By Darin 
November 24 stands as one of the most action-packed dates in football history, spanning historic Notre Dame upsets in Yankee Stadium, championship thrillers in the CFL Grey Cup, and record-breaking NFL performances. This single day witnessed the “last Rockne player”, Don Hanley, securing a symbolic victory for Notre Dame over Army in 1934, and saw the legendary Jim Brown explode for 237 yards and four touchdowns during his rookie season in 1957. Crucially, November 24th is a Pro Football Hall of Fame birthday bash, marking the births of giants like five-time All-Pro Yale Lary, Steeler great John Henry Johnson, two-way lineman Stan Jones, and transformative NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue. Dive into the CFL’s coldest championship, the storied Iron Bowl rivalry clashes, and the birth of gridiron royalty that define November 24.
November 24 Football History Headlines
November 24, 1934 – Yankee Stadium, The Bronx, New York – 81,000 fans packed the “House that Ruth Built” to watch the heavily favored Army team take on Notre Dame. It was so compelling that fans were seen sitting in the aisles on all three decks of the stadium. It was a tight defensive battle much of the game. With little time remaining, Irish Head Coach Elmer Layden, who had been one of the Four Horsemen during his playing days, sent in fullback Don Hanley. Hanley was the last player on the roster to have played under the legendary Coach Knute Rockne, who died in a tragic plane crash in March of 1931 while en route to appear in the film The Spirit of Notre Dame. Hanley took the hand off in the final seconds and plunged over the goal line to give Notre Dame the 12-6 upset victory. The press ate up the story of Hannley being one of Knute’s players, and with Layden also being a former star for Rockne, the symbolic torch of coaching a winning Notre Dame program was passed. (source)
November 24, 1934 – Toronto’s Varsity Stadium – The 22nd CFL Grey Cup was played as the Sarnia Imperials faced the Regina Roughriders. Regina had played in 7 Grey Cup finals in the past 12 seasons, going into the game, according to the cfl.ca site. The Imperials went on to win their first Championship with a 20-12 win over the Regina Roughriders, completing an undefeated season.
November 24, 1951– Varsity Stadium, Toronto – The 39th Grey Cup Final for the CFL Championship was played. In the tight game, the Ottawa Rough Riders came out victorious, claiming their 4th Championship with a 21-14 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Roughriders scratched and clawed their way into the big game as they finished with a record of 8-6, not to be confused with the Champion Ottawa Rough Riders. That must have been a tough one to listen to on the radio broadcast when the Roughriders played the Rough Riders! (source)
November 24, 1956 – Varsity Stadium, Toronto – According to the CFL.ca, it was the third consecutive year the Edmonton Eskimos faced the Montreal Alouettes in the Grey Cup Final. The old saying goes, The more things change, the more they stay the same. Well, in this case, it was true: the Edmonton Eskimos defeated the Montreal Alouettes for the 3rd straight year, but this time it was 50-27.
November 24, 1957 – Cleveland Browns running back Jim Brown rushed for 237 yards and 4 touchdowns against the Los Angeles Rams. It was Brown’s rookie season, and according to fs64sports, Brown wasn’t even the Browns’ target in the 1957 Draft; Len Dawson was. The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Dawson before the Browns had a chance, so they went with their next choice, Jim Brown of Syracuse. But did that ever work out well for Cleveland!
November 24, 1964 – New York City – The 30th Heisman Trophy Award winner was announced as John Huarte, the Quarterback from Notre Dame. Per the American Football Database, the Irish lost only once during the season, as Huarte threw for 2,062 yards on 205 passes, averaging 10 yards per pass. In the 1965 Chicago College All-Star Game, where Huarte led a squad against the defending NFL Champion Cleveland Browns, John Huarte was the MVP of the game.
November 24, 1973 – The Michigan-Ohio State game was amped up more than usual, as the teams were ranked.
November 24, 1974 – Empire Stadium, Vancouver – The CFL’s Grey Cup played for the 62nd time pitted the Montreal Alouettes against the Edmonton Eskimos once again. The time Montreal got the better of the Eskimos on a slick, wet field by the score of 20-7 per onthisday.com.
November 24, 1979 – Tokyo, Japan – Notre Dame beats Miami 40-15 in the Mirage Bowl per Irishlegends.com.
Fandom.com explains that the Mirage Bowl was an annual college football game hosted in Tokyo, Japan, from 1977 through 1993. The game was renamed the Coca-Cola Bowl or Coca-Cola Classic in 1986 and kept this name until the event was discontinued after the 1993 season.
