Front Page Sports Football Pro 99

Last updated: January 23, 2026

Overview

Front Page Sports Football Pro 99, also marketed as NFL Football Pro ‘99 and Sierra Sports Football Pro ‘99, represents one of the most notorious product launches in video game history.¹ Released on December 22, 1998, this installment marked a dramatic departure for the acclaimed Front Page Sports franchise, abandoning the series’ traditional “Front Page Sports” branding in favor of the new “Sierra Sports” label as part of a company-wide restructuring.² The game was developed by Sierra On-Line and published under their Sierra Sports division, promising a revolutionary new 3D graphics engine to compete with console football games.³

The game attempted to modernize the venerable franchise with an all-new 3D arcade engine featuring polygonal players and stadiums, a complete financial model for team management, and comprehensive simulation features.⁴ Howard Davis, the voice of NFL on CBS radio, provided play-by-play commentary.⁴ However, the product shipped in what critics universally described as an unplayable state, riddled with fundamental bugs affecting every aspect of gameplay from basic ball physics to player AI.³

On January 20, 1999, Sierra made the unprecedented decision to recall the game entirely—a move virtually unheard of in the video game industry.³ Sierra president David Grenewetzki issued a public apology, admitting the company had “dropped the ball” by letting the football season deadline influence their release decision.³ The recall effectively ended the Front Page Sports football series, with the planned NFL Football Pro 2000 being cancelled.¹ The disaster remains a cautionary tale about rushing products to market and marked the end of what had been one of PC gaming’s most respected sports simulation franchises.

Game Info

Developer: Sierra On-Line³ Publisher: Sierra Sports³ Engine: 3D Engine³ Platforms: Windows³ Release Year: 1998 Series: Front Page Sports Sierra Lineage: Core Sierra

Gameplay

Interface and Controls

NFL Football Pro ‘99 represented a fundamental shift in the series’ approach to football simulation. Sierra announced they were retiring the Front Page Sports logo while upgrading the graphics with an all-new 3D engine.³ The game featured 3D polygonal players and fully rendered 3D stadiums, a significant technical leap from previous installments in the series.⁴ The interface supported keyboard, mouse, and other input devices, maintaining compatibility with various control schemes.⁵

The title offered multiple multiplayer options including Internet play, LAN connectivity, modem-to-modem connections, and same-screen multiplayer for up to two players.⁵ Play-by-play commentary was provided by Howard Davis, the voice of NFL on CBS radio, adding broadcast-style audio presentation to matches.⁴

Structure and Progression

The game featured a complete franchise mode with comprehensive team management capabilities. Players could manage all aspects of their football organization through what was marketed as a “complete financial model for team management.”⁴ The simulation tracked extensive statistics across hundreds of categories, continuing the series’ tradition of detailed statistical tracking that had recorded more than 300 statistical categories in previous versions.¹

One significant change from previous entries was the elimination of the FAST SIM mode, which had allowed players to quickly simulate games without watching full gameplay.⁴ This was the first year Sierra focused primarily on the arcade aspect of gameplay with the new 3D engine, departing from the series’ simulation-heavy roots.⁴ Season simulation in the new engine proved extremely time-consuming, taking approximately one hour per simulated week.⁴

Features and Mechanics

The game continued the series’ tradition of comprehensive roster management. Previous Front Page Sports football titles had featured 47-man teams with injured reserve and free agent pools, with players rated 0-99 across eight performance classifications.¹ The series had pioneered the career mode concept where players aged and retired over time.¹ Stock plays numbering over 200 were included along with a playbook editor for creating custom formations and strategies.¹

The Jerry Maguire League, run by Sierra, used the game to simulate matches between the client lists of top NFL agents, demonstrating the game’s intended use as a serious simulation platform despite its troubled launch.⁶⁷

Reception

Contemporary Reviews

The reception to NFL Football Pro ‘99 was catastrophic. PC Accelerator awarded the game a score of 0, calling it “the worst piece of sports software we have ever seen in a shrink-wrapped box. It should never have left the building, and the decision to send it out to stores will stick with Sierra Sports for the next few years. And deservedly so.”³

