💰 The Day Pro Football Was Born, Blackouts Ruled, & Whiteouts Began: November 12 Milestones
November 12 is arguably the birthdate of professional football itself! In 1892, former Yale star Pudge Heffelfinger played for the Allegheny Athletic Association and became the first known paid football player, receiving a groundbreaking $500, an event that fundamentally changed the sport. This historic day also saw the debut of the Pittsburgh franchise’s first-ever NFL home game in 1933 and a key legal ruling in 1953 that upheld the controversial NFL blackout rule for local broadcasts. Finally, November 12 celebrates the birthdays of seven Hall of Famers, including the hard-hitting safety Ken Houston and the undrafted, ball-hawking cornerback Jack Butler, who retired with the second-most interceptions in NFL history!
We think this day is so important to Western Pennsylvania History, so we teamed up with a friend and made this video to celebrate it in 2025.
November 12 American Football History Timeline
- November 12, 1881 – Penn State University played its first organized football game when the State College gridders traveled to Lewisburg, PA, to challenge the University of Lewisburg (now Bucknell). The early Lions won by the score of 9-0, which in those days was nine goals to nil.
- November 12, 1881 – The University of Kentucky (then Kentucky A&M) football program played its inaugural game against cross-town rival Kentucky University (later renamed Transylvania University) and lost 1 to 7-1/4 under the era’s complicated, hybrid rugby-like scoring system.
- November 12, 1887 – Cornell University revises its stance on the rules that colleges like Yale and Princeton were playing, and then plays the first intercollegiate game under modern rules against Union College. Union defeated Cornell in the game by the score of 24-10.(source)
- November 12, 1892 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – The very first professional football game took place. As a former Yale star, Pudge Heffelfinger received $500 from the Allegheny Athletic Association to become the first paid football player. The AAA team, in fact, wins the game 4-0 over the Pittsburgh Athletic Club with great assistance from Heffelfinger.
- November 12, 1904– Birmingham, Alabama – The 9th edition of the Iron Bowl was played. The rivalry was heated back then, too. According to sports-reference.com, this game, though Auburn got the better of Alabama 29-5. (source)
- November 12, 1926 – Original AFL franchise, the Brooklyn Horsemen, withdrew from the AFL and merged with NFL’s Brooklyn Lions.
- November 12, 1933 – Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – The 1st home NFL game for the Pittsburgh franchise. Remember, just a few days earlier, as discussed in our November 7 Football History Headlines, the voters in the Commonwealth of PA decided to let it be legal to play ball games on Sundays. It was the whole reason the NFL granted franchises in both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia for the 1933 season. November 12, 1933, was indeed a Sunday, and it was a big day in Pittsburgh history. Unfortunately for the fans, it was not a big day on the scoreboard for their team, though, as the Pittsburgh Football Pirates were blanked by the Brooklyn Dodgers Football team 32-0!
- November 12, 1950 – Polo Grounds, New York City – Giants running back Gene Roberts went off against the Chicago Cardinals’ defense as he ran for 218 yards, setting a New York Football Giants rushing record according to the Pro Football Reference website. (source)
- November 12, 1953 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – From the NHregister.com website comes the story of the NFL Blackouts of television broadcasts in cities for home games. In 1951, NFL Commissioner Bert Bell decided to black out all home games within a 75-mile radius of NFL markets. Bell was quoted as stating, “As long as I have anything to do with this league, home games won’t be televised, period.” The Justice Department sued the NFL, alleging antitrust violations. The NFL Blackout rule for home games stood up in court, as US District Judge Paul Grim ruled in favor of the NFL’s practice of not televising home games in the cities where they are played. (source)
- November 12, 1979 – Texas Stadium, Dallas, Texas – Kicker Tony Franklin of the Philadelphia Eagles kicks a 59-yard field goal as his team holds off a late Cowboys charge to upset Dallas 31 to 21. (source)
- November 12, 1988 – Houston, Texas – The University of Wyoming was riding high in the 1988 season, ranked tenth in the nation and sporting the top offense in the country, when they arrived in Texas to play the University of Houston. According to an article on the NFF’s website, Houston defensive tackle Glen Montgomery recorded six of his team’s 16 sacks. It made 14 tackles to lead the Cougars in knocking out undefeated Wyoming from the top 10. Cowboy quarterback Randy Welniak was dropped behind the line of scrimmage nine times in the first half alone as the high-powered Wyoming offense finished with -37 yards rushing. The Cougars attained a 28-3 lead behind College Football Hall of Fame quarterback Andre Ware’s touchdown passes to Patrick Cooper and Brian Williams. Houston upset No. 10 Wyoming, 34-10.
