List of defunct NFL franchises

Membership in the National Football League (NFL) is certified by a franchise. A franchise is awarded by the league to each member club and serves as the league's authorization to operate as a professional football club in their city. Franchises award member clubs the exclusive right to hold professional football games between league members within a 75-mile radius of their city as well as the exclusive rights to market games in their area.^[1] There are currently 32 clubs in the league, and new members can only be approved with the support of 3/4s of current members.^[2] In the case of egregious misbehavior, a club's franchise can be revoked or suspended by the league's commissioner.^[3]

The Akron Pros, the first champions of the National Football League, lost their franchise in 1926.

The Dallas Texans, who played only the 1952 season, were the last franchise to go defunct. The remnants of the Texans' organization was absorbed by a new franchise that became the modern Colts.

The NFL has had a total of 49 franchises become defunct over its history;^[4] this includes ten of the league's twelve founding members, with only the Chicago Bears and Arizona Cardinals surviving to the present day.^[5] By 1926, the league had expanded to 22 franchises, but a league meeting in April 1927 led to the decision to revoke the franchises of the clubs in the weakest financial situations; 10 franchises were ultimately revoked.^[6]

Five defunct NFL franchises (the Akron Pros/Indians, Canton Bulldogs, Cleveland Bulldogs/Indians, Frankford Yellow Jackets, and Providence Steamrollers) had previously won NFL championships. The most recent franchise to become defunct was the Dallas Texans, which folded in 1952 after one season in the league.^[7]

Defunct franchises

Key

^	Denotes the club had won an NFL championship before folding[8]

List of defunct NFL franchises

Club	City	Joined NFL	Folded	Ref(s)
Akron Pros/Indians^	Akron, Ohio	1920[upper-alpha 1]	1926	[7][8]
Baltimore Colts	Baltimore, Maryland	1950[upper-alpha 2]	1950	[7]
Boston Yanks	Boston, Massachusetts	1943	1948	[7]
Brooklyn Dodgers/Tigers	Brooklyn, New York	1930	1944	[7]
Brooklyn Lions	Brooklyn, New York	1926	1926	[7]
Buffalo All-Americans/Bisons/Rangers	Buffalo, New York	1920[upper-alpha 1]	1929[upper-alpha 3]	[7]
Canton Bulldogs^	Canton, Ohio	1920[upper-alpha 1]	1926[upper-alpha 4]	[7][8]
Chicago Tigers	Chicago, Illinois	1920	1920	[7]
Cincinnati Celts	Cincinnati, Ohio	1921	1921	[7]
Cincinnati Reds	Cincinnati, Ohio	1933	1934[upper-alpha 5]	[7]
Cleveland Tigers/Indians	Cleveland, Ohio	1920[upper-alpha 1]	1921	[7]
Cleveland Indians/Bulldogs^	Cleveland, Ohio	1923	1927[upper-alpha 6]	[7][8]
Cleveland Indians	Cleveland, Ohio	1931	1931	[7]
Columbus Panhandles/Tigers	Columbus, Ohio	1920[upper-alpha 1]	1926	[7]
Dallas Texans	Dallas, Texas	1952	1952	[7]
Dayton Triangles	Dayton, Ohio	1920[upper-alpha 1]	1929	[7]
Detroit Heralds	Detroit, Michigan	1920[upper-alpha 1]	1920	[7]
Detroit Panthers	Detroit, Michigan	1925	1926	[7]
Detroit Tigers	Detroit, Michigan	1921	1921	[7]
Detroit Wolverines	Detroit, Michigan	1928	1928	[7]
Duluth Kelleys/Eskimos	Duluth, Minnesota	1923	1927	[7]
Evansville Crimson Giants	Evansville, Indiana	1921	1922	[7]
Frankford Yellow Jackets^	Frankford, Philadelphia	1924	1931	[7][8]
Hammond Pros	Hammond, Indiana	1920[upper-alpha 1]	1926	[7]
Hartford Blues	Hartford, Connecticut	1926	1926	[7]
Kansas City Blues/Cowboys	Kansas City, Missouri	1924	1926	[7]
Kenosha Maroons	Kenosha, Wisconsin	1924	1924	[7]
Los Angeles Buccaneers	Los Angeles, California	1926	1926	[7]
Louisville Brecks/Colonels	Louisville, Kentucky	1921	1926[upper-alpha 7]	[7]
Milwaukee Badgers	Milwaukee, Wisconsin	1922	1926	[7]
Minneapolis Marines/Red Jackets	Minneapolis, Minnesota	1921	1930[upper-alpha 8]	[7]
Muncie Flyers	Muncie, Indiana	1920[upper-alpha 1]	1921	[7]
New York Bulldogs/Yanks	New York, New York	1949	1951	[7]
New York Yankees	New York, New York	1927	1928	[7]
New York Giants	New York, New York	1921	1921	[7]
Orange/Newark Tornadoes	Orange, New Jersey (1929) Newark, New Jersey (1930)	1929	1930	[7]
Oorang Indians	LaRue, Ohio	1922	1923	[7]
Pottsville Maroons/Boston Bulldogs	Pottsville, Pennsylvania (1925–1928) Boston, Massachusetts (1929)	1925	1929	[7]
Providence Steamrollers^	Providence, Rhode Island	1925	1931	[7][8]
Racine Legion/Tornadoes	Racine, Wisconsin	1922	1926	[7]
Rochester Jeffersons	Rochester, New York	1920[upper-alpha 1]	1925	[7]
Rock Island Independents	Rock Island, Illinois	1920[upper-alpha 1]	1925	[7]
St. Louis All-Stars	St. Louis Missouri	1923	1923	[7]
St. Louis Gunners	St. Louis Missouri	1934[upper-alpha 5]	1934	[7]
Staten Island Stapletons/Stapes	Staten Island, New York	1929	1932	[7]
Toledo Maroons	Toledo, Ohio	1922	1923	[7]
Tonawanda Kardex	Tonawanda, New York	1921	1921	[7]
Washington Senators	Washington, D.C.	1921	1921	[7]

