Was there ever an AFC Central division in the NFL?

Answer 1

Yes. Before the Houston Texas came into the NFL for the 2002 season, each conference was broken into three divisions. They were the East, Central, and West. Members of the AFC Central in the 2001 season were Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Cleveland, Tennessee, Jacksonville, and Cincinnati. Starting with the 2002 season the AFC division names became the East, North, South, and West. Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Baltimore play in the AFC North and Tennessee and Jacksonville play in the AFC South.

Answer 2

No. The Dallas Cowboys were a National Football League expansion team when they began playing in 1960. When the merger between the NFL and the rival American Football League went into effect in 1970, there were 16 NFL teams and 10 AFL teams. To create balance, three longtime NFL ballclubs -- the Baltimore Colts, the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers -- moved over to the new American Football Conference. The Cowboys became a part of the new National Football Conference, comprised of the remaining NFL teams.