By Darin December 29 is a date etched deeply into football history, serving as the backdrop for legendary championship upsets, crucial league milestones, and the birth of gridiron giants. From the chilling cold of Wrigley Field, where the Bears battled the Giants for the 1963 NFL title, to the iconic moment Tom Brady redefined regular-season perfection in 2007, this day has delivered unforgettable drama. Discover how this single date shaped the NFL landscape and cemented the legacies of champions like Ray Nitschke and historic college rivalries.
December 29 Football History Timeline
- December 29, 1894 – Los Angeles, California – The University of Chicago and Stanford rematch of the December 25, 1894 game, where the Maroons won 24-4. This time, the Cardinals tasted victory for Walter Camp as they defeated Chicago 12-0. Author Jennifer Taylor Hall, in her book “Amos Alonzo Stagg: College Football’s Man in Motion,” recounts that Stagg and his young bride were on a sort of honeymoon after their wedding a few months earlier, but took 17 football players with them and scheduled games on the Western side of the US to help offset the travel costs. Two of these games were against Stanford, and this second contest with the Cardinal may have set the stage for future neutral-site postseason bowl games. Don’t take the story from me; Ms. Taylor Hall tells it in much better detail in her awesome book on Stagg!
- On December 29, 1940, it was the 3rd NFL All-Star Game, in which the NFL champions faced an all-star roster of the best players from the rest of the League. If you remember back to our December 8 post, the Bears totally dominated the NFL Championship game against the Washington Redskins, winning 73-0. According to a 2019 Reddit post, the game was knotted at 14 a piece going into the halftime locker room. The Bears used great defense and some timely Sid Luckman throws to score twice more in the second half, as the Chicago Bears showed again why they were the best, defeating the NFL All-Stars, 28-14.
- December 29, 1957 – Briggs Stadium, Detroit – The 1957 NFL Championship game once again had Jim Brown-led Cleveland Browns facing the Detroit Lions. An article on the Oakland Press website gives the details of the game. The Lions had to overcome a 20-point third-quarter deficit the previous week on the road against the San Francisco 49ers and quarterback Y.A. Tittle to make it to this title game. Lions scored 2 touchdowns in each quarter, led by running back Steve Junker with two and 109 yards rushing, and fellow backfield mate Jim Doran, who had 101 yards on the ground with a TD. The Detroit Lions dominated the Cleveland Browns, 59-14, to win the title again.
- December 29, 1963 – Wrigley Field, Chicago – The 1963 National Football League Championship took place as the Windy City’s Bears entertained the Football Giants from the Big Apple. At kickoff, the temperature was hovering around 10 °F, according to a story on the American Football Database. Giants QB Y.A. Tittle started the game’s scoring by orchestrating a 41-yard drive completed with a 14-yard strike to Frank Gifford for a touchdown. Bears defender Larry Morris then took center stage as he injured Tittle and then later picked off an errant pass by the veteran QB, returning it to the Giant 6, setting up the Bears’ first TD. Y.A. remained in the game but was forced to throw from his back foot, which led to more crucial mistakes that the Bears capitalized on. The Chicago Bears handed the New York Giants a 14-10 loss, giving Chicago the NFL Title.
- On December 29, 1965, per the Bladen Online website, the CBS network negotiated a contract to purchase television rights for the 1966 through 1968 NFL seasons for $18.8 million per year. This was a financial windfall for the League and was instrumental in its success.
- December 29, 1968 – Cleveland Municipal Stadium – NFL Championship: Baltimore Colts blanked the Cleveland Browns, 34-0. With the victory, the Colts earned the right to face the AFL’s top team in Super Bowl III. Let’s just say we “promise” to cover this big game in our January 12 Football History Headlines!
- On December 29, 1968, the AFL Championship game was played at Shea Stadium in New York. Jets signal-caller Joe Namath threw a touchdown pass to lead the Jets in a victory over the tough Oakland Raiders squad, 27-23, to advance to play the Colts in Super Bowl III.
- December 29, 1974 – Oakland Coliseum – The AFC Championship game had familiar foes as the Pittsburgh Steelers faced the Oakland Raiders, per the Pro-Football-Reference site. Powered by Running Back Franco Harris’s two touchdown runs and 111 yards on the ground, the Steelers conquered the Oakland Raiders, 24-13, to advance to their first Championship game in Super Bowl IX.
- December 29, 1978 – At the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville #20 Ohio State suffered a loss to highly ranked Clemson. The loss cut deeper than usual as they also lost their long tenured Coach Woody Hayes, who during the egame broadcast punched a Tiger player who had intercepted the Buckeyes.
- December 29, 1974 – Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota – The NFC Championship saw the Minnesota Vikings defeat the Los Angeles Rams, 14-10. The Purple People Eater defense picked off Rams QB James Harris twice, complementing the timely scoring of Fran Tarkenton, leading the Viking offense to earn the right to face the upstart Steelers in the Big Game. (source)
- December 29, 1983 – Memphis, Tennessee – The Liberty Bowl, which is also the 2nd College Football Holy War per the Onthisday.com website. In the contest, Notre Dame defeated Boston College 19-18 in a thriller. The game’s MVP was BC quarterback Doug Flutie, per Sports-Reference.com.
- December 29, 2007, Tom Brady sets a then-NFL record, throwing his 50th TD pass, and the New England Patriots become the first team in NFL history to finish the regular season 16-0
- December 29, 2018, Per the Onthisday.com site, the results of the BCS semi-final at the 85th Orange Bowl were that #1 Alabama outlasted #4 Oklahoma, 45-34.
December 29 Football Hall of Fame Birthdays
- William Grinnell
- Tay Brown
- Bill Osmanski
- Warren Amling
- Ray Nistchke
Conclusion
From the earliest neutral-site contests that defined college football’s expansion to the financial watershed moment of the CBS TV deal that fueled the NFL’s explosion in popularity, December 29th is a true cornerstone of the sport’s timeline. Whether celebrating the birth of Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke or witnessing the defensive masterclass of the ’63 Bears and ’68 Colts, the games and events of this date provide a thrilling look into football’s evolving, decades-long story.
Want more of the Daily football timeline? Check out our December 28 edition.
Thanks go to our sources, including Newspapers.com, NFL.com, ProFootballHOF.com, and Pro-Football-Reference.com.
