May 24

In this episode we talk a bit about Maurice Clarett, celebrate the birthdays of Clinton Jones, John Ferraro, Mike Reid & more. 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.

Our Newspapers.com Football History Headline of the day comes from the Tampa Tribune on May 25, 2004 with their headline of:

Court Officially Ends Clarett's NFL Battle

May 24, 2004 - A federal appeals court formally ruled in favor of the NFL’s draft eligibility rule in former Ohio State University player Maurice Clarett’s lawsuit, citing federal labor policy in permitting the NFL and the Players Association to set rules for when players can enter the league. The former Ohio State star runner had declared himself ready for the NFL Draft after his outstanding freshman season for the Buckeyes but the rule in the NFL is that a player must be three calander years removed from high school before gaining eligibility. Clarett had other mootivation to join the NFL other than financial ones. He had been suspended after his initial NCAA season where he scored 16 TDs and helped Ohio State win the antional Championship. The NCAA suspension was related Clarett accepting money from a family friend and then lying about it to both Ohio State and the NCAA. Maurice Clarett would finally become eligible for the NFL draft a year later in 2005. The Denver Broncos took him with the final pick in the 3rd round (101st overall) but after inking a deal against his agents wishes and having an unimpressive training camp as he arrive 20 pounds over weight, the Broncos cut him on August 28, 2005. He never played a down in the NFL but did play some minor league professional football.

May 24, 1924 - Cudahy, California - John Ferraro was an offensive Tackle out of the University of Southern California who was selected to enter the College Football Hall of Fame in 1974 per the National Football Foundation’s website.  Ferraro was selected as a two-time All-America tackle for the Trojans. At the end of the 1943 season Ferraro and his USC teammates defeated the University of Washington in the Rose Bowl 29-0. The next year as a sophomore Southern California posted an 8-0-2 record, repeated as Pacific Coast Conference champs and registered another shutout in the Rose Bowl, defeating Tennessee 25-0.  Mr. Ferraro after football had the distinction of being the longest serving Los Angeles City Council member. He served the city from 1966 until he passed away in 2001. 

May 24, 1945 - Cleveland, Ohio - The Michigan State halfback from the seasons of 1964 to 1966, Clinton Jones arrived into the world. The FootballFoundation.org tells of how Clinton was two-time First Team All-American as he finished sixth in the 1966 Heisman Trophy voting, and he was a two-time consensus First Team All-Big Ten selection. The versatile Jones  helped take the Spartans to back-to-back Big Ten championships in 1965 and 1966, and he set conference single-game records with 4 rushing touchdowns and as well as 268 rushing yards. Jones led Michigan State in rushing as a junior and senior, and he finished his career as the school’s second all-time leading rusher with 1,921 yards and 20 touchdowns. He is not alone as being memorialized from that squad either as the team was Coached by College Football Hall of Famer Duffy Daugherty.  Clinton led Michigan State to a 19-1-1 record and a berth to the 1966 Rose Bowl during his career while playing alongside Hall of Famers Bubba Smith, Gene Washington and George Webster. How good were the Michigan State Squads of the mid ‘60s? Well let’s just make note of it that with CLinton Jones and the men just mentioned the Spartans won back-to-back national championships in 1965 and 1966. The College Football Hall of Fame proudly placed a display in honor of Clinton Jones into their legendary museum in 2015. The NFF adds a final note on Jones post college career. He was the second overall pick by the Minnesota Vikings in the 1967 NFL Draft and then spent six seasons with the Vikings and one final season with the San Diego Chargers. He helped the Vikings reach Super Bowl IV and finished his NFL career with 2,178 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns as well as 5,035 all-purpose yards.
 
May 24, 1947 - Altoona, Pennsylvania - The stud defensive tackle of Penn State in the seasons of 1966 and then again in 1968 and 1969, Mike Reid was born. The NFF’s bio on Mike gives him a very unique intro as it states that Reid is, without question, the greatest combination football player/songwriter who ever lived. In his senior year  of 1969, the tackle led all Nittany Lions with 89 tackles. Mike was a unanimous All-America choice even winning the Outland Trophy as the outstanding interior lineman in America, and was awarded the Maxwell Trophy as the nation's outstanding player in college football. But, while all this was going on, Mike Reid had other interests. He loved to play the piano and he loved music. Mike Reid received the great honor of being selected for inclusion into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1987. After his time in college was completed Reid was picked by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 1970 NFL Draft and played with them for 5 years. Okay there is the football player named Mike Reid compilation but now for his musical career. Mike retired from the pro ranks to concentrate on music. How has he done? Not bad for a 6-3, 240-pound tackle. He moved to Nashville and in 1983 received a Grammy Award for his composition "Stranger In My House." In 1984 he was named Cash Box Magazine's "Songwriter of the Year" and in 1985 he was voted "Country Songwriter of the Year." Reid was named by the Academy of Country Music as "Songwriter of the Year", in 1986. According to the Football Foundation Mr. Reid may become the first American to be in the College Football Hall of Fame and Music's Hall of Fame.

May 24, 1878 - Andrew Graham Reid player, coach, and official. He played football for the University of Michigan's 1901 "Point-a-Minute" team.  After graduation Reid became the athletic director and the football head coach at Montmouth College. Later he was the head man of the Knox College football squad. After he stopped coaching Reid served as an on-field official in the Big 10 conference.

May 24, 1960 - Pete Metzelaars  was born on this day and he enjoyed a 16 year NFL career. Metzelaars played tight end for multiple teams including the Seahawks, Bills, Panthers and Lions. The Wabash College graduate excelled in high school and college football. He even played on the Wabash basketball team that went on to an undefeated season and won the NCAA Division III National Championship. After Seattle drafted as the 75th pick in the 1982 NFL draft, the Seahawks traded him after a few seasons to Buffalo. Metzelaars played in all 4 of the Bills Super Bowl appearances. He also has the claim of catching the very first Carolina Panthers franchise TD pass. The TE coached after he hung up his helmet and eventually received the elusive Super Bowl ring as an assistant coach with Indianapolis in Super Bowl XLI.

For more stats on football people born on May 24  check out Pro Football Reference.

See something that happened on this date that we missed? Please let us know via email at PigskinDispatch@gmail.com. 

In honor of celebrating HOF running back Clinton Jones, the picture in the banner above is from the US Library of Congress' collection and was contributed by Carol M. Highsmith circa 2019 and is titled " Spartan Stadium, the football stadium at Michigan State University in East Lansing. The university's athletic teams are nicknamed "Spartans." They refer to the warriors of the ancient Greek city of Sparta ."