January 26

In this episode of the Football History Headlines, we discuss Pete Rozelle and his journey to the Commissioners office and the 20th Super Bowl as well as many more HOF Legendary birthdays & stories.

January 26, 1913 - Jim Thorpe relinquished his 1912 Olympic medals for playing as a professional. An Olympics Fandom.com article states that in late January 1913, the Worcester Telegram published a story announcing that Thorpe had played professional baseball, and other U.S. newspapers followed up the story. Thorpe had indeed played professional baseball in the Eastern Carolina League for Rocky Mount, North Carolina, in 1909 and 1910, receiving meager pay; reportedly as little as US $2 per game and as much as $35 per week. College players, in fact, regularly spent summers playing professionally but most used aliases, unlike Thorpe.

January 26, 1960 - According to the Raiders.com website at an AFL owners meeting Lamar Hunt of the Dallas Texans was named as the first AFL president.

January 26, 1960 - Pete Rozelle elected NFL commissioner on the 23rd ballot. a dozen National Football league team owners cast 23 ballots over a nine-day span in a futile attempt to find a successor for Bert Bell, the league's popular and competent commissioner, who had died three months earlier.
Early in the marathon meeting, Austin Gunsel, the NFL's treasurer and Marshall Leahy, the league's chief legal counsel, each had strong but almost-equal support. Numerous attempts to settle on experienced, well-known compromise nominees came to naught.Finally according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, two powerful and respected administrators – Wellington Mara of the New York Giants and Paul Brown  of the Cleveland Browns, hit on the idea of Pete Rozelle, the 33-year-old general manager of the Los Angeles Rams, as a candidate most owners might accept. Rozelle was informed of their decision and then asked to leave the room so his name could be presented and discussed.
Pete Rozelle's greatest accomplishments in his tenure as Commisioner we that he moved the Legue offices to New York from Philadelphia, announced a contract had been signed with CBS that produced the then-princely sum of $4,650,000 a year to be divided equally among the NFL's teams and the merger with the AFL up to creating the Super Bowl spectacle.

January 26, 1976 - Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans - In the NFL Pro Bowl, the NFC edged out the AFC, 23-20. The game’s MVP was Billy White Shoes Johnson the wide receiver of the Houston Oilers.

January 26, 1986 - Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans - Super Bowl XX presented the New England Patriots versus the Chicago Bears. The Bears were the top team in the League boasting only a single loss all season in a Monday Night Football contest at Miami. The defense of that 1985 Bears team may be the best ever in NFL history as Buddy Ryan and Mike Ditka’s team surrendered only 198 points for the season per a History.com article. Players like Dan Hampton, Richard Dent, Mike Singletary and William the Refrigerator Perry made a formidable front against any opposing offense. In fact in this game at halftime the Patriots had a total of negative 19 yards! The impact of the defense was ferocious as they caused 6 New England Turnovers and 4 of them resulted in Chicago points. Walter Payton graced the ball control offense of the Bears to perfectly compliment the strong D. The Chicago Bears knocked around the New England Patriots that day 46-10 to capture the NFL crown the first such since 1963. Richard Dent from his defensive end position earned the Super Bowl XX Most Valuable Player Award.

January 26, 1991 - Jan Stenerud becomes 1st pure placekicker to gain entrance into the Pro Hall of Fame.

January 26, 1992 - Metrodome, Minneapolis - Super Bowl XXVI hosted the matchup of the Buffalo Bills and the Washington Redskins. We looked to an article on the Washington Team website to garner the games details.  The 1991 Redskins were a tough seasoned group that year, starting the season with an 11-0 record. They finished 14-2 and then in the playoffs they crushed the aspirations of  Atlanta and Detroit with a 65-17 scoring differential. Their Super Bowl opponents the Bills were 13-3 in the regular season and had the NFL's most explosive offense led by Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas and Andre Reed and a defense that featured sack master Bruce Smith. The first quarter was scoreless as the Bill avoided two deep Washington drives by a missed field goal and an interception of Mark Rypien. However the Redskins would not be denied in the second quarter as they held a 17-0 halftime lead on a Lohmiller 34-yard field goal, a 10-yard touchdown pass from Rypien to Earnest Byner and a 1-yard TD plunge by Earnest Byner. It got worse for the Bill just 16 seconds into the third quarter as an errant Kelly pass landed into the hands of linebacker Kurt Gouveia, who returned it 23 yards to the Buffalo 2. One play later, Gerald Riggs crossed the goal line to increase the Redskins' lead. The Bills got things rolling a bit later but it wasn’t enough as the Washington Redskins outlasted the Buffalo Bills, 37-24. The game’s MVP was Mark Rypien.
 
