Defunct NFL teams
Encyclopedia
The following is a list and brief history of American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 franchises that at one time played in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

 (NFL). Note that the list represents NFL franchises that no longer exist, not franchises/teams that relocated
Relocation of professional sports teams
Relocation of professional sports teams is a practice which involves a sporting franchise moving from one metropolitan area to another, although occasionally moves between municipalities in the same conurbation are also included...

. However, during the 1920s it is hard to tell if some teams changed nicknames from year to year or if each nickname represented a new franchise. It was also not uncommon for two or more teams to have the same nickname during the same season. No NFL franchise has folded since 1952. The Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...

, Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....

, Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...

, Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

, Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...

, Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...

, and Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

 franchises listed on this page are not the current franchises of those names.

A defunct team, in this case, refers to a team which has had the rights to have a team returned to the NFL (or league collective at the time). Many defunct teams played in markets still occupied by the NFL with a different team, or in markets which now have substantial fanbases for nearby teams. A notable example is the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...

' claim to the Milwaukee area, long after the city's own NFL team, the Badgers, ceased to exist. Also notable is that the city where the league was founded - Canton, Ohio
Canton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...

 - is now part of the market area for the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

.
Teams that won an NFL championship are marked with an asterisk (*).

1920s

  • Akron Pros / Indians
    Akron Pros
    The Akron Pros were a professional football team located played in Akron, Ohio from 1908–1926. The team originated in 1908 as a semi-pro team named the Akron Indians, however name was changed to the Pros in 1920 as the team set out to become a charter member of the American Professional...

    * (1920-26)
  • Brooklyn Lions  (1926)
  • Buffalo All Americans / Bisons / Rangers (1920-29)
  • Canton Bulldogs
    Canton Bulldogs
    The Canton Bulldogs were a professional American football team, based in Canton, Ohio. They played in the Ohio League from 1903 to 1906 and 1911 to 1919, and its successor, the National Football League, from 1920 to 1923 and again from 1925 to 1926. The Bulldogs would go on to win the 1917, 1918...

    * (1920-26)
  • Chicago Tigers
    Chicago Tigers
    The Chicago Tigers of the American Professional Football Association played only in the first year of the league and, because of this, have the distinction of being the first official NFL team to fold. They had a record of 2 wins, 5 losses and 1 tie...

     (1920)
  • Cincinnati Celts
    Cincinnati Celts
    The Cincinnati Celts was the first professional football team to play in Cincinnati, Ohio. The team played in the unofficial "Ohio League" and the American Professional Football Association . The Celts were a traveling team, playing all of their APFA games in other cities' stadia...

     (1921)
  • Cleveland Bulldogs
    Cleveland Bulldogs
    The Cleveland Bulldogs was a team that played in Cleveland, Ohio in the National Football League. They were originally called the Indians in 1923, not to be confused with the Cleveland Indians NFL franchise in 1922...

    * (1924-27)
  • Cleveland Tigers (1920-21)
  • Columbus Panhandles/Tigers (1920-26)
  • Dayton Triangles
    Dayton Triangles
    The Dayton Triangles were an original franchise of the American Professional Football Association in 1920. The Triangles were based in Dayton, Ohio, and took their nickname from their home field, Triangle Park, which was located at the confluence of the Great Miami and Stillwater Rivers in north...

     (1920-29)
    • It can be argued that the Triangles still exist today as the Indianapolis Colts
      Indianapolis Colts
      The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....

      ; see the team article for details.
  • Detroit Heralds
    Detroit (1920s NFL teams)
    Detroit, Michigan had four early teams in the National Football League before the Detroit Lions. The Heralds played in 1920, and had played as an independent as far back as 1905. The Tigers, a continuation of the Heralds, played in 1921, folding midseason and sending its players to the Buffalo...

     (1920)
  • Detroit Tigers
    Detroit (1920s NFL teams)
    Detroit, Michigan had four early teams in the National Football League before the Detroit Lions. The Heralds played in 1920, and had played as an independent as far back as 1905. The Tigers, a continuation of the Heralds, played in 1921, folding midseason and sending its players to the Buffalo...

     (1921)
  • Detroit Panthers
    Detroit (1920s NFL teams)
    Detroit, Michigan had four early teams in the National Football League before the Detroit Lions. The Heralds played in 1920, and had played as an independent as far back as 1905. The Tigers, a continuation of the Heralds, played in 1921, folding midseason and sending its players to the Buffalo...

     (1925-26)
  • Detroit Wolverines
    Detroit (1920s NFL teams)
    Detroit, Michigan had four early teams in the National Football League before the Detroit Lions. The Heralds played in 1920, and had played as an independent as far back as 1905. The Tigers, a continuation of the Heralds, played in 1921, folding midseason and sending its players to the Buffalo...

