates between the NFC team in odd-numbered games and the AFC team in even-numbered games.[65][66] This alternation was initiated with the first Super Bowl, when the Packers were the designated home team. Regardless of being the home or away team of record, each team has their team logo and wordmark painted in one of the end zones. Designated away teams have won 32 of 57 Super Bowls to date (approximately 56%).
Washington is one of six home teams that chose to wear the white jersey, shown here in Super Bowl XVII.
Since Super Bowl XIII in 1979, the home team is given the choice of wearing their colored or white jerseys. Originally, the designated home team had to wear their colored jerseys, which resulted in the Cowboys donning their less exposed[discuss] dark blue jerseys for Super Bowl V. While most of the home teams in the Super Bowl have chosen to wear their colored jerseys, there have been seven exceptions: the Cowboys during Super Bowls XIII and XXVII, the Washington Redskins during Super Bowl XVII, the Steelers during Super Bowl XL, the Broncos during Super Bowl 50, the Patriots in Super Bowl LII, and the Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV. The Cowboys, since 1964, have worn white jerseys at home. The Washington Redskins wore white at home under coach Joe Gibbs starting in 1981 through 1992, continued by Richie Petitbon and Norv Turner through 2000, then again when Gibbs returned from 2004 through 2007. Meanwhile, the Steelers, who have always worn their black jerseys at home since the AFL–NFL merger in 1970, opted for the white jerseys after winning three consecutive playoff games on the road, wearing white. The Steelers' decision was compared with the Patriots in Super Bowl XX; the Patriots had worn white jerseys at home during the 1985 season, but after winning road playoff games against the Jets and Dolphins wearing red jerseys, New England opted to switch to scarlet for the Super Bowl as the designated home team. For the Broncos in Super Bowl 50, Denver general manager John Elway simply stated, "We've had Super Bowl success in our white uniforms"; they previously had been 0–4 in Super Bowls when wearing their orange jerseys.[67][68] The Broncos' decision is also perceived to be made out of superstition, losing all Super Bowl games with the orange jerseys in terrible fashion. It is unclear why the Patriots chose to wear their white jerseys for Super Bowl LII. During the pairing of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, New England has mostly worn their blue jerseys for home games, but have worn white for a home game in the 2008, 2010, and 2011 seasons.[69] The Patriots were 3–0 in their white uniforms in Super Bowls before Super Bowl LII with Belichick and Brady,[70][71] and they may have been going on recent trends of teams who wear white for the Super Bowl game.[72][73][74] For Super Bowl LV, when the Buccaneers became the first team to reach the Super Bowl that their own stadium hosted, the Bucs coincidentally were designated the home team as per AFC-NFC rotation and elected to wear their white jerseys, having previously won both their divisional and championship post-season games on the road in white jerseys.[75] White-shirted teams have won 37 of 57 Super Bowls to date (65%). The only teams to win in their dark-colored uniform in more recent years are the Packers against the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV, the Eagles against the Patriots in Super Bowl LII, and the Chiefs against the 49ers in Super Bowls LIV and LVIII.[76] Since Super Bowl XXXIX, teams in white jerseys have won 16 of the last 20 Super Bowls.
The 49ers, as part of the league's 75th Anniversary celebration, used their 1955 throwback uniform in Super Bowl XXIX, which for that year was their regular home jersey. The Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII wore their royal blue and yellow uniforms, which was a throwback uniform but then turned into their primary colors over the navy blue and metallic gold uniform, which they have previously worn for six home games including a home playoff game.[77] No team has yet worn a third jersey or Color Rush uniform for the Super Bowl. The 49ers reportedly requested to wear an all-white third jersey ensemble for Super Bowl LIV, which the San Francisco Chronicle noted they could do with special permission from the league; the league never granted such permission, and the 49ers instead opted for their standard uniform of white jerseys with gold pants.[78]
Host cities/regions
For a full list of Super Bowl venues, see List of Super Bowl champions.
Super Bowl is located in the United StatesMiami Metro AreaMiami Metro AreaNew OrleansNew OrleansL.A. Metro AreaL.A. Metro AreaTampaTampaSan DiegoSan DiegoHoustonHoustonDetroit MetroDetroit MetroAtlantaAtlantaPhoenix Metro AreaPhoenix Metro AreaMinneapolisMinneapolisJacksonvilleJacksonvilleS.F. Bay AreaS.F. Bay AreaDallas‑Fort WorthDallas‑Fort WorthIndianapolisIndianapolisN.Y. Metro AreaN.Y. Metro AreaLas Vegas ValleyLas Vegas Valley
Super Bowl host cities/regions
Fifteen different regions have hosted Super Bowls.
