August 26

Here is what happened in Football History on August 26: The 1st facemask patent is filed; the NY Giants leave the Bronx; Colin Kaepernick takes a knee in protest; the birthdays of Garrett Cochran, Aaron Rosenberg, Harry Smith, Donnie Shell are remembered. 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 26, 1935 - The first face mask was a rubber wire mask created by Vern McMillan. This invention was to help protect the faces of players.
• August 26, 1971 - The New York Football Giants declared on this date that they were leaving their home in the Bronx to play home games in New Jersey starting in the 1975 season.
• August 26, 2016 - The San Fransico 49ers' quarterback Colin Kapernick kneels during the U.S. National Anthem prior to a preseason game at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium in a protest  and objection of racial injustice.

• August 26, 1876 - Garrett Cochran was a former end from Princeton University who in 1971 was selected to enter the College Football Hall of Fame. He was named to the All-America team in his Princeton career that lasted from 1894 through 1897. After playing Cochran became the head football coach at the University of California, Berkeley then went to the US Naval Academy to head their program before finally returning to Princeton in 1902 to coach their ranks.
• August 26, 1912 - Aaron Rosenberg was a guard from the University of Southern California who entered the College Football Hall of Fame in 1966's induction ceremonies. The two time All-American went on to become a Hollywood Producer and he most famously had a nomination from the Academy Awards for Best Picture for his 1962 film, "Mutiny on the Bounty."
• August 26, 1918 - Harry Smith was born on this day. He was another great guard from USC that is enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. "Blackjack" Smith earned All-American honors in 1938 and 1939. The USC squad also defeated Notre Dame in each of those two seasons. The '39 season culminated with a 14-0 blanking of the University of Tennessee in the Rose Bowl to give the undefeated Trojans the National Championship.
• August 26, 1952 - Donnie Shell was a former undrafted safety of the Pittsburgh Steelers from South Carolina State University. Mr. Shell is enshrined in both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. As a Steeler he registered 51 interceptions as part of the famed "Steel Curtain" defense which is an NFL record for the position. He won four Super Bowl Rings during his 14 year career in Pittsburgh.

The picture in the banner above was taken at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio of an old broken New York Giants helmet. The Pro Football Hall of Fame needs to be a bucket list place to visit so that you can enjoy seeing football history in person.