By Darin From the impossible “28-3” comeback in Super Bowl LI to the seismic shift of Vince Lombardi joining the Washington Redskins, February 5th is a keystone of football history. This date represents the essence of the gridiron: the birth of the legendary “Roger the Dodger” Staubach, the cinematic revolution of Ed Sabol’s NFL Films, and the crowning of champions in Super Bowls XL, XLVI, and LI. Whether you are reliving the grit of Jerome Bettis’s final “Bus” ride in Detroit or the exact accuracy of Eli Manning and Tom Brady, February 5th delivers an exemplar of fortitude and greatness. Explore the archives to see how this single day shaped the legends of the game.
February 5 Football History Timeline
- February 5, 1969 – Vince Lombardi became a part owner, a Vice President, General Manager, head coach, a grilled cheese sandwich, and whatever else it would take to get him to leave Green Bay and join the Washington Redskins franchise. The Slice The Life website shares a great article on the subject. Lombardi, who was the legendary head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1959-67, turned that franchise from the doormat of the League into a perennial Champion for most of a decade! After what is now referred to as Super Bowl II, Lombardi seemed to have hit a wall where the coaching juices had burned out; he was spent, so he spent the 1968 season as the Packers general manager, but found not being in charge on the sideline made him anxious. The word on the street was that Vince Lombardi was looking to return to coaching, and the immediate suitors for his services included the Philadelphia Eagles and the Boston Patriots. Still, the Redskins President, Edward Bennett Williams, pushed all his chips to the center of the table and offered Lombardi a part-ownership of the team. A lot was happening in D.C. at that time: Nixon just entered the White House, Ted Williams was hired as manager of the Washington Senators MLB club, and across the NFL, the Steelers hired Chuck Noll. At the same time, Oakland put John Madden on the payroll, and now Lombardi with the Redskins! Vince Lombardi served one season of his contract with the team. Still, he improved them to a 7-5-2 record, but unfortunately, he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of colon cancer in early 1970 and died on September 3, 1970, at 57. We will never know what the great coach could have done with the franchise from there. Still, he laid a foundation that led to the Redskins appearing in Super Bowl VII in 1973, giving the undefeated Dolphins a run for their money, and then moving on to bigger and better things in the 1980’s.
- February 5, 1995 – Aloha Stadium, Honolulu – The AFC stars knocked around the NFC squad, 41-13, in the 1994 season’s NFL Pro Bowl game. The Most Valuable Player of this contest was none other than Marshall Faulk, who at the time played for the Indianapolis Colts as a running back.
- February 5, 2006 – Ford Field, Detroit – The big storyline going into Super Bowl XL was that the Motor City’s favorite son (Sorry Arnie Chapman, it’s not you), The Bus, Jerome Bettis, may retire after the game. Bettis was the starting fullback for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was coerced out of retirement a year earlier by Rookie Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who promised him a championship if he returned. The Steelers would face a tall challenge from the Seattle Seahawks, led by veteran coach Mike Holmgren, per a Bleacher Report article. The game is forever remembered, unfortunately, for what many call phantom officiating, as Seattle had a couple of close calls not go its way, including a goal-line play in which Roethlisberger ran a QB sneak, and conclusive evidence to overturn a TD called on the field was not apparent. Then, later, an apparent touchdown pass from Matt Hasselbeck to Darrell Jackson was negated by an offensive pass interference foul against Jackson. The Seahawks settled for a field goal. With the Steelers leading 14-10 early in the fourth quarter, a Hasselbeck completion to Jerramy Stevens at the 1-yard line was negated by a holding penalty on offensive lineman Sean Locklear. Ford Field was 80% Steelers fans, according to broadcaster Al Michaels, which added to the sour taste Seattle fans had of the game. The Steelers did make some big plays, though, including a Willie Parker 75-yard TD run and a gadget play where, on an apparent end-around, wide out Antwaan Randle El stopped and launched a 43-yard TD strike to fellow receiver Hines Ward. The Pittsburgh Steelers overcame the Seattle Seahawks, 21-10, with the game’s MVP going to Hines Ward.
- On February 5, 2011, the legendary filmmaker Ed Sabol, co-founder of NFL Films, was elected for enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a contributor. Ed’s NFL films creation is an interesting story, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame website. Apparently, in 1962, Ed created a company named Blair Productions, after his daughter. To secure the exclusive rights to film the 1962 NFL Championship game, Ed doubled the next-closest bid of $ 1,500. Commissioner Pete Rozelle accepted the offer, and Blair Productions was in business, rolling tape at the New York Giants vs Green Bay Packers Title game! Two years later, after experiencing success, the company was renamed NFL Films. Sabol used multiple cameras to capture aspects of the game that the average television viewer did not get to see, such as the sidelines. When he mixed that with the legendary voice of narrator John Facenda, what an experience fans could have in their living rooms!
- February 5, 2012 – Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis – We reflected yesterday that at Super Bowl XLII, the Giants rained on the Patriots’ perfect season. The two teams met 4 years and a day later in Super Bowl XLVI. But there was a familiar vibe to the game. The Giants’ defense again pressured Tom Brady and kept the Juggernaut New England offense off kilter most of the evening. Another similarity was that Eli Manning led the G-Men on another near game-ending drive. The Washington Post reports that the Giants, who were trailing by two points, drove 88 yards to the winning touchdown on a six-yard run by tailback Ahmad Bradshaw with 57 seconds left. The New York Giants once again defeated the New England Patriots in the big game, this time by the score of 21-17. Eli Manning was selected as the game’s Most Valuable Player.
- February 5, 2017 – NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas – Super Bowl LI was one of the greatest comebacks in modern football history. The Atlanta Falcons looked unstoppable as they shredded the New England Patriots for most of the beginning of the game. The halftime score was 21-3, and in the third quarter, it got even worse for the Patriots as Atlanta went up 28-3 after Quarterback Matt Ryan found Tevin Coleman on a six-yard TD pass in the middle of the third. That was when all changed, though. The Patriots then reeled off 25 unanswered points in a little over a quarter to tie the game with 57 seconds left, with James White’s one-yard TD run and a subsequent 2-point conversion to send the game into the Super Bowl’s first overtime in history, per ESPN.com. In the extra session, the Patriots drove 75 yards in 8 plays, and White ran in another short touchdown to lift the New England Patriots over the Atlanta Falcons, 34-28. It sounds like a broken record, but the MVP was once again Tom Brady of New England. (source)
February 5 Football Hall of Fame Birthdays
- Walter Gilbert
- Roger Staubach
- Craig Morton
- Ron Sellers
- Terry Beasley
- Charle Young
Conclusion
February 5th stands as a monumental date in the football calendar, bridging the gap between the sport’s foundational architects and its modern miracles. From the visionary lens of Ed Sabol and the leadership of Vince Lombardi to the ice-cold resilience of Eli Manning and Tom Brady, this date reminds us that no lead is safe and no legacy is accidental. Whether it is the “28-3” miracle or the final ride of “The Bus,” the history written on this day continues to inspire fans to believe in the impossible.
