Most of us know that the current Cincinnati Bengals was founded by Paul Brown, who teamed with then governor James A. Rhodes to petition the AFL for expansion on behalf of Cincinnati, landing the franchise in 1967. So how did Paul Brown settle on the nickname "Bengals"?  Did he have an affection for the animal (yes, they are majestic) or did he feel the name would send chills into the opposition? He decided on the name to connect the present day franchise to distant Cincinnati football history.  Although not storied, there was a Cincinnati Bengals franchise long before the present version.

The original version of the Cincinnati Bengals was formed in 1937 as part of a second American Football League. Much like Paul Brown, Hal Pennington founded the franchise, becoming the team's first head coach.  Their performance is not considered stellar, finishing 2-4-2 and fourth in a league with six teams. They also played two games outside the league splitting both, beating the Atlanta Crackers 36-7 and losing to a team of College All-stars 6-3. Tackle Bill Steinkemper, center Lee Mulleneaux and back Don Geyer were selected for the all-league team. Pennington left the team after the season for his original team, the Cincinnati Models, and was replaced by player-coach Dana King.

To say that the AFL II was not on solid ground would be an understatement; it folded after that season.  The Bengals, however, continued as an independent in 1938 despite pitches from the Midwest Football League, who would later be renamed as the American Football League. That season proved to be very successful starting the season with six straight wins and finishing 7-1-2. The season included a win over the Chicago Bears and a tie against the Chicago Cardinals (now the Arizona Cardinals), members of the NFL.  Eight of those games were played in Cincinnati at Xavier University Stadium with attendance averaging a respectable 8,000.

The Bengals relented the AFL's overtures, joining during the 1939 season. The caliber of the league was considered the best in professional football that season. Continuing on the success from the previous season, the Bengals finished second with a 6-2 record losing only to the first place Los Angeles Bulldogs and the third place Columbus Bullies. The good showing on the field did not translate well in attendance as it fell to an average 3,500 for four home games. Thanks to the league abandoning the playoff for that season, the Bengals weren't able to contend for the AFL title. Same as the 1937 version of the AFL, the league vanished from the football landscape.

Another "major" league was formed for the 1940 season that included three teams from the AFL, the Bengals, the Bullies and Milwaukee (former L.A. Bulldogs) and the league was named, you guessed it, the American Football League.  Unlike the previous two successful campaigns, hard times befallen the Bengals finishing the year with a disappointing 1-7 record. The designated home field of Crosley Field never saw a game due to lack of interest from the city (literally). The closest "home" game was played in Charleston, W.Va. To add insult to injury, the Bengals had to forfeit a game due a large number of injuries prohibiting them from fielding a team. Despite all the turbulence, fullback Paul Shu was selected to All-league second team.

Heading into the 1941 season, the Bengals continued to hang onto their high hopes with the coaching of Dana King. But disappointment once again was felt, finishing with a 1-5-2 record.  For the first time since 1939, home games were played at Xavier University Stadium hosting back-to-back home games in October. The lack of attendance at these games caused the remaining home games to be moved with one played in Akron. While the overall record may have not have been pleasant, the team placed three players on the all-league team; end Joe Kruse and backs Bill McGanon and Gene Tornquist.

Before the 1942 season started, the league felt it was best to suspend operations due to signs of WWII on the horizon, making 1941 the last season a professional football team named Bengals to play in Cincinnati.  In 1960, the American Football League (yes, again) surfaced, later inviting Cincinnati to join. This helped bring back the team's old nickname, thanks to the man who felt Ohio deserved to have two professional football teams.

The NFL has been one of the more successful professional leagues since its inception in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association. It has endured many tumultuous times including the Great Depression, World War II and has seen incredible growth over the years. There have been many unforgettable moments that include the 1958 NFL Championship game between the Baltimore Colts and New York Giants, Franco Harris's immaculate reception and the Ice Bowl in Cincinnati. Lasting memories forever etched in NFL history.

However, not regularly mentioned but a big part of the leagues' history is the player strikes in 1982 and 1987.  The cause for each strike included players growing disgruntled with the lack of a favorable contract that restricted their share of the league's revenue. Despite ongoing negotions during these seasons, agreements were not met by the deadline and the players walked off the field. The strike in 1982 wiped out half the season, the strike in 1987 introduced the Replacement Players.

