Roster limits

[Bob Gill]

I know (or think I know) that rosters were set at 33 in the mid-'50s and had reached 40 by the mid-60s, but I don't know the specifics. When did 33 become the number, and when did that change to 40? For that matter, when did it go up from 40?

[cdwillis]

In the NFL Record & Fact book (page 36) they list the roster limits. Here's what they listed for those years:

1949-50 = 32 players
1951-56 = 33 players
1957-58 = 35 players
1959 = 36 players
1960 = 38 players
1961-62 = 36 players
1963 = 37 players
1964-1973 = 40 players
1974= 47 players
1975-77 = 43 players
1978-81 = 45 players

[Reaser]

I use this page every couple months, great resource.

http://www.profootballarchives.com/NFLRosterLimits.html

[Bob Gill]

Thanks, guys. I figured they might have gone up from 33 to 36, then to 40 a few years later, but it looks like they hit just about every number in between for a year or so. Interesting.

[Gary Najman]

IIRC in 1983 and/or 1984 they changed from 45 to 49 players, then returned to 45 by 1985 or so. Anyone remembers why?

[Reaser]

IIRC in 1983 and/or 1984 they changed from 45 to 49 players, then returned to 45 by 1985 or so. Anyone remembers why?

edit: Looks like it moved up from 45 to 49 after the strike.

[JKelly]

Looking at the link posted for the NFL Archives leads to this question was the "taxi squad" something that was sanctioned and monitored by the league? Meaning was there a limit of players that could be on it? Could they be activated from the squad or deactivated directly to the squad? Looking at the list on NFL Archives of Rosters there is no mention of it and it existed from the 1950's up to the 1970's but it seems to be this shadowy quasi thing. Or am I just missing something?

[TodMaher]

IIRC in 1983 and/or 1984 they changed from 45 to 49 players, then returned to 45 by 1985 or so. Anyone remembers why?

edit: Looks like it moved up from 45 to 49 after the strike.

Probably due to the existence of the USFL.

[TodMaher]

Looking at the link posted for the NFL Archives leads to this question was the "taxi squad" something that was sanctioned and monitored by the league? Meaning was there a limit of players that could be on it? Could they be activated from the squad or deactivated directly to the squad? Looking at the list on NFL Archives of Rosters there is no mention of it and it existed from the 1950's up to the 1970's but it seems to be this shadowy quasi thing. Or am I just missing something?

The "taxi squad" was unofficial until the AFL came along and forced the NFL/Pete Rozelle to make it official and regulated. Before that teams were paying players under the table to practice with them - technically illegal at the time.
I use to have better info on the 1960s roster limits, etc. which I got from the league record manuals. Unfortunately, I lost my original list a few years ago and I no longer have access to the league record manuals from that era.

[Reaser]

Probably due to the existence of the USFL.

That was my immediate thought as well (pre-"edit") then I looked through and saw that they bumped up the rosters because the players were coming back from the strike and not playing for weeks, giving them more healthy bodies. From there I don't know, maybe they decided to stay at 49 since the USFL was then getting going?