For those traditionalists who believe the Giants should never transfer to the American Conference or Oakland to the National Conference because of their heritages, conference identity has disintegrated since the 1970 realignment. Before that, genuine rivalry existed between the N.F.L. and the old American Football League but, sadly, it's all one league now. Even the A.F.C. dominance does not inspire much emotion.

Except for those who remember the A.F.L.'s early struggle, few root for the A.F.C. as such, probably because the Steelers, Browns and Colts were part of the N.F.L. establish- ment until their owners agreed to accept $3 million each as consolation for joining the 10 A.F.L. teams in forming the American Conference at the start of the 1970 season.

The Five Plans

At that time, the A.F.L teams, as a group, were considered well below the N.F.L. level of ability. If it had not been for the Jets' historic 16‐7 upset of the Colts in Super Bowl HI, the 10 A.F.L. teams would have been shuffled among the 16 established N.F.L. teams in the realignment. But the Jets’ triumph kept the old A.F.L. teams together, leaving the 13 other N.F.C. teams to debate their divisional realignment. The debate raged for more than six months. Eventually, less than three months before the 1970 schedule had to be drawn up, the slips of paper denoting the five different N.F.C. divisional plans were dropped into that glass bowl and “Plan 3” was chosen. These were the other groupings :

Plan 1: East — New York, Washington, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Minnesota; Central — Chicago, Green Bay, Detroit, New Orleans; West — Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, St.Louis.

Plan 2: East — New York, Washington, Philadelphia, Minnesota Central — Dallas, St. Louis, New Orleans, Atlanta; West — Los Angeles,

San Francisco, Chicago, Green Bay, Detroit.

Plan 4: East — New York, Washington, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Minneosta ; Central — Chicago, Green Bay, Detroit, Atlanta; West—Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, New Orleans.

Plan 5: East — New York, Washington, Philadelphia, Detroit, Minnesota; Central — Chicago, Green Bay, Dallas, St. Louis; West — Los Angeles, San Francisco, New Orleans, Atlanta.

Notice that in all five plans, only two constants existed — the New York-Washington-Philadelphia axis and the Los Angeles‐San Francisco connection. Notice too that Dallas was slotted in either the Central or the West in all the other plans and that Minnesota was slotted in the East in all the other plans. Who knows how N.F.C. history would have been affected if one of the other plans had been chosen.