The Bengals had just come off of their first franchise appearance in the Super Bowl and were favored to return in 1982. Beating Houston 26-7 during opening weekend gave little doubt that this should materialize.  With the sound of "strike" echoing louder around the league, the following game on September 19^th against Pittsburgh ended with a 26-20 overtime loss for what was presumed to be the final game of the season.

The strike lasted an agonizing 57 days; fans grew impatient with the process and the greed of both sides.  Many felt that if play resumed at any point of the season, the fan reaction would not be favorable, staying away or simply coming to jeer. The strike officially ended on 17 November with play resuming on November 21st.  To complete the season, each team was scheduled to play seven additional games.  The Bengals first game back was against the Philadelphia Eagles.  Fans did stay away at many games around the league, but a crowd of 65,172 showed to watch the Bengals beat the Eagles 18-14.  Knowing Philly fans, I am pretty sure booing ensued.

The Bengals continued winning and drawing large crowds. Four of the remaining six games, attendance was over 51,000 with the team going 5-1 to finish the strike-shortened season with a 7-2 record and the division title.  Since the season was compacted, the NFL decided to scrape the usual playoff schedule in favor of a Super Bowl tournament style playoff, seeding the top eight teams in each conference. The Bengals ended up as the AFC's three seed and drew the sixth seeded New York Jets in the first round.  Unlike the playoff run from the previous season, they failed to get out of the first round losing to the Jets 44-17.  Despite the nearly two-month layoff, the offense finished second overall landing Ken Anderson, Chris Collingsworth, Anthony Munoz and Tight End Dan Ross in the Pro Bowl.

Labor turmoil struck again just a few short years later in 1987. Unlike the first strike, it was decided that "replacement" players would be used. Just as in 1982, the players walked off the field after week two was complete.  But the season picked up just two weeks later with replacement players.

Expectations for the Bengals were high coming off a 10-6 season in 1986 and possessing the third highest scoring offense in the NFL.  The first two games were split before the strike. The next three games were with replacement players was a meager 1-2 record.  Despite the lackluster overall record for the replacement players, the lone victory against Seattle featured 61 rushing attempts for 270 yards rushing by the Bengals. Marc Logan and David McCluskey lead the way with 103 yards and 70 yards respectively, each scoring a touchdown. This may have been the sole bright spot in what became a disappointing season, with the Bengals finishing 4-11. Logan was the only replacement player from the Bengals who went on to a sustained NFL career, playing ten years recording 1,391 yards rushing and scoring 15 touchdowns.

The fan reaction during this strike was mixed as well, with several Bengals home games seeing near capacity crowds but road games falling way short. The Bengals home game attendance after the strike was over 52,000 until week 12. With their record at 3-8 heading into the game against Kansas City, attendance dropped below the 47,000 mark. Despite winning in overtime 30-27, the final regular season finale at Riverfront against New Orleans saw a smaller crowd of 43, 489 witness the 41-24 loss.  Nose tackle Tim Krumrie and Hall of Fame offensive tackle Anthony Munoz were selected to the Pro Bowl.

Now, once again there is talk is in the air that football will not be played after this season.  Labor harmony between the league and players union for the past 24 years is in jeopardy with both sides looking to gain an edge. There is talk by some player representatives that the owners may lock them out in 2011.  If this is the case, will players form their own league and play scrimmages to raise money for charities? Or will the players decide to strike leaving the owners to consider signing replacement players in hopes of satisfying their football starved fan base?  No matter the outcome, those who will be affected the most will be us, the fans.

Including the preseason, the Bengals are scheduled for five prime time games this season. Since the start of Monday Night Football (MNF), primetime games have become highly coveted, growing to a point over the past 40 years that when the new schedule is released every year, everyone looks directly for the primetime games and how many your team is playing. When the concept of MNF was hatched, the Bengals were part of the maturation for that season.

