By Darin December 11 is an explosive date on the calendar, filled with championship drama, Heisman glory, and record-setting gridiron performances. From the final game of a rival league to a single player throwing six touchdowns in a rout, this day consistently delivered milestones. We celebrate the births of legendary players like Doc Blanchard and George Sauer, and relive the crowning of three unique Heisman Trophy winners from Florida State and USC.
Gridiron History: Three Heismans, Two Titles, and a 100-Yard Return on December 11
December 11, 1937 – Varsity Stadium, Toronto – The CFL Grey Cup took place, and at the end of the contest, it was the Toronto Argonauts who won their 4th Championship as they edged out the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 4-3, in an era of football where the scoring was much different from what it is today. The whole game recap is available on CFL.ca.
December 11, 1938 – Polo Grounds, New York City – National Football League Championship: 48,120 fans, a record attendance for the Title game, watched the New York Giants defeat the Green Bay Packers, 23-17. New York’s quarterback, Ed Danowski, threw two touchdown passes while Tuffy Leemans ran in another to account for the Giants’ points. An interesting fact from this game was that each player on the winning team received a $900 bonus, while each player on the losing team received a cool $700. (source)
December 11, 1949 – According to a report in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Bears quarterback Johnny Lujack passed for 468 yards and 6 touchdowns as the Bears tore apart their cross-town rivals, the Chicago Cardinals, in a one-sided 52-29 victory.
December 11, 1949 – The Cleveland Browns beat the San Francisco 49ers in the final AAFC championship game by a final score of 21-7. As we mentioned a couple of days ago, the AAFC faced significant financial difficulties competing with the NFL and had to shut down league operations after this game. The NFL agreed to soften the blow by merging the Browns, 49ers, and Colts into its fold. Brownswire. USA Today has the coverage of the story.
December 11, 1966 – Franklin Field, Philadelphia – Al Nelson of the Philadelphia Eagles returned a Cleveland Browns missed field goal attempt that fell just short near the goal line an NFL record 100 yards for a score! This TD helped the Eagles cruise to a 33-21 victory. This record return of Nelson’s was trumped on November 4, 2007, probably never to be broken, when Antonio Cromartie of San Diego went 109 yards plus coast-to-coast on a missed FG by the Vikings at the end of the first half in a tie game.
On December 11, 1993, Florida State’s stellar quarterback, Charlie Ward, won the 59th Heisman Trophy Award. The Senior threw for 3032 yards and 27 touchdowns, per his bio on the Heisman.com website. The story goes on to say that Charlie also took home the Davey O’Brien and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Awards, and was named Walter Camp Player of the Year and Toyota Leader of the Year.
On December 11, 2000, the Heisman Trophy was awarded to Quarterback Chris Weinke of Florida State University. The senior signal caller threw for 4,167 yards to lead the nation and also won the Johnny Unitas and Davey O’Brien Awards as the top quarterback in the country, per Heisman.com. The Seminoles lost to the Oklahoma Sooners in the National Championship game at the Orange Bowl by the score of 13-2.
On December 11, 2004, the 70th Heisman Trophy was awarded to Matt Leinart, Southern Cal’s quarterback. Leinart led USC to back-to-back National Championships in 2003 and 2004. In 2004, Matt threw for 2,990 yards and 28 touchdowns, according to his bio on the Heisman’s website. The article goes on to say that Matt Leinart accumulated more votes than his closest competitors for the Trophy, Oklahoma’s Adrian Peterson and Jason White, Utah’s Alex Smith, and teammate Reggie Bush.
December 11 Football Hall of Fame Birthdays
- George Sauer
- Doc Blanchard
- Murry Bowden
Conclusion
December 11 is truly a day of ultimate triumph and historic closure. It witnessed the end of the AAFC, the crowning of multiple national champions and Heisman winners, and unforgettable individual feats like Johnny Lujack’s 6-TD outburst. The milestones achieved on this date cemented the legacies of future Hall of Famers and shaped the game we know today.
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.
