June 19

Here is what happened on June 19 in Football History: we discuss another war-time NFL merger; how the Yanks are comin' to football; the inaugural class of the CFL's Hall are announced: and four legends of American football celebrate 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 picture in the banner above is from the US Library of Congress' collection and was contributed by Bain News Service circa 1912 and is titled " Football men exercising, Harvard ."

• June 19, 1943 - The Boston Yanks franchise starts operations and plays from 1944 through the 1948 season. According to the American Football Fandom webpages the team played its home games at Fenway Park. Games that conflicted with the Boston Red Sox schedule were held at the Manning Bowl in Lynn, Massachusetts. Team owner Ted Collins, who managed singer Kate Smith, picked the name "Yanks" because he originally wanted to run a team that played at New York City's Yankee Stadium. Unfortunately, the Yanks could only manage a 2-8 record during its first regular season. A player shortage caused by World War II, forced the Yanks to merged with the Brooklyn Tigers for the 1945 season, and stay branded as the Boston Yanks. The merged team played four home games in Boston and one in New York. But fans from neither city cared as they finished with a 3-6-1 record. A season later when Brooklyn Tigers owner Dan Topping announced his intentions to join the All-America Football Conference in 1946, his NFL team was revoked and all of its players were reassigned to the Yanks. They tried a stint in the Big Apple but to no avail and they folded shop in 1948.
• June 19, 1943 - The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles merge to form the war time "Steagles" team.

Our Newspapers.com Football History Headline of the day comes from the June 20, 1963 edition of the Red Deer Advocate in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada when they listed the headline of :

Nineteen Added to Football's Hall of Fame

• This article was about a June 19, 1963 event in Toronto, Ontario where the Charter members of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame were chosen and announced. The inaugral class of the new Hall were: Al Ritchie, John DeGruchy, Seppie Demoulin, Billy Foulds, Frank Hannibal, Harry Batstone, Jack Jacobs, Fritz Hanson, Dr. Smirle Lawson, Frank "Pep Leadley, Tim Reeve, Dave Sprague, Ormond Beach, Lionel Conacher, Ernie Cox, Eddie "Dynamite" James, Norm Perry, Jeff Russel and Earl Grey the former Governor-General of Canada who donated the Grey Cup, a symbol of Canadian football to the League. These names were joined with Wes Brown, Joe Breen andBrian Timmis who were announced at the 1962 Grey Cup game. The CFL Hall of Fame is located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates great achievements in Canadian football. It is maintained by the Canadian Football League. It includes displays about the CFL, Canadian university football and Canadian junior football history.
• June 19, 2020 - NFL Commissioner Roger Godell shuts all NFL and team facilities/operations in respect of Juneteenth Day. 

• June 19, 1906 - Jackson, Michigan - Merle Gulick, the University of Toledo and also Hobart quarterback, arrived into life. The FootballFoundation.org states that Merle enrolled at the University of Toledo and lettered in four sports, football, basketball, baseball and track. He transferred to Hobart College in Geneva, New York; and became famous as the "Hobart Hurricane." Gulick lettered in football at Toledo in 1924 - 1925, and at Hobart in 1927, 1928, 1929. In 1928 he scored 18 touchdowns; his longest runs were 98 yards against Alfred and 85 against Kenyon. Merle Gulick received the great honor of being selected for inclusion into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1965.  
• June 19, 1924 - Lucca, Tuscany, Italy - Leo Nomellini the stalwart University of Minnesota tackle that played for the Gophers from 1946 to 1949 was born. Leo came to America at the age of four with his parents and quickly acclimated to the American way of life and sports. According to an account of the NFF Leo during World War II he saw active duty with the marines in the invasion of Saipan and Okinawa. After his service was completed, Nomellini enrolled at the University of Minnesota as a 22-year old freshman in 1946. The superior athlete excelled there as he played both offense and defense at tackle and was consensus All-American in 1948 and 1949. He also wrestled at Minnesota and won the Big 10 heavyweight championship. He was on the Minnesota track team as a shot putter and anchor man on the 440-yard relay team. He was big, quick, fast, aggressive, and was given a nickname; "the Lion". Leo Nomellini’s collegiate football records are celebrated in the College Football Hall of Fame after his induction in 1977.  Leo Nomellini  is also a Pro Football Hall of Fame member being enshrined in 1969. He played Tackle and Defensive Tackle for the San Francisco 49ers and was selected to play in the Pro Bowl 11 times and was an 1st Team All-Pro 6 times and it is thought to be that he never missed a game during the span of his Pro career.
• June 19, 1967 - Winfield,  West Virginia - Mike Barber who was Marshall’s stud wide receiver from 1985 to 1988, arrived into this life. The National Football Foundation’s web bio on Barber says he may very well be one of the greatest players ever to wear a Marshall University uniform. Barber was selected twice for First Team All-America honors, three times for First Team All-Southern Conference, and in 1988, was selected as the National Player of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association. Barber led the nation in receiving while setting single-season conference records with 106 receptions and 1,757 yards in 1987. He ended his collegiate career with 4,262 yards receiving as well as 249 receptions. Mike Barber’s collegiate football records are celebrated in the College Football Hall of Fame after his induction in 2005. Barber was taken in the fourth round of the 1989 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers and played in the league for five seasons.