By Darin 
The Birth of the Crimson Tide: Why November 19 Features College Football’s Biggest Records and Wildest Shootouts
November 19 is a date crammed with football milestones, from the genesis of a legendary nickname to arguably the most incredible offensive explosion in NFL history. It all began in 1907 when the Alabama team—then known as the “Thin Red Line”—fought heavily favored Auburn to a 6-6 tie on a field soaked in reddish mud. It was this game that prompted a local sports editor to proclaim the team played like a “Crimson Tide,” forever cementing one of college football’s most iconic monikers. Beyond that historic tie, this day saw Joe Kershalla set a near-unbelievable scoring record of 71 points in a single college game in 1932, and witnessed the 2018 Rams vs. Chiefs shootout, which became the third-highest-scoring contest in NFL history (54-51).
November 19 Football History Headlines
November 19, 1910 – Cartier Field, South Bend, Indiana- The Notre Dame Fighting Irish hit a milestone as they reached win number 100 against Ohio Northern in a 47-0 blowout. (source)
November 19, 1932 – Charleston, West Virginia – According to a newspaper clipping found in the Ohio State University archives from a paper called the “Lantern,” a West Liberty State Teachers College football player named Joe Kershalla scored 71 points in a college football game against Cedarville College. Kershalla evidently scored 11 touchdowns in the contest and then made 5 extra-point kicks that went through the uprights, bringing the total to a miraculous 71 points! (source)
November 19, 1955 – South Bend, Indiana – The Iowa Hawkeyes gave Notre Dame fits all day, but with 2:15 left to play, Paul Hornig booted a 28-yard field goal for the Irish that broke the tie and provided the lead that the Golden Domers would hang onto in the 17-14 Fighting Irish Win.
November 19, 1966 – Spartan Stadium, Michigan State University – This game is one of a handful dubbed as a Game of the Century. It was the #2 in the nation, Michigan State Spartans, hoisting the top team in the rankings, Notre Dame, according to the American Football Database’s article. The Spartans jumped out to a fast start, hitting hard, and Irish starting QB Terry Hanratty and their top rusher, Nick Eddy, exited the game early with shoulder injuries. Then, Center George Goeddeke wrenched his ankle, and he was hobbled. Michigan State jumped out to a 7–0 lead behind a 5-yard touchdown run by Regis Cavender early in the second quarter. Later in the half, MSU added a field goal to go up 10-0. The Irish responded promptly when Quarterback Coley O’Brien launched a scoring strike to halfback Bob Gladieux just over the fingertips of the MSU defender to make the score 10-7 at the half. The scoring was silent until Notre Dame kicker Joe Azzaro knocked through the tying field goal just barely into the fourth quarter. The defenses for both teams stood tall, and the Irish missed a 41-yard field goal attempt. This Game of the Century ended in a 10-10 tie. (source)
November 19, 1977 – The original “the Catch” game occurred in college football during the Clemson vs. South Carolina contest.
November 19, 1978 – Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. – “The Miracle at the Meadowlands”. The Giants had the ball and were up with just over half a minute left to play. It would just take one kneel by Quarterback Joe Pisarcik, and the Eagles would be toast. The Giants coaches figured they had a safer play as they would let Pisarcik take the snap and give a hand-off to legendary back Larry Csonka, what could go wrong? Well, just about everything. Pisarcik doesn’t handle the snap cleanly, and he doesn’t have control as he turns to hand off the ball. Still, it never made it to Csonka, but did bounce off the Giants Stadium turf, then landed in the hands of Eagles Cornerback Herman Edwards, who took off and returned the fumble for a touchdown with 31 seconds left to give Philadelphia a 19-17 victory over the rival New York Giants. The most common phrase at the watercooler in NYC the next day was, “He should have taken a knee. (source)
November 19, 1988 – Rodney Peete was a bit under the weather, but his play surely did not show it, as Peete led the USC Trojans over Troy Aikman and the UCLA Bruins.
