By Darin 
💔 Hometown Heartbreak and Record-Breaking Wins: The Most Memorable November 14 in Football History
The date November 14 is etched into football history with tales ranging from joyous record-setting upsets to one of the sport’s greatest tragedies. Imagine this: In 1943, the New York Giants promoted their game against the Chicago Bears as “Sid Luckman Day”—a tribute to the Brooklyn-born high school legend. But the gesture backfired spectacularly. Luckman, starring for the opposition, rewarded his hometown fans by passing for a staggering 7 touchdowns as the Bears crushed the Giants, 56-7, in one of the most stunning individual performances ever witnessed at the Polo Grounds.
That heartbreaker, however, is just one chapter in a day that saw Don Shula become the winningest coach in NFL history and, sadly, marks the anniversary of the devastating 1970 Marshall University plane crash.
November 14 Football History Headlines
On November 14, 1936, the No. 5 Pittsburgh Panthers defeated the No. 6 Nebraska Cornhuskers by a score of 19-6 at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. This was a highly anticipated inter-sectional matchup, evidenced by the fact that Nebraska chose it as the one game of the year to be broadcast on the radio. The victory proved significant for Pitt, contributing to their impressive 1936 season which ultimately led them to be recognized as a consensus mythical national champion. (see banner image for Program Cover of this contest)
November 14, 1943 – Polo Grounds, New York – I don’t know if it has ever occurred before, but the home team held a special promotional day for the opposing quarterback. Yes, the New York Football Giants promoted their game against the Chicago Bears on November 14, 1943, as Sid Luckman Day, according to the goldenrankings.com website. Sid had grown up in Brooklyn and was a high school sports legend at Erasmus High.
After that, he turned down offers from larger colleges and played at local Columbia to star as a single-wing tailback. The folks around New York loved Sid Luckman because he was one of them, but the only problem was that George Halas used the first pick in the 1939 NFL Draft to claim Luckman for the Bears. The pick was a great one for Chicago as they went to three straight NFL Championship games, winning the first two, but then losing the third to Washington in 1942. Sid did not disappoint his hometown fans with his play, but he did break their hearts as he picked apart their beloved Giants. Sid Luckman passed for 7 touchdowns versus the NY Giants that day, and the Bears triumphed big by the score of 56-7. (source)
November 14, 1959 – Athens, Georgia – The number 12 Georgia hosted No. 8 Auburn in a big SEC game. Auburn came out of the gates swinging as they built a 13-7 lead on two long field goals by Hall of Famer and 1960 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Ed Dyas. Their touchdown was scored via a quarterback sneak by Bryant Harvard. Georgia’s comeback began with less than three minutes to play when Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton hit Don Soberdash for two crucial completions to set up a touchdown pass to Bill Herron with 30 seconds left. Kicker Durwood Pennington became the real hero with the game-winning point after. Georgia defeated Auburn, 14-13, in a thriller. Georgia’s victory over Auburn was its first over College Football Hall of Fame coach Ralph “Shug” Jordan and the Tigers in seven seasons, and it clinched the Bulldogs’ first SEC title since 1949. (source)
November 14, 1965 – The Baltimore Colts’ third-year backup QB, Gary Cuozzo, makes his first NFL start, replacing the injured reigning NFL MVP Johnny Unitas. Cuozzo lit up the Vikings for 5 TDs in a 41-21 rout in Minnesota. For the record, Unitas never threw more than 4 TD passes in a game. (source)
November 14, 1970 – Kenova, West Virginia – A good portion of the Marshall University football team passed away in the horrible crash of a chartered Southern Airways DC-9. All 75 people on board were killed. According to history.com’s account of the accident, the crash occurred about 2 miles from the Tri-State Airport in Kenova as the group was returning from a football game against East Carolina University. The victims included 37 players of the Thundering Herd, along with the University’s A.D., the team’s coaches, doctor, and about 25 boosters. It was one of the largest tragedies in sports history. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/plane-crash-devastates-marshall-university
November 14, 1976 – Cleveland Municipal Stadium – When the Philadelphia Eagles visited the Cleveland Browns, they knew the Browns had a pretty good defense. What they didn’t realize was that, hidden in the Cleveland lineup, was a one-person wrecking crew: Jerry Sherk. Sherk was in the Eagles’ backfield almost as much as quarterback Mike Boryla. Sherk set a club record with 4 sacks, and Cleveland won the game 24-3.
November 14, 1993 – Miami Dolphins longtime Head Coach Don Shula becomes the winningest Coach in NFL history. When the Dolphins defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 19-14, it gave Shula his 325th victory in pro football, moving him past the long-standing record of Papa Bear George Halas.
November 14, 1998 – Boulder, Colorado – In 1998, the CU Buffaloes went into the game against the Iowa State Cyclones with a 6-3 record, but had lost three out of the previous four games after a 5-0 start. The 5-0 record had earned Colorado a No. 14 ranking, but losses to No. 5 Kansas State, as well as unranked Kansas and Missouri, had dropped the Buffs out of the polls. Senior tailback Marlon Barnes rushed for a career-high 237 yards and two touchdowns as CU got back on track and rolled to a final score of Colorado 37, Iowa State 8. (source)
November 14, 1998 – The Tennessee vs Arkansas “Hand of God Game” where the Razorback blew a late 18 point leads to let the Number 1 ranked Vols escape with victory.
Conclusion: A Day of Peaks and Tragedies
From George Halas’s coaching record being surpassed by his protégé Don Shula in 1993, to backup QB Gary Cuozzo throwing more touchdowns in his first start than the legendary Johnny Unitas ever did, November 14 is a date defined by both individual brilliance and emotional extremes. It holds the painful memory of the Marshall University tragedy, a moment of profound loss for the college football world. Yet, it also celebrates moments of pure grit, like Georgia’s thrilling 1959 SEC-clinching comeback against Auburn, and defensive dominance, exemplified by Jerry Sherk’s four-sack clinic. November 14 truly captures the full, unforgettable spectrum of the game.