December 15

In this edition of the Football History Headlines, we discuss how the Champs of the NFL were defeated just a week after claiming the title; another headline fills us in when the Motor City was all the buzz in the NFL, as well as many more Hall of Fame Legendary stories. Don't forget we remember the birthdays of those Hall of Fame legends, too!

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 15, 1929 - Memphis, Tennessee - National Football League Champion Green Bay Packers who sported an unblemished record 12-0-1 in League play played an exhibition game against the Memphis Tigers. A story on the PackersHistory.net site explains that the Tigers were an independent team owned by the man who eventually started the Piggly Wiggly Grocery chain, Clarence Saunders. Austin Applewhite, Bucky Moore and Tiny Drouilhet all scored for the Sole Owner Memphis team to shock the World Champs with a 20-6 upset. As for the NFL title, remember that there were no games to determine the champs of the NFL back then, it was strictly the team with the best record that won the crown. With no game gate there was no revenue to pay the players for the accomplishment so the Green Bay Press-Gazette led a community fund drive to raise money for the players. In 1929, each player was given $220 plus a watch from the more than the $5,000 that was raised. I would bet this is yet another reason why after winning the title that the Pack would risk their reputation by going on a barnstorming tour to play an exhibition game. As far as reputation, they had everything to lose and nothing to gain. But in the individual pockets of the players, they were trying to scrape out a living.

December 15, 1935 - University of Detroit Stadium - The National Football League Championship game pitted the New York Football Giants against the Lions of Detroit. This was the third time that the League had a final game pitting the top two teams from each division to determine the title. The Lions jumped out to an early two touchdown lead and never looked back as their defense frustrated the G-men most of the game according to the American Football Database. Four different Detroit Lions ran the ball across the goal line as the Football Men of the Motor City beat New York Giants, 26-7 to win the Lions first championship title.iframesrc="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VT7ogmLsCOw"

December 15, 1946 - Polo Grounds, New York City - National Football League Championship the Chicago Bears defeated the New York Giants, 24-14 in front of a record crowd of 58,346. In an interesting bit of news that came out just before kick off two players on the Giants were allegedly offered a bribe to throw the game by a person in the underworld. Vice.com covers the story well. Giants All-Star halfback Frank Filchock and Merle Hapes were under investigation by NFL Commissioner Bert Bell. Filchock was allowed to play but Bell suspended Hapes when he didn't report the bribe attempt to anyone.

December 15, 1982 - The New York Giants hired Bill Parcells as their new coach. Parcells was the 12th person in history to serve in that role for the franchise.

December 15, 1997 - The San Francisco 49ers franchise retired Joe Montana's #16 jersey number from ever being worn by another player for the Niners.

December 15, 2002 - Southern Cal Quarterback Carson Palmer won the voting for the 68th Heisman Trophy Award. According to Heisman.com Palmer threw for 3,639 yards and 32 touchdowns as the Trojans finished 10-2 and earned a trip to the Orange Bowl. He really blossomed into an elite passer under the instruction of coordinator Norm Chow.

December 15, 2008 - The 74th Heisman Trophy went to Sam Bradford, the fantastic Quarterback from the Oklahoma Sooners. According to Heisman.com, Sam’s combined 53 touchdowns from the run and the pass are tied with Oregon’s Marcus Mariota for the most in Heisman history. Sam Bradford and his Sooners teammates were the highest-scoring offense ever in NCAA history.  Passing for 4,464 yards with 48 touchdowns and just six interceptions was a monumental feat as Braford again led the nation in passing and also added five rushing touchdowns as the Sooners went 12-1 and qualified the BCS national title game.

December 15, 2019 - Oakland, California - Raiders play their final NFL home game in Oakland before moving to Las Vegas.  The Jon Gruden-led Raiders gave up 17 unanswered second half points to fall at the hands of the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars, 20-16.

December 15, 1938 - Natchez, Mississippi - Billy Shaw the standout guard from Georgia Tech was born. Billy was an All-America selection in 1961 and was coveted by teams from both the NFL and the AFL in their respective drafts according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s bio on Billy Shaw. The Dallas Cowboys picked him but so did the AFL’s Buffalo Bills and Billy chose to go with the Bills so that he could concentrate on playing on the offensive line. Well his decision was a great one as he and the Bills won back to back AFL Championship Titles in 1964 & 1965. He was selected to the All-AFL team five times and played in 8 All-Star games. At the Enshrinement Ceremony of 1999 Billy Shaw was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

December 15, 1940 - Springfield, Massachusetts - The great linebacker from the University of Notre Dame, Nick Buoniconti was born. Nick was picked by the Patriots in the 13th round of the 1962 AFL Draft. His bio on the Pro Football Hall of Fame website tells how he made an immediate impact with the defense of the Patriots by in the 1963 season the Pats captured the Eastern Division of the AFL. The “undersized” linebacker that no NFL team dared to pick registered 5 interceptions in 1964, and in a game against the Bills in 1968 he picked off 3 passes alone to help him achieve a total of 24 in his 7 seasons with the Patriots. In 1969 he was traded to the Dolphins and helped that team eventually go undefeated and win the Super Bowl in 1972 and appear in 3 straight NFL Title games, The Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined Nick Buoniconti in 2001.