July 2

In this episode we discuss a former member of the Thundering Herd, a Ram, a Bear and Airplanes? Confused? Well Don't Worry It all makes sense when you listen to the podcast or read below....  We will provide you with a little bit of football nostalgia. This daily football history segment features the Great events, Franchise formation anniversaries as well as the birthdays of notable Hall of Fame players, coaches or anyone else in our great game and many more  Legendary stories of the Gridiron.

The picture in the banner above is from the US Library of Congress' collection and was contributed by Harris and Ewing photography circa 1936 and is titled " Airplane ."

July 2, 1980 - The comedy classic movie "Airplane" debuts. According to film experts the casting of Kareem Abdul-Jabaar was paying homage to the casting of football's Elroy "Crazy-Legs" Hirsch in a role of a airplane pilot in the 1957 film "Zero Hour!" As a matter of fact the movie Airplane with Leslie Neilsen was a parady of Zero Hour, even using parts of the screen play verbatim. The funny part was that Zero Hour was a drama not laugh our loud comedy like Airplane!

If you remember Crazy Legs Hirsch was a former University of Wisconsin and Michigam standout who later joined the LA Rams as one of the most potent offenses of his era. His unique running style caught the eye of a reporter who gave him the unique nickname that stuck with him.

• July 2, 1900 - Toledo, Ohio - Michigan four year letterman playing the position of center from 1918 to 1921, Ernie Vick claimed his date of birth. The National Football Foundation says that Ernie was an outstanding blocker and tackler. His coach, Fielding Yost, is quoted as saying, “He is the most accurate passer from center that has ever put a ball into play. Under pressure he was dependable at all times.”  That says a lot when a big time successful coach like Yost talks up one of his players. And talk about big time names in early football that had good things to say about Vick, well how about the guys that had much to do about sending the game down the course it is on today, Walter Camp. Camp placed Vick on his 1921 All-America team at center. The Father of Football said, “He is the only man who has throughout the season added great power and aggressiveness to steadiness and consistency.” Ernie Vick received the great honor of being selected for inclusion into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983. After his time playing for the Wolverines, Ernie played 57 games of Major League Baseball as a catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals organization and then became a college football official. He even worked in that capacity in a couple of Rose Bowl Games.
• July 2, 1971 - Barnwell, South Carolina - Troy Brown, the Marshall wide receiver from 1991 to 1992 was born. The FootballFoundation.org states that Brown was one of the most lauded dual threats on the playing field in college. Troy's skills as a receiver and kick returner led the Thundering Herd to back-to-back trips to the Division I- AA National Championship game, winning the NCAA title in 1992. He caught 139 receptions for 2,746 yards and 24 touchdowns in his career en route to earning First Team All-America honors his senior year. Additionally, he boasted 1,825 return yards and four touchdowns on special teams. Troy Brown’s collegiate football records are celebrated in the College Football Hall of Fame after his induction in 2010. After school Brown played in the NFL for the New England Patriots for 14 years, where he became the franchise's all-time leading receiver and won three Super Bowls with the team.

Football Fun Fact:

George Halas was paid $5,000 by his former employer Gene Staley, to take the Decatur Staley's and move them to the much larger city of Chicago and keep the Staley name. A year later in 1922 Halas was in an ownership dispute with the team's agent Bill Harley that was resolved when Mr. Staley told the groups that George Halas would inherit the team as part of his transaction to moving it to Chicago. So Halas who was given the team and 5Gs in 1921 the website statista.com places the value of this same Bears franchise at $2.5 Billion in 2019.

Other Notable July 2 Football Birthdays:

• July 2, 1930 - Cliff Livingston was an NFL Champion Linebacker and DE that played for the Giants and the Rams.
• July 2, 1982 - Mark Clayton NFL Wide receiver who played for the Ravens and Rams

For more stats on football people born on July 2nd check out Pro Football Reference.

See something that happened on this date that we missed? Please let us know via email at PigskinDispatch@gmail.com.