- November 12, 1990, “The Body Bag Game” – Coach Buddy Ryan had an innovative approach to motivating his players. The Eagles coach threatened that his squad would beat the Redskins so badly “they’ll have to be carted off in body bags” in a pregame speech. The Eagles’ defense promptly responded, scoring 3 touchdowns and winning 28–14, knocking 8 Redskins out of the game.
- November 12, 1994 Penn State led by QB Kerry Collins had one heck of a comeback win to preserve their season.
- November 12, 1995 – Miami, Florida – Miami Dolphins, star Quarterback Dan Marino broke Fran Tarkenton’s NFL all-time passing yardage mark of 47,003 in a game against the New England Patriots. Bleacher Report reports that New England held on and won the game despite the 34-17 score. (source)
November 12 Football Hall of Fame Birthdays
- Claude Reeds [1890] – A powerhouse fullback and punter under Bennie Owen at Oklahoma, Reeds never lost a game in which he started and was named an All-American in 1913. Enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame, he captained an undefeated Sooner squad and was one of the early legends who put Southwestern football on the national map.
- Bill Fincher [1896] – A fierce two-way end and tackle for John Heisman’s powerhouse Georgia Tech Golden Tornado, Fincher earned consensus All-American honors in both 1918 and 1920. Known as an elite placekicker alongside his devastating blocking and tackling, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
- Alphonse “Tuffy” Leemans [1912] – The centerpiece of the New York Giants’ offense throughout the late 1930s and early 1940s, Leemans led the NFL in rushing as a rookie in 1936 and propelled the franchise to the 1938 NFL Championship. A versatile Hall of Fame triple-threat runner, passer, and defender, his No. 4 jersey was permanently retired by the Giants.
- Jack Butler [1927] – Signed as an undrafted rookie out of St. Bonaventure, Butler emerged as one of the premier ball-hawking cornerbacks of the 1950s for the Pittsburgh Steelers. A four-time Pro Bowler and member of the NFL’s 1950s All-Decade Team, he snared 52 career interceptions and was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
- Cliff Harris [1948] – Nicknamed “Captain Crash” for his bone-jarring hits, Harris went from an undrafted free agent out of Ouachita Baptist to anchoring the legendary “Doomsday Defense” for the Dallas Cowboys. A six-time Pro Bowler, two-time Super Bowl champion, and Pro Football Hall of Famer, he defined the free safety position throughout the 1970s.
- Ken Houston [1944] – Widely considered one of the greatest safeties in football history, Houston earned 12 consecutive Pro Bowl nods across legendary stints with the Houston Oilers and Washington Redskins. A Pro Football Hall of Famer and member of the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, he set long-standing records for defensive touchdowns and revolutionized the position with his rangy ball skills.
- Steve Bartkowski [1952] – The No. 1 overall pick in the 1975 NFL Draft out of Cal, Bartkowski became the franchise quarterback and cornerstone of the Atlanta Falcons for over a decade. A two-time Pro Bowl passer, he led the NFL in passing touchdowns in 1980 and threw for over 24,000 career yards.
- Rob Lytle [1954] – A punishing running back for Bo Schembechler at Michigan, Lytle was named the 1976 Big Ten MVP and a consensus All-American after finishing third in the Heisman Trophy voting. He carried that hard-nosed running style to the NFL with the Denver Broncos, playing a key role on their 1977 AFC Championship squad and becoming an inductee of the College Football Hall of Fame.
Conclusion: From Pioneering Payments to Passing Records
November 12 spans the entire history of the game, from the very first contest played under “modern rules” by Cornell in 1887 to the high-scoring, high-stakes games of the NFL. This date commemorates legendary performances, such as Gene Roberts’ Giants rushing record of 218 yards in 1950 and kicker Tony Franklin’s 59-yard barefoot field goal against the Cowboys in 1979. The day also features dark-horse upsets, such as the 1988 Houston team knocking off No. 10 Wyoming with a massive 16 sacks, and the unforgettable “Body Bag Game” of 1990. Ultimately, November 12 is a testament to the game’s enduring evolution, where initial payment structures and early broadcasting battles paved the way for players like Dan Marino, who broke the all-time passing yardage record in 1995.