NFL games broadcasted in primetime didn't start on ABC, but were actually televised on Saturday nights by the DuMont Network in 1953-1954. Bad ratings and dissolution of the network led to the series ending. After taking over in 1960 and carrying a vision, NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle felt primetime games would help with the league's growth. Initially bid as a Friday night game in 1964, it was heavily criticized as possibly interfering with attendance at high school games. Keeping this in mind, Rozelle decided to experiment scheduling a Monday Night game between Green Bay and Detroit on 28 September, 1964. Although not televised, it was a sellout as 59,203 attended the game at Tigers Stadium.

During contract negotions in 1970, Rozelle's primary focus was having a weekly game in primetime.  NBC and CBS were cold to the idea, so Rozelle took it to ABC. ABC was also reluctant to enter into the risky venture as they were the lowest rated network at that time. Rumors surfaced that Rozelle was signing with independent Hughes Sports Network (owned by Howard Hughes). With the speculation of ABC affiliates pre-empting network line-ups in favor of the games and losing viewership, ABC decided to sign.

The Bengals were founded in 1968, initially joining the American Football League (AFL) prior to the merger in 1970; the same season Monday Night Football premiered on ABC.  Despite a record of 7-20-1 in their first two seasons of existence, they became part of Monday Night Football's first season schedule.  The significance with this game is that it was their first prime time appearance, and the first time they played the hated Pittsburgh Steelers.  Plus, despite losing, it may have been the launching point for a team that was not expected to contend for a playoff spot that season.

Greg Cook was the incumbent quarterback coming into the season, but a shoulder injury thrusted Virgil Carter into the starting role. His performance against the Steelers was not stellar, completing 15 of 29 passes for 142 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Running back Jess Phillips was the team's top rusher, gaining 76 yards rushing with 28 yards receiving. For the game, Cincy was able to hang with the Steelers , recording 282 total yards against the Steelers' 281, but committing three turnovers led to the Bengals losing 21-10.  Heading into the fourth quarter, the Bengals had a slim 10-7 lead until Steelers Tight End Dennis Hughes scored on a 72 yard touchdown pass from Terry Hanratty.

This loss put the Bengals in a 1-6 hole, which by most accounts, should have ended any playoff hopes.  The division leading Cleveland Browns possessed a 4-3 record after week seven, holding a three game lead in the division. The primetime loss for the Bengals was the last that season, winning the remaining seven games to finish 8-6 becoming the first ever AFC Central Division champion! The winning streak included a rematch at Riverfront Stadium in week 10 with the Bengals dominating the Steelers 34-7.  Don't let the score fool you, it was close statically except one; the Bengals committed one turnover verses six for the Steelers.  Turnovers kill, baby!

After the Monday night loss, the Bengals went on a string of big victories starting with a 43-14 thrashing of the Bills. After throttling the Steelers, the team continued to rack up high scoring victories against the Saints (26-6), the Oilers (30-20) and finishing the season with a 45-7 beating of the Boston Patriots completing the seven game winning-streak to clinch the title. During this run, a close 17-14 victory against the Chargers in week 12 allowed the Bengals to catch the Browns at 6-6 overall, but were 4-2 to the Bengals 3-3 in the division, with two games remaining.  In week 13, the Browns lost to the Cowboys 6-2 (I am not making it up) giving the Bengals a one-game lead heading into the last week of the season with their victory over the Oilers. All that was needed was a win, which they did, to clinch the division championship.  A lose would have given the Browns the title.

The first Monday Night appearance may not have been the best prime time performance, but may have been what the team needed to gather themselves for a push leading to the franchise's first division title and playoff berth. No one truly knew what the Monday Night football experiment would become. Now that it has become a national institution, those that played in that game can hang their hats on being in the primetime spotlight for Monday Night Football's inaugural season, and clinching NFL's first AFC Central Division title.

Every team has its rival; a nemesis so hated just the mere mention makes one's skin crawl.  Normally those teams are from the same region, ala the Ohio State Buckeyes and that team up north.  Or they are intradivisional like the Evil Empire from New York and the Boston Red Sox.  Or they may come from the same state such as our beloved Bengals and the stinky Browns.  No matter the reason, you call them your rival.

At times, a rivalry blossoms from unlikely ranks in a sports organization.  Sometimes it may come down to individual players such as Magic Johnson and Larry Bird or Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.  And on occasion, a rivalry will surface between coaches.  At one time there was such a rivalry that included one of the most innovative coaches in the NFL who was a member of the Bengals against an antagonist from a team within the division.  During the late 80's and early 90's this rivalry brewed between Sam Wyche and Houston Oilers head coach Jerry Glanville to the point of unknown hatred for each other.

