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Wikipedia

Pro Bowl

The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games[1] (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.

Pro Bowl Games
National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942)
Pro Bowl (1951–2022)
The logo for the NFL Pro Bowl
FrequencyAnnual
Location(s)Varies (see text)
Inaugurated1939
Previous eventFebruary 6, 2022
(Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada)
Next eventFebruary 5, 2023
(Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada)
ParticipantsAmerican Football Conference
National Football Conference
Organized byNational Football League

The format has changed throughout the years. Between 1939 and 1942, the NFL experimented with all-star games pitting the league's champion against a team of all-stars. The first official Pro Bowl was played in January 1951, matching the top players in the American/Eastern Conference against those in the National/Western Conference. From the merger with the rival American Football League (AFL) in 1970 up through 2013 and also in 2017, it was officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference (AFC) against those in the National Football Conference (NFC). From 2014 through 2016, the NFL experimented with an unconferenced format, where the teams were selected by two honorary team captains (who are each in the Hall of Fame), instead of selecting players from each conference.[2] The players were picked in a televised "schoolyard pick" prior to the game.[3]

For years, the game suffered from lack of interest for its perceived low quality,[4] with observers and commentators expressing their disfavor with it.[5] It drew lower television ratings than regular season NFL games,[6] although the game drew similar ratings to the all-star games of the other major North American sports leagues, such as the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.[7] However, the biggest concern was to avoid injuries to the star players.[8] The Associated Press wrote that players in the 2012 game were "hitting each other as though they were having a pillow fight".[9] Despite these criticisms, however, players who were selected to the Pro Bowl were nonetheless honored in a similar standing to their counterparts in the other leagues, and being named to it is considered to be a significant accomplishment for any player. In September 2022, the NFL announced that the Pro Bowl game would switch to a non-contact flag football game in 2023, as well as a partnership with Peyton Manning's Omaha Productions to revamp Pro Bowl week as the "Pro Bowl Games".[1]

Unlike the other major North American sports leagues, which hold their all star weekends roughly midway through their regular seasons, the NFL has held theirs at or near the end of NFL season. Before the merger, the game was played annually after the NFL Championship Game. Between 1970 and 2009, the Pro Bowl was usually held the weekend after the Super Bowl. From 2010 to 2022, it was played the Sunday before the Super Bowl; as a result, players from the two teams competing in the Super Bowl did not participate.

History of the Pro Bowl

The first "Pro All-Star Game", featuring the all-stars of the 1938 season (as well as three players from the Los Angeles Bulldogs and Hollywood Bears, who were not members of the league), was played on January 15, 1939, at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles.[10][11] The NFL All-Star Game was played again in Los Angeles in 1940 and then in New York and Philadelphia in 1941 and 1942 respectively. Although originally planned as an annual contest, the all-star game was discontinued after 1942 because of travel restrictions put in place during World War II.[12] During the first five all-star games, an all-star team would face that year's league champion. The league champion won the first four games before the all-stars were victorious in the final game of this early series.

The concept of an all-star game was not revived until June 1950, when the newly christened "Pro Bowl" was approved.[12] The game was sponsored by the Los Angeles Publishers Association. It was decided that the game would feature all-star teams from each of the league's two conferences rather than the league champion versus all-star format which had been used previously. This was done to avoid confusion with the Chicago College All-Star Game, an annual game which featured the league champion against a collegiate all-star team. The teams would be led by the coach of each of the conference champions.[12] Immediately prior to the Pro Bowl, following the 1949 season, the All-America Football Conference, which contributed three teams to the NFL in a partial merger in 1950, held its own all-star game, the Shamrock Bowl.

The first 21 games of the series (19511972) were played in Los Angeles. The site of the game was changed annually for each of the next seven years before the game was moved to Aloha Stadium in Halawa, Hawaii, for 30 straight seasons from 1980 through 2009. The 2010 Pro Bowl was played at Sun Life Stadium, the home stadium of the Miami Dolphins and host site of Super Bowl XLIV, on January 31, the first time ever that the Pro Bowl was held before the championship game (a decision probably due to increasingly low Nielsen ratings from being regarded as an anti-climax to the Super Bowl). With the new rule being that the conference teams do not include players from the teams that will be playing in the Super Bowl, the Pro Bowl then returned to Hawaii in 2011 but was again held during the week before the Super Bowl, where it remained for three more years.

The 2012 game was met with criticism from fans and sports writers for the lack of quality play by the players. On October 24, 2012, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had second thoughts about the Pro Bowl, telling a Sirius XM show that if the players did not play more competitively [in the 2013 Pro Bowl], he was "not inclined to play it anymore".[13] During the ensuing off-season, the NFL Players Association lobbied to keep the Pro Bowl, and negotiated several rule changes to be implemented for the 2014 game. Among them, the teams would no longer be AFC vs. NFC, and instead be selected by captains in a fantasy draft. For the 2014 game, Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders were chosen as alumni captains, while their captains were Drew Brees and Robert Quinn (Rice), along with Jamaal Charles and J. J. Watt (Sanders).[14]

On April 9, 2014, the NFL announced that the 2015 Pro Bowl would be played the week before the Super Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on January 25, 2015.[15] The game returned to Hawaii in 2016, and the "unconferenced" format was its last.[16]

For 2017, the league considered hosting the game at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which would have been the first time the game had been hosted outside the United States.[17] The NFL was also considering future Pro Bowls in Mexico and Germany to leverage international markets.[18] A report released May 19, 2016, indicated that the 2017 Pro Bowl would instead be hosted at a newly renovated Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida; Orlando beat out Brazil (which apparently did not make the final round of voting), Honolulu, Super Bowl host site Houston, and a bid from Sydney, Australia, for the hosting rights.[19] On June 1, 2016, the league announced that it was restoring the old conference format.[20]

Since the 2017 Pro Bowl, the NFL has also hosted a series of side events leading up to the game called the Pro Bowl Skills Showdown, which includes competitions like passing contests and dodgeball among the players.[21]

The 2021 Pro Bowl game was canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic, and new host Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas was held over to the 2022 Pro Bowl.[22] The roster was still voted on and named, and alternative broadcast and streaming events were held during the week of the game.[23][24][25]

In May 2022, Commissioner Roger Goodell questioned the future of the Pro Bowl, arguing that it "doesn't work", and that "another way to celebrate the players" was needed.[26] On September 26, 2022, it was announced that the NFL would host the 2023 event as "The Pro Bowl Games"—in partnership with Peyton Manning's Omaha Productions—which will replace the culminating event with a flag football game.[1][27]

Player selection

 
Jeremiah Trotter tackling Ladainian Tomlinson during the 2006 Pro Bowl in Hawaii

Players are voted into the Pro Bowl by the coaches, the players themselves, and the fans. Each group's ballots count for ⅓, or 33.3%, of the votes. Fans vote on their preferred players at NFL.com. Replacements are selected should any selected player be unable to play for injuries, self-withdrawal, or Super Bowl contention. Prior to 1995, only the coaches and the players made Pro Bowl selections.

In order to be considered a Pro Bowler for a given year, a player must either have been one of the initial players selected to the team, or a player who accepts an invitation to the Pro Bowl as an alternate; invited alternates who decline to attend are not considered Pro Bowlers. Since 2010, players of the two teams that advance to the Super Bowl will not play in the Pro Bowl, and they are replaced by alternate players. Players who would have been invited as an alternate but could not play because they were slated to play in that season's Super Bowl are also considered Pro Bowlers (for example, Tom Brady in 2016).[28]

From 2014 to 2016, players did not play according to conference; instead, they were placed in a draft pool and chosen by team captains.[14]

Coaching staff

When the Pro Bowl was held after the Super Bowl, the head coaches were traditionally the head coaches of the teams that lost in the AFC and NFC championship games for the same season of the Pro Bowl in question. From 1978 through 1982, the head coaches of the highest ranked divisional champion that lost in the Divisional Playoff Round were chosen.[29] For the 1983 Pro Bowl, the NFL resumed selecting the losing head coaches in the conference championship games. In the 1999 Pro Bowl, New York Jets head coach Bill Parcells, after his team lost to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game, had to decline for health reasons and Jets assistant head coach Bill Belichick took his place.[30]

When the Pro Bowl was moved to the weekend between the Conference Championship games and the Super Bowl in 2009, the team that lost in the Divisional Playoff Round with the best regular season record would have their coaching staffs lead their respective conference Pro Bowl team returning to the format used from 1978 to 1982. It remained that way through 2013; it resumed in 2017. If the losing teams of each conference had the same regular season record the coaches from the higher-seeded team will get the Pro Bowl honor.[31] From 2014 to 2016, the Pro Bowl coaches came from the two teams with the best records that lost in the Divisional Playoffs. (In the 2015 Pro Bowl, when John Fox left his coaching job with Denver after his playoff loss to Indianapolis that year, John Harbaugh of Baltimore took over. The next year saw Green Bay's assistant coach Winston Moss took over as Mike McCarthy resigned from coaching for illness.)

Game honors

 
Kyle Rudolph with the Pro Bowl MVP trophy in 2013.

A Player of the Game was honored 1951–1956. 1957–1971, awards were presented to both an Outstanding Back and an Outstanding Lineman. In 1972 and since 2014, there are awards for both an Outstanding Offensive Player and an Outstanding Defensive Player. 1973–2007, only one Player of the Game award was honored (though thrice this award has been presented to multiple players in a single game). In 2008 the award was changed to Most Valuable Player (MVP).[32]

Players are paid for participating in the game with the winning team receiving a larger payout. The chart below shows how much the players of their respective teams earn:[citation needed]

Years Winners Losers
2011/2013 $50,000 $25,000
2012 $65,000 $40,000
2014 $53,000 $26,000
2015/2016 $55,000 $28,000
2017 $61,000 $30,000
2018 $64,000 $32,000
2019 $67,000 $39,000
2020 $74,000 $37,000
2022 $80,000 $40,000

Rule differences

Although there is no official rule against tackling, the players in the Pro Bowl have come to a gentlemen's agreement to do little if any tackling. On the vast majority of plays, the ball carrier either gives up as soon as a defensive player grabs him, or goes out of bounds to avoid contact. In that sense it is essentially a two-hand touch football game.[33] A future ban on tackling and contact is being considered.

In addition to the above, the Pro Bowl does have different rules from regular NFL games to make the game safer with a view towards incorporating some of these rules to future NFL regular season games.[34][35]

  • No motion or shifting by the offense
  • Offense must have a running back and tight end in all formations
  • Offense may have up to three receivers on the same side
  • Intentional grounding is legal
  • No rushing the passer
  • More than one forward pass thrown on the same play is allowed
  • Defense must run a 4–3 at all times, though the Cover 2 and press coverage is allowed[14]
  • No blitz; DEs and tackles can rush on passing plays, provided they are on same side of ball
  • No blindside or below the waist blocks
  • No rushing the punter
  • No rushing the kicker
  • No rushing the holder
  • Coin toss determines who receives first; loser receives to start third period. Procedure repeats at the start of first overtime.
  • Kickoffs are eliminated (including free kicks)[14]
  • Punt returns are eliminated by the automatic fair catch
  • Teams will start on their own 25-yard line after any score or at the start of each half/odd overtime[14]
  • If a team that would otherwise be kicking off wants to attempt to retain possession (situations where an onside kick would be attempted if there were kickoffs), they may run a single scrimmage play from their own 25-yard line; should the ball be advanced 15 yards forward, the team retains possession[36]
  • Receivers may flinch or raise either foot without incurring penalty
  • 35-second play clock to run plays
  • Deep middle safety must be aligned within hash marks
  • Replay reviews are allowed
  • 44-player roster per team
  • Two-minute warning in effect for all quarters, plus overtime
  • Game clock runs on incompletions except at two minutes left in half or overtime period
  • Very limited contact is allowed much like touch football, provided the ball carrier is surrounded by opponents

In case of a tie after regulation, multiple 15-minute OT periods will be played (with each team receiving two time outs per period), and in the first overtime teams receive one possession to score unless one of them scores a safety on its first possession. True sudden death rules apply thereafter if both teams have had their initial possession and the game remains tied. The Pro Bowl is not allowed to end in a tie, unlike preseason and regular season games. (In general, beyond the first overtime, whoever scores first wins. The first overtime starts as if the game had started over, like the NFL Playoffs.)

Pro Bowl uniforms

 
Quarterback Peyton Manning (#18) before the 2006 Pro Bowl.

The teams are made of players from different NFL teams, so using their own uniforms would be too confusing. However, the players do wear the helmet of their respective team, but the home jerseys and pants are either a solid blue for the NFC or solid red for the AFC, with white jerseys with blue or red accents, respectively, for the away team.

The early Pro Bowl, contested by the National Football League's Eastern and Western Division stars and played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, featured the same uniforms from the 1950s to mid-1960s; the Eastern team wore scarlet jerseys with white numerals and a white crescent shoulder stripe, white pants with red stripe, red socks, and a plain red helmet. The Western team wore white jerseys with royal-blue numerals and a Northwestern University-style Ukon triple stripe on the sleeves, white pants with blue stripe and socks and a plain blue helmet. Perhaps oddly, the Eastern team wore home dark jerseys, although the host city team, the Los Angeles Rams, were members of the Western Conference. From January 1967 to January 1970 both teams wore gold helmets with the NFL logo on the sides; the Eastern helmets featured a red-white-red tri-stripe and the Western a similar blue-white-blue tri-stripe. In fact, the players brought their own game helmets to Los Angeles, which were then spray-painted and decorated for the contest. For the 1970 game the helmets featured the '50 NFL' logo, commemorating the league's half-century anniversary.

In the earliest years of the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, the players did not wear their unique helmets. The AFC All-Stars wore a solid red helmet with a white A on it, while the NFC players wore a solid white helmet with a blue N on it. The AFC's red helmets were paired with white jerseys and red pants, while the NFC's white helmets were paired with blue jerseys and white pants. Beginning with the 1979 game, players wore the helmets of their respective teams.