GameOver gave the game a 43% rating, with reviewer F. Krueger noting that “NFL Football Pro 99 had the potential to become the ultimate football game available today, instead we’re stuck with one of the biggest letdowns of the year.”⁴ The review acknowledged the series’ pedigree, stating “In past years, Front Page Sports Football Pro has been far and away the best football simulation available on the market. Nobody else comes close to giving a realistic feel for football both on and off the field.”⁴

The contrast with previous entries in the series was stark. Front Page Sports Football had been named 1993 Sports Game of the Year by Computer Gaming World, which had called it “a better debut would be hard to imagine” and “One of the top product releases of 1992.”¹ Computer Gaming World later ranked Front Page Sports Football Pro ‘95 as the 11th best computer game of all-time in 1996.¹ Computer Game Review had noted of the ‘96 version that “it’s difficult to conceive how this game could be made better.”¹

Modern Assessment

The game’s legacy is defined primarily by its recall rather than its merits. The Front Page Sports Football ‘98 predecessor had received a critics’ aggregate score of 62% and a MobyGames score of 6.5, ranking #20,149 of approximately 27,600 games on the platform.⁵ The ‘99 installment’s immediate recall meant it received minimal review coverage beyond the initial wave of negative press.

Aggregate Scores:

• PC Accelerator: 0/100³
• GameOver: 43%⁴

Development

Origins

The Front Page Sports Football series began in 1992 as a MS-DOS release from Dynamix and Sierra On-Line, quickly establishing itself as the premier football simulation on PC.¹ The original game was groundbreaking for its time, being one of the first football simulations to include a career mode where players aged and retired, comprehensive statistical tracking, and detailed roster management.¹

By the late 1990s, Sierra was restructuring their company into six distinct brands: Sierra Sports, Sierra Home, Dynamix, and others.² Ken Schramm of Sierra explained: “Basically we’ve split the company into six brands, Sierra Sports, Sierra Home, Dynamix, etc.”² This restructuring led to the decision to retire the Front Page Sports branding, though Schramm assured fans: “We’re not going to abandon the fan groups that have been loyal to the Front Page Sports brand.”²

Production

Development of NFL Football Pro ‘99 was undertaken with the ambitious goal of completely rebuilding the franchise’s technical foundation. The game was scheduled for release on November 1, 1998, under the new Sierra Sports branding.² The 3D engine represented a massive undertaking, requiring the creation of polygonal players and fully 3D stadiums rather than the sprite-based graphics of previous entries.⁴

Development Credits:⁵

• Executive Producer: Michael D. Branham
• Lead Programmer: Cheryl A. Makovsky
• Art Director: Jeremy Jones
• Lead Artist: Jeremy Jones
• Senior Artist: Steven Chin

The development team totaled 108 credited personnel for Front Page Sports Football Pro ‘98, giving some indication of the scale of the operation.⁵ However, the transition to the new 3D engine introduced fundamental problems that would not be identified until after the product shipped.

Technical Achievements

The game’s 3D engine represented a significant technical ambition for the series. System requirements included a Pentium 200 processor minimum with 32 MB RAM, a 4X CD-ROM drive, a 2MB video card, and DirectX 6.0.⁴ Recommended specifications called for a Pentium II-266 processor with a second-generation 3D graphics card.⁴ The technical leap was substantial compared to previous entries, which had used 2D sprite-based graphics.

Technical Specifications

Windows Version:⁴

• Minimum Processor: Pentium 200
• Recommended Processor: Pentium II-266
• RAM: 32 MB
• CD-ROM: 4X
• Video Card: 2MB (second generation 3D card recommended)
• DirectX: Version 6.0
• Media: CD-ROM⁵
• Input: Keyboard, Mouse, Other Input Devices⁵

Multiplayer Options:⁵

• Internet
• LAN
• Modem
• Same/Split-Screen
• Offline: 1-2 Players
• Online: 2 Players

