November 7

In this edition of the Football's History Headlines we discuss a repeal of a Sunday Blue law, a game of records for the Browns as well as many more Football 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!

Voters Bring Pro Gridiron Back to the Keystone State

November 7, 1933 - Pennsylvania voters overturn a blue law, by permitting sports to be played on Sundays. This was big news for both the new franchises of the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Pirates, who would later be called the Steelers. The NFL awarded franchises to both cities earlier in 1933 based on the speculation that the voters would choose repealing the Pennsylvania Sunday Blue Laws in that year's general election. Why were Sundays so important to the NFL? An article on the website ellwoodcityledger.com from January 2015 has the answer. Being able to play on Sundays was imperative for professional football at the time because college football, which monopolized autumn Saturdays, was more popular than the pro game, and by a relatively wide margin. It wouldn’t be until decades later that the pro game would be even close to that of the college game. The article brings up an interesting point that even though the very first paid pro player was in the Pittsburgh area, Pudge Heffelfinger, had been paid $500 in 1892 for a game. But alas there were no NFL teams in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania until these cities in 1933 were awarded franchises.

Below is an awesome graphic shared with us from Gridiron-Uniforms.com that displays when these two new PA teams met in 1933, and what they were wearing. Special thanks to Bill Schaefer and the boys at Gridiron Uniform Database for once again allowing us to show their great work! Use the links above to see more of their awesome historically correct art work!

We want scores!

November 7, 1943 - Briggs Stadium, Detroit Michigan - The last scoreless tie in the NFL occurred when the Detroit Lions hosted the New York Football Giants in front of a crowd of 16,992 fans.  The website f64sports.com tells us that the weather and field conditions were every bit as responsible as the defenses and inept offenses as it was a rainy day with muddy sloppy track on the turf.  

Browns have a Record Day

November 7, 1954 - Cleveland Browns' win by their largest margin of victory in the crushing defeat of the Washington Redskins by the score of 62-3. That same game, the Browns, Chet Hanulak set a club record with 7 punt returns according to onthisday.com. https://www.onthisday.com/sport/day/november/7

A Pair of Holy War Games

November 7, 1987 - South Bend, Indiana - The third edition of the College Football Holy War took place as Notre Dame defeated Boston College by the score of 32-25 per onthisday.com.

November 7, 1992 - South Bend, Indiana - The College Football Holy War arises once again as the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame overpowered the Boston College Eagles 54-7. On this Day.com

QB - Jake Gibbs

November 7, 1938 - Grenada, Mississippi - Marked the birth of Jake Gibbs, a quarterback that played for Ole Miss.  Jake played for the Rebels from 1958 through 1960 and Ole Miss held a record of a 29-3-1 record during his time there.  The website footballfoundation.org informs the reader that in his senior season of 1960, the team was 10-0-1 and was voted national champions by the Football Writers Association. Gibbs was a unanimous choice for All-American quarterback. The National Football Foundation selected Jake Gibbs to enter into their College Football Hall of Fame in 1995. After school Jake became a professional athlete but i wasn’t on the gridiron despite his collegiate success. He played 10 years as a catcher with the New York Yankees, 1962-71.