Logo of a small college football program, the Abilene Christian University Wildcats, who play in the Southland Conference. The school first fielded a team in 1919, while this logo was used from 1975 until 2012. Former Wildcats who went on to play in the NFL include Wilbert Montgomery, Clint Longley, Danieal Manning, Johnny Knox and Bernard Scott.
Logo of the University of Alabama-Birmingham Blazers, a college football team that until recently played in the East Division of Conference USA. However, they recently announced they are disbanding their football program. They began play as a Division III team in 1991, and current Blazer alumni playing in the NFL include Roddy White, Joe Webb and Matt McCants.
Logo of a pro football team that plays in the Canadian League, the Edmonton Eskimos. The logo was used from 1970 until 1995. Founded in 1949, the Eskimos are the most successful franchise in the modern CFL era, having won 13 Grey Cup titles since 1954. They also hold a North American sports team record by qualifying for the CFL playoffs 34 years in a row between 1972 and 2005. Three different players in club history have won the Grey Cup MVP award twice – Dave Fennell, Damon Allen and Warren Moon.
Logo of a college football team, the Samford University Bulldogs. The program has existed since 1901 and the team currently plays in the Southern Conference. Former Bulldog players who’ve gone on to play pro football include Sam Goldman, Ray Davis, Corey White and Cortland Finnegan.
This logo, used from 1936 until 1962, represented a pro football team that plays in the Canadian Football League, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Founded in 1930, the Bombers have appeared in a CFL record 24 Grey Cup championship games, winning 10. The current Winnipeg roster includes two quarterbacks who’ve played in the NFL – Drew Willy and Brian Brohm, and the team was coached for 10 years by Hall of Famer Bud Grant, before he went on to coach the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings. In 1956, Blue Bomber fans named Labatt’s Pilsener Lager beer in honor of their team, giving birth to today’s Labatt Blue.
Logo of a college football program, the William & Mary Tribe, used from 1974 until 2003. The team competes in the Colonial Athletic Conference. Former coaches of the team who have gone on to bigger and better things include Lou Holtz, Mike Tomlin and Marv Levy, while former Tribe players who’ve gone on to play pro football include Dan Darragh, Al Crow, Mark Kelso and Hall of Famer Lou Creekmur.
Logo of a pro football team that played in the Canadian Football League for only a single season, the Las Vegas Posse. They were part of a mostly failed experiment by the CFL of adding American expansion teams, and existed for only the 1994 season. Their coach was Ron Meyer, who had previously coached the Colts and Patriots in the NFL. The Posse were a failure on and off the field, as they didn’t win many games and had extremely low attendance, but their roster included a rookie quarterback named Anthony Calvillo, who would go on to become the most prolific passer in CFL history.
Logo of a long-forgotten team that played in the old World League of American Football, the Ohio Glory. The club played only one season in the WLAF (later to be called NFL Europe) and won only one game in that season in 1992. They were coached by former Miami Dolphin Hall of Fame lineman Larry Little, and played their home games at Ohio State University’s stadium. Their roster included a few players who spent time in the NFL, including Babe Laufenberg, George Koonce and punter Tom Rouen.
This is the memorial logo being worn by the Buffalo Bills in 2014 in honor of their late founder and owner Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Wilson was one of the original eight owners who founded the American Football League, which began play in 1960. He was the last survivor of that group, known collectively as “The Foolish Club” for having the audacity to challenge the established NFL. He also played an important behind-the-scenes role in helping to bring about the merger between the AFL and NFL which produced the thriving entity the league has become today.
Logo of a small college football program, the Holy Cross Crusaders, used from 1966 until 1998. The team plays in the Patriot League, a Football Championship Sub-division conference (formerly known as Division I-AA). Former Crusaders who’ve played pro football in either the AFL or NFL include Hall of Famer George Connor, Bob Dee, Doug Cosbie , Vince Promuto and Jon Morris.