Front Page Sports Football Pro 98

Last updated: January 9, 2026

Overview

Front Page Sports: Football Pro ‘98 is a comprehensive American football simulation game that puts players in both the coach’s headset and the quarterback’s cleats¹. Developed by Dynamix and published by Sierra On-Line, the game was released in 1997 and represents the culmination of Sierra’s acclaimed Front Page Sports series². The game featured Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino as its cover star, marking a significant marketing push for the franchise³.

The game was designed as “the most accurate gameplay results of any football simulation,” featuring physics-based ball dynamics, motion-captured movement, and individual player AI⁴. With over 20,000 players, 750+ teams, and over 120 stadiums across 35+ leagues, the game offered unprecedented depth for football simulation enthusiasts⁵. Despite being touted as having “faster, meaner, tougher” gameplay with the tagline “Don’t play with imitations. This is real football,” the game received mixed reviews due to being shipped before it was fully ready⁵.

Game Info

Developer: Dynamix⁶ Designer: Cheryl A. Makovsky (Lead Programmer), Doug Johnson, Jeremy Jones (Art Director/Lead Artist), Michael D. Branham (Executive Producer), Patrick Cook, Scott Youngblood² Publisher: Sierra On-Line⁷ Platforms: DOS, PC, Windows, Windows 95⁵ Release Year: 1997 Series: Front Page Sports Sierra Lineage: Core Sierra

Story Summary

As a sports simulation game, Front Page Sports: Football Pro ‘98 does not feature a traditional narrative storyline. Instead, the game focuses on creating authentic football experiences through detailed team management and realistic gameplay simulation⁸.

Gameplay

Interface and Controls

The biggest enhancement in the ‘98 version was a completely revamped interface that was much easier to use than previous iterations⁹. The game supported keyboard, mouse, and joystick/gamepad input, though it was limited to only 2 gamepad/joystick buttons⁵. Players could choose from 16 different camera angles to view the action, providing comprehensive visual control over the gameplay experience⁵.

Structure and Progression

Front Page Sports: Football Pro ‘98 featured two main playing modes: simulation and action¹⁰. In simulation mode, players took the seat of team manager, dealing with drafting, match lineups, and tactics¹⁰. The game allowed players to manage multiple seasons, with player performance improving or declining based on experience and age². The career play mode was praised as “still the best in the sports game business”¹¹.

Puzzles and Mechanics

The game utilized a physics-based 3D environment with motion-captured player movement and realistic ball dynamics⁵. Players could customize playbooks and manage detailed team strategies, making it appealing to both hardcore simulation fans and casual sports gamers⁷. The game featured full motion-captured 3D players and supported multiplayer through modem, network, LAN, and Internet play via WON.net⁵.

Reception

Contemporary Reviews

Publication	Score	Notes
Computer Gaming World	3/5	Review by Terry Coleman, March 19986
Computer Games Magazine	1.5/5	Review by Jonah Falcon, February 22, 19986
GameSpot	6.3/10	Review by Stephen Poole6
PC Player	63/100	Review by Alex Brante, January 19986
PC Games	46%	September 19986

Modern Assessment

The game maintains a respectable rating on various platforms, with MobyGames showing a 62% critics aggregate score and user ratings of 7.5/10². On MyAbandonware, the game has received ratings of 3.86/5 and 4.54/5 from different user bases¹². GameSpot’s Stephen Poole summarized the game’s mixed reception: “FPS: FP ‘98 turns in a Marino-like performance: There are definitely some high points, but not as many as you’d expect from a seasoned veteran”¹³.

Development

Origins

Front Page Sports: Football Pro ‘98 was developed during a period of strategic changes at Sierra, when the company was focusing on fewer, higher-budget games¹⁴. Dynamix, described as “the most consistent of Sierra’s subsidiary studios,” was responsible for delivering solid performers in non-adventure games for Sierra’s portfolio¹⁴.

Production

The development team consisted of 106 total people credited in the game’s production². The game featured play-by-play commentary by Howard David, providing authentic broadcast-style audio⁵. The musical score was composed by Charles Barth, Christopher Stevens, and Timothy Steven Clarke¹⁵. Unfortunately, the game was reportedly shipped before being fully ready, requiring multiple patches to address various issues¹⁶.

Technical Achievements

The game required a minimum of 75 MHz processor, 16MB RAM, 2X CD-ROM drive, and 150MB of install space⁵. It supported only 32-bit Windows systems and came with DOSBox support version 0.61¹⁷. The game featured an isometric visual perspective with 3rd-person gameplay and included comprehensive multiplayer options².

Legacy

Front Page Sports: Football Pro ‘98 represented the final entry in Sierra’s acclaimed football simulation series¹⁸. The community has noted that “after that we stopped playing because nobody wanted to play anything else,” highlighting the game’s unique position in football simulation history¹⁸. Years later, community members still remark that “Incredible after all these years we still have nothing that can come close” to the game’s depth and authenticity¹⁹.

The game continues to be supported by dedicated fan communities who have created comprehensive mods like VPNFL99, described as “the most comprehensive and authentic NFL simulation yet for FB Pro users”²⁰. These mods address issues with the base game’s player ratings and stock plays, demonstrating the ongoing dedication of the game’s fanbase²⁰.

Downloads

Purchase / Digital Stores

• Currently not available on modern digital storefronts

Download / Preservation

• MyAbandonware
• Available through classic game preservation sites

Series Continuity

• Previous: Front Page Sports: Football Pro ‘97
• Next: No direct sequel (final entry in series)

References

Footnotes

1. Retro Replay – - Game description ↩

2. MobyGames – - Game database entry ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

3. Web Archive GameSpot News – - Dan Marino cover announcement ↩

4. ESPN GameSpot Archive – - Physics-based gameplay description ↩

5. VideoGameGeek – - Technical specifications ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

6. Wikipedia – - Developer information ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

7. Web Archive Press Release – - Publisher information ↩ ↩²

8. ClassicReload – - Game overview ↩

9. NeverDieMedia – - Interface improvements ↩

10. AllVideoClassicGames – - Game modes description ↩ ↩²

11. Web Archive CDMag Review – - Career mode praise ↩

12. MyAbandonware – - User ratings ↩

13. GameSpot Review – - Professional review assessment ↩

14. Digital Antiquarian – - Sierra business strategy context ↩ ↩²

15. KHInsider – - Music composition credits ↩

16. GMGames – - Development issues ↩

17. MyAbandonware – - Technical compatibility ↩

18. GOG Community – - Series conclusion ↩ ↩²

19. Steam Community – - Modern community assessment ↩

20. GMGames Forums – - Community mod description ↩ ↩²