By Darin On April 12, 1940, when a single penalty could halt a drive before it began, the NFL revolutionized offensive play by cutting the harsh 25-yard clipping penalty—a move that shaped the modern game. But April 12 means more than just rule changes: it’s the birthday of “Iron Mike” Garrett, Heisman winner and USC record-breaker, as well as legendary Spartans rusher Lorenzo White and pioneer Winchester Osgood, whose “snake-like” runs electrified early football. Together, April 12th spotlights elite backs and pivotal evolutions that defined the gridiron across three centuries.
Now a moment of football art appreciation…
Published cooperatively by the Duke University Athletic Association and Duke University Department of Public Relations, uploaded to Wikimedia Commons by a kind sharing collector.
April 12 American Football History Timeline
- April 12, 1940 – The NFL reduced the penalty for clipping. According to the FootballZebras.com website, up until 1940, the offense might as well have given the ball to the defense immediately if they got flagged for clipping. Before 1940, a clipping penalty was a 25-yard penalty from the spot of the foul. From 1940 to today, the penalty has been 15 yards. At some point during the 1990’s, all levels of football adopted the Block in the Back rule, which further cleaned up the clipping rule. Prior to this change, almost any block from behind was considered a clip. The Block in the back foul is a block from behind, above the waist, and carries a 10-yard penalty, while the clip is limited to behind the back and below the waist of the offended player.
April Football Hall of Fame Birthdays
Happy Birthday to these legendary ball carriers! Since today is April 12, we celebrate three men who redefined what it meant to be a “bellcow” back in their respective eras.
Here is your list in order of birth:
- Winchester Osgood [1870] A pioneer of the early gridiron, Osgood was described by Pudge Heffelfinger as the “Red Grange of the pioneer era” due to his snake-like running style. A 1970 College Football Hall of Fame inductee, he helped Penn secure a national title in 1894 and famously scored the first touchdown against Yale in three years.
- Mike Garrett [1944] The 1965 Heisman Trophy winner at USC, “Iron Mike” was a versatile dynamo who broke the national career rushing record with 3,221 yards. A 1985 College Football Hall of Fame inductee, he later enjoyed an All-Pro professional career, highlighted by a victory in Super Bowl IV with the Kansas City Chiefs.
- Lorenzo White [1966] Michigan State’s all-time leading rusher, White was a two-time top-four Heisman finisher who powered the Spartans to a 1988 Rose Bowl victory. Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2019, he remains one of the most productive backs in Big Ten history and earned a Pro Bowl nod during his eight-year NFL career.
Conclusion
Whether it was the legislative evolution of the “block in the back” or the sheer athletic dominance of Hall of Famers like Mike Garrett and Lorenzo White, April 12th highlights the constant motion of football. These milestones remind us that while the rules are designed to keep the game fair, it is the transcendent talent of the players—from 19th-century polymaths to 1980s Pro Bowlers—that keeps fans coming back. As the record books continue to be rewritten, the foundations laid by these legends remain a permanent part of the sport’s DNA.
