The National Football League's first season is deemed to be 1920 when a new league, the American Professional Football Association (APFA) was formed. Presented is the NFL's 50th Anniversary Patch, which was worn by players during the 1969 season. In 1922, the name of the APFA was changed to the National Football League, but that 1920 season is regarded as the beginning of the NFL. In 1920, the APFA started play with 14 teams, all from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, or New York. Some of those initial teams: Decatur Staleys, who had Hall of Famer George Halas as an end. The Decatur Staleys later became the Chicago Bears, owned and coached by Halas, and still in the NFL. The only other initial NFL franchise still active is the APFA's Chicago Cardinals, who are now the NFL's Arizona Cardinals. In the NFL's inaugural 1920 season, the Canton Bulldogs' star player was Hall of Famer, and great Olympic star, Jim Thorpe, who was also named as the APFA's first president. The Akron Pros won the league's first championship with a record of 8-0-3. Interestingly, this was before segregation in pro football, and the Akron Pros' star halfback, First Team All-League, was Fritz Pollard, an African American. Fifty years later, in the NFL's 50th season, the league's first draft choice was O.J. Simpson, from the University of Southern California, drafted by the Buffalo Bills. The Minnesota Vikings defeated the Cleveland Browns to win the '69 NFL Championship, but the Vikings were defeated in Super Bowl IV by the AFL's Kansas City Chiefs. The '69 NFL MVP was quarterback Roman Gabriel of the Los Angeles Rams, and the Minnesota Vikings' Bud Grant was the NFL Coach of the Year. Also, the 1969 season was the last year before the NFL merged with the AFL. The red, white and blue NFL 50th Anniversary patch measures approx. 3.25" wide and 4.50" high. The beautiful patch is an original, not a reproduction. The patch is in excellent condition, and it is perfect for use in the restoration of a 1969 NFL jersey. It can also stand alone as valued NFL memorabilia.