August 23

Here is what happened in Football History on August 23: The Grand Opening of a Renovated Lambeau Field; Paul Hornung Wins a Million Dollar Lawsuit with the NCAA, and the College All-Stars shock the Champion Rams. We remember the people and events that made the gridiron a great sport. We will provide you with a little bit of football nostalgia. This early team football history segment features the Great events, Franchise formations, and the stories of these long-forgotten teams in some cases that helped shape the arena of American pro football into what it is today.

• August 23, 1946 - The Chicago College All-Star game took place on this date at Soldier Field as the All-Stars shocked the NFL champion LA Rams 16-0 in front of a crowd of 97,380 fans. The games MVP was college player Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch, a running back from Wisconsin University.
• August 23, 1985 - A court in Louisville, KY awarded football legend Paul Hornung $1,160,000 paid by the NCAA in a suit that Hornung sued the Association when they disallowed him to be a broadcast analyst on collegiate football games due to allegedly betting on games in his past.
• August 23, 2003 - The renovated Lambeau Field re-opens, in Green Bay, Wisconsin as the Packers hosted the Panthers in a preseason contest. The Green Bay fans were treated to the opening of the Atrium and also received an additional 10,000 seats for patrons to watch the game. The improvements also gave the opportunity for the legendary venue to host not just the 10 home Packers games every year, but almost 700 other events during the year as well!
• August 23, 2020 - The NFL learns that 77 out of 77 positive COVID-19 tests recorded over the past few days were all in fact FALSE Positives and none of the players had contracted the disease.
• August 23, 2020 - The Baltimore Ravens released 7 time Pro Bowl Safety Earl Thomas for conduct detrimental to the team, after he got into a fight with a teammate and had caused a rift in the locker room. 

• August 23, 1874 -  Harrisburgh, PA - Yale guard Bill Hickock is born on this day. "Wild Bill" was twice selected to the All-American Team in 1893 & 1894. The legendary player was enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame in the induction class of 1971.
• August 23, 1934 - Wilmington, North Carolina -Sonny Jurgensen was a former quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins. Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined the fantastic quarterback in the class of 1983.  
• August 23, 1945 - Griffin, Georgia - Rayfield Wright was a offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys for 13 seasons. The blocker from Fort Valley State known as "Big Cat" was drafted in the 7th round of the 1967 NFL Draft. He was enshrined with a bronze bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
• August 23, 1968 - Oceola, Arkansas - Cortez Kennedy was a 1989 All-American defensive tackle from the University of Miami. He went on after college to have a great 11 year career with the Seatle Seahawks, who selected him as the 3rd pick in the 1990 NFL Draft and was named as an All-Pro five times. Kennedy was the 1992 NFL Defensive Player of the Year after recording 14 sacks. Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined this great player in 2012.

The picture in the banner above is from the U.S. Library of Congress collection. The photo is creditted to photographer Scott J. Ferrell and is titled "Soft Money."