Two players with the same number who were elected to the Pro Bowl could wear the same number for that game, which was not always the case in the past.

The 2008 Pro Bowl included a unique example of several players from the same team wearing the same number in a Pro Bowl. For the game, Washington Redskins players T Chris Samuels, TE Chris Cooley, and LS Ethan Albright all wore the number 21 (a number normally inappropriate for their positions) in memory of their teammate Sean Taylor, who had been murdered during the 2007 season.[37]

On October 7, 2013, Nike unveiled the uniforms for the 2014 Pro Bowl, which revealed that the red, white and blue colors that the game uniforms bore throughout its entire history would not be used for the game. As the NFC–AFC format was not used between 2014 through 2016, team 1 sported a white uniform with bright orange and team 2 sported a gray uniform with volt green.[38] The new uniforms received mixed reviews from fans and sports columnists alike, one even mentioning that the game would look like an "Oregon vs. Oklahoma State" game.[39]

Since 2017, when the conference format was restored, the league took an approach similar to the NFL Color Rush initiative, in which jerseys, pants, and socks were all a uniform color (red for the AFC, blue for the NFC).

Game results

NFL All-Star Games (1938–1942)

No Most Valuable Player awards were presented during these games.
Season Date Score Venue Attendance Head coaches
1938 January 15, 1939 New York Giants 13, NFL All-Stars 10 Wrigley Field 15,000[40] AS: Ray Flaherty (Washington) and Gus Henderson (Detroit)
NYG: Steve Owen
1939 January 14, 1940 Green Bay Packers 16, NFL All-Stars 7 Gilmore Stadium 18,000 AS: Steve Owen (New York)
GB: Curly Lambeau
1940 December 29, 1940 Chicago Bears 28, NFL All-Stars 14 Gilmore Stadium 21,624 AS: Ray Flaherty (Washington)
CHI: George Halas
1941 January 4, 1942 Chicago Bears 35, NFL All-Stars 24 Polo Grounds 17,725 AS: Steve Owen (New York)
CHI: George Halas
1942 December 27, 1942 NFL All-Stars 17, Washington Redskins 14 Shibe Park 18,671 AS: Hunk Anderson (Chicago Bears)
WAS: Ray Flaherty
No game was played from 1943 to 1950.

NFL Pro Bowls (1950–1969)

Season Date Score Series Most Valuable Players Venue[41] Attendance Head coaches Network
1950 January 14, 1951 American Conference 28, National Conference 27 AC, 1–0 Otto Graham, Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 53,676 AC: Paul Brown, Cleveland
NC: Joe Stydahar, Los Angeles
1951 January 12, 1952[42] National Conference 30, American Conference 13 Tied, 1–1 Dan Towler, Los Angeles Rams, Running back Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 19,400 AC: Paul Brown, Cleveland
NC: Joe Stydahar, Los Angeles
NBC
1952 January 10, 1953[42] National Conference 27, American Conference 7 NC, 2–1 Don Doll, Detroit Lions, Defensive back Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 34,208 AC: Paul Brown, Cleveland
NC: Buddy Parker, Detroit
NBC
1953 January 17, 1954 East 20, West 9 Tied, 2–2 Chuck Bednarik, Philadelphia Eagles, Linebacker Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 44,214 EC: Paul Brown, Cleveland
WC: Buddy Parker, Detroit
DuMont
1954 January 16, 1955 West 26, East 19 West, 3–2 Billy Wilson, San Francisco 49ers, End Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 43,972 EC: Jim Trimble, Philadelphia
WC: Buck Shaw, San Francisco
1955 January 15, 1956 East 31, West 30 Tied, 3–3 Ollie Matson, Chicago Cardinals, Running back Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 37,867 EC: Joe Kuharich, Washington
WC: Sid Gillman, Los Angeles
1956 January 13, 1957 West 19, East 10 West, 4–3 Back: Bert Rechichar, Baltimore Colts
Lineman: Ernie Stautner, Pittsburgh Steelers
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 44,177 EC: Jim Lee Howell, New York
WC: Paddy Driscoll, Chicago Bears
1957 January 12, 1958 West 26, East 7 West, 5–3 Back: Hugh McElhenny, San Francisco 49ers
Lineman: Gene Brito, Washington Redskins
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 66,634 EC: Buddy Parker, Pittsburgh
WC: George Wilson, Detroit
NBC
1958 January 11, 1959 East 28, West 21 West, 5–4 Back: Frank Gifford, New York Giants
Lineman: Doug Atkins, Chicago Bears
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 72,250 EC: Jim Lee Howell, New York
WC: Weeb Ewbank, Baltimore
NBC
1959 January 17, 1960 West 38, East 21 West, 6–4 Back: Johnny Unitas, Baltimore Colts
Lineman: Eugene "Big Daddy" Lipscomb, Baltimore Colts
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 56,876 EC: Buck Shaw, Philadelphia
WC: Red Hickey, San Francisco
NBC
1960 January 15, 1961 West 35, East 31 West, 7–4 Back: Johnny Unitas, Baltimore Colts
Lineman: Sam Huff, New York Giants
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 62,971 EC: Buck Shaw, Philadelphia
WC: Vince Lombardi, Green Bay
NBC
1961 January 14, 1962 West 31, East 30 West, 8–4 Back: Jim Brown, Cleveland Browns
Lineman: Henry Jordan, Green Bay Packers
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 57,409 EC: Allie Sherman, New York
WC: Norm Van Brocklin, Minnesota
NBC
1962 January 13, 1963 East 30, West 20 West, 8–5 Back: Jim Brown, Cleveland Browns
Lineman: Eugene Lipscomb, Pittsburgh Steelers
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 61,374 EC: Allie Sherman, New York
WC: Vince Lombardi, Green Bay
NBC
1963 January 12, 1964 West 31, East 17 West, 9–5 Back: Johnny Unitas, Baltimore Colts
Lineman: Gino Marchetti, Baltimore Colts
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 67,242 EC: Allie Sherman, New York
WC: George Halas, Chicago
NBC
1964 January 10, 1965 West 34, East 14 West, 10–5 Back: Fran Tarkenton, Minnesota Vikings
Lineman: Terry Barr, Detroit Lions
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 60,598 EC: Blanton Collier, Cleveland
WC: Don Shula, Baltimore
NBC
1965 January 16, 1966 East 36, West 7 West, 10–6 Back: Jim Brown, Cleveland Browns
Lineman: Dale Meinert, St. Louis Cardinals
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 60,124 EC: Blanton Collier, Cleveland
WC: Vince Lombardi, Green Bay
CBS
1966 January 22, 1967 East 20, West 10 West, 10–7 Back: Gale Sayers, Chicago Bears
Lineman: Floyd Peters, Philadelphia Eagles
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 15,062 EC: Tom Landry, Dallas
WC: George Allen, Los Angeles
CBS
1967 January 21, 1968 West 38, East 20 West, 11–7 Back: Gale Sayers, Chicago Bears
Lineman: Dave Robinson, Green Bay Packers
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 53,289 EC:Otto Graham, Washington
WC: Don Shula, Baltimore
CBS
1968 January 19, 1969 West 10, East 7 West, 12–7 Back: Roman Gabriel, Los Angeles Rams
Lineman: Merlin Olsen, Los Angeles Rams
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 32,050 EC: Tom Landry, Dallas
WC: George Allen, Los Angeles
CBS
1969 January 18, 1970 West 16, East 13 West, 13–7 Back: Gale Sayers, Chicago Bears
Lineman: George Andrie, Dallas Cowboys
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 57,786 EC: Tom Fears, New Orleans
WC: Norm Van Brocklin, Atlanta
CBS

AFC–NFC Pro Bowls (1970–2012)

Season Date Score Series Most Valuable Player(s) Venue Attendance Head coaches Network
1970 January 24, 1971 NFC, 27–6 NFC, 1–0 Lineman: Fred Carr, Packers
Back: Mel Renfro, Cowboys
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 48,222 AFC: John Madden, Oakland
NFC: Dick Nolan, San Francisco
CBS
1971 January 23, 1972 AFC, 26–13 Tied, 1–1 Defense: Willie Lanier, Chiefs
Offense: Jan Stenerud, Chiefs
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 53,647 AFC: Don McCafferty, Baltimore
NFC: Dick Nolan, San Francisco
NBC
1972 January 21, 1973 AFC, 33–28 AFC, 2–1 O. J. Simpson, Bills, Running back Texas Stadium 37,091 AFC: Chuck Noll, Pittsburgh
NFC: Tom Landry, Dallas
CBS
1973 January 20, 1974 AFC, 15–13 AFC, 3–1 Garo Yepremian, Dolphins, Placekicker Arrowhead Stadium 66,918 AFC: John Madden, Oakland
NFC: Tom Landry, Dallas
NBC
1974 January 20, 1975[43] NFC, 17–10 AFC, 3–2 James Harris, Rams, Quarterback Miami Orange Bowl 26,484 AFC: John Madden, Oakland
NFC: Chuck Knox, Los Angeles
ABC
1975 January 26, 1976[43] NFC, 23–20 Tied, 3–3 Billy Johnson, Oilers, Kick returner Louisiana Superdome 30,546 AFC: John Madden, Oakland
NFC: Chuck Knox, Los Angeles
ABC
1976 January 17, 1977[43] AFC, 24–14 AFC, 4–3 Mel Blount, Steelers, Cornerback The Kingdome 64,752 AFC: Chuck Noll, Pittsburgh
NFC: Chuck Knox, Los Angeles
ABC
1977 January 23, 1978[43] NFC, 14–13 Tied, 4–4 Walter Payton, Bears, Running back Tampa Stadium 51,337 AFC: Ted Marchibroda, Baltimore
NFC: Chuck Knox, Los Angeles
ABC
1978 January 29, 1979[43] NFC, 13–7 NFC, 5–4 Ahmad Rashad, Vikings, Wide receiver Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 46,281 AFC: Chuck Fairbanks, New England
NFC: Bud Grant, Minnesota
ABC
1979 January 27, 1980 NFC, 37–27 NFC, 6–4 Chuck Muncie, Saints, Running back Aloha Stadium 49,800 AFC: Don Coryell, San Diego
NFC: Tom Landry, Dallas
ABC
1980 February 1, 1981 NFC, 21–7 NFC, 7–4 Eddie Murray, Lions, Placekicker Aloha Stadium 50,360 AFC: Sam Rutigliano, Cleveland
NFC: Leeman Bennett, Atlanta
ABC
1981 January 31, 1982 AFC, 16–13 NFC, 7–5 Lee Roy Selmon, Buccaneers, Defensive end
Kellen Winslow, Chargers, Tight end
Aloha Stadium 50,402 AFC: Don Shula, Miami
NFC: John McKay, Tampa Bay
ABC
1982 February 6, 1983 NFC, 20–19 NFC, 8–5 Dan Fouts, Chargers, Quarterback
John Jefferson, Packers, Wide receiver
Aloha Stadium 49,883 AFC: Walt Michaels, New York Jets
NFC: Tom Landry, Dallas
ABC
1983 January 29, 1984 NFC, 45–3 NFC, 9–5 Joe Theismann, Redskins, Quarterback Aloha Stadium 50,445 AFC: Chuck Knox, Seattle
NFC: Bill Walsh, San Francisco
ABC
1984 January 27, 1985 AFC, 22–14 NFC, 9–6 Mark Gastineau, Jets, Defensive end Aloha Stadium 50,385 AFC: Chuck Noll, Pittsburgh
NFC: Mike Ditka, Chicago
ABC
1985 February 2, 1986 NFC, 28–24 NFC, 10–6 Phil Simms, Giants, Quarterback Aloha Stadium 50,101 AFC: Don Shula, Miami
NFC: John Robinson, L.A. Rams
ABC
1986 February 1, 1987 AFC, 10–6 NFC, 10–7 Reggie White, Eagles, Defensive end Aloha Stadium 50,101 AFC: Marty Schottenheimer, Cleveland
NFC: Joe Gibbs, Washington
ABC
1987 February 7, 1988 AFC, 15–6 NFC, 10–8 Bruce Smith, Bills, Defensive end Aloha Stadium 50,113 AFC: Marty Schottenheimer, Cleveland
NFC: Jerry Burns, Minnesota
ESPN
1988 January 29, 1989 NFC, 34–3 NFC, 11–8 Randall Cunningham, Eagles, Quarterback Aloha Stadium 50,113 AFC: Marv Levy, Buffalo
NFC: Mike Ditka, Chicago
ESPN
1989 February 4, 1990 NFC, 27–21 NFC, 12–8 Jerry Gray, Rams, Cornerback Aloha Stadium 50,445 AFC: Bud Carson, Cleveland
NFC: John Robinson, L.A. Rams
ESPN
1990 February 3, 1991 AFC, 23–21 NFC, 12–9 Jim Kelly, Bills, Quarterback Aloha Stadium 50,345 AFC: Art Shell, L.A. Raiders
NFC: George Seifert, San Francisco
ESPN
1991 February 2, 1992 NFC, 21–15 NFC, 13–9 Michael Irvin, Cowboys, Wide receiver Aloha Stadium 50,209 AFC: Dan Reeves, Denver
NFC: Wayne Fontes, Detroit
ESPN
1992 February 7, 1993 AFC, 23–20 (OT) NFC, 13–10 Steve Tasker, Bills, Special teams Aloha Stadium 50,007 AFC: Don Shula, Miami
NFC: George Seifert, San Francisco
ESPN
1993 February 6, 1994 NFC, 17–3 NFC, 14–10 Andre Rison, Falcons, Wide receiver Aloha Stadium 50,026 AFC: Marty Schottenheimer, Kansas City
NFC: George Seifert, San Francisco
ESPN
1994 February 5, 1995 AFC, 41–13 NFC, 14–11 Marshall Faulk, Colts, Running back Aloha Stadium 49,121 AFC: Bill Cowher, Pittsburgh
NFC: Barry Switzer, Dallas
ABC
1995 February 4, 1996 NFC, 20–13 NFC, 15–11 Jerry Rice, 49ers, Wide receiver Aloha Stadium 50,034 AFC: Ted Marchibroda, Indianapolis
NFC: Mike Holmgren, Green Bay
ABC
1996 February 2, 1997 AFC, 26–23 (OT) NFC, 15–12 Mark Brunell, Jaguars, Quarterback Aloha Stadium 50,031 AFC: Tom Coughlin, Jacksonville
NFC: Dom Capers, Carolina
ABC
1997 February 1, 1998 AFC, 29–24 NFC, 15–13 Warren Moon, Seahawks, Quarterback Aloha Stadium 49,995 AFC: Bill Cowher, Pittsburgh
NFC: Steve Mariucci, San Francisco
ABC
1998 February 7, 1999 AFC, 23–10 NFC, 15–14 Keyshawn Johnson, Jets, Wide receiver
Ty Law, Patriots, Cornerback
Aloha Stadium 50,075 AFC: Bill Belichick,[44] N.Y. Jets
NFC: Dennis Green, Minnesota
ABC
1999 February 6, 2000 NFC, 51–31 NFC, 16–14 Randy Moss, Vikings, Wide receiver Aloha Stadium 50,112 AFC: Tom Coughlin, Jacksonville
NFC: Tony Dungy, Tampa Bay
ABC
2000 February 4, 2001 AFC, 38–17 NFC, 16–15 Rich Gannon, Raiders, Quarterback Aloha Stadium 50,128 AFC: Jon Gruden, Oakland
NFC: Dennis Green, Minnesota
ABC
2001 February 9, 2002[42] AFC, 38–30 Tied, 16–16 Rich Gannon, Raiders, Quarterback Aloha Stadium 50,301 AFC: Bill Cowher, Pittsburgh
NFC: Andy Reid, Philadelphia
ABC
2002 February 2, 2003 AFC, 45–20 AFC, 17–16 Ricky Williams, Dolphins, Running back Aloha Stadium 50,125 AFC: Jeff Fisher, Tennessee
NFC: Andy Reid, Philadelphia
ABC
2003 February 8, 2004 NFC, 55–52 Tied, 17–17 Marc Bulger, Rams, Quarterback Aloha Stadium 50,127 AFC: Tony Dungy, Indianapolis
NFC: Andy Reid, Philadelphia
ESPN
2004 February 13, 2005 AFC, 38–27 AFC, 18–17 Peyton Manning, Colts, Quarterback Aloha Stadium 50,225 AFC: Bill Cowher, Pittsburgh
NFC: Jim L. Mora, Atlanta
ESPN
2005 February 12, 2006 NFC 23–17 Tied, 18–18 Derrick Brooks, Buccaneers, Linebacker Aloha Stadium 50,190 AFC: Mike Shanahan, Denver
NFC: John Fox, Carolina
ESPN
2006 February 10, 2007[42] AFC 31–28 AFC, 19–18 Carson Palmer, Bengals, Quarterback Aloha Stadium 50,410 AFC: Bill Belichick, New England
NFC: Sean Payton, New Orleans
CBS
2007 February 10, 2008 NFC 42–30 Tied, 19–19 Adrian Peterson, Vikings, Running back Aloha Stadium 50,044 AFC: Norv Turner, San Diego
NFC: Mike McCarthy, Green Bay
Fox
2008 February 8, 2009 NFC 30–21 NFC, 20–19 Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals, Wide receiver Aloha Stadium 49,958 AFC: John Harbaugh, Baltimore
NFC: Andy Reid, Philadelphia
NBC
2009 January 31, 2010 AFC 41–34 Tied, 20–20 Matt Schaub, Texans, Quarterback Sun Life Stadium 70,697 AFC: Norv Turner, San Diego
NFC: Wade Phillips, Dallas
ESPN
2010 January 30, 2011 NFC 55–41 NFC, 21–20 DeAngelo Hall, Redskins, Cornerback Aloha Stadium 49,338 AFC: Bill Belichick, New England
NFC: Mike Smith, Atlanta
Fox
2011 January 29, 2012 AFC 59–41 Tied, 21–21 Brandon Marshall, Dolphins, Wide receiver Aloha Stadium 48,423 AFC: Gary Kubiak, Houston
NFC: Mike McCarthy, Green Bay
NBC
2012 January 27, 2013 NFC 62–35 NFC, 22–21 Kyle Rudolph, Vikings, Tight end Aloha Stadium 47,134 AFC: John Fox, Denver
NFC: Mike McCarthy, Green Bay
NBC