     (1928)
  • Duluth Kelleys/Eskimos (1923-27)
    • It can be argued that the Kelleys/Eskimos still exist today as the Washington Redskins
      Washington Redskins
      The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...

      ; see the team article for details.
  • Evansville Crimson Giants
    Evansville Crimson Giants
    The Evansville Crimson Giants were a professional American football team based in Evansville, Indiana and were a part of the National Football League in 1921 and 1922. The Giants home games were played at Bosse Field...

     (1921-22)
  • Frankford Yellow Jackets
    Frankford Yellow Jackets
    The Frankford Yellow Jackets were a professional American football team, part of the National Football League from 1924 to 1931, though its origin dates back to as early as 1899 with the Frankford Athletic Association. The Yellow Jackets won the NFL championship in 1926...

    * (1924-31)
  • Hammond Pros
    Hammond Pros
    The Hammond Pros from Hammond, Indiana played in the National Football League from 1920 to 1926 as a traveling team.-History:The Pros were established by Paul Parduhn and Dr. Alva Young who was a boxing promoter, owner of a racing stable and a doctor and trainer for a semi-pro football team...

     (1920-26)
  • Hartford Blues
    Hartford Blues
    The Hartford Blues of the National Football League played only in the 1926 NFL season, with a record of 3-7. The team was based in Hartford, Connecticut but played at the East Hartford Velodrome.-Origins:...

     (1926)
  • Kansas City Blues/Cowboys (1924-26)
  • Kenosha Maroons
    Kenosha Maroons
    The Kenosha Maroons were a National Football League football team in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Officially, the club only played in the league during the 1924 season, dissolving after posting no wins in five games.-Origins:...

     (1924)
  • Los Angeles Buccaneers
    Los Angeles Buccaneers
    The Los Angeles Buccaneers were a traveling team in the National Football League during their one season 1926, ostensibly representing the city of Los Angeles, California. Like the Los Angeles Wildcats of the first American Football League, the team never actually played a league game in Los...

     (1926)
  • Louisville Breckenridges (a.k.a. "Brecks") (1921-23)
  • Louisville Colonels (1926)
  • Massillon Tigers
    Massillon Tigers
    The Massillon Tigers were an early professional football team from Massillon, Ohio. Playing in the "Ohio League", the team was a rival to the pre-National Football League version of the Canton Bulldogs. The Tigers won Ohio League championships in 1903, 1904, 1905, and 1906, then merged to become...

     (Attended the August 1920 meeting but never fielded a team in the APFA/NFL)
  • Milwaukee Badgers
    Milwaukee Badgers
    The Milwaukee Badgers were a professional American football team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that played in the National Football League from 1922 to 1926. The team played its home games at Athletic Park, later known as Borchert Field, on Milwaukee's north side...

     (1922-26)
  • Minneapolis Marines (1921-24)
  • Minneapolis Red Jackets (1929-31)
  • Muncie Flyers
    Muncie Flyers
    The Muncie Flyers from Muncie, Indiana played in the National Football League from 1920-1921.-Origins:...

     (1920-21)
  • New York Brickley Giants (1921)
  • New York Yankees
    New York Yankees (NFL)
    The New York Yankees were a short-lived professional American football team from 1926 to 1928. The team was a member of the first American Football League in 1926, and later the National Football League from 1927-1928. They played their home games at Yankee Stadium...

     (1926-28)
  • Newark Tornadoes (1930)
  • Oorang Indians
    Oorang Indians
    The Oorang Indians were a traveling team in the National Football League from LaRue, Ohio . The team was named after the Oorang dog kennels. It was a novelty team put together by the kennels' owner, Walter Lingo, for marketing purposes. All of the players were Native American, with Jim Thorpe as...

     (1922-23)
  • Orange Tornadoes (1929)
  • Pottsville Maroons/Boston Bulldogs
    Pottsville Maroons
    The Pottsville Maroons were an American football team based in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1920, they went on to play in the National Football League for four seasons, from 1925–1928...

    * (1925-29)
  • Providence Steam Roller
    Providence Steam Roller
    The Providence Steam Roller was a professional American football team based in Providence, Rhode Island in the National Football League from 1925 to 1931. Providence was the first New England team to win an NFL championship...

    * (1925-31)
  • Racine Legion (1922-24)
  • Racine Tornadoes (1926)
  • Rochester Jeffersons
    Rochester Jeffersons
    The Rochester Jeffersons from Rochester, New York played in the National Football League from 1920 to 1925.Formed as an amateur outfit by a rag-tag group of Rochester-area teenagers after the turn of the century , the team became known as the Jeffersons in reference to the locale of their playing...

     (1920-25)
  • Rock Island Independents
    Rock Island Independents
    The Rock Island Independents were a professional American football team based in Rock Island, Illinois. One of the first professional football teams, they were founded in 1907 as an independent club. They later played in what is now the National Football League from 1920 to 1925. They joined the...

