1971 NFL season

American football season November 2013 March 2026 1971 Dallas Cowboys September 19 – December 19, 1971 December 25, 1971 Miami Dolphins Dallas Cowboys VI January 16, 1972 Tulane Stadium,New Orleans, Louisiana January 23, 1972 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum thumb|right|The Cowboys playing against the Dolphins in Super Bowl VI. The 1971 NFL season was the 52nd regular season of the National Football League. The Boston Patriots changed their name to New England Patriots to widen their appeal to the entire New England region after moving to their new stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, located between Boston and Providence, Rhode Island.Patriots reach 30 years in Foxboro https://www.patriots.com/news/patriots-reach-30-years-in-foxboro-115751 Patriots.com April 4, 2000 January 12, 2026 January 17, 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20260117165122/https://www.patriots.com/news/patriots-reach-30-years-in-foxboro-115751 livehttps://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2105807_2105808_2105822,00.html New England Is Their Third Name Nick Carbone Time February 2, 2012 The season ended with Super Bowl VI when the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Miami Dolphins 24–3 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. The Pro Bowl took place on January 23, 1972, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum; the AFC beat the NFC 26–13. Draft The 1971 NFL draft was held January 28–29 at New York City's Belmont Plaza Hotel. With the first pick, the New England Patriots selected quarterback Jim Plunkett, the Heisman Trophy winner from Stanford University. The next two selections were also quarterbacks: Archie Manning and Dan Pastorini. New officials Three referees--Walt Fitzgerald, Bob Finley and George Rennix--retired following the 1970 season. Finley and Fitzgerald officiated all ten seasons of the American Football League's existence. Finley was the referee for the 1968 "Heidi Game" between the Jets and Raiders, and Fitzgerald was the referee for the AFL Championship Game between the same two teams six weeks later. Rennix was the referee for the 1961 NFL Championship Game, where Green Bay routed the New York Giants 37-0 for the Packers' first of five league championships in seven seasons under legendary coach Vince Lombardi. Bob Frederic, Dick Jorgensen and Fred Wyant were promoted to fill those vacancies. Frederic was the back judge on Jack Vest's crew in 1970, Jorgensen the line judge on Rennix's crew, and Wyant the line judge on Ben Dreith's crew. Ironically, Dreith and Wyant were demoted from referee to line judge simultaneously following the 1989 season. Rich Eichhorst, a back judge on Bernie Ulman's crew in 1970, resigned to concentrate on officiating college basketball; he was replaced by Don Orr, who officiated in the league through 1995; Orr also wore number 77, the same as Eichhorst. Ben Tompkins replaced Eichhorst on Ulman's crew. Also hired this season was future referee Gene Barth, who was placed on Jim Tunney's crew as line judge. Barth officiated in the NFL for 20 seasons, 16 as a referee, highlighted by his assignment to Super Bowl XVIII following the 1983 season. Barth assumed number 14, which Finley previously wore. Major rule changes Teams will not be charged a time out for an injured player unless the injury occurs inside the last two minutes of a half or overtime (since 1974). Missed field goal attempts which cross the goal line can be run back. Previously, only those which fell short of the goal line could be returned; those which broke the plane of the goal line resulted in an automatic touchback. Deaths September 5 - George Trafton, age 74. Center for the Chicago Bears from 1920-1932. Elected to the Pro Football Hall Of Fame in 1964. October 24 - Chuck Hughes, age 28. Wide receiver, Detroit Lions. Died shortly after catching a pass in a game against the Chicago Bears. Hughes was the last player to die during an NFL