City/Region No. hosted Years hosted
Miami Metropolitan Area 11 1968, 1969, 1971, 1976, 1979, 1989, 1995, 1999, 2007, 2010, 2020
New Orleans 10 (11)[ˇ] 1970, 1972, 1975, 1978, 1981, 1986, 1990, 1997, 2002, 2013, 2025[ˇ]
Greater Los Angeles 8 (9)[ˇ] 1967, 1973, 1977, 1980, 1983, 1987, 1993, 2022, 2027[ˇ]
Tampa 5 1984, 1991, 2001, 2009, 2021
Phoenix metropolitan area 4 1996, 2008, 2015, 2023
San Diego 3 1988, 1998, 2003
Houston 3 1974, 2004, 2017
Atlanta 3 1994, 2000, 2019
Metro Detroit 2 1982, 2006
San Francisco Bay Area 2 (3)[ˇ] 1985, 2016, 2026[ˇ]
Minneapolis 2 1992, 2018
Jacksonville 1 2005
Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex 1 2011
Indianapolis 1 2012
New York metropolitan area 1 2014
Las Vegas Valley 1 2024
Note: Years listed are the year the game was actually played (or will be played[ˇ]; future games are denoted through italics) rather than what NFL season it is considered to have been.
Host stadiums
A total of 27 different stadiums, seven of which have been since demolished, either have hosted or are scheduled to host Super Bowls.
The years listed in the table below are the years the game was actually played (will be played[ˇ]) rather than the NFL season it concluded.
Stadium Location No. hosted Years hosted
Caesars Superdome, formerly Louisiana Superdome and Mercedes-Benz Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana 7 (8[ˇ]) 1978, 1981, 1986, 1990, 1997, 2002, 2013, 2025[ˇ]
Hard Rock Stadium, formerly Joe Robbie Stadium, Pro Player Stadium, Dolphin Stadium, and Sun Life Stadium Miami Gardens, Florida[‡] 6 1989, 1995, 1999, 2007, 2010, 2020
Orange Bowl[^] Miami, Florida 5 1968, 1969, 1971, 1976, 1979
Rose Bowl Pasadena, California 5 1977, 1980, 1983, 1987, 1993
Tulane Stadium[^] New Orleans, Louisiana 3 1970, 1972, 1975
San Diego Stadium, formerly Qualcomm Stadium, Jack Murphy Stadium[^] San Diego, California 3 1988, 1998, 2003
Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Florida 3 2001, 2009, 2021
State Farm Stadium, formerly University of Phoenix Stadium Glendale, Arizona 3 2008, 2015, 2023
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, California 2 1967, 1973
Tampa Stadium[^] Tampa, Florida 2 1984, 1991
Georgia Dome[^] Atlanta, Georgia 2 1994, 2000
NRG Stadium, formerly Reliant Stadium Houston, Texas 2 2004, 2017
Rice Stadium Houston, Texas 1 1974
Pontiac Silverdome[^] Pontiac, Michigan 1 1982
Stanford Stadium[††] Stanford, California 1 1985
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome[^] Minneapolis, Minnesota 1 1992
Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, Arizona 1 1996
Alltel Stadium, Now EverBank Stadium, formerly Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, EverBank Field and TIAA Bank Field Jacksonville, Florida 1 2005
Ford Field Detroit, Michigan 1 2006
AT&T Stadium Arlington, Texas 1 2011
Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, Indiana 1 2012
MetLife Stadium East Rutherford, New Jersey 1 2014
Levi's Stadium Santa Clara, California 1 (2)[ˇ] 2016, 2026[ˇ]
U.S. Bank Stadium Minneapolis, Minnesota 1 2018
Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, Georgia 1 2019
SoFi Stadium Inglewood, California 1 (2)[ˇ] 2022, 2027[ˇ]
Allegiant Stadium Paradise, Nevada 1 2024
^ ^: Stadium has since been demolished.
^ ‡: Prior to the incorporation of Miami Gardens in 2003, the stadium was in unincorporated Miami-Dade County.
^ ††: The original Stanford Stadium, which hosted Super Bowl XIX, was demolished and a new stadium constructed on the site in 2006.
^ ˇ: Future Super Bowls, also denoted by italics.
