November 17 Football History

🏈 Gridiron History: The Most Unforgettable Moments from November 17

November 17 isn’t just another date—it’s a landmark day in football history! From a legendary coach’s “greatest victory” to a future Hall of Famer’s mind-blowing, record-setting performance, the gridiron has delivered unforgettable drama on this date. Did you know November 17th saw the first-ever NFL team take to the skies for a game? Or that one of college football’s biggest home winning streaks came to a shocking end? Dive into the archives to relive classic Iron Bowl battles, a franchise-record offensive explosion by the New York Jets, and the incredible careers of two College Football Hall of Famers born on this very day.

November 17 Football History Headlines

• November 17, 1900 – Riverside Park, Montgomery, Alabama – The 5th Iron Bowl Classic was played at a neutral site in Montgomery. It was a big day for the Tigers as Auburn dispatched the Alabama squad 53-5.

• November 17, 1906 – The Quad – Birmingham Fairgrounds, Alabama – In the 11th Iron Bowl, the defenses played well, but the Crimson and White found a few holes as Alabama blanked Auburn 10-0.

• November 17, 2001 – Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Alabama – The Tide Rolled as Alabama beat Auburn 31-7. (source)

• November 17, 1928 – Cartier Field, South Bend, Indiana – Notre Dame loses at home for the first time in decades! It took 23 seasons, but finally a visiting team left South Bend with cheers of victory. Carnegie Tech was the team that performed the unthinkable, outfighting the Fighting Irish by the score of 27-7. Knute Rockne and company had quite the run of victories at the friendly confines of Cartier Field. According to Irishlegends.com, the last time Notre Dame lost a home game before this one, you had to flip back to the 1905 season, in an era before the legal forward pass, to find that Wabash defeated the Irish 5-0. It was the final game the Irish played at Cartier Field.  

• November 17, 1940 – According to the official website of the Green Bay Packers, Packers.com, the first NFL team to travel by airplane to a game was the Green Bay Packers, when they went to NYC. It was a big step toward cutting down travel times to games. To put it into perspective, NFL travel mainly was by train and bus before this first air trip. A bus ride from Green Bay, Wisconsin, in those days was probably in the neighborhood of 20-24 hours or more! Train rides didn’t significantly improve the timetable, but the plane ride was generally less than 4 hours. The NFL’s front offices feared the loss of an entire franchise, so they arranged for the Packers to split the squad between two DC-3s on future flights. What was the outcome of the game? The New York Giants outlasted the airmailed Packers 7-3 in a defensive battle. It was also the Packers’ first long plane ride home.

• November 17, 1951  – The Notre Dame football program earns its 400th victory as the Irish outlast the Tarheels of the University of North Carolina 12-7, per the Irishlegends.com website.

• On November 17, 1956, Colgate University’s football team didn’t know what hit them as Syracuse fullback Jim Brown scored an NCAA record of 43 pts. Lincoln A. Werden of the NY Times covered the story well in his article from 1956. A crowd of 39,701 spectators watched a brilliant performance from the sensational tailback of Syracuse. In his final game for the Orange, Jim Brown accounted for 43 points, scored 6 touchdowns, and kicked 7 extra points, and the coaching staff sat him down early in the fourth quarter! The final score showed Syracuse 61, Colgate 7. (source)

• On November 17, 1959, William Shea unveiled the proposed New York City stadium with a transparent roof, according to brainyhistory.com.

• November 17, 1962 – Grant Field at Georgia Tech – The Ramblin’ Wreck of Georgia Tech outlasted the Crimson Tide of Alabama 6-7. Legendary Coach Bobby Dodd called it “my greatest victory.” Mike McNames scored Tech’s only touchdown and made a game-saving tackle to upset Bear Bryant’s unbeaten, No. 1 defending national champs. (source)

• November 17,  1979 – Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama –  Alabama defeated Miami, 30-0, before a national audience.  It marked the final regular season game of Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant’s only 12-0 national championship team. The Crimson Tide would go on to dispatch Arkansas 24-9 on January 1 at the Sugar Bowl.  (source)

• November 17, 1985 – The Meadowlands, New Jersey – The New York Jets had the franchise’s best offensive production ever. According to elitesportsny.com, the 1985 season was one of the best in Jets history. Tampa Bay quickly jumped out to a 14-0 lead behind two TD passes by Steve DeBerg. But the Jets promptly made some adjustments, and boy, were they ever effective! The home team thrilled the New York faithful as they scored 31 unanswered points on their way to a franchise record 41 points by halftime. Jets quarterback Ken O’Brien finished 23-of-30 for 367 yards and a career-high five TD passes, with three of those landing in the hands of tight end Mickey Shuler. The Jets’ defense allowed only two more scores by the Bucs that day in the 62-28 blowout! It was really hard for the Buccaneers in the final stanza, as the Jets’ offense controlled the ball for an excellent 14 minutes and 37 seconds of the fourth quarter, including an 11-minute, 13-second, 18-play drive to their final touchdown. It isn’t easy to be productive in 23 seconds! Gang Green finished with 11 wins and had the third-highest point differential in team history at a plus 129.

• On November 17, 1991, Tragedy struck as Detroit Lions running back Mike Utley was paralyzed in a game against the LA Rams.

November 17 Football Hall of Fame Birthdays

• Johnny Cain

• Willie Richardson

Conclusion

The history books show that November 17 is truly a day for football legends and milestones. Whether it was the sheer dominance of Jim Brown‘s final game at Syracuse, the courage shown by Mike Utley, or the groundbreaking travel of the Green Bay Packers, this date has given us moments of triumph, heartbreak, and innovation that have shaped the sport we love. From the storied fields of the Iron Bowl to the end of a legendary Notre Dame streak, the events of November 17th remind us that every date on the calendar holds a special chapter in the ever-unfolding story of the game.

Please keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground, as Pigskin Dispatch preserves the history of the people, events, and teams that made our sport great.

On this Gridiron day, November 17, we celebrate Jim Brown’s record-setting final home game at Syracuse, the first NFL team to travel by plane, and the Jets’ most productive game ever. These stories and more await.