With the NFL Pro Bowl just two weeks away, we thought it would be fun to take a look back at the history of the game and throw out some interesting facts about the games history. The NFL’s All-Star game has seen changes throughout the years, but it all started on a Sunday in January at Wrigley field.
The National Football league was founded in 1920; however, the first Pro Bowl, known back then as the All-Star game, was played during the 1938 season and was comprised of the best players from all teams including three players from the Hollywood Stars and the Los Angeles Bulldogs (who were not members of the league at that time). The game was played on January 15, 1939 at Los Angeles’ Wrigley field, and featured the All-Stars from the league, versus the league Champion New York Giants. That’s right, for the first four years of the All-Star game the league champion would face off with the All-Stars, which was made up of these teams.
Eastern Division
New York Giants
Washington Redskins
Brooklyn Dodgers
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Pirates
Western Division
Green Bay Packers
Detroit Lions
Chicago Bear
Cleveland Rams
Chicago Cardinals
Hall of Famers like Sammy Baugh (Packers), Tuffy Leemans (Giants) and Joe Stydahar (Rams) were some of the all-time greats to make the roster in first Pro Bowl game. The Giants defeated the All-Stars 13-10 and would start a tradition that has lasted 67 years.
Greats like Baugh and Leemans were the originals. But which two players hold the record for most Pro Bowl appearances? That would be offensive lineman Bruce Matthews (Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans) and defensive tackle Merlin Olsen Los Angeles Rams). What makes Olsen’s 14 Pro Bowl nods even more impressive — was the fact that he made the Pro Bowl every year of his career — the only player to achieve this feat in the history of the game. Jerry Rice, Reggie White, Ray Lewis and Tony Gonzalez finish in a close second making a total of 13 Pro Bowl rosters.
Although the Pro Bowl was considered an annual contest, the game was discontinued in 1942 because of travel restrictions implemented during World War II. The game would see a revival in 1950 with the Los Angeles Publishers Association sponsoring the game. In 1950, the NFL decided to switch to the current format in which All-Stars from each league face-off, but that award wasn’t adopted until 2008.
The 1951 version of the Pro Bowl was the first time the league handed out game honors for exceptional play on the field. Currently, the standout player of the game receives the Most Valuable Player award, but that wasn’t always the case. Form 1951-1956 the best player received “Player of the Game” honors. However, in 1957, the league presented awards to only the best running backs and offensive lineman. This would only last until 1971 because I believe the powers at be decided honoring only the backs and linemen was a flawed concept. What if a cornerback grabbed six interceptions? Wouldn’t he deserve the award? In 1972 an award was handed out to most outstanding defensive and offensive players, however — in 1973 — the NFL changed the award again and handed out a “Player of the Game” honors to only one player. This lasted until 2007. Excuse me for a moment while I grab an aspirin.
As the NFL changed through the years, so did the format of the Pro Bowl. First, the opposing sides were the American Conference vs. the National Conference (1951-53), then the Eastern Conference vs. the Western Conference (1954-1970).
In 1970, the NFL merged with the rival AFL and the AFL teams became the AFC, while the teams that had been in the NFL became the NFC teams, giving us the two-conference structure that we have to this day. Starting in 1971, the Pro Bowl was between the AFC all stars and the NFC all stars, and the coaches of the teams that lost in the AFC and NFC championship games were named as the head coach for each conference.
Since 1971, when the game was exclusively played between the AFC and NFC, the series between the two conferences remains a tie at 21-21. This is what makes the 2012 Pro Bowl relevant.
Roger Goodell has stated if the quality of the Pro Bowl doesn’t improve, than the possibility of cancelling the game all together may be an option in the future. So, if this is the last Pro Bowl game to be played, than the winner of this year’s game will be the series victor.
The NFL’s All-Star game’s future may be an uncertainty. And Roger Goodell and the NFL could very well decide to cancel the game. But they’ll never be able to wipe away the games history and the great players that have graced the Pro Bowl field. That, will last forever.
