TheNFL Century Division was one of the four divisions of theNational Football League during the 1967 through 1969 seasons.[1] (The other divisions were namedCapitol,Central,Coastal; each name began withC and consisted of seven letters). The NFL, previously, consisted of the Eastern Conference and Western Conference. The four-division setup was used in the preparation of the merger of the NFL andAmerican Football League (AFL) for the1970 NFL season.
The NFL Century Division had four teams in each season; however, it had five different members:Cleveland Browns,New Orleans Saints,New York Giants,Pittsburgh Steelers, andSt. Louis Cardinals.[2] In 1967 and 1969 the four teams were the Browns, Cardinals, Giants, and Steelers. For the 1968 season, the Giants were placed in the Capitol Division, with the Saints switching to the Century.
The Century Division was the only one not based on geography; the Capitol Division's teams were in the eastern U.S., the Central Division in the upper Midwest, and theCoastal had two teams on each coast. While the origin of nameCentury Division is not completely certain, it has been hypothesized that the name could have been intended to be a reference to thecentennial of American football, which isgenerally regarded to have emerged as a distinct game in the late 1860s. In any case, the Century Division's teams varied widely by geography, although not to the extent of the Coastal Division.
The Cleveland Browns won all three division titles in the Century Division. After theAFL–NFL merger in 1970, the division was disbanded; the Giants joined theNFC East; the Cardinals also joined the NFC East before moving to theNFC West in 2002. New Orleans became a member of theNFC West, moving to the newly formedNFC South in 2002. Cleveland and Pittsburgh joined the AFC Central (later theAFC North), with theCincinnati Bengals (from theAFL West) andHouston Oilers (from theAFL East).
| Season | Team | Record | Playoff Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| NFL Century | |||
| 1967 | Cleveland Browns | 9-5-0 | LostNFL Divisional Playoffs |
| 1968 | Cleveland Browns | 10-4-0 | LostNFL Championship |
| 1969 | Cleveland Browns | 10-3-1 | LostNFL Championship |