See also

• National Football League franchise moves and mergers
• Steagles
• Card-Pitt
• List of defunct and relocated Major League Baseball teams
• List of defunct National Basketball Association teams
• List of defunct and relocated National Hockey League teams
• Major League Soccer defunct clubs

Notes

1. Founding member of the league.^[9]
2. The Baltimore Colts were originally members of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), but the franchise was accepted into the NFL when the AAFC folded in 1949.^[10]
3. The Buffalo Bisons franchise was inactive for the 1928 season.^[7]
4. The Canton Bulldogs franchise was inactive for the 1924 season.^[7]
5. The Cincinnati Reds franchise was revoked with three games remaining in the 1934 season, and the St. Louis Gunners were temporarily enfranchised at that time to finish the Reds' schedule.
6. The Cleveland Bulldogs franchise was inactive for the 1926 season.^[7]
7. The Louisville Brecks franchise was inactive for the 1924 and 1925 seasons.^[7]
8. The Minneapolis Marines franchise was inactive from 1925 to 1928.^[7]

References

General

• "Constitution and Bylaws of the National Football League" (PDF). NFL.com. 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 7, 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2013.

Specific

1. NFL Bylaws, p. 6, 12–15.
2. NFL Bylaws, p. 3.
3. NFL Bylaws, p. 28-35.
4. "Pro Football teams that came and went". ESPN.com. August 14, 2019. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
5. "National Football League (NFL)". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on June 20, 2013. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
6. "NFL History by Decade: 1921–1930". NFL.com. Archived from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
7. "National Football League Franchise Histories". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
8. "NFL Champions". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on January 7, 2013. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
9. "NFL History by Decade: 1911–1920". NFL.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2008. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
10. Grosshandler, Stan (1980). "All-America Football Conference" (PDF). The Coffin Corner. 2 (7). Professional Football Researchers Association: 3, 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 19, 2013. Retrieved January 22, 2014.

External links

• National Football League