English League (3rd tier)
Football League Third Division (1920–1921)
Football League Third Division North/South (1921–1958)
Football League Third Division (1958–1992)
Football League Second Division (1992–2004)
Football League One (2004–2016)
EFL League One (2016–present)
Country
England
England
Founded
1920
Number of teams
24 (2021–22 season)
Current champions
Plymouth Argyle (2022–23)
Most successful club
Plymouth Argyle
(5 championships)

A national third tier of English league football was established in 1958–59, as the Third Division. This followed on from the regional third tier that had been established in the south in 1920 and the north in 1921. In 1992, with the departure of the First Division clubs to become the Premier League, the third tier became known as the Second Division. Since 2004 it has been known as Football League One.

Football League Third Division (1920–1921)

Season Winner Runner-up (not promoted)
1920–21 Crystal Palace Southampton

Football League Third Division North/South (1921–1958)

Season North South
Winner Runner-up (not promoted) Winner Runner-up (not promoted)
1921–22 Stockport County Darlington Southampton Plymouth Argyle
1922–23 Nelson Bradford Park Avenue Bristol City Plymouth Argyle
1923–24 Wolverhampton Wanderers Rochdale Portsmouth Plymouth Argyle
1924–25 Darlington Nelson Swansea City Plymouth Argyle
1925–26 Grimsby Town Bradford Park Avenue Reading Plymouth Argyle
1926–27 Stoke City Rochdale Bristol City (2) Plymouth Argyle
1927–28 Bradford Park Avenue Lincoln City Millwall Northampton Town
1928–29 Bradford City Stockport County Charlton Athletic Crystal Palace
1929–30 Port Vale Stockport County Plymouth Argyle Brentford
1930–31 Chesterfield Lincoln City Notts County Crystal Palace
1931–32 Lincoln City Gateshead Fulham Reading
1932–33 Hull City Wrexham Brentford Exeter City
1933–34 Barnsley Chesterfield Norwich City Coventry City
1934–35 Doncaster Rovers Halifax Town Charlton Athletic (2) Reading
1935–36 Chesterfield (2) Chester City Coventry City Luton Town
1936–37 Stockport County (2) Lincoln City Luton Town Notts County
1937–38 Tranmere Rovers Doncaster Rovers Millwall (2) Bristol City
1938–39 Barnsley (2) Doncaster Rovers Newport County Crystal Palace
1939–40 to 1945–46 League suspended due to World War II
1946–47 Doncaster Rovers (2) Rotherham United Cardiff City Queens Park Rangers
1947–48 Lincoln City (2) Rotherham United Queens Park Rangers Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic
1948–49 Hull City (2) Rotherham United Swansea City (2) Reading
1949–50 Doncaster Rovers (3) Gateshead Notts County (2) Northampton Town
1950–51 Rotherham United Mansfield Town Nottingham Forest Norwich City
1951–52 Lincoln City (3) Grimsby Town Plymouth Argyle (2) Reading
1952–53 Oldham Athletic Port Vale Bristol Rovers Millwall
1953–54 Port Vale (2) Barnsley Ipswich Town Brighton & Hove Albion
1954–55 Barnsley (3) Accrington Stanley Bristol City (3) Leyton Orient
1955–56 Grimsby Town (2) Derby County Leyton Orient Brighton Hove & Albion
1956–57 Derby County Hartlepool United Ipswich Town (2) Torquay United
1957–58 Scunthorpe United Accrington Stanley Brighton & Hove Albion Brentford

Football League Third Division (1958–1992)

Season Winner Runner-up Also Promoted Playoff Winner
1958–59 Plymouth Argyle (3) Hull City
1959–60 Southampton (2) Norwich City
1960–61 Bury Walsall
1961–62 Portsmouth (2) Grimsby Town
1962–63 Northampton Town Swindon Town
1963–64 Coventry City (2) Crystal Palace
1964–65 Carlisle United Bristol City
1965–66 Hull City (3) Millwall
1966–67 Queens Park Rangers (2) Middlesbrough
1967–68 Oxford United Bury
1968–69 Watford Swindon Town
1969–70 Leyton Orient (2) Luton Town
1970–71 Preston North End Fulham
1971–72 Aston Villa Brighton and Hove Albion
1972–73 Bolton Wanderers Notts County
1973–74 Oldham Athletic (2) Bristol Rovers York City
1974–75 Blackburn Rovers Plymouth Argyle Charlton Athletic
1975–76 Hereford United Cardiff City Millwall
1976–77 Mansfield Town Brighton and Hove Albion Crystal Palace
1977–78 Wrexham Cambridge United Preston North End
1978–79 Shrewsbury Town Watford Swansea City
1979–80 Grimsby Town (3) Blackburn Rovers Sheffield Wednesday
1980–81 Rotherham United (2) Barnsley Charlton Athletic
1981–82 Burnley Carlisle United Fulham
1982–83 Portsmouth (3) Cardiff City Huddersfield Town
1983–84 Oxford United (2) Wimbledon Sheffield United
1984–85 Bradford City (2) Millwall Hull City
1985–86 Reading (2) Plymouth Argyle Derby County
1986–87 AFC Bournemouth Middlesbrough Swindon Town
1987–88 Sunderland Brighton and Hove Albion Walsall
1988–89 Wolverhampton Wanderers (2) Sheffield United Port Vale
1989–90 Bristol Rovers (2) Bristol City Notts County
1990–91 Cambridge United Southend United Grimsby Town Tranmere Rovers
1991–92 Brentford (2) Birmingham City Peterborough United

Football League Second Division (1992–2004)

