- 1866
| May 08 | Australian Rules Football is created | Ref: 2 |
- 1867
| Oct 18 | The rules for American football are formulated at meeting in NY among delegates from Columbia, Rutgers, Princeton and Yale universities. | Ref: 2 |
- 1873
| Oct 18 | Columbia Princeton Rutgers & Yale set rules for collegiate football. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 19 | Yale, Princeton, Columbia and Rutgers universities draft the first code of football rules. | Ref: 2 |
- 1874
| May 14 | McGill University and Harvard met at Cambridge, MA for the first college football game to charge admission. Harvard wins. This is also the first time that a goalpost was used at both ends of the playing field. | Ref: 4 |
- 1875
| Nov 13 | Harvard-Yale game is first college football contest with uniforms. | Ref: 5 |
- 1876
| Nov 23 | Columbia, Harvard & Princeton form the Intercollegiate Football Association in Springfield MA. | Ref: 5 |
- 1883
| Jan 04 | Ontario Rugby Football Union (forerunner of CFL) formed. | Ref: 5 |
- 1884
| Sep 21 | Hugh (Shorty) Ray supervisor of NFL officials, HOF member, is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1887
| Nov 23 | The University of Michigan beat Notre Dame (8-0) for the first time in their football rivalry. | Ref: 4 |
- 1888
| Mar 22 | English Football League established. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 14 | USC Trojans (then Methodists) play their first football game. | Ref: 5 |
- 1890
| Nov 29 | The first Army-Navy football game was played at West Point, New York. The midshipmen from Annapolis dominated, shutting out the cadets, 25-0. | Ref: 4 |
- 1892
| Feb 22 | Manitoba Rugby Football Union forms. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 28 | The first night football game is played in Mansfield, PA between Mansfield State Normal School and Wyoming Seminary. | Ref: 4 |
| Sep 29 | First night football game played (Mansfield, Penn). | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 12 | Allegheny Athletic Association beats Pittsburgh Athletic Club, 4-0 in football. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 12 | Pudge Heffelfinger receives $500, becomes first pro football player. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 27 | N C Biddle beats Livingston 4-0 in first black college football game. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 28 | N C Biddle beats Livingston 4-0 in first black college football game. | Ref: 5 |
- 1894
| Dec 25 | The University of Chicago had the first Midwestern football team to play on the west coast as U.C. defeated Stanford, 24-4, at Palo Alto, CA. on Christmas Day. Football broadcasters, however, did have the day off, as there was no radio or TV back then. | Ref: 4 |
- 1895
| Aug 31 | The 1st pro football game (QB John Brallier paid $10 & wins 12-0). | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 03 | The first professional football game was played -- in Latrobe, PA. The Latrobe YMCA defeated the Jeannette Athletic Club 12-0. Since 1967, St. Vincent College in Latrobe has been the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers training camp. | Ref: 4 |
- 1896
| Jan 04 | AFL charters Actors' National Protective Union, New York City NY. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 08 | The Western (football) Conference was formed by representatives of Midwestern universities. Later, the group changed its name to the Big 10 Conference. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 26 | The University of Chicago defeated the University of Michigan, 7-6, at the Chicago Coliseum. It was the first major college football game played indoors. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 26 | A.A. Stagg of U Chicago creates the football huddle. | Ref: 5 |
- 1897
| Jan 01 | First football game between black colleges-Atlanta University 10, Tuskegee 0. | Ref: 5 |
- 1899
| Jan 07 | Walter Camp publishes his first All-American football team in Collier's. | Ref: 5 |
- 1900
| Mar 18 | Ajax (Amsterdam Football Club), forms. | Ref: 5 |
- 1902
| Jan 01 | The very first Tournament of Roses collegiate football game is played in Pasadena, California. Michigan trounced the Stanford Cardinal 49-0. It would be 14 years before another Rose Bowl game was held. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 21 | First night football game, Philadelphia Athletics beats Kanaweola AC, 39-0. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 28 | The first professional indoor football game was played -- at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Syracuse defeated the Philadelphia Nationals, 6-0. | Ref: 4 |
- 1904
| Jan 28 | First college sports letters given to Seniors who played on University of Chicago's football team are awarded blankets with letter "C" on them. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 04 | First stadium built specifically for football (Harvard Stadium). | Ref: 5 |
- 1906
| Jan 12 | Football rules committee legalizes the forward pass. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 14 | Calgary City Rugby Football Club forms. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 05 | Bradbury Robinson executed the first legal forward pass in football. Robinson threw the ball to Jack Schneider of St. Louis University in a game against Carroll College. | Ref: 4 |
- 1908
| Dec 04 | Numerals are used for the first time on football uniforms worn by college football players. The University of Pittsburgh Panthers proudly displayed their new numbers in a game with Washington and Jefferson. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 05 | Numerals were used for the first time on football uniforms worn by college football players. The University of Pittsburgh Panthers proudly displayed their new numbers in a game with Washington and Jefferson. | Ref: 4 |
- 1909
| Dec 04 | First CFL Grey Cup: University of Toronto defeats Toronto Parkdale, 26-6. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 11 | Canadian Football exhibition game played in Van Cortlandt Park in Bronx, Hamilton Tigers beat Ottawa Rough Riders, 11-6 before 15,000. | Ref: 5 |
- 1910
| Sep 06 | Saskatchewan (then Regina) Roughriders football club formed. | Ref: 5 |
- 1912
| Feb 03 | New U.S. football rules are set: field shortened to 100 yds.; touchdown counts six points instead of five; four downs are allowed instead of three; and the kickoff is moved from midfield to the 40 yd. line. | Ref: 2 |
| Nov 09 | Carlisle School for Indians in Pennsylvania (Jim Thorpe's alma mater), coached by Pop Warner, hammered Army 27-6. Playing right halfback on the Army team was a future U.S. war hero and president: Dwight D. Eisenhower. | Ref: 4 |
- 1913
| Nov 01 | Knute Rockne and the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame beat Army at West Point, 35-7. Notre Dame had been an unknown in college football. What turned it around was the attention of thousands as Rockne handed Army its first loss of the season, thanks to a new secret weapon: the forward pass. | Ref: 4 |
- 1914
| Dec 05 | 6th CFL Grey Cup: Toronto Argonauts defeats University of Toronto, 14-2. | Ref: 5 |
- 1916
| Jan 01 | First football game in Rose Bowl (Washington State-Brown). | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 07 | Georgia Tech kills Cumberland College (of Lebanon, TN) in a football game 222-0. This is the most lopsided football score in history. | Ref: 5 |
- 1919
| Aug 11 | Green Bay Packers football club founded. | Ref: 5 |
- 1920
| Apr 17 | American Professional Football Association forms. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 20 | A preliminary meeting in Akron to discuss the formation of the American Pro Football League occurs. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 17 | The American Professional Football Association, the precursor of the National Football League was formed -- in Canton, Ohio. Canton is now the home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. (Xenia Daily Gazette, p 4A, 9/17/2000) | |
| Oct 03 | NFL (then American Pro Football Association) plays first games. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 10 | Phoenix Cardinals (then in Chicago) play first NFL game, a 0-0 tie. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 17 | Chicago Bears (as Decatur Staleys) play first NFL game, win 7-0. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 14 | American Pro Football League's Chicago Tiger Joe Guyon punts 95 yards. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 25 | The first play-by-play coverage of a football game was broadcast by WTAW radio in College Station, TX. Texas University beat the Aggies of Texas A&M, 7-3. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 04 | First Pro football playoff game Buffalo-7, Canton-3 at Polo Grounds. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 04 | 8th CFL Grey Cup: University of Toronto defeats Toronto Argonauts, 16-3. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 05 | Pro football playoff game Akron & Buffalo 0-0 tie, title undecided. | Ref: 5 |
- 1921
| Apr 30 | American Professional Football Assn reorganizes in Akron. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 27 | J.E. Clair, who owned the Acme Packing Company, bought a pro football franchise for Green Bay, WI. Cheeseheads could have been their name, but he decided to pay tribute to those who packed the meat at his processing plant. Hence the name: the Green Bay Packers. | Ref: 4 |
| Oct 10 | NFL Decatur Staleys become Chicago Staleys, win 14-10. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 16 | Jim Conzelman takes over as coach of Rock Island Independents from Frank Coughlin-only mid-game coaching change in NFL history. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 23 | Green Bay Packers play first NFL game, 7-6 win over Minneapolis. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 03 | 9th CFL Grey Cup: Toronto Argonauts defeats Edmonton Eskimos, 23-0. | Ref: 5 |
- 1922
| Jan 28 | American Pro Football Association renamed "National Football League". | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 28 | J E Clair turns Green Bay franchise back to NFL. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 24 | The American Professional Football Association took on a new name. They decided to name themselves the National Football League. | Ref: 4 |
| Aug 21 | Curly Lambeau & Green Bay Football Club granted NFL franchise. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 01 | Former Chicago Staleys play first NFL game as Chicago Bears, win 6-0. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 28 | WEAF in New York broadcasts the first collegiate football game heard coast to coast. Princeton played the University of Chicago at Stagg Field in the Windy City. The broadcast was carried on phone lines to New York City, where the radio transmission began. (Princeton 21, Chicago 18.) | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 02 | 10th CFL Grey Cup: Queen's University defeats Edmonton Eskimos, 13-1. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 10 | Pete Henry makes longest known NFL drop-kicked field goal, 45 yards. | Ref: 5 |
- 1923
| Jan 01 | Postseason football game renamed "Rose Bowl" in Pasadena, CA. | Ref: 10 |
| Jan 01 | The very first radio broadcast of the Rose Bowl was beamed in Los Angeles over KHJ radio -- some 42 years before 93/KHJ became Boss Radio. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 01 | CFL Grey Cup: Queen's University beats Regina, 54-0 at Toronto. | Ref: 5 |
- 1924
| Oct 18 | Harold "Red" Grange, finest collegiate football game (4 long TD runs). | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 18 | The term ‘Four Horsemen’ was used in a New York Herald Tribune article by columnist Grantland Rice. The referenced Four Horsemen were the backfield of the University of Notre Dame which had beaten Army, 13-7. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 01 | Forest Peters of Montana State U hits 17 of 22 attempted field goals. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 16 | Cleveland Bulldogs lose to Frankford Yellowjackets, ends 31-game undefeated streak (NFL & major-league football record). | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 27 | The largest crowd to see a high school football game went through the turnstiles in Los Angeles this day. Los Angeles High and Polytechnic High fought to a 7-7 tie. The attendance? 57,000 people! | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 24 | Notre Dame football coach (1918-1930) Knute Rockne said he opposed elimination of the forward pass since it has helped “to curb the brutality of football.” Knute knew a little something about football. His record for highest winning percentage in Division I-A football (.881) still stands. Oh, they decided not to eliminate the forward pass (just in case you hadn’t noticed). | Ref: 4 |
- 1925
| Jan 01 | The Four Horsemen of the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame played together for the last time as the Irish downed Stanford (which apparently enjoyed losing in the Rose Bowl) 27-10. The Four Horsemen were Jim Crowley, Elmer Layden, Don Miller and Harry Stuhldreher. | Ref: 4 |
| Oct 11 | The New York Giants play their firt NFL game, losing to Providence 14-0. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 21 | Harold ‘Red’ Grange played his last game for the University of IL. The next day he joined the Chicago Bears. Two months later, Grange was so famous that he was offered $120,000 and a real estate company. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 22 | Red Grange signs with Chicago Bears directly out of college. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 06 | Record 73,000 pay to watch Chicago Bears beat NY Giants 19-7. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 09 | Pro football a hit in NYC; Grange & Bears beat Giants before 73,000. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 26 | First East-West football game at Ewing Park before 25,000 fans. | Ref: 5 |
- 1926
| Jan 01 | The Rose Bowl was carried coast to coast on network radio for the first time. Graham McNamee provided play-by-play on NBC Radio. | Ref: 4 |
| Feb 06 | The National Football League (NFL) adopted a rule that made players ineligible for competition until their college classes graduate. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 27 | 110,000 watch Army & Navy play a 21-all tie. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 04 | 14th CFL Grey Cup: Ottawa Senators defeats University of Toronto, 10-7. | Ref: 5 |
- 1927
| Jan 01 | The very first coast-to-coast network radio broadcast of the Rose Bowl was made. Graham McNamee provided the play-by-play on NBC Radio. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 12 | After playing forty years in blue jerseys, Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish wear brilliant green jerseys and stockings for the first time. They took to the gridiron against Army in New York City. The Irish have been wearing the lucky green uniforms since. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 26 | The East-West Shrine football game featured numbers on both the front and back of players’ jerseys. The idea was applauded by football fans. | Ref: 4 |
- 1928
| Nov 10 | It was on this day, after Knute Rockne delivered his ‘Win One for the Gipper’ pregame speech to the Irish players, that Notre Dame upset Army, 12-6. Rockne’s speech: “The day before he died, George Gipp asked me to wait until the situation seemed hopeless, then ask a Notre Dame team to go out and beat Army for him. This is the day, and you are the team.” | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 11 | It was on this day, after Knute Rockne used the phrase, “Win one for the Gipper,” in his speech to the Irish players at halftime, that Notre Dame upset Army, 12-7. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 01 | CFL Grey Cup: Ham Tigers beats Regina, 30-0 at Hamilton. | Ref: 5 |
- 1929
| Jan 01 | Roy Riegels runs 60 yards the wrong way with Rose Bowl fumble recovery. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 28 | Chicago Cardinals become first NFL team to train out of state (Mich). | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 21 | The Chicago Cardinals became the first professional football team to go out of town for training camp. The team started practice in Coldwater, MI. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 21 | First legal forward pass in Canadian senior football thrown (Calgary). | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 28 | Ernie Nevers scores all 40 pts for Chicago Cards vs Bears (NFL record). | Ref: 5 |
- 1930
| Sep 14 | Detroit Lions (as Portsmouth Spartans) play first NFL game, win 13-6. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 24 | Portsmouth beats Brooklyn in first NFL game played under floodlights. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 29 | First Canadian football game played under lights, Hamilton-UBC. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 25 | First football game in Atlantic City Convention Center. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 29 | First football game in eastern Canada played under floodlights. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 22 | First US football game broadcast to England (Harvard 13, Yale 0). | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 23 | NY Giant Hap Moran runs 91 yards for a TD from a scrimmage. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 06 | 18th CFL Grey Cup: Toronto Balmy Beach defeat Regina Roughriders, 11-6. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 14 | New York Giants defeat Notre Dame 22-0 in a charity game. | Ref: 5 |
- 1931
| Oct 10 | AJ Bennett hits H Garbarino for first scoring pass in Canada's Big 4. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 05 | CFL Grey Cup: Montréal AAA beats Regina, 22-0 at Montréal. | Ref: 5 |
- 1932
| Oct 02 | Washington Redskins (as Boston Braves) play first NFL game, lose 14-0. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 19 | Halfback Joe Kershallo scored 71 points to lead West Liberty State College of WV to a staggering 127-0 win over Cedarville College, Ohio. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 03 | 20th CFL Grey Cup: Hamilton Tigers defeats Regina Roughriders, 25-6. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 18 | Chicago Bears beat Portsmouth Spartans 9-0 in first NFL playoff game. | Ref: 5 |
- 1933
| Feb 25 | Major NFL rule changes (hash mark 10 yards in, posts on goal line). | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 17 | Chicago Bears win their first NFL Game beating New York Giants 23-21. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 09 | Frankford Yellowjackets sold, rechristened Philadelphia Eagles. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 28 | NFL divides into 2, 5 team divisions. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 20 | Pittsburgh Steelers (as Pirates) play first NFL game, lose 23-2. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 01 | Packers make 5 first downs, the Giants make 0, but still win 10-7. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 15 | Philadelphia Eagles play 1st NFL game, lose to NY Giants 56-0. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 05 | Chicago Bears 30 game unbeaten streak ends to Patriots (10-0). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 03 | Joe Lilliard QBs Chicago Cardinals; last NFL black until 1946. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 09 | 21st CFL Grey Cup: Toronto Argonauts defeats Sarnia Imperials, 4-3. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 17 | NFL starts keeping official statistics as Bears beat Giants 23-21 in championship game. | Ref: 5 |