Unconferenced Pro Bowls (2013–2015)

Season Date Score Most Valuable Player(s) Venue Attendance Head coaches Network
2013 January 26, 2014 Team Rice 22,
Team Sanders 21
Offense: Nick Foles, Eagles, Quarterback
Defense: Derrick Johnson, Chiefs, Linebacker
Aloha Stadium 47,270 Rice: Ron Rivera, Carolina
Sanders: Chuck Pagano, Indianapolis
NBC
2014 January 25, 2015 Team Irvin 32,
Team Carter 28
Offense: Matthew Stafford, Lions, Quarterback
Defense: J. J. Watt, Texans, Defensive end
University of Phoenix Stadium 63,225 Irvin: Jason Garrett, Dallas
Carter: John Harbaugh, Baltimore
ESPN
2015 January 31, 2016 Team Irvin 49,
Team Rice 27
Offense: Russell Wilson, Seahawks, Quarterback
Defense: Michael Bennett, Seahawks, Defensive end
Aloha Stadium 50,000 Irvin: Winston Moss, Green Bay
Rice: Andy Reid, Kansas City

AFC–NFC Pro Bowls (2016–2022)

Season Date Score Series Most Valuable Player(s) Venue Attendance Head coaches Network
2016 January 29, 2017 AFC 20–13 Tied, 22–22 Offensive: Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs, Tight end
Defensive: Lorenzo Alexander, Buffalo Bills, Linebacker
Camping World Stadium 60,834 AFC: Andy Reid, Kansas City
NFC: Jason Garrett, Dallas
ESPN
2017 January 28, 2018 AFC 24–23 AFC, 23–22 Offensive: Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans, Tight end
Defensive: Von Miller, Denver Broncos, Linebacker
Camping World Stadium 51,019 AFC: Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh
NFC: Sean Payton, New Orleans
ESPN/ABC
2018 January 27, 2019 AFC 26–7 AFC, 24–22 Offensive: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs, Quarterback
Defensive: Jamal Adams, New York Jets, Safety
Camping World Stadium 57,875 AFC: Anthony Lynn, L.A. Chargers
NFC: Jason Garrett, Dallas
ESPN/ABC/Disney XD
2019 January 26, 2020 AFC 38–33 AFC, 25–22 Offensive: Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens, Quarterback
Defensive: Calais Campbell, Jacksonville Jaguars, Defensive end
Camping World Stadium 54,024 AFC: John Harbaugh, Baltimore
NFC: Pete Carroll, Seattle
ESPN/ABC/Disney XD
2020 January 31, 2021 Game canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic. Alternative festivities were held in its place.
2021 February 6, 2022 AFC 41–35 AFC, 26–22 Offensive: Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers, Quarterback
Defensive: Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders, Defensive end
Allegiant Stadium 56,206 AFC: Mike Vrabel, Tennessee
NFC: Matt LaFleur, Green Bay
ESPN/ABC/Disney XD

Pro Bowl Games (2023–present)

Season Date Score Series Most Valuable Player(s) Venue Attendance Head coaches Network
2022 February 5, 2023 2023 Pro Bowl Games TBD Offensive: TBD
Defensive: TBD
Allegiant Stadium TBD AFC: Peyton Manning
NFC: Eli Manning[45]
ESPN/ABC/Disney XD

Stadiums that have hosted the Pro Bowl

Records

Players with most invitations

As of the 2022 Pro Bowl, 28 players have been invited to at least 11 Pro Bowls in their careers.[46] Except for those that are current active or not yet eligible, each of these players have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. With his selection in the 2022 Pro Bowl, quarterback Tom Brady has the all-time invitations record at 15.[47]

Pro
Bowls
Player Pos Seasons by team Selection years Year of induction
into Hall of Fame
15 Tom Brady QB New England Patriots (20002019)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2020–present)
2001, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009–2018, 2021 Active player
14 Tony Gonzalez TE Kansas City Chiefs (19972008)
Atlanta Falcons (20092013)
1999–2008, 2010–2013 2019
Peyton Manning QB Indianapolis Colts (19982011)
Denver Broncos (20122015)
1999, 2000, 2002–2010, 2012–2014 2021
Bruce Matthews G Houston Oilers / Tennessee Oilers /
Tennessee Titans
(19832001)
1988–2001 2007
Merlin Olsen DT Los Angeles Rams (19621976) 1962–1975 1982
13 Drew Brees QB San Diego Chargers (20012005)
New Orleans Saints (20062020)
2004, 2006, 2008–2014, 2016–2019 Eligible in 2026
Ray Lewis LB Baltimore Ravens (19962012) 1997–2001, 2003, 2004, 2006–2011 2018
Jerry Rice WR San Francisco 49ers (19852000)
Oakland Raiders (20012004)
Seattle Seahawks (2004)
1986–1996, 1998, 2002 2010
Reggie White DE Philadelphia Eagles (19851992)
Green Bay Packers (19931998)
Carolina Panthers (2000)
1986–1998 2006
12 Champ Bailey CB Washington Redskins (19992003)
Denver Broncos (20042013)
2000–2007, 2009–2012 2019
Ken Houston S Houston Oilers (19671972)
Washington Redskins (19731980)
1968–1979 1986
Randall McDaniel G Minnesota Vikings (19881999)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (20002001)
1989–2000 2009
Jim Otto C Oakland Raiders (19601974) 1961–1972 1980
Junior Seau LB San Diego Chargers (19902002)
Miami Dolphins (20032005)
New England Patriots (20062009)
1991–2002 2015
Will Shields G Kansas City Chiefs (19932006) 1995–2006 2015
11 Larry Allen G Dallas Cowboys (19942005)
San Francisco 49ers (20062007)
1995–2001, 2003–2006 2013
Derrick Brooks LB Tampa Bay Buccaneers (19952008) 1997–2006, 2008 2014
Brett Favre QB Atlanta Falcons (1991)
Green Bay Packers (19922007)
New York Jets (2008)
Minnesota Vikings (20092010)
1992, 1993, 1995–1997, 2001–2003, 2007–2009 2016
Larry Fitzgerald WR Arizona Cardinals (20042020) 2005, 2007–2013, 2015–2017 Eligible in 2026
Bob Lilly DT Dallas Cowboys (19611974) 1962, 1964–1973 1980
Tom Mack G Los Angeles Rams (19661978) 1967–1975, 1977, 1978 1999
Gino Marchetti DE Dallas Texans (1952)
Baltimore Colts (19531964; 1966)
1954–1964 1972
Anthony Muñoz OT Cincinnati Bengals (19801992) 1981–1991 1998
Jonathan Ogden OT Baltimore Ravens (19962007) 1997–2007 2013
Willie Roaf OT New Orleans Saints (19932001)
Kansas City Chiefs (20022005)
1994–2000, 2002–2005 2012
Bruce Smith DE Buffalo Bills (19851999)
Washington Redskins (20002003)
1987–1990, 1992–1998 2009
Jason Witten TE Dallas Cowboys (20032017, 2019)
Las Vegas Raiders (2020)
2004–2010, 2012–2014, 2017 Eligible in 2026
Rod Woodson CB Pittsburgh Steelers (19871996)
San Francisco 49ers (1997)
Baltimore Ravens (19982001)
Oakland Raiders (20022003)
1989–1994, 1996, 1999–2002 2009

Television

The Pro Bowl was originally broadcast on an alternative basis by CBS and NBC from 1971 to 1974, while the other network broadcast the Super Bowl. The game was then broadcast as part of the Monday Night Football package on ABC from 1975 to 1987. Sister network ESPN took it over as part of the ESPN Sunday Night Football package from 1988 to 1994. The game then returned to ABC for the 1995 through 2003 games. In the early 2000s, after suffering through several years of dwindling ratings ABC considered moving the game to Monday night, but the network instead decided to sell off the rights for the 2004–2006 games to ESPN.

For the 2007 to 2014 Pro Bowls, the network which aired the Super Bowl that season also aired the Pro Bowl. The 2007 game on CBS was held on the Saturday after Super Bowl XLI because of the 49th Grammy Awards. The 2008 game was on Fox, broadcaster of Super Bowl XLII. Likewise, the 2009 game was on NBC, broadcaster of Super Bowl XLIII. CBS sold off their rights to the 2010 game to ESPN, which was played a week before the Super Bowl at the Super Bowl site, Sun Life Stadium. CBS also declined to broadcast the 2013 game, which was instead shown on NBC. The 2014 game, also shown on NBC, was the final Pro Bowl on network television for four years.

ESPN then began holding exclusive rights to the Pro Bowl starting in 2015. In 2018, the Pro Bowl returned to network television for the first time in four years as part of a joint ABC/ESPN simulcast (both sister networks are owned by The Walt Disney Company). Disney XD was added to the simulcast for 2019.[48] The ESPN/ABC simulcasts of the game continued through 2022.

Throughout his broadcasting career, the late John Madden declined to be part of the announcing crew when his network carried the Pro Bowl for his aviatophobia and claustrophobia (a joke referencing both is made in the Madden NFL '97 video game before the beginning of the Pro Bowl in season mode, where Madden quips that he drove his "Madden Bus" to Hawaii, rather than flying). Until Madden's retirement from broadcasting after the 2009 Pro Bowl, it had only occurred twice: Former San Diego Chargers quarterback and MNF personality Dan Fouts, whom Madden had replaced, took his place on ABC in 2003, and Cris Collinsworth took his place on NBC in 2009 (Collinsworth ended up replacing Madden permanently upon the latter's retirement).

