January 12, 1906 - According to the US Library of Congress the college football rules committee met. It would meet again on March 31, 1906 to formally become known as the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States, the forerunner of the NCAA. Going through the progressive timeline of this group we have to refer back again to the famous October 9, 1905 meeting where US President Theodore Roosevelt called the biggest name of football together to discuss making football safer due to the high number of severe injuries and deaths that were occurring. On December 28, 1905 the reps of 62 college programs met to appoint a rules committee for Intercollegiate football. As a result of that committee appointment, this was the first official meeting of the Football Rule Committee. The accomplishments of this first meeting of the new rules making board were mostly procedural and appointment of sub-committees according to the Cornell Daily Sun write up.
January 12, 1946 - The NFL approved the move of the League Champion Cleveland Rams moving to Los Angeles. We eluded to this in our December 16 post and podcast in the segment on the 1945 NFL Championship game. The relocation was extremely significant for multiple reasons. The team had just won the World Title for God’s sake! The other and maybe even more groundbreaking item was that at the time the next closest NFL franchise to LA was 200 miles away in Chicago per the SportsTeam History.com site. By the Rams leaving Cleveland they allowed the AAFC’s Cleveland Browns to dominate the fan base of the city’s football faithful.
January 12, 1952 - Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum - The second annual NFL Pro Bowl game was played. According to the American Football Database it was the National Conference coached by the Rams head man Joe Stydahar defeated the Paul Brown coached American Conference Stars by the score of 30-13. The game’s Most Valuable Player was the Los Angeles Rams Fullback Dan Towler. That had to make the home crowd happy! Compensation for the players in that game was that the winners each received $600 while members of the losing team got 500 dead presidents in their billfolds.
January 12, 1958 - LA Memorial Coliseum - Per the Onthisday.com website the 8th NFL Pro Bowl was won by the Western Conference as they beat the Eastern Conference, 26-7. The MVPs of the contest were Hugh McElhenny, San Francisco 49ers star Halfback and the Washington Redskins great Defensive End Gene Brito.
January 12, 1964 - Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum - Colts Quarterback Johnny Unitas and his Baltimore teammate Gino Marchetti were the co-MVPS of the 14th annual NFL Pro Bowl. This game was filled with all-time great players according to the Pro-Football-Reference website. Cleveland back Jim Brown, Bears Tight End Mike Ditka, Lenny Moore of the Colts, and Green Bay's Ray Nitchke were only some of the legends on the rosters. In the game it was the Western Conference Stars who knocked off their Eastern Conference counterparts 31-17.
January 12, 1969 - Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida - Super Bowl III the day the AFL gained some respect. Super Bowl III pitted the AFL Champions the New York Jets against the NFL’s heavily favored Baltimore Colts. The most famous art of this game may have been the confident promise of the ever trend setting Jets Quarterback Joe Namath who declared in pre-game interviews that the Jets would win the game! The prediction rung true and the Jets won the game and put the AFL on even keel with the old guard NFL teams.
January 12, 1975 - Tulane Stadium, New Orleans, Louisianna - Super Bowl IX had the upstart Pittsburgh Steelers defeating the Minnesota Vikings, 16-6. This game was dominated by two great defenses, Minnesota’s Purple People Eaters were matched against the Steel Curtain anchored by Mean Joe Green. The scoring started with a 2nd quarter safety and the Super Bowl Square that would have won at the half would have been an odd 2-0. Quarterbacks Fran Tarkenton and Terry Bradshaw together only mustered a total of 198 yards passing combined in the game per the Pro-Football-Reference. Franco Harris ran for 158 yards and a touchdown to earn the Most Valuable Player Award.
January 12, 1986 - Miami Orange Bowl - The AFC Championship game for the 1985 season saw the New England Patriots beat Miami Dolphins, 31-14 per the Onthisday.com website.
January 12, 1986 - Soldier Field, Chicago - The Chicago Bears dominated the contest with the Los Angeles Rams, 24-0 in the NFC Championship game per the Onthisday.com website.
January 12, 1992 - Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York - The AFC Championship game went on record as having the Buffalo Bills knocking off the Denver Broncos, 10-7. The FootballDB.com shows how a Scott Norwood 44 yard field goal in the fourth quarter was the difference in the defensive battle. John Elway could only muster 121 yards passing and his back up Gary Kubiak added 136 while Bills QB Jim Kelly only threw for 117 yards.
January 12, 1992 - RFK Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C. - The NFC Championship shows that the Washington Redskins blew out the Detroit Lions, 41-10 to gain entrance into the Super Bowl per the Onthisday.com website.
January 12, 1997 - Foxborough Stadium - At the AFC Championship game featured Quarterback Tom Brady and his New England Patriots who outlasted the Jacksonville Jaguars, 20-6 per the Pro-Football-Reference website.
January 12, 1997 - The NFC Championship game hosted at Lambeau Field, the Green Bay Packers took apart the Carolina Panthers, 30-13 per the Onthisday.com website.
January 12, 2013 - Denver Colorado - Baltimore Ravens Quarterback Joe Flacco launched a 70 yard touchdown pass to receiver Jacoby Jones to tie the game in what has become known as the "Mile High Miracle" during the AFC Divisional Playoff Game. According to ESPN.com, at the time the Denver Broncos were leading in the score over the Baltimore Ravens 35-28 with 1:09 remaining. The most unexpected catch and score took the game to Overtime where the Ravens Ravens won in overtime on a Justin Tucker 47 yard field goal to advance.
January 12, 2015 - AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas - The College Football National Championship had the #4 Ohio State Buckeyes winning over the #2 Oregon Ducks, 42-20. Sports-Reference.com shares how OSU running back Ezekiel Elliott dominates the game with 4 touchdowns and 246 yards on the ground.