game. Lions players wore a black armband on their jerseys to honor Hughes for the season's remaining eight games. November 27 - Joe Guyon, age 79. Wing back for the New York Giants and Oorang Indians, elected to the pro football hall of fame in 1966. Division races Starting in 1970, and until 2002, there were three divisions (Eastern, Central and Western) in each conference. The winners of each division, and a fourth “wild card” team based on the best non-division winner, qualified for the playoffs. The tiebreaker rules were changed to start with head-to-head competition, followed by division records, record against common opponents, and records in conference play. More tiebreakers were provided in 1971 because, in 1970, reversing just one game’s outcome would have led to a coin toss between Dallas and Detroit for the NFC wild card berth. Teams listed with an asterisk in these tables are leaders on tiebreak National Football Conference Week Eastern Central Western Wild Card 1 3 teams 1–0–0 2 teams 1–0–0 2 teams 1–0–0 3 teams 1–0–0 2 2 teams 2–0–0 Chicago 2–0–0 Atlanta 1–0–1 2 teams 2–0–0 3 Washington 3–0–0 4 teams 2–1–0 San Francisco 2–1–0 5 teams 2–1–0 4 Washington 4–0–0 Chicago* 3–1–0 Los Angeles 2–1–1 3 teams 3–1–0 5 Washington 5–0–0 Minnesota* 4–1–0 Los Angeles 3–1–1 Detroit 4–1–0 6 Washington 5–1–0 Minnesota 5–1–0 Los Angeles 4–1–1 4 teams 4–2–0 7 Washington 6–1–0 Minnesota 6–1–0 San Francisco 5–2–0 Chicago 5–2–0 8 Washington 6–1–1 Minnesota 6–2–0 San Francisco 6–2–0 Detroit 5–2–1 9 Washington 6–2–1 Minnesota 7–2–0 San Francisco 6–3–0 Chicago* 6–3–0 10 Dallas 7–3–0 Minnesota 8–2–0 Los Angeles 6–3–1 Washington* 6–3–1 11 Dallas 8–3–0 Minnesota 9–2–0 San Francisco 7–4–0 Washington* 7–3–1 12 Dallas 9–3–0 Minnesota 9–3–0 Los Angeles 7–4–1 Washington 8–3–1 13 Dallas 10–3–0 Minnesota 10–3–0 San Francisco 8–5–0 Washington 9–3–1 14Dallas 11–3–0Minnesota 11–3–0San Francisco 9–5–0Washington 9–4–1 American Football Conference Week Eastern Central Western Wild Card 1 2 teams 1–0–0 2 teams 1–0–0 San Diego 1–0–0 2 teams 1–0–0 2 Miami 1–0–1 Cleveland 2–0–0 Oakland* 1–1–0 6 teams 1–1–0 3 Baltimore 2–1–0 Pittsburgh* 2–1–0 Oakland* 2–1–0 2 teams 2–1–0 4 Baltimore 3–1–0 Cleveland 3–1–0 Oakland* 3–1–0 Kansas City 3–1–0 5 Baltimore 4–1–0 Cleveland 4–1–0 Oakland* 4–1–0 Kansas City 4–1–0 6 Miami 4–1–1 Cleveland 4–2–0 Oakland* 5–1–0 Kansas City 5–1–0 7 Miami 5–1–1 Cleveland 4–3–0 Oakland* 5–1–1 Kansas City 5–1–1 8 Miami 6–1–1 Cleveland* 4–4–0 Oakland 5–1–2 Baltimore 6–2–0 9 Miami 7–1–1 Cleveland* 4–5–0 Oakland 6–1–2 Baltimore 7–2–0 10 Miami 8–1–1 Cleveland* 5–5–0 Oakland 7–1–2 Kansas City 7–2–1 11 Miami 9–1–1 Cleveland 6–5–0 Oakland 7–2–2 Baltimore 8–3–0 12 Miami 9–2–1 Cleveland 7–5–0 Kansas City 8–3–1 Baltimore 9–3–0 13 Baltimore 10–3–0 Cleveland 8–5–0 Kansas City 9–3–1 Miami 9–3–1 14Miami 10–3–1Cleveland 9–5–0Kansas City 10–3–1Baltimore 10–4–0 Final standings y y y y y Tiebreakers New England finished ahead of N.Y. Jets in the AFC East based on better point differential in head-to-head games, 13 points. Playoffs 1971–72 NFL playoffs Awards Most Valuable PlayerAlan Page, defensive tackle, MinnesotaCoach of the YearGeorge Allen, WashingtonDefensive Player of the YearAlan Page, defensive tackle, MinnesotaOffensive Rookie of the YearJohn Brockington, running back, Green BayDefensive Rookie of the YearIsiah Robertson, linebacker, Los Angeles Coaching changes Offseason Buffalo Bills: John Rauch resigned and was replaced by Harvey Johnson, who previously served as the team's interim head coach in 1968. Cleveland Browns: Blanton Collier resigned and was replaced by Nick Skorich. Green Bay Packers: Phil Bengtson was fired and replaced by Dan Devine. Houston Oilers: Wally Lemm resigned and was replaced by Ed Hughes. Los Angeles Rams: Tommy Prothro became the Rams' new head coach after George Allen left the team. New England Patriots: John Mazur began his first full season as Patriots head coach. He replaced Clive Rush after seven games into the 1970 season for medical reasons. New