Buffalo Bills: (1947) Became the Buffalo Bills following a contest to rename the Buffalo Bisons. In 1960, Buffalo joined the American Football League, which then fell under the NFL in 1970.
Carolina Panthers: (1995) Team owner Jerry Richardson's son Mark suggested the name "Panthers", as well as the team colors of black and blue.
Chicago Bears: (1920) Originally the Decatur (Ill.) Staleys, the team moved to the Windy City in 1921 and became the Chicago Staleys. One year later, team manager/founder George "Papa Bear" Halas bought the Staleys and renamed them the "Bears". Why the Bears? Well, Halas thought that since the baseball team in Chicago were the Cubs, the football players, like bears, were bigger than baseball players, and that the new nickname was appropriate.
Cincinnati Bengals: Named after Paul Brown, the teams nickname provided a link to a former football team with the same nickname.
Cleveland Browns:(1945) Named after the teams general manager and first coach, Paul Brown.
Dallas Cowboys: (1959) Originally the Dallas Steers, the name was changed weeks later to the "Rangers". But with a baseball team in Dallas with that same name, the owners decided to go with the "Cowboys".
Denver Broncos: (1960) A fan contest selected the nickname.
Detroit Lions: (1934) First known as the Portsmouth Spartans, the new owner, George Richards, moved the team to Detroit and renamed them.
Green Bay Packers: (1920's) The team was sponsored by a couple of packing companies, Indian and Acme.
Indianapolis Colts: (1947) Origianally in Baltimore, the team moved to Indy in 1984. Horse breeding and racing in Baltimore led a fan contest to select the nickname. In 1950, the team disbanded, but a second "team" began play in 1953 as the Colts.
Jacksonville Jaguars: (1995) The nickname was selected on December 6, 1991, although the teams first season wasn't until 1995.
Kansas City Cheifs: (1960) First known as the Dallas Texans when it began play in the AFL, the team moved in 1963, and the new nickname was selected via a fan contest.
Miami Dolphins: (1966) An AFL expansion team, the team was nicknamed the "Dolphins" following a fan contest, and was selected by team owner Joe Robbie because, he stated, "(it) is one of the fastest and smartest creatures in the sea".
Minnesota Vikings: (1961) Suggested by then-general manager Bert Rose, he mentioned that so many in the state can trace their heritage to Scandinavia.
New England Patriots: (1960) Origianlly in Boston when it was part of the six original AFL teams, the team became "New England" to encompass the region in 1970 when it became apart of the NFL. The "Patriots" name represents the history of the afore mentioned region during the American Revolution.
New Orleans Saints: (1966) A fan contest and the fact that the team was awarded to the Cresent City on November 1, 1966 - All Saints Day.
New York Giants: (1925) Team owner Tim Mara used the name of the city's Major League Baseball team for his team.
New York Jets: (1960) Another team that began as part of the AFL, the then New York "Titans" became the New York "Jets" in 1963 when new owner Sonny Werblin changed the name.
Oakland Raiders: (1960) Originally called the "Senors", the nickname was soon changed to "Raiders" by the team's owner. The team played in Oakland until the team moved to Los Angeles in 1981. The team then moved back to Oakland in 1994.
Philadelphia Eagles: (1933) Team owner Bert Bell picked the "Eagles" as the team's nickname when he noticed president Roosevelt's New Deal program used the American eagle as its logo.
Pittsburgh Steelers: (1933) Originally called the "Pirates" after the city's baseball team, owner Art Rooney, Sr. changed the name in 1940 because of the heavy steel industry in the city.
St. Louis Rams: (1936) Begun in Cleveland, the team became a member of the NFL in 1937. The "Rams" name was chosen by team owner Homer Marshman and general manager Damon Wetzel.
San Diego Chargers: (1960) Originally in Los Angeles as a member of the new AFL, the team moved to San Deigo in 1961.
San Francisco 49ers: (1946) The team moved to San Francisco in 1946, and the nickname "49ers" was chosen to represent the pioneers of the 1849 gold rush.
Seattle Seahawks: (1976) A fan contest chose the name for the new expansion team.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: (1976) The new expansion team's name was chosen by fans based on the history of the Florida bay.
Tennessee Titans: (1960) Known as the Houston Oilers when the team began play as part of the AFL, the team moved to Memphis, Tennessee in 1998 (as the Tennessee Oilers) while their new home stadium in Nashville was constructed. In 1999, the Tennessee Titans began play at Adelphia.
Washington Redskins: (1932) Originally known as the Boston Braves, a new nickname was selected a year later after poor attendence. The NFL team's owner, George Marshall, chose "Redskins" and later moved to Washington, D.C. in 1937.
This Information gathered from the ProFootball Hall of Fame in Canton, OH. 2002
