a*f*c north
What Is The AFC North In Football?
1. The AFC North is the northern division of the American Football Conference. The AFC North was created in 2002 as part of the National Football League’s (NFL) restructuring after it expanded from 31 to 32 teams. Currently, the AFC North includes teams from Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland.
History Of The AFC North
Originally known as the AFC Central Division, the American Football Conference’s North Division was founded in 2002 after the Houston Texans became an NFL franchise.
The AFC Central, which would become the AFC North in 2002, came into existence in the 1970 NFL season, which is the same year that the American Football League (AFL) merged with the NFL. The original members of AFC Central were the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Oilers.
The Jacksonville Jaguars entered the AFC Central (which became the AFC North in 2002) in 1995. They would only be in the division for six seasons.
In 1995, the Cleveland Browns became the Baltimore Ravens when Art Modell moved the team to Baltimore. In 1999, the Browns came back into existence in Cleveland as part of a 1999 NFL expansion.
The Cincinnati Bengals are the only team in the AFC North affiliated with the AFL as they were an AFL expansion team in 1968. The other teams in the AFC North (the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns) were all originally NFL teams.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have long dominated the AFC North, winning 24 division titles. They are one of the winningest franchises in NFL history, having won six Super Bowls as of 2022. The Steelers won four Super Bowls in the 1970s and added two more Super Bowl titles in 2006 and 2007.
Previous Teams In The AFC North
The AFC North has had a tumultuous history in terms of team membership. Since its founding as the AFC Central in 1970, members of what is now the AFC North have changed names, moved cities, disappeared and come back into existence.
When it comes down to it, the history of the AFC North is really the history of the AFC Central. The original AFC Central Division included the following four teams:
- Cleveland Browns
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Houston Oilers
In 1995, the addition of the Jacksonville Jaguars as an NFL expansion team meant a fifth team was added to the AFC Central Division. Then, in 1996, the Cleveland Browns were moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens.
In 1996, the AFC Central was made up of the following five teams:
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Houston Oilers
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Baltimore Ravens
The following season, the Houston Oilers moved to Nashville and became the Tennessee Oilers. In 1999, the Tennessee Oilers became the Tennessee Titans. That same season, the Cleveland Browns were reinstated into the league.
From 1999-2001, the AFC Central was home to six NFL franchises:
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Tennessee Titans
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Baltimore Ravens
- Cleveland Browns
For the 2002 season, when the Houston Texans became the 32nd team in the league, the NFL underwent a major divisional realignment, dividing the teams into eight divisions with four teams each. The Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars moved to the AFC South and the AFC Central was renamed the AFC North.
Current Teams In The AFC North
Since 2002, the AFC North has remained unchanged and has continued old rivalries while building some new ones. Cleveland and Cincinnati have continued their in-state rivalry, and Pittsburgh and Baltimore have developed an intense rivalry based on their physical styles of play.
As of 2022, the AFC North includes four teams:
Sport The Term Is Used
1. Football