- 1934
| Jun 30 | NFL's Portsmouth Spartans become the Detroit Lions | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 31 | The 1st football all star game-Bears tie collegians 0-0 in Chicago. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 04 | Pittsburgh ends Detroit Lions' shutout streak at 7 games but loses 40-7. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 29 | Chicago Bears beat Detroit in first NFL game broadcast nationally. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 09 | Because of ground conditions, the New York Giants football team preferred to wear basketball sneakers, as they defeated the Chicago Bears, 30-13, for the NFL championship. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 10 | NFL adopts player waiver rule; applies after 6th game of the season. | Ref: 5 |
- 1935
| Apr 01 | A crowd of 60,000 people, including Babe Ruth and the Japanese Royal Family, watched an American football team beat Japan 46-0. | Ref: 4 |
| May 19 | NFL adopts an annual college draft to begin in 1936. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 02 | Notre Dame upsets the Buckeyes of Ohio State, 18-13. It was their first meeting. A forward pass by Bill Shakespeare helped the Fighting Irish down Ohio State as some 81,000 fans looked on. Sports scribes called it, "The greatest game ever played." | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 30 | The president of Yale University, James Angell, is said to have suggested that professional football “may someday surpass college football in popularity.” | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 07 | Byron Haines, a halfback for the University of Washington, scored all the points as the Huskies defeated Southern California, 6-2. He scored all the points for his team -- and the other team as well. He was responsible for Washington’s touchdown and he was pushed over the goal line giving USC a safety. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 07 | CFL Grey Cup: Winnipeg Blue Bombers beat Ham Tigers, 18-12 at Hamilton. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 15 | Detroit Lions win NFL championship. | Ref: 5 |
- 1936
| Feb 08 | The first National Football League draft was held. Jay Berwanger was the first to be selected. He went to the Philadelphia Eagles. He never plays in the NFL. | Ref: 17 |
| Sep 28 | Brooklyn & Boston play a penalty free NFL game. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 01 | 2nd Heisman Trophy Award: Larry Kelley, Yale (E). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 05 | 24th CFL Grey Cup: Sarnia Imperials defeats Ottawa Rough Riders, 26-20. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 13 | Green Bay beat the Boston Redskins, 21-6, to capture the National Football League championship. It was the last game for Boston. The team became the Washington Redskins in 1937. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 13 | Final Boston Redskin NFL game, lose to Packers 21-6, move to Washington DC. | Ref: 5 |
- 1937
| Jan 01 | The First Cotton Bowl football game was played in Dallas, TX. Texas Christian (T.C.U.) beat Marquette 16-6. | Ref: 4 |
| Feb 12 | Cleveland (now Los Angeles) Rams granted an NFL franchise. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 13 | NFL Boston Redskins move to Washington DC. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 10 | 2nd American Football League plays first game (LA 21, Pittsburgh 0) Cleveland (Los Angeles) Rams plays their 1st NFL game, lose 28-0. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 17 | First NFL game in Washington, DC; Redskins beat NY Giants 13-3. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 13 | Heisman Trophy winner halfback/quarterback Clint Frank of Yale caries 19 times, sets a school record with 190 yards, 4 TDs in a 26-0 win over Princeton. (Sports Illustrated, 11/12/2001) | |
| Dec 11 | 25th CFL Grey Cup: Toronto Argonauts defeats Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 30-7. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 12 | Washington Redskins win NFL championship. | Ref: 5 |
- 1938
| Sep 18 | Chicago Bears beat Green Bay Packers 2-0. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 09 | Cleveland Browns & Chicago Bears play a penalty free NFL game. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 05 | Ottawa Roughriders score on 5-man, 4-lateral, 65-yard punt return. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 05 | Rutgers beats Princeton first time in 60 years as Rutgers Stad dedicated. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 10 | 26th CFL Grey Cup: Toronto Argonauts defeats Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 30-7. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 11 | New York Giants win NFL championship. | Ref: 5 |
- 1939
| Jan 15 | First NFL pro bowl, New York Giants beat All Stars 13-10 in Wrigley Field. | Ref: 5 |
| May 25 | Carl Storck becomes the 2nd NFL president. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 30 | The first college football game to be televised is shown on experimental station W2XBS in New York as Fordham University defeated Waynesburg College, 34-to-7. | Ref: 4 |
| Oct 22 | The first televised pro football game was telecast from Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York. NBC’s flagship, W2XBS, carried the action. Brooklyn beat Philadelphia, 23-14. NBC later changed those experimental call letters to WRCA, and even later, to WNBC. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 18 | Heisman Trophy winner halfback Nile Knnick of Iowa throws 2 TD passes, kicks an extra point and intercepts a pass in a 13-9 win over Minnesota.(Sports Illustrated, 11/19/2001) | |
| Dec 06 | 5th Heisman Trophy Award: Nile Kinnick, IA (HB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 09 | 27th Grey Cup: Winnipeg Blue Bombers defeats Ottawa Rough Riders, 8-7. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 10 | Green Bay Packers win NFL championship, beat NY Giants 27-0. | Ref: 5 |
- 1940
| Jan 14 | NFL Pro Bowl Green Bay beats NFL All-Stars 16-7. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 12 | NFL cuts clipping penalty from 25 yards to 15 yards. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 15 | 3rd American Football League plays first game (Milw 14, Columbus 2). | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 28 | Michigan's Tom Harmon runs 72, 86 & 94 yard touchdowns. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 10 | Pittsburgh & Philadelphia play a penalty free NFL game. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 17 | The Green Bay Packers become 1st NFL team to travel by plane. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 23 | Heisman Trophy winner halfback Tom Harmon of Michigan gains 283 yards, 3 TDs rushing, 2 TDs passing, snags 1 interception in a 40-0 win over Ohio State. (Ref: Sports Illustrated, 11/26/2001) | |
| Nov 25 | Football great Tom Harmon saw his uniform number 98 retired by the athletic officials at the University of Michigan. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 07 | 28th CFL Grey Cup (Game 2): Toronto Balmy Beach defeats Ottawa, 12-5. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 08 | The Chicago Bears shut out the Washington Redskins b-i-g t-i-m-e. The final score: Chicago 73, Washington 0. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 29 | NFL Pro Bowl: Chi Bears beats NFL All-Stars 28-14. | Ref: 5 |
- 1941
| Jan 14 | Paul Brown, then head football coach of Massillon High School, is named head coach of Ohio State’s Buckeyes. In seven years of high school competition, coach Brown’s Massillon High team lost only one game. | Ref: 4 |
| Feb 14 | Frank Leahy was named head football coach at the University of Notre Dame. | Ref: 4 |
| Mar 01 | Elmer Layden becomes first NFL commisioner. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 28 | The Football Writers Association of America was organized. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 15 | Heisman Trophy winner halfback Bruce Smith of Minnesota injured, comes off the bench to set up 3 TDs, preserve No. 1 hopes in a 34-13 win over Iowa. (Sports Illustrated, 11/19/2001) | |
| Dec 05 | Football Writers Association of America organized. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 09 | 7th Heisman Trophy Award: Bruce Smith, Minnesota (HB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 14 | 1st NFL division playoff, Bears beat Packers 33-14. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 21 | Chicago Bears win the NFL championship, Ray McLean makes last NFL drop kick for an extra point. | Ref: 5 |
- 1942
| Jan 01 | Rose Bowl played in North Carolina due to Japanese threat-Oregon 20, Duke 16. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 04 | NFL Pro Bowl Chicago Bears beats NFL All-Stars 35-24. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 27 | This was the day Notre Dame football coach Frank Leahy announced his intention to concentrate on the T formation instead of the famous Knute Rockne ‘Notre Dame shift’ in South Bend, Indiana. Go, Fighting Irish! Rah! | Ref: 4 |
| Sep 27 | NY Giants beat Wash Redskins 14-7 without making a first down. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 05 | CFL Grey Cup: Toronto beats Winnipeg RCAF, 8-5 at Toronto. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 08 | 8th Heisman Trophy Award: Frank Sinkwich, Georgia (HB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 13 | Washington Redskins defeat Chicago Bears 14-6, to win NFL title. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 27 | NFL Pro Bowl: NFL All-Stars beats Washington 17-14. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 28 | NFL Pro Bowl: NFL All-Stars beats Washington 17-14. | Ref: 5 |
- 1943
| Apr 07 | NFL adopts free substitution rule. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 19 | The National Football League approved the merger of the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers (the Steagles), a team that lasted one 5-4-1 season; but turned down approval of a similar merger of the Chicago Cardinals and the Bears. The following year the Steelers merged with the Cardinals, another one season combo. The reason teams were merging in the 1940s: so many men were in the armed forces due to WWII, football players were at a premium. | Ref: 4 |
| Oct 31 | Wash Redskin Sammy Baugh passes for 6 touchdowns vs Brooklyn (48-10). | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 31 | Brian Piccolo football: Chicago Bears RB; subject of movie: Brian’s Song; is born. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 07 | Detroit Lions 0, NY Giants 0; last scoreless tie in NFL. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 14 | Chicago Bear Sid Luckman passes for 7 touchdowns vs NY Giants (56-7). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 03 | 9th Heisman Trophy Award: Angelo Bertelli, Notre Dame (QB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 05 | NFL Philadelphia Eagle-Pittsburgh Steeler merger dissolves. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 26 | Chicago Bears win NFL championship. | Ref: 5 |
- 1944
| Jan 01 | Army defeats Navy 10-7 in football "Arab Bowl", Oran, North Africa. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 20 | NFL leagalizes coaching from the bench. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 21 | NFL Chicago Cardinals & Pittsburgh Steelers merge (dissolves on Dec 3). | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 11 | The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame got whipped by Army, 59-0. The shutout was the worst margin of defeat for any Notre Dame team. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 02 | 10th Heisman Trophy Award: Les(lie) Horvath, Ohio State (QB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 03 | NFL Cardinals-Pittsburgh merger dissolves. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 17 | Green Bay Packers win NFL championship. | Ref: 5 |
- 1945
| Apr 09 | NFL requires players to wear long stockings. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 10 | NFL's Boston Yanks & Brooklyn Tigers merge. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 20 | Cleveland Browns organization formed by Arthur "Mickey" McBride. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 14 | Chicago Cardinals end a record 29-game losing streak, beat Bears. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 10 | College football's #1 Army beats #2 Notre Dame 48-0. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 22 | Jim Benton, Cleveland end, gains 303 yards (NFL record). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 01 | CFL Grey Cup: Toronto beats Winnipeg, 35-0 at Toronto. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 04 | 11th Heisman Trophy Award: Doc Blanchard, Army (FB); he is first junior to win the trophy. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 16 | Cleveland Rams win NFL championship | Ref: 5 |
- 1946
| Jan 11 | Bert Bell becomes 2nd NFL commissioner, moves Chicago IL headquarters to Philadelphia PA. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 12 | NFL champs Cleveland Rams given permission to move to Los Angeles. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 21 | The Los Angeles Rams sign Kenny Washington, the first black player to join a National Football League team since 1933. | Ref: 4 |
| Sep 06 | All-American Football Conference plays first game (Clev 44, Miami 0). | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 08 | San Francisco 49ers play first AAFC game, lose to NY Yankees 21-7. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 29 | Los Angeles (previously Cleveland) Rams play first NFL game in LA. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 20 | Frank Seno returns kickoff 105 yd, Chicago Cards vs NY Giants. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 03 | 12th Heisman Trophy Award: Glenn Davis, Army (HB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 15 | Chicago Bears beat New York Giants 24-14 in NFL championship game. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 15 | Giants Frank Filchock & Merle Hapes suspended by NFL, because they didn't report bribe attempt. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 22 | Cleveland Browns beat New York Yankees 14-9 in AAFC championship game. | Ref: 5 |
- 1947
| Jan 24 | NFL adds 5th official (back judge) & allows sudden death in playoffs. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 20 | The National Football League ruled that no professional team could sign a player who had college eligibility remaining. | Ref: 4 |
| Aug 22 | The college all-stars win for the first time in the annual charity football game between the Chicago Bears and a select team of college football standouts. The 14th annual game was played at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL. | Ref: 4 |
| Oct 17 | Pat Harder, Chicago Cardinals, shares individual game record: points after touchdowns [9: Cardinals vs. NY Giants] | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 23 | Wash Redskin Sammy Baugh passes for 6 touchdowns vs Chi Cards (45-21). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 02 | 13th Heisman Trophy Award: Johnny Lujack, Notre Dame (QB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 14 | Cleveland Browns beat New York Yankees 14-3 in AAFC championship game. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 28 | Chicago Cardinals beat Philadelphia Eagles 28-21 in NFL championship game. | Ref: 5 |
- 1948
| Jun 28 | Football star Tom Harmon announced his retirement from professional football. Harmon later became one of the big names in sportscasting for ABC radio and TV. | Ref: 4 |
| Oct 03 | NFL becomes first sport televised as sport of the week. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 17 | Pat Harder, kicker, shares individual game record: points after touchdowns with 9 in a game with the Chicago Cardinals vs. NY Giants. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 05 | NY Giant Charley Conerly sets NFL record of 36 pass completions. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 08 | 14th Heisman Trophy Award: Doak Walker, SMU (HB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 12 | Michigan State is admitted to the Western Conference; making it the Big 10 Conference once again. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 19 | Cleveland Browns beats Buffalo Bills 49-7 in AAFC championship game. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 19 | Philadelphia Eagles shutout Chicago Cardinals 7-0 in NFL championship game. | Ref: 5 |
- 1949
| Jan 28 | New York Giants sign their 1st black players, Monte Irvin & Ford Smith. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 12 | Football quarterback Norm Van Brocklin, a student at the University of Oregon, decided against another year of college and signed a professional NFL contract to play with the Los Angeles Rams. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 04 | Bob Gage ties NFL record of a 97 yard touchdown run. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 07 | 15th Heisman Trophy Award: Leon Hart, Notre Dame (E). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 09 | NFL merges Cleveland Browns, San Francisco '49ers & Baltimore Colts from AAFC. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 11 | Chicago Bear Johnny Lujack passes for 6 touchdowns vs Chicago Cardinals (52-29). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 11 | Cleveland Browns beat San Francisco '49ers 21-7 in final AAFC championship game. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 18 | Philadelphia Eagles beat Los Angeles Rams 14-0 in NFL championship game. | Ref: 5 |
- 1950
| Jan 20 | Unlimited free substitution was restored in the NFL, opening the way for the era of two platoons and specialization in pro football. Ref | |
| Jan 23 | NFL rule changes open way for 2-platoon system (offense & defense). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 01 | Curly Lambeau, founder of the franchise and Green Bay's head coach since 1921, resigned under fire. Ref | |
| Mar 03 | The name National Football League was restored after about three months as the National-American Football League. The American and National conferences were created to replace the Eastern and Western divisions. Ref | |
| Aug 12 | NY Giants (NFL) beat Ottawa Roughriders (CFL) 20-6 in Ottawa. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 16 | Cleveland Rams (formerly AAFC) play first NFL game, beat Phila. 35-10). | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 17 | San Francisco 49ers (formerly AAFC) play first NFL game, lose 21-17. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 02 | Chic Cards Jim Hardy passes for 6 touchdowns vs Balt Colts (55-13), 5 of them to Bob Shaw, also a record. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 21 | Tom Powers of Duke scores 6 touchdowns. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 22 | A record score in the NFL: The Los Angeles Rams stopped the Baltimore Colts, 70-27, in a regular season game. | Ref: 4 |
