Pivotal Period For NFL
Selected NFL events in the 1950s and early 1960s
1951
Abraham Watner returned the Baltimore franchise and its player contracts back to the NFL for $50,000.
1952
Ted Collins sold the New York Yanks' franchise back to the NFL, January 19. A new franchise was awarded to a group in Dallas after it purchased the assets of the Yanks, January 24. The new Texans went 1-11, with the owners turning the franchise back to the league in midseason. For the last five games of the season, the commissioner's office operated the Texans as a road team, using Hershey, Pennsylvania, as a home base. At the end of the season the franchise was canceled, the last time an NFL team failed.
1956
CBS became the first network to broadcast some NFL regular-season games to selected television markets across the nation.
1959
Lamar Hunt of Dallas announced his intentions to form a second pro football league. The new league was named the American Football League, August 22. They made plans to begin play in 1960.
NFL Commissioner Bert Bell died of a heart attack suffered at Franklin Field, Philadelphia, during the last two minutes of a game between the Eagles and the Steelers, October 11. Treasurer Austin Gunsel was named president in the office of the commissioner, October 14.
1960
Pete Rozelle was elected NFL Commissioner as a compromise choice on the twenty-third ballot, January 26. Rozelle moved the league offices to New York City.
The AFL signed a five-year television contract with ABC, June 9.
1961
NBC was awarded a two-year contract for radio and television rights to the NFL Championship Game for $615,000 annually, April 5.
A bill legalizing single-network television contracts by professional sports leagues was introduced in Congress by Representative Emanuel Celler. It passed the House and Senate and was signed into law by President John F. Kennedy, September 30.
1962
The NFL entered into a single-network agreement with CBS for telecasting all regular-season games for $4.65 million annually, January 10. ...and the rest is history...
1951
Abraham Watner returned the Baltimore franchise and its player contracts back to the NFL for $50,000.
1952
Ted Collins sold the New York Yanks' franchise back to the NFL, January 19. A new franchise was awarded to a group in Dallas after it purchased the assets of the Yanks, January 24. The new Texans went 1-11, with the owners turning the franchise back to the league in midseason. For the last five games of the season, the commissioner's office operated the Texans as a road team, using Hershey, Pennsylvania, as a home base. At the end of the season the franchise was canceled, the last time an NFL team failed.
1956
CBS became the first network to broadcast some NFL regular-season games to selected television markets across the nation.
1959
Lamar Hunt of Dallas announced his intentions to form a second pro football league. The new league was named the American Football League, August 22. They made plans to begin play in 1960.
NFL Commissioner Bert Bell died of a heart attack suffered at Franklin Field, Philadelphia, during the last two minutes of a game between the Eagles and the Steelers, October 11. Treasurer Austin Gunsel was named president in the office of the commissioner, October 14.
1960
Pete Rozelle was elected NFL Commissioner as a compromise choice on the twenty-third ballot, January 26. Rozelle moved the league offices to New York City.
The AFL signed a five-year television contract with ABC, June 9.
1961
NBC was awarded a two-year contract for radio and television rights to the NFL Championship Game for $615,000 annually, April 5.
A bill legalizing single-network television contracts by professional sports leagues was introduced in Congress by Representative Emanuel Celler. It passed the House and Senate and was signed into law by President John F. Kennedy, September 30.
1962
The NFL entered into a single-network agreement with CBS for telecasting all regular-season games for $4.65 million annually, January 10. ...and the rest is history...
posted by TLCGroup at 7:44 PM
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