September 24

Here is what happened on September 24 in football history: The first game under the lights; Eddie George; Mean Joe and Joe Washington are all remembered in this episode!

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!

September 24, 1930 - The very first NFL game played under portable electric lights occurs in Portsmouth, Ohio as the Portsmouth Spartans faced the Brooklyn Dodgers in a night game. The first official NFL night game under the lights took place on November 6, 1929 in Kinsley Park Stadium in Providence, RI. Reflecting back to the game in Ohio in 1930 though the Spartans defeated the Dodgers by the score of 12-0 at University Stadium which is reported to still stand to this day and is now aptly called Spartan Municipal Stadium.

September 24, 1983 - Franklin College's quarterback Pat Brennan is intercepted a record nine times by a stingy Saginaw Valley State defense. Saginaw Valley’s great day in the secondary led them to a 40-21 victory over the opponent. Interestingly enough Pat Brennan eleven days earlier was selected as the NAIA National Player of the Week for throwing for 392 yards and six touchdowns against opponent Wisconsin-Eau Claire in the 56-28 Grizzlies win on September 10, 1983.

September 24, 1991 - Two sport phenom Deion Sanders returned to the MLB's Atlanta Braves as he had been with the Atlanta Falcons through training camp and the start of the season since July 31 of that year. Sanders had a special clause in his NFL contract that allowed him to leave the Falcons to play in the Braves postseason, and since the Falcons had a bye week Sanders contributed to their baseball teams stretch run.

September 24, 2009 - The University of South Carolina upsets the 4th ranked Ole Miss 16-10.  The heavily favored Rebels entered the contest averaging 48 points per game, but the stingy Game-Cocks defense and head coach Steve Spurrier had something else in mind as they stymied Ole Miss for much of the afternoon.

September 24, 2017 - The NFL players responded, many in protest to President Donald Trump's comments on them and their actions during the National Anthem before games. Teams and players responded by some kneeling, some locking arms and others staying in the locker room during the anthem.

September 24, 2022 - A heartbreak of a loss! In a dramatic play in Overtime Missouri running back Nathaniel Peat looked to seal the victory  over Auburn as he raced down the sideline. As the youngster was being knocked out of bounds near the pylon he reached the ball out with his right arm but it was knocked away by an Auburn defender and went through the endzone for a touchback. Since Auburn kicked a field goal on thier OT possession, the Auburn Tigers won the game 17-14 over Mizzou on a play that may haunt Missiouri fans for years to come.

September 24, 1941 - John Mackey was a 6 foot 2 inch 224 pound tight end from Syracuse University. The Baltimore Colts selected John with the second pick of the 1963 NFL Draft. Mackey played with the Colts for nine years and then spent one final NFL season with the San Diego Chargers. John somewhat redefined the tight end position from strictly being just another blocking lineman to that of an additional speedy deep threat. His performance in the 1966 season was evidence of him loosening up the defenses as he scored 6 of his nine touchdowns on passes longer than 50 yards!  Mackey entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992's induction ceremonies as only the second strictly tight end.

September 24, 1946 -  Mean Joe Greene was a former defensive tackle from North Texas State. Joe Greene was known as a pretty nice guy off of the football field, but he was tabbed with the "Mean" part of his nickname by the mascot of North Texas State being called the Mean Green. North Texas with Joe in the lineup allowed less than 2 yards per carry in the 29 games from 1965 through the 1968 season. Joe was a consensus All-American in college football in 1968. The Pittsburgh Steelers used the first pick in the 1969 NFL draft to bring the 6'-4" , 275 pound d-lineman to the Steel City. The Steelers were rewarded in this selection by Greene becoming the NFL Rookie of the YEar for the 1969 season and in his 13 year career he went to 10 Pro Bowls and was the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in both the 1972 and 1974 seasons! 1972 was special as Joe recorded 5 of his 11 season high sacks in a crucial must-win game against the Houston Oilers to propel the Steelers into their first playoff game ever in franchise history!  The Steelers a couple of years later won their first of four Super Bowls with Big number 75 anchoring the famed "Steel Curtain Defense."  Joe Greene was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987 & the College Football Hall of Fame in 1984.

September 24, 1953 - Oklahoma running back Joe Washington was born. Joe played for the Sooner from 1972 through the 1975 seasons and in that span the team had a record of 43-2-1 and won two National Championships!  Washington put up 3995 yards on the ground and 5781 all-purpose yards to power the Oklahoma offense. Joe earned All-American honors twice in college and he was selected as the fourth overall pick in the 1976 Draft by the San Diego Chargers. After one season with the Chargers the running back then played for the Colts for 3 years, the Redskins 3 seasons and stint with the Atlanta Falcons in his final year of playing. Washington's NFL career lasted for 9 seasons and his 8252 total yards from scrimmage and 31 touchdowns made him a formidable back for defenses to deal with. The National Football Foundation selected him to enter into their College Football Hall of Fame in 2005.

September 24, 1973 - Eddie George was a halfback from Ohio State University. Out of high school George was heavily recruited by top programs to be a linebacker in college. Eddie later told the press that he chose Ohio State mainly so that he could remain a running back. He made the right choice as demonstrated in his senior season as the Buckeye's Bell Cow running back as George rushed for 100 yards in 12 straight games! It was from numbers like that that Eddie George won the 1995 Walter Camp Player of the Year, the Doak Walker Award, the Maxwell Award, the Jim Brown Award and the Heisman Trophy! Ohio State retired his number 27 in 1995 and the College Football Hall of Fame secured him in their line up of legends in 2011's entry class. Eddie went on to be drafted into the 1996 NFL Draft  by the Houston Oilers. A year later the Oilers moved to Tennessee and later became the Tennessee Titans and Eddie George still owns most of the franchise's rushing records. He stayed with his original franchise for 8 seasons and then played a final year for the Dallas Cowboys. He ranks 23rd in NFL rushing yards and has the distinction as being only one of two players to have rushed for over 10,000 yards and to have never missed a start, the Great Jim Brown being the other. Pretty good company to be with!