November 19, 1995 – Taylor Field, Regina, Saskatchewan – The year an American Team took home the Grey Cup. What? Is that right? An American team won the Canadian Football League’s Grey Cup? In fact, it is very true. The 83rd Grey Cup, the CFL championship, was played between the Baltimore Stallions and the Calgary Stampeders. The Stallions won the game 37–20. It marked the only time that an American-based team won the Grey Cup. It was only the second season for the Baltimore club. Yet, despite that, the Stallions would not be going for a repeat as the franchise ended up being dissolved and then added to make a reincarnated Montreal franchise, which had closed shop in 1986 and went under the old Alouettes moniker, due to Baltimore getting the NFL’s old Cleveland franchise, which we now know as the Ravens. According to the website scorum.com, Baltimore got on the board first with an 82-yard punt return for a touchdown by Chris Wright. The Stampeders put the score within one point at the end of the first quarter with a couple of field goals by Mark McLoughlin. Calgary quarterback Doug Flutie put the Stampeders up when he threw a TD pass to Marvin Pope in the 2nd stanza. The Stallions then bolted to a 23-13 halftime score on a scoop and score and three field goals. The Stallions never looked back as Tracy Ham used his feet and arms to keep putting points on the board for Baltimore. The Stallions’ quarterback, Tracy Ham, won the game MVP award. (source)
November 19, 2005 – Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Alabama – The 70th edition of the Iron Bowl was played as the Auburn Tigers hosted the Alabama Crimson Tide. Both teams entered the fray with one loss, stemming from their earlier losses to LSU. Warblogle.com captured the action and reported that, at the end of the first quarter, it was 21-0, and the Tigers seemed on track for a blowout, scoring on their first three possessions. Auburn’s Ben Obomanu accounted for two of the scores as he caught one and took another in on the ground, and Kenny Irons rushed for one more. The Tide finally got on the board on a 2nd quarter fumble recovery, but the Tigers responded with a Brandon Cox touchdown pass to Cole Bennett later in the 2nd quarter to make a halftime score of 28-7. The second half was pretty quiet as Alabama added a field goal and a TD with a two-point conversion as the Auburn Tigers held on for the 28-18 victory!
November 19, 2006 -Canada Inns Stadium, Winnipeg – The coveted Grey Cup’s 94th chapter was played as the Montreal Alouettes took on the BC Lions. CBC Sports website fills us in on the action. Paul McCallum erased two long years of bad football memories as the BC. Lions kicker nailed all six of his field-goal attempts in the biggest CFL game of the year! The feat has only been done 3 other times in the history of the Grey Cup. The Lions’ Quarterback, Dave Dickenson, was able to move the ball against Montreal’s defense, but the Alouettes would allow them to cross the goal line just once in the contest. But it was the BC. “D” really held the score down as they helped the Lions win their 5th Championship, defeating the Montreal Alouettes, 25-14. In all the post-game excitement, a Lions player even broke the cup portion of the Grey Cup Trophy off its base! Dickenson won the game’s MVP nod while McCallum was the Most Valuable Canadian in the game. (source)
November 19, 2011 – Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana – It was the 21st meeting of the two largest U.S. Catholic Universities, often referred to as the College Football Holy War. ESPN.com has a great recap of the game, noting that Irish Kicker David Ruffer banged home three field goals, with Jonas Gray rushing TDs powering Notre Dame to a 16-14 victory over Boston College.
November 19, 2018 – Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum – Could we have watched the most excellent NFL game of all time in 2018? Some people have called the Monday Night Football game that featured two young, up-and-coming QBs facing off just that, when the LA Rams’ Jared Goff played opposite Patrick Mahomes of the KC Chiefs. What was witnessed was the 3rd-highest-scoring game in NFL history, and it was also the first time that both teams scored 50 points in the same game. According to cbssports.com, second-year player Patrick Mahomes threw for 478 yards and 6 touchdowns for Kansas City, the most ever in the history of “Monday Night Football.” Goff was no slouch in the contest as he threw for 413 yards and 4 scoring strikes, including a 40-yard touchdown pass to Gerald Everett for the go-ahead score with 1:49 to play. Other numbers from the game stat sheet included 14 touchdowns (three by defensive players) and 56 first downs! The track meet ended with the Rams outlasting the Kansas City Chiefs, 54-51. (source)
November 19 Football Hall of Fame Birthday
- Ahmad Rashad
Conclusion
The events of November 19 span the entire historical and geographical landscape of football, reminding us of the game’s endless capacity for the unexpected. From the early 20th-century origins of the “Crimson Tide” nickname to Joe Kershaw’s almost unbelievable 71-point performance, this date captures the sport’s growth. It includes three signature moments for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish—from their 100th win in 1910 to their 2011 “Holy War” victory—and features the notorious “Miracle at the Meadowlands” fumble by Joe Pisarcik in 1978. Whether celebrating the CFL’s only American Grey Cup champion (the 1995 Baltimore Stallions) or reveling in the 2018 Rams-Chiefs scoring frenzy, November 19 is a day where football history refused to be dull.