Future venues
Year
[79] Venue Location
2025 Caesars Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana
2026 Levi's Stadium Santa Clara, California
2027 SoFi Stadium Inglewood, California
The Super Bowl has not yet been played in any region that lacked an NFL or AFL franchise at the time the game was played.[80]
San Diego is the only metropolitan area as of 2021 that has hosted past Super Bowls, but does not currently have an NFL franchise: San Diego Stadium hosted three Super Bowls before their NFL franchise relocated to Los Angeles. Also, London, England, has occasionally been mentioned as a host city for a Super Bowl in the near future.[81] Wembley Stadium has hosted several NFL games as part of the NFL International Series and is specifically designed for large, individual events, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has openly discussed the possibility on different occasions.[82][83][84][85]
Time zone complications are a significant obstacle to a Super Bowl in London; a typical 6:30 p.m. EST start would result in the game beginning at 11:30 p.m. local time in London: this is an unusually late hour to be holding spectator sports, while the NFL has never in its history started a game later than 9:15 p.m. local time.[85]
Although bids have been submitted for all Super Bowls through Super Bowl LIX, the soonest that any stadium outside the NFL's footprint could serve as host would be Super Bowl LXII in 2028.[86]
Eight stadiums that hosted at least one Super Bowl no longer exist:
Tulane Stadium, on the Tulane University campus, which hosted three Super Bowls, was demolished in November 1979.
Tampa Stadium, which hosted two Super Bowls, was demolished in April 1999.
Stanford Stadium, which hosted one Super Bowl, was demolished and redeveloped in 2005–06.
The Orange Bowl, which hosted five Super Bowls, was demolished in May 2008.
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, which hosted one Super Bowl, was demolished in March 2014.
The Georgia Dome in Atlanta, which hosted two Super Bowls, was demolished in November 2017.
The Pontiac Silverdome in suburban Detroit, which hosted one Super Bowl, was demolished in March 2018.
San Diego Stadium, which hosted three Super Bowls, closed in March 2020 and was demolished in early 2021.
Super Bowl trademark
The NFL very actively seeks to prevent what it calls unauthorized commercial use of its trademarked terms "NFL", "Super Bowl", and "Super Bowl Sunday".[87] As a result, many events and promotions tied to the game, but not sanctioned by the NFL, are asked to refer to it as "The Big Game", or other generic descriptions.[88][89] A radio spot for Planters nuts parodied this, by saying "it would be super ... to have a bowl ... of Planters nuts while watching the big game!" and comedian Stephen Colbert began referring to the game in 2014 as the "Superb Owl". In 2015, the NFL filed opposition with the USPTO Trademark Trial and Appeal Board to a trademark application submitted by an Arizona-based nonprofit for "Superb Owl".[90] The NFL claims that the use of the phrase "Super Bowl" implies an NFL affiliation, and on this basis the league asserts broad rights to restrict how the game may be shown publicly; for example, the league says Super Bowl showings are prohibited in churches or at other events that "promote a message", while non-sporting event venues are also prohibited to show the Super Bowl on any television screen larger than 55 inches.[91] Some critics say the NFL is exaggerating its ownership rights by stating that "any use is prohibited", as this contradicts the broad doctrine of fair use in the United States.[91] Legislation was proposed by Utah Senator Orrin Hatch in 2008 "to provide an exemption from exclusive rights in copyright for certain nonprofit organizations to display live football games", and "for other purposes".[92]
In 2004, the NFL started issuing cease-and-desist letters to casinos in Las Vegas that were hosting Super Bowl parties. "Super Bowl" is a registered trademark, owned by the NFL, and any other business using that name for profit-making ventures is in violation of federal law, according to the letters. In reaction to the letters, many Las Vegas resorts, rather than discontinue the popular and lucrative parties, started referring to them as "Big Game Parties".[93][94][95]
In 2006, the NFL made an attempt to trademark "The Big Game" as well; however, it withdrew the application in 2007 due to growing commercial and public relations opposition to the move, mostly from Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley and their fans, as the Stanford Cardinal football and California Golden Bears football teams compete in the Big Game, which has been played since 1892 (28 years before the formation of the NFL and 75 years before Super Bowl I).[96] Additionally, the Mega Millions lottery game was known as The Big Game (then The Big Game Mega Millions) from 1996 to 2002.[97]
See also
List of Super Bowl champions
History of National Football League championship
List of NFL champions (1920–1969)
List of Super Bowl broadcasters
List of Super Bowl head coaches
List of Super Bowl officials
List of Super Bowl records
Grey Cup, the Canadian Football League (CFL) championship game
List of NFL franchise post-season droughts
List of NFL franchise post-season streaks
List of quarterbacks with multiple Super Bowl starts
List of players with most Super Bowl championships
NFL Honors
Super Bowl advertising
Super Bowl counterprogramming
Super Bowl curse
Super Bowl indicator
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The Bears have won nine NFL Championships, including one Super Bowl (XX in 1986), and hold the NFL record for the most enshrinees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the most retired jersey numbers. The Bears have also recorded the second-most victories of any NFL franchise, only behind the Green Bay Packers,[10][11][12] who they have a long-standing rivalry with.[13]
The franchise was founded in Decatur, Illinois, on September 20, 1919,[14][15][16] became professional on September 17, 1920, and moved to Chicago in 1921.[17][18] It is one of only two remaining franchises from the NFL's founding in 1920, along with the Arizona Cardinals, which was originally also in Chicago. The team played home games at Wrigley Field on Chicago's North Side through the 1970 season; they now play at Soldier Field on the Near South Side, adjacent to Lake Michigan.
