<P> The Bengals won the AFC championship in 1981 and 1988 , but lost Super Bowls XVI and XXIII to the San Francisco 49ers . After Paul Brown 's death in 1991 , controlling interest in the team was inherited by his son , Mike Brown . In 2011 , Brown purchased shares of the team owned by the estate of co-founder Austin Knowlton and is now the majority owner of the Bengals franchise . </P>
<P> The Bengals won the AFC championship in 1981 and 1988 , but lost Super Bowls XVI and XXIII to the San Francisco 49ers . After Paul Brown 's death in 1991 , controlling interest in the team was inherited by his son , Mike Brown . In 2011 , Brown purchased shares of the team owned by the estate of co-founder Austin Knowlton and is now the majority owner of the Bengals franchise . </P>
when did the bengals make it to the superbowl
when did the bengals make it to the superbowl
1981 1988
1981 1988