| Oct 29 | Wally Triplett avgs 735 yards on 3 kickoff returns. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 12 | Gene Roberts sets NFL NY Giant rushing record (218 yards) vs Chicago Cards. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 03 | Cleveland Browns' Horace Gillom sets club record with 12 punts. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 03 | Cleveland Browns last NFL team with no-pass game (beat Philadelphia 13-7). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 12 | 16th Heisman Trophy Award: Vic Janowicz, Ohio State (HB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 24 | Coach Paul Brown won his fifth straight pro-football championship as Lou Groza kicked a field goal in the final 20 seconds. The Cleveland Browns edged the Los Angeles Rams, 30-28. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 25 | Cleveland Browns beat Los Angeles Rams 30-28 in NFL championship game. | Ref: 5 |
- 1951
| Jan 14 | The first National Football League Pro Bowl All-Star Game (since 1942) is played -- in Los Angeles, California. The American Conference defeated the National Conference in a squeaker -- 28-27. | Ref: 4 |
| Jan 18 | NFL rules tackles, guards & centers ineligible for forward pass. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 18 | NFL takes control of the failing Baltimore Colts. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 11 | NY Giants (NFL) beat Ottawa Roughriders (CFL) 38-6 in Ottawa. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 28 | Norm Van Brocklin of the Rams passes for NFL-record 554 yards. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 29 | The University of CA defeated the University of PA 35-0 at Franklin Field in Philadelphia. It was the first network football game to be televised in color -- on CBS. | Ref: 4 |
| Oct 13 | A football with a rubber covering was used for the first time, as Georgia Tech whipped Louisiana State 25-7. The game was played in Atlanta, GA. | Ref: 4 |
| Oct 14 | Det Lion Jack Christiansen returns 2 punts for touchdowns vs LA Rams. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 04 | NY Giants & NY Yanks score back-to-back TDs on kickoff returns. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 25 | Cleveland Browns penalized a record 209 yards against Chicago Bears. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 01 | 17th Heisman Trophy Award: Dick Kazmaier, Princeton (HB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 02 | Philadelphia sets NFL record of 25 first-downs rushing. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 23 | First coast-to-coast televised football game (Dumont paid $75,000); Los Angeles Rams beat Cleveland Browns 24-17 in NFL championship game. | Ref: 5 |
- 1952
| Jan 12 | NFL Pro Bowl National Conference beats American Conference 30-13. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 19 | The National Football League buys the franchise of the New York Yankees. The NFL sent the Yankee club winging its way to Dallas and eventual obscurity when, in 1960, the Dallas expansion team hired Tom Landry as head coach and became the Dallas Cowboys. | Ref: 4 |
| Jan 24 | First NFL team in Texas, Dallas Texans formerly New York Yankees. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 11 | A football game was called because of profanity! Francis DeReus, a referee in the IA Wesleyan-Dubuque gridiron match-up, actually stopped the game when Dubuque coach Moco Mercer became too profane. DeReus gave Moco and the team the old, “Yer outta here, bub!” Final score: IA Wesleyan 1, Dubuque 0. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 25 | Only win ever for NFL's Dallas Texans (11-1) beats Bears 27-23. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 02 | 18th Heisman Trophy Award: Billy Vessels, OK (HB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 12 | Dallas Texans (former Boston Yanks) play last game, last original team. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 28 | The Detroit Lions defeat the Cleveland Browns 17-7 for the NFL championship. | Ref: 5 |
- 1953
| Jan 10 | NFL Pro Bowl National Conference beats American Conference 27-7. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 23 | NFL Dallas Texans become Baltimore Colts (now Indpls Colts). | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 23 | NFL's National & American conferences become Eastern & Western conferences. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 24 | NFL's National & American conferences become Eastern & Western conferences. Ref | |
| Jun 10 | Mickey McBride, founder of the Cleveland Browns, sold the franchise to a syndicate headed by Dave R. Jones. Ref | |
| Jul 08 | Notre Dame announced that the next five years of its football games would be shown in theatres over closed circuit TV. | Ref: 4 |
| Sep 27 | Bert Rechichar, Baltimore Colts, kicks a 56-yard field goal. (Correction courtesy Bob Leedy) | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 18 | Willie Thrower becomes 1st black NFL quarterback in modern times. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 28 | Bud Grant of Winnipeg Blue Bombers intercepts 5 passes (record). | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 12 | The NFL policy of blacking out home games was upheld by Judge Allan K. Grim of the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia. Ref | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 06 | Brown's Lou "Toe" Groza kicks 8 PATs, beating Giants 62-14. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 08 | 19th Heisman Trophy Award: John Lattner, Notre Dame (HB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 27 | Detroit Lions beat Cleveland Browns 17-16 in NFL championship game. Ref | |
- 1954
| Jan 01 | Rose & Cotton Bowl are first sport colorcasts. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 17 | NFL Pro Bowl East beats West 20-9. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 17 | Phila Eagle Adrian Burk passes for 7 touchdowns vs Wash (49-21). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 15 | Fordham University scraps football team for financial reasons. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 26 | Cleveland Browns beat the Detroit Lions 56-10 in NFL championship game. | Ref: 5 |
- 1955
| Jan 16 | NFL Pro Bowl West beats East 26-19. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 28 | The sudden-death overtime rule was used for the first time in a pre-season game between the Rams and Giants at Portland, OR. The Rams won 23-17 three minutes into overtime. Ref | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 08 | 21st Heisman Trophy Award: Howard Cassady, Ohio State (HB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 26 | Cleveland Browns beat Los Angeles Rams 38-14 in NFL championship game. | Ref: 5 |
- 1956
| Jan 15 | NFL Pro Bowl East beats West 31-30. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 22 | Canadian Football Council forms. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 18 | Football commissioner Bert Bell turned thumbs down on the use of radio-equipped helmets by NFL quarterbacks. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 04 | The average salary of football coaches at state universities was $11,005, according to a survey released on this day. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 17 | Heisman Trophy winner halfback/quarterback Paul Hornung of Notre Dame scores 3 TDs, leads game-winning 63-yard drive lat in 21-14 win over North Carolina.(Sports Illustrated, 11/19/2001) | |
| Nov 17 | Fullback Jim Brown, Syracuse, scores 43 pts (NCAA rec) vs Colgate. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 27 | NFL's New York Giants switches games from Polo Grounds to Yankee Stadium. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 04 | 22nd Heisman Trophy Award: Paul Hornung, Notre Dame (QB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 30 | New York Giants beat Chicago Bears 47-7 in NFL championship game. | Ref: 5 |
- 1957
| Jan 13 | NFL Pro Bowl West beats East 19-10. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 23 | The United States Supreme Court ruled that professional football operations of the NFL did fall within coverage of existing antitrust laws. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 10 | An NFL-record crowd of 102,368 saw the 49ers-Rams game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Ref | |
| Dec 03 | 23rd Heisman Trophy Award: John Crow, TX A&M (HB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 22 | The Detroit Lions came from 20 points down to post a 31-27 playoff victory over the San Francisco 49ers. Ref | |
| Dec 29 | Detroit Lions beat Cleveland Browns 50-14 in NFL championship game. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 30 | New York Giants win NFL championship. | Ref: 5 |
- 1958
| Jan 12 | NCAA adds 2 point conversion to football scoring. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 12 | NFL Pro Bowl West beats East 26-7. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 19 | Canadian Football Council renamed Canadian Football League. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 17 | Former New York Giants football star Frank Gifford signed a seven-year contract with Warner Brothers in a film deal that didn’t make him the movie star the studio expected. So, Giff went into broadcasting instead. His first job was as a sportscaster for WCBS-TV in New York. He then moved to WABC-TV in New York and on to network television as primary play-by-play announcer and then to color commentator on ABC’s Monday Night Football. Frank is married to Kathie Lee Gifford of Regis and Kathie Lee morning TV fame. | Ref: 4 |
| Mar 07 | Chicago Cardinals announce they will play their 1958 opener in Buffalo. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 14 | Canadian Football League plays first game (Winnipeg 29, Edmonton 21). | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 22 | Argos' Boyd Carter, Dave Mann combine for record 131-yd punt return. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 02 | 24th Heisman Trophy Award: Pete Dawkins, Army (HB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 28 | The Baltimore Colts, coached by Weeb Ewbank, and quarterbacked by Johnny Unitas, defeat the New York Giants 23-17 in the first sudden-death overtime in an NFL Championship Game. The game ended when Colts fullback Alan Ameche scored on a one-yard touchdown run after 8:15 of overtime. Ref | |
| Dec 29 | Baltimore Colts beat New York Giants 23-17 in NFL championship game. | Ref: 5 |
- 1959
| Jan 11 | NFL Pro Bowl East beats West 28-21. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 28 | Vince Lombardi signs a 5 year contract to coach the Green Bay Packers. Ref | |
| Feb 02 | “Winning isn’t everything. It’s the only thing.” Famous words from Vince Lombardi, head coach of the Green Bay Packers, who, on this day, signed a five-year contract with the club that made the ‘green-and-yellow’ a team of destiny in the 1960s. | Ref: 4 |
| Feb 27 | Chicago Cards trade running back Ollie Matson to Los Angeles Rams for 9 players. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 28 | NFL trade, Chicago Cards trade Ollie Matson to Los Angeles Rams for 9 players. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 05 | Chic Cardinals (NFL) beat Toronto Argonauts (CFL) 55-26 in Toronto. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 14 | Lamar Hunt of Dallas announced his intentions to form a second pro football league. The first meeting was held in Chicago, and consisted of Hunt representing Dallas; Bob Howsam, Denver; K.S. (Bud) Adams, Houston; Barron Hilton, Los Angeles; Max Winter and Bill Boyer, Minneapolis; and Harry Wismer, New York City (New York Titans, later Jets). They made plans to begin play in 1960. Ref | |
| Aug 22 | Lamar Hunt's proposed new football league was named the American Football League. Ref | |
| Oct 11 | NFL Commissioner Bert Bell dies of a heart attack suffered at Franklin Field, Philadelphia, during the last two minutes of a game between the Eagles and the Steelers. Ref | |
| Oct 14 | Treasurer Austin Gunsel was named NFL president in the office of the commissioner. Ref | |
| Oct 28 | Buffalo (Bills), owned by Ralph Wilson, becomes the seventh franchise of the American Football League. Ref | |
| Nov 05 | The American Football League announced with 8 teams. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 22 | Boston (Patriots), owned by William H. Sullivan, becomes the eighth franchise of the American Football League. Ref | |
| Nov 22 | The first AFL draft, lasting 33 rounds, is held. Ref | |
| Nov 22 | NY Titans (AFL) first draft choice (George Izo, QB, Notre Dame). | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 30 | Joe Foss is named American Football League commissioner. He made about $30,000 a year in salary for the job. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 01 | 25th Heisman Trophy Award: Billy Cannon, LSU (HB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 02 | An additional draft of 20 rounds is held by the AFL. Ref | |
| Dec 18 | Sammy Baugh named first coach of NY Titans (AFL). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 19 | Penn State’s Nittany Lions beat Alabama, 7-0, in the first Liberty Bowl football game. The game was played in the Philadelphia Stadium in Philadelpha, PA. It was the first time Alabama played an integrated team. It was the last time Alabama takes a train to a game. Ref | |
| Dec 21 | Tom Landry accepts coaching job with Dallas Cowboys (stays until 1988). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 27 | Baltimore Colts beat New York Giants 31-16 in NFL championship game. Ref | |
- 1960
| Jan 08 | The NCAA met in New York and voted against reviving the unlimited substitution rule for college football. | Ref: 4 |
| Jan 17 | NFL Pro Bowl West beats East 38-21. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 26 | Pete Rozelle is elected commissioner of the National Football League on the 23rd ballot. He stayed there for more than 25 years. | Ref: 4 |
| Jan 26 | Oakland enters the AFL. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 28 | NFL announces Dallas Cowboys (1960) & Minnesota Vikings (1961) franchises. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 09 | A verbal agreement was reached between representatives of the American and National Football Leagues. Both agreed not to tamper with player contracts. | Ref: 4 |
| Mar 13 | NFL's Chicago Cardinals move to St Louis. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 09 | ABC & AFL sign a 5 year contract. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 30 | First AFL preseason game Boston Patriots defeat Bills in Buffalo (28-7). | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 06 | Pitt Steelers (NFL) beat Toronto Argonauts (CFL) 43-16 in Toronto. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 15 | Chic Bears beat NY Giants 16-7 in Toronto (NFL expo). | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 25 | The AFL begins placing players names on back of their jerseys . | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 09 | 4th American Football League plays first game (Denver 13, Boston 10). | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 09 | Cowboy QB Eddie LeBaron throws shortest touchdown pass (2"). | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 10 | Ron Stewart of Ottawa rushes for CFL-record 287 yards. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 29 | Chartered C46 carrying Cal State's football team crashes, kills 16. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 26 | Heisman Trophy winner halfback Joe Bellino of Navy runs for 85 yards, 1 TD, intercepts pass in the end zone late to preserve a 17-12 win over Army. (Ref: Sports Illustrated, 11/26/2001) | |
| Nov 27 | Trailing 38-7 late in 3rd quarter, Buffalo Bills tie Broncos at 38-38. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 11 | Cleveland's Bernie Parrish sets club record for longest interception return with a 92 yard run. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 26 | Philadelphia Eagles beat Green Bay Packers 17-13 in NFL championship game. | Ref: 5 |
- 1961
| Jan 01 | Houston Oilers beat Los Angeles Chargers 24-16 in AFL championship game. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 02 | First AFL Championship Game, Houston Oilers beat Los Angeles Chargers 24-16. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 07 | First NFL Playoff Bowl (runner-up bowl)-Detroit beats Cleveland 17-16. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 14 | Chicago Bear Willard Dewveall becomes first NFLer to join the AFL. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 15 | NFL Pro Bowl West beats East 35-31. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 10 | The Los Angeles franchise in the American Football League was transferred to San Diego. The previous year, Hollywood resident Gerald Courtney had won an all-expenses-paid trip to Mexico City and Acapulco after submitting the winning name: Chargers. Three reasons for choosing Chargers have been offered: 1) It sounded dynamic, 2) The club’s new stationary featured a horse and 3) Owner Baron Hilton had recently instituted the Carte Blanche card. | Ref: 4 |
| Mar 21 | Art Modell purchases Cleveland Browns for then record ($3,925,000). | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 27 | NFL officially recognizes Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 02 | St Louis Cards (NFL) beat Toronto Argonauts (CFL) 36-7 in Toronto. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 05 | Chic Bears (NFL) beat Mont Alouettes (CFL) 34-16 in Montreal. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 08 | Ham Tigercats (CFL) beat Buff Bills (NFL) 38-21 in Hamilton, Ontario. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 17 | A new team debuts in the National Football League: the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings defeated the Chicago Bears by a score of 37-13 in the team’s first game. | Ref: 4 |
| Oct 08 | Green Bay Packer’s running back/kicker Paul Hornung set a Packer records for points scored in a game: 33. Hornung scored 33 points: four touchdowns, six extra points and one field goal. (The Packers beat the Baltimore Colts to, 45-7.) | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 19 | Houston George Blanda passes for 7 touchdowns vs NY Titans (49-13). | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 25 | Heisman Trophy winner running back Ernie Davis of Syracuse rushes for 99 yards, 30 yards receiving, intercepts 1 for a 63-yard TD in a 28-13 win over Boston College. (Ref: Sports Illustrated, 11/26/2001) | |
| Nov 28 | Ernie Davis becomes the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy. | Ref: 2 |
| Dec 03 | George Blanda of Houston Oilers kicks 55-yard field goal. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 06 | 27th Heisman Trophy Award: Ernie Davis, Syracuse (HB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 10 | Houston Oiler Billy Cannon gains record 373 yards against Titans. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 24 | Houston Oilers beat San Diego Chargers 10-3 in AFL championship game. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 31 | Green Bay Packers shutout NY Giants 37-0 in NFL championship game. | Ref: 5 |
- 1962
| Jan 07 | AFL Pro Bowl West beats East 47-27. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 09 | NFL prohibits grabbing of face masks. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 14 | NFL Pro Bowl West beats East 31-30. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 09 | NFL prohibits grabbing of face masks. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 15 | CBS-TV bought the exclusive rights to college football games from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for an all-time high dollar figure of $10,200,000. | Ref: 4 |