The team headquarters, Halas Hall, is in the Chicago suburb of Lake Forest, Illinois. The Bears practice at adjoining facilities there during the season, and began hosting Training Camp at Halas Hall in 2020 after major renovations.
Franchise history
Main article: History of the Chicago Bears
1919–1939: Early Bears
In March of 1920 a man telephoned me ... George Chamberlain and he was general superintendent of the A.E. Staley Company ... In 1919, [the company's Fellowship Club] had formed a football team. It had done well against other local teams but Mr. Staley wanted to build it into a team that could compete successfully with the best semi-professional and industrial teams in the country ... Mr. Chamberlain asked if I would like to come to Decatur and work for the Staley Company.
— George Halas, in his book Halas by Halas.[18]
The team's founder George Halas (right) with NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle, early 1980s
Originally named the Decatur Staleys, the club was established by the A. E. Staley food starch company of Decatur, Illinois as a company team. This was the typical start for several early professional football franchises. The team played independently in 1919, winning the Central Illinois Championship.[19] The company hired George Halas and Edward "Dutch" Sternaman in 1920 to run the team. The 1920 Decatur Staleys season[20] was their inaugural regular season completed in the newly formed American Professional Football Association (later renamed the National Football League (NFL) in 1922).
Full control of the team was turned over to Halas and Sternaman in 1921.[21] Official team and league records cite Halas as the founder as he took over the team in 1920 when it became a charter member of the NFL.[22]
The team moved to Chicago in 1921, where the club was renamed the Chicago Staleys; Under an agreement reached by Halas and Sternaman with Staley, they received US$5,000 to keep the name "Staleys" for the 1921 season.[23]
In 1922, Halas changed the team name from the Staleys to the Bears.[24] The team moved into Wrigley Field, which was home to the Chicago Cubs baseball franchise. As with several early NFL franchises, the Bears derived their nickname from their city's baseball team (some directly, some indirectly – like the Bears, whose young are called "cubs").[25] Halas liked the bright orange-and-blue colors of his alma mater, the University of Illinois, and the Bears adopted those colors as their own, albeit in a darker shade of each (the blue is Pantone 5395, navy blue, and the orange is Pantone 1665, similar to burnt orange).[26][27]
The Staleys/Bears dominated the league in the early years. Their rivalry with the Chicago Cardinals, the oldest in the NFL (and a crosstown rival from 1920 to 1959), was key in four out of the first six league titles. During the league's first six years, the Bears lost twice to the Canton Bulldogs (who took two league titles over that span), and split with their crosstown rival Cardinals (going 4–4–2 against each other over that span), but no other team in the league defeated the Bears more than a single time. During that span, the Bears posted 34 shutouts.
The Bears' rivalry with the Green Bay Packers is one of the oldest and most storied in American professional sports, dating back to 1921 (the Green Bay Packers were an independent team until they joined the NFL in 1921). In one infamous incident that year, Halas got the Packers expelled from the league in order to prevent their signing a particular player, and then graciously got them re-admitted after the Bears had closed the deal with that player.[28]
The 1924 team photo
The franchise was an early success under Halas, capturing the NFL Championship in 1921 and remaining competitive throughout the decade. In 1924 the Bears claimed the Championship after defeating the Cleveland Bulldogs on December 7, even putting the title "World's Champions" on their 1924 team photo. But the NFL had ruled that games after November 30 did not count towards league standings, and the Bears had to settle for second place behind Cleveland.[29] Their only losing season came in 1929.
