By Darin 
The Day Football Forgot the Yellow Flag: November 10’s Wild Records
November 10 is a day of bizarre records and jaw-dropping college football comebacks. It features one of the most remarkable anomalies in NFL history: the 1940 game between the Steelers and Eagles—one of only four contests ever played without a single penalty! This date is also celebrated for legendary yardage totals, from Dan Marino surpassing 50,000 career passing yards to the infamous 1984 “Miracle in Miami,” where Maryland overcame a 31-point halftime deficit to stun the University of Miami. Plus, discover the college game where Navy and North Texas set a major-college record by combining for an unbelievable 136 points!
November 10 Football History Headlines
November 10, 1940 — The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Philadelphia Eagles 7-3 in a penalty-free game at Forbes Field. Philadelphia’s George Somers booted a 36-yard field goal in the first quarter. The Steelers’ score came on a one-yard scoring dive by Coley McDonough in the third quarter. As we discussed before, this was one of four NFL contests without yellow laundry hitting the field. The others occurred on October 28, 1934, in Brooklyn vs. Pittsburgh; September 27, 1936, when the Boston Redskins played Brooklyn’s Dodgers; and October 9, 1938, when the Cleveland Rams hosted the Chicago Bears. There seems to be a common theme to these games as they all occurred within 6 years of each other. The same guy, Will Halloran, was the Referee of the 1936 and 1940 contests. Talk about an era when officials let them play! (source)
November 10, 1945 – Yankee Stadium, The Bronx, New York – Top-ranked Army shuts out No. 2 Notre Dame 48-0 in an extremely lopsided contest. Per americanfootballdatabase.com, the Black Knights’ Glenn Davis scored three touchdowns, and Doc Blanchard crossed the goal line twice, as the Cadets rolled up 441 yards to the Irish’s 184. (source)
November 10, 1957 – Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, LA, California – An NFL record crowd of 102,368 crammed into the stadium to watch LA come away with a 37-24 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. And they say LA fans don’t turn out for games!
November 10, 1957 – Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio – Cleveland Browns’ Don Paul sets club record for longest scoop and score with a 89-yard touchdown that helped the Browns to blank the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-0.
November 10, 1963 – Kezar Stadium, San Francisco, California – Dandy Don Meredith of the Dallas Cowboys passed for 460 yards and three scores, but his Cowboys team fell short on the scoreboard in a 31-24 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, per the pro-football-reference.com. Niners quarterback Lamar McHan went 15 of 25 passing for 248 yards and 3 touchdown passes.
November 10, 1973 – Kent, Ohio – According to a 2015 post on footballfoundation.org, a matchup pitting the No. 17-ranked Miami of Ohio RedHawks and Kent State Golden Flashes in 1973 marked the first-ever meeting of ranked MAC teams, putting the MAC title on the line. Redhawks fullback Chuck Varner fueled the offense with a two-yard touchdown plunge and a nine-yard touchdown reception to help Miami establish a 17-10 lead. Kicker David Draudt finished off the defending MAC champion Golden Flashes with a school-record 52-yard field goal in the final quarter. Final score Redhawks 20, Golden Flashes 10. Miami finished the season with an 11-0 record, its first perfect season since 1955, and a No. 15 ranking at the end of the season. Kent State finished up its season with a 9-2 record.
November 10, 1979 – Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, Louisiana – The Crimson Tide rolled away with a 3-0 victory over LSU on a rain-soaked field. According to AL.com, Alan McElroy’s 27-yard field goal midway through the third quarter accounted for the game’s only points. Paul “Bear” Bryant’s Alabama team had won the national championship the previous season, and came into the 1979 LSU game 8-0 and riding a 17-game winning streak.
November 10, 1984 — Per a post on the website gowyo.com, University of Wyoming’s Kevin Lowe rushed for 302 yards, and Rick Wegher of South Dakota State put up 231 yards on the ground to set an NCAA record for most yards gained by two opposing players. The Wyoming Cowboys were too much for the SDSU Jackrabbits that day, though, as it showed in a 45-29 final score of the contest.
November 10, 1984 — Maryland completes the biggest comeback in NCAA history, overcoming a 31-0 halftime deficit to find victory over the University of Miami 42-40 in the Orange Bowl. A great NCAA.com story tells us that the Terrapins outscored Jimmy Johnson’s Hurricane team 42-9 in the second half to win the game. It was the largest comeback in NCAA history at the time. Led by back-up quarterback Frank Reich, the Terrapins score on six consecutive drives in the second half. One of the biggest plays of the game was when the Terps’ defense stuffed the Hurricanes’ running back, Melvin Bratton, ‘s two-point conversion attempt on the goal line late in the fourth quarter, which would have led to a tie score. Frank Reich was masterful at coming off the bench to lead his teams out of deep holes. Just look at his NFL career.
November 10, 1991 – Cleveland Browns QB Bernie Kosar breaks the NFL record for most passes without an interception, with 308, per the onthisday.com website. https://www.onthisday.com/sport/day/november/10
November 10, 1996 – Pro Player Stadium, Miami, Florida – The alamy.com reports that the Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino surpassed the 50,000 career yards passing mark in a 37-13 win over Indianapolis. The toss that hit the milestone was a 36-yarder to O.J. McDuffie during the second quarter of the contest. Marino also reached 4,000 completions, another NFL first, with his 10th completion of the game.
November 10, 2001 – James MacPherson scored with 1:17 to play in the game and Quintin Williams made the defensive play of the game seconds later as Wake Forest rallied from a 24-point halftime deficit to stun North Carolina 32-31 in front of 53,000 fans at Kenan Stadium. Wake Forest, outgained 338 yards to 118 in the first half, staged one of the greatest comebacks in ACC history—special thanks from the Wake Forest Athletic Department for this incredible story.
November 10, 2007 – Denton, Texas – Navy and North Texas set a major-college record by combining for 136 points in the Midshipmen’s 74-62 win per an ESPN.com post. The previous record for college football’s top tier of competition was 133 points, set by San Jose State in its 70-63 win over Rice on October 2, 2004. North Texas Mean Green quarterback Giovanni Vizza tossed for 478 yards and 8 touchdowns in the loss.
November 10, 2007 – South Bend, Indiana – The armed forces academies were performing well on this day as the Air Force Falcons defeated the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. According to the goairforcefalcons.com website, this occurred one week after the Navy Midshipmen eked out a triple-overtime victory against the Fighting Irish for the first time since 1963. The loss marked Notre Dame’s ninth loss of that season, a school record. The last time the Irish lost to two military academies in the same season was 1944.
November 10, 2012 – Tucson, Arizona – Thanks to an sbnation.com post, we learn that Ka’Deem Carey of Arizona pounded the ground hard, setting a Pac-12 single-game record with 366 yards on 25 carries and tying the Pac-12 conference record with five TDs in the Wildcats’ 56-31 rout of the Colorado Buffaloes.
November 10 Football Hall of Fame Birthdays
- Neil Snow
- Isaac Bruce
Conclusion: Unforgettable Upsets and Record-Shattering Performances
November 10th is a masterclass in extremes: the ultimate display of defensive discipline in the 1940 penalty-free NFL game contrasts sharply with the offensive fireworks of the 136-point Navy vs. North Texas shootout in 2007. The day honors all-time greats like Dan Marino and Hall of Fame receiver Isaac Bruce, who both secured major career milestones. From the dominant 1945 Army shutout of Notre Dame to Maryland’s historic 31-point comeback, this date proves that football history is defined not just by wins, but by the sheer, unpredictable spectacle of the game.