July 27 stands as a dramatic crossroads in gridiron history—where early NFL franchises found their footing, broadcast barriers were shattered, and absolute legends entered the world. From George Halstead-connected franchise moves and the tragic loss of Chicago Bears star Willie “The Wisp” Gallimore to the births of groundbreaking sports analyst Irv Cross and dynamic offensive icon Reggie McKenzie, this single date packs over a century of football lore. Step inside the archives as we trace the wild timeline of July 27 in American football history.
July 27 American Football History Timeline
- JULY 27, 1929 – According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Chris O’Brien sold the Chicago Cardinals to David Jones on this day. Our friend Josie Emba, in his book When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals in the Birth of the NFL. He says that the 1928 season had been a debacle for the Cardinals as they finished the season with a one-in-five record, being outscored 107 points to just seven. O’Brien had secretly been trying to find a buyer for his team for about three years. The first announcement of the sale, according to Joe, took place on July 18, 1929. And Bears owner George Hallis was involved in it.
- JULY 27, 1929 – Orange/Newark Tornadoes franchise joins the NFL and is a league member from 1929 through the 1930 season. The team was the remnant of the Duluth Eskimos franchise, which was sold to Orange and then, one year later, to Newark. According to the American football fandom website, the franchise existed in some form or fashion from 1887 all the way to 1971. Their history, besides their time in the National Football League in 1929-1930, included membership in the American Association from 1936 to 1941, the Atlantic Coast Football League from 1963 to 1964, and the Continental Football League from 1965 to 1969. And back to the ACFL for the 1970s and 71 seasons before disbanding.
- JULY 27, 1929 – The Staten Island Staples and Stapes franchise is formed as a Brooklyn franchise and then transferred to Staten Island. According to an article in the Professional Football Research Association publication, the Coffin Corner in a 1985 article by Joe Horrigan, the Stapletons started their gridiron existence in 1915, a full five years before the NFL was created as the APFA, a talented halfback and native a working class neighborhood notice Stapleton Dan Blaine, along with three other players formed a team to play other semi pro squads from New York and New Jersey. It wasn’t a career by any means for the players, as the Stapes played more for fun than for money. The crowds were small according to Horrigan, as salaries averaged $10 per game. The team acquired better and better players through a variety of means, and eventually, in 1929, as an independent team, they achieved a record of 10-1-1. The next year, they were permitted to join the National Football League. The Stapletons would never have a winning season in the NFL and would eventually fade into obscurity. I encourage you to read more on the Stapletons in that 1985 Coffin Corner article. We have a link on pigskindispatch.com for this July 27 edition, which includes how Tim Mara, owner and founder of the New York Giants, helped the Staples coexist with his team in the Big Apple. Very interesting indeed. Make sure you check out that 1985 Coffin Corner article.
- JULY 27, 1964 – Running back Willie the Wisp Gallimore, along with his teammate Bo Farrington, tragically died at age 29 in a car accident near Rensselaer, Indiana. Gallimore played for Florida A&M from 1952-1955. He was selected 58th overall by the Chicago Bears in the 1956 NFL Draft and played for the Bears right up until the season before his passing. Yahoo.com lists his NFL career stats as 670 carries for 2,985 yards and 26 touchdowns. The Wisp was a Pro Bowl selection in 1958 and helped the Bears win the NFL Championship in 1963. Experts claim that he was able to run side to side as fast as most players could run in a straight line. Hall of Famers Chuck Bednarack and Doug Atkins said Gallimore was one of the best rushers they had ever faced. The Bears franchise eventually retired Willie Gallimore’s number 28 jersey as a tribute to the fallen star.
- JULY 27, 1973 – the Chicago College All-Star game was played in Chi-Town Soldier Field as 5,400-103 fans watched as the champion Miami Dolphins knocked off the All-Stars 14-3. The most valuable player award was always given to the college player who happened to play best for the All-Stars that year; Ray Guy, the punter from Southern Miss. We know Ray Guy went on to be a great Oakland Raider legend.
- JULY 27, 2018 – The NFL veterans of the following teams reported to training camp: Denver Broncos, LA Chargers, Arizona Cardinals, and the Minnesota Vikings.
July 27 Football Hall of Fame Birthdays
Happy Birthday to these outstanding gridiron legends! As we look forward to July 27, we celebrate a phenomenal group of icons spanning nearly a century of football history—from early consensus All-Americans to pioneering sports broadcasters and dominant defensive titans.
Here is the list in order of birth:
- Fred Crawford [1910] – A legendary, dominant tackle for Duke University, Crawford became the Blue Devils’ very first consensus All-American in 1933 after spearheading a monumental upset over an otherwise undefeated Tennessee squad. Described by legendary head coach Wallace Wade as the finest lineman he ever saw play, the 1973 College Football Hall of Fame inductee helped put Duke football on the national map.
- Reggie McKenzie [1950] – A dominant, consensus All-American guard out of Michigan, McKenzie entered the College Football Hall of Fame in 2002 after serving as the lead anchor of the Buffalo Bills’ famous “Electric Company” offensive line that paved the way for O.J. Simpson’s historic 2,000-yard season in 1973. Showing remarkable longevity, he started 169 of his 171 career NFL games across 13 seasons with the Bills and Seattle Seahawks.
- Hugh Green [1959] – One of the most terrifying and decorated defensive players in college football history, Green was a dynamic, unblockable outside linebacker for the Pitt Panthers who won the 1980 Lombardi, Maxwell, and Walter Camp Awards while finishing second in Heisman Trophy voting—an astonishing feat for a pure defender. Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996 after having his No. 99 jersey retired by Pitt, he went on to play two Pro Bowl seasons during his 11-year NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins.
Other Notable July 27 Football Birthdays
- Irv Cross [1939] – After a stellar collegiate career at Northwestern, Cross spent nine seasons as a two-time Pro Bowl cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams, racking up 22 career interceptions. Following his playing days, he broke major ground off the field by joining CBS’s The NFL Today in 1975, becoming the very first African American to work full-time as a network television sports analyst.
- Ryan Tannehill [1988] – Selected 8th overall in the 2012 NFL Draft out of Texas A&M, Tannehill transitioned from a collegiate wide receiver to a starting NFL quarterback for the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans. He achieved his peak professional success in Tennessee, earning Pro Bowl honors and the 2019 NFL Comeback Player of the Year award while leading the Titans to multiple playoff runs and an AFC Championship game appearance. (Source)
Conclusion
From the dusty semi-pro fields of Staten Island in 1915 to modern NFL training camps, July 27 weaves a rich narrative of tragedy, transformation, and triumph. It reminds us that football’s foundation was built by resilient pioneers—whether navigating early league franchise sales, such as the Chicago Cardinals, breaking television barriers, such as Irv Cross, or anchoring legendary offensive lines, such as the “Electric Company.” As these milestones show, every date on the calendar carries the echoes of the gridiron icons who paved the way.