In conjunction with the Professional Bowlers Association, the Pro Bowl also sponsors a charity bowling tournament the occurs during the weekend leading up to the game. The tournament is open to all NFL players regardless of whether they have been selected to play in the Pro Bowl. Winners are announced at halftime, and are presented with a check in their name payable to their favorite charity.

Most watched Pro Bowls

Since 2000
Rank Game Date Matchup Network Viewers (millions) TV rating[49] Location
1 2011 Pro Bowl January 29, 2011 AFC 41 NFC 55 Fox 13.4 7.7 Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI
2 2000 Pro Bowl February 6, 2000 AFC 31 NFC 51 ABC 13.2 8.6
3 2012 Pro Bowl January 29, 2012 NFC 41 AFC 59 NBC 12.5 7.3
4 2010 Pro Bowl January 31, 2010 AFC 41 NFC 34 ESPN 12.3 7.1 Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL
5 2013 Pro Bowl January 27, 2013 AFC 35 NFC 62 NBC 12.2 7.1 Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI
6 2014 Pro Bowl January 26, 2014 Team Rice 22 Team Sanders 21 11.4 6.6
7 2008 Pro Bowl February 10, 2008 AFC 30 NFC 42 Fox 10.0 6.3
8 2003 Pro Bowl February 2, 2003 NFC 23 AFC 45 ABC 9.1 5.9
9 2009 Pro Bowl February 8, 2009 NFC 30 AFC 21 NBC 8.8 5.4
10 2015 Pro Bowl January 25, 2015 Team Irvin 32 Team Carter 28 ESPN 8.8 5.1 University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ

Blackout policy

Prior to 2015, the Pro Bowl was still subject to the NFL's blackout policies, requiring the game to be blacked out within 75 miles (121 km) of the stadium site if the game does not sell out all of the stadium's seats.[50][51] However, with the lifting of the NFL's blackout rules in 2015, the game can be shown within the host stadium regardless of attendance.

Criticism

Quality

For decades, the Pro Bowl has been criticized as a glamor event more than a football game. This is due to the voluntary nature of the game, the arbitrary voting process, and the fear of player injury.

While players are financially compensated for participating in the Pro Bowl, for a star player, the pay can be less than 1% of their salary. Many star players have excused themselves from participation over the years, meaning that the very best players are not necessarily featured. Not having the best players in the Pro Bowl was exacerbated by the introduction of fan voting (see section below).

Another criticism of the game is that the players—particularly on defense—are not competing at the same level of intensity as they would during the regular season or the playoffs. This is because player injury plays a much greater part in a team's success in the NFL as compared to the other major American sports. For this reason, unlike the NBA, NHL, and MLB (which host their all-star events as a mid-season break), the Pro Bowl was historically held after the completion of the season and playoffs. This means that a player injured in the Pro Bowl would have at least six months to rehab before the next season begins. However, starting in 2010, the Pro Bowl was moved from the week after the Super Bowl to the week before it. Because of the above-noted fear of injury, players from the two teams participating in the Super Bowl were banned from participation, thus increasing the absence of star players.

With the dearth of stars making the game the subject of much derision (Sports Illustrated website refused to even include one pre-game story on the event in 2012),[citation needed] the players on the field appear to be taking it less seriously as well.[citation needed] In the 2012 game, the lack of defensive effort was apparent, not only to anyone watching, but to anyone who saw the score of 100 points. Brett Keisel, an NFL player watching the game said, "They probably should have just put flags on them,"[52] indicating that the quality was about on the level of flag football. Commissioner Roger Goodell stated that the game needed to improve, otherwise it would be eliminated.[53][54] It is worth noting that entire teams have declined to participate after losing the conference championship, like the 2015 New England Patriots, which had seven starters on the Pro Bowl roster. This, among other factors, caused the 2016 Pro Bowl to be more of a game featuring emerging players, with a record of 133 players selected overall (including those who were absent), and ended up including rookie quarterback Jameis Winston instead of recognized veterans Tom Brady and Carson Palmer, who were both in the conversation for the 2015 NFL season MVP before losing in their respective conference finals.[55] In 2022, Josh Allen turned down an invitation to the Pro Bowl in favor of playing in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament,[56] a decision he stated was to allow himself to recover from several minor injuries.[57]

Selection process

Fan voting has increased criticism[according to whom?] of the Pro Bowl. Voting by fans makes up 1/3 of the vote for Pro Bowl players. Some teams earn more selections of their players because fans often vote for their favorite team and not necessarily the best player. In the 2008 Pro Bowl, the Dallas Cowboys had thirteen players on the NFC roster, an NFL record. "If you're in a small market, no one really gets to see you play", said Minnesota Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield, who spent much of his early career with the small-market Buffalo Bills. "If you're a quiet guy, it's hard to get the attention. You just have to work hard and play." Winfield made the Pro Bowl in 2008 after ten seasons of being shut out.[58]

The player voting has also been subject to significant criticism. It is not uncommon for players to pick the same players over and over again; former offensive lineman (and Sports Illustrated analyst) Ross Tucker has cited politics, incumbency, personal vendettas, and compensation for injury in previous years as primary factors in players' choices. Thus, players who have seen their play decline with age can still be perennially elected to the Pro Bowl for their popularity among other players, something particularly common among positions such as the offensive line, where few statistics are available.[59] For example, in 2010, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs admitted voting for Ryan Fitzpatrick (then the backup quarterback of the Buffalo Bills) over eventual league most valuable player Tom Brady not because he thought Fitzpatrick was the better player but as a vote of disrespect toward Brady's team, the New England Patriots.[60]

Some players have had a surprisingly small number of Pro Bowl selections despite distinguished careers. Hall of Fame running back John Riggins was selected only once in his career from 1971 to 1985. He was not selected in the year after which he set the record for rushing touchdowns in a season and his team made it to the Super Bowl (although he did make the All-Pro team). Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke only made the Pro Bowl once, despite being named All-Pro seven times and being the MVP of the 1962 NFL Championship Game. Defensive back Ken Riley never made the Pro Bowl in his 15 seasons, even though he recorded 65 interceptions, the fourth-highest total in NFL history at the time of his retirement. Former Jacksonville Jaguars halfback Fred Taylor, who is 15th in all-time rushing yards, was elected to his only Pro Bowl in 2007, despite averaging 4.6 yards per carry for his career, better than all but five running backs ranked in the top 30 in all-time rushing. Aaron Smith made it to the Pro Bowl once in 13 years (2004) despite winning two Super Bowl rings with the Pittsburgh Steelers and being named to the Sports Illustrated 2000s All Decade Team and defensive teammates such as Troy Polamalu, Casey Hampton, and James Harrison being named to multiple Pro Bowls during his career; Smith would often be ranked as one of the NFL's most underrated players during his career.[61]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "NFL replaces Pro Bowl with 'The Pro Bowl Games' featuring weeklong skills competitions, flag football game". ESPN.com. September 26, 2022. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
  2. ^ Orr, Conor (June 1, 2016). "Orlando Pro Bowl returning to AFC-NFC format in 2017". NFL. National Football League.
  3. ^ "NFL Pro Bowl Series". NFL Pro Bowl Series. Retrieved 2016-02-06.
  4. ^ Schottey, Michael (June 2, 2016). "NFL Pro Bowl's Move to Orlando Provides Chance to Reinvigorate the Event". Forbes.
  5. ^ "Goodell: Pro Bowl may not continue in current format". NFL.com. Retrieved 2016-02-06.
  6. ^ Fletcher, Dan (January 29, 2010). . Time. Archived from the original on February 2, 2010. Retrieved January 31, 2011. While the Pro Bowl managed to sell out Dolphins Stadium, the game usually pulls down mediocre TV ratings; it's the only major all-star game that draws lower ratings than regular-season matchups.
  7. ^ Finn, Chad (February 1, 2013). "Pro Bowl may be mocked, but it's popular". Boston Globe. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  8. ^ "NFC reels in five picks to throttle AFC in Pro Bowl". ESPN.com. Associated Press. January 30, 2011. Retrieved January 31, 2011. The NFC's 55-41 victory, a game not nearly as interesting as that score would indicate, did nothing to repair the tattered image of the NFL's all-star contest.
  9. ^ . ESPN.com. Associated Press. January 30, 2012. Archived from the original on January 30, 2012.
  10. ^ Crawford, Fred R. (1990). (PDF). The Coffin Corner. 12 (4). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 18, 2010. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  11. ^ Gill, Bob (1983). (PDF). The Coffin Corner. 5 (11). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 9, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  12. ^ a b c "Pro Bowl game approved by National Grid League". The Palm Beach Post. AP. June 4, 1950. p. 21. Retrieved January 30, 2012.
  13. ^ Players defend Pro Bowl after 62-35 NFC win Archived 2013-02-16 at archive.today. Associated Press. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  14. ^ a b c d e "NFL Pro Bowl rosters to be determined by draft". Yahoo! Sports. Associated Press. July 31, 2013. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
  15. ^ . Archived from the original on 2014-04-09. Retrieved 2014-04-09.
  16. ^ . National Football League. April 9, 2014. Archived from the original on April 9, 2014. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  17. ^ Marvez, Alex (March 23, 2015). "NFL considering Brazil to host 2017 Pro Bowl". Fox Sports. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  18. ^ Brady, James (26 March 2015). "NFL exploring Mexico, Germany and other markets to host games". SB Nation. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
  19. ^ Soshnick, Scott (May 19, 2016). The NFL Pro Bowl Is Moving to Orlando. Bloomberg.. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  20. ^ Orr, Conor (June 1, 2016). "Orlando Pro Bowl returning to AFC-NFC format in 2017". NFL. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  21. ^ "The NFL is getting wild, adds dodgeball and other events to Pro Bowl week". CBSSports.com. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  22. ^ "NFL cancels 2021 Pro Bowl Game due to COVID-19". nfl.com.
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  24. ^ "The 2021 Pro Bowl Celebration presented by Verizon Premieres Sunday, Jan. 31, at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN, ABC and Disney XD". ESPN Press Room U.S. 2021-01-28. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  25. ^ Nguyen, Kevin (November 17, 2020). "The NFL Pro Bowl will be hosted in Madden this season". The Verge. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
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  27. ^ "NFL announces 'The Pro Bowl Games' to replace tackle game with flag football, skills competitions". NFL.com. September 26, 2022. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
  28. ^ Gilbert, John P. (January 10, 2019). "Russell Wilson makes the NFC Pro Bowl squad". FieldGulls.com. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
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  33. ^ Michael David Smith, “Not much tackling, not much running at the Pro Bowl”, NBC news, January 28, 2018.
  34. ^ . Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
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  37. ^ Corbett, Jim (February 11, 2008). "Peterson helps NFC roar back for Pro Bowl crown". USA Today. Retrieved October 20, 2008.
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  39. ^ Percy, Ethan (October 8, 2013). "New NFL Pro Bowl Uniforms Look More Like Oregon Vs. Oklahoma State". B'more2Boston. Retrieved November 10, 2013.[permanent dead link]
  40. ^ "Giants Beat Stars; Ward Cuff Is Hero". Milwaukee Journal. UP. January 16, 1939. p. L-7. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  41. ^ . Archived from the original on November 26, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2008.
  42. ^ a b c d Saturday game
  43. ^ a b c d e Monday night game
  44. ^ Filled in for then-Jets head coach Bill Parcells
  45. ^ "Eli Manning to coach NFC vs. brother Peyton's AFC in first-ever Pro Bowl Games". NFL.com. December 5, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  46. ^ "NFL Pro Bowl Selections Career Leaders". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  47. ^ Leibowitz, Ben (February 6, 2016). "25 Facts About Quarterback Peyton Manning". Arizona Daily Sun. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  48. ^ Molloy, Tim and Lucas Shaw (September 8, 2011). 'Monday Night Football' to Remain on ESPN Through 2021. The Wrap. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
  49. ^ "2016 Pro Bowl Lowest Rated in Ten Years, Least-Watched in Nine". SportsMediaWatch.com. 2 February 2016. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
  50. ^ "NFL lifts TV blackout as Pro Bowl nears sell out". The Seattle Times. 2009-02-07. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  51. ^ Pro Bowl Blackout Date Extended (KHOU-TV) 2011-07-25 at the Wayback Machine
  52. ^ "Keisel on Pro Bowl: They "should have just put flags" on players". Profootballtalk.com. January 30, 2012. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  53. ^ . Sports Illustrated. February 5, 2012. Archived from the original on February 8, 2012. Retrieved October 22, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  54. ^ "Roger Goodell indicates Pro Bowl's future in doubt". National Football League. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  55. ^ "2016 NFL Pro Bowl: The most declined invitation in history". 26 January 2016.
  56. ^ Hicks, Stephen (2022-02-07). "Josh Allen a star at Pebble Beach Pro-Am". ABC30 Fresno. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  57. ^ "Bills QB Josh Allen declines 2022 Pro Bowl invite". Bills Wire. 31 January 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  58. ^ Hill, Jemele (December 9, 2008). "Take away the fan vote". ESPN. Retrieved December 12, 2008.
  59. ^ Tucker, Ross. NFL Pro Bowl voting among players should be consistent. SI.com
  60. ^ Terrell Suggs: Teams hate Patriots. ESPN.com. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  61. ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers: All-time underrated, overrated players". NFL.com.

