In professional
American football,
the
Pro Bowl is the
all-star game of the
National Football League (NFL).
Since the
merger with the rival
American Football League
(AFL) in 1970, it has been officially called the
AFC-NFC
Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the
American Football Conference
(AFC) against those in the
National Football Conference
(NFC).
Unlike most other sports leagues, which hold their all-star games
during the halfway point of their respective
regular seasons, the Pro Bowl is generally
the last game played at the end of the NFL season.
The first Pro Bowl,
featuring the all-stars of the 1938
season, was played on January 15, 1939 at Los Angeles
's Wrigley Field
. The game was then played at various venues
before being held at Aloha Stadium
in Honolulu, Hawaii
for 30 consecutive seasons from 1980 to
2009. The 2010 Pro
Bowl will be played at LandShark Stadium
, the home stadium of the Miami Dolphins and host site of Super Bowl XLIV, on January 31, the first
time ever that the Pro Bowl is held before the
championship game.
Through the
2009 game, the NFC leads
the series 20–19.
Game history
A post season all-star game between the new league champion and a
team of professional all-stars was added to the NFL schedule at the
end of the 1938-39 season.
On January 15, 1939, at Wrigley
Field
in Los Angeles
, the New York Giants
won the first Pro All-Star Game 13-10, defeating an all-star team
of players from NFL teams and two future Pacific Coast
Professional Football League clubs, the Los Angeles Bulldogs and the Hollywood Stars (the Bulldogs, a former
AFL II franchise,
were originally planning on joining the league but were rejected;
the team, in independent play, went 2-1-2 against NFL opponents in
1938).
This format continued for the next four seasons, except that the
all-star team now consisted solely of NFL players.
In January 1942, in
the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, the game was moved from Los Angeles
to the Polo
Grounds
in New York
City
. The last Pro All-Star Game was held in
December 1942. Seeing that it was currently wartime, and the NFL
playing a reduced schedule (and had significantly less talent to
work with due to top players being drafted or enlisting into the
war) starting in 1943, the series was abandoned.
The NFL revived the game (now dubbed the Pro Bowl) in January 1951,
after the 1950 season. The game was now a contest between
conference all-star teams: American vs. National (1951-53) and
Eastern vs. Western (1954-70). The rival AFL, meanwhile, staged
its own All-Star
Game from 1962-70, using the same East vs. West format. The AFL
departed from this format once, in the January 1966 game, when the
league champion
Buffalo Bills played
all-stars from the rest of the league.
After the
AFL-NFL Merger of 1970, the
name of the NFL's all-star game was changed to the AFC-NFC Pro
Bowl. Since the merger, the head coaches of the teams that lost in
the AFC and NFC championship games have been selected as the
coaches for the respective Pro Bowl squads — a compromise that
arose from the decision to discontinue the
Playoff Bowl, which had it been retained, would
have matched up the two teams that lost the conference title
games.
As mentioned above, Honolulu served as the "permanent" site of the
game for 29 consecutive seasons. This is credited to the efforts of
Dan McGuire, sports editor of the
Honolulu Advertiser, who reached
out to NFL officials in the 1970s with the suggestion. Today, the
game's
most valuable player
award is named for McGuire.
Player selection
Currently, players are voted into the Pro Bowl by the coaches, the
players themselves, and the fans. Each group's ballots count for
one third of the votes. The fans vote online at the NFL's official
website. There are also replacements that go to the game should any
selected player be unable to play due to injuries. Prior to 1995,
only the coaches and the players made Pro Bowl selections.
In order to be considered a Pro Bowler for a given year, a player
must either have been one of the initial players selected to the
team, or a player who accepts an invitation to Hawaii as an
alternate; invited alternates who decline to attend are
not considered Pro Bowlers. Being a Pro Bowler is
considered to be a mark of honor, and players who are accepted into
the Pro Bowl are considered to be elite.
