History of the Cincinnati Bengals This article details the history of the Cincinnati Bengals American football club . Origins . In 1967 a Cincinnati - based ownership group led by Paul Brown was granted a franchise in the American Football League . As the founder and head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 1946 to 1962 , Brown led his team to a . 759 winning percentage and seven championships , which includes four championships earned while a member of the All - America Football Conference . The Browns were champions of that league in each of the four years it existed . When the AAFC folded after the 1949 season , the Browns , as well as the San Francisco 49ers and the first incarnation of the Baltimore Colts , were absorbed into the National Football League . Brown became a recognized innovator for his approach to training , game planning , and the passing game . However , Brown sold majority interest in the team in 1961 to businessman Art Modell . On January 9 , 1963 , Modell controversially fired Brown . Many believe that Modell had tired of complaints of Brown ' s autocratic style ; others claim it was Brown ' s decision to trade for Syracuse University ' s Heisman Trophy - winning running back Ernie Davis , who was drafted by the Washington Redskins , without Modell ' s knowledge . However , tragically , Davis was diagnosed with leukemia shortly afterward . Brown didn ' t want to play Davis ; Modell insisted he could play . The relationship between Paul Brown and Art Modell , which was never warm to begin with , deteriorated further . Davis died on May 18 , 1963 . By 1966 , Paul Brown wanted to become involved in professional football again . James A . Rhodes , then the governor of Ohio , convinced Brown that Ohio needed a second team . Cincinnati was deemed the logical choice , in essence , splitting the state . Brown named the team the Bengals in order " to give it a link with past professional football in Cincinnati . " Another Bengals team existed in the city and played in a previous American Football League from 1937 to 1942 . Possibly as an insult to Art Modell , Paul Brown chose the exact shade of orange used by his former team . He added black as the secondary color . Brown chose a very simple logo : the word " BENGALS " in black lettering . Ironically , one of the potential helmet designs Brown rejected was a striped motif that was similar to the one featuring the " varicose pumpkin " helmets adopted by the team in 1981 and which is still in use to this day ; however , that design featured orange stripes on a black helmet which were more uniform in width . However , Brown was not a supporter of the rival American Football League , stating that " I didn ' t pay ten million dollars to be in the AFL " , . He only acquiesced to joining the AFL when he was guaranteed that the team would become an NFL franchise after the impending merger of the two leagues . There was also a complication : the Major League Baseball Cincinnati Reds were in need of a facility to replace the antiquated , obsolete Crosley Field , which they had used since 1912 . Parking nightmares had plagued the city as far back as the 1950s , the little park lacked modern amenities , and New York City , which after 1957 had lost both their National League teams , the Dodgers and the Giants to Los Angeles and San Francisco , respectively , was actively courting Powel Crosley . However , Crosley was adamant that the Reds remain in Cincinnati and tolerated worsening problems with the Crosley Field location , which were increased with the Millcreek Expressway ( I - 75 ) project that ran alongside the park . With assistance from Ohio governor James A . Rhodes , Hamilton County and the Cincinnati city council agreed to build a single multi - purpose facility on the dilapidated riverfront section of the city . The new facility had to be ready by the opening of the 1970 NFL season and was officially named Riverfront Stadium , which was its working title . With the completion of the merger in 1970 , the Cleveland Browns were moved to the AFL - based American Football Conference and placed in the AFC Central , the same division as the Bengals . An instant rivalry was born , fueled initially by Paul Brown ' s rivalry with Art Modell . The first three seasons . For their first two seasons , they played at Nippert Stadium which is the current home of the University of Cincinnati Bearcats . The team finished its first season with a 3 - 11 record , although one bright spot was running back Paul Robinson . Robinson rushed for 1 , 023 yards and was named the AFL Rookie of the Year . First three seasons coach . Founder Paul Brown coached the team for its first three seasons , accumulating 15 wins and 27 losses and one tie . One of Brown ’ s college draft stategies was to draft players with above average intelligence . Punter / wide receiver Pat McInally attended Harvard , and linebacker Reggie Williams attended Dartmouth College and served on Cincinnati city council while on the Bengals ’ roster . Because of this policy , many former players were highly articulate and went on to have successful careers in commentary and broadcasting as well as the arts . In addition , Brown had a knack for locating and recognizing pro football talent in unusual places . The 1970s . In 1970 , the Bengals moved to play at Riverfront Stadium , a home they shared with the Cincinnati Reds until the team moved to Paul Brown Stadium in 2000 . 