| Mar 03 | Footballer Herschel Walker is born. | Ref: 4 |
| May 24 | The officials of the National Football League ruled that halftime of regular season games would be cut to 15 minutes. | Ref: 4 |
| Oct 14 | Houston Oiler George Blanda throws for 6 TD passes vs NY Titans 56-17. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 28 | NY Giant YA Tittle passes for 7 touchdowns vs Wash Redskins (49-34). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 02 | 50th CFL Grey Cup: Winnipeg beats Hamilton, 28-27 at Toronto [OT]. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 16 | New York Giant YA Tittle sets NFL season touchdown pass record at 33 with 6 touchdowns vs Dallas (41-31) | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 23 | Dallas Texans beat Houston Oilers 20-17 in AFL championship game. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 27 | 28th Heisman Trophy Award: Terry Baker, Oregon State (QB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 28 | 28th Heisman Trophy Award: Terry Baker, Oregon State (QB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 30 | Green Bay Packers beat New York Giants 16-7 in NFL championship game. | Ref: 5 |
- 1963
| Jan 05 | The San Diego Chargers beat the Boston Patriots 51-10 to win the American Football League title. (XDG, p 4A, 1/5/2001) | Ref: 83 |
| Jan 13 | AFL Pro Bowl West beats East 21-14. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 13 | NFL Pro Bowl East beats West 30-20. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 29 | Jim Thorpe, Red Grange & George Halas are the first members elected to the Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 08 | Lamar Hunt, owner of the American Football League franchise (the Texans) in Dallas, TX, moved the operation to Kansas City. He named the new team, the Chiefs. Dallas got possession of an NFL franchise known as the Cowboys. | Ref: 4 |
| Mar 28 | Sonny Werblin announced that the New York Titans of the American Football League was changing names. Instead of Titans, the team would be known as the New York Jets. | Ref: 4 |
| May 23 | NBC purchases 1963 AFL championship game TV rights for $926,000. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 19 | Charter members of Canadian Football Hall of Fame chosen. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 03 | The college football all-stars downed the Green Bay Packers by a 20-17 score. It was a big upset since the college upstarts had been heavy (50-1) underdogs. | Ref: 4 |
| Sep 07 | The National Professional Football Hall of Fame was dedicated in Canton, Ohio. | Ref: 70 |
| Oct 11 | Vinnie Testaverde NFL quarterback (Tampa Bay Buckineers), is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 20 | Jim Brown sets NFL single-season rushing record, 1,863 yds. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 01 | New York Jets first shutout, beat Kansas City 17-0. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 07 | Instant replay was used for the first time during the Army-Navy game by CBS-TV. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 22 | Oakland Raider Tom Flores passes for 6 touchdowns vs Houston (52-49). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 31 | Chicago Bears win NFL championship. | Ref: 5 |
- 1964
| Jan 05 | San Diego Chargers win AFL-championship. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 11 | The head football coach of the Oklahoma Sooners, the popular Bud Wilkinson, resigned from the University of Oklahoma. | Ref: 4 |
| Jan 12 | NFL Pro Bowl West beats East 31-17. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 19 | AFL Pro Bowl West beats East 27-24. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 24 | CBS purchases 1964 & 1965 NFL TV rights for $28.2 million. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 16 | Paul Hornung, ‘The Golden Boy’, and Alex Karras, the guy who punched out a horse in the movie, "Blazing Saddles", were reinstated to the NFL after an 11-month suspension for betting on football games. | Ref: 4 |
| Apr 17 | The CBS television network paid $1,800,000 for the rights to the 1964-1965 National Football League (NFL) Championship games. | Ref: 4 |
| Sep 12 | First football game at Shea Stadium, Jets defeat Denver 30-6. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 04 | Patriots' Gino Cappelletti kicks 6-of-6 field goals against Broncos. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 25 | Viking Jim Marshall runs 66 yards in the wrong direction for a safety. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 01 | George Blanda of Houston throws NFL-record 37 passes in 68 attempts. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 01 | Kansas City Chief Len Dawson passes for 6 touchdowns vs Denver (49-39). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 12 | Cleveland Browns' Frank Ryan sets club record of 5 TD passes. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 26 | Buffalo Bills beat San Diego Chargers 20-7 in AFL championship game. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 27 | Cleveland Browns beat Baltimore Colts 27-0 in NFL championship game. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 28 | Cleveland Browns beat Baltimore Colts 27-0 in NFL championship game. | Ref: 5 |
- 1965
| Jan 02 | The NY Jets signed University of AL quarterback Joe Namath for a reported $400,000, making him the highest paid player in professional football. | Ref: 70 |
| Jan 10 | NFL Pro Bowl West beats East 34-14. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 12 | The Pittsburgh Steelers defeat the Minnesota Vikings 16-6, winning their first NFL title. (XDG, p 4A, 1/12/2001) | Ref: 83 |
| Jan 16 | AFL Pro Bowl West beats East 38-14. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 18 | Frank Gifford announces his retirement from football for broadcasting. | Ref: 5 |
-
| Apr 15 | NFL changes penalty flag from white to bright gold. | Ref: 5 |
| May 15 | Canadian Football Players Association organizes. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 30 | NFL grants Atlanta Falcons a franchise. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 28 | The American Football Conference set a new record. More reporters showed up in Lowell, MA to cover an exhibition game than were on hand to cover the AFC championship game the year before. The preseason game between the NY Jets and the Boston (now New England) Patriots attracted all the attention because the Jets sported a new quarterback who had caught everyone’s fancy: Joe Namath. | Ref: 4 |
| Aug 14 | Continental Football League plays first games. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 16 | The AFL awards its 1st expansion franchise (Miami Dolphins). | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 29 | St L Cards Charlie Johnson passes for 6 touchdowns vs Cleve (49-13). | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 13 | Heisman Trophy winner running back Mike Garrett of USC rushes 26 times for 156 yards and 3 TDs in a 28-0 win against Pittsburgh. (Sports Illustrated, 11/12/2001) | |
| Dec 12 | Gale Sayers of Chicago Bears scores 6 TDs, ties NFL record. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 26 | Buffalo Bills beat San Diego Chargers 23-0 in AFL championship game. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 29 | CBS purchases NFL TV rights for 1966-68 at $18.8 million per year. | Ref: 5 |
- 1966
| Jan 02 | Green Bay Packers beat Cleveland Browns 23-12 in NFL championship game. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 15 | AFL Pro Bowl All-Stars beats Buffalo 30-19. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 15 | NFL Pro Bowl East beats West 36-7. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 08 | AFL chooses 36 year old Al Davis as commissioner. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 06 | NFL & AFL announce their merger. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 08 | NFL & AFL announce plans to become NFC & AFC in 1970. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 04 | Houston Oilers holds Denver Broncos to no first downs winning 45-7. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 08 | Wyoming's Jerry DePoyster kicks 3 field goals over 50 yds (54, 54, 52). | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 01 | NFL awards New Orleans its 16th franchise (All Saints Day). | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 08 | President Johnson signs anti-trust immunity to AFL-NFL merger. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 20 | Dallas sacks Pittsburgh QBs an NFL record 12 times. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 27 | In highest-scoring NFL game, Wash Redskins defeat NY Giants 72-41. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 11 | Al Nelson sets NFL record returning missed field goal, 100 yards. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 15 | John W Mecom Jr becomes first owner of the New Orlean Saints. | Ref: 5 |
- 1967
| Jan 01 | Green Bay Packers beat Dallas Cowboys 34-27 in NFL championship game. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 01 | Kansas City Chiefs beat Buffalo Bills 31-7 in AFL championship game. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 01 | CRU becomes the CAFA & turns over the Grey Cup trophy to the CFL. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 09 | The NFL New Orleans franchise takes the name "Saints". | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 21 | AFL Pro Bowl East beats West 30-23. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 22 | NFL Pro Bowl East beats West 20-10. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 27 | New Orleans Saints sign their first player (Paige Cothren-kicker). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 09 | The NFL New Orleans franchise takes the name "Saints". | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 22 | Sling-shot goal post & 6' wide border around field are standard in NFL. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 23 | Ted Workman replaces Senator Keith Davey as CFL commissioner. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 08 | New Orleans Saints begin selling season tickets (20,000 sold first day). | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 14 | First NFL-AFL common draft, Baltimore Colts pick Bubba Smith. | Ref: 5 |
| May 24 | AFL grants a franchise to the Cincinnati Bengals. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 02 | New Orleans Saints first pre-season game, they lose to LA Rams 16-77. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 05 | First time an AFL team beats an NFL team, Broncos beats Detroit 13-7. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 12 | New Orleans Saints first pre-season victory, beat St Louis 23-14. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 17 | New Orleans Saints first NFL game, they lose to LA Rams 27-13. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 24 | Jim Bakken, of the St. Louis Cardinals, kicks a record 7 field goals in a single game. | Ref: 2 |
| Nov 05 | New Orleans Saints 1st NFL victory, beat Philadelphia Eagles 31-24. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 27 | New Orleans Saints sign their first player (Paige Cothren-kicker). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 02 | 55th CFL Grey Cup: Hamilton Tiger-Cats defeats Saskatchewan, 24-1. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 31 | Playing in a wind chill of 40º below zero, the Green Bay Packers won the National Football League championship game by defeating Tom Landry’s Dallas Cowboys, 21-17. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 31 | Oakland Raiders beat Houston Oilers 40-7 in AFL championship game. | Ref: 5 |
- 1968
| Jan 13 | Minnesota North Stars center Bill Masterton fatally injured (dies on 15th). | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 17 | The NCAA Football Rules Committee was back at it again, changing, what else? The rules! This time, they ruled that tackles were not eligible to be pass receivers. | Ref: 4 |
| Jan 21 | AFL Pro Bowl East beats West 25-24. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 21 | NFL Pro Bowl West beats East 38-20. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 01 | Vince Lombardi resigns as coach of the Green Bay Packers. | Ref: 5 |
| May 27 | George Halas retired as head coach of the Chicago Bears. Halas spent 48 years as coach of the Bears and led them to six National Football League titles. | Ref: 4 |
| Sep 09 | Minn Tommy Krammer passes for 6 touchdowns vs Green Bay (42-7). | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 28 | Chuck Hixson (Southern Methodist) completes 37 of record 69 passes. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 29 | Chuck Latourette, sets NFL record 47.7 yd punt return avg (3 punts). | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 03 | NY Jet Jim Turner kicks 6 field goals to beat Buffalo 25-21. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 17 | The "Heidi Game". NBC outraged football fans by cutting away from the final minutes of a NY Jets-Oakland Raiders game to begin a TV special, "Heidi," on schedule. Viewers were deprived of seeing the Raiders come from behind to beat the Jets 43-32. | Ref: 70 |
| Dec 29 | Baltimore Colts beat Cleveland Browns 34-0 in NFL championship game. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 29 | New York Jets beat Oakland Raiders 27-23 in AFL championship game. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 31 | NY Jets win AFL championship. | Ref: 5 |
- 1969
| Jan 19 | AFL Pro Bowl West beats East 38-25. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 19 | NFL Pro Bowl West beats East 10-7. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 04 | 33-year-old John Madden became head coach of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders. In his first season Madden took the Raiders to a 12-1-1 record and earned them a spot in the AFC Conference Championship Game. Madden went on to become the youngest head coach in the modern NFL era to win 100 games in his first ten seasons. | Ref: 4 |
| Feb 05 | Vince Lombardi, becomes part owner, vice president, general manager & head coach of Redskins. | Ref: 5 |
| May 01 | Leonard Tose, a trucking executive from Philadelphia PA, buys NFL Philadelphia Eagles for $16,155,000. | Ref: 5 |
| May 10 | The National and American Football Leagues announced plans to merge for the 1970-71 season. Two conferences of 13 teams each were formed ... and the rest is NFL history. | Ref: 4 |
| May 17 | Baltimore, Cleveland & Pittsburgh agree to go from NFC to the AFC in the NFL. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 08 | NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle announced that a single-league schedule would replace the separate NFL and AFL schedules in 1970. | Ref: 4 |
| Jul 18 | ‘Broadway’ Joe Namath got out of the restaurant/nightclub business after agreeing to terms suggested by then NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle. Namath owned half of Bachelors III in NY City. | Ref: 4 |
| Aug 11 | Pitts Steelers beat NY Giants 17-13 in Montreal (NFL expo). | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 17 | NY Jets beat NY Giants 37-14 in their first meeting (pre season). | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 25 | Det Lions beat Boston Patriots 22-9 in Montreal (NFL expo). | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 21 | NY Jet Steve O'Neal punts 98 yards against Denver Broncos. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 28 | Joe Kapp football: Minnesota Vikings quarterback: Super Bowl IV; shares NFL Individual Record for touchdowns thrown in a game [7]: Vikings vs. Baltimore Colts. | Ref: 4 |
| Sep 29 | Steve O'Neal of NY Jets, kicks longest NFL punt; 98 yards vs Denver. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 05 | Tom Dempsey of New Orleans Saints kicks 55-yard field goal. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 19 | Oakland Darryle Lamonica passes for 6 touchdowns vs Buffalo (50-21). | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 02 | NFL record of 12 passing touchdowns, New Orleans Billy Kramer & St L Charlie Johnson pass for 6 touchdowns each. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 26 | The Heisman Trophy was awarded to Steve Owens of OK as the nation’s outstanding college football player. Owens scored more touchdowns and gained more yardage than any previous player in collegiate history. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 21 | Vince Lombardi (Redskins) coaches his last football game, losing. | Ref: 5 |
- 1970
| Jan 04 | Kansas City Chiefs beat Oakland Raiders 17-7 in AFC championship game. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 04 | Minnesota Vikings beat Cleveland Browns 27-7 in NFC championship game. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 16 | NFL realigns into 3 divisions (down from 4). | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 17 | AFL Pro Bowl West beats East 26-3. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 18 | NFL Pro Bowl West beats East 16-13. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 26 | Commissioner Pete Rozelle of the NFL announced that the three major TV networks, NBC, CBS and ABC, had agreed to pay a total of $124,000,000 over four years to televise the National Football League games. CBS carried the NFC games and NBC had the AFC. ABC came in with an idea to broadcast a thing called "Monday Night Football". Few thought it would go over well, but the broadcast soon made believers out of millions of fans. | Ref: 4 |
| Mar 18 | NFL selects Wilson as official football & scoreboard as official time. | Ref: 5 |
-
| Aug 15 | On this day, Mrs. Pat Palinkas became the first woman to ‘play’ in a pro football game. She held the ball for the Orlando (Florida) Panthers. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 21 | ABC-TV debuted Monday Night Football, with Howard Cosell, ‘Dandy’ Don Meredith and Keith Jackson. (Frank Gifford replaced Jackson the following year.) The Cleveland Browns defeat the visiting New York Jets, 31-21. | Ref: 4 |
| Oct 02 | Plane carrying Wichita State U football team crashes killing 30. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 04 | Jan Stenerud of KS City Chiefs kicks 55-yard field goal. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 01 | First regular season Giants-Jets game, Giants win 22-10 at Shea. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 07 | Heisman Trophy winner quarterback Jim Plunkett of Stanford completes 22 of 36 passes for 268 yards, 4 TD in a 29-22 win over Washington. (Sports Illustrated, 11/12/2001) | |
| Nov 08 | Tom Dempsey of New Orleans Saints kicks an NFL record 63 yard field goal. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 14 | Marshall U football team wiped out in air crash at Kenova WV. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 24 | The nation’s outstanding collegiate football player of the year received the annual Heisman Memorial Trophy. Jim Plunkett was a quarterback for the Stanford Cardinal and later went on to a sterling career in the NFL. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 05 | Los Angeles Rams Willie Ellison sets NFL record of 247 yards rushing. | Ref: 5 |
