Whether you’re an NFL fan or not, there’s no doubt that you’ve probably heard of some of the most iconic names in the league. Whether it’s the Dallas Cowboys, the Tennessee Giants or the New England Patriots, these are all iconic names in the NFL that you’ll likely have heard at some point in your life. But where exactly did these teams get those names? Let’s dive into the history of some of the most iconic NFL team names in history.
Tennessee Titans
The Titans actually started out as a member of the 1960s American Football League. Back then, they were known as the Houston Oilers and were one of the most dominant AFL teams. After making the difficult transition to the NFL, the Oilers announced in 1997 that they would relocate to Nashville. However, the stadium was still being constructed, so they briefly moved to Memphis and became the Tennessee Oilers. This only lasted from 1997 till 1998.
In 1999, the team was officially renamed to the Tennessee Titans by Bud Adams, the owner at the time. He wanted something to represent Tennessee and used the full-scale replica of the Parthenon and other Greek influences in the city as inspiration.
New York Giants
The New York Giants were founded in 1925 for just $500 by Tim Mara. At the time, baseball was arguably the king of sports and almost everyone followed the New York Giants, a team that eventually relocated to San Francisco in 1957 and also renamed.
Following their footsteps, Tim Mara decided to take on the name of the New York Giants in hopes that sports fans in the city would recognize and support both clubs. The “Giants” term came from the skyscrapers that line New York. Those tall and intimidating buildings were a staple of New York and it was honored in the name of these famous sports teams.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers are currently one of the headline teams thanks to their recent victories and addition of Tom Brady in 2020. Contrary to popular belief, Tampa Bay isn’t an actual city. Instead, it’s a label that people use to describe the region it represents. However, that doesn’t stop teams from using that label for their teams.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers originally got their name from the pirate invasions from a long time ago. Florida’s western coast was periodically raided between the 18th and 19th centuries by the Spanish. In particular, it was captain Jose Gaspar, also known as Gasparilla, that commonly led these attacks. When Tampa was given an NFL expansion team in 1976, they opted to choose “Buccaneers” from over 400 different nickname possibilities based on local pirate legends.
Chicago Bears
There’s no doubt that the Chicago Bears is one of the most storied football teams ever, winning nine NFL championships including a Super Bowl and having the most enshrinees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and most retired jersey numbers. The team originally began as a company football team and were known as the Decatur Staleys in 1920 and then the Chicago Staleys in 1921 after relocating to draw larger audiences.
In 1922, the team became affiliated with the Cubs, eventually renaming to Chicago Cubs with the intention that people would support both teams. To coincide with this, George Halas noted that football players were often much bigger than baseball players. If the baseball team was to be known as the Chicago Cubs, then the football team would have to be called the Chicago Bears.
Honorable mention: The Super Bowl
Though not a team name, a lot of people don’t really know where the term “Super Bowl” actually came from.
In the past, there were actually two different major leagues: the National Football League and the American Football League. In 1966, the two decided to merge in secrecy. The very first two games were known as the “AFL-NFL Championship Games”.
Shortly after the merger, Lamar Hunt, one of the biggest promoters of American football, started calling these games the “Super Bowl”. This is because a “bowl” game was the most important game of a college football team’s season. The “super” came from his children playing with a Wham-O toy called the Super Ball. It didn’t take long until the term “Super Bowl” was used everywhere and has remained to this day.
There’s no doubt that the NFL has some of the most storied sports teams in the world and their names are just part of their legacy. While some teams have gone through multiple name changes, others have stayed true to their name for decades.