rayonsports.com

Logo of the National Football League’s Chicago Bears, used from 1954 until 1973. Under owner, coach and founder George “Papa Bear” Halas, the Bears enhanced their rough and tumble “Monsters of The Midway” image in this era, playing tough defense and a physical style. The Bears won the NFL title in 1963, riding the league’s most dominant defense that was coached by George Allen to a title game win over the New York Giants. The Bears have more members (32) in the Pro Football Hall of Fame than any other franchise, and from this era Mike Ditka, Gale Sayers and Dick Butkus are all considered by many to be the best at their positions in league history.

From sportslogos.net , this is a logo of a defunct college football team, the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks. The school began play in 1911 but made the decision to disband the football program in 2010 in order to concentrate on other sports. A Division II program, the school competed in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association, and won 13 conference championships during it’s existence. Maverick alumni who have enjoyed pro careers include Marlin Briscoe, John Randle, Shaq Barrett, Phil Wise, Joe Arenas and Greg Zuerlein.

Used from 1999 until the present, this is an alternate logo of a college football team that plays in the Big 10 conference, the Oregon Ducks. They were long time members of the Pacific 12 conference before that. Yes, the duck used in the logo is Disney favorite Donald Duck, who became the school’s mascot in a handshake deal between Walt Disney and Oregon athletic director Leo Harris in the 1940s. The school boasts 5 players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame – Norm Van Brocklin, Tuffy Leemans, Dave Wilcox, Gary Zimmerman, Dan Fouts and Mel Renfro.

Logo of a former team that played in the Arena Football League, the Philadelphia Soul. The franchise, famously owned by a group including Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Ron Jaworski, lasted from 2004 until 2019 and over that span played in 5 Arena Bowl championship games, winning 3. Some Soul players include 2 Arena League Hall of Famers – Mike Hohensee and Clint Dolezel, as well as Chris Jackson, Dwayne Hollis, Matt D’Orazio, Mike Brown and Kent Richardson.

It’s Thanksgiving week, so our classic logo is another version of the Detroit Lions’ Turkey Day logo. The tradition of a Thanksgiving Day game in the Motor City began way back in 1934, when Lions’ owner George Richards scheduled the holiday game to attract more fans. Although the NFL and college teams had played games on Thanksgiving prior to 1934, the Lions’ contests drew more attention as Richards owned a major affiliate of the NBC Radio Network, and was able to negotiate a deal to have the games broadcast live across the nation.

A logo of one of the original football teams to compete in the early days of the NFL, the Portsmouth Spartans. The franchise was founded in 1928 and joined the NFL in 1930. After struggling financially the team was moved to Detroit in 1934 and renamed the Lions. The team’s first NFL roster included some interesting names like Spider Johnson, Dud Harris, Sod Ryan, Tiny Lewis and Frosty Peters.

Used from 1965 until 1969, this is a special alternate logo of a football team that originated in the old American Football League, the Denver Broncos. The team compiled a dismal 20-48-1 record during that 5 year period, cementing their status as the worst team in the AFL’s 10 year history. Some players who were members of those sorry clubs include Mickey Slaughter, Jacky Lee, Lionel Taylor, Cookie Gilchrist, Abner Haynes, Al Denson, Goose Gonsoulin, Willie Brown, Floyd Little, Bob Scarpitto and Rich “Tombstone” Jackson.

Logo of a team that plays in the NFC South Division of the National Football League, the Atlanta Falcons. This particular logo, featuring a menacing falcon, was adopted in 2003 and is the primary logo used today. The 2003 season marked the end of the coaching tenure of Dan Reeves, as he was fired during the year and replaced by interim coach Wade Phillips. Notable players on that 2003 team included Michael Vick, Peerless Price, Ray Buchanan, Jay Feely, Sam Rogers and Warrick Dunn.

Used for only a single season in 1975, this is a helmet logo of a National Football League team, the New York Giants, affectionately known as the “Disco Giants” logo. They were coached by Bill Arnsparger that year and finished in fourth place in the NFC East standings with a 5-9 record. Players who were on the roster that season for the club include John Mendenhall, Ron Johnson, Doug Kotar, Craig Morton, Bob Tucker, Spider Lockhart, Brad Van Pelt and Jack Gregory.

From SportsLogos.Net, this is the earliest logo of the NFL’s Green Bay Packers. Dating from the league’s inaugural season of 1921, the logo refers to the club by it’s original name, the Acme Packers. NFL teams in the early days were often sponsored by companies and may have included company employees. That original Packer team included player/coach Curly Lambeau, and was heavy in players from Lambeau’s alma mater, Notre Dame. Some former Irish from that roster are Norm Barry, James Cook, Grover Malone, Frank Coughlin, Dave Hayes and Emmett Keefe.