February 6

In this episode of the Football History Headlines, we discuss a couple of great Super Bowls and a rule that George Halas helped to create to keep kids in school as well as many more HOF Legendary stories.

Football fans, delve into the past! Today's date is etched in NFL history. From legendary trades that shook the league to record-breaking performances on the gridiron, exciting moments unfolded on this very day. We'll explore game-changing events, iconic players who dominated the field, and pivotal decisions that altered the course of franchises. So, buckle up and get ready to revisit the fascinating stories that make NFL history so captivating!

February 6, 1926 - George Halas helped to get a rule passed where as NFL clubs were prohibited to sign players whose college class year had not graduatedper the ProFootballHOF.com website. The rule was intended to help potential players to get their education completed before joining the League.

February 6, 1983 - Aloha Stadium, Honolulu - NFL Pro Bowl was held and the NFC squad squeaked by the AFC by the narrowest of margins 20-19. The MVPs in this edition were from each Conference team.  Dan Fouts the quarterback of the San Diego Chargers and John J.J. Jefferson, the talented wide receiver of the Green Bay Packers, were selected.

February 6, 1994  - Aloha Stadium, Honolulu - At the NFL Pro Bowl for the 1993 season the boys from the National Conference  all but shut down the American Conference team, 17-3. Wide out Andre Rison of the Atlanta Falcons took home the Most Valuable Player honors.

February 6, 2000 - Aloha Stadium, Honolulu - The NFL Pro Bowl gave the fans that love offense their money’s worth. The NFC team put up a 51 burger and surpassed the 31 points of the AFC to win the bragging rights. The game’s MVP was wide receiver Randy Moss then of the Minnesota Vikings.

February 6, 2005 - Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida - Super Bowl XXXIX was one of those classic championship games that the League dreams of. The Philadelphia Eagles of Coach Andy Reid came into the contest with an impressive 15-3 record to battle the Bill Belichick led New England Patriots who sported an even better record than their opponent of 17-2. After a scoreless first quarter per the American Football Fandom web page article, the teams traded touchdowns in the second and third quarters until  the PAtriots gained an advantage in the fourth by going up by ten over the Eagles via a Corey Dillon 2 yard TD run and an additional 3 points from Adam Vinatieri 22 yard kick at the 8:40 mark of the fourth. Philly cut the deficit to 3 just after the two minute warning when Quarterback Donovan McNabb found a streaking Greg Lewis on  a 30 yard scoring strike. The Patriots held on to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles, 24-21. The game’s MVP was given to Wide Receiver Deion Branch of New England who snagged 11 balls from Tom Brady for 133 yards but did not score a touchdown. Branch was the third offensive player ever to win Super Bowl MVP honors without scoring a touchdown or throwing a touchdown pass following the path of Joe Namath and Fred Biletnikoff.

February 6, 2011 - Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas - Super Bowl XLV featured the high flying offense of the Green Bay Packers with Aaron Rodgers against the Troy Polomalu led defense of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rodgers got the better of this matchup as he threw for 304 yards with three touchdowns as his defense backed him up with 2 interceptions of Ben Roethlisberger even taking one of them for a score aiding the Green Bay Packers to a 31-25 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Aaron Rodgers secured the Most Valuable Player nomination per an ESPN.com web page on the game.

February 6, 1886 - Hatfield, Massachusetts - Jack Hubbard the great halfback from Amherst College was known to celebrate his birth. Hubbard was initially a halfback but his great athletic prowess allowed him to play almost every position on the field with fruitful results. Jack was described by the National Football Foundation as an ironman of early football as he did not miss one game of his four year career in college. Though he went to a smaller school he did not escape the eye of national attention when he made it on Walter Camp's All-America team. Jack was a "big back" for those days at 180 lbs and he could run like the wind and strong. Hubbard employed his track talents from the hurdles as a weapon when hitting holes through the line, bumping runs around the end or gliding off tackle. Jack also was a great kicker, not missing one point after attempts in 3 straight seasons! The National Football Foundation selected Jack Hubbard for entrance into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1966.

February 6, 1950 - Bayonne, New Jersey - The University of Nebraska’s guard, Rich Glover was born. According to the NFF Glover’s college coach, Bob Devaney, called him " the greatest defensive player he ever saw." In Rich’s first two seasons with the Huskers they won the National Championship in both 1970 and 1971, and the next season they ranked fourth. Nebraska played in the Orange Bowl all three years and won every time over some very good programs, knocking off  LSU 17-12, Alabama 38-0, and Notre Dame 40-6. Rich  in 1972 won the top two national awards for linemen, the Outland and the Lombardi. Perhaps his most prestigious honor also came in 1972: his picture was on the cover of the NCAA Football Guide. The National Football Foundation voters selected Rich Glover for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1995. Glover’s NFL was cut short due to injury as he played two seasons in the League with the Giants and Eagles.

"Cleveland High School 6 Man" is the name of the photograph above int he banner. It is part of the US Library of Congress' collection and was donated by photographer Willina C. Greene and was taken November 7, 1941.