Football History on 30th of April

Born April 30, 1887, Scranton, Pennsylvania, was Doc Fenton the great signal caller of Mansfield Normal School from 1904 to 1906 and LSU from 1907 to 1909. Doc had been playing rugby up in Canada when at the urging of a fellow Pennsylvanian he enrolled at Mansfield and played football. At Mansfield in 1906 he was the starting end to put that in perspective this was the first season that the forward pass was legal in college football. Fenton had the urge to move to the warmer climate of the South, and according to the website AndtheValleyShook.com he started having conversations with head coach Fred Furman of Mississippi A&M. However the new coach at LSU caught wind of this, Edgar Wingard, who is described as a “notorious hellraiser.” Wingard had implemented a fast-paced offense which relied on deception, speed, and the newly invented forward pass. Coach W. also evidently had some skills as an early twentieth Century Gridiron recruiter too as he talked Doc into a recruiting visit to Baton Rouge, and then sealed the deal with the promise of nickel beers and a reminder of Starkville’s, the Home of Mississippi A&M, blue laws that prevented alcohol. That was enough for Fenton, who signed with LSU and immediately transformed the team into an offensive juggernaut. He enrolled at Louisiana State and the Tigers team that had scored just 34 points in six games in 1906 scored 28 points in its season opener in 1907 with Doc on the field. After some midseason struggles, the Tigers finished up their campaign with a 48-0 blowout win over Baylor and an invitation to play the University of Havana in the Bacardi Bowl, becoming the first American college team to play on foreign soil. Shortly before the Bowl game the promoter feared it would be his financial ruin and he tried to back out of the game, threatening to cancel it however the locals sold ticket to Cuban High Society members as well as American GI’s stationed on the island country and the game went off as planned with the local Havana team hosting the Tigers. Shortly before kick off Fenton noticed the gigantic 300 pound plus Havana player tipping back what was described as a “fair share of wine.” Doc instructed a teammate to hit him in the stomach on the game’s first play, and according to Fenton, “the big guy spouted wine like an artesian well. We nearly had to swim out of there.” LSU dominated from this point on, and Cuban fans lauded Fenton as “El Rubio Vaselino,” the “Vaselined Redhead” for his amazing play and slippery moves in the open field. On that Christmas Day, 1907, LSU defeated Havana University at Havana, Cuba, 56-0 as Fenton started the lopsided victory by scoring the game's first touchdown. The initial Bacardi Bowl game was such a success that Cuban officials attempted to schedule a second game before the players returned home. According to Marshall Gandy, the players received $25 to play a second game a few days later, even loaning some players to the Cuban side to even up the rosters. LSU won that game as well, but now, technically, every single player on LSU’s roster was now a professional. That would come back to haunt the program later on. As a member of the Tigers Fenton also place kicked field goals as well as extra points and scored 107 points in 1907. In 1908 he played two games at end, then became a quarterback for the rest of his career. He scored 132 points in 1908, 59 points in 1909. For his three years at LSU he totaled 298 points. This included 36 touchdowns. His longest field goal was 45 yards. The College Football Hall of Fame proudly placed a display in honor of Doc Fenton into their legendary museum in 1971.

Born April 30, 1918, in East Boston, Massachusetts , was Georgetown University’s tough guard, Augie Lio. According to his bio on the NFF’s website was known as a bruising blocker and acclaimed for his uncanny accuracy as a place kicker. In both of these capacities Agostine "Augie" Lio was a valuable asset to the Georgetown Hoyas. Beginning in the fall of 1938, Lio's first year on the team, Georgetown started out on a 23-game winning streak. Boston College unfortunately ended the Hoyas’ string of victories in the narrowest of margins.. The game had started great as Lio scored the first 10 points virtually by himself. He led the team to the first touchdown by executing key blocks, kicking the extra point and added a field goal soon afterward. Despite his efforts, the team went down to defeat, 19-18. Lio's potent performance spurred writer Grantland Rice to write; "It was the greatest all-around exhibition of power, skill, deception and spirit that I ever saw. Lio booted the early field goal with the ease of a pro." Lio received All- America honors before going on to play professional football. Augie Lio’s collegiate football records are celebrated in the College Football Hall of Fame after his induction in 1979.

In this episode of the Football History Headlines, we discuss the 1st Spring Meeting of the early NFL and its changes as well as many more Legendary stories. As we flip the calendar page, we delve into another chapter of pigskin history. From legendary comebacks that defied the odds to r...

Born April 30, 1941, in West Monroe, Louisiana, was the LSU Tigers two-way halfback and defensive back from 1960 to 1962, Jerry Stovall. The FootballFoundation.org sings the praises of Stovall indicating that he was unanimous All-America selection in 1962, Jerry Stovall was a literal "Mr. Everything" for LSU, playing halfback, leading his team in rushing and receiving and handling punting duties during his three years in Baton Rouge. What a player this guy was, he finished at LSU with 1,071 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground, adding 462 yards and one touchdown receiving. Jerry also held the LSU record for highest punting average (42.1) in a season, amassing 165 attempts for 6,477 yards by career's end. Stovall gained nearly 700 return yards on special teams and recorded seven interceptions as a defensive standout. Jerry Stovall was honored with induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008 after the National Football Foundation tallied their votes.