External links

  • Official site
  • The NFL's official website
  • Online Fan Voting Ballot 2008-09-17 at the Wayback Machine
  • "Pro Bowl Game Books 1971–2011". NFL Game Statistics & Information System. National Football League. from the original on November 15, 2013. Retrieved January 30, 2012.

bowl, national, football, league, star, game, 1939, 1942, 1951, 2022, games, starting, 2023, annual, event, held, national, football, league, featuring, league, star, players, gamesnational, football, league, star, game, 1939, 1942, 1951, 2022, logo, frequency. The National Football League All Star Game 1939 1942 Pro Bowl 1951 2022 or Pro Bowl Games 1 starting in 2023 is an annual event held by the National Football League NFL featuring the league s star players Pro Bowl GamesNational Football League All Star Game 1939 1942 Pro Bowl 1951 2022 The logo for the NFL Pro BowlFrequencyAnnualLocation s Varies see text Inaugurated1939Previous eventFebruary 6 2022 Allegiant Stadium Las Vegas Nevada Next eventFebruary 5 2023 Allegiant Stadium Las Vegas Nevada ParticipantsAmerican Football ConferenceNational Football ConferenceOrganized byNational Football LeagueThe format has changed throughout the years Between 1939 and 1942 the NFL experimented with all star games pitting the league s champion against a team of all stars The first official Pro Bowl was played in January 1951 matching the top players in the American Eastern Conference against those in the National Western Conference From the merger with the rival American Football League AFL in 1970 up through 2013 and also in 2017 it was officially called the AFC NFC Pro Bowl matching the top players in the American Football Conference AFC against those in the National Football Conference NFC From 2014 through 2016 the NFL experimented with an unconferenced format where the teams were selected by two honorary team captains who are each in the Hall of Fame instead of selecting players from each conference 2 The players were picked in a televised schoolyard pick prior to the game 3 For years the game suffered from lack of interest for its perceived low quality 4 with observers and commentators expressing their disfavor with it 5 It drew lower television ratings than regular season NFL games 6 although the game drew similar ratings to the all star games of the other major North American sports leagues such as the Major League Baseball All Star Game 7 However the biggest concern was to avoid injuries to the star players 8 The Associated Press wrote that players in the 2012 game were hitting each other as though they were having a pillow fight 9 Despite these criticisms however players who were selected to the Pro Bowl were nonetheless honored in a similar standing to their counterparts in the other leagues and being named to it is considered to be a significant accomplishment for any player In September 2022 the NFL announced that the Pro Bowl game would switch to a non contact flag football game in 2023 as well as a partnership with Peyton Manning s Omaha Productions to revamp Pro Bowl week as the Pro Bowl Games 1 Unlike the other major North American sports leagues which hold their all star weekends roughly midway through their regular seasons the NFL has held theirs at or near the end of NFL season Before the merger the game was played annually after the NFL Championship Game Between 1970 and 2009 the Pro Bowl was usually held the weekend after the Super Bowl From 2010 to 2022 it was played the Sunday before the Super Bowl as a result players from the two teams competing in the Super Bowl did not participate Contents 1 History of the Pro Bowl 2 Player selection 3 Coaching staff 4 Game honors 5 Rule differences 6 Pro Bowl uniforms 7 Game results 7 1 NFL All Star Games 1938 1942 7 2 NFL Pro Bowls 1950 1969 7 3 AFC NFC Pro Bowls 1970 2012 7 4 Unconferenced Pro Bowls 2013 2015 7 5 AFC NFC Pro Bowls 2016 2022 7 6 Pro Bowl Games 2023 present 8 Stadiums that have hosted the Pro Bowl 9 Records 9 1 Players with most invitations 10 Television 10 1 Most watched Pro Bowls 10 2 Blackout policy 11 Criticism 11 1 Quality 11 2 Selection process 12 See also 13 References 14 External linksHistory of the Pro Bowl EditThe first Pro All Star Game featuring the all stars of the 1938 season as well as three players from the Los Angeles Bulldogs and Hollywood Bears who were not members of the league was played on January 15 1939 at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles 10 11 The NFL All Star Game was played again in Los Angeles in 1940 and then in New York and Philadelphia in 1941 and 1942 respectively Although originally planned as an annual contest the all star game was discontinued after 1942 because of travel restrictions put in place during World War II 12 During the first five all star games an all star team would face that year s league champion The league champion won the first four games before the all stars were victorious in the final game of this early series The concept of an all star game was not revived until June 1950 when the newly christened Pro Bowl was approved 12 The game was sponsored by the Los Angeles Publishers Association It was decided that the game would feature all star teams from each of the league s two conferences rather than the league champion versus all star format which had been used previously This was done to avoid confusion with the Chicago College All Star Game an annual game which featured the league champion against a collegiate all star team The teams would be led by the coach of each of the conference champions 12 Immediately prior to the Pro Bowl following the 1949 season the All America Football Conference which contributed three teams to the NFL in a partial merger in 1950 held its own all star game the Shamrock Bowl The first 21 games of the series 1951 1972 were played in Los Angeles The site of the game was changed annually for each of the next seven years before the game was moved to Aloha Stadium in Halawa Hawaii for 30 straight seasons from 1980 through 2009 The 2010 Pro Bowl was played at Sun Life Stadium the home stadium of the Miami Dolphins and host site of Super Bowl XLIV on January 31 the first time ever that the Pro Bowl was held before the championship game a decision probably due to increasingly low Nielsen ratings from being regarded as an anti climax to the Super Bowl With the new rule being that the conference teams do not include players from the teams that will be playing in the Super Bowl the Pro Bowl then returned to Hawaii in 2011 but was again held during the week before the Super Bowl where it remained for three more years The 2012 game was met with criticism from fans and sports writers for the lack of quality play by the players On October 24 2012 NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had second thoughts about the Pro Bowl telling a Sirius XM show that if the players did not play more competitively in the 2013 Pro Bowl he was not inclined to play it anymore 13 During the ensuing off season the NFL Players Association lobbied to keep the Pro Bowl and negotiated several rule changes to be implemented for the 2014 game Among them the teams would no longer be AFC vs NFC and instead be selected by captains in a fantasy draft For the 2014 game Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders were chosen as alumni captains while their captains were Drew Brees and Robert Quinn Rice along with Jamaal Charles and J J Watt Sanders 14 On April 9 2014 the NFL announced that the 2015 Pro Bowl would be played the week before the Super Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale Arizona on January 25 2015 15 The game returned to Hawaii in 2016 and the unconferenced format was its last 16 For 2017 the league considered hosting the game at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro Brazil which would have been the first time the game had been hosted outside the United States 17 The NFL was also considering future Pro Bowls in Mexico and Germany to leverage international markets 18 A report released May 19 2016 indicated that the 2017 Pro Bowl would instead be hosted at a newly renovated Camping World Stadium in Orlando Florida Orlando beat out Brazil which apparently did not make the final round of voting Honolulu Super Bowl host site Houston and a bid from Sydney Australia for the hosting rights 19 On June 1 2016 the league announced that it was restoring the old conference format 20 Since the 2017 Pro Bowl the NFL has also hosted a series of side events leading up to the game called the Pro Bowl Skills Showdown which includes competitions like passing contests and dodgeball among the players 21 The 2021 Pro Bowl game was canceled by the COVID 19 pandemic and new host Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas was held over to the 2022 Pro Bowl 22 The roster was still voted on and named and alternative broadcast and streaming events were held during the week of the game 23 24 25 In May 2022 Commissioner Roger Goodell questioned the future of the Pro Bowl arguing that it doesn t work and that another way to celebrate the players was needed 26 On September 26 2022 it was announced that the NFL would host the 2023 event as The Pro Bowl Games in partnership with Peyton Manning s Omaha Productions which will replace the culminating event with a flag football game 1 27 Player selection EditSee also List of Pro Bowl players Jeremiah Trotter tackling Ladainian Tomlinson during the 2006 Pro Bowl in Hawaii Players are voted into the Pro Bowl by the coaches the players themselves and the fans Each group s ballots count for or 33 3 of the votes Fans vote on their preferred players at NFL com Replacements are selected should any selected player be unable to play for injuries self withdrawal or Super Bowl contention Prior to 1995 only the coaches and the players made Pro Bowl selections In order to be considered a Pro Bowler for a given year a player must either have been one of the initial players selected to the team or a player who accepts an invitation to the Pro Bowl as an alternate invited alternates who decline to attend are not considered Pro Bowlers Since 2010 players of the two teams that advance to the Super Bowl will not play in the Pro Bowl and they are replaced by alternate players Players who would have been invited as an alternate but could not play because they were slated to play in that season s Super Bowl are also considered Pro Bowlers for example Tom Brady in 2016 28 From 2014 to 2016 players did not play according to conference instead they were placed in a draft pool and chosen by team captains 14 Coaching staff EditWhen the Pro Bowl was held after the Super Bowl the head coaches were traditionally the head coaches of the teams that lost in the AFC and NFC championship games for the same season of the Pro Bowl in question From 1978 through 1982 the head coaches of the highest ranked divisional champion that lost in the Divisional Playoff Round were chosen 29 For the 1983 Pro Bowl the NFL resumed selecting the losing head coaches in the conference championship games In the 1999 Pro Bowl New York Jets head coach Bill Parcells after his team lost to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game had to decline for health reasons and Jets assistant head coach Bill Belichick took his place 30 When the Pro Bowl was moved to the weekend between the Conference Championship games and the Super Bowl in 2009 the team that lost in the Divisional Playoff Round with the best regular season record would have their coaching staffs lead their respective conference Pro Bowl team returning to the format used from 1978 to 1982 It remained that way through 2013 it resumed in 2017 If the losing teams of each conference had the same regular season record the coaches from the higher seeded team will get the Pro Bowl honor 31 From 2014 to 2016 the Pro Bowl coaches came from the two teams with the best records that lost in the Divisional Playoffs In the 2015 Pro Bowl when John Fox left his coaching job with Denver after his playoff loss to Indianapolis that year John Harbaugh of Baltimore took over The next year saw Green Bay s assistant coach Winston Moss took over as Mike McCarthy resigned from coaching for illness Game honors Edit Kyle Rudolph with the Pro Bowl MVP trophy in 2013 A Player of the Game was honored 1951 1956 1957 1971 awards were presented to both an Outstanding Back and an Outstanding Lineman In 1972 and since 2014 there are awards for both an Outstanding Offensive Player and an Outstanding Defensive Player 1973 2007 only one Player of the Game award was honored though thrice this award has been presented to multiple players in a single game In 2008 the award was changed to Most Valuable Player MVP 32 Players are paid for participating in the game with the winning team receiving a larger payout The chart below shows how much the players of their respective teams earn citation needed Years Winners Losers2011 2013 50 000 25 0002012 65 000 40 0002014 53 000 26 0002015 2016 55 000 28 0002017 61 000 30 0002018 64 000 32 0002019 67 000 39 0002020 74 000 37 0002022 80 000 40 000Rule differences EditThis section needs to be updated The reason given is rule diffs are cited to 2011 and there have been at least two major changes since then E g No rushing punts PATs or FG attempts appears to be at least partially wrong Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information January 2020 Although there is no official rule against tackling the players in the Pro Bowl have come to a gentlemen s agreement to do little if any tackling On the vast majority of plays the ball carrier either gives up as soon as a defensive player grabs him or goes out of bounds to avoid contact In that sense it is essentially a two hand touch football game 33 A future ban on tackling and contact is being considered In addition to the above the Pro Bowl does have different rules from regular NFL games to make the game safer with a view towards