Pro Bowl MVP
The first Most Valuable Player award (or Most Outstanding Player)
in the Pro Bowl was presented in 1951. From 1957 to 1971, two
awards were presented to an offensive back and a defensive lineman.
In 1972, there were awards for both an offensive player and a
defensive player. Since 1973, only one MVP award has been presented
(though three times this award has been presented to multiple
players).
Pro Bowl uniforms
Because the teams are made of players from different NFL teams,
using their own uniforms would be too confusing. The players all
wear the helmet of their team, but the home jerseys and pants are
either a solid blue for the NFC or solid red for the AFC, while
white jerseys with blue or red accents, respectively, for the away
team. While it has been speculated that the color of Pro Bowl
jerseys is determined by the winner of the
Super Bowl, this is untrue. The design of Pro
Bowl uniforms is changed every two years, and the color and white
jerseys are rotated along with the design change. This has been Pro
Bowl tradition since the switch to team specific helmets in the
early 1990s.
The two-year switch was originally created as
a marketing ploy by Nike
, and has
been continued by Reebok, who won the
merchandising contract in 2002.The early Pro Bowl,
contested by the National Football League's Eastern and Western
Division stars and played at the Los Angeles
Memorial Coliseum
, featured the same uniforms from the 1950s to
mid-1960s; the Eastern team wore scarlet jerseys with white
numerals and a white crescent shoulder stripe, white pants with red
stripe, red socks, and a plain red helmet. The Western team wore
white jerseys with royal-blue numerals and a Northwestern
University
-style triple stripe on the sleeves, white pants
with blue stripe and socks and a plain blue helmet. Perhaps
oddly, the Eastern team, wore home dark jerseys, although the
host-city team, the
Los Angeles
Rams, were members of the Western Conference. From January 1967
to January 1970 both teams wore gold helmets with the NFL logo on
the sides; the Eastern helmets featured a red-white-red tri-stripe
and the Western a similar blue-white-bluetri-stripe. In fact the
players brought their own game helmets to Los Angeles, which were
then spray-painted and decorated for the contest.(For the 1970 game
the helmets featured the 50 NFL logo, commemorating the league's
half-century anniversary.)In the earliest years of the AFC-NFC Pro
Bowl, the players did not wear their unique helmets, as they do
now. The AFC All-Stars wore a solid red helmet with a white A on
it, while the NFC players wore a solid white helmet with a blue N
on it. The AFC's red helmets were paired with white jerseys and red
pants, while the NFC's white helmets were paired with blue jerseys
and white pants.Two players with the same number who are elected to
the Pro Bowl can wear the same number for that game. Prior to xxxx,
all players were required to wear different numbers, regardless of
what jersey number they wore on their regular team. This changed in
xxxx, when players wore the jersey number on their regular team
jersey, thus initially resulting in virtually every wide receiver
on the field being numbered 80 or 81, a situation that,
predictably, created significant confusion. Thus, it is
recommended—although not required—that players use different jersey
numbers, and generally when two players share a number, the less
experienced one will wear a different number for the game.
The
2008 Pro Bowl included a unique
example of several players from the same team wearing the same
number in a Pro Bowl. For the game,
Washington Redskins players
T Chris
Samuels,
TE Chris Cooley, and
LS Ethan Albright
all wore the number 21 (
a number normally
inappropriate for their positions) in memory of their teammate
Sean Taylor who had been
murdered
during the
2007 season.
