The
National Football League champions, prior to the
merger between the
National Football League (NFL) and
American Football League (AFL) in 1970, were determined by two different systems. The National Football League was established on September 17, 1920 as the American Professional Football Association (APFA). The APFA changed its name in 1922 to the National Football League, which it has retained ever since. From
1920 to
1931, the APFA/NFL determined its champion by overall
win–loss record, with no playoff games; ties were not counted in the winning percentage total. Although the APFA did not keep records of the 1920 season, they declared the
Akron Pros, who finished the season with an 8–0–3 (8 wins, 0 losses, 3 ties) record, as the league's first champions. The
Canton Bulldogs won two straight championships from
1922 to
1923, and the
Green Bay Packers won three in a row from
1929 to
1931.