- 1971
| Jan 03 | Baltimore Colts beat Oakland Raiders 27-17 in AFC championship game. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 03 | Dallas Cowboys beat San Francisco 49ers 17-10 in NFC championship game. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 24 | NFL Pro Bowl NFC beats AFC 27-6 (1st Pro Bowl after NFL-AFL merger). | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 25 | Boston Patriots become New England Patriots. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 26 | NY Giant football team announces its leaving the Bronx for NJ in 1975. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 24 | Texas Stadium opens-Cowboys beat Patriots 44-21. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 30 | ABC-TV presented Brian’s Song as the ABC Movie of the Week. The touching story was about Chicago Bears running back Brian Piccolo and his friendship with Gayle Sayers, who watched Brian die a tragic death. The movie got a rating of 32.9 and a 48 share. The theme song, Brian’s Song, was performed by Michel Legrand. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 25 | The longest pro-football game finally ended when Garo Yepremian kicked a field goal in the second quarter of a sudden death overtime. Miami’s Dolphins nipped KS City, 27-24. The game lasted 82 minutes and 40 seconds. | Ref: 4 |
- 1972
| Jan 02 | Dallas Cowboys beat San Francisco 49ers 14-3 in NFC championship game. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 02 | Miami Dolphins beat Baltimore Colts 21-0 in AFC championship game. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 23 | 2nd AFC-NFC pro bowl, AFC wins 26-13. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 25 | Bill Sharman, ending his first year as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, was named Coach of the Year in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Sharman had a first year record of 69 wins and 13 losses. | Ref: 4 |
| Jul 13 | Carroll Rosenbloom (owner of the Baltimore Colts) and Robert Irsay (of the Los Angeles Rams) came up with a unique trade for the NFL. The wealthy businessmen traded teams! | Ref: 4 |
| Sep 10 | Gayle Sayers of the Chicago Bears retires from pro football. | Ref: 4 |
| Sep 24 | Jack Tatum, Oakland, returns a fumble 104 yds vs Green Bay (rec). | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 24 | NY Jet Joe Namath passes for 6 touchdowns vs Balt Colt (44-34). | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 02 | Ron Johnson becomes first NY Giant to score 4 TDs (vs Phila). | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 29 | Don Cockroft of Cleveland Browns kicks 57-yard field goal. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 22 | Pittsburgh Penguins set NHL record for scoring fastest 5 goals (2m7s). | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 26 | Pete Gogolak scores NY Giant record 8 pts after a touchdown. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 02 | 60th CFL Grey Cup: Hamilton Tiger-Cats defeats Saskatchewan, 13-10. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 05 | 38th Heisman Trophy Award: Johnny Rodgers, Nebraska (FL). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 10 | The longest non-scoring pass in NFL history was made as Jim Hart of the St. Louis Cardinals passed from his own one-yard-line to Bobby Moore, known now as Ahmad Rashad, who was tackled on the Los Angeles Rams’ one-yard-line. The pass officially went for 98 yards. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 11 | Jet's Don Maynard becomes all time pro reception leader (632). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 16 | The Miami Dolphins become the first NFL team to go unbeaten and untied in a 14-game regular season. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 23 | "Immaculate Reception" Steelers turns around a 7-6 defeat with a last second touchdown reception against the Raiders to win 13-7. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 31 | The Miami Dolphins edged the Pittsburgh Steelers 21-17 in the AFC championship game and the Washington Redskins trounced the Dallas Cowboys 26-3 in the NFC championship game. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 31 | 39th Sugar Bowl: OK 14 beats Penn State 0. | Ref: 5 |
- 1973
| Jan 21 | 3rd NFL Pro Bowl AFC beats NFC 33-28. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 24 | San Francisco 49er president Lou Spadia proposes NFL expand to 30 teams. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 05 | NFL adopts jersey numbering system (ie quarterbacks, 1-19). | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 08 | Johnny Unitas signed a two-year contract to play out his football career with the San Diego Chargers. Unitas had quarterbacked the Baltimore Colts for 16 NFL seasons in some of the most exciting pro football ever seen. | Ref: 4 |
| Aug 14 | Johnny Unitas files $725,000 suit against Balt Colts. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 10 | NY Jets trade pro football's leading receiver Don Maynard to St Louis. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 13 | Congress passes & sends a bill to Nixon to lift football's blackout. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 14 | Pres Nixon signed into law a measure lifting pro football's blackout. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 24 | St Louis Cards Jim Bakken sets NFL record kicking 7 field goals. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 07 | From the I Wonder How it Would Be Today Department: 40,000 football fans failed to use their pro-football tickets, opting instead to watch games on TV since legislation was signed lifting blackout rules of games. | Ref: 4 |
| Oct 27 | Alabama sets an offensive record (828 yds), beats Virginia Tech 77-6. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 04 | The Chicago Bears set a National Football League record by holding the Green Bay Packers to a minus 12 yards passing. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 04 | New Orleans Saints first shutout victory, 13-0 vs Buffalo Bills. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 10 | Heisman Trophy winner running back John Cappelletti of Penn State tallies 41 rushes for 220 yards, 3 TDs (including the game-winner) in a 35-29 win against North Carolina State. (Sports Illustrated, 11/12/2001) | |
| Dec 04 | John Cappelletti wins Heisman trophy. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 08 | 39th Heisman Trophy Award: John Cappelletti, Penn State (RB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 09 | St Louis Cardinal Jim Bakken kicks 6 field goals vs Atlanta Falcons. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 13 | Detroit became the first city to receive a franchise in the fabulously unsuccessful World Football League. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 20 | Barry Stokes WLAF offensive linesman (Rhein Fire), is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 20 | Muadianvita Kazadi linebacker (St Louis Rams), is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 30 | Miami Dolphins beat Oakland Raiders 27-10 in AFC championship game. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 30 | Minnesota Vikings beat Dallas Cowboys 27-10 in NFC championship game. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 31 | 40th Sugar Bowl: Notre Dame 24 beats AL 23. | Ref: 5 |
- 1974
| Jan 14 | World Football League founded. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 20 | 4th NFL Pro Bowl AFC beats NFC 15-13. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 24 | NFL grants franchise to Tampa Bay Bucaneers. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 25 | NFL moves the goal posts & adopts sudden-death playoff. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 04 | NFL grants franchise to Seattle Seahawks. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 11 | World Football League plays first games | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 10 | 2nd meeting of Giants-Jets, Jets even series at 1 with 26-20 OT win. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 05 | NFL's Seattle Seahawks forms. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 05 | First World Football League Bowl, Birmingham Americans beat Florida. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 15 | Bert Jones, quarterback of the Baltimore Colts, set an NFL record by completing seventeen consecutive passes in a game against the NY Jets. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 27 | 40th Heisman Trophy Award: Archie Griffin, Ohio State (RB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 28 | 40th Heisman Trophy Award: Archie Griffin, Ohio State (RB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 31 | 41st Sugar Bowl: Nebraska 13 beats Florida 10. | Ref: 5 |
- 1975
| Jan 20 | 5th NFL Pro Bowl NFC beats AFC 17-10. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 09 | The Superdome was opened in New Orleans as the hometown Saints defeat the Houston Oilers, 31-7, in an exhibition football game. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 26 | NY Giant football team announces its leaving the Bronx for NJ in 1975. | |
| Sep 22 | World Football League folds. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 22 | World Football League disbands. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 09 | Paul Naumoff football: Detroit Lions takes the record for tackles in a game: 21 vs. Cleveland. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 16 | Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears rushed for 105 yards in a game against the San Francisco 49ers. It was Payton’s first game of 100 plus yards. He did it over 50 times throughout his career and added two 200-yard games, as well. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 23 | Bob Thomas of Chicago Bears kicks 55-yard field goal. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 06 | 41st Heisman Trophy Award: Archie Griffin, Ohio State (RB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 21 | First NY Jet to gain 1,000 yards rushing (John Riggins). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 28 | "Hail Mary Pass"-Cowboys beat Vikings 17-14 on last second pass. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 31 | 42nd Sugar Bowl: Alabama 13 beats Penn State 6. | Ref: 5 |
- 1976
| Jan 26 | 6th NFL Pro Bowl NFC beats AFC 23-20. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 01 | Seattle Seahawks play first (preseason) game (SF 27, Seattle 20). | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 12 | Seattle Seahawks play first regular-season game (St L 30, Sea 24). | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 23 | Just one of the highlights of the championship football season for the Panthers of the University of Pittsburgh: Pitt’s Tony Dorsett rushed for 180 yards (at Navy, beating them 45-0) and set the NCAA all-time rushing record of 5,206 career yards. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 20 | Heisman Trophy winner running back Tony Dorset of Pittsburgh runs for 224 yards, 2 TDs, becomes NCAA's first 6000 yard man in 24-7 win over Penn State. (Sports Illustrated, 11/19/2001) | |
| Dec 12 | QB Joe Namath's last game as a NY Jet. | Ref: 5 |
- 1977
| Jan 01 | Tony Dorsett runs for record 202 yards in the Sugar Bowl. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 17 | 7th AFC-NFC pro bowl, AFC wins 24-14. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 01 | NFL decides to experiment with a 7th official in some preseason games. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 24 | Ken Hinton of CFL British Columbia Lions returns a punt 130 yards. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 10 | It was all over but the pantyhose commercials for Joe Namath, as he ended his playing career -- on ABC’s Monday Night Football. It was a game that saw his new team, the LA Rams, tangle with the Chicago Bears. | Ref: 4 |
| Oct 15 | Arkansas' Steve Little kicks a record tying 67 yard field goal. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 05 | NCAA passing record set at 571 yards (Marc Wilson, Brigham Young). | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 20 | Walter Payton (Bears) rushes for NFL-record 275 yards. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 24 | Miami's Bob Greise passes for 6 touchdowns vs St Louis (55-14). | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 26 | Heisman Trophy winner running back Earl Campbell of Texas gains 222 yards in 27 carries, 3 TDs, 60-yard TD catch in a 57-28 win over Texas A&M. (Ref: Sports Illustrated, 11/26/2001) | |
| Dec 04 | NFL's 5,000th game, Cincinnati beats Kansas City 27-7. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 08 | 43rd Heisman Trophy Award: Earl Campbell, Texas (RB). | Ref: 5 |
- 1978
| Mar 14 | NFL permanently adds 7th official (side judge). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 29 | Instant TV replays are now legal for referees use in professional football. | Ref: 10 |
| Aug 05 | New Orleans Saints beat Phil Eagles 14-7 in Mexico City (NFL expo). | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 05 | Oakland Raider's John Madden becomes the 13th coach to win 100 NFL games. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 30 | Ohio State University fired Woody Hayes as its football coach, one day after Hayes punched Clemson University player Charlie Bauman during a game. | Ref: 70 |
- 1979
| Jan 29 | 9th NFL Pro Bowl NFC beats AFC 13-7. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 22 | Pro Football Researchers Association founded at Canton, Ohio. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 24 | NFL fans (60,916) choose old Patriots logo over new. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 15 | First Monday night game from NYC, Jets beat Vikings 14-7 (Shea Stad). | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 12 | Tony Franklin of Philadelphia Eagles kicks 59-yard field goal. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 03 | 45th Heisman Trophy Award: Charles White, Southern CA (RB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 16 | QB Roger Staubach's last regular season game with the Dallas Cowboys | Ref: 5 |
- 1980
| Jan 01 | Alabama beats Arkansas in Sugar Bowl for college football championship. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 06 | The Pittsburgh Steelers advanced to their fourth Super Bowl since 1974 by eliminating the Houston Oilers 27-13 in the AFC title game. And the Los Angeles Rams shut out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-0 in the NFC championship game. (The Steelers defeated the Rams 24-19 in Super Bowl XIV on Jan 20.) | Ref: 4 |
| Jan 27 | 10th NFL Pro Bowl NFC beats AFC 37-27. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 25 | Miami Dolphins quarterback Bob Griese announced his retirement from professional football after 14 years in South Florida. Griese had some impressive statistics: 193 touchdown passes, 25,200 yards passing and the winner of two (out of three) Super Bowls. | Ref: 4 |
| Sep 06 | College football longest losing streak of 50 games ends for Macalaster U of St Paul, Minn beating Mount Senario 17-14. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 07 | Earnest Gray becomes 2nd NY Giant to score 4 TDs (vs St Louis). | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 21 | LA Ram Johnnie Johnson scores a 99 yard interception. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 21 | Richard Todd, playing for the NY Jets, sets the record for the most pass completions in an NFL game at 42. | Ref: 4 |
| Oct 26 | St Louis Cards sack Baltimore Colt QBs an NFL record tying 12 times. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 27 | 10th NFL Pro Bowl NFC beats AFC 37-27. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 01 | George Rogers of the University of South Carolina was named the Heisman Trophy winner. Rogers went on to achieve great success for the Washington Redskins. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 14 | New Orleans Saints end 14 game losing streak, beat NY Jets 21-20. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 14 | Minnesota Vikings pass for 456 yards against Cleveland Browns, winning 28-24. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 20 | TV experimented, as NBC covered the meaningless NFL game between the NY Jets (4-11) and the Miami Dolphins (8-7). No announcers were in the booth. The only sounds heard were field noise and spectators as the pictures tried to convey the emotion of the game. Headlines the next day read, “Jets Silence Dolphins 24-17.” | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 21 | Harold Carmichael ends NFL streak of 127 consecutive game receptions. | Ref: 5 |
- 1981
| Jan 01 | Georgia beats Notre Dame in Sugar Bowl for college football title. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 22 | O A "Bum" Phillips becomes head coach of the New Orleans Saints. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 01 | 11th NFL Pro Bowl NFC beats AFC 21-7. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 25 | Walter Payton signed a contract to play with the Chicago Bears of the NFL on this, his 27th birthday. The famed running back earned almost $2 million over three years. Sweetness, as he was nicknamed (because of his disposition), became the highest-paid player in the National Football League. | Ref: 4 |
| Aug 18 | Football running back Herschel Walker of the University of Georgia took out an insurance policy with Lloyd’s of London. The all-American was insured for one million dollars. | Ref: 4 |
| Sep 13 | Atlanta Falcons tie record of 31 points in 4th quarter (vs Green Bay). | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 20 | Joe Danelo kicks then NY Giant record 55 yard field goal. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 11 | LeRoy Irvin sets yards gained on punt returns record (207 yds). | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 18 | NY Giant Joe Danelo ties NFL record of 6 field goals in a game. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 01 | 3rd meeting of Giants-Jets, Jets up 2-1 with 26-7 win. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 05 | Former Dolphin, Mercury Morris, is sentenced to 20 years for drug trafficking, conspiracy, & possession of cocaine. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 14 | Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant tied the record of Amos Alonzo Stagg for most football wins. The AL Crimson Tide notched win #314 for Coach Bryant. AL beat Penn State, 31-16. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 22 | San Diego Charger Dan Fouts passes for 6 touchdowns vs Oakland (55-21). | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 28 | AL football coach Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant won his 315th victory to become college football’s all-time career victory leader. Bryant surpassed Amos Alonzo Stagg with the win. (This record was broken four years later, in October 1985, by Grambling head coach Eddie Robinson.) | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 05 | 47th Heisman Trophy Award: Marcus Allen, Southern CA (RB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 20 | Browns set team records for most fumbles (9) & most turnovers (10). | Ref: 5 |
- 1982
| Jan 01 | Washington’s Huskies beat the IA Hawkeyes 28-0 in the Rose Bowl. It had been 29 years since the last Rose Bowl shutout. | Ref: 4 |