Sam Wyche was known as an innovator ushering in the No-huddle offense as a base offense or having 12-13 players in the huddle between plays.  These actions caused the NFL to adopt rules to thwart the advantages it created.  Plus, he was known to be very controversial, proclaiming to the home crowd during a game against the Seattle Seahawks that "you don't live in Cleveland, you live in Cincinnati" as bottles were being tossed onto the field in protest of a bad call.

The rivalry seemed to start during the 1988 season when they split the season series by large margin of victories.  The Bengals won the first meeting of that year 44-21 and the Oilers won 41-6 in the last meeting of that year.  Things got testy when Wyche took exception to the 41-6 loss feeling that Glanville had intentionally run up the score.

The first meeting between Cincinnati and Houston the following season was an Oilers triumph of 26-24 at the Astrodome, which may not have helped stoke the rivalry fire.  However, the Bengals had their revenge, whooping the Oilers 61-7 at Riverfront. It was ugly from the beginning and got worse as the game went on.  Leading 45-0 in the third quarter, Wyche felt an onside kick was in order.  It was executed perfectly with Ira Hillary snatching the kick before being run out of bounds at the Oilers 34 yard line.

Leading 52-0 after three quarters, the Bengals continued the onslaught by passing on first down and converting fourth down plays.  They even kicked a field goal with 34 seconds remaining in the game.  To say that Sam Wyche was not sending a message and running up the score would not be an accurate statement.  He basically admitted it during the post game news conference.

Wyche immediately declared Glanville a "phony" stating "I don't like phonies." Continuing his rant about Glanville, he said that when Jerry sees "the camera rolling, he puts his arm around you and starts smiling behind those dark glasses."  He felt the Oilers were a talented team, but called them "undisciplined" and that "you have to be ready to get kicked and the score run up on you.  And that is exactly what happened today."  Wyche even states he felt "sorry for the Houston players having to put up with him." You can't say the Wyche never minced words concerning an opponent.

This rivalry continued for a couple of years later and into Wyches' last season with the Bengals.  I had started dating my wife, who is from Houston and an Oilers fan (at that time, now she is a Bengals fan, what influence) and was able to get us tickets to the 1991 game in Houston.  I think I may have been the only person at the Astrodome wearing stripes.  What I remember most about the game was during the TV timeouts, the scoreboard would show each coach with the fans responding proportionately with a jeer or cheer.  When Wyche was shown, jeers abound.  Glanville, cheers a plenty.  And it grew louder and louder as the game progressed.  The game itself was not much of a memory as the Bengals lost 35-3.

Rivalries come in various forms in every sport.  They may start with just a simple comment of dislike for the opposition or the teams consistently play for a championship.  Now matter the reason, they have a way of grabbing those involved.

It's often referred to as the Freezer Bowl.  Temperatures and winds so cold, man nor beast should ever have to experience.  Game time temperature between the Bengals and the San Diego Chargers was -9 degrees with 35 mph winds creating a wind chill of -57 degrees!  That is not a misprint.  I am from Columbus and was working at a beer-wine drive thru during the coming of this Ice Age, and never forgot how the frozen pop bottles on display exploded sending everyone heading for cover from the glass shrapnel.  And yes, some did send glass everywhere.

Despite the ridiculous cold, the Bengals offensive line came out for warm-ups and played the game in short sleeves.  Yes, short sleeves!  Despite experiencing the same kind of weather in the 1968 NFL Championship game as a member of the Green Bay Packers, Head Coach Forrest Greg felt it was not worth intervening in this lunacy.  If you are not familiar with this game, does the phrase "frozen tundra of Lambeau Field" ring a bell?  It was played in temperatures that would cause the Iditarod dogs to demand better working conditions.  Temperature for that game was -13 degrees.

