June 27

Color Television is once again in these historic headlines as it makes its debut, we run with this a bit and talk about one of the largest screens ever made and then as always we see which Hall of Fame members may be celebrating a birthday for the day.  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 was taken by Darin Hayes in a 2021 tour of AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas of Jerry Jones' version of a big screen TV.

• June 27, 1929 - The first time a color television is demonstrated took place at Bell Laboratories in New York, New York took place on June 27, 1929.  Color TV never shines so bright as when it displays the vivid green of the gridiron.

Football Fun Fact

The main scorebaord at AT&T Stadium (Formerly Cowboy Stadium) which opened in 2014 near Dallas, Texas and home of the Cowboys, cost almost $5 million more than the whole stadium that AT&T Stadium replaced, Texas Stadium, which opened in 1971.

This Newspapers.com Football History Headline of the Day comes from the Hartford Courant on June 28, 1975 with their bold face block lettering of:

WFL Memphis Welcomes 3 Former Dolphins

The story is on the June 27, 1975 event that fellow Sports History Network football podcaster Scott Adamsom, From the 55 Yardline, pointed out this historic event that occurred. Miami Dolphins stars Paul Warfield, Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick made the break up of the Dolphins official when they formally joined the World Football League's Memphis Southmen. The trio reported for team physicals at the WFL team's training camp in Senatobia, Mississippi.

• June 27, 1931 - Grand Island, Nebraska - Nebraska Cornhuskers halfback from 1950 to 1952, Bobby Reynolds arrived into the world. After nearly a decade of poor records, the Nebraska team was energized with offense and “W’s” after the arrival of the talented Reynolds. The FootballFoundation.org says that Bobby led Nebraska to a 6-2-1 season in 1950. These games were filled with Huskers  scoring too, as the Cornhuskers won 49-21, 40- 34, 33-26, and 32-26, and suffered a loss by the score of 49-35. Reynolds was honored as an All-America selection but he may be best remembered for a final touchdown against Missouri, in 1950, which assured a 40-34 Husker win. This run play is officially listed as  a 33 yard gain; however, he covered well over 100 as he ran backward, forward, and side-to-side, reversing his field three times before crossing the goal line. However a slew of injuries slowed him down in his final two seasons as he got an infection from having lime in his eye,  a shoulder separation, as well as a broken leg. Bobby’s 1342 yards in the 1950 season set a school record that stood for 32 years. The College Football Hall of Fame proudly placed a display in honor of Bobby Reynolds into their legendary museum in 1984.  
• June 27, 1932 - Nowata, Oklahoma - Oklahoma’s top tier center of the 1951 to the 1954 era, Kurt Burris was born. Burris was an All-American Center for the Sooners that finished second in the 1954 Heisman Trophy voting to Alan Ameche of Wisconsin . Pretty outstanding for an "O" lineman! The two-way star was also a top-notch linebacker on defense. Kurt had five brothers and five sisters as all the boys played college football. The Burris name was found on the gridiron fields of Oklahoma, Tulsa, and Northeastern State. The National Football Foundation says that the Helms Foundation named Kurt Player of the Year for 1954, and the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association named him Lineman of the Year that same season. After the regular season Burris played in the North-South Game and was captain of the South team.  Kurt Burris received the great honor of being selected for inclusion into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000.     
• June 27, 1966 - Athens, Georgia - Mike Favor, North Dakota State’s center from 1985 to 1988. His bio on the NFF’s website says that Michael helped drive North Dakota State to three Division II national championships as he earned All-America status twice. avor started 51 games in four years and helped the Bison achieve a 44-6-1 overall record, enjoying two undefeated seasons in 1986 and 1988. He blocked for Harlon Hill Award winners, Chris Simdorn. and Hall of Famer Jeff Bentrim. Favor was selected to the NCAA Division II Football Team of the Quarter Century in 1997. Mike Favor’s collegiate football records are celebrated in the College Football Hall of Fame after his induction in 2011.