Game results
NFL All-Star Games (1939-1942)
- No Most Valuable Player awards were presented during these
games
Season |
Date |
Score |
Venue |
|
January 15, 1939 |
New York Giants 13, Pro
All-Stars 10 |
Wrigley Field , Los
Angeles |
|
January 14, 1940 |
Green Bay Packers 16, NFL
All-Stars 7 |
Gilmore Stadium , Los
Angeles |
|
December 29, 1940 |
Chicago Bears 28, NFL All-Stars
14 |
Gilmore Stadium , Los
Angeles |
|
January 4, 1942 |
Chicago Bears 35, NFL All-Stars
24 |
Polo Grounds , New York
City |
|
December 27, 1942 |
NFL All-Stars 17, Washington
Redskins 14 |
Shibe
Park , Philadelphia |
NFL Pro Bowls (1951-70)
Season |
Date |
Score |
Most Valuable Players |
Venue |
Head Coaches |
Television |
|
January 14, 1951 |
American Conference 28, National Conference 27 |
Otto Graham, Cleveland Browns, Quarterback |
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum |
AC: Paul Brown, Cleveland
NC:Joe Stydahar, Los Angeles
|
|
|
January 12, 1952 |
National Conference 30, American Conference 13 |
Dan Towler, Los Angeles Rams, Running back |
AC: Paul Brown, Cleveland
NC:Joe Stydahar, Los Angeles
|
NBC |
|
January 10, 1953 |
National Conference 27, American Conference 7 |
Don Doll, Detroit Lions, Defensive back |
AC: Paul Brown, Cleveland
NC:Buddy Parker, Detroit
|
NBC |
|
January 17, 1954 |
East 20, West 9 |
Chuck Bednarik, Philadelphia Eagles, Linebacker |
EC: Paul Brown, Cleveland
WC: Buddy Parker, Detroit
|
NBC |
|
January 16, 1955 |
West 26, East 19 |
Billy Wilson,
San Francisco 49ers, End |
EC: Jim Trimble, Philadelphia
WC:Buck Shaw, San Francisco
|
NBC |
|
January 15, 1956 |
East 31, West 30 |
Ollie Matson, Chicago Cardinals, Running back |
EC: Joe Kuharich, Washington
WC: Sid Gillman, Los Angeles
|
NBC |
|
January 13, 1957 |
West 19, East 10 |
Back: Bert
Rechichar, Baltimore Colts
Lineman: Ernie
Stautner, Pittsburgh
Steelers
|
EC:Jim Lee Howell, New York
WC: Paddy Driscoll, Chicago
Bears
|
NBC |
|
January 12, 1958 |
West 26, East 7 |
Back: Hugh
McElhenny, San Francisco
49ers
Lineman: Gene Brito,
Washington Redskins
|
EC: Buddy Parker, Pittsburgh
WC:George Wilson,
Detroit
|
NBC |
|
January 11, 1959 |
East 28, West 21 |
Back: Frank
Gifford, New York Giants
Lineman: Doug Atkins,
Chicago Bears
|
EC:Jim Lee Howell, New York
WC:Weeb Ewbank, Baltimore
|
NBC |
|
January 17, 1960 |
West 38, East 21 |
Back: Johnny
Unitas, Baltimore
Colts
Lineman: Eugene "Big
Daddy" Lipscomb, Pittsburgh
Steelers
|
EC:Buck Shaw, Philadelphia
WC:Red Hickey, San Francisco
|
NBC |
|
January 15, 1961 |
West 35, East 31 |
Back: Johnny
Unitas, Baltimore
Colts
Lineman: Sam Huff,
New York Giants
|
EC:Buck Shaw, Philadelphia
WC:Vince Lombardi, Green
Bay
|
NBC |
|
January 14, 1962 |
West 31, East 30 |
Back: Jim Brown,
Cleveland Browns