Technical Issues

NFL Football Pro ‘99 shipped with an extraordinary number of game-breaking bugs that affected virtually every aspect of gameplay. The GameOver review documented extensive problems:⁴

Gameplay Bugs:

• Kickers could kick at full strength but the ball would only travel 30 yards⁴
• Running backs would sometimes stand motionless after receiving a handoff⁴
• Quarterbacks would randomly drop to their knee on first down⁴
• Running backs frequently fumbled handoffs⁴
• Receivers dropped 2 out of every 5 catchable passes even when wide open⁴
• Cornerbacks performed poorly at coverage and tackling⁴

AI and Balance Issues:

• The speed button allowed unrealistic player acceleration while the AI didn’t use it⁴
• Blitzes were effective approximately 90% of the time⁴
• Season simulation took approximately one hour per simulated week⁴
• Statistics and team records were unrealistic⁴
• Injuries were overly severe—a hamstring injury could sideline a player for an entire year⁴
• Multiplayer performance was choppy on lower-end systems⁴

The problems were so fundamental that Sierra determined simple patching would not resolve them. Sierra president David Grenewetzki explained: “Simple patching was not going to do it. Many fundamental changes to the underlying engine were needed and there was significant risk associated with each major change.”¹

This was not the first time the series had experienced quality issues. The ‘96 version had crashed to desktop and required a patch.¹ The ‘98 version had problems including kickoff mix-ups, camera angle crashes, and incorrect stadium turf, requiring three major patches.¹ However, the ‘99 version’s problems were orders of magnitude worse.

Version History

Version	Date	Platform	Notes
Front Page Sports Football	1992	MS-DOS	Original series launch1
Front Page Sports Football Pro	1993	MS-DOS	First PC football game with online league capability1
Front Page Sports Football Pro ‘95	1995	MS-DOS	First with real NFL players and teams; diskette had 3,000 plays, CD-ROM had 10,0001
Front Page Sports Football Pro ‘96	1996	Windows	First with high-resolution graphics engine; required patch1
Front Page Sports Football Pro ‘97	1997	Windows 95	First Windows 95 native version1
Front Page Sports Football Pro ‘98	November 3, 1997	Windows	Revamped UI, NFL player photos, audio play-by-play; required three major patches15
NFL Football Pro ‘99	December 22, 1998	Windows	Completely rebuilt with 3D graphics; recalled January 20, 199913
NFL Football Pro 2000	Cancelled	-	Cancelled following ‘99 recall1

Easter Eggs and Trivia

• The game was originally titled “Front Page Sports: Football Pro ‘99” before being renamed to “Sierra Sports Football Pro ‘99” due to company rebranding.²
• Sierra announced the retirement of the Front Page Sports logo specifically for this game while upgrading to the new 3D engine.³
• The game eliminated the FAST SIM mode, which had been a popular feature allowing quick game simulation.⁴
• The Jerry Maguire League used the game to pit the client lists of the top 16 NFL agents against one another.⁶⁷
• The review was so damning that GameOver’s F. Krueger concluded “the game was clearly rushed out the door.”⁴

Voice Cast

Character	Voice Actor
Play-by-play Commentary	Howard Davis (NFL on CBS radio voice)4

Legacy

Sales and Commercial Impact

The recall of NFL Football Pro ‘99 marked one of the most dramatic failures in sports gaming history. Prior to this disaster, the Front Page Sports series had been enormously successful—combined sales of the Front Page Sports series across all sports had surpassed 500,000 units by the end of March 1996.¹

Sierra president David Grenewetzki issued a public statement addressing the recall: “I want to apologize to all our loyal customers for releasing a product before it was ready. We came through 1998 with one great product after another only to stumble on virtually the last title we shipped in the year. We knew the potential for this product but we let the impending end of the football season influence our decision process. We figuratively ‘dropped the ball’ […] Sierra Sports, like all Sierra divisions, is dedicated to producing the highest quality products possible. With this recall action we hope we can convey our intention to do right by our customers.”³

Awards

The series had accumulated significant accolades before its downfall:

