March 19

In this episode of the Football History Headlines, we discuss the very first football meeting of the Golden Bears and the Cardinal as well as many more HOF Legendary stories.

The picture in the banner above is from the US Library of Congress' collection and was contributed by photographer Herbert A. French circa 1910 and is titled " Md State Football ."

March 19, 1892 - Haight Street Grounds, San Francisco -The University of California at Berkeley vs Stanford University played their first game against each other per the American Fandom site.  This match up is traditionally called the "Big Game" or the "Battle of the Axe", and it is the tenth longest collegiate gridiron rivalry in NCAA history. In this first game between the two schools the Cardinal posted a 14-10 triumph over their rival according to the Cal football page on the internet.

March 19, 1991 - NFL owners strip the city of Phoenix of the right to host the 1993 Super Bowl game due to Arizona Not recognizing Martin Luther King Day.

March 19, 1913 - Santa Clara, California - Nello “Flash” Falaschi the star QB of Santa Clara from 1934 to 1936 arrived into this life. More on this legend can be found here at Nello Falaschi

March 19, 1914 - Jay Berwanger the very 1st Heisman Trophy winner in 1935, from the University of Chicago was born. Jay was nicknamed "The Flying Dutchman,"  and was a two-time All- America halfback for Chicago. We have much more on this first NFL draft pick at Jay Berwanger

March 19, 1931 - Vicksburg, Mississippi - Georgia Tech’s two -way player at center and linebacker, George Morris was born per the NFF. During the span of time that George played on the Yellow Jackets from 1950 through 1952 the Ramblin' Wreck ripped off 23 straight victories and George’s stout presence in the middle of the offense and defense were a big part of that success. Defense was his strong suit though as during his junior and senior seasons, only two opponents managed to score more than one touchdown against Tech. The National Football Foundation voters chose the name of George Morris in 1981 to be included among the gridiron greats in the College football Hall of Fame.

March 19, 1938 - Santa Fe, New Mexico - Joe Kapp the Cal quarterback of the 1956 to 1959 era arrived into this life. The FootballFoundation.org website says Joe led the Golden Bears the team in total offense all three years of his career. Kapp was a first Team All-America selection, finished fifth in the 1958 Heisman Trophy voting and led California to a Rose Bowl appearance. The College Football Hall of Fame set up a place for Joe Kapp in their museum in 1972.

March 19, 1954 - Flint, Michigan - The stellar linebacker from Dartmouth, Reggie Williams celebrated his day of birth. An interesting thing about Reggie was his ability to overcome obstacles such as limited hearing and some experts such Bo Schembechler at Michigan considering him too small to play full back per the Football Foundation. His outstanding academics is what drew Dartmouth’s attention even though his high school guidance counselor discouraged him from attempting to go to the Ivy League school. Williams proved them all wrong as he did well in school and on the football field. A switch from full back to linebacker paved the way for stardom for Reggie as his high motor was perfect for the position. As a Senior he had 117 tackles to lead the team as Reggie was named an All-Ivy League player and was named a first- team All-American. The NFF selection committee honored the great collegiate career of Reggie Williams in 2007 by placing him in their College Football Hall of Fame.

March 19, 1965 - Fort Wayne, Indiana - The smart and speedy corner back from Purdue University, Rod Woodson was born. The NFF’s bio says he was a 1986 consensus First Team All-American and Rod Woodson ended his stellar Purdue career holding 13 individual records. Rod was a three-time First Team All-Big Ten selection who started all 45 games of his career and finished his career with 445 tackles, 11 interceptions and 29 pass breakups while adding 71 kickoff returns for 1,535 yards and one touchdown. The College Football Hall of Fame welcomed Rod Woodson to their fold of legends in 2016. Woodson was picked 10th overall in the 1987 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He had an NFL career lasting 17 seasons with the Steelers (10), Ravens (4), Raider (2) and one with the 49ers. He played in 11 Pro Bowls, was an All-Pro 6 times, was the 1993 DPOY and even won a Super Bowl. in 238 games played he registered 71 interceptions and scored 12 TDs ( one of those was on a fumble).  1558 Combined tackles with 530 of them being solo tackles. Rod Woodson was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009.