March 8

In this episode of the Football History Headlines, we discuss multiple hall of Fame players with birthdays on March 8 as well as many more HOF Legendary stories.

March 8, 1873 - Honalulu, Hawaii - Charley Brewer the fantastic fullback of Harvard University during the stocking cap era of college football arrived into the world. Enjoy learning more about Brewer by clicking his name above.

March 8, 1893 - Charleston, West Virginia - The Marshall and then later Washington and Lee Halfback, Harry, better known as "Cy", Young was welcomed into life.  Now I know what you are thinking, but this is not the famous baseball pitcher Cy Young you may be thinking of even though he was a good player on the diamond as well as the gridiron. That more famous Cy Young's real name was Denton True Young.  Harry Young was welcomed into the College Football Hall of Fame rooms of legends in 1958. In fact though Young played varsity football at two schools he actually attended three colleges! The 1910 and 1911 seasons were spent with the Thundering Herd of Marshall. According to the NFF's website bio, Cy on Nov. 2, 1910 kicked three field goals as Marshall beat Glenville 9-0. Marshall's overall record in his time with the Herd was 9-2-2. In the fall of 1912 he attended the University of Michigan and was on the freshman football team. Cy transferred to Washington and Lee and was on the football team from 1913-1916. He won 16 letters at Washington and Lee and as a senior captain of four teams: football, baseball, basketball, and track. The 1913 W&L team was 8-1 and outscored opponents 200-7. Young had 54 points on touchdowns and extra points. In 1914, the team went 9-0, and outscored opponents 313-12. Young scored 57 points. The NFF voters secured a place in the College Football Hall of Fame for Cy Young in 1958.  

March 8, 1917 - Asheville, North Carolina - Duke University's star center Dan Hill was born. The FootballFoundation.org website tells us that Dan played for the famed Iron Dukes of the 1938 season. He was the starting center in the one platoon era when centers were also playing as linebackers on defense. He was an All-America selection and the co-captain of the undefeated, untied and unscored upon 1938 Duke University team. The Iron Dukes won five games with the score 6-0 or 7-0. Yes they were perfect in the regular season, that is until they ran into a powerful Southern Cal team who took the lead with just 41 seconds remaining in the Rose Bowl! The College Football Hall of Fame prepared a place for the legacy of Dan Hill in 1962. 

March 8, 1938 - Royal Oak, Michigan - Army's outstanding halfback in the seasons of 1956 through the 1958 seasons, Pete Dawkins received his born on date. The NFF reveals the story of how Pete overcame the crippling grip of polio to become a not one a great military leader and hero but a gridiron star as well! Dawkins achieved some very prestigious heights in his college years including his senior season of 1958,when he won the Heisman Trophy, the Maxwell Trophy, was a Unanimous All-America as well as a Rhodes Scholar! It doesn't get much more successful than that! He scored 12 TDs in that 1958 campaign for the cadets as well as running the ball and returing punts. The NFF party of voters chose the collegiate resume of Pete Dawkins for entrance into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1975. After leaving West Point he earned a Bachelors and Masters Degree at Oxford in London, served his country in Vietnam and attended Princeton earning yet another degree!

March 8, 1962 - Norfolk, Virginia - The brilliant defensive tackle of the University of North Carolina Tarheels in the years of 1981 to 1983, William Fuller was born. WIlliam was a large man that had quick hands and feet which helped him to beat blocks and shoot gaps into offensive backfields of opponents per the National Football Foundation. This skill set helped him to earn a very impressive feat of being a two time First-Team All-American selection. Fuller left the Tarheels holding some stellar school records. The D-tackle registered 57 tackles for loss and single season tackles for loss with 22 of them in both 1981 and 1983. Fuller was a finalist for the Outland Trophy twice in his collegiate career as he finished his career with 225 tackles and 20 sacks. The stats and gridiron memories of William Fuller were taken into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2016. Though he was selected in NFL's supplemental draft, William chose to accept a psotion in the USFL where his Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars won consecutive championships. After that league disbanded he joined the NFL's Houston Oilers where he had a great 13 year career with that franchise along with the Chargers and Eagles. Fuller was a four time All-Pro in the NFL and played in four Pro-Bowl games.  

March 8, 1965 - Holyoke, Massachusetts - Running back extraordinaire with Colgate University from 1984 to 1987, Kenny Gamble arrived into life. The FootballFoundation.org website tells that Kenny led the nation in all purpose yardage, 2,425 as well as with his 1816 rushing yardage. Gamble was the top rusher at Colgate in all four seasons he played as he set 29 school records during his collegiate career. In 1987, he led the nation for Division I-AA in all- purpose yards, 2,097, was second in rushing yards, 1,411, and won the Walter Payton Award as the nation's best player in that level of football. The National Football Foundation wisely chose to place Kenny Gamble into their museum called the College Football Hall of Fame in 2002. Kenny reached the pinnacle of playing in the NFL for the KC Chiefs for a few seasons.
 

The picture in the banner above is from the US Library of Congress' collection and was contributed by photographer H. H. H. Langill circa 1901 and is titled "Dartmouth Football Team 1901 ."