Selected I
History of Football · 01
The Leagues
From the APFA's auto-showroom founding to the merger — who survived and why.
→The record of the American game — how the leagues, the rules, and the numbers got this way.
The American game's record, kept honestly
How the leagues formed, why the rules changed, and what the record book actually says — sourced from the primary record.
From 1869 to the seventeen-game season
Scroll to explore
Platform
In the archive
Selected II
History of Football · 02
The Rules
Why the rulebook reads the way it does, one change at a time.
Selected III
History of Football · 03
The Records
Era-labeled records — including the ones that can never fall.
— Hover to preview.
Insights
From the blog
Feature
Longest NFL Punt in History: Steve O’Neal’s 98-Yarder
Steve O’Neal’s 98-yard punt in 1969 remains the NFL record. Learn how it happened, why an AFL play counts, and how punt distance is measured.
Read more
Feature
Most Touchdowns in NFL History: Scored vs. Thrown
Jerry Rice scored a record 208 NFL touchdowns; Tom Brady threw 649. Compare career leaders, rushing and receiving records, and how Rice passed Jim Brown.
Read more
Feature
Biggest Blowout in NFL History: The Bears’ 73–0 Championship Win
Chicago’s 73–0 win in the 1940 NFL Championship Game remains the biggest blowout. See how regular-season, post-merger and Super Bowl records differ.
Read more