Lineman: Henry Jordan,
Green Bay Packers
|
EC: Allie Sherman, New York
WC:Norm Van Brocklin,
Minnesota
|
NBC |
|
January 13, 1963 |
East 30, West 20 |
Back: Jim Brown,
Cleveland Browns
Lineman: Eugene "Big
Daddy" Lipscomb, Pittsburgh
Steelers
|
EC: Allie Sherman, New York
WC: Vince Lombardi, Green Bay
|
NBC |
|
January 12, 1964 |
West 31, East 17 |
Back: Johnny
Unitas, Baltimore
Colts
Lineman: Gino
Marchetti, Baltimore Colts
|
EC: Allie Sherman, New York
WC:George Halas, Chicago
|
NBC |
|
January 10, 1965 |
West 34, East 14 |
Back: Fran
Tarkenton, Vikings
Lineman: Terry Barr,
Detroit Lions
|
EC: Blanton Collier,
Cleveland
WC:Don Shula, Baltimore
|
NBC |
|
January 15, 1966 |
East 36, West 7 |
Back: Jim Brown,
Cleveland Browns
Lineman: Dale Meinert,
St. Louis Cardinals
|
EC: Blanton Collier, Cleveland
WC: Vince Lombardi, Green Bay
|
CBS |
|
January 22, 1967 |
East 20, West 10 |
Back: Gale Sayers,
Chicago Bears
Lineman: Floyd Peters,
Philadelphia Eagles
|
EC: Tom Landry, Dallas
WC: George Allen, Los
Angeles
|
CBS |
|
January 21, 1968 |
West 38, East 20 |
Back: Gale Sayers,
Chicago Bears
Lineman: Dave Robinson, Green Bay Packers
|
EC:Otto Graham, Washington
WC: Don Shula, Baltimore
|
CBS |
|
January 19, 1969 |
West 10, East 7 |
Back: Roman
Gabriel, Los Angeles Rams
Lineman: Merlin Olsen,
Los Angeles Rams
|
EC: Tom Landry, Dallas
WC: George Allen, Los Angeles
|
CBS |
|
January 18, 1970 |
West 16, East 13 |
Back: Gale Sayers,
Chicago Bears
Lineman: George
Andrie, Dallas Cowboys
|
EC: Tom Fears, New Orleans
WC:Norm Van Brocklin, Atlanta
|
CBS |
AFC-NFC Pro Bowls (1971-present)
Date |
Score |
Series |
Most Valuable Player(s) |
Venue |
Head Coaches |
Television |
January 24, 1971 |
NFC, 27-6 |
NFC, 1-0 |
Lineman: Fred Carr,
Packers
Back: Mel Renfro,
Cowboys
|
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum , Los Angeles, California |
AFC: John
Madden, Oakland
NFC: Dick Nolan,
San Francisco
|
CBS |
January 23, 1972 |
AFC, 26-13 |
Tied, 1-1 |
Defense: Willie
Lanier, Chiefs
Offense: Jan Stenerud,
Chiefs
|
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum , Los Angeles, California |
AFC: Don McCafferty, Baltimore
NFC: Dick Nolan, San
Francisco
|
NBC |
January 21, 1973 |
AFC, 33-28 |
AFC, 2-1 |
O.J. Simpson, Bills,
Running back |
Texas Stadium , Irving,
Texas |
AFC: Chuck Noll, Pittsburgh
NFC: Tom Landry, Dallas
|
CBS |
January 20, 1974 |
AFC, 15-13 |
AFC, 3-1 |
Garo Yepremian, Dolphins, Placekicker |
Arrowhead Stadium , Kansas City, Missouri |
AFC: John
Madden, Oakland
NFC: Tom Landry, Dallas
|
NBC |
January 20, 1975 |
NFC, 17-10 |
AFC, 3-2 |
James Harris,
Rams, Quarterback |
Miami Orange Bowl , Miami,
Florida |
AFC: John
Madden, Oakland
NFC: Chuck Knox, Los Angeles
|
ABC |
January 26, 1976 |
NFC, 23-20 |
Tied, 3-3 |