| Jan 01 | Clemson wins the Orange Bowl for college football championship. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 02 | San Diego Chargers beat Miami Dolphins, 41-38 in 13 52 of OT. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 10 | Bengals beat Chargers in -59ºF (-51ºC) to win AFC championship. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 31 | 12th NFL Pro Bowl AFC beats NFC 16-13. | Ref: 5 |
| May 07 | Federal jury rules NFL violates antitrust laws in preventing Oakland Raiders from moving to Los Angeles. | Ref: 5 |
| May 12 | US Football League forms. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 19 | New Orleans Saints first road shutout victory beating Chic Bears 10-0. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 20 | NFL players begin a 57 day strike. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 21 | National Football League players began a 57-day strike, their first regular-season walkout. | Ref: 70 |
| Oct 06 | Auburn's Al Del Greco kicks 6 field goals. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 16 | The 57-day strike by players in the National Football League ends. It was the first regular-season pro-football strike in the history of the NFL. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 04 | Running back Herschel Walker of the University of Georgia received the Heisman Trophy as the nation’s finest college football player. Walker was only the seventh junior to receive the award. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 05 | Cleveland Browns' Brian Sipe sets club record with 33 pass completions. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 05 | Mel Gray ends NFL streak of 121 consecutive game receptions. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 15 | Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant announced that he was retiring as head football coach at the University of AL. Bryant had 232 victories and only 46 losses while coach of the Crimson Tide. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 15 | Bill Parcells becomes the 12th head coach of the New York Giants. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 29 | Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant leads the Alabama Crimson Tide football team for the final time as Alabama beat Illinois, 21-15, at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, TN. | Ref: 4 |
- 1983
| Jan 01 | Penn State beats Georgia in Sugar Bowl for college football title. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 02 | Ken Anderson of Cincinnati OH completes record 20 consecutive passes. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 03 | Tony Dorsett sets NFL record with 99-yard rush, Dallas vs Minnesota. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 04 | US Football League holds its first player draft. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 12 | NCAA creates the football Kickoff Classic to begin in August. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 06 | 13th NFL Pro Bowl NFC beats AFC 20-19. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 23 | USFL New Jersey Generals sign Heisman winner Herschel Walker (3 years-$5 million). | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 06 | The United States Football League began its first season of pro football competition. Fans didn’t support the new spring league opposition to the National Football League and, as a result, team names such as the Bandits, Breakers, Blitz, Invaders and Wranglers were relatively short-lived. The league was forced to fold amid controversy, low fan acceptance and lower television ratings. It was not long before players began to scramble for spots in the NFL. The USFL lasted two seasons. | Ref: 4 |
| Mar 13 | First USFL overtime game-Birmingham Stallions beat Oakld Invaders 20-14. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 17 | First USFL championship (Mich Panthers beats Phila Stars 24-22). | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 06 | Minn Vikings beat St Louis Cards 28-10 in London, England (NFL expo). | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 19 | LSU footballer Billy Cannon sentenced to 5 yrs for counterfeiting. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 11 | Franco Harris becomes 3rd NFL to rush 11,000 yards. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 18 | New Orleans Saints first OT victory; beating Chic Bears 34-31. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 26 | Ali Haji-Sheikh kicks NY Giant record 56 yard field goal. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 06 | NY Jets announce they are leaving Shea for the Meadowlands. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 06 | Buffalo Bill QB Joe Ferguson passes 419 yards with 5 TDs. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 15 | Columbia beats Yale 21-18 in football, will lose next 44 games. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 07 | Ali Haji-Sheikh kicks his 2nd NY Giant record 56 yard field goal. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 12 | NJ Devils first overtime game, lose to Calgary Flames 4-3. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 20 | NY Giants Butch Woolfolk ties NFL record of 43 attempts rushing. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 20 | Cleveland Browns shutout Patriots 30-0. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 03 | 49th Heisman Trophy Award: Mike Rozier, Nebraska (RB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 05 | The first video arcade game licensed by the National Football League was unveiled in Chicago. Bally Manufacturing named it, appropriately enough, NFL Football. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 10 | Last NFL game at Shea Stadium; Steelers beat NY Jets 34-7. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 12 | Football’s Jim Brown showed up in Sports Illustrated again. This time, he was not on the cover as in September, 1960, but inside the magazine -- a record span of more than 23 years between spreads, as they say in the publishing biz. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 20 | Joe Gibbs of the Washington Redskins was named NFL Coach of the Year by the Associated Press. He became the first head coach to receive this honor in consecutive years since 1961-62 (when Allie Sherman, of the New York Giants, was so honored). Joe Gibbs took the Redskins to a 14-2 finish in the 1983 season. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 23 | Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theisman was named Offensive Player of the Year by the National Football League. | Ref: 4 |
- 1984
| Jan 02 | Miami beats Nebraska in Orange Bowl for college football championship. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 08 | The Washington Redskins defeated San Francisco 24-21 after the 49ers staged a comeback with three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. With this victory for the NFC Championship, Washington earned its trip to Super Bowl XVIII. | Ref: 4 |
| Jan 29 | NFL Pro Bowl NFC beats AFC 45-3. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 05 | The Los Angeles Express of the United States Football League signed quarterback, Steve Young, from Brigham Young University, to a “substantial” contract on this day. The football all-American inked a pact that would earn him $40 million dollars over a 43-year period, in one of the most complicated contracts ever -- lasting until 2027. The USFL folded not long after he signed the lucrative deal. Young became the back-up quarterback for football legend, Joe Montana, in San Francisco. In 1994, when Montana moved to the Kansas City Chiefs, Steve Young took over the reins to lead the 49ers. | Ref: 4 |
| Mar 21 | NFL owners passed the infamous anti-celebrating rule. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 29 | NFL Baltimore Colts move to Indianapolis under cover of night. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 30 | The Los Angeles Express of the United States Football League (USFL) played the longest game in professional history by beating the Michigan Panthers 27-21. The game went on for 93 minutes, 33 seconds. The old mark had been 82 minutes, 40 seconds, set by the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs. Commercial time was not counted. | Ref: 4 |
| Jul 13 | Sportscaster Howard Cosell said that he was “tired of being tied to the football mentality” and asked to be released from duties on Monday Night Football. Roone Arledge obliged. In fact, Cosell was removed from television altogether a year later. | Ref: 4 |
| Jul 24 | After 14 years and four Super Bowl championships with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Terry Bradshaw retired from the National Football League. Bradshaw, age 35, was forced to the sidelines by an elbow injury. Following a divorce from ice skater Jo Jo Starbuck, Bradshaw joined CBS as a football analyst. | Ref: 4 |
| Sep 08 | Some 6000 of the Notre Dame student body (total: 7300) assembled in what may have been the longest bus caravan ever. The students traveled from South Bend to Indianapolis, IN, in 147 buses, to see the sold-out Notre Dame-Purdue football game. | Ref: 4 |
| Sep 09 | Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears breaks Jim Brown’s combined yardage record by reaching 15,517 yards. | Ref: 4 |
| Sep 23 | SF 49er Joe Montana misses his first start in 49 games. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 07 | Walter Payton passes Jim Brown as NFL's career rushing leader. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 22 | NFL quarterback Ken Stabler retires. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 27 | Wash State's Rueben Mayes sets col football rec of 357 yards rushing. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 10 | The Maryland Terrapins set an NCAA football record. They came from a 31-0 halftime deficit to defeat Miami’s Hurricanes, 42-40. The game broke the record (set on October 20, 1984), when Washington State came back from 28 points behind to defeat Stanford, 49-42. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 11 | The Houston Oilers won their first game of the season by defeating the Chiefs, 17-16, in KS City. It was the first Oilers victory on the road since September 1981 (23 consecutive road losses). | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 23 | Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie passed his way into sports history by leading Boston College past Miami, 47-45, at the Orange Bowl in Miami. Flutie threw a 48-yard pass on the final play of the game. That play became known as ‘The Pass’. Incidentally, coaches said the 175-pound senior was too short to play football. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 26 | John W Mercom Jr announces New Orleans Saints are up for sale for $75 million. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 01 | Just eight days after his miracle pass to lead Boston College over Miami, Doug Flutie was named Heisman Trophy winner for the year. Flutie was only the 13th quarterback to receive the award. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 02 | Dan Marino connected for four touchdown passes and set an NFL record for TD passes in a season (40). Miami’s Dolphins lost the game, however, to the Los Angeles Rams, 45-34. It marked the Dolphins’ first home loss of the season following six wins. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 02 | 4th meeting of Giants-Jets, Giants even series at 2 with 20-10 win. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 06 | Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears got another first as he ran six plays as quarterback. He was intercepted twice, but ran the ball himself on four carries. It didn’t help. The Green Bay packers still won, 20-14. Payton said after the game, “It was okay, but I wouldn’t want to do it for a living." | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 09 | Eric Dickerson, then of the Los Angeles Rams, became only the second pro football player to run for more than 2,000 yards (2,105) in a season. He passed O.J. Simpson’s record of 2,003 as the Rams beat the Houston Oilers, 27-16. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 09 | Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears got another first as he ran six plays as quarterback. He was intercepted twice, but ran the ball himself on four carries. The Green Bay packers still won, 20-14. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 14 | Howard Cosell retires from Monday Night Football. | Ref: 5 |
- 1985
| Jan 02 | Undefeated Brigham Young University becomes college football champion. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 06 | Dan Marino passed for a record 421 yards and four touchdowns, leading the Miami Dolphins to a 45-28 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC championship game. And the San Francisco 49ers were all over the Chicago Bears 23-0 in the NFC title game. (The 49ers defeated the Dolphins 38-16 in Super Bowl XIX on January 20.) | Ref: 4 |
| Jan 12 | Miami Dolphins win AFC football championship. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 24 | The football rules committee of the NCAA decided that it would be nice to place the football on the 20-yard line after a kickoff went through the end zone. It replaced a rule that placed the ball at the 30-yard line; a rule that had been in force for a very short time. | Ref: 4 |
| Jan 25 | Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie of Boston College signs a $7-million, five-year contract. Flutie would play with the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League. | Ref: 4 |
| Jan 27 | NFL Pro Bowl AFC beats NFC 22-14. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 24 | The Houston Gamblers defeat the Los Angeles Express 34-33. Houston quarterback Jim Kelly throws 5 touchdown passes for 574 yards. (XDG, p 4A, 2/24/2001) | Ref: 83 |
| Feb 24 | Quarterback Doug Flutie played his first game as a pro on this day. Flutie led the New Jersey Generals against Birmingham, losing 38-28. The former Boston College standout had a shaky start in his USFL debut, but still completed 12 of 18 passes in the fourth quarter of the game. | Ref: 4 |
| Mar 12 | Auto dealer Tom Benson and several investors plunked down some cash to buy the New Orleans Saints football team. The bankroll was quite substantial -- about $64 million -- making quite a hurricane in the French Quarter. | Ref: 4 |
| Mar 13 | National Football League owners met in Phoenix, AZ and tabled a proposal that would have allowed transmitters and receivers in football helmets. The idea was to allow quarterbacks to talk with players in noisy stadiums. The idea did become a reality, but a minor one. Players complained of too much interference and static. | Ref: 4 |
| Mar 19 | History was made in the short-lived United States Football League this day. A pro football record was set by Denver and Houston of the USFL with a total of 112 passes thrown in the game. Houston went airborne 69 times, Denver took to the air 43 times. | Ref: 4 |
| Apr 07 | Herschel Walker of the New Jersey Generals broke the single-game rushing mark in the United States Football League (USFL). He gained 233 yards while leading the Generals past Houston 31-25. | Ref: 4 |
| May 31 | New Orleans Saints are sold for $70,204,000. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 10 | Herschel Walker of the New Jersey Generals broke the 2,000-yard mark in rushing during the season as the Generals won over Jacksonville, 31-24. The effort set a United States Football League (USFL) record. This feat had only been reached twice in the National Football League (NFL) -- once by O.J. Simpson in 1973 for 2,003 yards and by Eric Dickerson in 1984 for 2,105 yards. | Ref: 4 |
| Jun 24 | The 1983 Heisman Trophy winner, Mike Rozier, jumped from the United States Football League to the Houston Oilers of the NFL. Rosier signed for more than two million dollars over a four-year period. | Ref: 4 |
| Jul 08 | Pro Football Hall of Famer Jack Lambert of the Pittsburgh Steelers announced his retirement on this, his 33rd birthday. A 1974 second-round draft choice from Kent State University in Ohio, Lambert played 11 seasons with the Steelers. He racked up several awards including the NFL’s Rookie of the Year [1974], Defensive Player of the Year [1976]; and nine consecutive Pro Bowls [1975-1983]. Jack Lambert was a major chunk of the Steel Curtain and owns four Super Bowl rings to prove it. | Ref: 4 |
| Jul 09 | Herschel Walker of the New Jersey Generals was named the Most Valuable Player in the United States Football League (USFL). | Ref: 4 |
| Jul 09 | Football great Joe Namath signed a five-year pact with ABC-TV to provide commentary for Monday Night Football. The former NY Jets quarterback reportedly earned one million dollars a year for the job. Namath replaced ’Dandy’ Don Meredith. Broadway Joe had previous experience with Monday Night Football as a player, when he and the Jets were the first team to play on the popular TV series on September 21, 1970. | Ref: 4 |
| Jul 14 | Baltimore defeated Oakland, 28-24, to clinch their second consecutive United States Football League championship. The game was also significant, in that it brought the curtain down on the league’s spring schedule. Total losses were estimated at $63 million for all 14 teams. The USFL quickly faded away when owners refused to incur further losses. Plans calling for the league to resume play in the fall of 1986 never materialized. | Ref: 4 |
| Aug 23 | Paul Hornung awarded $1,160,000 by a Louisville court against NCAA who barred him as a college football analyst for betting on games. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 05 | Grambling's Eddie Robinson wins record 324th football game | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 14 | On Mon Night football, Jets retire Joe Namath's #12, beat Miami 23-7. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 21 | William ‘The Refrigerator’ Perry of the Chicago Bears led his team to a 23-7 win over the Green Bay Packers. Perry, weighing in at 325 pounds (more than some Frigidaires), became a folk hero as he cut a path for Walter Payton’s two TDs. He then plodded over the goal line himself for another score. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 17 | NY Jets best offensive production beating Tampa Bay 62-28. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 27 | NFL Pro Bowl AFC beats NFC 22-14. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 02 | The highest-rated Monday Night Football telecast was seen this night on ABC-TV. The Miami Dolphins beat the Chicago Bears, 38-24. The Miami win snapped the Bears’ 12-game winning streak. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 07 | 51st Heisman Trophy Award: Bo Jackson, Auburn (RB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 08 | Ken O'Brien's 96 yard TD pass (New York Jet record) to Wesley Walker. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 09 | Jerry Rice begins NFL streak of 100+ consecutive game receptions. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 11 | With the season still in progress, the Chicago Bears declared their intention to appear in and win the Super Bowl. Members of the team, known as Chicago Bears Shufflin’ Crew, released their Superbowl Shuffle. The Bears went on to defeat the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, 46-10.
“You better start makin’ Your Superbowl plans.