During the 1920s the club was responsible for triggering the NFL's long-standing rule that a player could not be signed until his college's senior class had graduated. The NFL took that action as a consequence of the Bears' aggressive signing of famous University of Illinois player Red Grange within a day of his final game as a collegian.[30]
Despite much of the on-field success, the Bears were a team in trouble. They faced the problem of increased operating costs and flatlined attendance. The Bears would only draw roughly 5,000–6,000 fans a game, while a University of Chicago game would draw 40,000–50,000 fans a game. By adding top college football draw Red Grange to the roster, the Bears knew that they found something to draw more fans to their games. C.C. Pyle was able to secure a $2,000 per game contract for Grange, and in one of the first games, the Bears defeated the Green Bay Packers, 21–0. However, Grange remained on the sidelines while learning the team's plays from Bears quarterback Joey Sternaman. Later in 1925, The Bears would go on a barnstorming tour, showing off the best football player of the day. 75,000 people paid to see Grange lead the Bears to a 17–7 victory over the Los Angeles Tigers, who were a quickly put together team of West Coast college all-stars. After a loss to San Francisco, the Bears cruised to a 60–3 over a semi-pro team called the Portland All Stars.[31]
Any hopes that Grange would lead the Bears to glory in 1926 were quickly dashed. A failed contract talk led to Grange bolting to the AFL's New York Yankees, owned by Pyle. The Bears also lost star quarterback Joey Sternaman, who joined the Chicago Bulls of the AFL. The Bears replaced Grange with Paddy Driscoll, a star football player in his own right. The Bears used the money made from the Grange barn-storming tour to sign the man that replaced him. Grange split his time between making movies and playing football. However, the time was not right to have two competing pro football leagues, and the AFL folded after only one season. Grange would return to the Bears.[31]
After the financial losses of the 1932 Championship season, Halas' partner Dutch Sternaman left the organization. Halas maintained full control of the Bears until his death in 1983. He also coached the team off-and-on for forty seasons, an NFL record. In the 1932 "Unofficial" NFL Championship, the Bears defeated the Portsmouth Spartans in the first NFL playoff game.[32] Due to blizzard conditions in Chicago, the game was played at Chicago Stadium,[32][33] marking it as the first indoor American football game.
The success of the playoff game led the NFL to institute a championship game. In the first NFL Championship, the Bears played against the New York Giants, defeating them 23–21. The teams met again in the 1934 NFL Championship where the Giants, wearing sneakers[34] defeated the Bears 30–13 on a cold, icy day at the Polo Grounds.
1940s: The Monsters of the Midway
From 1940 to 1947, quarterback Sid Luckman led the Bears to victories in four out of the five NFL Championship Games in which they appeared. The team acquired the University of Chicago's discarded nickname "Monsters of the Midway" and their now-famous helmet wishbone-C, as well as a newly penned theme song that declared them "The Pride and Joy of Illinois". One famous victory during that period was their 73–0 victory over the favored Washington Redskins at Griffith Stadium in the 1940 NFL Championship Game; the score is still an NFL record for lopsided results.[35] The secret behind the one-sided outcome was the introduction of a new offensive formation by Halas. The T-formation, as Halas named it, involved two running backs instead of the traditional one in the backfield. Luckman established himself as one of the franchise's most elite quarterbacks. Between 1939 and 1950, he set the Bears' passing records for most career touchdowns, yards, and completions. Many of Luckman's records stood for decades before they were eclipsed by Jay Cutler in 2014.[36] Cutler then went on to break Luckman's franchise record for most career passing touchdowns a year later in 2015.[37]
1950s–1968: Late-Halas era
1961 Chicago Bears offensive line in action. "Bears Workout at Soldier Field for Armed Forces game Friday."
After declining throughout the 1950s, the team rebounded in 1963 to capture its eighth NFL Championship, which would be its last until 1985. The late 1960s and early-1970s produced notable players like Dick Butkus, Gale Sayers, and Brian Piccolo,[38] who died of embryonal carcinoma in 1970. The American television network ABC aired a movie about Piccolo in 1971 entitled Brian's Song, starring James Caan and Billy Dee Williams in the roles of Piccolo and Sayers respectively; Jack Warden won an Emmy Award for his performance as Halas. The movie was later released for theater screenings after first being shown on television. Despite Hall of Fame careers, Butkus and Sayers would also have their careers cut short due to injuries, hamstringing the Bears of this era.
Halas retired as coach in 1967 and spent the rest of his days in the front office. He became the only person to be involved with the NFL throughout the first 60 years of its existence. He was also a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's first induction class in 1963. As the only living founder of the NFL at the February 1970 merger between the NFL and the American Football League, the owners honored Halas by electing him the first President of the National Football Conference, a position that he held until his death in 1983. In his honor, the NFL named the NFC Championship trophy as the George Halas Memorial Trophy.
