June 6, 1879 - Jimmy Johnson was the quarterback for the Carlisle Indian Industrial School from 1899 to 1903 as well as Northwestern University's Dental School in 1904 and 1905. Mr. Johnson was selected to enter the College Football Hall of Fame in 1969.
June 6, 1889 - William Anderson Alexander was an American football player and coach and is enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. Alexander was the head football coach at the Georgia Institute of Technology from 1920 to 1944. His squad was crowned the National Champions with the 1929 Rose Bowl win over the University of California by a narrow score of 8-7.
June 6, 1901 - Walter Koppisch was a halfback out of Columbia University that earned his way into the College Football Hall of Fame in the 1981 selection class. He played professionally for the Buffalo Bisons and the NY Giants in the NFL. At the age of just 23 years old, he was named head coach of the Bisons making his one of the youngest NFL head coaches in the history of pro football. The National Football Foundation's website bio lists that Koppisch stunned the rival defense of New York University in 1924 with electrifying touchdown runs of 76, 67 and 55 yards - all in one quarter - as Columbia romped to a 40-0 victory. Koppisch's performance prompted Columbia Lions coach Percy Haughton to proclaim: "He's the best back I've ever coached!" But Koppisch was also an all-around talent. He was also a bone-crushing blocker on offense and a beast of a defensive player as he gained All-America recognition in both his junior and senior seasons.
June 6, 1919 - Darold Jenkins is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame for his successes as the center for University of Missouri from 1939 through the 1941 season . Mr Jenkins did not play much his first couple of seasons with the Tigers, but when give the opportunity during his junior season he excelled, earning All Big Six honors as well as becoming a consensus All-American in his senior season per the NFF. After college he served his country in WWII as a bomber pilot, and during his 27th flying mission he was shot down and captured serving 17 months in a Nazi POW camp. Mr Jenkins survived the ordeal and upon returning home he became a sucessful attorney for the Missouri State Highway Commision.
June 6, 1935 - Bobby Mitchell is a Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinee who played as an NFL flanker, halfback and wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns and the Washington Redskins. He was a four time Pro Bowl selection as a pro and palyed his college ball at the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champagne. When Mitchell left the Browns for the Redskins in 1962, he became the first African-American player to ever wear the Washington jersey, making the organization the last franchise in the NFL to break the color barrier.
June 6, 1963 - North Battleford, Saskatchewan, Canada - Rueben Mayes, the fantastic Washington State running back from 1982 to 1985 was born. The FootballFoundation.org shares that Mayes rewrote darn near every Cougar rushing record during his career! Reuben goes down as one of the greatest running backs in Pac-10 history. By career's end, the 1984 consensus First Team All-America set 15 school records, including single-season (1,632) and career rushing yards (3,519), rushing touchdowns (23), rushing average (5.53) and 100-yard games (13). Additionally, he established an NCAA Division I single-game record with a 357-yard rushing performance against Oregon in 1984. Reuben Mayes was honored with induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008 after the National Football Foundation tabulated their votes.