But don’t get ready or go to any trouble,
Unless you practice The Superbowl Shuffle.” | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 14 | America’s winningest high school football coach called it quits this day. Gordon Wood, 71, of Brownwood High School in Central TX retired after 43 years. Wood sported a career record of 405 wins, 88 losses and 12 ties. The football stadium at Brownwood High has since been rebuilt and named for him. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 19 | Jan Stenerud announced his retirement from the NFL. The football kicker holds the record for the most career field goals with 373. He made those field goals while kicking for the KS City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings beginning in 1967. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 19 | ABC Sports announced that it was severing ties with Howard Cosell and released ‘The Mouth’ from all TV commitments. ‘Humble’ Howard continued on ABC radio for another five years. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 20 | Howard Cosell retires from television sports after 20 years with ABC. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 22 | Kansas City wide receiver Stephone Paige catches passes for 309 yards in a single game, an NFL record. (XDG, p 4A, 12/22/2000) | Ref: 83 |
- 1986
| Jan 01 | Iowa's All-American running back, Ronnie Harmon, fumbles the ball 4 times in his last game-the Rose Bowl. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 01 | Oklahoma wins Orange Bowl for college football championship. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 02 | NFL Pro Bowl NFC beats AFC 28-24. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 11 | NFL adopts instant replay rule. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 29 | NY jury rules NFL violated antitrust laws, awards USFL $1 in damages. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 13 | United States Football League standout Herschel Walker signed to play with the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. Walker’s contract paid an estimated $5 million over five years. He had been playing for the New Jersey Generals before the USFL went out of business. | Ref: 4 |
| Aug 18 | Jim Kelly signs with the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League for an estimated $7.5 million (over five years). The contract made the former Houston USFL player the highest paid in the NFL. | Ref: 4 |
| Sep 07 | Dan Marino of the Miami Dolphins throws his 100th career touchdown pass, in only his 44th pro game, setting an NFL record. Despite the milestone, the Dolphins lost to the San Diego Chargers, 50-28. | Ref: 4 |
| Sep 07 | After only three plays in the NFL season (Chicago Bears vs. Cleveland Browns), the new instant replay rule was put to the test. The rule, since tossed out by the NFL, permitted an observer in the press box to overrule an official’s call on the field. | Ref: 4 |
| Sep 08 | Herschel Walker makes his start in the National Football League. He led the Dallas Cowboys to a 31-28 win over the New York Giants. Walker had played in the USFL for the New Jersey Generals. | Ref: 4 |
| Sep 14 | Saskatchewan & Hamilton play first CFL regular-season overtime game. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 21 | NY Jets beat Miami Dolphins 51-45 in OT; record 884 passing yards. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 21 | New Orleans Saints Mel Gray returns kickoff 101 yards for a touchdown. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 07 | The longest high school football winning streak came to an end. Canyon High of Canyon Country, CA lost 21-20 to Antelope Valley High of nearby Lancaster. Canyon High had 46 consecutive wins before this loss. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 08 | Oklahoma defeated Missouri, 77-0, in a college football game, the year's biggest blowout. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 25 | Don Shula of the Miami Dolphins ended speculation about his possible move to another NFL franchise by signing with the Dolphins again. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 27 | Lou Holtz signed a five-year pact to lead the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. Holtz left the head coaching job with the Golden Gophers of the University of Minnesota to take the new position. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 28 | NBC’s Ahmad Rashad heard the acceptance of his marriage proposal from Phylicia Ayers-Allen during halftime of the Detroit Lions-NY Jets football game. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 06 | 52nd Heisman Trophy Award: Vinny Testaverde, University of Miami, Miami FL (QB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 21 | Atlanta center Jeff Van Note played his 246th and final NFL game as Atlanta downed Detroit, 20-6. At age 40, Van Note was the oldest player in pro football. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 22 | Joe Paterno was named Sportsman of the Year by "Sports Illustrated" magazine. It marked only the second time a coach had won the honor. The first to do so was UCLA’s basketball legend, John Wooden. The magazine also chose this issue to change its own logo to a two-line design (which had absolutely nothing to do with Joe Paterno). | Ref: 4 |
- 1987
| Jan 02 | Penn State upsets Miami in Fiesta Bowl for college football champ. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 11 | Largest crowd (76,633) at NFL New York Giant Stadium (beat Washington 17-0). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 01 | NFL Pro Bowl AFC beats NFC 10-6. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 16 | Jerry Richardson approaches Nations-Bank Chairman Hugh McColl about bringing an NFL team to the Carolinas. (USA Today, p 3C, 2/02/2004) | Ref: 13 |
| Aug 03 | Chicago Bears beat Dallas Cowboys 17-6 in London, England (NFL expo). | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 09 | The Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH welcomed Larry Czonka, Len Dawson, ‘Mean’ Joe Greene, John Henry Johnson, Jim Langer, Don Maynard and Gene Upshaw into the sports shrine. | Ref: 4 |
| Aug 09 | LA Rams beat Dallas Cowboys 28-27 in London, England (NFL expo). | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 18 | Earl Campbell, the ‘Tyler Rose’, announced his retirement from professional football. Campbell, the 1977 Heisman Trophy winner, played eight seasons in the National Football League and was a star for the Houston Oilers. | Ref: 4 |
| Sep 06 | Saskatchewan's Dave Ridgway kicks a CFL-record 60-yard field goal. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 20 | Walter Payton scores NFL record 107th rushing touchdown. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 22 | 2nd regular-season National Football League player strike begins. | Ref: 5 |
-
| Oct 04 | James Jefferson of Winnipeg scores 2 TDs on interception returns without making an interception. (He scored on laterals.) | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 04 | First "Scrub Sunday" of NFL football with replacement players. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 15 | NFL Players Assn orders an end to the 24 day strike. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 01 | The New York Jets retire Don Maynards uniform number 13. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 01 | New Orleans Saints shutout Atlanta Falcons 38-0. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 15 | NY Giant Raul Allegre kicks 2, 50 or more yard field goals in a game. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 22 | Patriots shutout Indpls 24-0. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 05 | 53rd Heisman Trophy Award: Tim Brown, Notre Dame (WR). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 13 | Browns set club record for most points scored in a quarter, 28. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 27 | Steve Largent sets all-time NFL record for career catches when he catches his 752nd pass. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 28 | Steve Largent sets all-time NFL record for career catches when he catches his 752nd pass. | Ref: 5 |
- 1988
| Jan 01 | Miami beats Oklahoma for college football championship. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 16 | NFL St Louis Cardinals announce move to Phoenix. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 16 | CBS fired oddsmaker Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder one day after he said in an interview that black athletes are genetically superior to whites. | Ref: 70 |
| Feb 07 | NFL Pro Bowl AFC beats NFC 15-6. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 15 | NFL's St Louis Cardinals officially move to Phoenix. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 30 | New York Knights first arena football game; beat Cobras 60-52 (10,157 in Los Angeles). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 23 | Saskatchewan's Dave Ridgway kicks record 8 field goals vs Edmonton. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 30 | Miami Dolphins beat SF 49ers 27-21 in London. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 31 | Miami Dolphins beat SF 49ers 27-21 in London. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 04 | Phoenix Cardinals play first regular-season NFL game | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 05 | CFL's Earl Winfield (Ham) scores TDs on 101-yd punt return, 100-yd kickoff return & 58-yd pass reception. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 12 | First NFL regular-season game played in Phoenix; Cowboys beat Card | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 15 | NCAA record rushing yardage (768 yards-Oklahoma). | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 20 | Gastineau sacks Jets, retires from football "for personal reasons". | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 20 | Reggie Rogers, Det Lion's # 1 pick, kills 3 by driving intoxicated. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 30 | NY Jets finally beat Pittsburgh Steelers for first time. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 31 | First Monday Night NFL game in Indpls, Colts beat Denver 55-23. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 12 | Heisman Trophy winner running back Barry Sanders of Oklahoma State rushes for 312 yards, 5 TDs in a 63-24 winv against Kansas; sets NCAA single season TD mark at 31. (Sports Illustrated, 11/12/2001) | |
| Dec 03 | 54th Heisman Trophy Award: Barry Sanders, OK State (RB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 18 | 5th meeting of Giants-Jets, Jets win & eliminate Giants from playoffs. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 19 | OK's College football team gets 3 year probation. | Ref: 5 |
- 1989
| Jan 02 | Notre Dame beats West Virginia for college football championship. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 02 | UCLA wins a record 7th consecutive bowl game. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 13 | Jerry Parks, Oklahoma defensive back, charged with shooting a teammate. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 27 | Oklahoma's linebacker, Mark VanKeirsblilck assaults an Oklahoma grad student. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 29 | NFL Pro Bowl NFC beats AFC 34-3. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 10 | Minor League Football System opens organizational meeting, St Louis MO. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 13 | Oklahoma football player Charles Thompson is charged with selling cocaine; he is later sentenced to 2 years in prison. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 20 | Members of 1949 Oklahoma football team cancelled an April reunion because of the deplorable conduct of Oklahoma players. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 24 | Harold E Ballard sells CFL Hamilton Tiger-Cats to David Braley. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 25 | Dallas Cowboys fire coach Tom Landry after a 29-year career. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 22 | Pete Rozelle announces retirement as NFL commissioner after 29 years. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 09 | Barry Switzer resigns as head coach of Oklahoma's football. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 01 | NFL owners vote unanimously to form the WLAF. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 01 | Dallas Cowboy, Ed "Too Tall" Jones records his 1,000th NFL tackle | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 03 | Art Shell becomes the first African American to coach a professional football team, the Los Angeles Raiders. | Ref: 2 |
| Oct 09 | First NFL game coached by a black man (Art Shell), his LA Raiders beat NY Jets 14-7 on Monday Night Football | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 12 | Herschel Walker is traded from Cowboys to Vikings for 12 players. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 14 | Texas A&I, Johnny Bailey sets NCAA season rush record at 6,085 yards. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 21 | Houston becomes first major college team to gain 1000 yards in a game. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 27 | Oklahoma's linebacker, Mark VanKeirsblilck assaults an Oklahoma grad student. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 02 | 55th Heisman Trophy Award: Andre Ware, Houston (QB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 31 | Fog Bowl: Heavy fog rolls in on Bears 20-12 victory over Eagles. | Ref: 5 |
- 1990
| Jan 05 | J Donald Crump appointed 8th Commissioner of CFL. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 04 | NFL Pro Bowl NFC beats AFC 27-21. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 05 | Notre Dame becomes first team to sell its game to a major network (NBC). | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 12 | Los Angeles Raiders announce they were returning to Oakland. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 18 | Birmingham Fire issued an original franchise in the WLAF. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 14 | SF 49er Joe Montana passes for 6 touchdowns vs Atlanta (45-35) | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 18 | NFL NY Giants beat Det Lions 20-0, to run 1990 record to 10-0. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 25 | NFL's NY Giants & San Francisco 49ers after winning their first 10 games both lose, Phil Eagles beat Giants 31-13 & L.A. Rams beat 49ers 28-17. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 26 | Buffalo Bills become 6th first place NFL team to lose on same weekend. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 01 | 56th Heisman Trophy Award: Ty Detmer, Brigham Young (QB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 09 | NFL NY Giant Otis Anderson becomes 8th to rush for 10,000th yard. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 09 | Houston scores most points against Cleveland, Oilers 58, Browns 14. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 20 | Robert F X Sillerman purchases WAFL New York-New Jersey Knights for $11 million. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 26 | Reggie Williams becomes first GM of WLAF's NY-New Jersey Knights. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 28 | Blockbuster Bowl 1: Florida State beats Penn State, 24-17. | Ref: 5 |
- 1991
| Jan 02 | Colorado wins its first AP national title poll. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 18 | WLAF's New York Knights become New York-New Jersey Knights. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 20 | Buffalo Bills beat Los Angeles Raiders 51-3 for AFC title. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 20 | Matt Barr's field goal with no time left gives New York Giant 15-13 victory over defending champs San Francisco 49ers, for NFC title. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 26 | Jan Stenerud becomes first pure placekicker to make NFL Hall of Fame. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 03 | NFL Pro Bowl AFC beats NFC 23-21. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 05 | All American Bowl ends after 14 years. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 05 | Big East Football conference forms. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 24 | End of World League of American Football's (WLAF) first draft. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 26 | New York-New Jersey Knights (WLAF) players first come together. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 19 | NFL owners strip Phoenix of 1993 Super Bowl game due to Arizona not recognizing Martin Luther King Day. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 23 | First World League of American Football games, London beats Frankfurt 24-11, Sacramento beats Raleigh-Durham 9-3 & Montréal beats Birmingham 20-5. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 24 | Barcelona Dragons beat New York/New Jersey Knights 19-7 in their first WLAF game. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 26 | Orlando Thunder beats San Antonio Riders in their first WLAF game 35-34. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 27 | NCAA bans University of Minnesota football team from postseason play in 1992 | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 06 | New York-New Jersey Knights first home game (Giants Stadium) lose to Frankfurt 27-17. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 25 | Lisa Olson brings suit against NFL New England Patriots for sexual harassment. | Ref: 5 |
| May 22 | NFL Owners agree to add 2 teams in 1994. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 28 | Buffalo Bills beat Phila Eagles, 17-13 in American Bowl in Wembley. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 08 | Buffalo Bill Jim Kelly passes for 6 touchdowns vs Pitts (52-34). | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 15 | SD State freshman Marshall Faulk sets NCAA rushing record of 386 yds | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 10 | Marty Glickman broadcasts his 1,000th football game. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 17 | Detroit Lion Mike Utley is paralyzed in a game vs Los Angeles Rams. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 24 | After going 12-0 Washington loses to Dallas 24-21. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 14 | 57th Heisman Trophy Award: Desmond Howard, Michigan (WR). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 23 | Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Chuck Noll retired after 23 seasons. He was the only coach to have four Super Bowl wins (1975-1976, 1979-1980) and was the fifth winningest coach in the NFL (209-156-1). | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 26 | Chuck Knolls retires as NFL coach after 23 years. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 27 | Bengals hire Dave Shula as youngest NFL coach (32). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 28 | Blockbuster Bowl 2: Alabama beats Colorado, 30-25. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 28 | Bengals hire Dave Shula as youngest NFL coach (32). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 31 | J Donald Crump resigned as CFL Commissioner. | Ref: 5 |
- 1992
| Jan 10 | Dennis Green becomes the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. (XDG, p 4A, 1/10/2001) | Ref: 83 |
| Feb 02 | NFL Pro Bowl NFC beats AFC 21-15. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 27 | Larry Smith, named 9th Commissioner of the CFL. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 29 | The Professional Spring Football League begins. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 21 | 2nd WLAF season begins. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 01 | NFL decides to stay with 17 week sched instead of expanded 18 games | Ref: 5 |
| May 03 | Ohio Glory wins first WLAF game (after 6 loses), beat Frankfurt 20-17. | Ref: 5 |
-
| Sep 13 | The first puntless game in NFL history happened this day. The Buffalo Bills (quarterback Jim Kelly: 403 yards and three TDs) and San Francisco 49ers (QB Steve Young: 449 yards and three touchdowns) combined for 1,086 yards of total offense -- without punting the ball once. The Bills beat the 49ers 34-31. | Ref: 4 |
| Oct 04 | Miami Dolphins’ safety Louis Oliver grabbed three interceptions from the Buffalo Bills and returned one for a 103-yard touchdown. That return tied for the NFL’s all-time longest interception return with a 103-yard return by San Diego’s Vencie Glenn against Denver on November 29, 1987. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 06 | San Francisco 49er Jerry Rice catches NFL record 101st touchdown. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 12 | 58th Heisman Trophy Award: Gino Torretta, Miami FL (QB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 12 | NY Giants lose 19-0 to Phoenix Cardinals. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 26 | New York Jet announcer Marty Glickman retires at 75. | Ref: 5 |
- 1993
| Jan 01 | Blockbuster Bowl 3 Stanford beats Penn State, 24-3. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 05 | Mike Ditka was dismissed as Chicago Bears head coach after 32 years as a player and coach (11 seasons as head coach, 106-62). (In 1988, Ditka, who played in five Pro Bowls and two conference championships (1963 and 1971), was the first tight end to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.) | Ref: 4 |
| Feb 07 | NFL Pro Bowl AFC beats NFC 23-20. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 23 | Sacramento Gold Miners admitted as CFL's 9th franchise (1st US team). | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 26 | NFL owners unanimously select the Carolina Panthers as the 29th franchise. (USA Today, p 3C, 2/02/2004) | Ref: 13 |
