August 9

In this edition, we discuss the first game played in the Superdome, when the Champion New York Giants faced the College Stars in the Windy City, and remember legends like Doug Williams and John Cappelletti. 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 9, 1957 - At Soldier Field in front of 75,000 fans the champion NY Giants defeated the College All-Star squad by the odd score of 22-12 in the 24th annual Chicago Charities College All-Star Game. The MVP award, always given to the college player team, happened to be John Brodie a quarteback from Stanford.
• August 9, 1975 - The very first game is played at the new Louisiana Super Dome as the Houston Oilers topple the New Orleans Saints 13-7 in an NFL preseason game.
• August 9, 1987 - In an exciting NFL exhibition game the LA Rams beat the Dallas Cowboys 28-27 at London's Wembley Stadium.

• August 9, 1899 - Ed McGinley was a tackle from the University of Pennsylvania who is enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame in the ceremony of 1979.  Legendary Coach Amos Alonzo Stagg once said, "Ed McGinley is the most effective lineman I've seen in a long while." According to the NFF bio on Ed,  he had uncanny speed and was  unmatched by any other tackle of comparable size in the college game of that era. McGinley was particularly effective in downing punts within the opponents' 20-yard line. The 1924 Penn-Cornell Thanksgiving Day Classic went down in history as a punting duel, and McGinley was largely responsible for that duel. McGinley set the Big Red back twice in the opening minutes by downing punts within the Cornell 20-yard line. In the final quarter, McGinley downed a Penn punt on the Cornell 10-yard line and another Quaker boot on the Big Red's 11-yard line. He played almost the entire game, as Penn romped to a 20-0 victory. He went on to play professionally for the NFL's NY Giants.
• August 9, 1952 - John Cappelletti was a runningback from Penn State University who entered into the Hall of Fame of College Football in the class of 1993. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1973 and then went on to play in the NFL for the LA Rams and the SanDiego Chargers. Cappalletti's football career and his relationship with his ill younger brother was famously protrayed in the touching movie "Something for Joey".
• August 9, 1955 - Zachary, Louisiana - Doug Williams was a quarterback from Grambling State who is enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. Mr. Williams went on to play in the NFL for the Tampa Bay Bucaneers and the Washington Redskins. He helped guide his Washington team to victory in Super Bowl XXII with 340 yards passing and 4 TD's against the Denver Broncos. During his NFL career Doug threw 1,240 completions for 16,998 yards and 100 touchdowns.
• August 9, 1967 - Deion Sanders was defensive back from Florida that is enshrined in both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In the NFL he was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons then later played for the Cowboys, 49ers and Washington. 

Not Yet in the Hall of Fame birthdays:

• August 9, 1931 - Gene Big Daddy Lipscomb was a giant defensive end that played for the Baltimore Colts and the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1950's and early 1960's. He came out of the Camp Pendelton Marine Corp Base Blue Brigade and took the league by storm with his powerful athletic play. He was also an accomplished professional wrestler. The football world lost him much too soon in 1963.
• August 9, 1946 - Lincoln Park, New Jersey - Wyoming running back Jim Kiick arrived into life. Kiick was the 118th overall pick by the Miami Dolphins in the 1968 AFL Draft. Ke joined the Dolphins in 1968 and statyed with them through the 1974 season when the World Football League Memphis Southmen signed him in 1975. After the WFL's demise Kiick joined the Broncos for the seasons of 1976-77 and then the Redskins in 1978 according to Yahoo.com. Jim's career numbers include 1,029 carries for 3,759 yards and 29 touchdowns and 233 receptions for 2,302 yards and 4 TDs. Kiick was a two-time AFL All-Star and won two Super Bowls VII and VIII with the Dolphins. He was an integral part of Don Shula’s ball-control offense in the early 1970s along with Hall of Fame running back Larry Csonka . 
• August 9, 1977 - Brooklyn, New York - Defensive end Adewale Ogunleye from the University of Indiana was born. Ogunleye signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2000 and later played with the  Bears and the Texans.
• August 9, 1985 - Mobile, Alabama - Quarterback JaMarcus Russell from LSU arrived into this life. Russell was number one overall by the Oakland Raiders in the 2007 NFL Draft. 

The picture in the banner above is from the US Library of Congress' collection and was contributed by Carol M. Smith circa April 2010 and is titled " University of Alabama football game, Tuscaloosa, Alabama."