By Darin 
🏈 The Crimson Tide is Born: When Mud, Dynasties, and Charlie Brown Made Football History on November 16
The date November 16 is a monument to football history, marking the birth of a legendary college nickname, the end of two major winning streaks, and the arrival of a pro football icon. The most legendary event may trace back to the 1907 Iron Bowl, played on a sloppy, mud-caked field in Birmingham, where Auburn was the heavy favorite against a team known only as the “Thin Red Line.” When the determined Alabama players fought the Tigers to a gritty 6-6 tie, sports editor Hugh Roberts allegedly remarked that their white jerseys, stained red by the iron-rich mud, made the team look like a “Crimson Tide” flowing over the field—a nickname that forever stuck.
November 16 Football History Headlines
November 16, 1907 – Birmingham, Alabama – The 12th Iron Bowl is played as Auburn and Alabama finish in a 6-6 tie. According to rolltide.com, the name “Crimson Tide” was allegedly first used by Birmingham Age-Herald sports editor Hugh Roberts to describe this game, as reported by the American Football Database.
The internet fandom site has a great story about the game. The game was allegedly played on a sloppy, muddy quagmire of a field, and Auburn was the big favorite. But evidently the “Thin Red Line,” as Alabama was often referred to at the time, played a great game in the reddish-colored mud and held Auburn to a 6-6 tie, thus gaining the name “Crimson Tide.” Zipp Newman, former sports editor of the Birmingham News, probably popularized the name more than any other writer. This was the last football contest between the two schools until 1948, when the series was resumed.
Bulldogs moving
November 16, 1924 – Dunn Field, Cleveland, Ohio – Cleveland/Canton Bulldogs’ winning streak ends. The Canton Bulldogs were a dynasty in the early days of the NFL. According to americanfootballdatabase.fandom.com, the Bulldogs were unbeaten in 25 games from 1921 through 1923, suffering only three ties in that span. In fact, they were the Champions of the newly named National Football League in 1922 and the top “dogs” in the League in 1923. The news-herald.com has a story that fills in some details about the team’s transition in 1924 to become the Cleveland Bulldogs.
Apparently, the owner of the rival Cleveland Indians pro football team, a Cleveland area jeweler named Sam Deutsch, agreed on August 4, 1924, to buy the Canton Bulldogs franchise, players, equipment… yes, the whole kit and kaboodle. The sale was a win for both teams, as Canton’s owners had strong teams and good attendance but were struggling to turn a profit. While Cleveland had cash flow, it lacked the firepower to fill the stands. So, before the 1924 season started, Deutsch named Guy Chamberlin his coach, the player-coach and stud player from the University of Nebraska who, through his strategy and coaching, led the Bulldogs to their 1922 and 1923 NFL championships in Canton.
Deutsch demanded that some of the core players from his former Indians team remain in the lineup, especially quarterback Hoge Workman, an All-American from nearby Ohio State. The Cleveland Bulldogs were a powerhouse, as the combined rosters of the Indians and the Bulldogs were, in essence, an All-Star team of the two clubs. He promoted them as the Cleveland Bulldogs, and the team continued the Canton Bulldogs’ unbeaten streak by dispatching the Chicago Bears in their opener 16-14, tying Frankford’s Yellow Jackets the next week, then rattling off a string of victories over the likes of the Akron Pros twice, Rochester Jeffersons, and the Dayton Triangles.
It was on November 16, though, riding a 31-game unbeaten streak dating back to Canton, that the Bulldogs were finally defeated on the gridiron. It was the second meeting with Frankford Yellow Jackets that ended the streak as the Jackets knocked off the Dogs 12-7 in Cleveland.
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November 16, 1940 – The now infamous Cornell-Dartmouth “Fifth Down” game was played. This story is so juicy we posted an article all it own to it.
November 16, 1952 – According to the onthisday.com website, it was the first time in the Peanuts Comic strip that Lucy held a football for Charlie Brown. However, the Schultzmuseum.org website claims that the first time Charles Schulz used the football idea in his comic strip was in 1951, although Violet is the one holding the football for Charlie Brown in that instance, and she pulls it away more out of fear than just being mean, as Lucy did. The theme was then shown nearly every autumn through the run of the comic strip. There are 37 strips where Lucy herself actually pulled the ball from Charlie Brown, 11 animated specials, and 4 Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show episodes. There was one time that she didn’t pull away the ball, and Chuck, in some unintentional way, got his revenge as he kicked her finger.
