June 20

In this episode we discuss an older Jim Thorpe joins the War effort; O.J. Simpson is arraigned on murder charges; and we dive into celebrating some great Hall of Fame legends 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 picture in the banner above is from the US Library of Congress' collection and was contributed by Underwood & Underwood circa 1913 and is titled " Thorpe, the Olympic Hero ."

Our Newspapers.com Football History Headline of the Day comes from the June 20, 1945 edition of the Fort Collins Coloradoan in Fort Collins, Colorado where they posted:

Jim Thorpe Joins Merchant Marine

 Yes the legendary gridiron star,Jim Thorpe joined the war effort at the age of 57!  His patriotism spurned him to do his part but the only military organization that would allow him to join at that age was the Merchant Marine. His wife informed the paper that Thorpe signed up shortly after thier 18 year old son Phillip had joined the Navy. According to SABR.org, the great gridiron star served on an ammunition ship during the war.

June 20, 1994 - Pro Football Hall of Fame runningback O.J.Simpson is arraigned on the murders of Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman.

• June 20, 1890 - Ann Arbor, Michigan - Johnny Maulbetsch who played for Adrian and the University of Michigan as a halfback was born. According to the National Football Foundation, Johnny played on the 1911 team at Adrian College; the team posted an 8-0 record. He enrolled at Michigan and played three years, 1914-16.  The "Featherweight Fullback" as he was known, earned Walter Camp's All-America honors as a sophomore in 1914. Maulbetsch was a handsome, gentle personality who brought a new finesse style of play to those days of hard nosed football. As a Wolverine captain and a senior in 1916, Maulbetsch led Michigan to one of its finest records. The Wolverines won 7 straight games, dominating their foes with wide-open offense and a stingy defense. Then, in the final two games of the campaign, Michigan grudgingly fell to Cornell (23-20) and Pennsylvania (10-7). Even today, Michigan football enthusiasts recall the special spirit Maulbetsch brought to the game. Following each spring practice, the John Maulbetsch Award is presented to the freshman candidate who best displays the desire Maulbetsch fostered during his playing days. The College Football Hall of Fame proudly placed a display in honor of Johnny Maulbetsch into their legendary museum in 1973. 
• June 20, 1892 - Brooklyn, New York - Doug Bomeisler, who played end at Yale from 1910 to 1912, arrived into the world. Bomeisler is one of the best ends Yale ever had despite him being injured during his time in New Haven. The FootballFoundation.org web bio tells us that Doug in just the second game was hurt against Syracuse causing Bomeisler to miss the remainder of the 1910 season. During the 1911 season he dislocated his shoulder early in the season and played through the injury throughout the year. Against Princeton he injured his knee. Displaying a creative nature he invented a knee brace made of leather and steel that enabled him to continue playing. In naming "Bo" to his 1911 and 1912 All-America teams, Walter Camp described Bomeisler as, "powerful, thickset, fast, a terror to his opponents." Doug Bomeisler received the great honor of being selected for inclusion into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1972.  
• June 20, 1935 - Alliance, Ohio - Len Dawson Pro Football Hall of Fame gold jacket bearing Quarterback was selected to the Pro Bowl 7 times in his 19 year career. Dawson hails from Purdue University and went on to play professionally for the Steelers, the Browns, the Dallas Texans, and most notably for the Kansas City Chiefs. The Pro Football Hall of Fame informs us that eventhough Len Dawson ranks among the elite professional passers of all time with an 82.56 rating compiled over 19 seasons of pro play, he is perhaps best remembered for his gutsy play in leading the Chiefs to a 23-7 upset of the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV. Dawson connected on 12 of 17 passes for 142 yards in the contest, and his 46-yard pass completion to Otis Taylor wrapped up the surprise victory that evened the AFL-NFL portion of the Super Bowl series at two wins each. Dawson was named the game's Most Valuable Player of the game. He was a four time passing champ, selected to 6 straight AFL All-Star games and amassed 28711 career passing yards with 239 touchdowns to his throwing credit. Mr. Dawson was also selected as a 1st Team All-Pro twice in his professional career. Len Dawson was selected to enter into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987.
• June 20, 1949 - San Antonio, Texas - Texas A&M safety from 1968 to 1970, Dave Elmendorf was born. The NFF says in 1970, he was named All-America defensive back in football. He also was named Academic All-America and won a graduate scholarship from the National Football Foundation. In addition to playing defensive back for Texas A&M in 1970, he returned 23 kickoffs for an average of 19.9 yards and returned 13 punts for an average of 10 yards. Dave Elmendorf was honored with induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997 after the National Football Foundation tabulated their votes. Dave graduated with honors and after that he played nine years of pro football with the Los Angeles Rams. Later he was both a radio and television broadcaster.  
• June 20, 1983 - Waterloo, Iowa - Darren Sproles the electric running back from Kansas State University was born. Darren was a First Team All-American in 2003, as he finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting after leading the nation with 1,986 rushing yards. He was a solid three-time All-Big 12 performer, he earned first team honors in 2003 and 2004 and second team accolades in 2002. Sproles finished his career 11th all-time in rushing and sixth all-time in all-purpose yards in NCAA history. The National Football Foundation voters inducted Darren Sproles into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2021. He was selected as a fourth round pick of the San Diego Chargers in the 2005 NFL Draft and had success there and also later with the New Orleans Saints and the Philadelphia Eagles. The three-time Pro Bowl selection was a member of the Eagles team that won Super Bowl LII. Currently ranked sixth in NFL history with 19,696 all-purpose yards, Sproles set the single-season league record with 2,696 in 2011.