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by Carrie Birdsong
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional franchise within the National Football League (NFL). Since starting off as an expansion franchise in the American Football League (AFL) in 1968, they have appeared in three Super Bowls, but lost all three times, twice to the San Francisco 49ers and once to the Los Angeles Rams.
Origins
Former Cleveland Browns head coach Paul Brown began planning to create the Bengals franchise in 1965, and Cincinnati’s city council approved the construction of Riverfront Stadium in 1966(1). On May 23rd, 1967, Cincinnati was granted a franchise in the American Football League(2). The franchise was sold to a Cincinnati-based ownership group led by Brown, who had an ownership share of 10%. The other investors included Austin E. Knowlton, the majority shareholder with 30%, John Sawyer with 20%, The Cincinnati Enquirer with 11%, and seven others who had a combined share of 29%(3).
As a founder and head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 1946 to 1962, Brown led his team to a .759 winning percentage and seven championships, which included four championships earned while a member of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). The Browns were champions of that league in each of the four years it existed. When the AAFC folded after the 1949 season, the Browns, as well as the San Francisco 49ers and the first incarnation of the Baltimore Colts, were absorbed into the National Football League.
Brown became a recognized innovator for his approach to training, game planning, and the passing game. However, he was only a minority owner of the Browns and lacked the resources to buy out the rest of the ownership group. In 1961, businessman Art Modell assumed control of the team and on January 9th, 1963, Modell controversially fired Brown. Many believe that Modell had tired of complaints of Brown’s autocratic style; others claim it was Brown’s decision to trade for Syracuse University’s Heisman Trophy-winning running back Ernie Davis, who was drafted by the Washington Redskins, without Modell’s knowledge. However, Davis was diagnosed with leukemia shortly afterward. Brown didn’t want to play Davis; Modell insisted he could play. The relationship between Paul Brown and Art Modell, which was never warm to begin with, deteriorated further. Davis died on May 18th, 1963.
By 1966, Paul Brown wanted to become involved in professional football again. James A. Rhodes, then governor of Ohio, convinced Brown that Ohio needed a second team. Cincinnati was deemed a logical choice. Brown initially sought a franchise in the National Football League (NFL) but had been rebuffed, in no small part because Cincinnati did not have an adequate facility. The city’s largest football venue then in place, the University of Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium, seated only 28,000 people, nowhere near the minimum 50,000 capacity the league required for prospective expansion teams. The NFL deemed it unsuitable even for temporary use.
Brown named the team the Bengals in honor of an earlier Bengals team that played from 1937 to 1941, most notably in the second and third American Football Leagues. While playing as an independent team in 1938, the original Bengals defeated the Chicago Bears and tied the Chicago Cardinals in exhibition games(4). Brown knew the original Bengals had made a good account of themselves on the field, and named his team the Bengals in order “to give it a link with past professional football in Cincinnati.”(1) Possibly as an insult to Art Modell, Paul Brown chose the exact shade of orange used by his former team. He added black as a secondary color. Brown chose a very simple logo: the word “BENGALS” in black lettering.
A turning point came in 1966 when the American Football League (AFL) agreed to a merger with its older and more established rival. Merger negotiations had been complicated by several factors, one being that members of the United States Congress were seeking guarantees that any merger would include all existing AFL teams. Under pressure from Congress, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle had promised that professional football would be maintained in each of the twenty-three markets where it then existed. There was a total of 24 franchises in the two leagues at the time (fifteen in the NFL and nine in the AFL), but the powerful congressional delegation of Louisiana led by Senator Russell Long and Congressman Hale Boggs had further insisted on an NFL franchise in New Orleans in return for their support. As a result, the New Orleans Saints became the NFL’s sixteenth franchise in 1967.
Having just stocked the Saint’s roster, the NFL’s owners did not want to risk having the talent pool of their own league further diluted by way of another expansion draft. They also realized that an odd number of teams would unbalance the schedule. The NFL owners quickly agreed that the AFL should add another team. From the AFL’s perspective, adding another team was highly desirable because the guarantee of an eventual place in the NFL meant the league could charge a steep expansion fee of $10 million – 400 times the $25,000 the original eight owners paid when they founded the league in 1960. The cash from the transaction provided the American Football League with the funds needed to pay the indemnities required to be paid by the AFL to the NFL, as stipulated by the merger agreement.
Before the merger was announced, Paul Brown had not seriously considered joining the American Football League, and was not a supporter of what he openly regarded to be an inferior competition, once famously stating that “I didn’t pay ten million dollars to be in the AFL.”(5) However, with the announcement of the merger, Brown realized that the AFL expansion franchise would likely be his only realistic path back into the NFL for the short term. Brown ultimately acquiesced to joining the AFL when after learning that the team was guaranteed to become an NFL franchise after the merger was completed in 1970, provided a larger stadium was completed by then. An additional consideration was that the AFL was willing to allow Cincinnati to play at Nippert Stadium for the team’s two pre-merger seasons, buying them time to find another stadium.
