National Football League (NFL)

1990 NFL Season Overview

National Football League (NFL)

1990 NFL Season Overview

Leagues / Football / NFL / 1990 / Season Overview

San Francisco defeated Denver 55-10 in Super Bowl XXIV at the Louisiana Superdome, January 28. San Francisco joined Pittsburgh as the NFL's only teams to win four Super Bowls. The NFL announced revisions in its 1990 draft eligibility rules. College juniors became eligible but must renounce their collegiate football eligibility before applying for the NFL Draft, February 16. Commissioner Tagliabue announced NFL teams will play their 16-game schedule over 17 weeks in 1990 and 1991 and 16 games over 18 weeks in 1992 and 1993, February 27. The NFL revised its playoff format to include two additional wild-card teams (one per conference), which raised the total to six wild-card teams. Commissioner Tagliabue and Broadcast Committee Chairman Art Modell announced a four-year contract with Turner Broadcasting to televise nine Sunday-night games. New four-year TV agreements were ratified for 1990-93 for ABC, CBS, NBC, ESPN, and TNT at the NFL annual meeting in Orlando, Florida, March 12. The contracts totaled $3.6 billion, the largest in TV history. The NFL announced plans to expand its American Bowl series of preseason games. In addition to games in London and Tokyo, American Bowl games were scheduled for Berlin, Germany, and Montreal, Canada, in 1990. For the fifth straight year, NFL owners voted to continue a limited system of Instant Replay. Beginning in 1990, the replay official will have a two-minute time limit to make a decision. The vote was 21-7, March 12. Commissioner Tagliabue announced the formation of a Committee on Expansion and Realignment, March 13. He also named a Player Advisory Council, comprised of 12 former NFL players, March 14. Commissioner Tagliabue appointed Dr. John Lombardo as the League's Drug Advisor for Anabolic Steroids, April 25 and named Dr. Lawrence Brown as the League's Advisor for Drugs of Abuse, May 17. NFL owners awarded Super Bowl XXVIII, to be played in 1994, to the proposed Georgia Dome, May 23. Commissioner Tagliabue named NFL referee Jerry Seeman as NFL Director of Officiating, replacing Art McNally, who announced his retirement after 31 years on the field and at the league office, July 12. NFL International Week was celebrated with four preseason games in seven days in Tokyo, London, Berlin, and Montreal. More than 200,000 fans on three continents attended the four games, August 4-11. Commissioner Tagliabue announced the NFL Teacher of the Month program in which the League furnishes grants and scholarships in recognition of teachers who provided a positive influence upon NFL players in elementary and secondary schools, September 20. For the first time since 1957, every NFL club won at least one of its first four games, October 1. The Super Bowl Most Valuable Player trophy was renamed the Pete Rozelle trophy, October 8. NFL total paid attendance of 17,665,671 was the highest total in League history. The regular-season total paid attendance of 13,959,896 and average of 62,321 for 224 games were the highest ever, surpassing the previous records set in the 1989 season.

1990 NFL Champions

New York Giants

defeated Buffalo Bills

Commissioner Paul Tagliabue

Union Director Gene Upshaw

Players' President Mike Kenn

1990 NFL Draft

Pick Player Team

1 Jeff George QB Colts

2 Blair Thomas RB Jets

3 Cortez Kennedy DT Seahawks

4 Keith McCants LB Buccaneers

5 Junior Seau LB Chargers

View Entire 1990 NFL Draft

1990 NFL Draft

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