From high-stakes crosstown showdowns to franchise-altering stadium debuts, August 17 stands as a turning point across football history. Imagine an exhibition loss so devastating it cost an NFL head coach his job on the spot, or a team owner buying an entire rival franchise just to escape the curse of Benny Friedman. Whether it is the historic launch of Gillette Stadium, ArenaBowl glory, or the birthdays of clutch Super Bowl icons like Ed McCaffrey and Antwaan Randle El, August 17 delivers an unforgettable journey through the gridiron archives.
August 17 American Football History Timeline
- August 17, 1928 – The Detroit Wolverines franchise charter is granted on this date in the NFL. The Wolverines were a continuation of the 1926 Cleveland Bulldogs team that had fallen on hard times, but they had the NFL’s second-biggest star in Benny Friedman. Mr. Friedman was a Cleveland native, and he played college ball at Michigan; back then, college football was king, and most of these pro teams tried to cash in on that popularity by using the local college’s nickname. The team only played one season as the Detroit Wolverines; in 1929, they were absorbed into the New York Football Giants. In an interesting spin, the Giants had never beaten Benny Friedman on any of the teams he played in professional football. They were 0-2-2 against him in his lifetime, and 0-1-1 against both the Cleveland Bulldogs and the Detroit Wolverines. The 1927 world champion Giants swept the entire league except for one team: the Friedman-led Bulldogs. Apparently, the Giants owner, Tim Mara, had seen enough and figured he couldn’t beat Friedman. He had to buy him and the rest of the Wolverines team, because if you can’t beat him, join him or have them join you. So that’s what Tim Mara did to avoid that great Benny Friedman curse. He really had their number.
- August 17, 1951 – Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois – The 18th edition of the Chicago All-Star Game is played, and it is the Cleveland Browns who took apart the college All-Stars 33-0. The game’s most valuable player, always a top college star, was Louis McFadden of the University of Texas.
- August 17, 1969 – Yale Bowl, New Haven, Connecticut – The New York Jets get their first-ever game with their crosstown rival the New York Giants in a preseason game. The defending Super Bowl champion New York Jets defeated the New York Giants 37-14 in an exhibition game, resulting in the firing of Giants head coach Ali Sherman, according to Yahoo.com. It was the first game between the Jets and the Giants, who have played annually in a preseason game every year since. Now, isn’t it interesting that a coach would get fired for an exhibition game, a preseason game, and he would get fired right before the season starts? Must have been something else cooking up there for that to happen, because that seems awfully odd. The starters played in the whole games back then in the preseason, but still, odd occurrence indeed.
- August 17, 1991 – Arena Bowl V is played at Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena, and the visiting Tampa Bay Storm win the title over the Detroit Drive in an exciting 48-42 final score. Stevie Thomas, the wide receiver/linebacker, is named as the game’s most valuable player.
- August 17, 2002 – Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, opened up with a preseason tilt where the New England Patriots hosted the Philadelphia Eagles. Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, has hosted some great games since 2002. That was sort of the inaugural year they started having some championship games, and soon after that, they got a guy by the name of Tom Brady who brought some great things to the Boston area with the New England Patriots.
August 17 Hall of Fame Birthdays
Happy Birthday to these outstanding gridiron stars! As we look ahead to August 17, we celebrate an incredible mix of versatile pioneers, trench warriors, clutch Super Bowl pass-catchers, and dynamic playmakers.
- Raymond “Rags” Matthews [1905] – A hard-nosed, two-way end for Texas Christian University in the late 1920s, Matthews became the very first All-American football player in TCU history. Enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame in 1971, the multi-sport star was named the Horned Frogs’ Most Valuable Player in back-to-back seasons (1926, 1927) and earned a spot on the All-Time All-SWC Team.
We also have the birthdays of some very significant players in football history, but they’re not yet in the Hall of Fame.
- Zefross Moss [1966] – An imposing 6-foot-6, 325-pound offensive tackle out of Alabama State, Moss went from an undrafted free agent in 1988 to a dominant, long-tenured trench anchor. Across 12 NFL seasons with the Colts, Lions, and Patriots, he started 137 of his 154 career games, famously helping pave the way for Barry Sanders’s 1996 NFL rushing title in Detroit.
- Ed McCaffrey [1968] – A fearless and sure-handed wide receiver out of Stanford, McCaffrey was selected by the New York Giants in the 1991 NFL Draft before becoming a beloved offensive cornerstone for the Denver Broncos. A 1998 Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro, he finished his 13-year career with 565 receptions, 7,422 yards, 55 touchdowns, and three Super Bowl championship rings (Super Bowl XXIX with the 49ers; Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII with Denver).
- Ernie Conwell [1972] – A physical, dual-threat tight end from the University of Washington, Conwell was selected in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams. A key contributor and Super Bowl XXXIV champion with the high-powered “Greatest Show on Turf,” he earned All-Pro honors in 2001 and hauled in 203 passes for 2,188 yards and 15 touchdowns over an 11-year NFL career with the Rams and Saints.
- Antwaan Randle El [1979] – A legendary collegiate quarterback at Indiana who transitioned into a lethal NFL wide receiver and return specialist, Randle El was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2002. The 2005 First-Team All-Pro compiled over 8,700 all-purpose yards and 21 career touchdowns, cementing his place in NFL lore by throwing the game-sealing 43-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward on a trick play in Super Bowl XL.
Conclusion
The milestones of August 17 highlight the relentless drama and evolution of American football. From the early business maneuvers of the 1920s Detroit Wolverines and New York Giants to the modern era of dynasty-defining venues and trick-play Super Bowl legends, this date bridges generations of pigskin lore. As we look back on these historic matchups, venue inaugurations, and gridiron birthdays, we celebrate the trailblazers and clutch performers who helped build the sport into America’s ultimate pastime.
