February 3

In this episode of the Football History Headlines, we discuss a few Super Bowls that were played by the team from New England, a couple of great quarterbacks celebrate birthdays as well as many more HOF Legendary stories.

Football history enthusiasts, delve into the gridiron's past! On this very date, history unfolded on the field in several ways. We might be celebrating a record-breaking performance by a legendary player, a trade that sent shockwaves through the league, or even the birth of a new franchise that would leave its mark on the game. Let's lace up our cleats and travel back in time to see what iconic moments transpired on this date in American football history!

The picture in the banner above is from the US Library of Congress' collection and was drawn by artists Currier and Ives and titled " The Minute-Men of the Revolution" circa 1875.

• February 3, 1876 - Albert Spalding and J Walker Spalding invested $800 that their mother had given to them and started a sporting goods company called A.G. Spalding and Bro. According to a story on CoxBlue.com the Chicago-based sports store the brothers owned offered high-quality goods that other manufacturers failed to match. Albert had been a professional baseball player earlier in his adulthood playing for the Rockford Pioneers and also was known to have pitched for the Boston Red Stockings and then moved on to coach the pitchers on the Chicago White Stockings. Alfred’s equipment was what set him apart from the rest of the league. The company’s website notes that Spalding was the first player to wear a baseball glove and was widely considered one of the few who wasn’t booed by the crowds because of his gear. The company started by manufacturing the first official baseball for MLB then moved on to make the official tennis ball, basketball, golf ball and football.
• February 3, 1991  - The NFL Pro Bowl for the 1990 season was played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The game was an entertaining close match up as the AFC edged out the NFC, 23-21.  Buffalo Bills Quarterback Jim Kelly, was the game’s Most Valuable Player.
• February 3, 2002 - Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans - Super Bowl XXXVI was a great game. The St. Louis Rams were the Greatest Show on Turf with Kurt Warner slinging the ball to weapons such as Torry Holt, Marshall Faulk, Ricky Proehl and Isaac Bruce. The Rams were heavy betting favorites against the Patriots who came in with a no name second year quarterback named Tom Brady that stepped in for an injured Drew Bledsoe earlier in the season. The game started off as the odds makers had predicted as the Rams jumped out to an early 3-0 lead and were moving the ball again until New England’s Ty Law picked off a pass and took it 47 yards for six points. The next drive again the Rams were moving the ball but Proehl fumbled after a big catch and the Pats were back in business again. St Louis according to  a Patriots.com article, out gained New England 427 yards to 267 but  being plus three on the turnover margin helped the Patriots stay in the game. It came down right to the end when Adam Viatieri knocked through a 48 yard field goal with 0:00 on the clock to put New England over the St. Louis Rams, 20-17 in a thriller. It was a young Tom Brady who was selected as the game’s MVP.  
• February 3, 2008 - University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona - At Super Bowl XLII the New England Patriots were much more established now as a perennial power in the NFL. The Patriots came into the Super Bowl with an unstained 16-0 record and they faced a 10-6 team in the New York Giants per an ESPN.com article. As a matter of fact the two teams had met in week 17 in a game that meant everything for the Giants and was but a playoff warm up for New England and the Patriots won by 3 points in New York. Certainly no one could expect the G-men to win this game, could they? Well there is a reason they play the game, because there are pro players on both teams. The Giants put on a crazy pressure game on Tom Brady all day and sacked him five times while the Giants offense had some remarkable plays themselves to keep the game close. It all came down to the end as most great games do. The Patriots took the lead 14-10 with 2:42 remaining when Randy Moss hauled in a 6 yard pass from Tom Brady for a score. Eli Manning then drove his team down the field after getting the ball on their own 17-yard line with 2:39 left and marched 83 yards down the field. In the game's most memorable play, on 3rd down and long , as Manning played Houdini and escaped an aggressive Patriots pass rush to launch a strike to WR David Tyree who made the famous "Helmet Catch." it was a thing of beauty, a leaping one-handed catch pinning the football with his right hand to the crown of his helmet for a 32-yard first down conversion. A few plays later, facing 3 and 11,  Eli found wide receiver Plaxico Burress for the winning touchdown on a 13-yard reception with 35 seconds remaining. The New York football Giants defeated the New England Patriots, 17-14. The game’s MVP was Eli Manning.
• February 3, 2013 - Mercedes-Benz Stadium, New Orleans - Super Bowl XLVII was memorable for a couple reasons before the game even started. FIrst it matched a first for the NFL as the two opposing head coaches were brothers. Yes John Harbaugh led his Baltimore Ravens against brother Jim Harbaugh’s San Francisco 49ers. The second item was that the power went out at the stadium causing a delay in play. The game was a good one too as Baltimore stormed out to a 21-6 halftime lead only to see the Niners rally back in the third quarter. The 49ers cut the lead to 2 with just under ten minutes remaining as a two point conversion attempt failed to tie  the score. The Baltimore Ravens held on and defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 34-31. The MVP of the game was Quarterback Joe Flacco of Baltimore who according to the PFR threw for 287 yards and 3 touchdowns.
• February 3, 2019 - Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta - At Super Bowl LIII the LA Rams met up with the New England Patriots to see who the top team from the 2018 season would be. The Defenses were prevalent as both offenses were met with stone walls in what would be the lowest scoring Super Bowl to date per ESPN.com. The Patriots Sony Michel would score the game’s lone TD on a 2 yard plunge in the fourth quarter as the New England Patriots beat Los Angeles Rams, 13-3. Patriot Wide Receiver Julian Edelman caught 10 balls for 141 yards to earn the MVP honors and give New England its 6th Super Bowl victory.

• February 3, 1940 - Richmond, Virginia - Fran Tarkenton the mobile Hall of Fame quarterback from the University of Georgia, the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings was born. 
• February 3, 1945 - Evansville, Indiana - Purdue University and Miami Dolphins Hall of Fame Quarterback, Bob Griese was born. 
• February 3, 1956 -  Dallas, Texas - Arizona State University’s brilliant wide receiver John  J J Jefferson was born.  Though playing out west, away from the spotlight of the Eastern teams J.J. earned a selection as a 1977 Consensus All-American.  The NFF says that Jeffereson garnered the eye of the national media when ASU was trailing late in the first half of the Arizona game. Jefferson stretched his body out flat diving toward a pass and, completely horizontal, reeled it in for a TD. It went down in the annals of Sun Devil lore known simply as "The Catch," the touchdown helped rally ASU as they preserved an undefeated season and went on to a victory over Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl and a number two national ranking as the nation's only undefeated team. The National Football Foundation selected John Jefferson for entrance into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2002. The San Diego Chargers selected Jefferson as the fourth player taken in the NFL draft. In the eight seasons he played in the League he was elected to four Pro Bowls.