November 30

In this edition of the Football History Headlines, we discuss the Cleveland Bulldogs' 24 championship story as well as many more HOF Legendary stories and birthdays that include the likes of Bill Walsh, Bo Jackson, and Link Lyman.

Football history enthusiasts, delve into the gridiron's past! On this very date, history unfolded on the field in several ways. We might be celebrating a record-breaking performance by a legendary player, a trade that sent shockwaves through the league, or even the birth of a new franchise that would leave its mark on the game. Let's lace up our cleats and travel back in time to see what iconic moments transpired on this date in American football history!

November 30, 1893 - It was only the 2nd time these two schools met on the gridiron but the early Tigers seemed to have figured out the game as Auburn thwarted Alabama 40-16 before a crowd in Montgomery, Alabama in the second Iron Bowl contest. According to ncaa.com the first Iron Bowl was played earlier that year on February 22, 1983.  

November 30, 1912 - AAA Grounds, Hamilton. Ontario - The home team Hamilton Alerts won their only Canadian title by surviving the Toronto Argonauts, 11-4 in the 4th time the Grey Cup was played per Onthisday.com.

November 30, 1924 - This day marked the end of the NFL season and with it the Cleveland Bulldogs had a slightly better record than the Chicago Bears so in an era without a postseason the Dogs were the champs. According to the American Football Database, the Bears were unsettled by this and challenged Cleveland to a post season re-match. The Bears won the post season contest just as they had in 1921 when they challenged Buffalo All-Americans who had the best record but George Halas and company declared themselves champs after winning the challenge. This time when they did it in 1924 the NFL stepped in and declared that any games played after November 30, 1924 were merely exhibition games and did not count against the 1924 NFL season. So the 1924 National Football League Champions were the Cleveland Bulldogs. Make sure you read on below in our Hall of Fame Birthday’s segments to learn about one of these Bulldogs top players.

November 30, 1929 - AAA Grounds, Hamilton - Onthisday.com shares that the Hamilton Tigers won their 4th title as they outscored the Regina Roughriders, 14-3 in the 17h edition of the Canadian Grey Cup.  

November 30, 1937 - The 3rd time the Heisman Trophy was awarded it went to  Clint Frank the halfback from Yale University. Heisman.com has a great photo on their site found at the link on their name of the official ballot for this 1937 vote.
 
November 30, 1940 - Varsity Stadium, Toronto - The website cbc.ca tells us that Ottawa defeated Toronto Balmy Beach, 8-2 in this controversial and unique Grey Cup Contest. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers were not able to play in the game to defend their title due to a rules dispute with the league. So to be fair the powers that be initiated a two game Grey Cup to determine a winner.  Both games were played in heavy snow and Ottawa came out the other side as the Champs.  

November 30, 1946 - Irish Legends.com tells us that Notre Dame clinched their first of two straight national titles by romping past USC 26-6 at Notre Dame Stadium.

November 30, 1946 - At the CFL Grey Cup, Varsity Stadium, Toronto it was the Toronto Argonauts who claimed a 7th Championship banner and retained the Grey Cup title with a 28-6 win over Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

November 30, 1954 - 20th Heisman Trophy Award went to Alan Ameche the University of Wisconsin Fullback.  Ameche was a rugged tough runner and that earned him the nickname of “The Iron Horse” according to Heisman.com. The site’s bio on Alan also states that Ameche earned All-American honors for the third time as a senior, rushing for 641 yards and nine touchdowns while again playing both offense and defense and averaging 55 minutes of playing time per game. He finished his career as the NCAA’s all-time leading rusher with 3,345 yards and was awarded the Heisman Trophy over Kurt Burris of Oklahoma and Howard Cassady of Ohio State.

November 30, 1957 - Varsity Stadium, Toronto - A the 45th Grey Cup final it was the Hamilton Tiger-Cats who took home their 2nd CFL title after they dispatched the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 32-7. The website cfl.ca has the full story recap.

November 30, 1957 - Legion Field , Birmingham - The 22nd Iron Bowl was an extremely one sided affair as the Auburn Tigers dominated Alabama 40-0 as shared by Onthisday.com.
 
