November 20

In this edition of the Football History Headlines, we discuss George Gipp's last game, the Stanford Band Game, as well as many more Football Hall of Fame Legendary stories.

Football fans, delve into the past! Today's date is etched in NFL history. From legendary trades that shook the league to record-breaking performances on the gridiron, exciting moments unfolded on this very day. We'll explore game-changing events, iconic players who dominated the field, and pivotal decisions that altered the course of franchises. So, buckle up and get ready to revisit the fascinating stories that make NFL history so captivating!

7th Grey Cup

November 20, 1915 - Varsity Stadium, Toronto - the 7th Grey Cup was played.: The Hamilton Tigers won their second title as they defeated the Toronto Rowing Association, 13-7. This contest was more of a rugby game than our modern football and was sponsored by the Canadian Rugby Union. In 1966 the CRU transferred the care of the Cup to the Canadian Football League according to the Canadian Encyclopedia.  

Gipp's final game

November 20, 1920 - Northwestern Field, Chicago , Illinois - Notre Dame's George Gipp played in his last game on this date against the Northwestern Purple. Gipp was ill at the time and was suffering from a shoulder injury that he received in the game against Indiana a week earlier. According to Irish Legends, George entered the field as the fans, a record 20,000 at Northwestern Field, chanted, "We want Gipp!." Gipp responded to the love from the fans as he promptly threw a touchdown pass to end Eddie Anderson. The Irish won the game 33-7, but the ice-covered field and cold weather did not help Gipp's weakened condition, and three weeks later, he was dead at the age of 25. 

Largent starts streak

November 20, 1977 - Seattle Kingdome -Seattle Seahawks Wide receiver, Steve Largent began his NFL streak of 177 consecutive games with a reception against the Houston Oilers. Pro Football Reference informs us that it was just one modest catch for four yards for this game that started his streak that lasted over a decade until 176 games later.

Payton excels

November 20, 1977 - Soldier Field -Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears rushed for an NFL record of 275 yards in one game. The Chicago Tribune has the story of Payton’s third season when he broke O.J. Simpson's mark of 273 on his final carry of a 10-7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

Stanford Band Play

November 20, 1982  - Stanford Cardinal Quarterback John Elway moved his team down the field and into field goal range with just eight seconds remaining to allow Mark Harmon to kick a 35-yard field goal, and give Stanford the lead at 20-19.  It looked like the Cardinal had the upset victory in the bag, according to history.com’s segment on the play. Elway and friends may have scored just a hair too fast as the Cardinal still would need to kick the ball to Cal. They did so in squib kick fashion and Cal players used everything in the book on this final play of the game as they proceeded to lateral the ball five times just as they were about to be tackled. Cal’s Kevin Moen received the final backwards toss and started running down the field, when the Stanford band ran out onto the field to celebrate what they thought was a Cardinal victory. Moen weaved the extra traffic of musicians , even banging into a trombone player before he finally made it to the end zone! The Bears claimed a come from behind victory in the most memorable of fashions!

Record attempts

November 20, 1983 - NY Giants Butch Woolfolk set a new NFL record of 43 attempts rushing against the Philadelphia Eagles. The New York Times article from the day says it broke the record of 42 carries earlier in the 1983 season  by Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back James Wilder against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Woolfolk turned those 43 carries into 159 yards on the ground as the G-men cruised to a 23-0 shutout by controlling the clock with the ground game.

Emerald Isle Football

November 20, 1988 - Dublin's Lansdowne Road Stadium, Ireland - The first NCAA American Football game to ever be played in Europe took place as Boston College defeated Army 38-24 in a contest promoted as the 'Emerald Isle Classic' per  Onthisday.com.  

Iron Bowl 58

November 20, 1993 - Auburn, Alabama - The 58th contest of theIron Bowl took place onthisday.com. In this game it was the home team that came away victorious as the Auburn Tigers outlasted the Crimson Tide of Alabama 22-14.