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Also in 1946 the "war" to get fierce playing college player's started. As in all "wars" both divisions suffered greatly. But the NFL had a greater foundation, and came out on top when the AAC was discontinued in 1949. The NFL won because many of the great AAC players came over to play for the NFL. The NFL also got the Cleveland Browns. This team had won every AAC championship.
In the early 1960's the demand for season tickets for pro games in NFL city's, and heavy TV. receipts attracted new investors into sports. One of the investors was Lamar Hunt, a Texas businessman, who formed a league that would challenge the NFL. This league was called the AFL (American Football League) This league got started in 1960 with teams in 8 cities. The cities were Boston, Buffalo, Denver, Dallas, Houston, Las Angeles, New York and Oakland.
The competition for college talent sent player salaries crashing through the roof. The AFL reached a maximum high point when the New York Jets got the star quarterback, Joe Namath. They gave Joe $400,000 to sign before they got him.
In 1966 the pro football war ended because the two leagues learned the constant was suicidal. The two leagues signed a peace pact and decided to combine.
In 1967 the two leagues decided to hold a championship game every year, which it was later called the Super Bowl. In 1970 the game became an interleague championship. The NFL's Green Bay Packer's won the first TWO interleague Super Bowls. But in 1969 the AFL's New York Jets beat the Colt's giving the AFL their first Super Bowl win.
In the 1970's some critic's were saying football was losing it's excitement and becoming dull. The defense was dominating the game and there were rarely ever any good offensive plays anymore. League officials became aware of this so they moved the in-bounds markers closer to the center of the field. This was supposed to give the receivers more room to roam. What it actually did was bring back the running game ,and more running backs gained over 1,000 yards than any other year. It not only helped the game survive but also made it better.
That is the history of football.