February 23, 1877 - Lisle, New York - The incredible guard of Princeton University, Bill Edwards was welcomed into the world. The National Football Foundation has a special story for this player. For more on Big Bill, please click his name.
February 23, 1923 - Hudson, Ohio - The excellent Ohio State end, Dante Lavelli, also known as "Glue Fingers," was born. Incredibly, Lavelli is reported to have only played in 3 college games before he served in the US Infantry and then turned professional after his tour of duty was complete. How could he be attractive to pro franchises with so few college resumes? Well, his Coach at Ohio State was one, Paul Brown, who remembered the sure-handed freshman, and in 1946, when assembling the new Cleveland Browns team in the 1946 inaugural season of the AAFC, Brown looked Lavelli up. According to Glue Fingers' bio on the Pro Football Hall of Fame's website, "To make the Browns, he had to beat out four more experienced and highly regarded candidates. But Dante not only prevailed, he led the league in receptions and won All-AAFC honors in his rookie season. He also caught the winning touchdown pass in the first AAFC championship game between the Browns and the New York Yankees." Dante made the All-AAFC again in 1947, and after the Browns moved into the NFL in 1950, Lavelli was All-NFL twice and started in 3 of the first 5 Pro Bowl games played! He finished his Pro Football career with 386 catches and 62 touchdowns. Dante Lavelli was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1975.
February 23, 1930 - Temple, Texas - Bobby Dillon, the 6 foot - 1 inch tall safety from the University of Texas arrived into this life. The ProFootballHOF.com website states that Bobby picked off four passes as a Rookie for the Green Bay Packers and totaled 52 of them in his 8 year NFL career. His return yards on those career picks was 976 yards with 5 going for touchdowns! When he called it quits he was tied for second on the All time list of L3ague interceptions and held the Packers record. The Pro Football Hall of Fame honored Bobby Dillon’s football legacy by placing his bronze bust in Canton, unfortunately posthumously in 2020.
February 23, 1940 - Columbia, Mississippi - The brilliant tight end from Northwestern Louisiana University, Jackie Smith was born. Smith was a long tenured NFL player as his career spanned 16 seasons according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame's website. Jackie was a tenth round pick by the St Louis Cardinals in 1963 and played 15 seasons for the Redbirds. His bio describes him as a fierce blocker and an extremely hard person to tackle once he got his mitts on the ball. When he retired he led all TE’s with 480 receptions, 40 scores and 7918 receiving yards. In his final season he had the privilege of playing in Super Bowl XIII with the Dallas Cowboys. Jackie Smith was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994.
February 23, 1943 - Erie, Pennsylvania - The talented wide receiver that once wore the colors of the Florida State Seminoles, Fred Biletnikoff entered into this life. In his first two seasons at FSU, he played on both sides of the ball. He showed off his defensive skill set in his junior year he made a 99-yard run with an intercepted pass against Miami per the NFF. According to Dan Brabender’s book, “Sports Heroes of the Erie School District“ was FSU’s first consensus All-American and he set single season records with 70 receptions, 1179 receiving yards and 15 scores in 1964 a the school. Fred had some of his greatest performances while on the big stage. In a Gator Bowl victory over powerful Oklahoma, Freddie B hauled in 13 receptions for 192 yards and four touchdowns in the Seminoles 36-19 romp. Fred’s Florida State career was so impactful that they retired the All-American’s jersey number 25 from being used further in the school’s football program. The collegiate accomplishments of Fred Biletnikoff were held for preservation in the College Football Hall of Fame in 1991. The Oakland Raiders took Fred inthe 1965 AFL Draft and he stayed with the franchise for his entire 14 year Pro Career. The shifty wideout caught a career 589 passes for 8974 yards and 76 TDs. The Pro Football Hall of Fame says that Biletnikoff “owned several significant NFL marks as well. Along with another Hall of Fame receiver, Raymond Berry, Fred held the record for having caught 40 or more passes in 10 consecutive seasons. His 70 receptions, 1,167 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns in 19 post-season games were also NFL post-season career records.” He played in two AFL All-Star games and four AFC-NFC Pro Bowl games as well as three AFL and five AFC championship games, plus Super Bowls II and XI. Fred was the MVP of that Super Bowl XI Raiders victory! Fred Biletnikoff was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988. As a final note we share that the earlier mentioned Author Dan Brabender, declares Biletnikoff to be the greatest wide receiver in NFL history!
February 23, 1950 - Union, South Carolina - The outstanding linebacker from Tennessee Tech, Jim Youngblood celebrates his date of birth. The National Football Foundation’s bio on Jim says that he; “set a school record with 476 tackles.” And “Tennessee Tech retired his jersey, No 53.” After both the 1971 and the 1972 seasons, Youngblood received All-American honors for his great play. Jim Youngblood’s collegiate career is forever preserved as he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996. After school, Jim was picked by the Los Angeles Rams in the 1972 NFL Draft and played 11 seasons there and one final year with Washington.
