Wednesday, June 8, 1966: NFL-AFL merger

The National Football League and American Football League announced plans Wednesday for a merger into a giant circuit of 26 teams in 25 cities under a single commissioner. The commissioner will be Pete Rozelle of the NFL, who, according to the joint announcement, will administer all inter-league business under a structure similar to major league baseball. The actual merger will not take place until 1970 after existing contracts expire. 

-- Story by Associated Press: @. Photo of Pete Rozelle by Bob Gomel.

* Summary from www.history.com: @

* "How Merger Will Operate" (Associated Press): @

* "Here's How It Happened" (Tex Schramm, Sports Illustrated, June 20, 1966): @
* "Birth of the new NFL: How the 1966 NFL/AFL Transformed Pro Football" (Larry Felser, 2008): @

* "The AFL-NFL merger was almost booted ... by a kicker" (Ken Rappoport, NFL.com, 2009): @
* "The American Football League's Foolish Club" (Jim Morrison, Smithsonian magazine, 2010): @
* NFL history by decade, 1961-1970 (www.nfl.com): @

* "The Merger: Forming the Conferences" (video, www.nfl.com): @
* www.remembertheafl.com: @

* afl-football.50webs.com: @

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