November 16, 1957 – Cleveland Browns Rookie running back Jim Brown was something special even in his initial season in the League. Incredibly, Brown set an NFL season rushing record of 1163 yards after only eight games, one year removed from college! According to the website sports.ha.com, in his 9 seasons in the NFL, he led all rushers 8 times. (source)
November 16, 1957 – Norman, Oklahoma – Oklahoma Football’s NCAA win streak ends at 47 after losing to Notre Dame, 7-0. The Oklahoma Sooners were the defending college football champions. Oklahoma had a 47-game win streak going into a home game against Notre Dame, the last to defeat them. What occurred was a defensive slugfest, with the game coming down to a late 4th-quarter drive by the Irish. David Funk, of Bleacher Report, explains the sequence of events in his 2008 article. The Golden Domers had a series of successful plays that put them at the Sooners’ 8-yard line as the clock approached five minutes left in the game. The Irish ran the ball on three consecutive plays to advance the ball to the Sooners’ 3-yard line.
Because of a poor kicking angle, Notre Dame decided not to attempt a field goal. The Sooners sat back, expecting a run up the middle on the 4th down play as they put eight men in the box to stop it. Irish Quarterback Bob Williams then faked a handoff up the middle to running back Nick Pietrosante, then pitched it to Dick Lynch around the right end, and he ran it across the goal line untouched to give the Irish the lead. Notre Dame’s extra point was good as they had a 7-0 lead with 3:50 left to play. A couple of series later, with less than two minutes on the clock, Oklahoma moved the ball to the Irish 24-yard line as they were looking to tie the score. But on the next play, Bob Williams, who doubled as a defensive back for the Irish, picked off a pass by Dale Sherrod to seal the win and end the Sooners’ 47-game win streak. (source)
November 16, 1997 – Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada – The 85th edition of the Grey Cup took place as the Toronto Argonauts were pitted against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Boatmen were the better team that day as they won the coveted Grey Cup by the score of 47-23. Argos Quarterback Doug Flutie captured the MVP honors after throwing for 350 yards. While still on live TV, after being named Grey Cup MVP, Flutie handed the keys to the Dodge Dakota pickup truck to Paul Masotti, who was named the game’s Most Valuable Canadian. When the announcer acknowledged his generosity, Flutie remarked, “I have one from last year.” Yes, Doug Flutie was the MVP of the 1996 84th Grey Cup Game, too!
November 16, 2003 – Taylor Field, Regina, Saskatchewan – the 91st edition of the CFL’s Grey Cup was played as the Edmonton Eskimos were pitted against the Montreal Alouettes. Both teams sported identical 13-5 records heading into the CFL championship game, which made for a tremendous buildup. Oursportscentral.com lays out the game’s highlights. Led by the passing of quarterback Ricky Ray, who had 22 completions on 32 attempts for 301 yards and 2 TDs, and the receiving prowess of Jason Tucker, who grabbed 7 of those passes for 132 yards and 2 scores. These efforts aided the Green and Gold in capturing their 12th Grey Cup in franchise history, with a final score of 34-22 over Montreal. Edmonton’s Jason Tucker was the game’s MVP, and the Most Valuable Canadian was Alouette Wide Receiver Ben Cahoon, who sported 2 touchdown receptions of his own on 6 catches for 148 yards.
November 16 Football Hall of Fame Birthday
- Gordie Lockbaum
Conclusion
November 16 serves as a crossroads of football legend and lore. It is the anniversary of the 1907 Iron Bowl that gave Alabama its iconic “Crimson Tide” nickname and marked the longest break in the rivalry until 1948. It saw the end of the combined Canton/Cleveland Bulldogs’ 31-game unbeaten streak in 1924, and the dramatic 7-0 upset by Notre Dame that snapped Oklahoma’s NCAA-record 47-game winning streak in 1957. Amidst these milestones, rookie Jim Brown announced his dominance by setting an NFL rushing record after only eight games in 1957, and the Canadian Football League crowned two Grey Cup champions, with Doug Flutie handing over his MVP truck in an act of legendary sportsmanship. It is a day that truly captures the game’s drama, tradition, and transcendent figures.