Season Winner Runner Up Playoff Winner
1992–93 Stoke City (2) Bolton Wanderers West Bromwich Albion
1993–94 Reading (3) Port Vale Burnley
1994–95 Birmingham City Brentford (not promoted) Huddersfield Town
1995–96 Swindon Town Oxford United Bradford City
1996–97 Bury (2) Stockport County Crewe Alexandra
1997–98 Watford (2) Bristol City Grimsby Town
1998–99 Fulham (2) Walsall Manchester City
1999–2000 Preston North End (2) Burnley Gillingham
2000–01 Millwall (3) Rotherham United Walsall
2001–02 Brighton & Hove Albion (2) Reading Stoke City
2002–03 Wigan Athletic Crewe Alexandra Cardiff City
2003–04 Plymouth Argyle (4) Queens Park Rangers Brighton & Hove Albion

Football League One/EFL League One (2004 onwards)

Season Winner Runner-up Playoff Winner
2004–05 Luton Town (2) Hull City Sheffield Wednesday
2005–06 Southend United Colchester United Barnsley
2006–07 Scunthorpe United (2) Bristol City Blackpool
2007–08 Swansea City (3) Nottingham Forest Doncaster Rovers
2008–09 Leicester City Peterborough United Scunthorpe United
2009–10 Norwich City (2) Leeds United Millwall
2010–11 Brighton & Hove Albion (3) Southampton Peterborough United
2011–12 Charlton Athletic (3) Sheffield Wednesday Huddersfield Town
2012–13 Doncaster Rovers (4) Bournemouth Yeovil Town
2013–14 Wolverhampton Wanderers (3) Brentford Rotherham United
2014–15 Bristol City (4) Milton Keynes Dons Preston North End
2015–16 Wigan Athletic (2) Burton Albion Barnsley
2016–17 Sheffield United Bolton Wanderers Millwall
2017–18 Wigan Athletic (3) Blackburn Rovers Rotherham United
2018–19 Luton Town (3) Barnsley Charlton Athletic
2019–20 Coventry City (3) Rotherham United Wycombe Wanderers
2020–21 Hull City (4) Peterborough United Blackpool
2021–22 Wigan Athletic (4) Rotherham United Sunderland
2022–23 Plymouth Argyle (5) Ipswich Town Sheffield Wednesday

Number of titles overall

Clubs in bold are competing in the 2023–24 EFL League One.

Rank Club Winners Winning seasons
1 Plymouth Argyle 5 1929–30 South, 1951–52 South, 1958–59, 2003–04, 2022–23
2 Bristol City 4 1922–23 South, 1926–27 South, 1954–55 South, 2014–15
Doncaster Rovers 4 1934–35 North, 1946–47 North, 1949–50 North, 2012–13
Hull City 4 1932–33 North, 1948–49 North, 1965–66, 2020–21
Wigan Athletic 4 2002–03, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2021–22
6 Barnsley 3 1933–34 North, 1938–39 North, 1954–55 North
Brighton & Hove Albion 3 1957–58 South, 2001–02, 2010–11
Charlton Athletic 3 1928–29 South, 1934–35 South, 2011–12
Coventry City 3 1935–36 South, 1963–64, 2019–20
Grimsby Town 3 1925–26 North, 1955–56 North, 1979–80
Lincoln City 3 1931–32 North, 1947–48 North, 1951–52 North
Luton Town 3 1936–37 South, 2004–05, 2018–19
Millwall 3 1927–28 South, 1937–38 South, 2000–01
Portsmouth 3 1923–24 South, 1961–62, 1982–83
Reading 3 1925–26 South, 1985–86, 1993–94
Swansea City 3 1924–25 South, 1948–49 South, 2007–08
Wolverhampton Wanderers 3 1923–24 North, 1988–89, 2013–14
18 Bradford City 2 1928–29 North, 1984–85
Brentford 2 1932–33 South, 1991–92
Bristol Rovers 2 1952–53 South, 1989–90
Bury 2 1960–61, 1996–97
Chesterfield 2 1930–31 North, 1935–36 North
Fulham 2 1931–32 South, 1998–99
Ipswich Town 2 1953–54 South, 1956–57 South
Leyton Orient 2 1955–56 South, 1969–70
Norwich City 2 1933–34 South, 2009–10
Notts County 2 1930–31 South, 1949–50 South
Oldham Athletic 2 1952–53 North, 1973–74
Oxford United 2 1967–68, 1983–84
Port Vale 2 1929–30 North, 1953–54 North
Preston North End 2 1970–71, 1999–2000
Queens Park Rangers 2 1947–48 South, 1966–67
Rotherham United 2 1950–51 North, 1980–81
Scunthorpe United 2 1957–58 North, 2006–07
Southampton 2 1921–22 South, 1959–60
Stockport County 2 1921–22 North, 1936–37 North
Stoke City 2 1926–27 North, 1992–93
Watford 2 1968–69, 1997–98
39 AFC Bournemouth 1 1986–87
Aston Villa 1 1971–72
Birmingham City 1 1994–95
Blackburn Rovers 1 1974–75
Bolton Wanderers 1 1972–73
Bradford Park Avenue 1 1927–28 North
Burnley 1 1981–82
Cambridge United 1 1990–91
Cardiff City 1 1946–47 South
Carlisle United 1 1964–65
Crystal Palace 1 1920–21
Darlington 1 1924–25 North
Derby County 1 1956–57 North
Hereford United 1 1975–76
Leicester City 1 2008–09
Mansfield Town 1 1976–77
Nelson 1 1922–23 North
Newport County 1 1938–39 South
Northampton Town 1 1962–63
Nottingham Forest 1 1950–51 South
Sheffield United 1 2016–17
Shrewsbury Town 1 1978–79
Southend United 1 2005–06
Sunderland 1 1987–88
Swindon Town 1 1995–96
Tranmere Rovers 1 1937–38 North
Wrexham 1 1977–78

References

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