By Darin ? January 16: Reshaping the Gridiron Map
January 16th stands as a key date in football history. It marks the official NFL-AFL merger realignment that created today’s AFC and NFC. This date has also hosted a Super Bowl, seen major franchise moves, and is the birthday of football pioneer Guy Chamberlin. Follow the evolution of football from Canadian rugby roots to the present-day league structure.
January 16 Football Image of the Day
January 16 Football History Timeline
The Day the NFL Realigned: January 16th and the Birth of Modern Football.
- On January 16, 1883, the Quebec Rugby Football Union was formed, as per Robert Sproule’s 2001 publication “The Coffin Corner,” Volume 23. A group of teams from the province of Quebec, after teams in Ontario, organized on January 6, 1883. There were teams from Montreal, McGill, Britannia, and Quebec City. There were 15 players per side in this game on a field that was 110 yards in length. The game more closely resembled rugby by today’s standards, but at the time, it was different because the ball was placed on the ground, and the teams, which were lined up on opposing sides, came together to try and gain control of the ball and try to push it past a line on the ground. Sproule notes that it was closer to a line of scrimmage than a scrum. Finally, in 1904, the QRFU adopted a system of downs, which was slowly morphing into what we would recognize as Canadian Football.
- January 16, 1955 – Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum – At the 5th annual NFL Pro Bowl, the Western Conference team defeated the Eastern Conference, 26-19. The game’s Most Valuable Player was San Francisco 49er Wide Receiver Billy Wilson.
- January 16, 1965 – Jeppeson Stadium, Houston – The American Football League held its 4th All-Star Game. At the end of the year exhibition game, the Western Division defeated the Eastern Division squad by the score of 38-14. The MVPs were Los Angeles Chargers Running back Keith Lincoln and Denver Broncos defensive back Willie Brown.
- On January 16, 1970, the NFL realigned into 3 divisions in each Conference after the official merger of the AFL into the NFL, per the American Football Fandom site. As we discussed in earlier posts, the NFL had 16 teams prior to the merger, while the AFL had only 10. The easiest way to balance the conferences was to move three traditionally NFL teams into the new AFC to join the existing AFL squads. So in the realignment, the Baltimore Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Cleveland Browns all joined the old AFL squads in the conference. The divisions were listed as the AFC West, consisting of the Raiders, Chargers, Broncos, and Chiefs. The AFC East consisted of the Bills, Colts, Patriots, Jets, and Dolphins. The Central Division of the AFC placed the Browns, Bengals, Oilers, and Steelers together. Over in the other conference, the NFC East consists of the Eagles, Redskins, Cowboys, Giants, and Cardinals. The NFC Central comprised the Packers, Bears, Vikings, and Lions. The Rams, 49ers, Saints, and Falcons made up the NFC West.
- January 16, 1972 – Tulane Stadium, New Orleans – The NFL title would be decided in Super Bowl VI as the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins would clash to see who would take home the Lombardi Trophy. Dallas Running back Duane Thomas pounded out 95 yards on the ground with a touchdown while Roger Staubach tossed scoring passes to Mike Ditka and Lance Alworth to lift the Cowboys over the Miami Dolphins, 24-3. According to Pro-Football-Reference.com, Roger Staubach, with his 12 of 19 for 119 and two scores, was selected as the game’s MVP.
- On January 16, 1988, the St. Louis Cardinals football team announced it would move to Phoenix, according to barstoolsports.com. The franchise spent 27 years in the Gateway to the West City. The Cardinals, who are the oldest franchise in the NFL, are the first to have called three different cities home. Our colleague on the Sports History Network, Joe Ziemba, has some great Podcasts on the history of the Cardinals, especially their years in Chicago. Joe is probably one of the foremost experts on Cardinals history, as evidenced by his great book “When Football was Football.”
- January 16, 2016 – The Arizona Cardinals advanced in the NFC Divisional round with an exciting finish over the Green Bay Packers, as Larry Fitzgerald and Kurt Warner hooked up on some memorable plays.
January 16 Football Hall of Fame Birthdays
- Monk Simons
- Dave Brown
- Mark Simoneau
From Rugby Roots to Modern Divisions
January 16th marks a transformation in football history, linking the 1883 Quebec Rugby Football Union to the NFL’s merger realignment that shifted the Colts, Steelers, and Browns to the AFC. It’s also marked by championship moments, like the Cowboys’ Super Bowl VI victory, and the legacy of stars from Guy Chamberlin to Monk Simons and Dave Brown.
