Planning for the new Cincinnati Bengals franchise began three full years before the team began playing in the American Football League in 1968. Paul Brown, who had enjoyed exceptional success as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns for 17 seasons before departing in 1962, had the urge to get back into pro football.

In 1965, he met with then-Governor Jim Rhodes and the two agreed the state could accommodate a second pro football team. A year later in 1966, Cincinnati's city council approved the construction of 60,389-seat Riverfront Stadium partially based on the fear the Reds would leave town and due to local businesses pushing for an NFL franchise.  The stadium was scheduled for completion by 1970. It would be called Riverfront Stadium named due to the fact that the stadium sat right on the Ohio River.