December 28, 1905 - Representatives of 62 Colleges and Universities met to appoint a rules committee for Intercollegiate football per the Library of Congress. President Theodore Roosevelt requested schools to meet to save the game from being banned due to deaths and severe injuries. The meeting ended with the formation of the Interscholastic Athletic Association of the United States later to become the NCAA in 1910.
December 28, 1946 - The original Baltimore Colts franchise was formed in the All American Football Conference or AAFC. This Colts team along with the Browns and 49ers were absorbed into the NFL in 1950 when the AAFC dissolved. The first season in the NFL was not a good one for Baltimore and the team disbanded according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame right after the 1950 season ended. The City of Baltimore received another chance to resurrect the Colts when NFL Commissioner Bert Bell challenged folks in the city that if they sold 15,000 or more season tickets in about six weeks that they could adopt the recently discontinued Dallas Texans franchise. The Maryland City accomplished the feat in just 4 weeks and on January 23, 1953 the Baltimore Colts franchise rose again under the ownership of Carroll Rosenbloom. By 1958 they were the Champs of the League! In 1984 in the cover of night the team picked up and moved to Indianapolis where they still call home until this day.
December 28, 1947 - Comiskey Park, Chicago - The 1947 NFL Championship game is played between the Philadelphia Eagles victors of the Eastern Division and the Western Division winners the Chicago Cardinals per a story on the Bleacher Report. The Cardinals jumped out to an early lead after Charlie Trippi punched in a score followed just a bit later by his Chicago teammate Elmer Angsman running in another TD. Steve Van Buren recorded one of the touchdowns for the Eagles shortly before halftime. The teams exchanged touchdowns in the third quarter setting up a dramatic finish in the final stanza. Angsman ran in another score in the fourth but Philly cut the lead to just one score after the Eagles crossed the goal line stripe on a one yard plunge by Craft. The game was a stalemate from there as theChicago Cardinals went on to beat Philadelphia, 28-21 to secure the Cardinals' only title game victory.
December 28, 1952 - Cleveland Municipal Stadium - The 1952 NFL Championship game was played between the Detroit Lions and the Cleveland Browns. Remarkably this was the third appearance of the Browns in the title game in just their third season in the League per a story on the mesa.marmot.org website! If you are keeping track of posts from the past few weeks this would be the first of 3 consecutive years that these two teams would vie for the Championship. The stars of the Lions Quarterback Bobby Layne and running back Doak Walker each ran in a score to put the team from the Motor City up. It would be the difference in the game as the Baltimore defense pretty much shut down Cleveland’s strong offense led by QB Otto Graham. The Detroit Lions outlasted the Cleveland Browns, 17-7 to win the title.
December 28, 1958 - Yankee Stadium, the Bronx, New York - "The Greatest Game Ever Played" was what the 1958 NFL Championship game was called by reporters after the game. The New York Giants and the Baltimore Colts earned their chance to play each other for the Title of World Champions. It could very well be the greatest as there were seventeen future members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame that were involved in the contest. This game and its story may have been the biggest public relations boost the League had ever seen. The popularity of the professional level of the gridiron can look at this championship as the true watershed moment when they finally were gaining footing against the popularity of the college game. In the game suspense occurred late as the national audience lost the broadcast when someone bumped a cable creating a loss of signal from the NBC network. Minutes later the broadcast was restored as Johnny Unitas led his Colts teammates onto the field with just minutes left and trailing by three. Facing a 3rd and 10 from their own 14 yard line, Unitas completed a pass to Lenny Moore for an eleven yard gain and a new set of downs to jumpstart the Colts drive. A series of Unitas to Raymond Berry connections set up a 20 yard field goal attempt for Colts kicker Steve Myhra with just seven seconds remaining. The boot was up and good and sent the game into overtime! The Giants won the toss but went three and out giving the Colts the ball back at their own twenty yard line after a punt. Colts Head Coach Weeb Ewbank placed the game plan in the hands of his more than capable signal caller. Unitas and company were hot and drove the field, capping it off with an Alan Ameche one yard dive into the end zone. The Baltimore Colts won the 26th NFL championship 23-17 over the New York Giants with the first ever sudden-death overtime game in NFL history!
December 28, 1975 - Metropolitan Stadium, Minnesota - The original "Hail Mary" play occurred! The Star-Tribune tells the tale well. In the waning minutes the heavily favored Vikings sored what appeared to be a come from behind touchdown on a Brent McClenahan one yard plunge to go up 14-10. Dallas got the ball back but was facing a fourth-and-16 after Staubach had fallen on a bad snap from center for a six yard loss. From the shotgun formation, Roger the Dodger connected with Drew Pearson, who made a jumping catch on the 50 yard-line near the sideline. The table was set, as there was a mere 32 seconds left in the NFC Divisional Playoff Game. Roger Staubach dropped back and let loose the legendary 50-yard winning touchdown pass to Drew Pearson who with a slight nudge of the Viking defender caught the pass to give Dallas the 17-14 win and to advance the Cowboys into the NFC Championship game.
December 28, 2008 - Lambeau Field, Wisconsin - The Detroit Lions reach rock bottom and become the first team in NFL history to go winless in a Sixteen game regular season format. The 31-21 loss to Green Bay Packers was the game played on this day that gave the Lions this dubious record.
December 28, 2019 - At the Fiesta Bowl which was the BCS College Football Playoff semifinal, #3 Clemson knocked off #2 Ohio State, 29-23 for the right to play for the national Championship.
Meanwhile at the Peach Bowl the other 2019 College Football Playoff semi final had #1 LSU embarrassed #4 Oklahoma, 63-28 to advance to meet Clemson.
