By Darin 
November 2nd marks a date defined by firsts and the foundations of gridiron dominance. Imagine this: American football had barely begun, and on November 2, 1872, Rutgers and Columbia played the sport’s first-ever scoreless tie and the first game outside New Jersey!
🏈 November 2: From the First Tie to the Rise of the Hogs
Fast forward a century, and this date celebrates Leon Hart‘s Heisman-winning heroics for undefeated Notre Dame, the birth of Mark May, one of the legendary Washington “Hogs” offensive linemen, and the day Larry Little, an undrafted free agent, began building his Hall of Fame career as a dominant blocker for the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins.
November 2 Football History Headlines
November 2, 1872 – American football had not had a game played in over a year, and only 4 games had been played since the initial 1869 game, dubbed the first-ever American football game. But in 1872, Princeton and Rutgers were joined by Columbia University in participating in the new game. Rutgers traveled to New York City to challenge Columbia on this November 2, 1872, autumn day, to play what would be the very first American football game outside the state of New Jersey. The game would have another first, too, as the Rutgers vs. Columbia contest would be the first scoreless tie in the history of American football. Saturday Blitz.com has a full story on the topic that I highly recommend you read at this link: Saturday Blitz Story.
November 2, 1885 – The University of South Carolina has its first-ever win in its game against Columbia AA (20-0) in Columbia, SC. The very first game for the University of South Carolina football program occurred on December 24, 1892, in a contest against Furman College in Charleston, S.C., where the early Gamecocks were blanked 44-0 by the Paladins. Special thanks to the University of South Carolina’s Athletic Department for furnishing this information to us!
November 2, 1925 – A.G. Spalding Brothers Company sends a letter to Coach Knute Rockne to propose an endorsement of Spalding’s double-lined football. This made Rockne one of the first people in football to get a lucrative endorsement contract. (source)
November 2, 2025 – Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Cam Little kicked a 68-yard field goal, which set a new NFL record. Everyone knew Little had the leg to do it, as he knocked through a 70-yard field goal in a 2025 preseason game against Pittsburgh, but it was not an official regular-season game, thus it does not count in the records. The 68-yarder at the end of the first half, however, does eclipse the previous record of 66 yards set by Baltimore’s Justin Tucker in 2023.
November 2, 2025 – According to Pro-Football-Reference.com, Christian McCaffrey has set the NFL record for the most games with both a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown, achieving this feat in 16 games and surpassing Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk, who held the record with 15 such games. This milestone highlights McCaffrey’s versatility and dual-threat ability as a running back, combining rushing and receiving effectively across multiple games throughout his career. McCaffrey set the milestone at the Meadowlands as the 49ers faced the New York Giants.
November 2, 2005 – a 41 year-old Joe Flacco threw for 470 yards in a heartbreaking loss as the Cincinnati Bengals and Flacco fell to the Chicago Bears at home 47-42. The tremendous yardage that Flacco threw for is the most by a QB north of 40 birthdays, surpassing Tom Brady’s 447 yards number 12 tossed in September of 2017. (pro-football-reference.com)
November 2 Football Hall of Fame Birthdays
- Leon Hart
- Larry Little
- Mark May
Conclusion: Celebrating Landmark Victories and Unheralded Beginnings
From the collegiate scene where Leon Hart helped Notre Dame win three national titles and Mark May anchored a legendary Pitt offensive line, to the professional ranks, November 2nd highlights players who changed the game’s landscape. This date also celebrates the University of South Carolina’s first-ever victory in 1885 and the pioneering business move of Knute Rockne, who secured one of football’s first major endorsement deals. Most inspiring is the story of Larry Little, who went from being an undrafted free agent to a Hall of Fame guard and a key component of the NFL’s only perfect season, reminding us that greatness often rises from unheralded beginnings.