November 24, 1985 – Olympic Stadium, Montreal – The 73rd CFL Grey Cup had the BC Lions defeating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 37-24. Onthisday.com informs us that it was the final CFL game played with a 25-yard-long end zone. (source)
November 24, 1991 – RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C. – After starting off the season with a perfect 12-0 record, the Washington Redskins lost to the Dallas Cowboys 24-21, according to the Washington Post. The Cowboys lost their starting QB, Troy Aikman, in the 3rd quarter, but still controlled the clock for 39 minutes, and the Dallas D held the Washington rushing offense to a mere 50 yards, helping Dallas defeat their arch rivals. (source)
November 24, 1991 – Winnipeg Stadium – The CFL’s 79th Grey Cup featured the Toronto Argonauts defeating the Calgary Stampeders, 36-21. Weather played a major factor in the game, as temperatures dropped to -16 degrees Celsius at kickoff, making it the coldest Grey Cup Game ever. Rocket Ismail, formerly of Notre Dame and an all-time CFL great, was the game’s MVP. At the same time, Calgary’s Dave Sapunjis was the Most Valuable Canadian. The Boatmen celebrated the Championship under their new ownership of LA Kings owner Bruce McNall, hockey player Wayne Gretzky, and actor John Candy, per the onthisday.com website.
November 24, 1996 – Ivor Wynne Stadium, Hamilton – The 84th CFL Grey Cup was played, per the Toronto.com website. The Toronto Argonauts won their 13th CFL title as they beat the Edmonton Eskimos, 43-37. Quarterback Doug Flutie of the Argos was the game’s MVP. This edition of the Grey Cup is sometimes called The Snow Bowl because of the near blizzard-like weather conditions.
November 24, 2002 – Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton – The 90th edition of the CFL Grey Cup saw the Montreal Alouettes defeat the Edmonton Eskimos 25-16. It marked the 5th time that a Don Matthews team won the Grey Cup title.
November 24, 2007– Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, AL. – In the 72nd volume of the annual Iron Bowl, it was just as much a matchup of coaching strategy as it was raw talent on the field. Alabama had recently hired Nick Saban to counter Auburn’s success under Tommy Tuberville, according to the ESPN.com story on the game. The Tigers scored a touchdown with Brandon Cox running a sneak from 1 yard out to hang on for a 17-10 SEC victory over their rival, the Crimson Tide of Alabama.
November 24, 2012 – Tuscaloosa, Alabama – The 77th Iron Bowl was a one-sided affair as the Crimson Tide dominated every aspect of the game, per the piece on sbnation.com. Alabama blanked their arch nemesis, Auburn, in a statement game, 49-0, serving notice to the nation who the top team was. The Tide went 13-1 that season and outmatched Notre Dame in the Bowl Championship Game.
November 24, 2013 – Taylor Field, Regina – At the 101st Grey Cup for the CFL Championship, the Saskatchewan Roughriders won their 4th title, defeating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, 45-23. The Most Valuable Player was Roughriders running back Kory Sheets, who set a Grey Cup record by rushing for 197 yards and 2 touchdowns, thanks to a onthisday.com post.
November 24, 2018. Alabama wins over. Auburn…..52-21
November 24, 2019 – McMahon Stadium, Calgary, Alberta – The 107th Grey Cup Game was played as the Hamilton Tiger-Cats tangled with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The Bombers were the better team that day, as they dominated the T-Cats 33-12, per the CFL.ca story. Winnipeg’s Andrew Harris was honored with earning both the MVP and the Most Valuable Canadian Awards, for unbelievably the first time in Cup history!
November 24 Football Hall of Fame Birthdays
- Dixie Howell
- Dick Duden
- Dick Scott
- John Henry Johnson
- Yale Lary
- Paul Tagliabue
- Stan Jones
- Pervis Atkins
- Terry Kinard
Conclusion
From the legendary atmosphere of Yankee Stadium, where the passing of the torch from Knute Rockne was celebrated, to the frigid fields of Winnipeg, where Rocket Ismail secured an MVP trophy in the Coldest Grey Cup Ever, November 24 is a day defined by high drama and lasting impact. The day is rich with college lore, including the awarding of the Heisman to Notre Dame’s John Huarte and the annual intensity of the Iron Bowl rivalry. Beyond the games themselves, the number of Hall of Famers born on this date—including Stan Jones, John Henry Johnson, and Paul Tagliabue—ensures that November 24th will always be celebrated as a cornerstone date in the history of both American and Canadian professional football.