1969–1982: Struggles
Payton set several franchise and NFL records in rushing during his 13-season career with the Bears.
After the merger, the Bears finished the 1970 season last place in their division, a repeat of their placing in the 1969 season. In 1975, the Bears drafted Walter Payton from Jackson State University with their first pick. He won the NFL Most Valuable Player Award in the 1977–78 season.[39][40] Payton would go on to eclipse Jim Brown's NFL career rushing record in 1984 before retiring in 1987, and would hold the mark until 2002, when Emmitt Smith of the Dallas Cowboys surpassed it.[41] Payton's career and personality would capture the hearts of Bear fans, who called him "Sweetness". He died from a rare form of liver cancer in 1999 at the age of 45.
On November 1, 1983, a day after the death of George Halas, his oldest daughter, Virginia McCaskey, took over as the majority owner of the team. Her husband, Ed McCaskey, succeeded her father as the chairman of the board.[42] Their son Michael became the third president in team history.[43] Mrs. McCaskey holds the honorary title of "secretary of the board of directors", but has been called the glue that holds the franchise together.[44] Mrs. McCaskey's reign as the owner of the Bears was not planned, as her father originally earmarked her brother, George "Mugs" Halas Jr. as the heir apparent to the franchise. However, he died of a severe heart attack in 1979. Her impact on the team is well-noted as her own family has dubbed her "The First Lady of Sports", and the Chicago Sun-Times has listed her as one of Chicago's most powerful women.[45]
1983–1985: Contenders, then Super Bowl champions
Bears Hall of Famer Mike Ditka is the only person in the modern era to win an NFL championship as a player and coach for the Chicago Bears.
Mike Ditka, a tight end for the Bears from 1961 to 1966, was hired to coach the team by George Halas in 1982. His gritty personality earned him the nickname "Iron Mike". The team reached the NFC Championship game in 1984. In the 1985 season the fire in the Bears–Packers rivalry was re-lit when Ditka used 315-pound defensive tackle "Refrigerator" Perry as a running back in a touchdown play at Lambeau Field, against the Packers. The Bears won their ninth NFL Championship, first since the AFL-NFL merger, in Super Bowl XX after the 1985 season in which they dominated the NFL with their then-revolutionary 46 defense and a cast of characters that recorded the novelty rap song "The Super Bowl Shuffle". The season was notable in that the Bears had only one loss, the "unlucky 13th" game of the season, a Monday night affair in which they were defeated by the Miami Dolphins. At the time, much was made of the fact that the 1972 Dolphins were the only franchise in history to have had an undefeated season and post-season. The Dolphins came close to setting up a rematch in the Super Bowl, but lost to the New England Patriots in the AFC title game. "The Super Bowl Shuffle" was videotaped the day after that Monday night loss in Miami.
1986–2003: Post-Super Bowl era
After the 1985 championship season, the Bears remained competitive throughout the 1980s but failed to return to the Super Bowl under Ditka. Between the firing of Ditka and the hiring of Lovie Smith, the Bears had two head coaches, Dave Wannstedt and Dick Jauron. While both head coaches led the team to the playoffs once (Wannstedt in 1994 and Jauron in 2001), neither was able to accumulate a winning record or bring the Bears back to the Super Bowl. Therefore, the 1990s was largely considered to be a disappointment.
Before the Bears hired Jauron in January 1999, Dave McGinnis (Arizona's defensive coordinator, and a former Bears assistant under Ditka and Wannstedt) backed out of taking the head coaching position. The Bears scheduled a press conference to announce the hiring before McGinnis agreed to contract terms.[46] Soon after Jauron's hiring, Mrs. McCaskey fired her son Michael as president, replacing him with Ted Phillips and promoting Michael to chairman of the board.[47] Phillips became the first man outside of the Halas-McCaskey family to run the team.[48]
2004–2012: Lovie Smith era
Lovie Smith, hired on January 15, 2004, is the third post-Ditka head coach. Joining the Bears as a rookie head coach, Smith brought the highly successful Tampa 2 defensive scheme with him to Chicago. Before his second season with the Bears, the team rehired their former offensive coordinator and then Illinois head coach Ron Turner to improve the Bears' struggling offense.[49] In 2005, the Bears won their division and reached the playoffs for the first time in four years. Their previous playoff berth was earned by winning the NFC Central in 2001. The Bears improved upon their success the following season, by clinching their second consecutive NFC North title during Week 13 of the 2006 season, winning their first playoff game since 1995, and earning a trip to Super Bowl XLI.[50] However, they fell short of the championship, losing 29–17 to the Indianapolis Colts. Following the 2006 season, the club decided to give Smith a contract extension through 2011, at roughly $5 million per year. This comes a season after being the lowest-paid head coach in the National Football League.[51]
The club has played in over a thousand games since becoming a charter member of the NFL in 1920. Through the 2010 season, they led the NFL in overall franchise wins with 704 and had an overall record of 704–512–42 (going 687–494–42 during the regular season and 17–18 in the playoffs).[52] On November 18, 2010, the Bears recorded franchise win number 700 in a win against the Miami Dolphins.
