October 15 is a monumental date in American football, marking pivotal moments for both college dynasties and professional franchises. From the humbling debut of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1933 to one of the most celebrated college football Saturdays ever—featuring the 1988 Notre Dame vs. Miami “Catholics vs. Convicts” thriller—this day has it all.
Franchise Debuts, Historic Upsets, and Unbreakable Records: The Football History of October 15
We break down the biggest milestones, including Tom Brady setting the regular-season wins record and the Carolina Panthers securing their first-ever franchise victory. Dive in to explore the incredible upsets, record-breaking streaks, and defining moments from this electrifying day in football history!
October 15 American Football History Timeline
- October 15, 1884, New York City – Another football rules convention was held, and one focus was to mold the fair catch rules. The meeting defined fair catch as “a catch made directly from a kick or a throw forward, or a knock-on by one of the opposing sides, or from a punt.” Of course, in our era of football, we are only familiar with a fair catch being used on a kick or a punt.
- October 15, 1933, Polo Grounds, New York, New York – The Philadelphia Eagles played in their very 1st NFL regular season game as they faced the New York Football Giants. The Eagles were formed from the remains of the defunct Frankford Yellow Jackets franchise, which a group of Philadelphia-based businessmen bought. The profootballhof.com documentation of the game says that when the Eagles took the field for the first time, they were overwhelmed by an overpowering Giants team led by rookie quarterback Harry Newman. The Giants jumped out to an early 21-0 first-quarter lead before the starters gave way to replacements. The game didn’t get any brighter when the reserves were introduced, and New York shut out Philly 56-0. The Eagles’ struggle to get a win continued with two games against tough opponents: the Green Bay Packers and the Portsmouth Spartans. Finally, in week four of that first season, Philadelphia earned the franchise’s first victory on Sunday, November 5, 1933, winning 6-0 over the Cincinnati Reds. In their next game, they tied a tough Chicago Bears squad, then rattled off two more victories over the Pittsburgh Pirates and again over the Reds. They dropped their final two games to the Packers and Giants once again. Pro-Football-Reference indicates the Eagles’ inaugural season finished 3rd in the NFL East with a 3-5-1 record. The Chicago Bears won the 1933 season, the team the Eagles had tied 3-3 earlier in the year. The Bears beat the Giants 23-21 in the NFL Championship Game on December 7, 1933. The Eagles would go on to win 3 NFL Championships before the Super Bowl era in 1948, 1949, and again in 1960. They won Super Bowl LII in 2018 by defeating the New England Patriots 41-33.
- On October 15, 1987, the NFL Players Association ordered an end to a 24-day strike. The union failed to achieve its demands in the short term because there was no collective bargaining agreement in place. The owners had used replacement players for a couple of weeks to meet television contract commitments. It didn’t help the NFLPA cause, though, when star players such as Joe Montana, Mark Gastineau, and Steve Largent started breaking ranks and crossing the picket line. This eventually led to all of the players returning to work in week 7.
- October 15, 1988, South Bend, Indiana – The reigning champion Miami Hurricanes entered Notre Dame Stadium to face an undefeated Fighting Irish squad. It was a big game with much on the line. The hype of this game, colloquially known as Catholics vs. Convicts, lived up to every ounce of the buildup.
- October 15, 1988, Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska – A second pretty awesome matchup in college football on the same day! Number 7 Nebraska would entertain number 10 Oklahoma State in a Big 8 Conference showdown. The Huskers came out hot, grabbing every opportunity to jump out to a 42-0 lead early in the second quarter over their rivals! The Cowboys suddenly awoke from the nightmare they were in and rattled off 21 points in the second quarter, but found themselves down 49-21 at the half. The most amazing part of this contest was that the yardage was not all through the air, as one might expect in such a high-scoring game, according to a HuskerMax.com story. The two teams combined for only 349 passing yards. The combined rushing yards were an NCAA record at 778 for the game. Nebraska running back Ken Clark ran for 256 yards on 27 attempts to lead the Huskers, while OSU Cowboys Star Barry Sanders paced his team with 35 rushes for 189 yards in the Nebraska 63 to Oklahoma State 42 final score.
- October 15, 1995, Clemson’s Memorial Stadium, Clemson, South Carolina – The Carolina Panthers win their 1st game ever, beating the NY Jets 26-15. According to panthers.com, the Jets were up 12-6 with 22 seconds to go before halftime. New York quarterback Bubby Brister dropped back to pass and threw a shovel pass forward to where he thought his awaiting running back would be. Instead, Panthers linebacker Sam Mills stood in the way to accept the gift and weaved, rumbled, and tumbled 36 yards for an unexpected Panther TD before the half ended, putting the Carolina team in their inaugural season up 13-12 at the half. It was a turning point in the game and the season for the young team. They not only won that game but also won their next three and seven of their last 11, finishing 7-9, the best record for any expansion team in NFL history.
October 15 Football Hall of Fame Birthdays
No day of gridiron history would be complete without honoring the significant people in football who were born on this day.
Happy Birthday to these legendary gridiron greats! In celebration of October 15, here is the list of players organized in chronological order of birth:
- Jonas Ingram [1886]A powerhouse fullback and rower for the Navy Midshipmen, Ingram famously scored the lone touchdown in Navy’s historic 1906 victory over Army before serving as head coach in Annapolis from 1915 to 1916. He went on to become a decorated four-star Admiral in the U.S. Navy during World War II, a Medal of Honor recipient, and was enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1968.
- Huntington “Tack” Hardwick [1892]An all-around powerhouse end and halfback for Percy Haughton’s powerhouse Harvard squads, Hardwick helped guide the Crimson to consecutive undefeated national championship seasons in 1912 and 1913. A consensus All-American renowned for his punishing blocking and tackling, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954.
- Bob MacLeod [1917]A dynamic, hard-nosed halfback and defensive star at Dartmouth, MacLeod earned consensus All-American honors in 1938 and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy balloting. Selected fifth overall in the 1939 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Rams, he played for the Chicago Bears in 1939 before serving as a fighter pilot in World War II, later earning induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1977.
- Donn Moomaw [1931]A fierce, two-time All-American center and linebacker for UCLA, Moomaw anchored the Bruins’ defense in the early 1950s and had his No. 80 jersey retired by the school. Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1973, he went on to play in the CFL before embarking on a distinguished calling as a prominent Presbyterian minister.
- Milt Morin [1942]A dominant two-way force at UMass who earned consensus All-American recognition, Morin was selected in the first round of the 1966 NFL Draft and became a prototype modern tight end for the Cleveland Browns. A two-time Pro Bowler and Cleveland Browns Legend, he hauled in 271 receptions for 4,208 yards across 10 NFL seasons and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
October 15 Gridiron Image of the Day
Norman Todhunter illustrated the cover
The Panthers overpowered the Badgers 26-6 in Madison, Wisconsin. Pitt’s Marshall Goldberg led the attack, and the Panthers finished 1938 with an 8-2 Record overall and AP Poll Ranking No. 8 in the final AP poll.
Conclusion
There you have it! What a day for football this mid-month day was!
Tune back in tomorrow for more great gridiron history, or check out past posts like this one from October 14.
