When Jacksonville landed an NFL franchise in the 1990s it hadn’t really been on anyone’s footballing radar. A city better known for...

The New York Giants are as old as the NFL itself — founded in 1925, they gave professional football its first true foothold in America’s...

When looking for a team name some sometimes feel a bit forced. Adopting an animal or symbol just because it is aggressive or looks good –...

When the Portsmouth Spartans moved to Detroit in 1934, the new owners needed more than just a change of city — they needed a new identity...

Few teams in American sport are as famous or as iconic as the San Francisco 49ers. Not many other teams for that matter are also named in...

In the early 1920s, when George Halas brought his Decatur Staleys to Chicago, he wanted more than just a football team. He wanted a name...

Few teams wear their founder’s name as their badge. The Cleveland Browns are one of them. When Cleveland’s new franchise launched in 1946...

When Tampa was awarded an NFL expansion franchise in 1976, the owners wanted a name that tied the team to the region’s swashbuckling...

Some team names just fall into place. When Buffalo held a fan contest to name the team in the late 1940s there really could only ever be...

When Miami was awarded an AFL franchise in 1965 a fan contest was held – and Dolphins emerged as the winner: Sleek, fast, intelligent,...

Some teams are named after animals. Others after colours or cities. The New England Patriots, though, carry the name of a revolution....

The Houston Texans are the NFL’s youngest franchise, born in 2002 after the city’s original team, the Oilers, moved to Tennessee in the...

When Barron Hilton — son of hotel magnate Conrad Hilton — was awarded an AFL franchise in 1959, he wanted a name that carried speed and...

The Cincinnati Bengals exist because of one man: Paul Brown. After being forced out of the Cleveland Browns in 1963 by owner Art Modell,...

They weren’t always Titans. The franchise began life as the Houston Oilers in 1960, playing in the AFL under owner Bud Adams. They moved...

When Denver was awarded an AFL franchise in 1960, the city turned to its frontier past for inspiration. A public “name the team” contest...

The New York Jets were not always Jets. Founded in 1960 as the Titans of New York in the old AFL, they struggled with identity and...

When the NFL awarded Atlanta an expansion franchise in 1965, the city held a public contest that drew thousands of entries, but the...

When the NFL awarded New Orleans a franchise in 1966, the city knew exactly what name belonged on its team. They chose the Saints,...

The Arizona Cardinals carry a name older than almost any other in professional football. The story begins in 1898, when a Chicago...