5 NFL expansion franchises that almost happened
Before the existence of the NFL, the American Professional Football Association (AFPA) was founded in 1920 with fourteen teams. Two years later, in 1922, the NFL was officially formed as a product of what the APFA started.
The NFL has been in existence now for a century and has expanded to 32 total teams over the years. The first expansion team joined in 1924 as the Frankford Yellow Jackets and would eventually become the Philadelphia Eagles, while the most recent expansion team, the Houston Texans, joined in 2002.
#TBT A look at the history in the HOF Archives: The Articles of Incorporation for the @Eagles franchise, which at the time granted the Frankford Yellow Jackets to Bert Bell. He then renamed the expansion franchise to the Eagles and the team joined the @NFL in 1933. https://t.co/P9GrY8iQW1
The largest expansion in NFL history occurred when they merged with the AFL in 1970 and added ten official new teams. While adding expansion teams has always been a priority, there have been several times when a team was declined entry into the league. Here are five of them.
Expansion team attempts that never made it to the NFL
#1 - Los Angeles Bulldogs (1936)
The Los Angeles Bulldogs were formed as an independent professional football team in 1936. They played six games against NFL teams and earned a successful 3-2-1 record.
Despite the Bulldogs proving they could compete, they were rejected entry in favor of the Cleveland Rams. The Bulldogs joined the AFL in place of the Rams, who would eventually switch cities to become the Los Angeles Rams.
#2 - Memphis Grizzlies (1975)
Memphis was one of five finalists for two expansion cities in 1974, but ultimately Tampa Bay and Seattle were chosen. Instead, the Toronto team for the World Football League (WFL) moved to Memphis.
They were initially called the Memphis Southmen before changing their name to the Grizzlies. When the WFL folded in 1975, the Memphis Grizzlies made one last push to join the NFL, but their attempt failed.