     (1920-25)
  • Staten Island Stapletons
    Staten Island Stapletons
    The Staten Island Stapletons also known as the Staten Island Stapes were a professional American football team founded in 1915 that played in the National Football League from 1929 to 1930. The team was based in the Stapleton section of Staten Island. Under the shortened nickname the "Stapes"...

     (1929-32)
  • St. Louis All Stars
    St. Louis All Stars
    St. Louis All-Stars was a professional football team that played in the National Football League during the 1923 season. The team played at St. Louis, Missouri's Sportsman's Park...

     (1923)
  • Syracuse Pros
    Syracuse Pros
    The Syracuse Pros, also sometimes referred to as the Syracuse Eleven, were a professional American football team from Syracuse, New York. It is suspected, though not known for sure, that the team joined the American Professional Football Association in 1921 and left the same year...

     (1921; it is disputed whether or not this team actually joined the league)
  • Toledo Maroons
    Toledo Maroons
    The Toledo Maroons were a professional American football team based in Toledo, Ohio in the National Football League in 1922 and 1923. Prior to joining the NFL, the Maroons played in the unofficial "Ohio League" from 1902 until 1921.-Origins:...

     (1922-23)
  • Tonawanda Kardex
    Tonawanda Kardex
    The Tonawanda Kardex was an American football team active between 1916 and 1921. It played its games in City of Tonawanda, New York, a suburb of Buffalo with close ties to North Tonawanda, New York where American Kardex was founded...

     (1921)
  • Washington Senators
    Washington Senators (NFL)
    Washington Senators, also referred to as the Washington Pros or Washington Presidents, was a professional football club from Washington, D.C.. The team played in the American Professional Football Association during the 1921 season, and continued to operate as a football club until 1941...

     (1921)
  • Youngstown Patricians
    Youngstown Patricians
    The Youngstown Patricians were a semi-professional football team based in Youngstown, Ohio. In the 1910s, the team briefly held the professional football championship and established itself as a fierce rival of more experienced clubs around the country, some of which later formed the core of the...

     (1922; joined league and had schedule planned but never played)

1930s

  • Brooklyn Dodgers/Tigers
    Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL)
    The Brooklyn Dodgers were an American football team that played in the National Football League from 1930 to 1943, and in 1944 as the Brooklyn Tigers. The team played its home games at Ebbets Field. In 1945, because of financial difficulties, the team was merged with the Boston Yanks...

     (1930-44)
  • Cincinnati Reds
    Cincinnati Reds (NFL)
    The Cincinnati Reds were a National Football League team that played the 1933 season and the first eight games of the 1934 season. The football Reds played most of their home games at Crosley Field...

     (1933-34)
  • Cleveland Indians
    Cleveland Indians (NFL)
    The Cleveland Indians was a professional football team in the National Football League for the 1931 season. The 1931 team was a league-sponsored club that only played games on the road. The NFL intended to locate this team permanently in Cleveland...

     (1931)
  • St. Louis Gunners
    St. Louis Gunners
    The St. Louis Gunners, were an independent professional football team based in St. Louis, Missouri, who played the last three games of the 1934 National Football League season, replacing the Cincinnati Reds on the league schedule after the Reds' league membership was suspended...

     (1934)

1940s-1950s

  • Baltimore Colts
    Baltimore Colts (1947-50)
    The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The first team to bear the name Baltimore Colts, they were members of the All-America Football Conference from 1947–1949, and then joined the National Football League for one season before folding...

     (1950)
  • Boston Yanks
    Boston Yanks
    The Boston Yanks were a National Football League team based in Boston, Massachusetts that played from 1944 to 1948. The team played its home games at Fenway Park. Games that conflicted with the Boston Red Sox schedule were held at the Manning Bowl in Lynn, Massachusetts...

     (1944-48) / New York Bulldogs (1949) / New York Yanks
    New York Yanks
    The New York Yanks American football team played in the National Football League under that name in the 1950 and 1951 seasons. In 1949, Boston Yanks owner Ted Collins had requested the NFL to fold his Boston team and give him a new one in New York City...

     (1950-51)
  • Dallas Texans
    Dallas Texans (NFL)
    The Dallas Texans played in the National Football League for one season, 1952, with a record of 1–11.-History:After the 1951 NFL season, the financially troubled New York Yanks franchise were put on the market. Ted Collins had founded that franchise in 1944 as the Boston Yanks, moved it to New...

     (1952)

Rejected franchises

These are all teams that applied to join the NFL but were refused entry. Some existed only as proposals, but others had full organizations. Unless otherwise noted, each team folded after their unsuccessful bid to join the NFL.
  • Los Angeles Bulldogs
    Los Angeles Bulldogs
    The Los Angeles Bulldogs were a professional American football team that competed from 1936 to 1948...

