By Darin December 27 marks pivotal moments in football history—monumental firsts, dramatic upsets, and record-breaking achievements. On this day: the first game between two Black colleges, the launch of a legendary Hall of Fame draft class, the Detroit Lions’ last-minute title heroics, Cleveland’s championship shutout that stood unmatched for over fifty years, and Steve Largent’s milestone for NFL career catches.
December 27 Football History Timeline
- December 27, 1892 – Salisbury, North Carolina – Snow blanketed the front yard of Livingstone College. Hundreds of people from the area were making the trek to the venue to witness what would become the first game in which two black colleges met on the gridiron, as Biddle University (now known as Johnson C. Smith University) traveled from Charlotte. The website Ourstate.com lets the story unfold,telling how the crowd had traveled from near and far on foot, by horse, and by wagon to watch a football game and to see history unfold. The teams played two 45-minute halves, wore handmade uniforms produced by women studying in Livingstone’s industrial department, and players from both sides raised funds for a regulation-size football. In the game, a very controversial play occurred when a Livingstone player picked up a fumble and raced for the tying score. That fumble recovery was ruled out of bounds, and so Biddle hung on to defeat Livingstone 5-0 in this monumental college football game.
- December 27, 1942 – Shibe Park, Philadelphia – According to NWW2M.com, the way NFL All-Star games worked for a five-year period was that the NFL Champs would face a team of hand-picked League All-Stars a couple of weeks after the Title Game. Back in the December 13 edition of this series, we talked about the Washington Redskins winning the Big game in an upset of the Chicago Bears 14-6 at Griffith Park in D.C. Tradition would hold that the 5th and final NFL All-Star Game would play out in this format, as Washington faced a team of All-Stars coached by the Bears staff led by Hunk Anderson. The NFL stars included Bullet Bill Dudley of Pittsburgh at halfback, Bears quarterback Sid Luckman, Eagles signal caller Tommy Thompson, and the line play of Bruise Kinard and Bulldog Turner. The makeshift NFL All-Stars squad overcame the champs that day as the Washington Redskins fell 14-17.
- December 27, 1953 – Briggs Stadium, Detroit – The 1953 National Football League Championship had the previous year’s Champion Detroit Lions at home to face the contending Cleveland Browns. According to a Pro Football Hall of Fame story, this one had some game-ending drama. Legendary Lions QB Bobby Layne had been hearing from his substitute Tight End, Jim Doran, all game that he could get downfield past the Browns defender that had been assigned to him all day. Starting End Leon Hart had left the game with a knee injury earlier, so Doran was pulled from the defensive side of the ball to fill in. The Lions were down by 6 with a few seconds more than two minutes remaining in the contest. The wily old signal caller finally decided to play his wild card in this poker game on the gridiron; he and the Cleveland defenders had been dabbling in that afternoon. “Can you still beat that feller?” Layne asked Doran bluntly in the huddle, per the article. You just know that Jimmy D. eyeballed him back and gave him words of conformation! The DB on Doran that day was Warren Lahr, and the two opponents had been going at it all day. Doran was now licking his chops as he finally had his quarterback’s focus on the advantage he felt he could get over Lahr. Then it happened, a crucial 3rd and long, and Layne took the snap and completed an 18-yard strike to Doran to get past the lead stick. A few plays later, it was Layne to Jim Doran again for the touchdown! After the extra point was nailed, the Detroit Lions held on and beat the Cleveland Browns, 17-16, to retain the title!