• 1993 Sports Game of the Year - Computer Gaming World¹
• 11th Best Computer Game of All-Time - Computer Gaming World, 1996 (for Front Page Sports Football Pro ‘95)¹

Collections

The Front Page Sports franchise encompassed multiple sports beyond football:

• Front Page Sports Baseball
• Front Page Sports Golf
• Front Page Sports Ski Racing
• Front Page Sports Trophy Bass
• Front Page Sports Trophy Rivers

The football series was the seventh release in the Front Page Sports Football lineup specifically.⁸

Critical Perspective

The collapse of NFL Football Pro ‘99 represents a watershed moment in PC sports gaming history. The Front Page Sports football series had spent seven years building a reputation as the definitive football simulation, praised for its unparalleled depth, statistical accuracy, and innovative features like aging players and comprehensive career modes.¹ The series’ fall from the pinnacle of PC sports gaming to industry laughingstock in a single release illustrates the dangers of over-ambitious technical transitions and deadline-driven development.

The disaster also highlighted the increasingly challenging economics of PC sports games in the late 1990s. Console football games, particularly the Madden franchise, were dominating the market with more accessible gameplay and superior graphics on dedicated gaming hardware.⁴ Sierra’s attempt to compete on graphical terms while maintaining their simulation depth proved impossible within their development timeline.

The recall’s long-term impact on Sierra Sports was significant. The planned NFL Football Pro 2000 was cancelled, and the company never recovered its position in football gaming.¹ The Front Page Sports brand, which Ken Schramm had promised would not be abandoned, effectively died with this release.² The incident remains one of the most studied examples of product launch failure in gaming history, demonstrating that even the most beloved franchises can be destroyed by a single catastrophic release.

Downloads

Purchase / Digital Stores

• Not currently available on digital platforms (game was recalled)

Download / Preservation

• Noble Knight Games - Physical copies occasionally available⁹

Series Continuity

NFL Football Pro ‘99 was intended to be the evolutionary next step for the acclaimed Front Page Sports football franchise, but instead became its tombstone. The series had grown from the original 1992 MS-DOS release through seven annual iterations, each building on the previous version’s features and reputation.¹ The decision to completely rebuild the game engine rather than iterate on the proven formula, combined with the pressure of meeting the football season release window, led to the franchise’s destruction.

The planned NFL Football Pro 2000 was cancelled following the recall, ending what had been one of PC gaming’s most successful sports franchises.¹ While the Front Page Sports brand was later revived by Cyanide Studio for a 2014 Steam release, that game bears no connection to the original Sierra series beyond the name.¹⁰

• Previous: 1997 - Front Page Sports Football Pro 98

References

Footnotes

1. Wikipedia – Front Page Sports Football – series history, version information, reception, sales data, awards, development notes, trivia, bugs ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹ ↩²² ↩²³ ↩²⁴ ↩²⁵ ↩²⁶ ↩²⁷ ↩²⁸ ↩²⁹

2. IGN – Name Change for Sierra Games – rebranding information, Ken Schramm quotes, release date ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

3. Wikipedia – NFL Football Pro ‘99 – release date, developer, publisher, engine, recall information, David Grenewetzki statement, PC Accelerator review ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴

4. GameOver – NFL Football Pro 99 Review – gameplay details, technical specifications, Howard Davis voice acting, extensive bug documentation, review score ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹ ↩²² ↩²³ ↩²⁴ ↩²⁵ ↩²⁶ ↩²⁷ ↩²⁸ ↩²⁹ ↩³⁰ ↩³¹ ↩³²

5. MobyGames – Front Page Sports Football Pro 98 – development credits, technical specifications, multiplayer options, aggregate scores, genre classification ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

6. Sports Business Journal – July 1999 – Jerry Maguire League usage ↩ ↩²

7. Sports Business Journal – July 1999 – Jerry Maguire League details ↩ ↩²

8. Sierra Gamers – Front Page Sports – series chronology, release year ↩

9. Noble Knight Games – Front Page Sports Football Pro 99 – retail availability, release year ↩

10. Steam – Front Page Sports Football (2014) – unrelated 2014 revival by Cyanide Studio ↩