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Cincinnati Bengals |
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The Cincinnati Bengals began playing in the American Football League in 1968, but the idea of the franchise was initiated three years before. Paul Brown had had incredible success as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns for 17 seasons before leaving in 1962, but by 1965, he had the urge to get back into pro football. That year, he met with then-Governor Jim Rhodes and the two agreed the state could accommodate a second pro football team. In 1966, Cincinnati's city council approved the construction of Riverfront Stadium, scheduled for completion by 1970. In 1967, a group headed by Brown was awarded an AFL franchise that would begin play the next year. Brown named his team the Bengals in recognition of previous Cincinnati pro football franchises that had the name in the 1930's and 1940's. Brown himself returned to the coaching ranks for the team's first eight years. Although he retired after the 1975 season, he continued to serve as general manager until his death in 1991. Mike Brown then succeeded his father as general manager. In 1968, the Bengals won their first two home games but finished with a 3-11 record. In 1969, Cincinnati improved enough to allow Brown to be named the AFL Coach of the Year. In 1970, they captured the AFC Central division title, becoming the first expansion team to win a championship of any kind in just their third season. In 1971, the Bengals selected Ken Anderson, a quarterback from little-known Augustana College, in the third round of the draft. For the next 16 seasons, Anderson was the key to Cincinnati's offense, as well as a four-time AFC passing champion. Cincinnati won its second AFC Central championship in 1973 and a wild-card berth in 1975, Brown's final year as coach. Over the next five years, the Bengals missed the playoffs, but in 1981, they won big. Led by coach Forrest Gregg, Cincinnati won the AFC Central with a 12-4 record and defeated San Diego, 27-7, in the AFC championship game. However, they lost their Super Bowl XVI showdown with the San Francisco 49ers, 26-21. The Bengals earned their second shot at the Super Bowl after the 1988 season, when, led by coach Sam Wyche and quarterback Boomer Esiason, they improved from a dismal 1987 (4-11) to 12-4. They beat Buffalo, 21-10, for the AFC championship. But in Super Bowl XXIII, they were once again done in by San Francisco, losing on a last-minute touchdown pass by Joe Montana. In addition to Anderson and Esiason, the Bengals have had many outstanding players. None, however, was greater than tackle Anthony Munoz, a first-round draft pick in 1981. A perennial all-pro, the USC graduate was selected to play in 11 straight Pro Bowls from 1982 to 1992.
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