It might sound odd for some folks to have a single conversation that ranges from All-Star Games, suspensions, hurricanes, and Hall of Fame players to pro football in Oakland and New Orleans, but we have it here when we talk about August 29. From pioneering sudden-death overtimes to groundbreaking contracts and unforgettable moments in American history, August 29 forms a powerhouse stretch on the football calendar. Imagine a young future U.S. President, Gerald Ford, suiting up against the NFL champion Chicago Bears in front of 77,000 roaring fans, or the Los Angeles Rams inaugurating preseason overtime with a dramatic goal-line plunge. Alongside watershed moments like the Raiders’ arrival in Los Angeles and the births of Hall of Fame legends like George Cafego and Clyde “Smackover” Scott, these late-August dates capture the grit, evolution, and drama that built the gridiron game.
August 29 American Football History Timeline
- August 29, 1935 – The 2nd Chicago Charities College Football All-Star game was played at Soldier Field, as the hometown favorite Chicago Bears defeated the collegians by a very rare score of five to zero. I know it sounds like a baseball score, but that was an actual football game in 1935. 77,450 people attended and witnessed the event. A very interesting player from the University of Michigan played in this game for the All-Stars, a certain Gerald Ford. Yes, that one became the president of the United States in 1973.
- August 29, 1940 – The seventh annual Chicago Charities All-Star game is played in the Windy City as the Green Bay Packers treat the over 84,500 fans in attendance at Soldier Field to a 45 to 28 drubbing of the All-Stars. The game’s most valuable player was Ambrose Schindl, the running back from Southern Cal that year.
- August 29, 1982 – The Los Angeles Raiders Play Their First Home Game at the Memorial Coliseum: Following a landmark antitrust court ruling that cleared the path for Al Davis to relocate the franchise to Southern California, the Los Angeles Raiders took the field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for their very first home contest. In front of eager L.A. football fans, the Raiders defeated the Green Bay Packers 24–3 in a preseason matchup, kicking off a historic 13-year era in Los Angeles that included a championship run in Super Bowl XVIII. [LA Coliseum]
- August 29, 1988 – Lawrence Taylor Receives Landmark 30-Day Substance Suspension: NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle handed down a high-profile 30-day suspension to New York Giants All-Pro linebacker Lawrence Taylor for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. The disciplinary action sent shockwaves throughout pro football and became a defining turning point in the NFL’s enforcement and public handling of drug policy violations during the late 1980s. [Athlon Sports]
- August 29, 2005 – Hurricane Katrina Impacts the Louisiana Superdome and New Orleans Saints: Hurricane Katrina made landfall along the Gulf Coast, causing catastrophic flooding and severe structural damage to the Louisiana Superdome. The disaster displaced the New Orleans Saints for the entire 2005 campaign—forcing the franchise to split home games between San Antonio’s Alamodome and LSU’s Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge before their emotional, triumphant reopening of the Superdome in September 2006. [Athlon Sports]
- August 29, 2018 – Green Bay Packers starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers signed a record contract extension worth $103 million guaranteed over four years, with a total value of $134 million and a topside of $180 million, to play for Green Bay.
August 29 Hall of Fame Birthdays
Happy Birthday to these legendary gridiron pioneers and powerhouse runners! As we celebrate August 29, we look back at a lineup of All-Americans, Olympic medalists, and Hall of Fame fullbacks.
Here is the list in order of birth:
- George “Tank” McLaren [1896] – A bruising fullback under Pop Warner at the University of Pittsburgh, McLaren earned All-American honors in 1917 and 1918 while famously never being stopped for a loss on a single recorded collegiate carry. His unstoppable dominance in Pitt’s undefeated championship era earned him enshrinement into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1965.
- George Cafego [1915] – A dynamic two-time All-American halfback and Heisman Trophy finalist at the University of Tennessee, “Bad News” Cafego rushed for 2,139 total yards before being selected No. 1 overall in the 1940 NFL Draft by the Chicago Cardinals. The 1969 College Football Hall of Famer played across multiple NFL franchises and served in the U.S. Army during World War II before enjoying a long, storied career as a collegiate assistant coach.
- Clyde “Smackover” Scott [1924] – An electric, world-class athlete for Navy and Arkansas, Scott captured a silver medal in the 110-meter hurdles at the 1948 London Olympics before winning NFL championships with both the 1949 Philadelphia Eagles and 1952 Detroit Lions. A 1971 College Football Hall of Fame inductee, his legendary No. 12 jersey remains one of only two numbers retired in Arkansas Razorbacks history.
- Bob Ferguson [1939] – A punishing powerhouse fullback for Woody Hayes at Ohio State, Ferguson won the 1961 Maxwell Award. He finished as the Heisman Trophy runner-up while leading the Buckeyes to an undefeated national championship season. A first-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1962, the 1996 College Football Hall of Fame inductee was renowned as one of the most dominant short-yardage rushers of his era.
Conclusion
The milestones of August 28 and 29 showcase the incredible evolution of American football across every era. From the massive spectacle of the Chicago Charities College All-Star Games drawing over 100,000 spectators to high-stakes modern headlines involving Aaron Rodgers and Lawrence Taylor, these dates bridge grassroots gridiron roots with the multi-million-dollar modern era. Celebrating the pioneers who carried the rock without losing a single yard and the institutions that rebuilt after adversity, these historic moments continue to echo through football lore every time the ball is kicked off.