The Bears made one of the biggest trades in team history by acquiring Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler in 2009.
The Bears made one of the biggest trades in franchise history, acquiring Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler from the Denver Broncos in exchange for Kyle Orton and draft picks on April 2, 2009. After a disappointing 2009 campaign with the team going 7–9,[53] Mike Martz was hired as the team's offensive coordinator on February 1, 2010.[54] On March 5, 2010, the Bears signed defensive end Julius Peppers, running back Chester Taylor, and tight end Brandon Manumaleuna, spending over $100 million on the first day of free agency.[55] Also during the 2010 offseason, Michael McCaskey was replaced by brother George McCaskey as chairman of the Bears.[56] With a 38–34 win against the New York Jets, the Bears clinched the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye for the 2010–11 NFL playoffs. In their first Playoff game since Super Bowl XLI, The Bears defeated the No. 4 seed Seattle Seahawks 35–24 in the Divisional Round. The Bears reached the NFC Championship Game, where they played Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field – only the second playoff meeting between the two storied rivals, the only other game played in 1941.[57] The Bears lost the game, 21–14.
The team started the 2011 season strong with a 7–3 record, and running back Matt Forté led the NFL in total yards from scrimmage. Eventually, quarterback Jay Cutler fractured his thumb, and Forté also was lost for the season against the Kansas City Chiefs after spraining his MCL, and the Bears, with Caleb Hanie playing, lost five straight before winning against the Minnesota Vikings with Josh McCown starting over Hanie. At season's end, general manager Jerry Angelo was fired, and former Chiefs director of scouting and former Bears scout Phil Emery was brought in. Offensive coordinator Mike Martz resigned, and eventually retired, and was replaced by offensive line coach Mike Tice. The Bears made another notable move by trading for Miami Dolphins receiver and Pro Bowl MVP Brandon Marshall.[58] The Bears became the first team in NFL history to return six interceptions for touchdowns in the first seven games of the season, with another pick-six by Brian Urlacher in Week 9 bringing Chicago two behind the record set by the 1961 San Diego Chargers.[59] However, the Bears missed the playoffs with a record of 10–6 (after starting the season 7–1, the first team to start with the record and miss the playoffs since the 1996 Washington Redskins),[60] and Smith was fired on December 31.[61]
2013–2014: Marc Trestman years
Then-CFL head coach and former NFL journeyman Marc Trestman was hired to succeed Smith after an exhaustive search that included at least 13 known candidates.[62][63] On March 20, 2013, Brian Urlacher's 13-year tenure with the Bears ended when both sides failed to agree on a contract.[64] The Trestman era began on September 8 with a 24–21 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, making Trestman the fourth head coach in Bears history to win in his coaching debut, after George Halas (1920), Neill Armstrong (1978) and Dick Jauron (1999).[65] The Bears ended the 2013 season 8–8, barely missing the playoffs after losing in the final week of the season to the Packers.[66] Despite having a second-ranked offense that set numerous franchise records,[67] the defense greatly worsened as it set franchise worsts in categories like yards allowed (6,313).[68]
The following season was a disaster for the Bears, with the offense regressing to finish outside the top 20 in scoring.[69] The team also allowed 50-point games in two straight weeks against the Patriots and Packers, including a franchise-high 42 points and NFL-record six touchdowns allowed in the first half against the latter,[70][71] to become the first team since the 1923 Rochester Jeffersons to allow at least 50 points in consecutive games.[72] The Bears ended the year 5–11 and last in the NFC North. Trestman and Emery were fired after the season ended.[73]
2015–2017: John Fox years
The Bears hired Ryan Pace of the New Orleans Saints to be their new general manager on January 8, 2015.[74] On January 16, 2015, John Fox accepted a four-year deal to become head coach.[75] In Fox's first season as head coach, the Bears saw improvements from 2014; after USA Today projected the Bears to win three games,[76] they doubled that total and finished the season with a 6–10 record, including a Thanksgiving win over the Packers at Lambeau Field.[77]
