9781422283059

her product. An NFL head coach has more immediate feedback , in the form of wins and losses. Some- times, he has only a single season of 16 games to prove himself. It’s little wonder, then, that in today’s NFL the search for a head coach is followed intently by the media and fans. The franchise’s success depends on it. The First Coaches When the NFL was formed in 1920—it was called the American Professional Football Associa-

tion (APFA) until 1922—most of the coaches were star players. The team founder picked out one of the best players on the squad and figured the others would follow his lead. (Sometimes the team founder was the star player!) For instance, the first coach of the Chicago Bears—the team was a charter member of the NFL

George Halas of the Chicago Bears was one of several men who acted as player- coach for their teams.

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