June 14

In this episode we discuss how the Fire is extinguished by the Galaxy and a young Aggie runner proved that a ground game was still effective. 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 from the June 15, 2003 edition of The Missoulian in Missoula, Montana when it posted in bold:

Frankfurt Galaxy beat Rhein in World Bowl

Yes they were absolutely covering the June 14, 2003 story of the NFL Europe's Frankfurt Galaxy becoming the first team to win three World Bowls, defeating the Rhein Fire 35-16 to win World Bowl XI. Former San Diego State runner Jonas Lewis ran for a World Bowl record 126 yards in the contest. Lewis had played two years with the San Francisco 49ers after college before being waived by the club. "NFL Europe let me showcase my talent and show that I can still play football... in a big-time atmosphere," the game MVP explained in a post game interview. 

Lewis never did make back in the NFL but his great play on the big stage did allow him to get on the field once again in North American professional gridiron as he played for the CFL's Montreal Alouettes from 2004 to 2005

If you want to be able to be able to read through some old articles like The Missoulian, you need to check out Newspapers.com. At Newspapers.com, you can get access to over 640 million pages’ worth of news from the US, Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland and more dating back from 1798 to yesterday.  Get a free one week subscription to Newspapers.com by visiting SportsHistoryNetwork.com/newspapers. And with a paid subscription, you’ll also be helping to support the production of this and other Sports History Network shows. 

June 14, 1918 - Haskell, Texas - John Kimbrough was a fullback out Texas A&M from 1938 to 1940, that earned a spot in the College Football Hall of Fame in the class of 1954. While everyone else was passing the ball to move it, the Aggies proved that a talanted back and some good blocking can be just as effective. The FootballFoundation.org says Texas A&M star ran through opposing defenses with a force that usually created its own holes in the line. This pile-driving back rushed his way to All- America honors in 1939 and 1940 and led the Aggies to 20 victories in 21 games during those two years. In 1939, it was a perfect 11-game record, a 14-13 victory over Tulane in the Sugar Bowl and the national championship. The following year, the Aggies went 9-1-0, beating Fordham in the Cotton Bowl, 13-12.   After life in football he served as a member of the Texas State Legislature, was a star actor in two western movies and worked on his own ranch.

June 14, 1940- Ben Davidson NFL 3 time Pro Bowl and All- Pro Defensive Lineman that played for Green Bay, Washington and Oakland. He was even celbrated winning an NFL Championship. Davidson attended the University of Washington during his college playing days.

June 14, 1993- Sammy Watkins NFL Wide Out that won a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs. He was awarded a spot on the Pro Bowl team and was also a 1st Team All Pro. Watkins also played for the Buffalo Bills and the LA Rams after competing collegiately at Clemson.

For more stats on football people born on June 14th 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 the US Library of Congress' collection and was contributed by Carol M. Highsmith circa 2014 and is titled "George E. "Pat" Foley's statue, "The Twelfth Man," on the Texas A&M University campus in College Station, Texas ."