Logo of a defunct football team that played in the Arena Football League from 2001 until 2013, the Chicago Rush. They made playoff appearances in 10 of their years of existence and won the Arena League title in 2006. Former pro quarterback Mike Hohensee served as their head coach for all but 3 years and the franchise retired the jersey numbers of 2 players who played for them – John Moyer and Bob McMillen, who is also a member of the Arena League Hall of Fame.
Not a team logo, but the logo of the National Football League used from the first season as the NFL, in 1921, until 1929. The league was known as the American Professional Football Association when it organized into a single league and began play in 1920, and became the NFL in 1922. Teams came and went in the early years, but some lasted until today, including the Chicago Staleys, who became the Bears, the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Cardinals, who currently reside in Arizona.
Has anyone ever seen the 1963 alternate Chicago Bears’ logo and their former coach, Mike Ditka, in the same room together? Many people say they resemble each other. All joking aside, Ditka not only was a star tight end for the ’63 Bears, who won the NFL Championship, but also went on to coach them to a Super Bowl title following the 1985 season. Other than founder/owner/coach George “Papa Bear” Halas, Ditka may be the man most closely associated with the franchise.
A logo from the game that became known as Super Bowl I, played on January 15, 1967 between the NFL champion Green Bay Packers and the NFL’s best, the Kansas City Chiefs. At the time, the title game was a brand new concept, developed as part of an agreed merger of the two leagues, and was named the AFL/NFL Championship Game, only later, before the fifth game of it’s kind, to be called the Super Bowl. The Packers won the game 35-10 and their quarterback, Bart Starr, was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
The original logo of the National Football League’s Miami Dolphins, used from their inaugural season in 1966, when they joined the AFL, until 1973. The franchise was originally owned by Joe Robbie and actor Danny Thomas, and struggled as an expansion team until they hired Don Shula in 1970. They appeared in 3 consecutive Super Bowls in the early 1970s, winning 2 of them. Some of their players from the early era include John Stofa, Willie West, Wahoo McDaniel, Bob Griese, Paul Warfield, Larry Csonka, Larry Little, Bob Kuechenberg, Jake Scott, Nick Buoniconti and Manny Fernandez.
Logo, used from 1951 until 1955, for the Green Bay Packers football team in the National Football League. The Packers were a losing organization in this era but luckily hired Vince Lombardi a few years later to right the ship. Players on the Packer roster during these losing years included Tony Canadeo, who would go on to become part of the team’s broadcasting crew, Babe Parilli, Tobin Rote, Gary Knafelc, Billy Howton and 2 players who would have future success playing for Lombardi, Max McGee and Jim Ringo.
From 1997 and ’98, this is a logo used by the Tennessee Oilers during the 2 seasons after they relocated from Houston and prior to changing their name to the Titans. They were coached by Jeff Fisher at the time and had some good young players on the roster, such as Steve “Air” McNair, Eddie George, Samari Rolle, Frank Wycheck and Derrick Mason but finished with mediocre 8-8 records in both of their first 2 years in Tennessee before becoming the Titans.
Logo of another football team set to play in the new XFL in the spring, the DC Defenders. They will be based in Washington, DC and will be coached by Pep Hamilton. Players drafted to their roster so far include Tyree Jackson, Cardale Jones, Khari Lee, James O’Hagan, Scooby Wright, Rahim Moore, Rashard Davis, De’Ondre Wesley and Donnel Pumphrey.
Logo of a pro football team set to begin play in the new XFL, the Seattle Dragons. The team will play its’ games at Century Link Field starting in February after the Super Bowl. Former Seahawk quarterback Jim Zorn is the Dragons’ general manager and head coach. His first project will be the QB the team drafted in the XFL’s player draft, Brandon Silvers from Troy. The team’s roster will also include former Seahawk players Keenan Reynolds, Isiah Battle, Kasen Williams and Robert Myers.
Logo of a football team that plays in the Arena League, the Baltimore Brigade. The team was established in 2017 and is owned by Ted Leonsis, who has also been involved in ownership of the NHL Washington Capitals and NBA Washington Wizards. Two of the team’s players won individual awards in 2017, with quarterback Shane Carden winning Rookie of The Year and Khreem Smith garnering the award for Defensive Lineman of The Year. The Brigade reached the Arena Bowl championship game in its’ second season in 2018.