Billy Johnson,
Oilers, Kick
returner |
Louisiana Superdome , New Orleans, Louisiana |
AFC: John
Madden, Oakland
NFC: Chuck Knox, Los Angeles
|
ABC |
January 17, 1977 |
AFC, 24-14 |
AFC, 4-3 |
Mel Blount, Steelers, Cornerback |
The Kingdome , Seattle, Washington |
AFC: Chuck Noll, Pittsburgh
NFC: Chuck Knox, Los Angeles
|
ABC |
January 23, 1978 |
NFC, 14-13 |
Tied, 4-4 |
Walter Payton, Bears, Running
back |
Tampa Stadium , Tampa,
Florida |
AFC: John
Madden, Oakland
NFC: Bud Grant, Minnesota
|
ABC |
January 29, 1979 |
NFC, 13-7 |
NFC, 5-4 |
Ahmad Rashad, Vikings, Wide
receiver |
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum , Los Angeles, California |
AFC: Bum Phillips, Houston
NFC: Ray Malavasi, Los Angeles |
ABC |
January 27, 1980 |
NFC, 37-27 |
NFC, 6-4 |
Chuck Muncie, Saints, Running
back |
Aloha Stadium , Honolulu,
Hawaii |
AFC: Bum Phillips, Houston
NFC: John McKay,
Tampa Bay |
ABC |
February 1, 1981 |
NFC, 21-7 |
NFC, 7-4 |
Eddie Murray, Lions, Placekicker |
Aloha Stadium , Honolulu,
Hawaii |
AFC: Don Coryell, San Diego
NFC: Tom Landry, Dallas
|
ABC |
January 31, 1982 |
AFC, 16-13 |
NFC, 7-5 |
Lee Roy Selmon, Buccaneers, Defensive end
Kellen Winslow, Chargers, Tight
end
|
Aloha Stadium , Honolulu,
Hawaii |
AFC: Don Coryell, San Diego
NFC: Tom Landry, Dallas
|
ABC |
February 6, 1983 |
NFC, 20-19 |
NFC, 8-5 |
Dan Fouts, Chargers, Quarterback
John Jefferson, Packers, Wide
receiver
|
Aloha Stadium , Honolulu,
Hawaii |
AFC: Walt Michaels, N.Y. Jets
NFC: Tom Landry, Dallas
|
ABC |
January 29, 1984 |
NFC, 45-3 |
NFC, 9-5 |
Joe Theismann, Redskins, Quarterback |
Aloha Stadium , Honolulu,
Hawaii |
AFC: Chuck Knox, Seattle
NFC: Bill
Walsh, San Francisco
|
ABC |
January 27, 1985 |
AFC, 22-14 |
NFC, 9-6 |
Mark Gastineau, Jets, Defensive
end |
Aloha Stadium , Honolulu,
Hawaii |
AFC: Chuck Noll, Pittsburgh
NFC: Mike Ditka, Chicago
|
ABC |
February 2, 1986 |
NFC, 28-24 |
NFC, 10-6 |
Phil Simms, Giants, Quarterback |
Aloha Stadium , Honolulu,
Hawaii |
AFC: Don Shula, Miami
NFC: John Robinson, L.A.
Rams
|
ABC |
February 1, 1987 |
AFC, 10-6 |
NFC, 10-7 |
Reggie White, Eagles, Defensive end |
Aloha Stadium , Honolulu,
Hawaii |
AFC: Marty Schottenheimer,
Cleveland
NFC: Joe Gibbs, Washington
|
ABC |
February 7, 1988 |
AFC, 15-6 |
NFC, 10-8 |
Bruce Smith, Bills, Defensive
end |
Aloha Stadium , Honolulu,
Hawaii |
AFC: Marty Schottenheimer,
Cleveland
NFC: Jerry Burns, Minnesota
|
ESPN |
January 29, 1989 |
NFC, 34-3 |
NFC, 11-8 |
Randall Cunningham, Eagles, Quarterback |
Aloha Stadium , Honolulu,
Hawaii |
AFC: Marv Levy, Buffalo
NFC: Mike Ditka, Chicago
|
ESPN |
February 4, 1990 |
NFC, 27-21 |
NFC, 12-8 |
Jerry Gray, Rams, Cornerback |
Aloha Stadium , Honolulu,
Hawaii |
AFC: Bud Carson, Cleveland
NFC: John Robinson, L.A.
