June 12

In this episode we discuss a great performance in World Bowl XII and couple of College Football Hall of Fame players are remembered on their birthdays. 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 Newspapers.com Football History Headline of the Day comes for the Asbury Park Press in Asbury Park, New Jersey with their head line of:

McCoo Overcomes, Earns MVP

That was in reference to the June 12, 2004 - Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen - NFL Europe World Bowl XII which was won by the Berlin Thunder over the Frankfurt Galaxy. Former Penn State running back Eric McCoo had a big impact in the game as he prepared to head to the Philadelphia Eagles training camp later that summer. McCoo rushed for 167 yards on 28 carries and scored a  69 yard touchdown in the Berlin 30-24 victory to take the title. His brilliant performance earned hin the Most Valuable Player honors for the game. The humble McCoo gave credit for his success to the big men up front that blocked so well for him.

June 12, 2008 - Future Pro Football Hall of Fame tackle Jonathan Ogden retired from the Baltimore Ravens. Oogden was an 11 time Pro Bowl selection, made first team All-Pro 4 times and was All-Decade selection of the 2000's. He played for 12 seasons on the Ravens and was enshrined in his first year eligible in 2013.

June 12, 2009 - In the US all television broadcasts change from analog NTSC to digital ATSC transmissions. From then on TV football never looked so good!

June 12, 1901 - Dunsmuir, California - Harold Muller the two-way end of the University of California from 1920 through the 1922 season arrived into this life. The description of Harold in his bio on the FootballFoundation.org sounds like he was made in a football laboratory or chiselled from stone. He seemed to be built perfectly for football as the NFF says, “ Those huge, sledge-like hands could throw a football 60 yards on a line. The feet darted with deceptive swiftness. The legs were of Olympic high-jump spring. Harold "Brick" Muller was the mold of a marvelous athlete.” Muller’s soft hands could snatch a pass out of the air with ease and he did have legs of an Olympian because he competed, then captured an Olympic Silver Medal in the 1920 high jump. On the collegiate gridiron, Brick never suffered a loss as part of Cal’s “Wonder Teams” of coach Andy Smith. Harold Brick Muller’s collegiate football records are celebrated in the College Football Hall of Fame after his induction in 1951.  

June 12,  1947 - Sandstone, Minnesota - Steve Kiner was an All-American linebacker from the University of Tennessee  from 1967 to 1969 was born. The National Football Foundation has a nice write up bio on Kiner where they state that he made consensus All-America in 1968 and unanimous All-America in 1969 as linebacker. The 1968 team led by linebacker Kiner, set a school record by holding opponents to a very low average of just 93 yards per game running the ball. Kiner was named to Tennessee's all-100 year team. Steve Kiner was selected to enter the College Football hall of Fame in 1999. Mr. Kiner went pro and played in the NFL for a total of nine seasons for the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots and the Houston Oilers.

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 players, coaches or anyone else in our great game.

On this day in American Football History...Notable VIP Birthdays:

June 12, 1979 - Sioux Falls, South Dakota - Dallas Clark the great tight end from the University of Iowa who played professionally with the Indianapolis Colts, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Baltimore Ravens was born.

June 12, 1980- Larry Foote NFL Inside Line Backer with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions and Arizona Cardinals. Foote earned two Superbowl RIngs while playing for the Steelers. He played his college ball at the University of Michigan.

June 12, 1984- Donny Avery NFL Wide Out that played for the Rams, Titans, Colts and Chiefs and even was a Fisrt Team All Pro and made a Pro Bowl appearance.  He played in the NCAA with the University of Houston.

For more stats on football people born on June 12th 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.

The picture in the banner above is from my own personal collection taken at Vet's Stadium in Erie, Pennsylvania in 2021 in a game between Cathedral Prep and McDowell High School.