Football History

Charlie Brickley's impact on football wasn't limited to the college level. He carved a significant path in the early years of professional football, showcasing his talent and innovative spirit.
After graduating from Harvard, Brickley joined the professional ranks in 1902, playing for various teams like the Frankford Athletic Club, the Philadelphia Athletics, and the Shelby Blues. His talent as a quarterback was undeniable, leading his teams to numerous victories and championship titles.
Brickley's influence transcended his playing abilities. He continued to advocate for changes that would modernize the game. His invention of the spiral pass, a revolutionary technique that offered greater accuracy and distance, revolutionized offensive strategy and is still used today.
Beyond his on-field contributions, Brickley served as a coach and team manager, further shaping the professional game. He helped organize and manage early professional leagues, ensuring their stability and growth.
While his professional playing career might not be as statistically impressive as his college years, Charlie Brickley's impact on professional football remains undeniable. He was a key figure in its early development, a pioneer who left an indelible mark with his innovations, talent, and leadership.

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August 27, 1921- Evansville Crimson-Giants franchise formed and played in the NFL's early formation called the AFPA in the 1921-22 seasons. The nickname Giants was not too far off as the team was headed by the 6'-4", 250-pound star player and coach Franklin Fausch and Herb Henderson, who, according to reports could kick a ball 80 yards! The Crimson Giants were an early hit in the league as they competed with the best the AFPA offered. Their first game was played on October 2, 1921, as they knocked off the Louisville Brecks 21-0 at Bosse Field. Still, after a couple of crippling beatdowns in Green Bay, some mismanagement of team funds, and disinterest from the home fans, the Evansville Eleven had to fold in 1922. Ironically their final game on November 12, 1922, was a loss to the Louisville Brecks 13-6, closing the chapter on the franchise against the team they played in their inaugural game a year earlier.

Born December 24, 1921, in Bluefield, Virginia  was the University of Virginia’s legendary halfback Bullet Bill Dudley. Some so-called experts thought Dudley was too small to play football in the collegiate ranks as he weighed in at 152 pounds with a 5’-10” frame per the NFF.

Virginia’s Coach, Frank Murray, decided to give Bill a chance to prove all of the other recruiters wrong. What Dudley did was to become the only player to win MVP honors in college,  the Armed Forces and professional levels.

During the 1941 season Bullet Bill led the nation with 18 touchdowns, 134 points scored, a 6.2 rushing average per play and 29 touchdowns. The National Football Foundation selected Bill Dudley into their College Football Hall of Fame in 1956. The Pittsburgh Steelers did not hesitate a second to pick Bill and the first pick in the 1942 Draft of the NFL. In his 9 pro seasons he had 8217 total yards and recorded 23 interceptions and played in 3 Pro Bowls. In fact the Pro Football Hall says that Bill won a rare triple crown of awards in the NFL, he was the interception leader, the top rusher and held the punt return title in 1946. Bill Dudley found the door wide open for him to enter into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1966.

Born August 1, 1978 - Immokalee, Florida - Edgerrin James, the Pro Football Hall of Fame running back of the Indianapolis Colts and later the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks.

Edgerrin attended and played football for the Miami Hurricanes enjoying a stellar collegiate career. It was when he was picked up by the Colts in the 1999 NFL Draft that this young runner really found his groove though according to the ProFootballHOF.com. Edge earned NFL Rookie of the year honors in 1999 when he rushed for 1553 yards leading all runner in the League!

He accomplished winning the NFL rushing title again in 2000 with 1709 yards on the ground matching his TDs scored in 1999 at 13 times crossing the wide field stripe.

In fact during his 11 year career James blasted past the 1000 yard rushing mark an amazing 7 times edging past 1500 in four of those! FOr his career he recorded 12246 yards rushing with 80 scores, played in four Pro Bowls and was honored to be on the All-2000's NFL team. Let's not forget that he also hauled in 433 catches many from HOF QBs Peyton Manning and Kurt Warner for an additional 3364 yards of offense.

Born August 9, 1931, in Detroit Michigan, was legendary NFL defensive Tackle Gene Big Daddy Lipscomb. Big Daddy famously terrorized quarterbacks in the National Football League for ten seasons and also participated as a professional wrestler in the off season. His NFL career saw him on the rosters of the Los Angeles Rams, Baltimore Colts, and the Pittsburgh Steelers but his career was tragically shortened by his untimely passing at the age of 31 years old. Lipscomb's final NFL game was after the 1962 season at the Pro Bowl in January 1963, in which he was voted lineman of the game. Gene was a two-time NFL champion with the Colts in 1958 and 1959, a two-time first team All-Pro, and made it to three Pro Bowls. The Professional Football Researchers Association named Lipscomb to the PFRA Hall of Very Good Class of 2006.

In 2019, despite currently not being in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he was chosen as a finalist for the NFL's 100th Anniversary Team.

Born September 20, 1935, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was the fullback that hailed from LSU during the late 1950’s, Jim Taylor. Jim was selected as an All-American after the 1957 season for the Tigers. He was a big back for the era at 6 foot tall and weighing in at 214 pounds and the Packers picked him as the 15th overall pick in the 1958 NFL Draft.  Taylor did not disappoint as he played 10 seasons for the Pack and had a streak of  5 straight seasons of rushing for over 1000 yards! For his career he rushed for a total of 8597 yards and caught an amazing 225 passes for a combined total yardage of over 10,500 yards. The 1962 NFL Title game may be his watershed moment though in the League.  Taylor had 31 carries for 85 yards and a 7 yard touchdown run in the Championship game. Though he did fumble twice in the contest the legendary fullback added 3 receptions for 20 yards. The Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined Jim Taylor in 1976.

Born August 12, 1915 in South River, New Jersey, was two-way Pro Football Hall of Fame Center and Linebacker, Alex Wojciechowicz. Wojciechowicz played college football for the Fordham Rams from 1935 to 1937 and was a member of the line that became known as the Seven Blocks of Granite.

He was selected by the Detroit Lions in the first round of the 1938 NFL Draft and played for the Lions from 1938 to 1946. He was selected as a first-team All-NFL player in 1939 and 1944. In 1946, he was released by the Lions and then sold to the Philadelphia Eagles, for whom he played from 1946 to 1950. He won two NFL championships with the Eagles in 1948 and 1949.

They don't make them much better than this football player!

Born December 5, 1947 - Santa Clara, California - The former quarterback of the Stanford Cardinal, Jim Plunkett was born.  The NFF states that Jim Plunkett set a record in the PAC-8 Conference in passing in his sophomore season of 1968 only to reset it two more times in his junior and senior seasons. In the  1970 season, Jim won 28 awards, including the Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award and consensus All-America honors.  The National Football Foundation voted Jim Plunkett into their College Football Hall of Fame in 1990.

Charlie Berry was a great athlete. He played MLB baseball as a catcher and umpire in Major League Baseball and as an end and official in the National Football League. He also played on the famous Pottsville Maroons NFL teams of 1925 and 1926. He was the Captain of the Lafayette football team and eventually was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Berry is the only man to have officiated the World Series, the NFL Championship and the College All-Star game during the same year!