August 10

In this edition of the Football History Headlines, we discuss the fantastic Razorback father/son duo that graced the Gridiron, a new Seattle Stadium opens its gates, the debut of the ABC Network, an All-Star game, and some great players that celebrate August 10 birthdays plus more! We will provide you with a little bit of football nostalgia. This daily football history segment features the significant events, franchise formation anniversaries, and birthdays of notable Hall of Fame players, coaches, or anyone else in our great game, as well as many more legendary stories of the Gridiron.

• August 10, 1948 - The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) debuts on the airwaves in New York. ABC gave Americans a whole new way to watch the NFL with their spin on Monday Night Football in 1970 that is still carried out since 2006 on sister network ESPN. Their ties started off strong though as the network aired the 1948 & the 1950 NFL Championship Games and many regular season games during the early 1950's.
• August 10, 1956 - The 23rd annual Chicago College All-Stars games takes place at Soldier Field with the NFL Champion Cleveland Browns blanking the All-Stars 26-0 before 75,000 in attendance. The MVP award, always given to the college player team, happened to be Bob Pellegrini the linebacker from Maryland.
• August 10, 1991- NFL broadcaster Paul McGuire suffers and survives a heart attack at the age of 53. Before his TV days McGuire played in 6 of the AFL's 10 Championship games as a punter for the San Diego Chargers and the Buffalo Bills.
• August 10, 2002 - Seattle Seahawks Stadium opens with a preseason match up of the Seahawks hosting the Indy Colts.

• August 10, 1961 - Fayetteville, Arkansas - Linebacker  and defensive end Billy Ray Smith Jr. from the University of Arkansas arrived in to the world. Smith was selected fifth overall by the San Diego Chargers in the 1983 NFL Draft. Smith Jr. was a second-team All-Pro in 1989 and a member of the Chargers 50th Anniversary Team. His father, Billy Ray Smith Sr., played 13 seasons in the NFL per Yahoo.com. Both father and son were named to the Arkansas All-Century Team. Billy Ray Smith was enshrined in to the College Football Hall of Fame as part of the 2000 class per the FootballFoundation.org. He was a consensus All- American twice in college and was later drafted in the first round by the NFL's San Diego Chargers where he played for 10 seasons.
• August 10, 1970 - Gino Toreretta was a quarterback from the University of Miami who is forever remembered in the College Football Hall of Fame from the induction class of 2009. Mr. Torretta won the 1992 Heisman Trophy and lead his Hurricane teams of 1989 and 1991 to the National Championships. He experinced a 5 year career in the NFL where he served as a backup QB for several different teams.

Other Famous Football Birthdays

• August 10, 1942 - Tuscaloosa, Alabama - Cornerback and kick returner extraordinaire, Speedy Duncan was born. The Jackson State alum played for the Tigers from 1960 through the 1962 season. Duncan according to a Yahoo.com bio, signed with the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 1963 and later played for Washington. Sppeedy recorded 24 career interceptions, four fumbles recovered, four defensive touchdowns; 202 punt returns for 2,201 yards and four touchdowns, 180 kick returns for 4,539 yards. Duncan was a three-time AFL Star and a Pro Bowl selection in 1971.
• August 10, 1976 - Miami, Florida - Florida State Cornerback Samari Rolle was born. Rolle was the 46th overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Oilers and finished career in the Ravens organization. This great athlete registered 31 interceptions, 81 passes defended, and 31.5 sacks during his career. Rolle was a Pro Bowl selection and an All-Pro in 2000. He played in Super Bowl XXXIV, a Titans loss to the St. Louis Rams.
• August 10, 1984 - Mayfield Heights, Ohio - Placekicker Matt Prater, the 2005 through 2006 Central Florida product celebrates his date of birth. Prater signed with the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2006 and also spent some NFL time with the Broncos and the Lions.

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