Orleans Saints: J. D. Roberts began his first full season as Saints head coach. He replaced Tom Fears, who was fired after a 1-5-1 start in 1970. St. Louis Cardinals: Bob Hollway replaced Charley Winner. San Diego Chargers: Sid Gillman returned to the field after sitting out half of the 1969 season and all of the 1970 season due to poor health. Washington Redskins: George Allen was named as Washington's head coach. Vince Lombardi was diagnosed with terminal cancer in late June before the 1970 season, dying on September 3. Offensive line coach Bill Austin served as Washington's head coach for 1970. In-season Denver Broncos: Lou Saban left the team after a 2–6–1 start. Offensive line coach Jerry Smith served as interim for the remaining five games. Philadelphia Eagles: Jerry Williams was fired after three games. Ed Khayat was named as replacement. San Diego Chargers: Sid Gillman again left the field after serving as head coach for 10 games. Harland Svare replaced Gilman. Stadium changes The newly renamed New England Patriots moved from Harvard Stadium in Boston to their new home field, Schaefer Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The Chicago Bears moved their home games from Wrigley Field to Soldier Field. The Bears played their 1970 home opener vs. the Eagles at Northwestern University's Dyche Stadium, but their request to move there full-time was rejected by the city of Evanston and the Big Ten Conference. The Philadelphia Eagles moved their games from Franklin Field to Veterans Stadium. The Eagles were scheduled to move to the new facility in South Philadelphia in 1970, but labor strikes and bad weather caused numerous construction delays. The San Francisco 49ers moved from Kezar Stadium into Candlestick Park. The Dallas Cowboys moved after their first two regular season home games from the Cotton Bowl to Texas Stadium. 11 teams played their home games on artificial turf in 1971. This was up from 7 teams in the NFL in 1970. The teams were: Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas, Houston, Miami, New England, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St. Louis and San Francisco. Uniform changes The Atlanta Falcons switched their primary jerseys from black to red. The Chicago Bears adopted a second white jersey with block numbers, which was worn four of the five games in which the Bears wore white jerseys. Also, a second navy blue jersey without sleeve stripes was added for warm weather games. The New York Jets wore a modified white jersey in the first half of the season which did not have green stripes over the shoulders. The Oakland Raiders switched from silver to black numbers on their white jerseys. The San Francisco 49ers added alternate jerseys with no striping or TV numbers for hot games. Television This was the second year under the league's four-year broadcast contracts with ABC, CBS, and NBC to televise Monday Night Football, the NFC package, and the AFC package, respectively. Frank Gifford's contract with CBS expired. He was then hired by ABC to serve as play-by-play announcer for MNF, while Keith Jackson returned to call college football for the network. Jack Whitaker and Pat Summerall replaced Gifford as hosts on The NFL Today, which was still a pre-recorded pregame show. At NBC, Al DeRogatis and Kyle Rote swapped color commentator positions, with DeRogatis joining Curt Gowdy as the network's lead broadcast team and Rote joining Jim Simpson at #2.Brulia Tim 2004 A CHRONOLOGY OF PRO FOOTBALL ON TELEVISION: Part 2 http://profootballresearchers.com/archives/Website_Files/Coffin_Corner/26-04-1038.pdf April 25, 2026 Pro Football Researchers May 28, 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250528123344/https://profootballresearchers.com/archives/Website_Files/Coffin_Corner/26-04-1038.pdf live References NFL Record and Fact Book (1-932994-36-X) NFL History 1971–1980 (Last accessed December 4, 2005) Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (0-06-270174-6) 1971 National Football League