November 30, 1959 - The fledgling American Football League chooses former World War II ace pilot and former Governor of South Dakota, Joe Foss, as the first commissioner of AFL per the South Dakota HOF website. Joe Foss’s leadership made the NFL extremely uncomfortable as he made lucrative television deals, including the initial five-year, $10.6 million contract with ABC in 1960 & later with NBC for even bigger returns to broadcast AFL games. Foss led the upstart league until 1965 about two months prior to talks with the NFL starting in considering working together instead as mere rivals to promote professional football.
 
November 30, 1959 - Once again the NFL Draft was held, this time for the upcoming 1960 season. Heisman Trophy winner, halfback Billy Cannon from the 1959 National Champion LSU Tigers was the top pick of the draft by the Los Angeles Rams. Cannon was also the territorial or bonus pick in the new AFL Draft as well earlier on November 22, 1959 by the Houston Oilers per a Saturdaydownsouth.com website story. His contract rights were fought in a court of law and Billy ended up playing with the AFL in Houston and later in Oakland with the Raiders. Billy led the Oilers to back-to-back AFL championships in 1960-61. He also led the AFL in total yards in 1961, going over 2,000 yards for the season. He scored the game-winning touchdown in the 1960 championship game and was MVP of both title games. Injury forced him to play tight end with the Raiders where he played in their first Super Bowl victory. Billy Cannon finished his great career as a member of the KC Chiefs.

November 30, 1963 - Empire Stadium, Vancouver - The CFL’s 51st Grey Cup had the Hamilton Tiger-Cats beating up on the BC Lions, 21-10. The game featured a very controversial sequence involving American players Angelo Mosca and Willie Fleming which my fellow Sports History Network podcast host Os Davis tells in great entertaining detail on his episode #3 of the TrulytheGOATs podcast.

November 30, 1963 - Legion Field, Birmingham - Auburn scored their first points in five seasons in the series in this 28th playing of the Iron Bowl. The points were not a lot but just enough to hold off the Crimson Tide as Auburn survives Alabama 10-8. Warblogle.com has a great story on this game that pitted the sixth ranked Tide led by signal caller Joe Namath against the number nine in the nation Tigers and their nifty quarterback Jimmy Sidle. But obviously as the score indicates it was the defenses that starred in this game.
 
November 30, 1968 - CNE Stadium, Toronto - Ottawa Rough Riders defeat Calgary Stampeder, 24-21 in the 56th playing of the CFL’s Grey Cup. The site Sports Team History fills us in that the Most Valuable Player was Vic Washington whose 79-yard scoring run in the contest set a Grey Cup record and had a huge impact on the outcome of this championship game.
 

November 30, 1968 - Legion Field, Birmingham - Those who watched the 33rd Iron Bowl were in for a real treat. The Paul W. Bryant Museum, must visit place by the way, shares a great clip on YouTube that shows us how Alabama defeated Auburn 24-16 in this classic matchup.iframesrc="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_-e6wtkNko8"

November 30, 1969 - Autostade, Montreal - It was the first CFL Grey Cup played on a Sunday and a match up of the Roughriders against the Rough Riders. The Montreal Gazette gives us the detail in this 57th version of the Cup which had the Ottawa Rough Riders come out on top as they knocked off the Saskatchewan Roughriders, 29-11.

November 30, 1976  - The voters for the 42nd Heisman Trophy Award really didn’t have to do much deliberation as there was one clear choice that season. Tony Dorsett, the running back from the University of Pittsburgh, had helped his team to an undefeated season and an eventual National Championship. Dorsett set 18 NCAA rushing records that season according to Heisman.com’s bio on him. Tony Dorsett averaged 215 yards rushing per game en route to leading the nation in rushing with 1,948 yards in the 1976 season.

November 30, 1985 - Legion Field, Birmingham - AL.com shares a great article with us on the 50th Iron Bowl. This game has come down to be remembered by many as “the Kick.”  You have to watch the video below as well as reading the AL.com story to fully appreciate what happened in the last 57 seconds of this classic SEC contest which saw Alabama come from behind to get past Auburn 25-23!  In particular you must see the block that Bama quarterback Mike Shula lays on an unsuspecting defender to  spring a runner on the crucial 4th down play!
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November 30, 1986 - BC Place, Vancouver - In the 74th Grey Cup game for the CFL Championship it was the Hamilton Tiger-Cats who defeated the Edmonton Eskimos by the score of 39-15 per Onthisday.com.