Ultimately, the stadium issue was settled in no small part because the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB) were also in need of a facility to replace the antiquated Crosley Field, which they had used since 1912. Parking nightmares had plagued the park as far back as the 1950s, the little part lacked modern amenities, and New York City, which after 1957 had lost both of their National League teams, the Dodgers and the Giants to Los Angeles and San Francisco, respectively, was actively courting Powel Crosley. However, Crosley was adamant that the Reds remain in Cincinnati and tolerated the mounting problems with the Crosley Field location, which were increased with the Millcreek Expressway (I-75) project that ran alongside the park.
With assistance from Ohio Governor James A. Rhodes, Hamilton County, and the Cincinnati city council agreed to build a single multi-purpose facility on the dilapidated riverfront section of the city. The new facility had to be ready by the opening of the 1970 NFL season and was named Riverfront Stadium, which was its working title.
With the completion of the merger in 1970, the Cleveland Browns were moved to the AFL-based American Football Conference (AFC). Unexpected victories for AFL teams in Super Bowls III and IV had persuaded NFL owners, starting with Art Modell, to re-consider the question of divisional alignments and ultimately led to the Browns and Bengals both being placed in the AFC Central. An instant rivalry was born, fueled initially by Paul Brown’s rivalry with Modell. The Bengals played their inaugural season in 1968.
The first two seasons
For their first two seasons, they played at Nippert Stadium. The team finished its first season with a 3 – 11 record, although one bright spot was running back Paul Robinson. Robinson rushed for 1,023 yards and was named the AFL Rookie of the Year. In 1970, the Bengals joined the NFL and made their first playoff appearance, having finished with the best record in the newly formed AFC Central division, but lost to the Baltimore Colts. Founder Paul Brown coached the team for its first three seasons, accumulating 15 wins 27 losses, and one tie. One of Brown’s college draft strategies was to draft players with above-average intelligence. Punter/wide receiver Pat McInally attended Harvard, and linebacker Reggie Williams attended Dartmouth College and served on Cincinnati city council while on the Bengals’ roster. Because of this policy, many former players were highly articulate and went on to have successful careers in commentary and broadcasting as well as the arts. In addition, Brown had a knack for locating and recognizing pro football talent in unusual places.
The 1970s: Growing Pains
In the summer of 1970, coinciding with the completion of the AFL-NFL merger, Riverfront Stadium (later known as Cinergy Field from 1996 to 2002), a home they shared with the Cincinnati Reds until the team moved to Paul Brown Stadium (now Paycor Stadium) in 2000, was opened. Brown, Bill “Tiger” Johnson, Homer Rice, and Forrest Gregg coached the Bengals during the ‘70s. The Bengals were placed in the AFC Central division with the completion of the merger and were its first division champions in 1970.
Memorable players from the 1970s
· Greg Cook (1969 – 1974) – Record-setting rookie quarterback whose career was cut short by a devastating shoulder injury the following spring. He would return three years later for just one game. As a rookie, Cook set a single-season NFL record for average yards per completion (17 yards).
· Ken Anderson (1971 – 1986) – Ken Anderson’s 16 seasons are the most by a Bengals player. The four-time Pro Bowler played 192 games in a career highlighted by leading the Bengals to their first Super Bowl while winning the NFL MVP and passing title in 1981. Anderson is one of five players in NFL history to win at least four passing titles in two different decades – 1974 – 1975 and 1981 – 1982. He’s one of only five men to win at least four NFL passing titles. His third one in 1981 not only gave him the league MVP but also the NFL Comeback Player of the Year. After getting benched in the opener, Anderson showed the resourcefulness of his franchise-longest 16 season when bounced back the next week to lead them to a 31 – 30 victory over the Jets at Shea Stadium. The press box phones conked out and Anderson had to decipher the hand signals before he helped carry the team to Super Bowl XVI. In 2021, Anderson was enshrined in the Bengals Ring of Honor, with the inaugural class.
· Paul Robinson (1968 – 1972) – two-time Pro Bowl running back, rookie of the year, 1968 (expansion year).
· Isaac Curtis (1973 – 1984) – four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver known for his speed and exceptional pass-catching ability. Isaac played twelve seasons and held the team record for receiving yards (7,101) until 2007. His 17.1 yards per catch average remains a franchise record.
· Jim LeClair (1972 – 1983) – linebacker who played 12 seasons for the Bengals and made the Pro Bowl in 1976. Also, a member of the United States Army Reserve for six years.
· Bob Trumpy (1968 – 1977) – Outspoken three-time Pro Bowl tight end who now does radio and television commentary. Bob holds the team record for touchdown catches and average yards per catch by a tight end.
