Though downplayed by the NFL as inferior, the AFL signed half of the NFL's first-round draft choices in 1960, including All-American Billy Cannon, perennial All-Star Johnny Robinson, and Hall of Famer Ron Mix.

Though it was not part of the NFL at the time, the All-America Football Conference saw its last drop kick November 28, 1948, when Joe Vetrano of the San Francisco 49ers drop kicked an extra point after a muffed snap against the Cleveland Browns.

Though the Giants lost $ 50, 000 that season, the rival league folded and was subsumed into the NFL.

Though the WFL's Toronto establishment failed due to Canadian resistance, the Buffalo Bills ( with Canadian backing and special conditions ) are playing occasional home games in Toronto as of 2008, and the league's original intent to expand the game globally is being partially fulfilled by the NFL International Series.

Though dominant on the field, a controversial suspension cost them the 1925 NFL Championship.

Though several Hall of Famers have had AFL, Canadian Football League, World Football League and United States Football League experience, and there is a division of the Hall devoted to alternative leagues such as this, to this point no players have made the Hall without having made significant contributions to either the NFL, AFL or All-America Football Conference.

Though the Miami Dolphins finished the 1972 NFL season with no losses, the regular season at the time comprised only 14 games.

Though the 49ers finished with the best record in the NFL, they lost in the NFC semi-finals to the Minnesota Vikings.

Though the league had previously had a sprinkling of black players, blacks were excluded from all NFL teams just one year after Marshall entered the league.

Though it is officially sponsored and governed by the NFL, different regions often have different styles.

Though the NFL owners were open to recognizing the union, their representatives requested lawyers not be present during negotiations, something the players were unwilling to agree to.

Though he was signed by several National Football League ( NFL ) teams ( New Orleans, Atlanta, and Washington ), he never played an NFL league game due to getting cut in training camp.

" Though he was often double teamed, he finished the season with six sacks, and was voted the NFL Defensive Player of the Year by NEA ( and awarded the George S. Halas Trophy ).

Though playing in relative obscurity in the NAIA, Alzado nonetheless gained notice by the NFL when a scout for the Denver Broncos, having been taken off the road by automobile trouble, decided to pass the time by screening a film of Montana Tech, one of Yankton's opponents.

Though right outside linebacker had been Vrabel's primary position in the Patriots ' 3-4 scheme in his first four seasons with New England, in 2005 Vrabel moved to inside linebacker, because of the limited effectiveness of inside backers Monty Beisel and Chad Brown, although he had never before played inside in the NFL.

Though he is primarily utilized as an NFL analyst, he also covers other Boston sports news.

Though the Giants lost the game, 34 – 7, Maynard set an NFL record for most punts in a Super Bowl game .< ref >

Though the zone blitz has become common throughout the NFL, the 3-4 defense-3 defensive linemen, 4 linebackers-lends itself particularly well to this style of play, and LeBeau continues to utilize it today.

Though he saw little playing time in his rookie season in the NFL, Croyle shared the starting position with Damon Huard in 2007.

Though they wanted a more democratic society, their proposed franchise did not extend to women or to the lowest orders of society.

Though by the close of the 1989 season the team boasted a powerhouse bullpen in the AL Cy Young Award winner Bret Saberhagen ( set franchise record with 23 wins in ), two time All-Star Mark Gubicza ( 15 game winner in 1989 ) and 1989 AL Rookie of the Year runner-up Tom Gordon ( won 17 games in 1989 ), the organization felt they were still missing a few pieces that would give the divisional rivals Oakland Athletics a run for their money.

Though only in New York for four and a half seasons, Henderson set the Yankees ' franchise record with 326 stolen bases ; the previous high ( 248 ) had been held by Hal Chase.

Though many predicted the WFL was dead, the league returned for the 1975 season with a new leader, commissioner Chris Hemmeter, former co-owner of the 1974 Hawaiians franchise.

Though Stepien eventually threatened to move the franchise to Toronto and rename it the Toronto Towers, but brothers George and Gordon Gund purchased the franchise in the mid 1980s and decided to keep the team in Cleveland ( a decade later, Toronto would eventually receive an expansion franchise, the Toronto Raptors.

Though it successfully re-bid for the franchise in 2005, it was asked to surrender it in December 2006.

Though Ole Haugsrud had first rights to the next Minnesota-based franchise ( a deal resulting from his sale of the Duluth Eskimos back to the league in 1927 ), he passed, letting Dunn and Val Ness have control over the new team.

Though Seattle did not make the playoffs in the 2001 season, Jackson's impressive rookie performance provided a solid foundation for the franchise to build on.

Though they are currently the team with the longest Grey Cup drought, only the Edmonton Eskimos CFL franchise has as many Grey Cup appearances as the Blue Bombers current 24.

Though the Washington Nationals franchise has four no-hitters in its history, including a perfect game by Dennis Martinez, all of them took place during the team's existence as the Montreal Expos.

Though Eternal Champions saw strong sales and was at one point a popular enough property to warrant a sequel, a remake, two spin-offs, and various multimedia tie-ins, after the planned third game in the core fighting series was cancelled Sega hasn't produced any new product for the franchise.

Though the great majority of the people were Roman Catholics, no person of that faith could either enter parliament or exercise the franchise ; the penal code, which made it almost impossible for a Roman Catholic to hold property, to follow a learned profession, or even to educate his children, and which in numerous particulars pressed severely on the Roman Catholics and subjected them to degrading conditions, was as yet unrepealed, though in practice largely obsolete ; the industry and commerce of Ireland were throttled by restrictions imposed, in accordance with the economic theories of the period, in the interest of the rival trade of Great Britain.

Though The Prince of Tennis has become a successful franchise, spawning several adaptations like an anime, original video animations, musicals, movies, radio shows, and video games, the series has received both positive and negative reviews.

Though they did not immediately continue working on the franchise ( Sierra Entertainment, the game's publisher, owned the rights ), the game did have a spin-off, Homeworld: Cataclysm, developed by Barking Dog Studios and published by Sierra.

Though he considered the franchise dead, Roddenberry encouraged Joseph to seek Barrett's help in creating a manual, a project blessed with privileged access to original props and carpenter's blueprints.

Though the Turner sale included all of MGM's rights to most of its pre-1986 films, MGM retained its overall rights to the Fame franchise as the TV series was still in production in 1986.

Though the Oilers chose first to maintain split AHL affiliations in 2005-06 and 2007-08, then make a conventional agreement with the Springfield Falcons for the next three seasons, they retained the rights to the dormant Road Runners franchise.

Though the company signed a deal to open 15 franchise stores in the Northeast with many more in the Southeast, the chain was nowhere near the goals publicized years earlier.

Though operated by Greater Anglia, the Class 360 is not maintained by the franchise but is under contract from Siemens for routine maintenance at Ilford Depot near London.

Though left off the playoff roster in favor of Greg Foster and Devean George, Rider was awarded a championship ring by the franchise.

Though he batted only. 237 with three home runs in, his handling of the Mets ' young pitchers and his solid defensive skills were instrumental in helping the Mets avoid 100 losses and a last place finish for the first time in franchise history.

Though the team finished second in 1906, the PCL contracted from six teams to four after the season ( mainly due to the failures of the Sacramento franchise ).