December 11

In this edition of the Football History Headlines, we discuss a couple of Seminoles who were handed their Heisman Trophy, the final AAFC Championship game was played and 6 TDs are thrown by a QB in Chicago as well as many more Legendary Football stories.

Gridiron ghosts are stirring! Today's date is etched in the annals of NFL history. From legendary comebacks to record-breaking performances, monumental trades to heart-wrenching defeats, the pigskin has witnessed its share of drama on this very day.  Let's take a trip down memory lane and revisit the iconic moments, game-changing plays, and unforgettable figures that forever marked their place in the grand narrative of professional football. So, gear up, football fans, as we delve into the captivating stories that unfolded on this historic day in the NFL!

December 11, 1937 - Varsity Stadium, Toronto - The CFL Grey Cup took place and at the end of the contest it was the Toronto Argonauts who won their 4th Championship as they edged out the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 4-3 in an era of football where the scoring was much different than it is today. The full game recap is found on the cfl.ca website.

December 11, 1938 - Polo Grounds, New York City - National Football League Championship had 48,120 fans a record attendance for the Title game, watched the New York Giants defeat the Green Bay Packers, 23-17.  It was the 1938 NFL Championship game. New York’s quarterback, Ed Danowski threw two touchdown passes while Tuffy Leemans ran in another to account for the Giant's points. The American Football Database article brings up an interesting fact from this game was that each player on the winning team received a $900 bonus while the team that lost saw each participant get a cool $700 each.

December 11, 1949 - According to a report in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Bears quarterback Johnny Lujack passed for 468 yards and 6 touchdowns as the Bears tore apart their cross town rivals the Chicago Cardinals  in a one sided 52-29 victory.

Courtesy of the Wikimedia Commons collection of public Domain pictures. It is Preisdent Harry Truman receiving a golden pass to attend any All-America Football Conference game that he wanted to. Photographer Abbie Rowe took the pic on August 5, 1949.

December 11, 1949 - The Cleveland Browns beat San Francisco 49ers in the 1949 AAFC Championship game, the last title game for that League, by a final score of 21-7. As we mentioned a couple of days ago, the AAFC suffered some deep financial woes while being in competition with the NFL so had to shut down league operations after this game was played. The NFL agreed to soften the blow by merging the Browns, 49er and the Colts in their fold. Brownswire.usatoday has the coverage of the story.

December 11, 1966 - Franklin Field, Philadelphia - Al Nelson of the Philadelphia Eagles  returned a Cleveland Browns missed field goal attempt that fell just short near the goal line an NFL record 100 yards for a score! This TD helped the Eagles cruise to a 33-21 victory. This record return of Nelson’s was trumped on November 4, 2007, probably never to be broken, when  Antonio Cromartie of San Diego went 109 yards plus coast to coast on a missed FG of the Vikings at the end of the first half in a tie game.iframesrc="https://www.youtube.com/embed/40T__dtUfFE"

December 11, 1993 - Florida State’s stellar quarterback, Charlie Ward wins the 59th Heisman Trophy Award. The Senior threw for 3032 yards and 27 touchdowns per his bio on the Heisman.com website. The story goes on to say that Charlie went on to also take home the Davey O’Brien and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Awards and was named Walter Camp Player of the Year and Toyota Leader of the Year.

December 11, 2000 - The Heisman Trophy was given to Quarterback Chris Weinke of Florida State University. The senior signal caller threw for 4167 yards to lead the nation and also won the Johnny Unitas and the Davey O’Brien Awards for being the top quarterback in the nation per Heisman.com. The Seminoles lost to the Oklahoma Sooners in the National Championship game at the Orange Bowl by the score of 13-2.

December 11, 2004 - The 70th Heisman Trophy was awarded to Matt Leinart, Southern Cal’s quarterback. Leinart led USC to back to back National Championships in 2003 and 2004. Matt in 2004 threw for 2990 yards and 28 touchdowns according to his bio on the Heisman’s website. The article goes on to say that Matt Leinart accumulated more votes than his closest competitors for the Trophy in  Oklahoma’s Adrian Peterson and Jason White, Utah’s Alex Smith and teammate Reggie Bush to win.

December 11, 2021 - The 87th Heisman Trophy was handed to Bryce Young the University of Alabama stand out Quarterback.

December 11, 1910 - Stratton, Nebraska - Nebraska’s standout full back George Sauer was born. George was the Huskers All-America selection that had helped lead Nebraska to a 23-4-1 record in his three seasons there. At the 1934 East-West Shrine game according to the NFF, Sauer scored both of the West’s TDs as they won 12-0.  The National Football Foundation selected George Sauer to enter into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954. After school was completed, George played with the Green Bay Packers for 3 seasons in the NFL.

December 11, 1924 -  - Mr. Inside, Army’s outstanding fullback Felix “ Doc” Blanchard came into this world.  The NFF says that Doc was the player who became the first ever junior to win the Heisman Trophy and the Maxwell Award and was the first ever football player to win the James E. Sullivan Award, all in 1945.  The Cadets were undefeated in Blanchard’s 3 seasons with the team sporting an amazing 27-0-1 record and three national championships! Doc was more than just a running back, he was the place kicker and punter in addition to  playing linebacker on defense. His pairing with Glenn Davis in the backfield may be the best tandem in collegiate football history. The 1945 season saw Doc run for 722 yards and 16 touchdowns. Doc Blanchard found his way into gridiron immortality in 1964 when he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

December 11, 1949 - Colorado City, Texas  - Dartmouth’s outstanding linebacker Murry Bowden celebrated his birth. The National Football Foundation fondly recounts that Dartmouth’s undefeated 1970 team was the last Ivy League school to be rated among the nation's top 20 teams placing 13th and 14th in the two polls. That season the Dartmouth defense ranked in the nation's top ten in seven statistical categories including first in scoring defense and second in total defense. Murry was a big part of those stats as he was consistently found in the offensive backfield making plays.  The College Football Hall of Fame swung their doors open wide to welcome Murry Bowden in 2003’s induction class.

The photograph in the banner above is courtesy of the Wikimedia Commons collection of public Domain pictures. It is Preisdent Harry Truman receiving a golden pass to attend any All-America Football Conference game that he wanted to. Photographer Abbie Rowe took the pic on August 5, 1949.