- December 27, 1959 – Memorial Stadium, Baltimore – National Football League Championship game had the same billing as the watershed 1958 Title contest as the New York Giants faced the Baltimore Colts. There were more than a few changes, though, from the previous year that the Golden Rankings website describes. The Giants had lost Vince Lombardi as their offensive strategist when he left to coach the Packers. The League had record-setting attendance during the 1959 season, directly attributed to the overtime 1958 Championship between these two teams. A tragedy struck the NFL when, on October 11, 1959, Commissioner Bert Bell suffered a heart attack while at the Steelers versus Eagles game and passed away. The former treasurer, Austin Gunsel, stepped up to lead the League, but there were some very big shoes to fill. The American Football Database fills in some details about the game itself, stating that after 3 field goals by Giants kicker Pat Summerall, New York was up 9-7 going into the fourth quarter. In the final stanza, though, Baltimore came to life as Johnny Unitas ran in a touchdown and threw for another while the Colts’ defense scored on a pick-six to bury the Giants. The Baltimore Colts came from behind to register a convincing 31-16 victory over the New York Giants.
- December 27, 1960 – Running Back Tommy Mason from the University of Tulane was the first pick by the Minnesota Vikings in the 1961 NFL Draft. The Football Database website also reports that players picked in this draft included future Hall of Famers Mike Ditka, Jimmy Johnson, Herb Adderley, Bob Lilly, Fran Tarkenton, Billy Shaw, and Deacon Jones. Not a bad class of college players turning professional at all.
- December 27, 1962 – Quarterback Terry Baker became the first Oregon State player to win the 28th Heisman Trophy, according to Heisman.com. In 1962, Baker threw for 1,723 yards and 15 touchdowns, adding 9 rushing touchdowns and 538 yards on the ground.
- December 27, 1964 – Cleveland Municipal Stadium – The 1964 National Football League Championship game had the Baltimore Colts pitted against the Cleveland Browns. Hall of Famer Jim Brown rushed for 114 yards in the game for Cleveland, but the scoring came on three Frank Ryan to Gary Collins pass plates and a few kicks by Lou Groza as the Cleveland Browns blanked the Baltimore Colts, 27-0, per the Pro-Football-Reference.com website. Onthisday.com states that the victory was the last championship win by a major-league pro sports team from Cleveland until 2016, when the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers captured the crown.
- On December 27, 1971, the first Fiesta Bowl was played, with #8 Arizona State University’s Sun Devils defeating the Florida State Seminoles, 45-38, per the OnthisDay.com website.
- On December 27, 1974, the 40th Heisman Trophy Award went to Archie Griffin, the running back of the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Heisman’s official website states that even though Griffin was considered smallish for a Division I back at 5’-9” and a mere 180 pounds, he was a consistent and truly explosive runner. The Junior ran for 1620 yards and 12 touchdowns to lead the Buckeyes to an impressive 10-1 record that ranked them 3rd in the nation. If you remember our December 6 Football History Headlines post, we learned that, as a senior, Archie Griffin became the only player in history to win back-to-back Heismans. For his regular season college career, Griffin pounded out 5177 yards to rank fifth in the annals of collegiate rushers, but his 31 games of 100 yards or more are at the top of the list in NCAA history.
- December 27, 1987 – Arrowhead Stadium – Steve Largent set a new NFL record for career catches with his 752nd reception, exceeding Charlie Joiner’s previous mark in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
- December 27, 1991 – OnthisDay.com reports that the Brown family, owners of the Cincinnati Bengals, hired Dave Shula, the son of legendary Coach Don Shula, as their new head coach. The younger Shula then became the youngest NFL coach in history at 32.
- December 27, 2003 – Week 17 (Dec 27–28) of the 2003 season saw an NFL record paid attendance of 1,106,108 for 16 games played in one weekend.
December 27 Football Hall of Fame Birthdays
Conclusion
From the pioneering spirit on display at Livingstone College in 1892 to the dramatic, championship-clinching victories by the Lions, Colts, and Browns, December 27th is a day that defined football eras. Whether it was the crowning of two dual-threat Heisman winners, Terry Baker and Archie Griffin, or the setting of a major NFL attendance record, this date proves that the action doesn’t stop after the regular season, setting the stage for future Hall of Famers and unforgettable moments across the gridiron.
