By Darin 
Birth of the Uniform and the Heisman: November 13’s Game-Changing History
November 13 is a monumental date that traces the evolution of football’s identity and equipment. It all began in 1875 with the first-ever coordinated uniforms worn during the inaugural Harvard-Yale rivalry—a spectacle that drew 2,000 paying spectators and solidified the game’s future. Fast forward a century, and this date celebrates the birth of Miami Hurricanes legend Vinny Testaverde, the school’s first Heisman Trophy winner, and the patenting of the detachable flag streamer in 1962. This simple invention revived the popular, safer alternative to flag football!
November 13 Football History Headlines
November 13, 1875 – Hamilton Park in New Haven, Connecticut – The Harvard-Yale game is the first college football contest with players wearing uniforms, according to the connecticuthistory.org website. Before that, teams took the field wearing every mismatched garment under the sun. The article goes on to say that soccer and rugby rules inspired early football’s attire, drawing on the first American rugby uniforms. These consisted of long pants tied tightly at the ankles, a jersey, and an almost-stockings-type hat. The long pants evolved to knickers that fit tightly to the skin. At that first Harvard-Yale match, Yale wore dark pants, blue jerseys, and yellow hats while Harvard sported crimson knee breeches, shirts, and stockings. The game was also the first time the schools met in what has become an annual rivalry. Yale guaranteed Harvard $75 to play, and with tickets selling for 50¢ each, 2,000 spectators filled the park.
November 13, 1937 – The undefeated, eventual national champion No. 1 Pitt Panthers narrowly escaped an upset bid from No. 11 Nebraska, winning 13-7 after the Cornhuskers held a 7-0 lead deep into the fourth quarter; the significant event was Nebraska’s 60-yard punt return touchdown on a reverse by Jack Dodd, which gave the underdog Huskers their late lead before Pitt rallied with two final-period scores.
November 13, 1962 – The patent for a detachable streamer for use in flag football was issued. According to an article on sportsrec.com, flag football dates back to 1933, but it didn’t really gain popularity until it became widespread on US military bases in the 1940s. The military brass loved it because America could not send football-battered soldiers into combat, as would happen if tackle football without pads were played. So, tackling a ball carrier was replaced with the safer practice of grabbing and pulling off a flag attached to his clothing. When the flag was taken, the player was downed. When the fellas went home after fulfilling their duties, they took the game of flag football back home with them. Civilian popularity for flag football then grew, and in the 1960s, a league called the National Touch Football League formed. This group did away with the flags, though, and used the two-handed touch to replace the tackle. Touching with two hands was often a very disputable judgment when in the heat of battle on the gridiron. “You only got me with one hand!” was a common argument on the fields of touch football. One man who must have recognized this issue had a solution: a guy named F. E. Steinkamp filed for US Patent 3,063,718 on November 13, 1962, for detachable streamers for the means used to play touch football. It was about a decade later that they became popular, when flag football returned in the 1970s and spread across college campuses. The article goes on to say that the University of New Orleans hosted the first National Collegiate Flag Football Championship in 1979. Two years later, in 1981, the sport opened to allow schools to play each other when the inaugural National Collegiate Flag Football Championship was held in Shreveport, Louisiana. (source)
November 13, 1965 – Salt Lake City, Utah – Texas Western University defeated the University of Utah, 20-19. Texas Western is now known as UTEP in today’s football landscape. The NFF’s website story on this game tells us about the final play: Miners quarterback Billy Stevens tossed a miraculous 92-yard touchdown pass to Bob Wallace with 16 seconds left for the go-ahead score —it was basically a walk-off win! Wallace also scored the first points of the game on an 89-yard punt return for a touchdown in the second quarter before the Utes leaped to a 19-7 edge on two rushing touchdowns by tailback Ben Woodson. On the defensive side of the ball, Fred Carr led the Miners with 15 tackles.
November 13, 1993 – No. 2 Notre Dame 31, No. 1 Florida State 24. Check out out our recap summary post on on of College Football’s greatest games ever.
November 13 Football Hall of Fame Birthdays
- Bob Pellegrini
- Vinny Testaverde
Conclusion: From Fashion to Finish-Line: Defining the Gridiron Spectacle
November 13 encapsulates the essential elements of football: identity, innovation, and dramatic finishes. This date marks the foundational step toward team branding with the simple act of matching jerseys in 1875. It honors the birth of Hall of Famers like two-way star Bob Pellegrini and legendary quarterback Vinny Testaverde. The day’s history also features thrilling gridiron moments, including Texas Western’s miraculous 92-yard, game-winning touchdown pass with 16 seconds left, proving that November 13 delivers both historic substance and heart-stopping spectacle.