-
Flyers Over Panhandles
In the first matchup between NFL teams, the Dayton Flyers defeat the Columbus Panhandles by the score of 14-0. -
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers join the NFL. In a league with high franchise turnover, the Packers will eventually become the oldest surviving franchise -
NFL Begins
The American Professional Football Association officially renames itself the National Football League. -
First Draft
The NFL holds its first annual draft of college players. The first player selected, Heisman Trophy winner Jay Berwanger, chooses to pursue a career in plastics manufacturing instead of pro football and never plays a down in the NFL. -
First Televised Game
An NFL game airs on television for the first time, with NBC producing a local broadcast of a game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Eagles. Since fewer than 1,000 TV sets are known to exist in New York at the time, it is unclear whether anyone actually watches the broadcast. -
West Coast Team
The Cleveland Rams move to Los Angeles, bringing the NFL to the West Coast for the first time. -
First African-Americans
The Los Angeles Rams sign former UCLA stars Kenny Washington and Woody Strode, who will become the first African-Americans to play in the NFL in the modern era, ending 13 years of whites-only football in the league. -
NFL Championship Televised
For the first time, the NFL Championship Game is televised nationwide
