May 1

In this episode of the Football History Headlines, we discuss Curtis Martin, Ollie Matson, Chuck Bednarik and the sale of the Eagles as well as many more Hall of Fame Legendary stories.

Gridiron fans, gear up for another exciting day of football history! Dive into the archives and relive the moments that shaped the game we love. Today's headlines take us back in time, exploring everything from legendary quarterback duels that captivated a nation to groundbreaking rule changes that redefined the sport. So, whether you're a die-hard traditionalist or a stats guru, we have something for everyone. Let's lace up our virtual cleats and take a trip down memory lane!

Newspapers.com Football History Headline of the day came from the Palladium-Item in Richmond, Indiana had this bold print on their sportspage on May 2, 1969. “Philadelphia Eagles Sold!”   The story is reporting an occurrence that happened on May 1, 1969  where trucking magnate Leonard Tose bought the Philadelphia Eagles franchise for a professional sports record $16.05 million. Former owner Jerry Wolman was forced to sell due to being financially strapped and Tose couldn't have come along at a better time to help him out of his situation. Wolman had purchased the team himself in 1964 for $5,505,000. As part of the agreement Wolman could repurchase the team if he could gather $16,055,000 million by August 1, 1969. Speculation was that Tose would clean house in the front office including buying out the remaining 11 years on manager/coach Joe Kuharich. In fact that is exactly what occurred, Kuharich was bought out of his contract at $50,000 per year and Pete Retzlaff was hired on as the franchise’s GM and vice president. Jerry Williams was hired to be the head coach and he served in that position until 1971.
If you want to be able to be able to read through some old articles like the Palladium-Item in Richmond, you need to check out Newspapers.com. At Newspapers.com, you can get access to over 640 million pages’ worth of news from the US, Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland and more dating back from 1798 to yesterday.  Get a free one week subscription to Newspapers.com by visiting SportsHistoryNetwork.com/newspapers. And with a paid subscription, you’ll also be helping to support the production of this and other Sports History Network shows. 

May 1, 1984 - Nebraska wide receiver Irving Fryar was the first pick by the New England Patriots in the 1984 NFL Draft. In my research I cannot find where one member of this draft class has been enshrined as of yet in Canton, Ohio. It is interesting that another Cornhusker offensive player was selected at the number 2 spot in Dean Steinkuhler to the Houston Oilers. The Pro Football Reference gives us a glimpse of the first ten selections:

Pick    Tm    Player    Pos    College/Univ    
                    
1    NWE    Irving Fryar    WR    Nebraska    College Stats
2    HOU    Dean Steinkuhler    T    Nebraska    College Stats
3    NYG    Carl Banks    LB    Michigan St.    
4    PHI    Kenny Jackson    WR    Penn St.    College Stats
5    KAN    Bill Maas    NT    Pittsburgh    
6    SDG    Mossy Cade    DB    Texas    
7    CIN    Ricky Hunley    LB    Arizona    College Stats
8    IND    Leonard Coleman    DB    Vanderbilt    
9    ATL    Rick Bryan    DE    Oklahoma    College Stats
10    NYJ    Russell Carter    DB    SMU    

Here are the bios on some birthday boys that are either in the College Football Hall of Fame or the Pro Football Hall of Fame that were born on this day. There is plenty more about them to read by either clicking their high-lighted name or at the top of this page clicking the "On This Day in Football History" and going to May 1 Football History.

May 1, 1900  - Baraboo, Wisconsin -  Stan Barnes the two-way Center/Tackle from the University of California  from 1918 to 1921 arrived to have his birth certificate signed. The College Football Hall of Fame proudly placed a display in honor of Stan Barnes into their legendary museum in 1954.  

May 1, 1905 - De Ridder, Louisiana - The Louisiana-Lafayette (1922-25 ) and with Army from 1926 to 1929, halfback Chris “Red” Cagle was born.  Chris Cagle was honored with induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954 after the National Football Foundation tallied their votes. 

May 1, 1908 - Medford, Wisconsin - Erny Pinkert the flashy halfback of Southern Cal teams of 1929 to 1931 arrived into this life. Erny Pinkert’s collegiate football records are celebrated in the College Football Hall of Fame after his induction in 1957.

May 1, 1910 - Akron, Ohio - The strong halfback of the seasons of 1928 to 1931 of West Virginia Wesleyan, Cliff “Gyp” Battles was born.  The National Football Foundation selected Cliff Battles for entrance into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1955.  He was a standout player in fact Cliff Battles was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968. Battles was assistant coach at Columbia 1938-43, served in the Marines in World War II, and coached the Brooklyn Dodgers of the All-America Football Conference 1946-47.

May 1, 1925 - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania - The standout center from the University of Pennsylvania Quakers, Chuck Bednarik celebrated his date of birth.  "Concrete Charlie" was honored with induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1969 after the National Football Foundation tallied their votes. The Philadelphia Eagles made him their number one draft choice in the bonus draft of 1949. The Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined the career of Chuck Bednarik in 1967.

May 1, 1930 - Trinity, Texas - The University of San Francisco’s stud halfback of 1949 to 1951, Ollie Matson was born.  The College Football Hall of Fame proudly placed a display in honor of Ollie Matson into their legendary museum in 1976.  Ollie racked up over 12,000 yards of total offense in the League with the Cardinals and Rams and was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1972.

May 1, 1937 - Surry County, Virginia - The tackle from Maryland Eastern Shore, Roger Brown arrived into this world.The NFF says Roger Brown was a massive lineman for his era. In fact, when Roger entered the pro ranks he may have been one of the first 300-pound plus players. Despite his stature , Brown had the stamina and athletic ability to still play in the demanding one-platoon era and he dominated opponents. Roger Brown received the great honor of being selected for inclusion into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2009.  

May 1, 1973 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - Curtis Martin the quick footed running back from the University of Pittsburgh was born. The legendary New England Patriots and New York Jets rusher had quite an NFL career. Curtis Martin in 2012 was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
 

The picture in the banner above is from the US Library of Congress' collection and was contributed by Bain News Service circa 1911 and is titled "Cadets at Army - Navy game, Franklin Field 1911 ."