What Decade Was Pro Football's "Golden Age"

**AvengerRam** · #1 (**permalink**) -09-06-2004

And tell us why below.

**AvengerRam** · #2 (**permalink**) -09-06-2004

I went with the 1970s. You had the great dynasties of the Dolphins (including the undefeated 1972 season), the Steelers, the Cowboys and the Raiders. You also had the hard luck, but perrenially strong, Vikings, Rams and Colts.

There were great players (Payton, Staubach, Bradshaw, Campbell, Stabler, Lambert, Tarkenton, Casper, Swan, etc.) and units (Doomsday Defense, No Name Defense, Purple People Eaters, Orange Crush, Steel Curtain).

And, thought they never won it all, it was a good time for the Rams. They dominated the NFC West and had great players like Youngblood, Cromwell, Olsen, McCutchen, Mack, Hacksaw, Dryer and many more).

*r8rh8rmike* · #3 (**permalink**) -10-06-2004

Sorry to start this off topic, but the Raiders a dynasty in the 70's?? They won one Super Bowl. That's a stretch.

That being said, I would opt for the 60's. It's the decade when pro football really expanded into the consciousness of the country and became popular on a wide scale. It's the decade when an upstart league sprang up and made the NFL take notice with it's freewheeling style. It's the decade that saw the birth of the Super Bowl and an intense rivalry between the NFL and AFL. It's the decade of the Green Bay Packers and Vince Lombardi, who is THE enduring symbol of pro football. It's the decade that showed the sports world that there was more out there than baseball. Pro football has never looked back or slowed down.

Without a doubt, the 60's was the golden age of pro football.

**AvengerRam** · #4 (**permalink**) -10-06-2004

Dynasty may be a little strong for the 70s Raiders, but they were nearly always in the running, and continued their success in the early 80s.

*UtterBlitz* · #5 (**permalink**) -10-06-2004

I am not old enough to vote on this poll. I would say the 80s because that is when I was really watching, but that's about me and nothing to do with Pro Football.

UtterBlitz

**HUbison** · #6 (**permalink**) -10-06-2004

I'd say the 60s for a lot of the same reasons that Mike stated earlier. I mean the 60s was the decade of Lombardi. Starr, Unitas, Brown, the merger. Don't get me wrong, the 70s were great, but the things that made the 70s great had their roots in the 60s. As honorable mention, I think we're living in a pretty great time for football now.

*ramfaninpgh* · #7 (**permalink**) -10-06-2004

I'd have to say the 1960s and 1970s. Maybe spanning the decades isn't quite in the spirit of the poll, but that's when I started watching football and the Rams were the first team I saw. They've been my team ever since. It was also the heyday for NFL Films and the highlight shows. The best thing about that was the cool NFL FIlms music. The music behind the highlights seemed to embody what the NFL and players were all about then. Everything about the game then was simple, and I miss that. Oh well, time marches on.

*radjohns* · #8 (**permalink**) -13-06-2004

When asked the same question about hockey, former Montreal Canadiens goalie Ken Dryden said:

The golden age of hockey took place whenever you were 12 years old.

With that in mind, I'll pick the late 70's/early eighties.

**AvengerRam** · #9 (**permalink**) -15-06-2004

I turned 12 on January 16, 1980 - so you may be right.