The modern media landscape is a cruel beast.
Trends and algorithms raise people up to tear them down. We yearn for the simpler times of the past yet indulge in the efficiency of the present.
Zach Richards is bridging this gap. Through his Instagram page, ‘NFL Historic‘, Zach is reimaging the NFL’s history through a modern lens. He curates and highlights all corners of the NFL, from its athletes, its moments, and its forgotten teams. The page gives time to the peaks, the valleys, the legendary, and the nondescript alike.
Zach Richards is creating a one-of-a-kind space that reclaims the NFL’s past for modern audiences.
Zach Richards’ ‘NFL Historic’ Beginnings
Zach wasn’t a lifelong NFL fan. He didn’t grow up watching and familiarizing himself with the sport the way many fans did. It wasn’t until attending his first NFL game in 2011 that Historic would fall in love with the sport.
“I was late to the game. I didn’t follow the sport like other people did, so I had a lot of catching up to do,” Zach told The Lead.
Seeking to grow his knowledge of the game, Zach turned to the newer platform of Instagram. He sought an Instagram page that featured the NFL’s deep well of major players and events that he missed; an easily accessible archive of NFL history. Luckily for him, he came up empty.
“That [sort of page] didn’t exist at that time in 2014, 2015-ish,” said Zach. “I was like, all right, well, if this isn’t going to exist, I’ll just do it. I’ll do it the hard way. I’ll get books, I’ll read old articles online, start informing myself.”
Zach dove into NFL Films, read old archived articles, and soaked in whatever he could find. In 2016, he started the first NFL Historic account and built the bones of what would be the current gallery page. The method was a lot different, but the intention was the same. He continued his independent research and hand-wrote about what he found in ringed notebooks. Zach would post these to Instagram and start the process of turning his page into what it resembles now.
“It wasn’t anything fancy,” he said. “There were no frills to it. It was probably a really low-res picture I found on Google Images. No real curation or preservation to it. I was learning for myself and I was then putting that online.”
Prioritizing Preservation
Zach would put the page down while he settled into adult life before returning shortly after. After graduating from college and feeling the brunt of the nine-to-five malaise, he needed something to fill the time from five-to-nine. He picked up his old hobby, NFL Historic.
At that time in 2023, it was a niche account with 15,000 followers. Now, NFL Historic has over 225,000 followers.
“Eventually, it got to a point where it was like, ‘OK, I really want to start preserving’,” Zach said. “People love seeing moments frozen in time, and that’s how my page really caught fire within the last two years.”
Taking the project from a personal growth exercise to a public platform brought forth new intentionality. Instead of exploring the history, it was time to be a steward of it. The post below about replaced QBs is an example of the page’s mission.
“It’s been a really important mission of mine to preserve decades of history, and lost work, and these players’ lives,” said Zach.
Aesthetically pleasing preservation became the core of the page.
“I love museums, and I feel like every time I go into one, I go into one someone different, and I come out feeling a different way. I feel like every time I post a gallery of a random assortment of photos throughout history, they all feel different in a different way.”
The time spent wading into the archives of NFL lore was ready to be paid off. Over the next three years, Zach would develop the page into what it would resemble today: a digital art gallery of NFL moments, achievements, information, and figures. There could be sections that feature icons as titanic as Tom Brady, or as seemingly inconsequential as Dexter Manley. Casuals and lifers alike can find something for themselves in its catalogue.
Old Methods in New Media
Zach’s work has a raw and vintage look that isn’t common among similar pages. It isn’t hyper-modern or squeaky clean. The older art style stands out and suits the topics he covers. As an artistic project, it’s very thematically cohesive and visually pleasing.
“I take a lot of inspiration from old magazines, old newspapers, former journalistic work, and implementing it and tailoring it to social media,” he said.
In a lot of ways, NFL Historic is a modern reimagining of classic print editorials. Both visually, through vintage minimalism, but also in the content. It tells NFL stories that have gone untold, like the previously mentioned Dexter Manley, a former Washington Redskins player with an inspiring story of dyslexia, growth, and overcoming illiteracy. The page dives into the past and brings the audience with it. Alluring preservation characterizes NFL Historic.
The Gallery
Most crucial of all, Zach removes himself from the equation.
“I just want the photos to speak to themselves…There’s so much emotion that can be pulled from a photo, so many perspectives that can be pulled depending on who you are, your experiences,” he said.
This idea is at the core of the page’s signature series: ‘A gallery through the archives of the NFL’.
The series assembles a dozen-or-so pictures from throughout the NFL’s lifespan, with credit given if possible. The set is more than the sum of its parts, and says so much without any words. At 99 current entries, the galleries are the page’s signature series.
“That one series is the entire reason my page went from [about] 20,000 followers to 200,000 in about a year and a half,” said Zach. “It just speaks to people. No matter who you are, who you’re a fan of, or if you even like football, it’s so easily shareable…I have people that don’t follow me, maybe aren’t even football fans, that are sharing posts to their own following, and then it’s just like a web from there.”
Losing in the Ultimate Game
All pictures carry their own weight, but one in particular stands out to Zach.
“There was one that I found that is just so layered, so moving. It is the photo of Junior Seau looking defeated as the Giants graffiti falls on him after Super Bowl 42.” (Found on slide two of the post below)
The picture, in this case, tells a 1000-word story.
“It is just so heavy for so many reasons…Obviously, the tragedy of Junior Seau is terrible. I’m a huge Junior Seau fan. I think he’s one of the greatest players to ever play. His energy and his excitement [were] unparalleled. And being born and raised in San Diego, it’s the perfect story. He goes to the Patriots, they go undefeated. It’s his last hurrah. They lose. And just seeing his face, knowing the history, it’s just heartbreaking.”
The picture is a somber but fitting example of what makes NFL Historic’s galleries both great and important. It is more visual storytelling than content.
The Past Is the Future
The NFL is always changing, leaning into its past aesthetic more than ever. Zach’s work aligns with this new direction extremely well.
“The NFL is doing a really great job right now at bringing back a lot of the vintage looks that teams have had throughout the past,” said Zach. “The NFL is starting to really cherish its history in a way that it hasn’t really done in the past, which I think is great.”
Throwback looks are all the rage, and now even the broadcasts are following suit. The Bucs faced the Seahawks in a vintage-fueled ‘1976’ game that featured both teams in their iconic throwbacks, a 76-ified field, and even a CBS broadcast with some vintage touches.
The Tennessee Titans recently adapted their Oilers throwbacks into their primary branding. The Jets did the same two years prior. The future of the NFL seems to be found in the past.
Future of the Page
Zach’s footprint has expanded greatly since starting the page, but there’s still more to go.
The page does incredible work and fills a niche that people resonate with. With more growth and support, NFL Historic could be the start of something special. Zach’s work prioritizes preservation and storytelling through visuals, in the mold of things like ESPN’s 30-for-30 and NFL Films. As the old forms of media are phased out, what could be more fitting than preserving the spirit of his predecessors? More than the sport’s history, Zach is keeping a form of sports media from going out of style.
“In a dream world, I am able to expand the identity of the page and make it its own independent platform. [The platform] could have a website that supports other writers [who] are interested in writing about NFL history, because that’s missing.”
NFL Historic is far from the niche page of 15,000 followers. He’s done collabs with Marty Supreme and NFL Teams.
Whatever path Zach takes the NFL Historic page, everyone interested in the NFL can learn from its past. The page is excellent for younger and newer fans looking to explore NFL lore in a familiar space. New stories, moments, and figures can be exposed for the first time. Like Zach’s beloved museums, we can all exit NFL Historic as someone different.
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