January 26, 1997 - Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans - At Super Bowl XXXI the  Green Bay Packers knocked around the New England Patriots, 35-21. Patriot quarterback Drew Bledsoe was intercepted 4 times and sacked 5 times, 3 times by legendary player Reggie White as the Packers gave pressure all game long as listed by the Pro Football Reference site. The game’s MVP was kick returner Desmond Howard of Green Bay who famously returned a 3rd quarter kick 99 yards to paydirt to solidify the Packers lead.

 
January 26, 2003 - Qualc:omm Stadium, San Diego - Super Bowl XXXVII was a one sided affair as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Oakland Raiders, 48-21 per the Ihavenet.com.  The Bucs used a surge of 34 unanswered points to dim Oakland’s chances. The Most Valuable Player was Tampa Safety Dexter Jackson who picked off two first half Raider passes. Super Bowl XXXVII  ended up having 138.9 million viewers which at the time made it the most watched show in television history.

January 26, 2014 - Aloha Stadium, Honolulu - The first year of the NFL’s attempt to bring a different angle to the stale NFL Pro Bowl had them not separate the stars by conference but take the vote winners and have two former stars in Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders choose the teams in a style much like you would do in gym class. Team Rice edged out Team Sanders, 22-21. The game’s MVPs were Nick Foles of Philadelphia and linebacker Derrick Johnson of the Kansas City Chiefs.

January 26, 2020 - Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida - At the 2019 season’s NFL Pro Bowl the AFC defeated the NFC, 38-33.  Lamar Jackson, QB  of the Baltimore Ravens and his future teammate Calais Campbell who at the time was a Defensive End  with the Jacksonville Jaguars were awarded with the Most Valuable Player awards.

January 26, 1899 - Oshkosh, Wisconsin - The University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh tackle, Marty Below was born. The National Football Foundation selected Marty Below to enter into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1988.

January 26, 1906 -Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Fred Miller the University of Notre Dame tackle celebrated his date of birth. The NFF voters inducted Fred Miller into their College Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

January 26, 1935 - Emporia, Virginia - Henry Jordan the defensive tackle from the University of Virginia was born. According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Jordan played 13 seasons in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns and the Green Bay Packers. He was voted as All-NFL 6 times and played in four Pro Bowls and 7 NFL Title games plus Super Bowls I and II.  Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined Henry Jordan posthumously in 1995.

January 26, 1950 - Jacksonville, Florida - The awesome University of Florida linebacker Jack Youngblood was born. The NFF lists that in 1969, Jack led the Gators in tackles with 66 and in 1970, he made the All-America team. Youngblood pulled off one of the greatest plays in Florida Gators history when playing the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs were up  17-10 and had the ball on Florida's 1-yard line late in the game.  Georgia opted for a rushing attempt for a touchdown but in the plays process, Youngblood stopped him short of the goal line, knocked the ball out of his grip, and recovered it.! The failure to score made a difference in the game as Florida went on to win 24-17.! The National Football Foundation inducted Jack Youngblood into their College Football Hall of Fame in 1992. In the 1971 NFL Draft the LA Rams used their first pick to take Jack Youngblood. He spent 14 seasons with the franchise and was an All-Pro player 5 times playing in 7 straight Pro Bowls. Jack Youngblood entered into the Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined Jack in 2014.

January 26, 1960 - Greensboro, North Carolina - Clemson’s fine linebacker Jeff Davis was born. According to his NFF Bio Davis lead the Clemson Tigers defense in 1981 as he was its leading tackler and team co-captain as his teammates called him "The Judge." Davis was the cause of many turnovers as over his career as his vicious hits led to ten fumbles eight of which he recovered himself to go along with four interceptions on the season. The National Football Foundation voters selected Jeff Davis to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007.

The photo associtated with this edition is called " Jagd auf Grizzly Bären Chasse au grizzly bear, Hunting of the grizzly bear  " it was donated to the US Library of Congress after being etched by artist Lucas Weber cirica 1840.