incorporating some of these rules to future NFL regular season games 34 35 No motion or shifting by the offense Offense must have a running back and tight end in all formations Offense may have up to three receivers on the same side Intentional grounding is legal No rushing the passer More than one forward pass thrown on the same play is allowed Defense must run a 4 3 at all times though the Cover 2 and press coverage is allowed 14 No blitz DEs and tackles can rush on passing plays provided they are on same side of ball No blindside or below the waist blocks No rushing the punter No rushing the kicker No rushing the holder Coin toss determines who receives first loser receives to start third period Procedure repeats at the start of first overtime Kickoffs are eliminated including free kicks 14 Punt returns are eliminated by the automatic fair catch Teams will start on their own 25 yard line after any score or at the start of each half odd overtime 14 If a team that would otherwise be kicking off wants to attempt to retain possession situations where an onside kick would be attempted if there were kickoffs they may run a single scrimmage play from their own 25 yard line should the ball be advanced 15 yards forward the team retains possession 36 Receivers may flinch or raise either foot without incurring penalty 35 second play clock to run plays Deep middle safety must be aligned within hash marks Replay reviews are allowed 44 player roster per team Two minute warning in effect for all quarters plus overtime Game clock runs on incompletions except at two minutes left in half or overtime period Very limited contact is allowed much like touch football provided the ball carrier is surrounded by opponentsIn case of a tie after regulation multiple 15 minute OT periods will be played with each team receiving two time outs per period and in the first overtime teams receive one possession to score unless one of them scores a safety on its first possession True sudden death rules apply thereafter if both teams have had their initial possession and the game remains tied The Pro Bowl is not allowed to end in a tie unlike preseason and regular season games In general beyond the first overtime whoever scores first wins The first overtime starts as if the game had started over like the NFL Playoffs Pro Bowl uniforms Edit Quarterback Peyton Manning 18 before the 2006 Pro Bowl The teams are made of players from different NFL teams so using their own uniforms would be too confusing However the players do wear the helmet of their respective team but the home jerseys and pants are either a solid blue for the NFC or solid red for the AFC with white jerseys with blue or red accents respectively for the away team The early Pro Bowl contested by the National Football League s Eastern and Western Division stars and played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum featured the same uniforms from the 1950s to mid 1960s the Eastern team wore scarlet jerseys with white numerals and a white crescent shoulder stripe white pants with red stripe red socks and a plain red helmet The Western team wore white jerseys with royal blue numerals and a Northwestern University style Ukon triple stripe on the sleeves white pants with blue stripe and socks and a plain blue helmet Perhaps oddly the Eastern team wore home dark jerseys although the host city team the Los Angeles Rams were members of the Western Conference From January 1967 to January 1970 both teams wore gold helmets with the NFL logo on the sides the Eastern helmets featured a red white red tri stripe and the Western a similar blue white blue tri stripe In fact the players brought their own game helmets to Los Angeles which were then spray painted and decorated for the contest For the 1970 game the helmets featured the 50 NFL logo commemorating the league s half century anniversary In the earliest years of the AFC NFC Pro Bowl the players did not wear their unique helmets The AFC All Stars wore a solid red helmet with a white A on it while the NFC players wore a solid white helmet with a blue N on it The AFC s red helmets were paired with white jerseys and red pants while the NFC s white helmets were paired with blue jerseys and white pants Beginning with the 1979 game players wore the helmets of their respective teams Two players with the same number who were elected to the Pro Bowl could wear the same number for that game which was not always the case in the past The 2008 Pro Bowl included a unique example of several players from the same team wearing the same number in a Pro Bowl For the game Washington Redskins players T Chris Samuels TE Chris Cooley and LS Ethan Albright all wore the number 21 a number normally inappropriate for their positions in memory of their teammate Sean Taylor who had been murdered during the 2007 season 37 On October 7 2013 Nike unveiled the uniforms for the 2014 Pro Bowl which revealed that the red white and blue colors that the game uniforms bore throughout its entire history would not be used for the game As the NFC AFC format was not used between 2014 through 2016 team 1 sported a white uniform with bright orange and team 2 sported a gray uniform with volt green 38 The new uniforms received mixed reviews from fans and sports columnists alike one even mentioning that the game would look like an Oregon vs Oklahoma State game 39 Since 2017 when the conference format was restored the league took an approach similar to the NFL Color Rush initiative in which jerseys pants and socks were all a uniform color red for the AFC blue for the NFC Game results EditNFL All Star Games 1938 1942 Edit No Most Valuable Player awards were presented during these games Season Date Score Venue Attendance Head coaches1938 January 15 1939 New York Giants 13 NFL All Stars 10 Wrigley Field 15 000 40 AS Ray Flaherty Washington and Gus Henderson Detroit NYG Steve Owen1939 January 14 1940 Green Bay Packers 16 NFL All Stars 7 Gilmore Stadium 18 000 AS Steve Owen New York GB Curly Lambeau1940 December 29 1940 Chicago Bears 28 NFL All Stars 14 Gilmore Stadium 21 624 AS Ray Flaherty Washington CHI George Halas1941 January 4 1942 Chicago Bears 35 NFL All Stars 24 Polo Grounds 17 725 AS Steve Owen New York CHI George Halas1942 December 27 1942 NFL All Stars 17 Washington Redskins 14 Shibe Park 18 671 AS Hunk Anderson Chicago Bears WAS Ray FlahertyNo game was played from 1943 to 1950 NFL Pro Bowls 1950 1969 Edit Season Date Score Series Most Valuable Players Venue 41 Attendance Head coaches Network1950 January 14 1951 American Conference 28 National Conference 27 AC 1 0 Otto Graham Cleveland Browns Quarterback Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 53 676 AC Paul Brown ClevelandNC Joe Stydahar Los Angeles1951 January 12 1952 42 National Conference 30 American Conference 13 Tied 1 1 Dan Towler Los Angeles Rams Running back Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 19 400 AC Paul Brown ClevelandNC Joe Stydahar Los Angeles NBC1952 January 10 1953 42 National Conference 27 American Conference 7 NC 2 1 Don Doll Detroit Lions Defensive back Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 34 208 AC Paul Brown ClevelandNC Buddy Parker Detroit NBC1953 January 17 1954 East 20 West 9 Tied 2 2 Chuck Bednarik Philadelphia Eagles Linebacker Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 44 214 EC Paul Brown ClevelandWC Buddy Parker Detroit DuMont1954 January 16 1955 West 26 East 19 West 3 2 Billy Wilson San Francisco 49ers End Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 43 972 EC Jim Trimble PhiladelphiaWC Buck Shaw San Francisco1955 January 15 1956 East 31 West 30 Tied 3 3 Ollie Matson Chicago Cardinals Running back Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 37 867 EC Joe Kuharich WashingtonWC Sid Gillman Los Angeles1956 January 13 1957 West 19 East 10 West 4 3 Back Bert Rechichar Baltimore ColtsLineman Ernie Stautner Pittsburgh Steelers Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 44 177 EC Jim Lee Howell New YorkWC Paddy Driscoll Chicago Bears1957 January 12 1958 West 26 East 7 West 5 3 Back Hugh McElhenny San Francisco 49ersLineman Gene Brito Washington Redskins Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 66 634 EC Buddy Parker PittsburghWC George Wilson Detroit NBC1958 January 11 1959 East 28 West 21 West 5 4 Back Frank Gifford New York GiantsLineman Doug Atkins Chicago Bears Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 72 250 EC Jim Lee Howell New YorkWC Weeb Ewbank Baltimore NBC1959 January 17 1960 West 38 East 21 West 6 4 Back Johnny Unitas Baltimore ColtsLineman Eugene Big Daddy Lipscomb Baltimore Colts Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 56 876 EC Buck Shaw PhiladelphiaWC Red Hickey San Francisco NBC1960 January 15 1961 West 35 East 31 West 7 4 Back Johnny Unitas Baltimore ColtsLineman Sam Huff New York Giants Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 62 971 EC Buck Shaw PhiladelphiaWC Vince Lombardi Green Bay NBC1961 January 14 1962 West 31 East 30 West 8 4 Back Jim Brown Cleveland BrownsLineman Henry Jordan Green Bay Packers Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 57 409 EC Allie Sherman New YorkWC Norm Van Brocklin Minnesota NBC1962 January 13 1963 East 30 West 20 West 8 5 Back Jim Brown Cleveland BrownsLineman Eugene Lipscomb Pittsburgh Steelers Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 61 374 EC Allie Sherman New YorkWC Vince Lombardi Green Bay NBC1963 January 12 1964 West 31 East 17 West 9 5 Back Johnny Unitas Baltimore ColtsLineman Gino Marchetti Baltimore Colts Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 67 242 EC Allie Sherman New YorkWC George Halas Chicago NBC1964 January 10 1965 West 34 East 14 West 10 5 Back Fran Tarkenton Minnesota VikingsLineman Terry Barr Detroit Lions Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 60 598 EC Blanton Collier ClevelandWC Don Shula Baltimore NBC1965 January 16 1966 East 36 West 7 West 10 6 Back Jim Brown Cleveland BrownsLineman Dale Meinert St Louis Cardinals Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 60 124 EC Blanton Collier ClevelandWC Vince Lombardi Green Bay CBS1966 January 22 1967 East 20 West 10 West 10 7 Back Gale Sayers Chicago BearsLineman Floyd Peters Philadelphia Eagles Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 15 062 EC Tom Landry DallasWC George Allen Los Angeles CBS1967 January 21 1968 West 38 East 20 West 11 7 Back Gale Sayers Chicago BearsLineman Dave Robinson Green Bay Packers Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 53 289 EC Otto Graham WashingtonWC Don Shula Baltimore CBS1968 January 19 1969 West 10 East 7 West 12 7 Back Roman Gabriel Los Angeles RamsLineman Merlin Olsen Los Angeles Rams Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 32 050 EC Tom Landry DallasWC George Allen Los Angeles CBS1969 January 18 1970 West 16 East 13 West 13 7 Back Gale Sayers Chicago BearsLineman George Andrie Dallas Cowboys Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 57 786 EC Tom Fears New OrleansWC Norm Van Brocklin Atlanta CBSAFC NFC Pro Bowls 1970 2012 Edit Season Date Score Series Most Valuable Player s Venue Attendance Head coaches Network1970 January 24 1971 NFC 27 6 NFC 1 0 Lineman Fred Carr PackersBack Mel Renfro Cowboys Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 48 222 AFC John Madden OaklandNFC Dick Nolan San Francisco CBS1971 January 23 1972 AFC 26 13 Tied 1 1 Defense Willie Lanier ChiefsOffense Jan Stenerud Chiefs Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 53 647 AFC Don McCafferty BaltimoreNFC Dick Nolan San Francisco NBC1972 January 21 1973 AFC 33 28 AFC 2 1 O J Simpson Bills Running back Texas Stadium 37 091 AFC Chuck Noll PittsburghNFC Tom Landry Dallas CBS1973 January 20 1974 AFC 15 13 AFC 3 1 Garo Yepremian Dolphins Placekicker Arrowhead Stadium 66 918 AFC John Madden OaklandNFC Tom Landry Dallas NBC1974 January 20 1975 43 NFC 17 10 AFC 3 2 James Harris Rams Quarterback Miami Orange Bowl 26 484 AFC John Madden OaklandNFC Chuck Knox Los Angeles ABC1975 January 26 1976 43 NFC 23 20 Tied 3 3 Billy Johnson Oilers Kick returner Louisiana Superdome 30 546 AFC John Madden OaklandNFC Chuck Knox Los Angeles ABC1976 January 17 1977 43 AFC 24 14 AFC 4 3 Mel Blount Steelers Cornerback The Kingdome 64 752 AFC Chuck Noll PittsburghNFC Chuck Knox Los Angeles ABC1977 January 23 1978 43 NFC 14 13 Tied 4 4 Walter Payton Bears Running back Tampa Stadium 51 337 AFC Ted Marchibroda BaltimoreNFC Chuck Knox Los Angeles ABC1978 January 29 1979 43 NFC 13 7 NFC 5 4 Ahmad Rashad Vikings Wide receiver Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 46 281 AFC Chuck Fairbanks New EnglandNFC Bud Grant Minnesota ABC1979 January 27 1980 NFC 37 27 NFC 6 4 Chuck Muncie Saints Running back Aloha Stadium 49 800 AFC Don Coryell San DiegoNFC Tom Landry Dallas ABC1980 February 1 1981 NFC 21 7 NFC 7 4 Eddie Murray Lions Placekicker Aloha Stadium 50 360 AFC Sam Rutigliano ClevelandNFC Leeman Bennett Atlanta ABC1981 January 31 1982 AFC 16 13 NFC 7 5 Lee Roy Selmon Buccaneers Defensive endKellen Winslow Chargers Tight end Aloha Stadium 50 402 AFC Don Shula MiamiNFC John McKay Tampa Bay ABC1982 February 6 1983 NFC 20 19 NFC 8 5 Dan Fouts Chargers QuarterbackJohn Jefferson Packers Wide receiver Aloha Stadium 49 883 AFC Walt Michaels New York JetsNFC Tom Landry Dallas ABC1983 January 29 1984 NFC 45 3 NFC 9 5 Joe Theismann Redskins Quarterback Aloha Stadium 50 445 AFC Chuck Knox SeattleNFC Bill Walsh San Francisco ABC1984 January 27 1985 AFC 22 14 NFC 9 6 Mark Gastineau Jets Defensive end Aloha Stadium 50 385 AFC Chuck Noll PittsburghNFC Mike Ditka Chicago ABC1985 February 2 1986 NFC 28 24 NFC 10 6 Phil Simms Giants Quarterback Aloha Stadium 50 101 AFC Don Shula MiamiNFC John Robinson L A Rams ABC1986 February 1 1987 AFC 10 6 NFC 10 7 Reggie White Eagles Defensive end Aloha Stadium 50 101 AFC Marty Schottenheimer ClevelandNFC Joe Gibbs Washington ABC1987 February 7 1988 AFC 15 6 NFC 10 8 Bruce Smith Bills Defensive end Aloha