By Darin 
🤯 The Band on the Field and the Day Football Broke Records: A Legendary November 20
November 20 is a date defined by the highest of highs and the most profound sorrow, spanning nearly a century of football drama. It marks the legendary, tragic final game of George Gipp in 1920, who defied illness to throw a touchdown pass for Notre Dame before a record crowd, dying just weeks later. Yet, the day is perhaps most famous for the most bizarre play in college football history: the 1982 Cal vs. Stanford rivalry game, in which Cal’s Kevin Moen scored the game-winning touchdown after five laterals, running through the celebrating Stanford marching band that had prematurely rushed the field. From that “band on the field” miracle to Walter Payton breaking the NFL single-game rushing record with 275 yards in 1977, this date is simply unparalleled for gridiron chaos and achievement.
November 20 Football History Headlines
November 20, 1915 – Varsity Stadium, Toronto – the 7th Grey Cup was played. The Hamilton Tigers won their second title as they defeated the Toronto Rowing Association, 13-7. This contest was more of a rugby game than our modern football and was sponsored by the Canadian Rugby Union. In 1966, the CRU transferred the Cup to the Canadian Football League, according to the Canadian Encyclopedia. (source)
November 20, 1920 – Northwestern Field, Chicago, Illinois – Notre Dame’s George Gipp played in his last game on this date against the Northwestern Purple. Gipp was ill at the time and suffering from a shoulder injury he had sustained in the game against Indiana a week earlier. According to Irish Legends, George entered the field as the fans, a record 20,000 at Northwestern Field, chanted “We want Gipp!” Gipp responded to the love from the fans as he promptly threw a touchdown pass to end Eddie Anderson. The Irish won the game 33-7, but the ice-covered field and cold weather did not help Gipp’s weakened condition, and three weeks later, he was dead at the age of 25.
November 20, 1943 – Any time the top two teams in the Nation clash it is generally an epic game. During World War II, when the #1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish faced the #2 Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks, it was a doozy!
November 20, 1971 – Michigan and Ohio State have had some epic meetings, but this one really sticks out as one of the best college games of all time.
November 20, 1977 – Seattle Kingdome – Seattle Seahawks Wide receiver Steve Largent began his NFL streak of 177 consecutive games with a reception against the Houston Oilers. Pro Football Reference informs us that it was just one modest catch for 4 yards in this game that started his streak, which lasted over a decade until 176 games later. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197711200sea.htm
November 20, 1977 – Soldier Field – Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears rushed for an NFL record of 275 yards in one game. The Chicago Tribune has the story of Payton’s third season when he broke O.J. Simpson‘s mark of 273 on his final carry of a 10-7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.
On November 20, 1982, Stanford Cardinal Quarterback John Elway moved his team down the field and into field-goal range with just eight seconds remaining, allowing Mark Harmon to kick a 35-yard field goal and give Stanford the lead at 20-19. It looked like the Cardinal had the upset victory in the bag, according to history.com’s segment on the play. Elway and friends may have scored just a hair too fast, as the Cardinals still would need to kick the ball to Cal. They did so in squib-kick fashion, and Cal players used everything in the book on this final play of the game, lateralling the ball five times just as they were about to be tackled. Cal’s Kevin Moen received the final backwards toss and started running down the field, when the Stanford band ran out onto the field to celebrate what they thought was a Cardinal victory. Moen weaved through the extra traffic of musicians, even banging into a trombone player, before he finally made it to the end zone! The Bears claimed a come-from-behind victory in the most memorable of fashions!
On November 20, 1983, NY Giants Butch Woolfolk set an NFL record with 43 rushing attempts against the Philadelphia Eagles. The New York Times article from the day says it broke the record of 42 carries earlier in the 1983 season by Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back James Wilder against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Woolfolk turned those 43 carries into 159 yards on the ground as the G-men cruised to a 23-0 shutout by controlling the clock with the ground game.
November 20, 1988 – Dublin’s Lansdowne Road Stadium, Ireland – The first NCAA American Football game to ever be played in Europe took place as Boston College defeated Army 38-24 in a contest promoted as the ‘Emerald Isle Classic’ per Onthisday.com.
November 20, 1993 – Auburn, Alabama – The 58th contest of the Iron Bowl took place. In this game, the home team came away victorious as the Auburn Tigers outlasted the Alabama Crimson Tide 22-14. (source)
November 20, 1993 – A Notre Dame 21-point deficit is erased in a valiant comeback against Boston College.
November 20 Football Hall of Fame Birthdays
Here are some of the greats that celebrate birthdays on November 20.
- Bill Mallory
- Chris Bisaillon
Conclusion
November 20 encompasses a diverse tapestry of football milestones: the inaugural Grey Cup, sanctioned by the Canadian Rugby Union; the heart-wrenching final farewell of George Gipp; and the unbreakable toughness of athletes like Dwight Stephenson and Bill Mallory. It stands as a testament to durability, with Steve Largent beginning his incredible streak of consecutive games with a reception, and Butch Woolfolk setting an NFL record for rushing attempts. Above all, the twin miracles of Walter Payton’s 275-yard record-breaking match and “The Play,” in which Cal defeated Stanford by running through the band, ensure that November 20 will forever be remembered as one of the most action-packed and iconic dates in football history.