August 31

Here is what happened in Football History on August 31: The 1st Chicago Charities College All-Star Game is played; the Oilers franchise moves to Tennessee; and the All-Stars beat the Champs. 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 31, 1934 - The very first Chicago Charities College All-Star Game is played in the city of Chicago, Illinois. Over 79,000 fans watched on as the Chicago Bears and the All-Stars tied in a scoreless game! This would set a tradition of an annual game that would last for over four decades!

August 31, 1938 - The College All-Stars win over the Washington Redskins in the 5th Annual Chicago Charities All-Star Game by the score of 28-16 with a paid attendance of 74,250 looking on. Cecil Isbell the runningback from Purdue becomes the very first crowned MVP of the exhibition series for the collegians.

August 31, 1997 - The NFL's Oilers play their very first game in Tennessee after leaving the city of Houston. The teams running back Eddie George rushed for 216 yards and a TD as the Oilers overcame the Oakland Raiders in overtime 24-21 at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis.

August 31, 1906 - Bill Spears was a former Vanderbilt University Commodore quarterback that played from 1925 through 1927. His nickname was "Bounding Bill Spears".  The speedster threw very few interceptions and was said that he would have been a shoe-in to win the Heisman Trophy had the award been given back in 1927.  Spears was voted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1962.

August 31, 1918 - Kenny Washington was a tailback hailing from UCLA. Washington has the destinction of being the first African American player to sign a contract in the NFL in the common era (after World War II) with the L.A. Rams after playing in the Pacific Coast League with the Hollywood Bears. As a collegian Kenny Washington rushed for 9,975 yards which was a Bruin record for over 56 years! He was also UCLA's very first ever consensus All-American in 1939. Mr. Washington was enshrined in the College Football hall of Fame in 1956.

August 31, 1927 - Jim Finks was a former defensive back and quarterback that played for the University of Tulsa. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 12th round of the 1949 NFL Draft. He played in Pittsbuurgh until 1955 when he retired. His big contribution to football came as an exceutive. He served as an assistant coach at Notre Dame and then moved into the CFL as the Calgary Stampeders General Manager where he helped turn the team around into winning ways. In 1964 he returned to the NFL as the GM of the Minnesota Vikings and helped ingnite the franchise to appear in 4 Super Bowls in 14 seasons as he put together the "Purple People Eaters". He later spent time with the Bears and Saints front offices. The Pro Football Hall of Fame recognized his talents and placed him in their museum of legends in Canton.

August 31, 1946 - Dennis Byrd was a former defensive tackle at North Carolina State. Byrd was a consensus 1st team All-American in 1967. He was enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010's class of entries. Dennis Byrd was drafted by the Boston Patriots in 1968 but due to an injury in his senior year at NC State he only was able to play one year in the league.

August 31, 1952 - Gary Johnson was a fomer defensive tackle from Grambling State University. The College Football Hall of Fame selected him to enter the confines of collegiate gridiron legneds in 2010's class if entrants. In the 1975 NFL Draft the San Diego Chargers drafted him 8th overall and he played with the for most of his career. He was able to play on the San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl XIX winning team and gave Miami QB Dan Marino fits all game which prompted Sports Illustrated to  dub him the 'unofficial defensive MVP" of the game.

The picture in the banner above was taken at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio of Joe Guyon's Canton Bulldogs jersey he wore. The Pro Football Hall of Fame needs to be a bucket list place to viiiiiisit so that you can enjoy seeing football history in person.