Stadium 50 113 AFC Marty Schottenheimer ClevelandNFC Jerry Burns Minnesota ESPN1988 January 29 1989 NFC 34 3 NFC 11 8 Randall Cunningham Eagles Quarterback Aloha Stadium 50 113 AFC Marv Levy BuffaloNFC Mike Ditka Chicago ESPN1989 February 4 1990 NFC 27 21 NFC 12 8 Jerry Gray Rams Cornerback Aloha Stadium 50 445 AFC Bud Carson ClevelandNFC John Robinson L A Rams ESPN1990 February 3 1991 AFC 23 21 NFC 12 9 Jim Kelly Bills Quarterback Aloha Stadium 50 345 AFC Art Shell L A RaidersNFC George Seifert San Francisco ESPN1991 February 2 1992 NFC 21 15 NFC 13 9 Michael Irvin Cowboys Wide receiver Aloha Stadium 50 209 AFC Dan Reeves DenverNFC Wayne Fontes Detroit ESPN1992 February 7 1993 AFC 23 20 OT NFC 13 10 Steve Tasker Bills Special teams Aloha Stadium 50 007 AFC Don Shula MiamiNFC George Seifert San Francisco ESPN1993 February 6 1994 NFC 17 3 NFC 14 10 Andre Rison Falcons Wide receiver Aloha Stadium 50 026 AFC Marty Schottenheimer Kansas CityNFC George Seifert San Francisco ESPN1994 February 5 1995 AFC 41 13 NFC 14 11 Marshall Faulk Colts Running back Aloha Stadium 49 121 AFC Bill Cowher PittsburghNFC Barry Switzer Dallas ABC1995 February 4 1996 NFC 20 13 NFC 15 11 Jerry Rice 49ers Wide receiver Aloha Stadium 50 034 AFC Ted Marchibroda IndianapolisNFC Mike Holmgren Green Bay ABC1996 February 2 1997 AFC 26 23 OT NFC 15 12 Mark Brunell Jaguars Quarterback Aloha Stadium 50 031 AFC Tom Coughlin JacksonvilleNFC Dom Capers Carolina ABC1997 February 1 1998 AFC 29 24 NFC 15 13 Warren Moon Seahawks Quarterback Aloha Stadium 49 995 AFC Bill Cowher PittsburghNFC Steve Mariucci San Francisco ABC1998 February 7 1999 AFC 23 10 NFC 15 14 Keyshawn Johnson Jets Wide receiverTy Law Patriots Cornerback Aloha Stadium 50 075 AFC Bill Belichick 44 N Y JetsNFC Dennis Green Minnesota ABC1999 February 6 2000 NFC 51 31 NFC 16 14 Randy Moss Vikings Wide receiver Aloha Stadium 50 112 AFC Tom Coughlin JacksonvilleNFC Tony Dungy Tampa Bay ABC2000 February 4 2001 AFC 38 17 NFC 16 15 Rich Gannon Raiders Quarterback Aloha Stadium 50 128 AFC Jon Gruden OaklandNFC Dennis Green Minnesota ABC2001 February 9 2002 42 AFC 38 30 Tied 16 16 Rich Gannon Raiders Quarterback Aloha Stadium 50 301 AFC Bill Cowher PittsburghNFC Andy Reid Philadelphia ABC2002 February 2 2003 AFC 45 20 AFC 17 16 Ricky Williams Dolphins Running back Aloha Stadium 50 125 AFC Jeff Fisher TennesseeNFC Andy Reid Philadelphia ABC2003 February 8 2004 NFC 55 52 Tied 17 17 Marc Bulger Rams Quarterback Aloha Stadium 50 127 AFC Tony Dungy IndianapolisNFC Andy Reid Philadelphia ESPN2004 February 13 2005 AFC 38 27 AFC 18 17 Peyton Manning Colts Quarterback Aloha Stadium 50 225 AFC Bill Cowher PittsburghNFC Jim L Mora Atlanta ESPN2005 February 12 2006 NFC 23 17 Tied 18 18 Derrick Brooks Buccaneers Linebacker Aloha Stadium 50 190 AFC Mike Shanahan DenverNFC John Fox Carolina ESPN2006 February 10 2007 42 AFC 31 28 AFC 19 18 Carson Palmer Bengals Quarterback Aloha Stadium 50 410 AFC Bill Belichick New EnglandNFC Sean Payton New Orleans CBS2007 February 10 2008 NFC 42 30 Tied 19 19 Adrian Peterson Vikings Running back Aloha Stadium 50 044 AFC Norv Turner San DiegoNFC Mike McCarthy Green Bay Fox2008 February 8 2009 NFC 30 21 NFC 20 19 Larry Fitzgerald Cardinals Wide receiver Aloha Stadium 49 958 AFC John Harbaugh BaltimoreNFC Andy Reid Philadelphia NBC2009 January 31 2010 AFC 41 34 Tied 20 20 Matt Schaub Texans Quarterback Sun Life Stadium 70 697 AFC Norv Turner San DiegoNFC Wade Phillips Dallas ESPN2010 January 30 2011 NFC 55 41 NFC 21 20 DeAngelo Hall Redskins Cornerback Aloha Stadium 49 338 AFC Bill Belichick New EnglandNFC Mike Smith Atlanta Fox2011 January 29 2012 AFC 59 41 Tied 21 21 Brandon Marshall Dolphins Wide receiver Aloha Stadium 48 423 AFC Gary Kubiak HoustonNFC Mike McCarthy Green Bay NBC2012 January 27 2013 NFC 62 35 NFC 22 21 Kyle Rudolph Vikings Tight end Aloha Stadium 47 134 AFC John Fox DenverNFC Mike McCarthy Green Bay NBCUnconferenced Pro Bowls 2013 2015 Edit Season Date Score Most Valuable Player s Venue Attendance Head coaches Network2013 January 26 2014 Team Rice 22 Team Sanders 21 Offense Nick Foles Eagles QuarterbackDefense Derrick Johnson Chiefs Linebacker Aloha Stadium 47 270 Rice Ron Rivera CarolinaSanders Chuck Pagano Indianapolis NBC2014 January 25 2015 Team Irvin 32 Team Carter 28 Offense Matthew Stafford Lions QuarterbackDefense J J Watt Texans Defensive end University of Phoenix Stadium 63 225 Irvin Jason Garrett DallasCarter John Harbaugh Baltimore ESPN2015 January 31 2016 Team Irvin 49 Team Rice 27 Offense Russell Wilson Seahawks QuarterbackDefense Michael Bennett Seahawks Defensive end Aloha Stadium 50 000 Irvin Winston Moss Green BayRice Andy Reid Kansas CityAFC NFC Pro Bowls 2016 2022 Edit Season Date Score Series Most Valuable Player s Venue Attendance Head coaches Network2016 January 29 2017 AFC 20 13 Tied 22 22 Offensive Travis Kelce Kansas City Chiefs Tight endDefensive Lorenzo Alexander Buffalo Bills Linebacker Camping World Stadium 60 834 AFC Andy Reid Kansas CityNFC Jason Garrett Dallas ESPN2017 January 28 2018 AFC 24 23 AFC 23 22 Offensive Delanie Walker Tennessee Titans Tight endDefensive Von Miller Denver Broncos Linebacker Camping World Stadium 51 019 AFC Mike Tomlin PittsburghNFC Sean Payton New Orleans ESPN ABC2018 January 27 2019 AFC 26 7 AFC 24 22 Offensive Patrick Mahomes Kansas City Chiefs QuarterbackDefensive Jamal Adams New York Jets Safety Camping World Stadium 57 875 AFC Anthony Lynn L A ChargersNFC Jason Garrett Dallas ESPN ABC Disney XD2019 January 26 2020 AFC 38 33 AFC 25 22 Offensive Lamar Jackson Baltimore Ravens QuarterbackDefensive Calais Campbell Jacksonville Jaguars Defensive end Camping World Stadium 54 024 AFC John Harbaugh BaltimoreNFC Pete Carroll Seattle ESPN ABC Disney XD2020 January 31 2021 Game canceled by the COVID 19 pandemic Alternative festivities were held in its place 2021 February 6 2022 AFC 41 35 AFC 26 22 Offensive Justin Herbert Los Angeles Chargers QuarterbackDefensive Maxx Crosby Las Vegas Raiders Defensive end Allegiant Stadium 56 206 AFC Mike Vrabel TennesseeNFC Matt LaFleur Green Bay ESPN ABC Disney XDPro Bowl Games 2023 present Edit Season Date Score Series Most Valuable Player s Venue Attendance Head coaches Network2022 February 5 2023 2023 Pro Bowl Games TBD Offensive TBDDefensive TBD Allegiant Stadium TBD AFC Peyton ManningNFC Eli Manning 45 ESPN ABC Disney XDStadiums that have hosted the Pro Bowl EditWrigley Field 1939 Gilmore Stadium January and December 1940 Polo Grounds January 1942 Shibe Park December 1942 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 1951 1972 1979 Texas Stadium 1973 Arrowhead Stadium 1974 Miami Orange Bowl 1975 Louisiana Superdome 1976 Kingdome 1977 Tampa Stadium 1978 Aloha Stadium 1980 2009 2011 2014 2016 Sun Life Stadium 2010 University of Phoenix Stadium 2015 Camping World Stadium 2017 2020 Allegiant Stadium 2022 present Records EditMain article NFL Pro Bowl records Players with most invitations Edit As of the 2022 Pro Bowl 28 players have been invited to at least 11 Pro Bowls in their careers 46 Except for those that are current active or not yet eligible each of these players have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame With his selection in the 2022 Pro Bowl quarterback Tom Brady has the all time invitations record at 15 47 ProBowls Player Pos Seasons by team Selection years Year of inductioninto Hall of Fame15 Tom Brady QB New England Patriots 2000 2019 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2020 present 2001 2004 2005 2007 2009 2018 2021 Active player14 Tony Gonzalez TE Kansas City Chiefs 1997 2008 Atlanta Falcons 2009 2013 1999 2008 2010 2013 2019Peyton Manning QB Indianapolis Colts 1998 2011 Denver Broncos 2012 2015 1999 2000 2002 2010 2012 2014 2021Bruce Matthews G Houston Oilers Tennessee Oilers Tennessee Titans 1983 2001 1988 2001 2007Merlin Olsen DT Los Angeles Rams 1962 1976 1962 1975 198213 Drew Brees QB San Diego Chargers 2001 2005 New Orleans Saints 2006 2020 2004 2006 2008 2014 2016 2019 Eligible in 2026Ray Lewis LB Baltimore Ravens 1996 2012 1997 2001 2003 2004 2006 2011 2018Jerry Rice WR San Francisco 49ers 1985 2000 Oakland Raiders 2001 2004 Seattle Seahawks 2004 1986 1996 1998 2002 2010Reggie White DE Philadelphia Eagles 1985 1992 Green Bay Packers 1993 1998 Carolina Panthers 2000 1986 1998 200612 Champ Bailey CB Washington Redskins 1999 2003 Denver Broncos 2004 2013 2000 2007 2009 2012 2019Ken Houston S Houston Oilers 1967 1972 Washington Redskins 1973 1980 1968 1979 1986Randall McDaniel G Minnesota Vikings 1988 1999 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2000 2001 1989 2000 2009Jim Otto C Oakland Raiders 1960 1974 1961 1972 1980Junior Seau LB San Diego Chargers 1990 2002 Miami Dolphins 2003 2005 New England Patriots 2006 2009 1991 2002 2015Will Shields G Kansas City Chiefs 1993 2006 1995 2006 201511 Larry Allen G Dallas Cowboys 1994 2005 San Francisco 49ers 2006 2007 1995 2001 2003 2006 2013Derrick Brooks LB Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1995 2008 1997 2006 2008 2014Brett Favre QB Atlanta Falcons 1991 Green Bay Packers 1992 2007 New York Jets 2008 Minnesota Vikings 2009 2010 1992 1993 1995 1997 2001 2003 2007 2009 2016Larry Fitzgerald WR Arizona Cardinals 2004 2020 2005 2007 2013 2015 2017 Eligible in 2026Bob Lilly DT Dallas Cowboys 1961 1974 1962 1964 1973 1980Tom Mack G Los Angeles Rams 1966 1978 1967 1975 1977 1978 1999Gino Marchetti DE Dallas Texans 1952 Baltimore Colts 1953 1964 1966 1954 1964 1972Anthony Munoz OT Cincinnati Bengals 1980 1992 1981 1991 1998Jonathan Ogden OT Baltimore Ravens 1996 2007 1997 2007 2013Willie Roaf OT New Orleans Saints 1993 2001 Kansas City Chiefs 2002 2005 1994 2000 2002 2005 2012Bruce Smith DE Buffalo Bills 1985 1999 Washington Redskins 2000 2003 1987 1990 1992 1998 2009Jason Witten TE Dallas Cowboys 2003 2017 2019 Las Vegas Raiders 2020 2004 2010 2012 2014 2017 Eligible in 2026Rod Woodson CB Pittsburgh Steelers 1987 1996 San Francisco 49ers 1997 Baltimore Ravens 1998 2001 Oakland Raiders 2002 2003 1989 1994 1996 1999 2002 2009Television EditSee also List of Pro Bowl broadcasters The Pro Bowl was originally broadcast on an alternative basis by CBS and NBC from 1971 to 1974 while the other network broadcast the Super Bowl The game was then broadcast as part of the Monday Night Football package on ABC from 1975 to 1987 Sister network ESPN took it over as part of the ESPN Sunday Night Football package from 1988 to 1994 The game then returned to ABC for the 1995 through 2003 games In the early 2000s after suffering through several years of dwindling ratings ABC considered moving the game to Monday night but the network instead decided to sell off the rights for the 2004 2006 games to ESPN For the 2007 to 2014 Pro Bowls the network which aired the Super Bowl that season also aired the Pro Bowl The 2007 game on CBS was held on the Saturday after Super Bowl XLI because of the 49th Grammy Awards The 2008 game was on Fox broadcaster of Super Bowl XLII Likewise the 2009 game was on NBC broadcaster of Super Bowl XLIII CBS sold off their rights to the 2010 game to ESPN which was played a week before the Super Bowl at the Super Bowl site Sun Life Stadium CBS also declined to broadcast the 2013 game which was instead shown on NBC The 2014 game also shown on NBC was the final Pro Bowl on network television for four years ESPN then began holding exclusive rights to the Pro Bowl starting in 2015 In 2018 the Pro Bowl returned to network television for the first time in four years as part of a joint ABC ESPN simulcast both sister networks are owned by The Walt Disney Company Disney XD was added to the simulcast for 2019 48 The ESPN ABC simulcasts of the game continued through 2022 Throughout his broadcasting career the late John Madden declined to be part of the announcing crew when his network carried the Pro Bowl for his aviatophobia and claustrophobia a joke referencing both is made in the Madden NFL 97 video game before the beginning of the Pro Bowl in season mode where Madden quips that he drove his Madden Bus to Hawaii rather than flying Until Madden s retirement from broadcasting after the 2009 Pro Bowl it had only occurred twice Former San Diego Chargers quarterback and MNF personality Dan Fouts whom Madden had replaced took his place on ABC in 2003 and Cris Collinsworth took his place on NBC in 2009 Collinsworth ended up replacing Madden permanently upon the latter s retirement In conjunction with the Professional Bowlers Association the Pro Bowl also sponsors a charity bowling tournament the occurs during the weekend leading up to the game The tournament is open to all NFL players regardless of whether they have been selected to play in the Pro Bowl Winners are announced at halftime and are presented with a check in their name payable to their favorite charity Most watched Pro Bowls Edit Since 2000Rank Game Date Matchup Network Viewers millions TV rating 49 Location1 2011 Pro Bowl January 29 2011 AFC 41 NFC 55 Fox 13 4 7 7 Aloha Stadium Honolulu HI2 2000 Pro Bowl February 6 2000 AFC 31 NFC 51 ABC 13 2 8 63 2012 Pro Bowl January 29 2012 NFC 41 AFC 59 NBC 12 5 7 34 2010 Pro Bowl January 31 2010 AFC 41 NFC 34 ESPN 12 3 7 1 Sun Life Stadium Miami Gardens FL5 2013 Pro Bowl January 27 2013 AFC 35 NFC 62 NBC 12 2 7 1 Aloha Stadium Honolulu HI6 2014 Pro Bowl January 26 2014 Team Rice 22 Team Sanders 21 11 4 6 67 2008 Pro Bowl February 10 2008 AFC 30 NFC 42 Fox 10 0 6 38 2003 Pro Bowl February 2 2003 NFC 23 AFC 45 ABC 9 1 5 99 2009 Pro Bowl February 8 2009 NFC 30 AFC 21 NBC 8 8 5 410 2015 Pro Bowl January 25 2015 Team Irvin 32 Team Carter 28 ESPN 8 8 5 1 University of Phoenix Stadium Glendale AZBlackout policy Edit Prior to 2015 the Pro Bowl was still subject to the NFL s blackout policies requiring the game to be blacked out within 75 miles 121 km of the stadium site if the game does not sell out all of the stadium s seats 50 51 However with the lifting of the NFL s blackout rules in 2015 the game can be shown within the host stadium