| Nov 14 | Don Shula was carried off the Veterans Stadium field by his Miami Dolphins after a 19-14 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. That victory was #325 in Shula’s career and made him the winningest coach in NFL history, surpassing the legendary George Halas. (Of all NFL coaches, only Shula and Halas reached 300 victories.) Shula finished his career in 1995 with a coaching record of 347-173-6. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 11 | 59th Heisman Trophy Award: Charlie Ward, Florida State (QB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 17 | Fox television outbid CBS fot the National Football Conference TV package. (XDG, p 4A, 12/17/2003) | Ref: 83 |
- 1994
| Jan 01 | Carquest Bowl 4 Boston College beats Virginia, 32-13. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 23 | Bernie Kosar is 2nd QB to throw TD passes in AFC & NFC Championship games. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 06 | NFL Pro Bowl NFC beats AFC 17-3. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 18 | Shreveport Pirates join CFL as 4th US team. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 07 | David Platt appointed captain of English football team. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 29 | Coach Jimmy Johnson quits Dallas Cowboys | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 19 | Heisman Trophy winner running back Rashaan Salaam of Colorado has 29 carries, 259 yds, 2 TDs, breaks 2000 yds for the season in a 41-20 win over Iowa State. (Sports Illustrated, 11/19/2001) | |
| Dec 10 | 60th Heisman Trophy Award: Rashaan Salaam, Colorado (RB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 27 | The NFL set a regular-season paid attendance record for the second consecutive year, topping 14 million for the first time (14,034,977). | Ref: 4 |
- 1995
| Jan 02 | Carquest Bowl 5 South Carolina beats WV, 24-21. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 05 | AFC beats NFC 41-13 in the pro bowl. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 11 | Birmingham Barracudas granted CFL franchise. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 15 | San Diego Chargers beat Pittsburgh Steelers 17-13 for AFC championship. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 15 | San Francisco 49ers beat Dallas Cowboys for NFC championship. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 17 | Los Angeles Rams announce that they are moving to St Louis. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 28 | Memphis Mad Dogs granted CFL's 13th franchise. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 05 | NFL Pro Bowl AFC beats NFC 41-13. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 21 | CFL's Sacramento Gold Miners become San Antonio Texans. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 18 | Quarterback Joe Montana announces his retirement from football. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 22 | The Carolina Panthers make quarterback Kerry Collins their first draft choice. (USA Today, p 3C, 2/02/2004) | Ref: 13 |
| Jun 23 | Los Angeles Raiders media release: “The Raiders organization has chosen to relocate to Oakland.” In a deju-vu-all-over-again kind of situation, Raiders owner Al Davis made the decision to take his team back to where it had come from. And the Raiders sued the NFL, claiming it forced the team to move by insisting that a second team be allowed to play at a new stadium Davis wanted to build at Hollywood Park in suburban Inglewood. Davis said the other team would have crippled his team financially when it came to selling luxury suites and building fan loyalty. He demanded more than $1 billion for the ‘right’ to the LA market and for compensation to his team for revenue to be lost because of the failed deal. Davis and the Raiders lost the suit on May 21, 2001. Kimberly Hamilton, forewoman of the 7-man, 5-woman jury said, “I think the key for me was that the Raiders did not have enough evidence to meet the burden of proof.” An NFL spokesman said, “The notion that the Raiders ‘own’ the Los Angeles market also was entirely unsupported by the evidence in this case. The Raiders abandoned Los Angeles when they returned to Oakland in 1995, just as they deserted Oakland in 1982 when they moved to the Los Angeles Coliseum.” | Ref: 4 |
| Sep 03 | The Carolina Panthers lose 23-20 in overtime to Atlanta in the team's first regular season game. (USA Today, p 3C, 2/02/2004) | Ref: 13 |
| Oct 15 | The Carolina Panthers win the first game in franchise history, 26-15 over the New York Jets. (USA Today, p 3C, 2/02/2004) | Ref: 13 |
| Nov 06 | Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell announced plans to move his team to Baltimore. | Ref: 70 |
| Dec 09 | 61st Heisman Trophy Award: Eddie George, Ohio State (RB) | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 17 | The Cleveland Browns play their final game. Owner Art Modell moves his team to Baltimore. | |
| Dec 24 | The Carolina Panthers go 7-9, more than doubling the previous expansion-best mark of three wins. (USA Today, p 3C, 2/02/2004) | Ref: 13 |
| Dec 30 | Carquest Bowl 6: North Carolina beats Arkansas, 20-10. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 31 | 62nd Sugar Bowl: Virginia Tech beats TX. | Ref: 5 |
- 1996
| Jan 05 | Miami Dolphin coach Don Shula announces his retirement. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 10 | Jimmy Johnson announced as new coach of Miami Dolphins. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 04 | NFL Pro Bowl NFC beats AFC 20-13. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 08 | An agreement was reached between the city of Cleveland, the NFL and Art Modell, permitting Modell to move his football franchise, the Cleveland Browns, to Baltimore. As part of the agreement, the name Browns, its team colors, and storied history would remain in the proud city of Cleveland. | Ref: 4 |
| Mar 29 | Cleveland Browns choose new name, Baltimore Ravens | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 10 | Dan Marino was first NFL quarterback to throw for 50,000 yards in his career. He reached that mark as he completed a pass to O.J. McDuffie in a game against the Indpls Colts this day. Marino went on to a run up a career record of 61,361 yards passing. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 14 | 62nd Heisman Trophy Award: Danny Wuerffel, Florida (QB). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 22 | Kordell Stewart of the Pittsburgh Steelers ran 80 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter of an 18-14 loss to the Carolina Panthers. His was the longest scoring run by a quarterback in NFL history. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 22 | The Carolina Panthers go 12-4, winning the NFC West. (USA Today, p 3C, 2/02/2004) | Ref: 13 |
| Dec 27 | Carquest Bowl 7: Miami beats Virginia, 31-21 | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 28 | Carquest Bowl 7: Miami beats Virginia, 31-21. | Ref: 5 |
- 1997
| Jan 05 | The Carolina Panthers defeat the defending Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys 26-17 in the team's first playoff game. (USA Today, p 3C, 2/02/2004) | Ref: 13 |
| Jan 10 | Dallas police ended their investigation into Dallas Cowboys stars Erik Williams and Michael Irvin, saying a woman's claim that Williams had raped her while Irvin held a gun to her head was false. | Ref: 64 |
| Feb 02 | NFL Pro Bowl AFC beats NFC 26-23 (OT). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 11 | Bill Parcells becomes head coach of New York Jets. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 09 | NFL announces it will give $3 million to CFL & possible "World Classic Bowl". | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 30 | San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young signed a 6-year contract extension worth $45 million, making him one of the NFL's highest-paid players. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 02 | Denver QB John Elway reached two milestones this day. (1)He accounted for 276 total yards (in a 30-27 victory over the Seattle Seahawks) for 50,273 yards in his career. He was the third player in NFL history -- after Dan Marino and Fran Tarkenton -- to reach the 50,000 plateau. (2)And with 252 yards passing, Elway moved past Tarkenton into second place in career passing yardage with 47,019, trailing only Marino at that point. (All this during a 30-27 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.) | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 15 | Eddie Robinson coached his final home game at Grambling State University (losing 37-35 to North Carolina A&T). He was college football’s winningest coach with 408 wins. (Robinson ended his 56-year career two weeks later at the Bayou Classic against Southern University.) | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 13 | 63rd Heisman Trophy Award: Charles Woodson, Michigan (CB) | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 15 | San Francisco 49ers retire Joe Montana's #16 | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 21 | Detroit Lions Barry Sanders is 3rd to run for 2,000 yards in a season. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 21 | Detroit Lions linebacker Reggie Brown, knocked unconscious in game. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 29 | Carquest Bowl 8: Georgia Tech beats West Virginia, 35-30. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 31 | Buffalo Bills head coach Marv Levy retired after 11 years and four consecutive Super Bowl appearances. His 123 victories with the Bills are a team record. He led the Bills to eight postseason appearances and five conference championship games, winning four. | Ref: 4 |
- 1998
| Jan 06 | Barry Switzer resigns as Dallas Cowboy coach. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 08 | New York Giant GM George Young resigns to accept NFL position. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 11 | AFC Championship Denver Broncos beat Pitt Steelers 24-21. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 11 | NFC Championship Green Bay Packers beat San Francisco 49'ers 23-10. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 13 | The National Football League completes a $9.2B deal with Walt Disney Co, which got to keep "Monday Night Football" for ABC and won the entire Sunday night cable package for ESPN. (XDG, p 4A, 1/13/2003) | Ref: 83 |
| Jan 13 | CBS pays $4 billion to televise AFC games for 8-years | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 22 | World League of American Football becomes NFL East | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 01 | NFL Pro Bowl Game, AFC beats NFC 29-24. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 05 | Author Tom Clancy confirms he signed agreement to purchase Minnesota Vikings for slightly more than $200 million, an NFL franchise record. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 12 | Dallas Cowboys sign Chan Gailey as their 4th head coach. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 04 | NFL Europe (Formerly WLAF), kicks off season | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 01 | Steve Young and Jerry Rice connected for their 80th career touchdown. That TD broke an NFL record, previously held by the Miami duo of Dan Marino and Mark Clayton. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 22 | It was week 12 of the NFL football season as Denver Broncos QB John Elway passed (pun intended) the 50,000-yard career-passing mark. He joined Dan Marino as the only passers to throw for more than 50,000 yards in a career. And Elway threw four touchdowns passes the following week to move into third place on the all-time TD pass list. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 26 | NFL Coin Flop: Pittsburgh's Jerome Bettis says he called tails on a coin flip to start overtime. Ref Phil Luckett said he heard "heads". When it came up tails, the ball was awarded to Detriot. The Lions won. (USA Today, p 1C, 1/07/2003) | Ref: 13 |
| Dec 20 | Green Bay’s Brett Favre connected three times with Antonio Freeman in the first half against the Tennessee Oilers en route to a 30-22 victory this day. In doing so, Favre became the first quarterback in NFL history to pass for 30 or more touchdowns in five consecutive seasons (33 in 1994, 28 in 1995, 39 in 1996, 35 in 1997, and 30 in 1998). | Ref: 4 |
- 1999
| Jan 17 | The defending SuperBowl champion Denver Broncos defeat the NY Jets, 23-10 to win the AFC title. (XDG, p 4A, 1/17/2004) | Ref: 83 |
| Jan 17 | The Atlanta Falcons upset the Minnesota Vikings, 30-27 to win the NFC title. (XDG, p 4A, 1/17/2004) | Ref: 83 |
| Mar 17 | Instant replay was voted back in the NFL for the 1999 season. (XDG, p 4A, 3/17/2004) | Ref: 83 |
| Aug 09 | The (new) Cleveland Browns win their inaugural game, 20-17 in overtime, in an exhibition game against the Dallas Cowboys. The old Cleveland Browns franchise move to Baltimore in 1995. | |
| Oct 24 | The Indianapolis Colts defeat the Cincinnati Bengals 31-10, making the Colts coach Jim Moras the 27th NFL coach to win 100 games. (Announced shortly after the game on TV.) | |
| Dec 15 | Rae Carruth is arrested in western Tennessee, a day after the Carolina Panthers wide receiver failed to turn himself in to face murder charges in the death of his girlfriend. | Ref: 9 |
- 2000
| Jan 08 | NFL Music City Miracle: Tennessee's Kevin Dyson runs 75 yards for the winning TD with three seconds left after catching a disputed leral from Frank Wycheck on a kickoff return against Buffalo. (USA Today, p 1C, 1/07/2003) | Ref: 13 |
| Jan 19 | The Carolina Panthers wide receiver Rae Carruth is convicted of conspiracy to commit murder in the 1999 shooting death of Cherica Adams, who was pregnant with his son. (USA Today, p 3C, 2/02/2004) | Ref: 13 |
-
- 2001
| Jan 03 | Oklahoma defeats Florida State, 13-2, to win the Orange Bowl and capture football's Bowl Championship Series title game. (XDG, p 4A, 1/03/2002) | Ref: 83 |
| Feb 03 | The XFL (Xtreme Football League) debuted. The league was created by Vince McMahon, mastermind behind the WWF (World Wrestling Federation. What was promoted as “Football the Way It Was Meant to Be Played” soon faded into painful memories for TV viewers and fans. The WWF apparently thought that it could pull in millions of wrestling fans to support the league, but was shocked when it discovered that actual football fans were the major supporters of the XFL, and these football fans were turned off by the wrestling-show influence on the games. | Ref: 4 |
| Oct 27 | Coach Joe Paterno of Penn State's Nittany Lions wins his 324th football game passing Alabama's Bear Bryant as the winningest college football coach by defeating Ohio State who blew a 27-9 halftime lead. PSU wins 29-27. (A HREF="http://www.pennlive.com/pennstatefootball/patriotnews/index.ssf?/pennstatefootball/joepa_special/joepa_frisco.html">Ref | |
| Dec 14 | George O'Leary resigned as Notre Dame football coach five days after being hired, admitting he had lied about his academic and athletic background. | Ref: 70 |
| Dec 31 | Notre Dame tapped Tyrone Willingham to be its head football coach, replacing George O'Leary, who'd resigned because of mistatements about his a academic and athletic achievements on his resume. Willingham becomes the first black head coach in any sport for the Irish. (XDG, p 4A, 12/31/2002) | Ref: 83 |
- 2002
| Jan 01 | Number 2 Oregon defeats Number 3 Colorado in the Fiesta Bowl. (XDG, p 4A, 1/01/2003) | Ref: 83 |
| Jan 06 | The Carolina Panthers finish the season at 1-15, losing their last 15 games. (USA Today, p 3C, 2/02/2004) | Ref: 13 |
| Jan 19 | An apparent fumble by New England's Tom Brady was ultimately ruled an incomplete pass toward the end of a playoff game against Oakland. The Patriots got the ball back, won the game and went on to become Super Bowl champs. (USA Today, p 1C, 1/07/2003) | Ref: 13 |
| Jan 25 | The Carolina Panthers name John Fox as their head coach. (USA Today, p 3C, 2/02/2004) | Ref: 13 |
| Feb 01 | The NCAA placed Alabama on five years probation, jolting the football program with a two-year bowl ban and heavy scholarship reductions. (XDG, p 4A, 2/1/2003) | Ref: 83 |
| Oct 27 | Dallas Cowboy Emmitt Smith passes Chicago Bears Walter Payton's all-time mark for yardage of 16,726 with 109 yards gained in a 17-14 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Smith's new record is currently 16,743 yards. (USA Today, p. 1C, 10/28/2002) | Ref: 13 |
| Nov 23 | Three people are injured and 21 arrested when fans tore down goal posts after North Carolina State's 17-7 win over Florida State. Police use pepper spray to keep the goal posts standing. (USA Today, p 4C, 11/25/2002) | Ref: 13 |
| Nov 23 | 45 people are arrested when fans attempt to tear down goal posts after Ohio State's 14-9 win over Michigan. State. Police use pepper spray to keep the goal posts standing. The number of injured is unknown. (USA Today, p 4C, 11/25/2002) | Ref: 13 |
| Nov 23 | California fans overwhelm security and tear down goal posts in a 30-7 Golden Bears win against Stanford. (USA Today, p 4C, 11/25/2002) | Ref: 13 |
| Nov 23 | Washington State fans shower the field with objects, including bottles when visiting Washington upsets Washington State 29-26 in triple overtime. (USA Today, p 4C, 11/25/2002) | Ref: 13 |
| Nov 23 | Security guard Homer Booth, 67, suffers a broken collarbone, ribs and a heel-mark on his forehead attempting to defend a goal post after the Clemson-South Carolina football game. | |
| Nov 23 | A fight breaks out on the field when Hawaii beats Cincinnati 20-19 in a come-from-behind victory. (USA Today, p 4C, 11/25/2002) | Ref: 13 |
| Dec 09 | ABC-TV's Monday Night Football airs the Miami Dolphins retiring Larry Csonka's uniform, No. 39, live. | |
| Dec 25 | Katie Hnida became the first woman to play in a Division I football game when she attempted an extra point for New Mexico against UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl. | Ref: 70 |
- 2003
| Jan 03 | During the half time show at the Fiesta Bowl, with Ohio State leading the University of Miami 14-7, two Ohio State cheerleaders kick 25-yard and 35-yard field goals, winning $125,000 for charity. The University of Miami cheerleaders missed their field goals and won $2000 for trying. (ABC-TV, live) | |
| Jan 03 | Ohio State defeats the University of Miami 31-24 in double overtime in the Fiesta Bowl for the National Championship, with the game ending with a Miami possession at 4th and goal at the one yard line. It was one of the best football games I've ever seen. (carried live on ABC-TV) | |
| Jan 05 | The San Francisco 49'ers defeat the New York Giants 39-38 in the first round of playoffs. The NFL acknowledges that a pass interference call was not made that should have given the Giants one more play and a possible field goal (and subsequent win). (USA Today, p 1C, 1/07/2003) | Ref: 13 |
| Jan 14 | Marvin Lewis accepts the position of head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals. (XDG, p. 13, 1/15/2003) | Ref: 83 |
| Jan 19 | The Oakland Raiders win the AFC title game, beating the Tennessee Titans, 41-24. (XDG, p 4A, 1/19/2004) | Ref: 83 |
| Jan 19 | The Tampa Bay Buccaneers win the NFC title game, beating the Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10. (XDG, p 4A, 1/19/2004) | Ref: 83 |
| Feb 02 | The American Football Conference defeats the National Football Conference in the NFL Pro Bowl, 45-20. (XDG, p 4A, 2/02/2004) | Ref: 83 |
| Oct 06 | The Indianapolis Colts defeat the Tampa Bay Bucanneers 38-35 in overtime after trailing 35-14 with 4 minutes in regulation time. (XDG, p 2B, 10/07/2003) | Ref: 83 |
| Nov 04 | Lawyers for suspended Ohio State tailback Maurice Clarett have dropped a motion seeking $2M from Ohio State for allegedly releasing Clarett's educational records to police and prosecutors. Clarett is accused of exaggerating the value of items stolen last spring from a car he was driving. (AP, 11/04/2003 3:22 PM) | |
| Nov 10 | Suspended Ohio State football player Maurice Clarett asks a new judge to dismiss misdemeanor charges that he lied on a police report. (XDG, p 2B, 11/11/2003) | Ref: 83 |
| Nov 13 | Notre Dame is considering ending it's conference independence and has made inquiries into full membership in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Such a move would stabilize its position in the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) and widen its recruiting base. (USA Today, p 1A, 11/13/2003) | Ref: 13 |
| Dec 17 | Ohio State University found itself innocent after a self-investigation of allegations of academic misconduct involving suspended tailback Maurice Clarett and other atheletes. The committee was formed after reports in July 2003 that Clarett passed a class in 2002 by taking two oral exams. (USA Today, p 1C, 12/18/2003) | Ref: 13 |
- 2004
| Jan 04 | Ohio State (#7) defeats Kansas State (#8) in the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe AZ. OSU finishes the season with a 12-2 record. (XDG, p 1B, 1/03/2004) | Ref: 83 |
| Jan 18 | The New England Patriots win the AFC title game, beating the Indianapolis Colts 24-14. (XDG, p 14, 1/19/2004) | Ref: 83 |
| Jan 18 | The Carolina Panthers win the NFC title game, beating the Philadelphia Eagles 14-3. (XDG, p 14, 1/19/2004) | Ref: 83 |
| Jan 31 | Quarterback John Elway and running back Barry Sanders are elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. Also elected are defensive end Carl Eller and offensive tackle Bob Brown. (USA Today, p 4D, 2/02/2004) | Ref: 13 |
| Feb 05 | US District Judge Shira A Scheindlin rules that the NFL's rule prohibiting players from being drafted before they have been out of high school for three years violates antitrust laws. This ruling, in favor of suspended Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett, paves the way for his entry into the NFL. (XDG, p 2B, 2/06/2004) | Ref: 83 |
| Feb 26 | Cleveland Browns' William Green walks out of jail after completing a 72 hour sentence for drunken driving. (XDG, p 3B, 2/27/2004) | Ref: 83 |
|
Football History Chronology