Rams
|
ESPN |
February 3, 1991 |
AFC, 23-21 |
NFC, 12-9 |
Jim Kelly, Bills, Quarterback |
Aloha Stadium , Honolulu,
Hawaii |
AFC: Art Shell, L.A. Raiders
NFC: George Seifert, San
Francisco
|
ESPN |
February 2, 1992 |
NFC, 21-15 |
NFC, 13-9 |
Michael Irvin, Cowboys, Wide
receiver |
Aloha Stadium , Honolulu,
Hawaii |
AFC: Dan Reeves, Denver
NFC: Wayne Fontes, Detroit
|
ESPN |
February 7, 1993 |
AFC, 23-20 |
NFC, 13-10 |
Steve Tasker, Bills, Special teams |
Aloha Stadium , Honolulu,
Hawaii |
AFC: Don Shula, Miami
NFC: George Seifert, San
Francisco
|
ESPN |
February 6, 1994 |
NFC, 17-3 |
NFC, 14-10 |
Andre Rison, Falcons, Wide
receiver |
Aloha Stadium , Honolulu,
Hawaii |
AFC: Marty Schottenheimer,
Kansas City
NFC: George Seifert, San
Francisco
|
ESPN |
February 5, 1995 |
AFC, 41-13 |
NFC, 14-11 |
Marshall Faulk, Colts, Running
back |
Aloha Stadium , Honolulu,
Hawaii |
AFC: Bill Cowher, Pittsburgh
NFC: Barry Switzer, Dallas
|
ABC |
February 4, 1996 |
NFC, 20-13 |
NFC, 15-11 |
Jerry Rice, 49ers, Wide
receiver |
Aloha Stadium , Honolulu,
Hawaii |
AFC: Ted Marchibroda, Indianapolis
NFC: Mike Holmgren, Green Bay
|
ABC |
February 2, 1997 |
AFC, 26-23 |
NFC, 15-12 |
Mark Brunell, Jaguars, Quarterback |
Aloha Stadium , Honolulu,
Hawaii |
AFC: Tom Coughlin, Jacksonville
NFC: Dom Capers, Carolina
|
ABC |
February 1, 1998 |
AFC, 29-24 |
NFC, 15-13 |
Warren Moon, Seahawks, Quarterback |
Aloha Stadium , Honolulu,
Hawaii |
AFC: Bill Cowher, Pittsburgh
NFC: Steve Mariucci, San
Francisco
|
ABC |
February 7, 1999 |
AFC, 23-10 |
NFC, 15-14 |
Keyshawn Johnson, Jets, Wide
receiver
Ty Law, Patriots, Cornerback
|
Aloha Stadium , Honolulu,
Hawaii |
AFC: Bill Belichick, N.Y.
Jets
NFC: Dennis Green, Minnesota
|
ABC |
February 6, 2000 |
NFC, 51-31 |
NFC, 16-14 |
Randy Moss, Vikings, Wide
receiver |
Aloha Stadium , Honolulu,
Hawaii |
AFC: Tom Coughlin, Jacksonville
NFC: Tony Dungy, Tampa Bay
|
ABC |
February 4, 2001 |
AFC, 38-17 |
NFC, 16-15 |
Rich Gannon, Raiders, Quarterback |
Aloha Stadium , Honolulu,
Hawaii |
AFC: Jon Gruden, Oakland
NFC: Dennis Green, Minnesota
|
ABC |
February 9, 2002 |
AFC, 38-30 |
Tied, 16-16 |
Rich Gannon, Raiders, Quarterback |
Aloha Stadium , Honolulu,
Hawaii |
AFC: Bill Cowher, Pittsburgh
NFC: Andy Reid, Philadelphia
|
ABC |
February 2, 2003 |
AFC, 45-20 |
AFC, 17-16 |
Ricky Williams, Dolphins, Running
back |
Aloha Stadium , Honolulu,
Hawaii |
AFC: Jeff Fisher, Tennessee
NFC: Andy Reid, Philadelphia
|
ABC |
February 8, 2004 |
NFC, 55-52 |
Tied, 17-17 |
Marc Bulger, Rams, Quarterback |
Aloha Stadium , Honolulu,
Hawaii |
AFC: Tony Dungy, Indianapolis
NFC: Andy Reid, Philadelphia
|
ESPN |
February 13, 2005 |
AFC, 38-27 |
AFC, 18-17 |
Peyton Manning, Colts, Quarterback |
Aloha Stadium , Honolulu,
Hawaii |
AFC: Bill Cowher, Pittsburgh
NFC: Jim L.