regardless of attendance Criticism EditQuality Edit For decades the Pro Bowl has been criticized as a glamor event more than a football game This is due to the voluntary nature of the game the arbitrary voting process and the fear of player injury While players are financially compensated for participating in the Pro Bowl for a star player the pay can be less than 1 of their salary Many star players have excused themselves from participation over the years meaning that the very best players are not necessarily featured Not having the best players in the Pro Bowl was exacerbated by the introduction of fan voting see section below Another criticism of the game is that the players particularly on defense are not competing at the same level of intensity as they would during the regular season or the playoffs This is because player injury plays a much greater part in a team s success in the NFL as compared to the other major American sports For this reason unlike the NBA NHL and MLB which host their all star events as a mid season break the Pro Bowl was historically held after the completion of the season and playoffs This means that a player injured in the Pro Bowl would have at least six months to rehab before the next season begins However starting in 2010 the Pro Bowl was moved from the week after the Super Bowl to the week before it Because of the above noted fear of injury players from the two teams participating in the Super Bowl were banned from participation thus increasing the absence of star players With the dearth of stars making the game the subject of much derision Sports Illustrated website refused to even include one pre game story on the event in 2012 citation needed the players on the field appear to be taking it less seriously as well citation needed In the 2012 game the lack of defensive effort was apparent not only to anyone watching but to anyone who saw the score of 100 points Brett Keisel an NFL player watching the game said They probably should have just put flags on them 52 indicating that the quality was about on the level of flag football Commissioner Roger Goodell stated that the game needed to improve otherwise it would be eliminated 53 54 It is worth noting that entire teams have declined to participate after losing the conference championship like the 2015 New England Patriots which had seven starters on the Pro Bowl roster This among other factors caused the 2016 Pro Bowl to be more of a game featuring emerging players with a record of 133 players selected overall including those who were absent and ended up including rookie quarterback Jameis Winston instead of recognized veterans Tom Brady and Carson Palmer who were both in the conversation for the 2015 NFL season MVP before losing in their respective conference finals 55 In 2022 Josh Allen turned down an invitation to the Pro Bowl in favor of playing in the AT amp T Pebble Beach Pro Am golf tournament 56 a decision he stated was to allow himself to recover from several minor injuries 57 Selection process Edit Fan voting has increased criticism according to whom of the Pro Bowl Voting by fans makes up 1 3 of the vote for Pro Bowl players Some teams earn more selections of their players because fans often vote for their favorite team and not necessarily the best player In the 2008 Pro Bowl the Dallas Cowboys had thirteen players on the NFC roster an NFL record If you re in a small market no one really gets to see you play said Minnesota Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield who spent much of his early career with the small market Buffalo Bills If you re a quiet guy it s hard to get the attention You just have to work hard and play Winfield made the Pro Bowl in 2008 after ten seasons of being shut out 58 The player voting has also been subject to significant criticism It is not uncommon for players to pick the same players over and over again former offensive lineman and Sports Illustrated analyst Ross Tucker has cited politics incumbency personal vendettas and compensation for injury in previous years as primary factors in players choices Thus players who have seen their play decline with age can still be perennially elected to the Pro Bowl for their popularity among other players something particularly common among positions such as the offensive line where few statistics are available 59 For example in 2010 Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs admitted voting for Ryan Fitzpatrick then the backup quarterback of the Buffalo Bills over eventual league most valuable player Tom Brady not because he thought Fitzpatrick was the better player but as a vote of disrespect toward Brady s team the New England Patriots 60 Some players have had a surprisingly small number of Pro Bowl selections despite distinguished careers Hall of Fame running back John Riggins was selected only once in his career from 1971 to 1985 He was not selected in the year after which he set the record for rushing touchdowns in a season and his team made it to the Super Bowl although he did make the All Pro team Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke only made the Pro Bowl once despite being named All Pro seven times and being the MVP of the 1962 NFL Championship Game Defensive back Ken Riley never made the Pro Bowl in his 15 seasons even though he recorded 65 interceptions the fourth highest total in NFL history at the time of his retirement Former Jacksonville Jaguars halfback Fred Taylor who is 15th in all time rushing yards was elected to his only Pro Bowl in 2007 despite averaging 4 6 yards per carry for his career better than all but five running backs ranked in the top 30 in all time rushing Aaron Smith made it to the Pro Bowl once in 13 years 2004 despite winning two Super Bowl rings with the Pittsburgh Steelers and being named to the Sports Illustrated 2000s All Decade Team and defensive teammates such as Troy Polamalu Casey Hampton and James Harrison being named to multiple Pro Bowls during his career Smith would often be ranked as one of the NFL s most underrated players during his career 61 See also EditAmerican Football League All Star games All America Football Conference All Star Game Chicago College All Star Game a series played between an NFL team and a collegiate all star team NFL Pro Bowl recordsReferences Edit a b c NFL replaces Pro Bowl with The Pro Bowl Games featuring weeklong skills competitions flag football game ESPN com September 26 2022 Retrieved September 26 2022 Orr Conor June 1 2016 Orlando Pro Bowl returning to AFC NFC format in 2017 NFL National Football League NFL Pro Bowl Series NFL Pro Bowl Series Retrieved 2016 02 06 Schottey Michael June 2 2016 NFL Pro Bowl s Move to Orlando Provides Chance to Reinvigorate the Event Forbes Goodell Pro Bowl may not continue in current format NFL com Retrieved 2016 02 06 Fletcher Dan January 29 2010 Is the NFL Pro Bowl Broken Time Archived from the original on February 2 2010 Retrieved January 31 2011 While the Pro Bowl managed to sell out Dolphins Stadium the game usually pulls down mediocre TV ratings it s the only major all star game that draws lower ratings than regular season matchups Finn Chad February 1 2013 Pro Bowl may be mocked but it s popular Boston Globe Retrieved October 21 2013 NFC reels in five picks to throttle AFC in Pro Bowl ESPN com Associated Press January 30 2011 Retrieved January 31 2011 The NFC s 55 41 victory a game not nearly as interesting as that score would indicate did nothing to repair the tattered image of the NFL s all star contest Brandon Marshall catches Pro Bowl record 4 TDs in AFC s win ESPN com Associated Press January 30 2012 Archived from the original on January 30 2012 Crawford Fred R 1990 The First Pro Bowl Game PDF The Coffin Corner 12 4 Archived from the original PDF on December 18 2010 Retrieved January 31 2012 Gill Bob 1983 The Best Of The Rest Part One PDF The Coffin Corner 5 11 Archived from the original PDF on February 9 2012 Retrieved January 31 2012 a b c Pro Bowl game approved by National Grid League The Palm Beach Post AP June 4 1950 p 21 Retrieved January 30 2012 Players defend Pro Bowl after 62 35 NFC win Archived 2013 02 16 at archive today Associated Press Retrieved January 28 2013 a b c d e NFL Pro Bowl rosters to be determined by draft Yahoo Sports Associated Press July 31 2013 Retrieved July 31 2013 NFL Communications 2015 Pro Bowl to be Played in Arizona 2016 Pro Bowl Slated for Hawaii Archived from the original on 2014 04 09 Retrieved 2014 04 09 2015 Pro Bowl To Be Played in Arizona 2016 Pro Bowl Slated for Hawaii National Football League April 9 2014 Archived from the original on April 9 2014 Retrieved April 9 2014 Marvez Alex March 23 2015 NFL considering Brazil to host 2017 Pro Bowl Fox Sports Retrieved March 23 2015 Brady James 26 March 2015 NFL exploring Mexico Germany and other markets to host games SB Nation Retrieved 30 April 2015 Soshnick Scott May 19 2016 The NFL Pro Bowl Is Moving to Orlando Bloomberg Retrieved May 19 2016 Orr Conor June 1 2016 Orlando Pro Bowl returning to AFC NFC format in 2017 NFL Retrieved June 1 2016 The NFL is getting wild adds dodgeball and other events to Pro Bowl week CBSSports com Retrieved December 13 2016 NFL cancels 2021 Pro Bowl Game due to COVID 19 nfl com The Pro Bowl Celebration seems like it will mostly be highlights and interviews Awful Announcing 2021 01 28 Retrieved 2021 01 29 The 2021 Pro Bowl Celebration presented by Verizon Premieres Sunday Jan 31 at 3 p m ET on ESPN ABC and Disney XD ESPN Press Room U S 2021 01 28 Retrieved 2021 01 29 Nguyen Kevin November 17 2020 The NFL Pro Bowl will be hosted in Madden this season The Verge Retrieved November 18 2020 NFL considering ending Pro Bowl game as it discusses ways to improve the all star week per report CBSSports com Retrieved 2022 09 26 NFL announces The Pro Bowl Games to replace tackle game with flag football skills competitions NFL com September 26 2022 Retrieved September 26 2022 Gilbert John P January 10 2019 Russell Wilson makes the NFC Pro Bowl squad FieldGulls com Retrieved November 13 2019 Marchibroda Knox Pro Bowl Coaches Tampa Bay Times December 28 1977 Retrieved December 26 2013 Parcells Needs Rest Passes on Pro Bowl LA Times January 27 1999 Retrieved January 28 2013 Wyche Steve December 28 2009 Pro Bowl selections like game itself will have new wrinkles NFL com National Football League Archived from the original on January 5 2010 Retrieved January 11 2010 All Time Results 2011 NFL Pro Bowl Official Game Program NFL Publishing 191 92 2011 Archived from the original on January 22 2011 Retrieved February 2 2011 Michael David Smith Not much tackling not much running at the Pro Bowl NBC news January 28 2018 2011 AFC NFC Pro Bowl Facts and Figures Archived from the original on July 21 2011 Retrieved January 30 2011 2011 Pro Bowl Time Announcers Rosters And More For NFL s All Star Event 30 January 2011 Retrieved 2011 01 30 TWO NEW RULES TO BE TESTED AT PRO BOWL NFL Ops January 21 2020 Retrieved February 27 2020 Corbett Jim February 11 2008 Peterson helps NFC roar back for Pro Bowl crown USA Today Retrieved October 20 2008 Fitzgerald Matt NFL Bleacher Report Retrieved 6 January 2015 Percy Ethan October 8 2013 New NFL Pro Bowl Uniforms Look More Like Oregon Vs Oklahoma State B more2Boston Retrieved November 10 2013 permanent dead link Giants Beat Stars Ward Cuff Is Hero Milwaukee Journal UP January 16 1939 p L 7 Retrieved February 2 2012 The 1952 Pro Bowl Archived from the original on November 26 2011 Retrieved October 20 2008 a b c d Saturday game a b c d e Monday night game Filled in for then Jets head coach Bill Parcells Eli Manning to coach NFC vs brother Peyton s AFC in first ever Pro Bowl Games NFL com December 5 2022 Retrieved December 22 2022 NFL Pro Bowl Selections Career Leaders Pro Football Reference com Sports Reference Retrieved December 11 2017 Leibowitz Ben February 6 2016 25 Facts About Quarterback Peyton Manning Arizona Daily Sun Retrieved December 11 2017 Molloy Tim and Lucas Shaw September 8 2011 Monday Night Football to Remain on ESPN Through 2021 The Wrap Retrieved September 9 2011 2016 Pro Bowl Lowest Rated in Ten Years Least Watched in Nine SportsMediaWatch com 2 February 2016 Retrieved January 25 2017 NFL lifts TV blackout as Pro Bowl nears sell out The Seattle Times 2009 02 07 Retrieved 2013 02 16 Pro Bowl Blackout Date Extended KHOU TV Archived 2011 07 25 at the Wayback Machine Keisel on Pro Bowl They should have just put flags on players Profootballtalk com January 30 2012 Retrieved October 22 2012 Goodell NFL could drop Pro Bowl Sports Illustrated February 5 2012 Archived from the original on February 8 2012 Retrieved October 22 2012 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint unfit URL link Roger Goodell indicates Pro Bowl s future in doubt National Football League Retrieved October 22 2012 2016 NFL Pro Bowl The most declined invitation in history 26 January 2016 Hicks Stephen 2022 02 07 Josh Allen a star at Pebble Beach Pro Am ABC30 Fresno Retrieved 2022 02 08 Bills QB Josh Allen declines 2022 Pro Bowl invite Bills Wire 31 January 2022 Retrieved 4 February 2022 Hill Jemele December 9 2008 Take away the fan vote ESPN Retrieved December 12 2008 Tucker Ross NFL Pro Bowl voting among players should be consistent SI com Terrell Suggs Teams hate Patriots ESPN com Retrieved February 27 2013 Pittsburgh Steelers All time underrated overrated players NFL com External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pro Bowl Official site The Complete History of the Pro Bowl The NFL s official website Online Fan Voting Ballot Archived 2008 09 17 at the Wayback Machine Pro Bowl Game Books 1971 2011 NFL Game Statistics amp Information System National Football League Archived from the original on November 15 2013 Retrieved January 30 2012 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Pro Bowl amp oldid 1136713356, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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