Page "Cincinnati Bengals" Paragraph 1

The Bengals were founded in as a member of the American Football League ( AFL ) by former Cleveland Browns head coach Paul Brown.

Brown was the Bengals ' head coach from their inception to.

After being dismissed as the Browns ' head coach by Art Modell ( who had purchased majority interest in the team in ) in January, Brown had shown interest in establishing another NFL franchise in Ohio and looked at both Cincinnati and Columbus.

He ultimately chose the former when a deal between the city, Hamilton County, and Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds ( who were seeking a replacement for the obsolete Crosley Field ) was struck that resulted in an agreement to build a multipurpose stadium which could host both baseball and football games.

Due to the impending merger of the American Football League and the National Football League, which was due to take full effect in the season, Brown agreed to join the AFL as its tenth and final franchise.

The Bengals, like other former AFL teams, were assigned to the AFC following the merger.