The Cyclone
September 25, 1904 - Charles "The Black Cyclone" Follis becomes the first African-American player to play professional football and get paid. A team from Shelby, Ohio known as the Shelby Blues of the Ohio League signed Mr. Follis under contract on September 15, 1904 for the 1904 season. Charles shows up on the roster of the Blues for the 1902 and 1903 seasons as well but it is unclear if he was paid for those games. This first game of the 1904 season according to an article in the Shelby Daily Globe took place on September 25, 1904 against the Marion Athletic Club. Follis per a 1980 article in the PFRA's Coffin Corner, led Shelby to a 29-0 victory over rival Marion, headlined by his 83 yard scoring run! Charles Follis was reported to be 6'-0" tall and weighed in at 200 pounds and strength and speed at that size made him a very difficult runner for the opposition to bring down. The Coffin Corner article goes on to report that Follis helped start his Wooster High School football team in 1899 as a junior. That first Wooster team went undefeated and held all opponents scoreless! A few years later Shelby Athletic Club Manager, F. C. Schiffer noticed Follis playing for the Wooster Athletic Club and it was shortly thereafter that Shelby manager offered Follis a job at a local hardware store and a place on his football team. Charles became endeared by the Blues faithful for not only his football prowess but also for his kind disposition. Opposing fans and players were not so friendly to accept him on account of the color of his skin. The racial ignorance led to many instances of "dirty play" by opponents towards Follis and opposing fans shouting disparaging words at him. Through it all Follis kept a level head and focussed on the game at hand. Injuries in 1906 forced Charles to discontinue playing football but he did go on to play professional baseball for a couple seasons until his untimely death in 1910 at the age of 31 from pneumonia.
Hardshell Helmets arrive
September 25, 1939 - Riddell introduces the Shell Helmet. 1st helmet to use a hard plastic shell available to players. It's internal suspension strap system was adopted by General George S Patton and the US Servicemen in WWII. Only the college and high school games adopted the plastic shells at this time. The leather helmet era in the NFL ended at the beginning of the 1949 season when the plastic shells were adopted for use in the League.
Wildcats streak finally ends
September 25, 1982 - Northwestern University breaks its 34 game losing streak by knocking off Northern University 31-6. The Wildcats were coached by Dennis Green and his preparation led to his Northwestern squad overcoming the longest losing streak in Division I football.
USC to the SEC
September 25, 1990 - The Southeastern Conference welcomed the University of South Carolina into their Conference of collegiate athletics. The Gamecocks officially entered the SEC on July 1, 1991 along with the University of Arkansas. According to the SEC's official website, They completed their first year of competition in the SEC in the 1991-1992 school year.
SEC Adds another School
September 25, 2011 - The Southeastern Conference welcomed the Texas A&M into their Conference of collegiate athletics. The Aggies officially entered the SEC on July 1, 2012 along with The University of Missouri. According to the SEC's official website, They completed their first year of competition in the SEC in the 2012-2013 school year.
The Mighty Have Fallen
September 25, 2022 - Two of the early AFC favorites for the 2022 season fell in week 3 of the NFL regular season.
- The Buffalo Bills made it exciting in Miami at the end scoring a safety with little time remaining if the fourth and down by four. Dolphins punter, Thomas Morstead lined up in the end zone for a punt, and with little room (the ball was spotted on about the 1 yard line) booted it directly into Trent Sherfield’s rear end. The ball ricocheted off Sherfield through the end zone for a safety, giving the Bills a great chance to win as they got the ball back on the free kick. The Bills dorve the ball into field goal range but with no time outs remaining could not get set up to spike the ball before time elapsed and lost to Miami 21-19. What a game.
- The Kansas City Chiefs, another favorite fell to the 0-1-1 Indianapolis Colts. Colts Rookie tight end Jelani Woods, hooked up with veteran QB Matt Ryan and scored two touchdowns, including the game-winner with less than a minute left to carry Indy over the Chiefs 20-17. After trailing throughout all of the second half, Colts quarterback Matt Ryan found Jelani Woods for a 12-yard touchdown with 24 seconds left in the game to go up three. KC stud signal caller Patrick Mahomes almost led the Chiefs to another crazy comeback finish, as he got them just a few yards from field-goal range, his final pass intended for Juju Smith-Schuster was tipped and then intercepted by Rodney McLeod game over Colts win in an upset.
September 25, 2022 - Jacksonville Jaguars 2nd year quarterback Trevor Lawrence won his first road game. The Jags young defense played great and so did the offense winning 38-10 over the Chargers at SoFi Stadium in LA. In an odd story, Lawrence is the second quarterback in the NFL common draft era to start his career with nine road losses and then win on his 10th road start. He is in good company though as the only other one to do so was Hall of Famer Peyton Manning, who also won his 10th road start in Week 3 of his second season in a game versus the Chargers.
September 25, 2022 - Aaron Donald registered the 100th sack of his career, becoming only the second Defensive Tackle to reach the 100 sack plateau. He got it on the elusive Kyler Murray too, no easy feat as the LA Rams knocked off Arizome 20-12.
