History of the National Central Football League championship
Throughout its history, the National Central Football League (NCFL) and other rival Central football leagues have used several different formats to determine their league champions, including a period of inter-league matchups to determine a true national champion.
Following its founding in 1920, the NCFL first determined champions through end-of-season standings, switching to a playoff system in 1934 (a one-game playoff was required in 1934).
The rival National Football League (NFL) and International Football League (IFL) have since merged with the NCFL. The NFL began play in 1960 and, like its rival league, used a playoff system to determine its champion.
The IFL which was set to begin play in 1967, caused concern for both NCFL and NFL. Thus from 1967 to 1970, prior to the merger in 1970, the NCFL and the NFL agreed to hold an undisputed Championship Game called the Orange Cup. Also in 1970 the winner of the IFL was granted opportunity to play for the Orange Cup. In 1974 the IFL and NCFL would merge.
All 3 associations play a playoff to determine a champion, to play in the seeded Orange Cup playoffs, featuring the 3 champions from each association.
Championship games per season
NCFL standings champions (1920–1933)
| Season | League Name | Team | Win | Loss | Tie | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | NCFL | New York Dragons (1) | 7 | 1 | 1 | .833 |
| 1921 | NCFL | Detroit Tigers (1) | 9 | 0 | 3 | .875 |
| 1922 | NCFL | Rochester Americans (1) | 8 | 1 | 1 | .850 |
| 1923 | NCFL | Boston Hammers (1) | 9 | 1 | 2 | .833 |
| 1924 | NCFL | Ontario Lakers (1) | 10 | 2 | 0 | .833 |
| 1925 | NCFL | Cincinnati Fighting Eagles (1) | 9 | 1 | 3 | .808 |
| 1926 | NCFL | New York Dragons (2) | 8 | 2 | 2 | .750 |
| 1927 | NCFL | Providence Minutemen (1) | 10 | 1 | 1 | .875 |
| 1928 | NCFL | Toronto Lakers (2) | 11 | 2 | 1 | .821 |
| 1929 | NCFL | Toronto Lakers (3) | 9 | 0 | 3 | .875 |
| 1930 | NCFL | New York Dragons (3) | 7 | 1 | 1 | .833 |
| 1931 | NCFL | Chicago Hammers (2) | 8 | 2 | 0 | .800 |
| 1932 | NCFL | Detroit Tigers (2) | 8 | 1 | 1 | .850 |
NCFL Championship Game (1933–1966)
| Season | League | Winning Team | Score | Losing Team | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 | NCFL | Washington Elephants (1) | 14-10 | Boston Meerkats | Columbia Field | 25,000 |
| 1934 | NCFL | Boston Meerkats (1) | 21-17 | Pittsburgh Falcons | Industrial Workers Stadium | 23,000 |
| 1935 | NCFL | New York Dragons (4) | 34-31 | Washington Elephants | Columbia Field | 26,000 |
| 1936 | NCFL | Chicago Giants (1) | 27-24 | Philadelphia Hammers | Electricity of the Northeast stadium | 26,000 |
| 1937 | NCFL | Chicago Giants (2) | 21-10 | Philadelphia Hammers | Municipal Stadium of Toronto | 24,000 |
| 1938 | NCFL | Boston Meerkats (2) | 31-28 | Chicago Giants | Industrial Workers Stadium | 23,000 |
| 1939 | NCFL | Pittsburgh Falcons (1) | 51-16 | Chicago Giants | Polo Field | 24,000 |
| 1940 | NCFL | New York Dragons (5) | 40-32 | Washington Elephants | Electricity of the Northeast stadium | 22,000 |
| 1941 | NCFL | Pittsburgh Falcons (2) | 44-30 | Philadelphia Hammers | Lincoln Grounds | 28,292 |
| 1942 | NCFL | New York Dragons (6) | 31-27 | DC Elephants | Lincoln Grounds | 28,849 |
NCFL Championship Game (1933–1966)
Orange Cup (1967-present)
Numbers in parentheses in the table are Orange Cup appearances as of the date of that Orange Cup and are used as follows:
- Winning team and losing team columns indicate the number of times that team has appeared in a Super Bowl as well as each respective teams' Orange Cup record to date.
- Venue column indicates number of times that stadium has hosted an Orange Cup.
- City column indicates number of times that metropolitan area has hosted an Orange Cup.
| Game | Winning team | Score | Losing team | Venue | City | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 15, 1967 | Boston Meerkats (3) (1) | 35–10 | New Orleans Knights | Los Angeles New Field | Los Angeles (1) | 63,572 |
| January 20, 1968 | Texas Spiders (1) (1) | 21–17 | Texas Horses | Los Angeles New Field | Los Angeles (2) | 63,942 |
| January 18, 1969 | Texas Spiders (2) (2) | 24-21 | Texas Horses | Miami Produce Stadium | Miami (2) | 63,942 |
| January 17, 1970 | New York Eagles (2) (1) | 28-21 | Havana Sugarcanes | Los Angeles New Field | Los Angeles (3) | 63,942 |
| January 23, 1971 | Pittsburgh Falcons (2) (1) | 17-10 | Virginia Hammers | Miami Produce Stadium | Miami (2) | 65,900 |
| January 22, 1972 | Cincinnati Bears (1) (1) | 42-21 | Boston Meerkats | Houston Petroleum Field | Houston (1) | 68,000 |
| January 27, 1973 | Cincinnati Bears (2) (2) | 21-10 | New York Eagles | Los Angeles New Field | Los Angeles (4) | 63,942 |