1970s coaches . Four men coached the team to a 72 – 76 record during this period : The 1980s . The Bengals were an entertaining and successful team reaching the Super Bowl twice , but overall , the 1980s was a decade of missed opportunities for the team . The 1990s . Paul Brown , legendary NFL personality and innovator , died in 1991 . He had already transferred control to his son , Mike Brown , but was reported to still influence the daily operations of the team . Shortly after his passing , the Bengals ' fortunes changed for the worse for a long time . 2000s . Intensification of rivalry with Pittsburgh Steelers . The Bengals have played the Steelers more than any other team in the NFL ( the Browns missed keeping pace by being out of the league for three years , the Oilers / Titans team was moved from the division , and the Baltimore Ravens are considered a " new " franchise as Cleveland retained its rights to the name and history ) . While the Bengals were in the midst of a terrible decade the intensity of the rivalries tapered off . 2000 – present coaches . Dick LeBeau lost his job as head coach after winning just two games throughout the 2002 season . LeBeau went 12 - 33 as head coach . His last season was a franchise worst 2 - 14 and had the worst winning percentage of all non - interim Bengal coaches of 26 . 67 % . He returned to Pittsburgh as the defensive coordinator . Current head coach Marvin Lewis won 8 and lost 8 in both the 2003 and 2004 seasons . He secured the 1st winning season ( 11 – 5 ) for the Bengal ' s franchise since 1991 – 92 playoff . He has introduced season " themes " , from " Do Your Job " in 2004 – 05 to " Keep on Digging " 2003 – 04 . 2000 – present games of note . AFC Wild - Card Round This year neither team ' s home field advantage proved advantageous . In the series the home team lost every game . The Steelers defeated the Bengals in the wild - card playoff game , 31 – 17 . 2000 – 05 . The Bengals began to emerge from more than a decade of being the worst - performing team of that era ( edging out the Cardinals ) into a new era of increased consistency under Marvin Lewis . Carson Palmer , the future star quarterback , was drafted in 2003 but did not play a snap that whole season , as Jon Kitna had a comeback year ( voted NFL Comeback Player of the Year ) . Despite Kitna ' s success , Carson was promoted to starting quarterback the following season and Kitna , apparently happily , took the position of backup quarterback and embraced the role of mentor for the young quarterback . Paul Brown Stadium was built for the 2000 season using private and public money . In tribute to his father , Mike Brown refused corporate offers to have the stadium renamed for their company which became a trend in the NFL and other sports team around that time . During the 2005 season , the Bengals became known for their players ' off - field and non - football related violations of league substance policies and legal troubles . 2006 season . Like the previous years , Marvin Lewis and his staff developed a theme to rally around , this time it was The Pyramid ( a listing of qualities developed by the successful former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden ) . During the offseason the Bengals made very few free - agent acquisitions and a large number of drafted players ( or new ones to the team ) were not positioned as starters which is considered a sign of an established team instead of one in the midst of rebuilding ( as there was considerable player turnover in the first few years under Lewis ) . There were concerns about many players ' personal legal troubles which kept them in the news but one of the biggest concerns was Carson Palmer ' s ability to rebound from the serious knee injury he suffered in the playoffs to Pittsburgh . As the preparations were being made for the season , the Bengals went undefeated at 4 - 0 for the first time in preseason games and went on to win their first three games , including winning the first two intradivision games versus the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers . The team lost quite a few players of value during these first weeks , due to injury or suspension causing many of the rookies , originally not intended to start , into starting roles . In the fourth week , Cincinnati lost a one - sided game to the New England Patriots at home . Coming out of their early bye , the team went to Tampa , Florida to face the winless Buccaneers and went home with a 13 – 14 loss . In week seven , the Bengals would face the Carolina Panthers at home , managing the win . Cincinnati went on to lose their next three games against the Atlanta Falcons , Baltimore Ravens , and San Diego Chargers . During the San Diego game , however , the team had a memorable offensive experience . Carson Palmer threw for a career - high 440 passing yards . Chad Johnson also set a franchise record of 260 receiving yards in a single game . The team went to New Orleans in week 11 to face