November 30, 1991 - Legion Field, Birmingham - The annual SEC matchup of Alabama and Auburn was another dandy in the 56th Iron Bowl. Onthisday.com informs us that this would be the last time Auburn would be the “home” team in the series played at Legion Field as the Tigers brass insisted that futureAuburn hosted contests be played at Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium. Alabama spoiled the nostalgia of the Tigers fans though as the Tide outlasted Auburn in a 13-6 exciting game.

November 30, 1993 - Rosemont, Illinois - The Jacksonville Jaguars franchise is officially launched. Jaguars.com shares the story of how NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue surprised the viewers when he announced that the League’s 30th franchise would be based in Jacksonville when the front running cities seemed to be St. Louis, Baltimore or Memphis. https://www.jaguars.com/news/a-city-stuns-the-sports-world-13623754November 30, 2013 - Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Alabama - The 78th edition of the Iron Bowl series had to be one of the most stunning endings of all time! With little time remaining Alabama lined up to attempt a 56 yard field goal to break a 28-28 tie. What happened has to be witnessed in the video below as the emotion of the announcers is priceless! In short the kick fell short and Auburn’s Chris Davis caught the kick in the back of the end zone and raced 109 yards to paydirt to put the Auburn Tigers on top as they overcame the Tide of Alabama 34-28 in one of the most dramatic and unexpected endings of all time!

November 30, 2014 - BC Place, Vancouver - The Calgary Stampeders squeaked past the  Hamilton Tiger-Cats 20-16 for their 7th Championship in the 102nd playing of the CFL’s Grey Cup as cbc.ca covers the action.
 
November 30, 2019 - it was another classic matchup of the two SEC and National powerhouses when the 83rd Iron Bowl pitted the #16 Auburn Tigers against #5 in the nation Alabama. According to AuburnTigers.com the scoring was in great supply as Auburn fueled by two pick sixes held on after a late missed field goal to win 48-45 over their rivals.
 

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November 30, 1898 - Table Rock, Nebraska - William Roy ”Link” Lyman the tackle from Nebraska came into this world. Link was a large player in the early 20’s as he stood 6’-2” high and weighed in at 233 pounds. Lyman was a member of three straight NFL Championship teams, the 1922 & 23 Canton Bulldogs and then the 1924 Cleveland Bulldogs team. The Pro Football Hall of Fame then tells us that in 1925 he joined the Chicago Bears barnstorming tour that featured Red Grange. He stayed with the Bears the balance of his career and even won another NFL Championship with them in 1933. Lyman made shifting the D-lineman around a normal standard when others saw the success of the maneuver. All in all in Link’s  16 years of combined college and pro careers he only went through one losing season. Make sure you read above in the football history headlines to learn about Lyman and the Bulldogs 1924 Championship which is featured.  Link Lyman entered into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1964.

November 30, 1931 - Los Angeles, California - Bill Walsh the innovative NFL Coach was born. Walsh received his first head coaching stint with the San Francisco 49ers in 1979 at the age of 47. Coach had a keen eye for talent and knew how to use it in his offensive system later referred to as the West Coast Offense. The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s website bio on Walsh tells us that for his coaching career his teams went 102-63-1 and won 3 Super Bowls. Bill W. was the NFL Coach of the Year in 1981 and the NFC Coach of the Year for the 1984 season.  The Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined head coach Bill Walsh in 1993’s induction class.

November 30, 1962 - Bessemer, Alabama - Bo Jackson the sensational halfback from Auburn University was born. Bo was on the starting offense all four seasons that he attended Auburn which is quite a feat in and of itself.  The footballfoundation.org bio on Bo tells us that he was a consensus All-America as a sophomore in 1983. In 1984, he had a shoulder injury and missed 6 games. He came back in 1985 and was unanimous All-America. He averaged 6.6 yards every time he ran the ball from scrimmage.  After the 1985 season Jackson earned the votes to receive the Heisman Trophy for his efforts during the season. The National Football Foundation voted Bo Jackson into their College Football Hall of Fame in 1998.  After his graduation, Jackson played pro football with the Los Angeles Raiders 1986-90 and major league baseball with the Kansas City Royals 1986-90, Chicago White Sox 1991-93, and California Angels 1994.