The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team in the National Football League. The team is located in Cincinnati, Ohio and play their home games at Paul Brown Stadium. Paul Brown Stadium has a capacity of 65,535 and opened in 2000. The team plays in the AFC North division and is currently coached by Marvin Lewis. The team was originally established as an AFL franchise in 1968 before moving into the NFL in 1970.
Through their tenure, the team has featured nine head coaches. Starting with Hall of Fame coach Paul Brown, who led the team to a 55-56-1 record including NFL Coach of the Year honors in both 1969 and 1970, and most recently Marvin Lewis, who was named AP NFL Coach of the Year in 2009, the team has had quite a bit of coaching turnover between those two anchors. Hall of Fame coaches Forrest Gregg and Dick LeBeau each coached in Cincinnati for a time, albeit to limited success for LeBeau. The team has made ten playoff appearances, most recently in 2011, to go along with seven division championships, most recently in 2009. The team has won two conference championships, in 1981 and 1988; however, have lost in both of their Super Bowl appearances.
The team has featured two Hall of Famers, offensive lineman Anthony Munoz and wide receiver Charlie Joiner. The team has one retired number, offensive lineman Bob Johnson. In 2011, the team started their own Hall of Fame, inducting five members in their inaugural class: founder, owner, and head coach Paul Brown, and four players, quarterbacks Ken Anderson and Boomer Esiason, as well as wide receiver Isaac Curtis and left tackle Anthony Munoz. Anderson and Esiason each won Most Valuable Player honors in 1981 and 1988 respectively.
The Bengals have three main rivals: the Baltimore Ravens, the Cleveland Browns, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The most historic of their rivalry games is between the Browns and the Bengals. With their first meeting coming in 1970, the two teams have faced off 78 times with the Bengals holding a 42-36 lead. Their proximity within the state of Ohio as well as their shared roots, having both been started by Paul Brown, led to great animosity between these two franchises. While not quite as old, the rivalry between the Steelers and the Bengals is also one of the fiercest rivalries in the NFL. The two teams have faced off 84 times, with the Steelers hold a commanding 52-32 lead in their rivalry.