     (1936) Approved as a probational franchise with the intention of becoming a full-fledged member in 1937. However, the Cleveland Rams were admitted in their place, due to travel cost concerns. The Bulldogs would go on to play in other leagues until 1948, while the Rams, coincidentally, would move to Los Angeles themselves in 1946.
  • Pennsylvania Keystoners
    Pennsylvania Keystoners
    The Pennsylvania Keystoners was the idea for an American football team thought up by then-Pittsburgh Pirates owner, Art Rooney, in 1939 to have a single National Football League franchise based in both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. The team would play half of its home games in each location...

     (1940) Proposed merger of the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Pirates that was rejected by league ownership. A temporary merger
    Steagles
    The Steagles is the popular nickname for the team created by the temporary merger of two National Football League teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles, during the 1943 season...

     was instituted in 1943 due to player shortages as a result of World War II
    World War II
    World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

    .
  • Buffalo Bills (AAFC)
    Buffalo Bills (AAFC)
    The Buffalo Bills was an American Football team, based in Buffalo, NY, that played in the All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1949. During its first season in 1946, the team was known as the Buffalo Bisons...

     (1950) Members of the All-America Football Conference
    All-America Football Conference
    The All-America Football Conference was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the nation's best players, and introduced many lasting innovations...

    . Four NFL owners blocked Buffalo's entry into the NFL. Current Bills franchise is unrelated other than in name.
  • Memphis Grizzlies
    Memphis Southmen
    The Memphis Southmen were a franchise in the World Football League which operated in 1974 and 1975. They played their home games at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee, United States.-From North to South:...

     (1975) Members of the World Football League
    World Football League
    The World Football League was a short-lived gridiron football league that played in 1974 and part of 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest the WFL reached was placing a team – the Hawaiians – in Honolulu, Hawaii. The...

    . Unsuccessfully sued NFL to attempt to force admission (see: Mid-South Grizzlies v. NFL
    Mid-South Grizzlies v. NFL
    Mid-South Grizzlies v. NFL 550 F.Supp. 558 , 720 F. 2d 772 , was a lawsuit filed by John F. Bassett, the owner of the World Football League's Memphis Grizzlies against the National Football League claiming that the NFL violated the antitrust laws by refusing to admit his club to their league.The...

    )
    .
  • New Jersey Generals
    New Jersey Generals
    The New Jersey Generals were a franchise of the United States Football League established in 1982 to begin play in the spring and summer of 1983. The team played three seasons from 1983-85, winning 31 regular-season games and losing 25 while going 0-2 in postseason competition...

     (1986). Members of the United States Football League
    United States Football League
    The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...

    . Owner Donald Trump
    Donald Trump
    Donald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have...

     was among those seeking to force a merger of the USFL and the NFL, but were unable to do so.
  • Memphis Hound Dogs
    Memphis Hound Dogs
    For the professional basketball team, click on Memphis Houn'DawgsThe Memphis Hound Dogs were a proposed NFL team in the mid-1990s. William Dunavant, Paul Tudor Jones, Fred Smith and Elvis Presley Enterprises were the members of the potential ownership group.In 1993, the NFL invited potential...

     (1993). Proposed expansion team. Later played as Memphis Mad Dogs
    Memphis Mad Dogs
    The Memphis Mad Dogs were a Canadian football team that played the 1995 season in the Canadian Football League. The Mad Dogs were part of a failed attempt to expand the CFL into the United States....

     in CFL USA
    CFL USA
    The term CFL USA refers to the abortive expansion of the Canadian Football League into the United States in the early-to-mid 1990s. The 1993 CFL season saw the addition of the first American team to the league, the Sacramento Gold Miners...

     in 1995.
  • Baltimore Bombers
    Baltimore Bombers
    The Baltimore Bombers were a proposed National Football League expansion team located in Baltimore, Maryland. When the NFL was awarding expansion teams to two cities in 1993, Baltimore was among the cities vying for a team...

     (1993). Proposed expansion team.
  • St. Louis Stallions
    St. Louis Stallions
    The St. Louis Stallions were a proposed National Football League expansion team to be located in St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis had lost the Cardinals franchise, which moved to Phoenix and became the Arizona Cardinals. The city entered the race to get a team for the 1995 NFL season.The team would...

     (1993). Proposed expansion team.

See also

  • National Football League franchise moves and mergers
  • Steagles
    Steagles
    The Steagles is the popular nickname for the team created by the temporary merger of two National Football League teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles, during the 1943 season...

  • Card-Pitt
    Card-Pitt
    Card-Pitt was the name for the team created by the temporary merger of two National Football League teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Chicago Cardinals, during the 1944 season. The teams were forced to merge, because both had lost many players to World War II military service...

  • List of defunct National Basketball Association teams
  • List of defunct NHL teams
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