However, during the 2016 season, the Bears regressed heavily, compiling a 3–13 record (their worst since the NFL's change to 16-game seasons in 1978). The season included several injuries to starters and secondary players, including Jay Cutler, who only played five games as a result of two separate injuries.[78] Backup quarterback Brian Hoyer started the next three games before a broken arm put him out for the season. He was replaced by Matt Barkley, who made his first career start with the Bears.[79][80] None of the three quarterbacks returned for the 2017 season.[81][82][83]
In the 2017 NFL Draft, the team selected quarterback Mitchell Trubisky with the second-overall pick,[84] who sat behind newly signed quarterback Mike Glennon for the first four games before taking over.[85] The Bears ended the season 5–11 and again finished last in the NFC North. On January 1, 2018, Fox was fired, ending his tenure in Chicago with a 14–34 record.[86]
2018–2021: Matt Nagy years
Roquan Smith, Khalil Mack, DeAndre Houston-Carson, and Akiem Hicks of the Bears in 2018
The Bears hired Matt Nagy from the Kansas City Chiefs as their new head coach in January 2018.[87] General manager Ryan Pace signed receivers Taylor Gabriel, Allen Robinson, and Trey Burton in the offseason to complement second-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.[88] The Bears also acquired linebacker Khalil Mack in a block-blockbuster trade from the Oakland Raiders to further bolster their defense, sending a package of draft picks that includes 2019 and 2020 1st round draft picks in exchange.[89] Nagy's Bears clinched the NFC North on December 16, 2018, for the first time since 2010 with a 24–17 victory over the Green Bay Packers.[90] The Bears finished the 2018 season with a 12–4 record.[91] They lost to the defending Super Bowl Champions Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card round of the playoffs after Cody Parkey's game-winning field goal attempt was partially tipped and hit the uprights in the final seconds of the game, a play coined the "Double Doink".[92][93] Despite the first-round exit, Nagy was named Coach of the Year by the Pro Football Writers Association and Associated Press.[94][95] He was the first Bears coach to be given the AP award since Lovie Smith in 2005 and the fifth in team history.[96]
In 2019, the team regressed to an 8–8 record, though Nagy's combined 20 wins in 2018 and 2019 were the most by a Bears head coach in his first two seasons.[97] During the year, renovations to Halas Hall were completed, allowing the team to move Training Camp from Ward Field on the campus of Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois to Lake Forest for 2020.[98][99]
The Bears opened the 2020 season with a 5–1 record. However, they lost their next six games. The Bears won three of their last four games to finish the season with an 8–8 record. Despite their finish, the Bears qualified for the 2020–21 NFL playoffs, which was expanded to include one additional wildcard team from each conference.[100] The New Orleans Saints defeated the Bears in the opening round of the playoffs, 21–9.[101] The team did not re-sign Trubisky after the 2020 season and instead allowed him to become a free agent.[102]
Prior to the 2021 season, the Bears traded up in the 2021 NFL Draft to select quarterback Justin Fields 11th overall.[103] The team also signed veteran quarterback Andy Dalton in free agency. Dalton was initially declared the Bears starting quarterback, but Fields won the position after Dalton was injured.[104] The Bears finished the season with a 6–11 record and missed the playoffs.[105] Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace were fired after the season's conclusion.[105] Nagy posted a 34–33 record over four seasons with two playoff berths, while Pace compiled a 48–65 record over seven seasons.[105]
2022–present: Matt Eberflus years
On January 25, 2022, the Bears hired Ryan Poles as their general manager.[8] The team hired Matt Eberflus as the franchise's 17th head coach two days later.[106] The Bears struggled throughout the 2022 season, which included a franchise-record 10-game losing streak.[107] They finished with an NFL worst 3–14 record, which secured the team the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.[107] The Bears traded the first overall pick to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for wide receiver D. J. Moore and multiple draft picks.[108] The Bears opened the 2023 season with a 0–4 record, extending the team losing streak to 14 (longest in team history; dating back to the 2022 season).[109] The team bounced back by winning five of their last eight games, but finished with a 7–10 record, placing last in the NFC North for the second consecutive season. However, the team acquired the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, which was part of their previous trade with the Panthers, who finished the 2023 season with worst record in the NFL.[110]
Ownership
The team is primarily owned by the heirs of George Halas. His daughter, Virgin