By Darin Gridiron Glory: What Happened on December 7 in Football History?
December 7 remains a date of profound significance, intertwining the gridiron with global events. Relive the extraordinary day in 1941 when NFL games continued amidst the breaking news of the Pearl Harbor attack, learn about the historic first use of instant replay in the Army/Navy game, and celebrate Heisman legends like Leon Hart and Bo Jackson. Dive into the history of championships and groundbreaking moments that define this memorable date in football lore!
Historical Milestones: December 7
December 7, 1940 – Lansdowne Park, Ottawa – playing for the Grey Cup was Ottawa defeating Toronto Balmy Beach, 12-5
December 7, 1941 – Chicago’s Comiskey Park – The Sportsthenandnow.com website tells us that the Chicago Bears and the Chicago Cardinals played in the regular-season finale, as this was the day that FDR claimed “a day that will live in infamy.” The Cards entered the game with a dismal 3-6-1 record while George Halas’s Bears were flying high at 9-1. The Cardinals raced to an early two-touchdown lead before the Bears closed the gap to 17-14 at the half. The lead went back and forth early in the second half until Sid Luckman and the boys put the game away with some late unanswered scores to secure a Bears 34-24 victory.
December 7, 1941 – Polo Grounds – Meanwhile, in the Big Apple, the Brooklyn Dodgers football team dismantled the New York Giants 21-7. The PA announcer at the game, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, announced that all military personnel must leave and report to their units in the midst of the fans enjoying the last game of the season to celebrate “Tuffy Leemans Day” in honor of their beloved Giants running back. (source)
December 7, 1941 – Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C. – The stadium management decided not to announce the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor to the crowd of nearly 27,000 at the Washington Redskins versus Philadelphia game, per the Boundary Stones website. The next morning, The Evening Star tried to make some sense of the Redskins’ decision to keep the news from their fans. Beneath the headline “It Could Only Happen in Washington,” in the game, though, it was a good one that could keep fans distracted for a short time before they got the serious news of war. When the game was over, it also marked the close of the season, with Washington a 20-14 winner on a Sammy Baugh three-TD day.
On December 7, 1949, the 15th Heisman Trophy Award went to Leon Hart, who played for Notre Dame as an end. According to Heisman.com, Hart is the largest player ever to win the Award, as he was 6’-5″ tall and weighed in at 260 pounds. The Bio on Leon goes on to say that Hart caught 19 passes for 257 yards and five touchdowns, rushed 18 times for 73 yards, blocked for a top-ranked Notre Dame backfield, and recovered three fumbles on defense, establishing the case for his Heisman votes over second-place finisher Charlie Justice of North Carolina.
December 7, 1963 – Instant replay is first used on TV at the collegiate level in the Army/Navy Game. Wired.com covered the story and said the big game was played before a nation still in mourning over the November 22 assassination of President John F. Kennedy, so this date was chosen for the earlier postponed slot. The CBS network decided it might be a good time to try out the fairly innovative instant replay. The drawback of the technology at the time was that it lacked a slow-motion feature and could not zoom in. The CBS production team used a 1,300-pound machine to rewind the reel and replay the touchdown, as commentator Lindsey Nelson warned viewers, “Ladies and gentlemen, Army did not score again!” Oh, and as for the game, Heisman winner Roger Staubach led the Midshipmen to a 21-15 victory over Army in front of 102,000 fans.
Article from Dec 8, 1963 The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
On December 7, 1985, Bo Jackson, the running back from the Auburn Tigers, won the 51st Heisman Trophy Award. Bo’s Bio on the Awards website states that he was a two-time All-America selection and ran for 4,303 yards during his college career. Even while battling injuries during the 1985 season, Jackson rushed for 1,786 yards and scored 17 touchdowns for the Tigers. After college, Bo was a professional two-sport star, playing in the MLB and the NFL with the LA Raiders.
December 7, 1996, at the 5th SEC Championship Game, the #4 Florida Gators swamped the #11 Crimson Tide, 45-30.
December 7, 1996, the first Big 12 Championship Game was held, as Texas stunned #3 Nebraska by 2 points in a 37-27 upset.
On December 7, 2013, the 22nd SEC Championship Game saw an offensive explosion as the #3 Tigers of Auburn defeated #5 Missouri 59-42.
December 7 Football Hall of Fame Birthdays
- Hamilton Fish III
- Terrell Owens
- Alan Faneca
Conclusion
December 7 is a pivotal date in American football history, marked by both personal excellence and watershed technological moments. It is the birth date of two monumental figures, Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens and the legendary Stanford fullback Bobby Grayson. More significantly, it hosts the iconic 1963 Army-Navy Game, which, delayed by national tragedy, delivered a dramatic 21-15 victory for Navy, led by Heisman winner Roger Staubach, and permanently altered how we consume sports by debuting Instant Replay. From record-setting college players to the integration of technology, December 7 encapsulates the sport’s evolution and enduring drama.
