6 fascinating stories behind the names of six NFL teams

Have you ever seen pirates while spending time in Tampa Bay? In general, you probably haven’t. Regional pirate legends were influential in the team becoming the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A special board reviewed 400 team name options, before settling on “Buccaneers.” Every NFL has a story behind its name. While the origin of some names is self-explanatory, others have more or obscure histories:

1. Chicago Bears
In 1921, the Decatur Staleys moved to Chicago, Illinois. Chicago already had a baseball team called the Cubs. So owner George Halas chose “Bears” instead, as football is a much tougher sport than baseball.

2. Cleveland Browns
A man named Paul Brown served as the Browns’ first head coach and general manager. The original Browns team later moved to Baltimore (1996), becoming the Baltimore Ravens. Three years later (1999), a new Cleveland Browns emerged as an expansion team in the NFL.

3. Indianapolis Colts
The Miami Seahawks moved to Baltimore, Maryland, in 1946. A man named Charles Evans won a team naming contest and chose the name “Colts.” Maryland is famous for its racehorses, so why did Evans choose the term referring to a young male horse? His argument was that the Baltimore football team would be the youngest team in the league. In addition, he noted that “Foals” was easy to say and include in newspaper headlines. When the team moved to Indianapolis in 1984, it kept the name.

4. Atlanta Falcons
The city of Atlanta, Georgia is not famous for hawks. So how was the team named after the actual bird? A teacher named Julia Elliot won a team naming contest for the new NFL team. Elliot noted that several adjectives accurately described the falcon:

oh courage
oh deadly
or worthy
oh proud
or sporty

Thus, the new Atlanta NFL team would take off as the Falcons.

5. Green Bay Packers
The story behind the name of the Packers is without a doubt one of the most fascinating in the NFL. George Calhoun and Earl “Curly” Lambeau once spoke in passing about forming a new football team. Over time, the idea became a reality. Lambeau’s employer, the Indian Packing Company, agreed to sponsor the team. They provided jerseys, soccer gear, and a practice field. Due to the contributions of the company for the launch of the team, the name “Packers” was born.

6. Tennessee Titans
The Titans were figures from ancient Greek mythology, so how did they become linked to an NFL football team? After the team moved from Houston to Tennessee, the owner announced that the team would have a new nickname. He revealed that “Titans” was chosen because the Tennessee city of Nashville was nicknamed the “Athens of the South.” During the V century a. C., Athens became the main city of ancient Greece.

What’s in a name? No matter what NFL team you cheer for, knowing the team name will give you a better appreciation of the team. Wear official NFL merchandise to cheer on your favorite NFL team, whether it’s the Bucs, Browns or Bengals.