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September 14

This Day in Football History: September 14

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September 14 Football History

In this episode of the Pigskin Daily History Dispatch Podcast we will feature the legend of the Portsmouth Spartans and remember some record games by famous players that have a connection for September 14 and much more.

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!


The Portsmouth Spartans

Graphics courtesy of Gridiron Uniform Database http://www.gridiron-uniforms.com

Special thanks to Bill Schaefer and Tim Brulia for letting us share their great work! Make sure you check out their site at the link above!


Football History for September 14

September 14, 1930 - The Portsmouth Spartans played their very first NFL game on this date. The Spartans defeated the Newark Tornadoes in their first game by the final score of 13-6. The Portsmouth eleven ended the 1930 season with a record of 5-6-3 but they had a core of players they could build upon and this became evident two years later. The 1932 season ended with the Spartans and the Chicago Bears finishing with identical records at 6-1-4, and previously (since 1920) the League's champion was determined by the team withthe best record.. The NFL decided that a final game to determine a Champ would be played in a special Chicago at Wrigley field on December 18, 1932. This first postseason game in NFL history had some huge twists and turns to make it quite a remarkable story, even besides the fact that a game was going to be played to determine an NFL Champion. The first odd occurence was that Spartans star Earl "Dutch" Clark was unable to play in the game because he had to work. While that may sound crazy to us today but the fact was that professional players of that era did not make enough to make a living all year long. Most had to take off season jobs to make ends meet, even the super stars like Dutch Clark, who worked as the Head Basketball Coach at  Colorado College and his hoops team had a game on that December 18 and Dutch couldn't get off work to make the football game in Chicago. The second crazy thing that happened was that due to a freak late-fall blizzard in Chicago, the game had to be moved inside the Chicago Stadium because Wrigley was covered with deep snow and frozen with dangerous sub-zero temperatures. The playing field had to be modified to play inside, so the game was played on a field only 80 yards long, and some 30 yards narrower than the normal width the teams played on all season. The last item that took place surrounding the game happened on the contest's only touchdown. Bronko Nagurski threw a scoring jump pass to Red Grange but the Spartans argued that Nagurski did not meet the requirement of legal forward passes in those days of being 5 yards or more behind the line. The play stood and the Bears ended up winning the NFL title by the score of 9-0. The Spartans franchise would become the Lions in 1933 when they moved from Portsmouth, Ohio to Detroit, Michigan after a Detroit radio businessman George A. Richards purchased the rights to the team for $8000. This was a hefty sum at the time but Portsmouth had after all just recently played for a somewhat impromptu first NFL Championship game against the Chicago Bears, shorthanded of their star player. The Motor City was a risky place to put the team at this point as three previous franchises had failed there but Richards knew the city needed a winner and took the chance. It was well worth his risk as the newly named Detroit Lions team won the NFL Title in 1935 and later in the 1952, 1953  and 1957 seasons. Richards took another chance with his football franchise in 1934 when he scheduled a game on Thanksgiving Day. Though it failed when other cities (save Dallas a few decades later) the Turkey Day game in the Motor City was a huge success. Unfortunately in 1940 Mr. Richards had to sell the franchise due to a declining health issue and a fine from the NFL for draft tampering but his $8000 initial investment turned into a $225,000 sale of the Lions to retail magnet Fred Mandel. The Lions eventually were purchased by the descendants of Henry Ford and are owned by the family to this day. So if you happen to talk to the Football History Dude, Arnie Chapman today, wish our friend a good one as this is the day his Lions technically started in the NFL. Speaking of Arnie check out is podcast on the first NFL playoff game for more detail on the subject by clicking here.

September 14, 1980 - Dwight Clark plays the game that started his streak of 105 straight with having a reception. The San Francisco 49ers defeated the St. Louis Cardinals that day by the score of 24-21 with the assistance of Clark's 4 receptions for 49 yards. The passes in this game did not come from a quarterback named Montana though as Steve DeBerg was under center for the Niners.

September 14, 1986 - The very first CFL regular season overtime game is played as the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats play to a 21-21 draw..

September 14, 1991 - San Diego State running back Marshall Faulk rushes for an NCAA records 386 yards and scores 7 touchdowns in a 55-34 Aztec victory of Pacific University.

September 14, 2003 - Jamaal Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens rushes to an NFL record in a single game as he runs 30 times for 295 yards and 2 scores as his team defeated the Cleveland Browns 33-13. 


Hall of Fame Birthdays for September 14

September 14, 1916 - Waddy Young was a former end from the University of Oklahoma that played in the late 1930's. He went professional and played in the NFL for the Brooklyn Dodgers football franchise and played in the National Football League's very first televised game on October 22, 1939. This brave man left pro football on his own accord to become a pilot for the United States and flew one of America's B-24 Liberator bomber planes in the skies over Europe. He logged over 9000 hours inthe air fighting the Nazi's. He later volunteered to go into the Pacific theatre to fly against Japanese pilots flying the B-29 Super Fortress. We lost this hero on January 9, 1945 as his plane crashed over the skies of Tokyo while he was assisting a fellow US pilot whose plane was in distress. The two planes ended up colliding, killing all on board. The National Football Foundation recognized Waddy Young as they placed him into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986.

September 14, 1934 - Dicky Moegel a former safety and halfback from Rice University is born. Dicky's outstanding 1954 season at Rice earned him the honor of being a consensus All-American.  In the 1954 Cotton Bowl Classic Moegel was part of one of the most famous plays in NCAA football history.  With Rice up by one over Alabama, and the Owls backed up on their own 5 yard-line, Moegel took a pitch on a sweep play and broke loose down the sideline. Crimson Tide player Tommy Lewis came off of the sideline without a helmet and tackled Dicky. The officials, seeing the whole thing transpire, awarded Rice the 95 yard touchdown. Dicky Moegel ended the game with a Cotton Bowl record 265 yards rushing as his Rice team won 28-6. wEd Sullivan invited both Lewis and Moegel onto his program to discuss the play. He played in the NFL for the San Francisco 49ers, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys. As a rookie in 1955, he was selected to the Pro Bowl after picking off 6 passes. Dicky Moegel was selected to enter into the College Football of Fame in 1979.

September 14, 1975 - Troy Davis was a former runningback from Iowa State. Davis had the honors of being an All-American twice and was the first NCAA Division I-Aruningback to rush for over 2000 yards in consecutive seasons. Troy set multiple school records for the Iowa State Cyclones which were highlighted by in career rushing yards 4382, and touchdowns 36 among other records for the school. He played in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints and in the CFL for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Edmonton Eskimos and the Toronto Argonauts. He helped the Eskimos win the covetted Grey Cup in 2005. He entered into the College Football of Fame in 2016.


Special thanks

We would like to thank Bill Schaefer for the lending of the graphics and the research that he and his team including Tim Brulia and Larry Schmitt contributed on the the uniform graphics shown in today's edition. You can catch more of Bill, Tim and Larry's great work on the Gridiron Uniform Database, gridiron-uniforms.com.


Topics Related to September 14

 

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