How Every NFL Team Got It's Name
From the 49ers to the Vikings, there is a tale behind every name.
You may not see a jaguar in Jacksonville or a panther in Carolina, but each was chosen meticulously. There are more literal nicknames such as the Houston Texans and some odd ones like the Baltimore Ravens.
Dallas was almost named the Rangers and Denver was almost the Cowboys. How would you react if the Seahawks were named the Evergreens or Sockeyes?
Many do not know the reasoning behind many team names or the stories they tell, but I'm here to share with you the history of each franchise.
Arizona Cardinals
1 of 31
Beginning as the Morgan Athletic Cub, the Cardinals' franchise originated in Chicago back in 1898.
There, the organization planned to dawn maroon-colored jerseys that were borrowed from the University of Chicago, but owner Chris O'Brien deemed them Cardinal red.
This name stuck with them as they moved to St. Louis and eventually Arizona in 1988. The Cardinal bird did not appear on their helmets until 1947.
Atlanta Falcons
2 of 31
According to CNN, Miss Julia Elliott, a local school teacher, submitted the name "Falcons" into a naming contest and reasoned that, "The falcon is proud and dignified, with great courage and fight. It never drops its prey. It is deadly, and has a great sporting tradition."
The city held a vote in the newspapers and out of over 1,000 submitters, Elliott won.
The Peaches and Firebirds were among other possibilities for the nickname.
Baltimore Ravens
3 of 31
Baltimore almost became the Marauders or Americans, but they instead honored Edgar Allan Poe by naming their franchise the Ravens. Poe lived and passed away in Baltimore and wrote a poem called "The Raven".
The team also named their three Raven mascots Edgar, Allan, and Poe.
Buffalo Bills
4 of 31
The Buffalo franchise was almost named the Chewbaccas. No, I'm joking.
In 1946, the franchise wanted to make a change from the Bison name that was shared with other Buffalo sports teams.
The name Bills referred to Buffalo Bill Cody, a notorious frontiersman. The winner proclaimed that Cody had trailblazed the American frontier and the football franchise was opening a new frontier in Buffalo's sports.
Carolina Panthers
5 of 31
The Panthers actually got their name from a mix of regional relativity and an identity that the front office wanted this team to be known by.
Cougars are quite common in the south and are known by different nicknames, one of them being Panthers. The franchise also decided that powerful demeanor of a Panther fit their franchise.
Chicago Bears
6 of 31
When the Decatur Staleys moved their franchise to Chicago, George Halas wanted a nickname to honor the Chicago Cubs, who allowed the team to play their home games at the Cubs' Wrigley Field.
The bear, he thought, was more fierce than a Cub, and therefore more fitting for a football team.
Cincinnati Bengals
7 of 31
Paul Brown named the Cincinnati franchise after the football team who played their from 1937 to 1942. While many fans felt the Buckeye would be a fitting nickname, Brown decided a Bengal would honor football's history in Cincinnati as well as the city's zoo, which owned a rare white Bengal Tiger.
Cleveland Browns
8 of 31
After a public vote, the Browns was the most popular name, but Paul Brown decided that the Panthers was a better name. After being informed that the rights to the name "Cleveland Panthers" were already owned, Brown decided to use the name Cleveland Browns. Although, he did indicate that this was named after Joe Louis, a popular boxer whose nickname was the "Brown Bomber".
Dallas Cowboys
9 of 31
The Dallas Steers were scheduled to become the Rangers until a local baseball team, the Rangers, decided not to fold before the 1960 season. The name was quickly changed to the Cowboys before the beginning of the season.
Denver Broncos
10 of 31
The name was chosen from hundreds of entries due to it's western theme. The franchise also payed homage to the Denver Broncos team playing in the Midwest Baseball League during the 1920s.
Detroit Lions
11 of 31
What animal is equally fierce as a tiger? Well, team owner George Richards would have told you a lion when he moved the Portsmouth Spartans to Detroit in 1934. He was hoping to be the "monarch" of the league as lions were the kings of the jungle.
Green Bay Packers
12 of 31
After two packing companies sponsored the team, it was inevitable that the name would stick. One fact that most fans do not know is the meaning behind the "G" of the Packers' helmet. Many would say for "Green", but it was actually created to represent "Greatness".
Houston Texans
13 of 31
After gaining permission from the former owner of the Dallas Texans, the name was chosen. Clearly, the name is rather straight-forward, honoring the overblown Texas pride. The Apollos, Stallions were among the final contenders for the nickname after the Bobcats and Wildcatters were eliminated.
Indianapolis Colts
14 of 31
Baltimore is a notorious horse-breeding area and when the Miami Seahawks made the move to Baltimore, the Colts was a fan-favorite nickname. The name was retained when the franchise moved to Indianapolis.
Jacksonville Jaguars
15 of 31
The Jacksonville Zoo owned the oldest living jaguar in North America and the nickname was chosen through a naming contest. Other options were Stingrays and Sharks.