Mora, Atlanta
|
ESPN |
February 12, 2006 |
NFC 23-17 |
Tied, 18-18 |
Derrick Brooks, Buccaneers, Linebacker |
Aloha Stadium , Honolulu,
Hawaii |
AFC: Mike Shanahan, Denver
NFC: John Fox,
Carolina
|
ESPN |
February 10, 2007 |
AFC 31-28 |
AFC, 19-18 |
Carson Palmer, Bengals, Quarterback |
Aloha Stadium , Honolulu,
Hawaii |
AFC: Bill Belichick, New
England
NFC: Sean Payton, New Orleans
|
CBS |
February 10, 2008 |
NFC 42-30 |
Tied, 19-19 |
Adrian Peterson, Vikings, Running
Back |
Aloha Stadium , Honolulu,
Hawaii |
AFC: Norv Turner, San Diego,
NFC: Mike McCarthy, Green Bay
|
Fox |
February 8, 2009 |
NFC 30-21 |
NFC 20-19 |
Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals, Wide
receiver |
Aloha Stadium , Honolulu,
Hawaii |
AFC: John Harbaugh, Baltimore
NFC: Andy Reid, Philadelphia
|
NBC |
January 31, 2010 |
|
|
|
LandShark Stadium , Miami Gardens, Florida |
|
ESPN |
TBD, 2011 |
|
|
|
Aloha Stadium , Honolulu,
Hawaii |
|
Fox |
TBD, 2012 |
|
|
|
Aloha Stadium , Honolulu,
Hawaii |
|
NBC |
|
Records
- Merlin Olsen (Rams) and Bruce Matthews
(Oilers/Titans) each were in 14 pro-bowls. Olsen played in 14
consecutive pro-bowls beginning his rookie year.
- In the 20 seasons prior to the AFL-NFL merger, the Western/National
Conference won both the Pro Bowl and the NFL Championship game nine
times, while the Eastern/American won both two times. In the years
they have split, the East won the Pro Bowl and West won the NFL
title five times, while the reverse has occurred four times. Also,
in this era, the National/Western Conference won 13 of 20 games
played against the American/Eastern Conference.
- In the 37 seasons since the AFL-NFL Merger, both conferences
have swept the Super Bowl and Pro Bowl 9 times. In the 19 years
they have split, the NFC has won the Super Bowl 10 times.
- Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts
players have won six MVP awards, more than any other team. Chicago Bears and Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams players have won
five MVP awards. Minnesota
Vikings, Pittsburgh
Steelers, Buffalo Bills and
Cleveland Browns players have won
four MVP awards. 10 teams have won two, and 13 teams have won one
each. The Baltimore Ravens,
Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos and Houston Texans have never had a player win an
MVP award.
- Quarterbacks have won 16 MVP awards;
wide receivers are second with
eight.
- Only two AFC-NFC Pro Bowls have gone to overtime. Both have
been won by the AFC in overtime with field goals.
- Due to the rescheduling of Super
Bowl XXXVI in the wake of 9/11, the 2002 game was moved
from Sunday to the following Saturday, one week later.
- Sean Taylor was voted to the 2007/08
NFC Roster as a starter at free safety,
shortly after he was fatally shot in his home by armed intruders.
This was the first time in Pro Bowl history that a player was named
as a Pro Bowler posthumously. The NFC
took the field on defense for their first series with only 10
players on the field. He was later replaced by Roy Williams.
