PEOPLE

Roger Goodell

. NFL Commissioner since 2006

. Began working for NFL right out of college in 1982

. His leadership has led to crackdown on off-field misconduct by players

Vince Lombardi

. Coach of Green Bay Packers during the 1960s

. Regarded as one of NFL's most successful coaches of all time

. Emphasized grueling training and complete commitment to team

. Retired in 1968 after back-to-back Super Bowl wins; NFL named championship trophy in his honor

Joe Namath

. Quarterback for the New York Jets in the 1960s and 1970s

. Led Jets to stunning upset victory over Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, 1969

. Threw more interceptions than touchdowns during career, but remembered for bold confidence

Fritz Pollard

. First black football star, led team to very first NFL championship, 1920

. Also NFL's first black head coach, beginning in 1921

. Only black player for the Akron Pros, one of original NFL franchises

Jackie Robinson

. First African American to play professional baseball (Brooklyn Dodgers)

. Before joining Dodgers, played many other sports, including football

. Is said to have been better at football than baseball

. Only chose to play baseball because the NFL allowed no black players in early 1940s, while Negro League allowed blacks to play pro baseball; later moved from Negro League to Major League Baseball after NFL desegregated

Pete Rozelle

. Commissioner of NFL, 1960 to 1989

. Most instrumental figure in building the NFL into a wealthy and powerful force in American sports entertainment

. Fostered lucrative relationships between NFL and major network TV

Johnny Unitas

. Regarded as first great quarterback in the post-WWII NFL

. First player to throw for more than 40,000 yards

. Most admired for performance in 1958 NFL Championship, "The Greatest Game Ever Played," an exciting overtime contest that helped popularize the NFL as a spectator sport

EVENTS

1920 NFL Founded

. Formed in Canton, Ohio by representatives from four semipro football clubs

. Called their new organization the American Professional Football Association (renamed the National Football League in 1922)

. Began as poorly organized and underfunded small-town league in Great Lakes region

1933 NFL Segregated

. Washington Redskins owner George P. Marshall convinced other owners to institute segregationist policy

. 1933 policy instituted to appease racially prejudiced white fans, players, coaches, and executives

. NFL remained all-white until 1946, when black players Woody Strode and Kenny Washington joined the LA Rams

1958 NFL Championship Game

. Called "The Greatest Game Ever Played"

. Baltimore Colts defeated New York Giants in overtime

. One of the first NFL matchups broadcast to large national television audience

. A thrilling game that helped popularize the NFL as a spectator sport

1960 Pete Rozelle Elected Commissioner

. NFL needed new leader after death of longtime Commissioner Bert Bell

. League's owners voted to install Rozelle, a young LA Rams executive

. Marked beginning of rapid rise of NFL as pop culture phenomenon

1967 Super Bowl I

. Held in Los Angeles in January; tickets sold poorly, but millions tuned in to watch on TV

. Called "AFL-NFL World Championship Game"; not "Super Bowl" until 1969

. NFL's Green Bay Packers crushed AFL's Kansas City Chiefs in lopsided game

. Hinted at future success of televised Super Bowl games

1969 Super Bowl III

. First championship game to be referred to officially as "Super Bowl"

. Pitted heavily favored NFL Baltimore Colts against underdog AFL New York Jets

. Jets quarterback Joe Namath led his team to a shocking victory

. Proved that in football's winner-take-all final game, anything can happen

. Widely considered to be the greatest Super Bowl ever

1982 Super Bowl XVI

. San Francisco 49ers won their first NFL championship, beating Cincinnati Bengals

. Blizzards across U.S. forced more Americans than usual to stay home, generating highest TV ratings ever

. First Super Bowl to feature a major recording star, Diana Ross, during pre-game entertainment

1984 Super Bowl XVIII

. Game that launched Super Bowl TV advertising as its own genre

. Apple Computer revealed legendary sci-fi ad for its new Macintosh products

. Proved that high-concept, big-budget ads shown during Super Bowl could really pay off

GROUPS

National Football League (NFL)

. Founded in 1920

. Called American Professional Football Association until 1922

. Merged with the American Football League in 1970

. After merger, split into two conferences (AFC and NFC)

. Today is most profitable sports organization in U.S.

American Football League (NFL)

. Founded in 1960 to compete against the NFL

. Unlike NFL, favored less-traditional, high-scoring version of the game

. Merged into NFL in 1970

CONCEPTS

Broadcast Rights

. Exclusive rights of TV network to broadcast an event

. TV networks purchase these rights

. NFL began selling these rights to major networks in 1960s

. Money from these deals key to NFL's growth

Desegregation

. Process of racially integrating previously segregated places, businesses, or organizations

. Woody Strode and Kenny Washington, who joined the LA Rams in 1946 when the NFL was an all-white league, desegregated modern professional football

. Jackie Robinson, who joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 when MLB was all-white, desegregated professional baseball

Franchise Fee

. Fee paid by a team to a sports league in order to join the league

. When NFL was founded in 1920, original franchise fee was $100

. None of the first teams in the early NFL could afford to actually pay the fee

Super Bowl

. Name for NFL's championship game, held once a year, in January or February

. Name coined by Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt, 1966; name inspired by the Super Ball, a bouncy children's toy

. Originally known as "AFL-NFL World Championship Game"

. Today, most popular annual event in American pop culture

PLACES

Canton, Ohio

. Site of the Hupmobile auto dealership where the owners of four Ohio football clubs met in 1920 to found the NFL

. Now site of Pro Football Hall of Fame

Green Bay, Wisconsin

. Home of the Green Bay Packers, the only small-town team from the NFL's Great Lakes roots to survive into the modern era