· Pete Johnson (1977 – 1983) – Large Pro Bowl fullback who holds the team record for career touchdowns (70).
· Dave Lapham (1974 – 1983) – A multi-position offensive lineman who now does commentary for the team’s radio broadcasts.
· Pat McInally (1976 – 1985) – wide receiver and Pro Bowl punter. A Harvard graduate, McInally became the only player to attain a perfect score (50 points) on an NFL intelligence test. He was also the first Harvard graduate to ever play in a Pro Bowl and Super Bowl.
· Bruce Coslet (1969 – 1976) – played tight end for the Bengals. Returned as offensive coordinator under Sam Wyche, left the team for a head coaching position with the New York Jets, to returned to Cincinnati as head coach from 1996 – 2000, winning 21 and losing 39.
· Mike Reid (1970 – 1974) – two-time Pro Bowl defensive end who retired early from football to pursue a career in piano and songwriting. Reid has written several Grammy-winning songs.
· Coy Bacon (1976 – 1977) – Coy was an expert pass rusher. He earned a Pro Bowl spot by setting the single-season team record for quarterback sacks in 1976 with 22.
· Ken Riley (1969 – 1983) – Ken was one of the best cornerbacks of all time. He set the single-season record for interceptions (9) and the career record (65). In his last season of play, Riley led the AFC with eight interceptions. At the time of his retirement, Ken Riley was number three in the NFL record book for all-time career interceptions with 65.
· Lemar Parrish (1970 – 1977) – An 8-time pro bowler (six times with the Bengals) at cornerback, Lemar had 25 interceptions with the Bengals and 47 total in his career. In addition to being a great defensive back, he excelled at kicks and punt returning on special teams. Parrish is the Bengals’ all-time leader in touchdowns scored by “return or recovery” with 13 (4 on punt returns, 4 on interception returns, 3 on fumble returns, and 1 on a blocked field goal return). He is the only player in franchise history ever to score 2 “return or recovery” touchdowns in a single game, a feat he accomplished 3 times.
· Tommy Casanova (1972 – 1977) – a three-time Pro Bowl safety, Tommy collected 17 career interceptions.
1970’s games of note
· December 17th, 1972 – The Bengals set a team scoring record as they massacred the Houston Oilers 61 – 17. In the game, Bengals’ defensive back Lemar Parrish set a single-game team record by intercepting three passes, returning two of them for touchdowns.
· December 16th, 1973 – Traveling to Houston, the Bengals defeated the Oilers 27 – 24 to clinch its second AFC Central division crown. Cincinnati won its final six games (the last two of which were on the road) to finish 10 – 4 in the ’73 season, edging out the Pittsburgh Steelers for the division championship.
· December 22nd, 1973 – in their second playoff game, the Bengals were once again on the road and fell again to the eventual Super Bowl champions. In the Miami Orange Bowl, the Miami Dolphins defeated the Bengals 34 – 16.
· November 10th, 1974 – Quarterback Ken Anderson completed 20 of 22 passes (a single-game team completion percentage record) as Cincinnati defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 17 – 10.
· December 21, 1975 – In the regular season’s final game, the Bengals blew up the San Diego Chargers 47 – 17. Despite their 11 – 3 season record, the Bengals finished in second in the AFC Central division to the defending and eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, who finished 12 – 2. The 11 – 3 record enabled the Bengals to capture the AFC Wild Card and gave the team their highest winning percentage in franchise history. Ken Anderson won his second consecutive NFL passing title.
· December 28th, 1975 – In the organization’s third playoff game, the Bengals once again had to travel. Despite a 14 – 10 victory over the Oakland Raiders in week five of the regular season, the Raiders defeated the Bengals in Oakland, 31 – 28 in what would be Paul Brown’s final game as Cincinnati’s head coach.
· December 12th, 1976 – During the final game of the season in New York City’s Shea Stadium, Bengals’ defensive end Coy Bacon sacked New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath four times in a 42 – 3 Bengals rout. Coy got to the opposing passer 22 times in 1976, but the NFL did not record quarterback sack statistics until 1982. Defensive back Ken Riley also recorded a franchise record of 3 interceptions in the game, 2 from Namath and 1 from Richard Todd.
· October 22nd, 1978 – In the lowest scoring game in Cincinnati Bengals’ history, the Buffalo Bills defeated the Bengals 5 – 0.
· December 21st, 1980 – Bengals defensive end Eddie Edwards set a single-game team record by sacking Cleveland Browns’ quarterback Brian Sipe five times. The Browns, needing a win to qualify for the playoffs, came out ahead 27 – 24.
This is a three-part article. The copyrights, and
the citations information will be posted at
the end of part three of this article. Part 2
will be posted on October 4, 2024
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