By Darin The date December 9 delivers an electrifying mix of gridiron history, spanning from the invention of the Heisman Trophy to iconic NFL moments. This day witnessed the famous “Sneakers Game” that shocked the undefeated Chicago Bears, saw three Heisman winners crowned (including the inaugural recipient, Jay Berwanger), and marked the birth of four Hall of Fame defensive legends: Deacon Jones, Dick Butkus, Duke Slater, and Forest Geyer. Dive into this definitive list of milestones that shaped college and professional football.
The Day of Legends and ‘Sneakers’: December 9 in Football History
- December 9, 1933 – Athletic Park, Sarnia – According to thegreycup.com, the Toronto Argonauts edged out the Sarnia Imperials by the score of 4-3 in the 1933 Grey Cup. It was the 3rd Championship that the Argos had won since the Cup’s inception.
- December 9, 1934 – Polo Grounds, New York City – ‘The Sneakers game’ is what this National Football League Championship game has been fondly referred to on profootballhof.com. This was a rematch of the two teams that played in the 1933 League Championship contest, the Chicago Bears and the New York Giants. The Bears entered the game as favorites; after all, they had not lost a game all season and had beaten the Giants twice earlier. Weather, the great equalizer, set in, and John Mara, the Giants treasurer, noticed that the turf of the Polo Grounds was practically a sheet of ice just hours before kick off. Mara let the coaching staff, including team Captain Ray Flaherty, know about the field. Flaherty’s thoughts went back to a game he remembered his team at Gonzaga College playing under similar icy conditions, when they took off their cleats and put on basketball shoes to try to gain better traction. Equipment personnel of the Giants raced over to Manhattan College to borrow their basketball teams’ footwear. Both teams struggled with traction at the onset of the game, but right about then, Head Coach Steve Owen deployed his secret strategy, having his receivers and backs put on the limited number of sneakers they had on loan. The G-men had gained a definite advantage and scored 4 touchdowns in the final stanza to surprise the Chicago Bears with a 30-13 Giants victory. (source)
- December 9, 1935 – The first Heisman Trophy Award was presented, but it was then called the Downtown Athletic Club Trophy. The Heisman Trophy label was introduced in 1936, according to Heisman.com. Anyway, Jay Berwanger, a halfback from the University of Chicago, won the Trophy for being college football’s top player in 1935. The details of Jay’s stats are sketchy. Still, we do know that per the Heisman website, Berwanger received a telegram from Manhattan’s Downtown Athletic Club, informing him that he had won a trophy for being the “most valuable football player east of the Mississippi,” as well as a trip for two to New York.
- December 9, 1939 – UCLA ties rival USC. This was a watershed moment for the Bruins, bringing their program to the same level as the dominant Southern Cal football program, per the Southernbranch website. Both teams were undefeated coming into the game, and late in the game, the score was scoreless. Still, USC missed out on a great scoring opportunity when Trojan Grenny Lansdell coughed up the football as he was appearing to be ready to cross the goal line after a tremendous hit and strip by USC’s Ned Matthews and Jackie Robinson. Yes, that Jackie Robinson, the famous brave #42 for the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team, who broke racial barriers in professional sports in the United States. The Bruins recovered the loose ball for a touchback, but more importantly, preserved the tie, which helped put UCLA football on the map! Enjoy the highlight video. Jackie Robinson is number 28 on the gridiron, and you can see what a great football player he was, including the fumble he helped create with his tackle.
- On December 9, 1938, the 1939 NFL Draft took place. Ki Aldrich from TCU was the first pick by the Chicago Cardinals. This was the first year that the draft had been expanded to 20 rounds. The first League draft took place in 1936, and according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s website, before then, players were free to sign with any team they wanted. Philadelphia Eagles owner Bert Bell, who would later become the NFL commissioner, proposed a plan to have teams pick in reverse order of their finish.
- December 9, 1939 – Landsdowne Park, Ottawa – The Winnipeg Blue Bombers took home their second Grey Cup title when they outlasted the Ottawa Rough Riders by the score of 8-7, per the CFL.ca website. The story on the CFL web page is good, and you should take a look. In it, they also mention that the weather played a factor in the score, as it was a snow-covered field and temperatures were minus five degrees Celsius.
- On December 9, 1939, the Chicago Cardinals once again held the first pick in the NFL Draft. The Cards first picked George Cafego from the University of Tennessee in the 1940 NFL Draft.
- On December 9, 1941, the 7th Heisman Trophy Award was given to halfback Bruce Smith of the University of Minnesota. Smith helped the Gophers earn consecutive National Titles on undefeated seasons per the Heisman.com website. Bruce weighed over 200 pounds and was one of the fastest players in football, so this deadly combination of his incredible athleticism in the single-wing offense he played in proved deadly.
- On December 9, 1949, the NFL absorbed the franchises of the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers & Baltimore Colts from the rival League, the AAFC, which dissolved due to poor finances. A great story on Sporting Chance Press details the merger as NFL Commissioner Bert Bell reached an agreement for the NFL to merge the Colts, Browns, and Niners into the League, while the other AAFC teams would disband.
- On December 9, 1973, St. Louis Cardinals placekicker Jim Bakken booted six successful field goals against the Atlanta Falcons. Pro-football-history.com lists the final score as 32 to 10 for the Red Birds’ win.
- On December 9, 1984, Eric Dickerson of the Los Angeles Rams broke the NFL single-season record by running 2,105 yards on the year. Dickerson did it in style, rushing for 215 yards against the Houston Oilers, per Rams.com. The dominant performance helped the Rams secure the 27-17 win.
- December 9, 1990, New York Giants running back Otis Anderson became the eighth player to rush for at least 10,000 yards in a career, per OnthisDay.com.
- On December 9, 1995, Ohio State Running Back Eddie George won the 61st Heisman Trophy Award. Heisman.com describes how George averaged 152.2 yards per game for a total of 1826 yards on the ground in his senior season to help the legendary Buckeye rusher gain the coveted hardware. His 22 touchdowns and 11 straight games of rushing for at least 100 yards catapulted Eddie over the competition in the voting.
- On December 9, 2006, Troy Smith, the quarterback from Ohio State, won the 72nd Heisman Trophy Award.
- December 9, 2013 – The Chicago Bears retired Mike Ditka‘s #89 jersey from further use by players in the Bears franchise.
- On December 9, 2017, the 83rd Heisman Trophy Award went to Quarterback Baker Mayfield of Oklahoma.
December 9 Football Hall of Fame Birthdays
- Forest Geyer
- Duke Slater
- Deacon Jones
- Dick Butkus
Conclusion
From the freezing Canadian championships of the 1930s to modern Heisman celebrations, December 9 is truly a monumental date. It marks turning points in the NFL’s structure (the AAFC merger, draft expansion), as well as record-shattering performances by Eric Dickerson and Jim Bakken. It celebrates the birthdays of defensive icons who defined toughness and excellence.
Special thank you to the work shared by Pro-Football-Reference.com and the other sources linked in this post for helping us to tell the gridiron stories of the day.