the Saints and ended their losing streak . Chad Johnson had 190 receiving yards in that game , along with 3 touchdowns . The Bengals continued to improve their playoff chances when they went to Cleveland to face the Browns . They were on the winning side of the second shutout in the history of the Battle of Ohio with the final score 30 - 0 . Carson Palmer threw three touchdown passes and 275 passing yards . The previously struggling Bengals ' defense recorded four interceptions , four sacks , and two forced fumbles . With this win they got themselves back to a winning record of 6 - 5 . The Bengals would win two more games against Baltimore and Oakland before the win streak ended with a loss to Indianapolis . The Bengals then lost to Denver 24 - 23 the following week on a snowy Sunday when Brad St . Louis ' long snap on an extra point in the final minute sailed through the hands of holder Kyle Larson , preventing Shayne Graham from even attempting the conversion . In week 17 , The Bengals lost in overtime to the Pittsburgh Steelers 23 – 17 , thus ending any possibility of post - season play . Chris Henry gained 124 receiving yards and he scored a touchdown . Shayne Graham missed a 38 - yard field goal on the last Bengals ' play in regulation with 0 : 08 left on the clock . The Bengals were eliminated by losing to the Steelers by a Santonio Holmes touchdown reception on the third play of the extra session . Cincinnati ended the season at 8 – 8 . 2008 . The 2008 season would see Cincinnati crash to the ground . The team lost its first eight games before finally beating the Jaguars in Week 9 . After that , they hosted the Eagles in a rare tie , the final score being 13 - 13 . There followed three more losses followed by three wins to end the year at 4 - 11 - 1 and third in the division . 2009 . After such a poor performance , little was expected of the Bengals in 2009 , but the results surprised everyone . The season opener against Denver was a 12 - 7 defeat , but afterwards the Bengals won four in a row against the Packers , Steelers , Browns , and Ravens . The team lost at home to the Texans , then beat the Bears , Ravens , and Steelers . In Week 11 however , Cincinnati fell into a trap game when it lost to the 3 - 7 Raiders . After another defeat of Cleveland , the Bengals had won all six of their divisional matches for the year . Following the next game ( an easy win at home over Detroit ) , Chad Ochocino was fined $ 20 , 000 by the NFL for donning a poncho and sombrero after scoring a touchdown ( he had been fined three weeks earlier for joking about bribing the referees ) . Week 14 saw the Bengals travel to Minnesota , where the Vikings routed them 30 - 10 . During the week after that game , tragedy struck when Chris Henry fell out of a pickup truck during a domestic dispute and died from his injuries . The team ' s previously lighthearted mood turned to one of mourning , and they lost the next match against San Diego . After a victory over the Chiefs , the Bengals secured the AFC North title for only their second playoff berth since 1990 . On the season ended , they traveled to the Meadowlands for a match with the New York Jets , but still shaken from Chris Henry ' s death , they were shut out 37 - 0 . The Bengals and Jets had to face each other again in the wild card round of the playoffs , but now in Cincinnati . Their season , which looked so promising a few weeks earlier , ended with a whimper as the Jets won a second time , the score being 24 - 14 . The biggest 2010 acquisition for the Bengals was veteran WR Terrell Owens , signed in July . This move was controversial , as Owens was quite old at 36 and had caused considerable problems while playing in San Francisco , Philadelphia , and Dallas . Perhaps more controversial was the signing of CB Adam " Pacman " Jones , who had been involved in a shooting at a Las Vegas nightclub in 2007 . Cincinnati started off 2010 by losing on the road to the Patriots , and then returned home to beat Baltimore in a poorly - executed game that saw them win on five field goals . In Week 3 , they easily defeated the Panthers in Carolina before losing to Cleveland and Tampa Bay to enter their bye week at 2 - 3 . After losses to Atlanta , Miami , and Pittsburgh , the Bengals entered Week 10 at 2 - 6 and largely out of playoff contention . Following further losses , the Bengals beat Cleveland and San Diego before losing their final game to Baltimore and ending the 2010 campaign at 4 - 12 . The team also suffered four blackouts , the first since 2003 . With the 4th pick in the 2011 draft , the Bengals took WR A . J . Green from Georgia . Most of the off - season was marred by a league lockout and Carson Palmer ' s sudden demand to be traded to another team . Mike Brown flatly refused to either release or trade him , and Palmer instead announced his plans to retire from the NFL . Another familiar face departed when Chad Ochocinco was traded to New England in August . With this , the Bengals decided to name unproven rookie QB Andy Dalton as their starter . On October 17 , Palmer , who had been holding out since Brown announced he refused to trade him , was traded to the Oakland Raiders for 2 first round picks in 2012 and 2013 .