Kansas City Chiefs
16 of 31
There are a few stories behind this name. Owner Lamar Hunt explained that Native Americans had once lived in the area, therefore the name was locally important. Also, the mayor of Kansas City was H. Roe "Chief" Bartle, who lured the team to Kansas City. But as you can see to the left, there are other interpretations.
Miami Dolphins
17 of 31
The Dolphins name was born from a naming contest when the team entered the AFL as an expansion team. Miami owner Joe Robbie cited the dolphin as “one of the fastest and smartest creatures in the sea.”
Minnesota Vikings
18 of 31
This franchise was one of the first to use it's state name rather than a city name for the title of the team. The Vikings was chosen because many have Scandinavian ancestry in the area.
New England Patriots
19 of 31
Beginning in Boston, the franchise chose the name to honor the birthplace of the American Revolution. When a cartoon of a minuteman was drawn for a newspaper, it became the logo and the name stuck. In 1971, the city name was altered to New England in order to honor a larger area and target more football fans.
New Orleans Saints
20 of 31
On All Saints Day, Nov. 1, 1966, the franchise was awarded. They were bound to be the Saints due to the history of jazz in the area and the popularity of the song, "When the Saints Go Marching In".
New York Giants
21 of 31
The Giants simply took this name from the New York baseball team, but the story behind the original name is more intriguing.
The baseball team was originally called the Gothams. After one particular win, the manager called his team "My big fellows! My Giants!". The nickname was then born and survived the franchise's move out west.
New York Jets
22 of 31
The franchise, which was under new ownership, wanted to change the nickname of Titans. Gothams was a name thrown around, but there was a worry that some might call them the Goths. They also considered Borros, but that name fell when ownership decided it could get confused with the burro and opposing fans would call them the "jackasses".
Ultimately, they decided on Jets because of the proximity to LaGuardia and what is now JFK airport.
Oakland Raiders
23 of 31
Originally, the nickname Señors was chosen. This referenced the past spanish settlers of California. But this name was not a fan favorite and was the only name to included an accent mark. It was soon replaced by the Raiders, but there is not much of an explanation as to why this name made sense.
Some suggest that fishers would arrive in the bay and "raid" houses to kidnap people and force them to serve on their ships.
Philadelphia Eagles
24 of 31
When the Frankford Yellowjackets franchise was awarded to Bert Bell and Lud Wray in 1933, the nation was amidst their recovery from the Great Depression. President Franklin D. Roosevelt had recently introduced the National Recovery Act. The symbol of the act included an eagle so Bell and Wray honored this act by introducing their team as the Eagles.
Pittsburgh Steelers
25 of 31
Originally the Pirates, owner Art Rooney felt a re-naming was in order. Many steel workers in the area sent in the Steelers as a suggestion and the name was chosen to honor the largest industry in the area.
San Diego Chargers
26 of 31
The franchise was originally awarded in Los Angeles and the Chargers name was allegedly chosen the first time he read a letter suggesting it. Team owner Barron Hilton also liked the idea of the crowd yelling "Charge!" at home games. Many still call the team the Bolts though, due to their logo.
San Francisco 49ers
27 of 31
The California Gold Rush of 1849 was the inspiration for the team's name. Coincidently, the team joined the NFL almost exactly 100 years after the infamous gold rush.
The first logo was a land prospector, but when his appearance seemed pretty obviously drunk, the team altered the logo to the "49ers".
Seattle Seahawks
28 of 31
The name Seahawks was chosen out of over 20,000 entries in a name-the-team contest in 1975. The name was chosen over other birds such as the "Seagulls" because of it's "aggresiveness" and relation to the Northwest. The name was also chosen because of it's originality and because the Seahawks was synonymous with the Osprey, a predatory hawk native to the area.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
29 of 31
The Buccaneers name was chosen due to the pirate raids on Florida during the 1600s. Other ties to the area include the local legend of pirate José Gaspar, who's honored in the Gasparilla Pirate Festival, which takes place in Tampa.
Tennessee Titans
30 of 31
The franchise moved from Houston to Nashville in 1997. After playing two season as the Oilers, Bud Adams decided to make a change. The Titans was chosen because he felt that Tennessee was the "Athens of the South". Tennessee is also one of the only franchise's to use their state name.
Washington Redskins
31 of 31
The Redskins nickname is one of the oldest names in existence. Most believe that the name honors former coach William Henry “Lone Star” Dietz. Their is some questioning of whether Dietz was truly a Native American though. The name survived the franchise's move from Boston to Washington.
.jpg?w=480 "Rams Seahawks Football")
.jpg?w=600 "Thibodeaux, Diggs Top Landing Spots 🛬")
.jpg?w=600 "Aiyuk, Jeudy Landing Spots 📍")
.jpg?w=600 "Eagles Reportedly Trade for Pro Bowl LB")
.jpg?w=600 "Bears OL Wins Ketchup for Life 😳")