August 28

Here is what happened in Football History on August 28: The First Sudden Death Overtime occurred in a pre-season match-up; the Chicago Bears buried the College All-Stars on a couple of different occasions on this date in history. 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 28, 1941 - The 8th Chicago Charities College Football All-Stars Game is played as the defending NFL champion Chicago Bears defeated the All-Star team 37-13 with a crowd of over 98,000 watching. The All-Star's MVP of the game is none other than University of Minnesota running back George Franck.
• August 28, 1942 - Again in Chicago, Illinois the city hosts the 9th annual Chicago Charities College Football All-Stars Game with the NFL champion Chicago Bears facing the college stars. The paid attendance of over 101,000 watched as the Bears blanked the collegians 21-0. The game's MVP, always a College All-Star player, was Bruce Smith the halfback from the University of Minnesota.
• August 28, 1955 - The very first NFL preseason sudden death overtime is played when the LA Rams defeated the NY Giants 23-17. Our Newspapers.com Football History Headline of the day comes from the Long Beach Independent there very next morning when they said:

Younger, Tharpe, Waller Star in Overtime Thriller

The LA Rams offense at that time were a powerhouse spearheaded by their talented Quarterback Norm Van Brocklin. They did not showcase the normal aerial onslaught they put most defenses through though, as the running game reined supreme in the Rams huddle on this day. Rookie Ron Waller returned a punt 43 yards to paydirt and another Rams Rook Corky Tharpe had some big gainers himself. Prior to the contest it was agreed that the game, if ending in a tie would be played using the new sudden death overtime rules. Tied it was as the Giants Alex Webster rough housed the ball over the line from the three to finish an 80 yard G-Men drive. Ed Price ran hard on fourth down early to score early and another field goal by the Giants completed their circuit of scoring. With the game tied at 17, the Rams Tank Younger capped off a 76 yard drive early in OT by plunging in to the end zone from one yard out.

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• August 28, 1945 - Jim Lynch was a former linebacker from the University of Notre Dame who was born on this day. In fact Lynch was the defensive captain of the 1966 Fighting Irish National Championship team. He played professionally for 11 seasons on the Kansas City Chiefs in both the AFL and the NFL. Lynch was selected to become a member of the College Football Hall of Fame in 1992 so that his accomplishments on the college football field will forever be remembered.
• August 28, 1956 - Ken Clarke was nose guard/defensive tackle hailing from Syracuse University. He played in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks and the Minnesota Vikings as he enjoyed a 14 year career in the league.