James Rapien grew up in Saint Bernard, Ohio, and has followed the Cincinnati Bengals from a young age. His hometown is less than eight miles from the stadium. He watched every Bengals game, and he always dreamed of working in sports. The only books he read as a kid were about basketball, baseball, and football.

James earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and communications from the University of Cincinnati. He started his career as a radio producer at 700 WLW and 1530 WCKY. He has covered the Bengals in a variety of ways throughout the years. He’s currently on the AllBengals beat for Sports Illustrated. He also hosts the Locked on Bengals podcast and is the founder of Cincinnati Bengals Talk on YouTube.

James still hosts radio shows and makes frequent appearances on both WLW and WCKY. He’s also a regular contributor to Spectrum News. He loves a good trade rumor and uses copious amounts of hot sauce on his food. Cincinnati chili is his go-to meal, followed by gallons of mint chocolate chip ice cream for dessert. When he isn’t working or eating, he’s probably walking his dog or spending time with his wife and daughter.

Football Abbreviations

Foreword

A Bit of NFL History

Author’s Notes

Introduction

1968

1969

1970

Paul Brown

1971

1972

1973

1974

1975

1976

Ken Anderson

1977

1978

1979

All-1970s Team

1980

1981

Super Season

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

A Game for the Ages

1989

All-1980s Team

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

Hall-of-Famers

1998

1999

All-1990s Team

2000

Dillon Runs Wild

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

Playoffs, at Last

2006

2007

2008

2009

All-2000s Team

2010

2011

Best Catches

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

Marvin Lewis

2018

2019

All-2010s Team

2020

2021

AFC Champions

2022

Photo Credits

Sources

About the Author