April 21

In this episode of the Football History Headlines, we discuss another NFL teams merger a couple more NFL Drafts as well as many more Hall of Fame Legendary stories.

April 21, 1888 - In just the school's third game the University of Notre Dame dropped a game to the University of Michigan 4-10 at Green Stocking Ball Park in South Bend, Indiana.

1887 University of Michigan football team taken by unknown photographer, courtesy Wikimedia Commons

The Newspapers.com Headline of the day: Steelers Merge With Cardinals In Pro Football from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri 
April 21, 1944 - Philadelphia, PA - The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Chicago Cardinals agreed to merge for the 1944 NFL season. The Cardinals and the Steelers were granted permission to merge for one year under the name Card-Pitt, on this day as the article says that the League asked the two to merge in a way  to avoid schedule conflicts with the odd number of 11 teams in the NFL. Phil Handler of the Cardinals and Walt Kiesling of the Steelers served as co-coaches. The Steelers made it perfectly clear that they wanted to play as a single team without merger in the 1945 season as they had played in a merged team with Philadelphia the year prior. The merger automatically dissolved the last day of the season, December 3. The leagues owners went back into scheduling the 1944 season after the merger was agreed upon and approved. In other Spring owners meeting news a proposal to alternate the league headquarters between  Chicago and New York for five year periods was shot down via votes from the Western clubs.
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April 21, 1991 NFL Draft: University of Miami defensive tackle Russell Maryland first pick by Dallas Cowboys. The Pro Football Reference says that the Hall of Fame players from this class so far are Brett Favre selected with the 33rd pick by Atlanta and the Cardinals 59th pick of Aeneas Williams.

April 21, 2001 at the 2001 NFL Draft , Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Vick was the first overall draft selection by the Atlanta Falcons. Hall of Famers from this class so far according to the Pro Football Reference website are Ladainian Tomlinson who was the 5th overall selection by the Chargers and Seattle’s choice of Steve Hutchinson with the 17th pick.

April 21, 2021 - Per an NFL.com story by Kevin Patra - NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that NFL owners approved the proposal on changes to jersey numbers, per sources informed of the situation.

The proposal, submitted by the Kansas City Chiefs, adjusted the restrictions on who can wear which jersey numbers. Specifically, the approval unlocks the number of players eligible to wear single-digit numbers, which had previously been relegated to QBs, kickers and punters. Now the rules willallow running backs, full backs, halfbacks, receivers and tight ends to wear the number 1-49 and 80-89. This was a temporary rule allowed during the 2020 season of expanded practice squads due to COVID-19 protocals but now is good to go going forward too!

April 21, 1898 - Cleo Springs, Oklahoma - The great head coach and defensive star of the 1920 New York Giants, Steve Owen was born. Steve Owen was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1966. There is much more on this legend when you click his name.

April 21, 1906 - West Haven, Connecticut - The New York University halfback from 1926 to 1928,  Ken Strong entered into this life. The National Football Foundation tells of how Ken put a damper in the cheering section of his school after they would fire off a shot via cannon after every NYU score. Ken exceeded their expectations and they ran out of gunpowder before season's end because he scored so often and with such frequency they had a hard time being able to reload.  As a senior in 1928,  Strong went off on a scoring rampage where he manufactured 162 points and the national scoring title. Ken had amassed more than 2,000 yards rushing and earned All-America honors for the season.Ken Strong received the great honor of being selected for inclusion into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1957. As a professional Ken picked up where he left off in college excelling in almost every phase of the game according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s website bio on him. He could run, block, pass, tackle, kick and punt very well. Strong is remembered to have scored 17 points in the 1934 Championship Game often remembered as the “Sneakers Game” leading the New York Giants in the contest to a 30-13 victory over the Chicago Bears. From 1944 to 1947 Ken’s talents were reserved for only the kicking duties and in 1944 he led the League with successful kicks for points. The Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined Ken Strong in 1967.

April 21, 1980 - San Diego, California - Tony Romo the highly efficient signal caller of the Eastern Illinois teams of 1999 to 2002 was born. Tony according to the NFF, won the 2002 Walter Payton Award as the top player in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), therefore goes down as one of the greatest players in Eastern Illinois history. Romo was a First Team All-American in 2002 after he set conference and school records for 34 single-season and career 85 touchdown passes. Tony Romo received the great honor of being selected for inclusion into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2021. It was hard to believe but Romo went undrafted in 2003, but he would put together a tremendous NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys from 2003-16. The four-time Pro Bowl selection holds Cowboy records for career passing yards and passing touchdowns.  

The picture in the banner above is from the US Library of Congress' collection and was contributed by Harper's Weekly circa 1865 and is titled "Holiday in camp - Soldiers playing football ."