- John Madden and
Tom Landry have coached in the most Pro
Bowls (5 each).
- Pittsburgh head coaches
Bill Cowher and Chuck Noll are #1 and #2 in Pro Bowls won (Cowher
4, Noll 3).
- The 2007/08 Dallas Cowboys have
the most selections in one season with 13.
- The most points in a single game was 55 by the NFC in the
2004 Pro Bowl, which also featured the
most points by the losing team (the AFC scored 52).
- Marshall Faulk and Adrian Peterson are the only rookies in NFL
history to win both the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award and the
Pro Bowl’s Most Valuable Player Award in the same season.
Television
- Under the current NFL television contract, the network which
airs the Super Bowl will air the Pro Bowl. The 2007 game on
CBS was held on the Saturday after Super Bowl
XLI because of the 49th Grammy
Awards. The 2008 game was on Fox, broadcaster of Super Bowl XLII. Likewise, the 2009 game was
on NBC, broadcaster of Super Bowl XLIII. ESPN will take CBS's
next turn in the rotation by broadcasting the 2010 game, played a
week before the Super Bowl at the Super Bowl site, Land Shark
Stadium
.
- The Pro Bowl was originally broadcast on an alternative basis
by CBS and NBC (with the other network broadcasting the Super Bowl)
from 1971-1974. Later, the game was broadcast as part of the
Monday Night Football
package on ABC from 1975-1987 and again
from 1995-2003. In 2004-2006, ABC sold its rights to the Pro Bowl
to sister network ESPN (who had shown it from
1988-1994). In those years, the ESPN Sunday Night Football
crew covered the game.
- In the early 2000s, after suffering through several years of
dismal ratings ABC considered moving the game to Monday night. The
idea was scrapped, however, when the game was successfully moved to
ESPN.
- Throughout his broadcasting career, John Madden declined to be
part of the announcing crew when his network carried the Pro Bowl
due to his aviatophobia and claustrophobia (a joke referencing both is
made in the Madden NFL '97
before the beginning of the Pro Bowl in season mode, where Madden
quips that he drove his "Madden Bus" to Hawaii, rather than
flying). Until Madden's retirement from broadcasting after the 2009
Pro Bowl, it had only occurred twice: former San Diego Chargers quarterback and
MNF personality Dan Fouts, whom
Madden had replaced, took his place on ABC in 2003, and Cris Collinsworth took his place on NBC in
2009 (Collinsworth ended up replacing Madden permanently upon the
latter's retirement).
Blackout of game in Hawaii
Although Hawaii does not have a NFL team of its own, the Pro Bowl
is still subject to the NFL's
blackout policies, requiring the
game to be blacked out within the state of Hawaii if it doesn't
sell out all of its seats.
This restriction will not be in effect in
Hawai i for the 2010 game, but will be transferred to the Miami
media
market.
Criticism
The Pro Bowl has been plagued with criticism ever since the NFL
allowed fan voting. Voting by fans makes up 1/3 of the vote for Pro
Bowl players. Many teams like Dallas, New York, and other large fan
bases usually win this popularity contest because fans usually vote
for their own team and not necessarily the best player. In the 2008
Pro Bowl, the Dallas Cowboys had thirteen players on the NFC
roster, an NFL record. Brett Favre was voted to the 2009 Pro Bowl
after leading the league in interceptions. "If you're in a small
market, no one really gets to see you play," said Minnesota Vikings
cornerback
Antoine Winfield. "If
you're a quiet guy, it's hard to get the attention. You just have
to work hard and play." Winfield made the Pro Bowl in 2008 after
ten seasons of being shut out.
The player voting has also been subject to significant criticism.
It is not uncommon for the players to pick the same players over
and over again; former offensive lineman (and
SI.com analyst)
Ross Tucker has cited politics, incumbency, and
compensation for injury in previous years as primary factors in
player's choices among themselves.
See also
References
External links