This was the Bengals first appearance in the AFC Championship game having gotten there by way of a 12-4 season then beating the Buffalo Bills 28-21 in the divisional playoff game.  Ken Anderson had come off a season in which he finished as the top rated passer earning league MVP Honors and Comeback Player of the Year.  His weapons included wide receivers Issac Curtis and rookie Cris Collinsworth, TE Dan Ross and bruising fullback Pete Johnson.  The loony short sleeved offensive line included Dave Lapham, Max Montoya and Anthony Munoz.

This game featured the league's top two offenses with the Bengals averaging 373 yard per game and Chargers averaging a whooping 421.5 yard per game.  It also featured two of the top three passing offenses with the Bengals averaging 249 yards per game, but the Chargers possessed Dan Fouts running the Air Coryell offense that averaged 296.2 yards per game.  It was expected to be a high scoring affair, but the severe cold may have sapped some of that.

The Bengals started quickly, jumping to a 10-0 first quarter lead on the heels of a Jim Breech field goal and an Anderson touchdown pass to tight end M.L. Harris after Chargers kick returner James Brooks fumbled the kickoff.  The Chargers responded with a touchdown pass from Fouts to TE Kellen Winslow in the second quarter to make it 10-7.  On the next Charger possession, Fouts was intercepted by defensive back Louis Breeden, setting up a 1-yard Pete Johnson touchdown run making the halftime score 17-7.  The Bengals came out in the second half taking control of the game with another Breech field goal to make it 20-7 in the third quarter and then sealed it in the fourth with a touchdown pass from Anderson to Don Bass for a final score of 27-7.  This win propelled them to the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance, which was played in Detroit.  And it was still cold for that game even thought it was played indoors.

For those who recognize the name of the Chargers' kick returner in the above paragraph but are not sure where, it is the same James Brooks who later became an integral part of the Bengals last Super Bowl appearance.  He was traded to the Bengals after the 1983 season for Pete Johnson, playing in Cincy until 1994 making the Pro Bowl four times and becoming the franchise leading rusher at 6,447 rushing yards (since surpassed by Corey Dillion).

Both Anderson and Fouts did not have the same success they enjoyed during the regular season in this game.  Anderson finished 14 of 22 for 161 yards and two touchdowns, Fouts had similar numbers at 15 of 28 for 185 yards, one touchdown but two interceptions.  Neither teams' running game was a factor as Charger running back Chuck Muncie was the top rusher for the game with 94 yards; Pete Johnson may have been more effective finishing with 80 yards rushing, one touchdown and 14 yards receiving.

The teams did what they could to minimize the impact of the cold.  Both teams had seat warmers working at such a volume that it would've caused gas shortages in most third world countries.  Fouts had his sleeves stretched over his hands to keep them warm.  Ken Anderson ended up with a frost bitten ear and Breech's kicking foot was bruised for days.  Fouts' beard was frozen from, well, you know. And despite the inhuman and inhumane temperatures, the devout faithful ventured into the extreme cold air risking frostbite themselves, to witness a game that they will never forget.

It was the year 2000 on Planet Earth, in the United States, in Ohio and in Cincinnati.  The entirety of Bengal Nation was filled with so much promise, if you can call it promise. 

A new stadium.  A beautiful new stadium named after one of the two greatest names in the National Football League's history.  The Cincinnati Bengals would no longer be sharing Riverfront Stadium with the Reds; rather they would be in their own home.  A home named after a man called Paul Brown whose porkpie hat and gruff presence seem woefully out of touch with the divas and the drama associated with today's NFL.  The "Aughts" are a decade that most of us would like to forget, but in order to appreciate the current climate of Bengal Nation we must look back.

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Meet John P. Wise. John was the former backup to the Cincinnati Bengals' Who-Dey mascot. Most of his work included getting chucked in the jewels and bringing tons of Who-Dey goodness to party goers. The Who Dey is a funny thing. Saints fans are convinced that the Bengals ripped them off. This Bengals Jungle piece explains that the Who Dat (the Saints version) came into existence after Steve Monistere marketed the chant in 1983. Then took a break until 1987. The only time the chant was used in early Saints history was when they played well -- which wasn't often. In fact, it's claimed in that article, that the Who Dat chant was ripped off from LSU.

You can trace Who Dey back to 1981.

History of Who Dey [Cincy Jungle]
My Life as the Cincinnati Bengals Mascot 'Who-Dey' [My Fox Utah]