Football History

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In our efforts to preserve football history, we spread some nuggets of fact in bite-sized pieces. This little exercise from the Bronze Bust gang will enlighten and entertain.

In just 17 seconds you may learn something you didn't know about football.

On June 24th, 1922, a new chapter unfolded in the history of American football. The Racine Legion, a team based in Racine, Wisconsin, took the field for the first time. This short-lived franchise, later known as the Racine Tornadoes, would leave its mark on the National Football League (NFL) during its brief but exciting existence from 1922 to 1926.

This post delves into the fascinating story of the Racine Legion/Tornadoes. We'll explore their rise to prominence, their battles against the league's early giants, and the factors that ultimately led to their demise. So, gear up for a journey through a forgotten era of the NFL, where a Wisconsin town witnessed the rise and fall of a team that packed a punch in its short time on the gridiron.

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The podcast episode presents a compelling dialogue between Darin Hays and Timothy P. Brown, who dives into the historical complexities of college football programs that have experienced declines or outright cancellations. Brown, known for his expertise on football history through his work at FootballArchaeology.com, provides a thoughtful analysis of the interplay between football programs and their respective stadiums, particularly focusing on Catholic universities. As Hays sets the stage, he emphasizes the importance of remembering these programs and their legacies, inviting listeners to reflect on the broader implications of their histories.

Of course, this discussion all stems from Tim's original article titled: Stadium Size, Football Dropper - Catholic Univ.

The audio-only podcast of the discussion can be found at: Decline of Catholic U.

In a detailed exploration, Brown shares intriguing anecdotes about various schools, including Catholic University, which once had a vibrant football culture. The conversation highlights the significance of stadium size and capacity as indicators of a program's success or failure. Brown recounts how many schools, during the 1920s, sought to emulate the success of Notre Dame by investing in football, leading to the construction of sizable stadiums. However, as the conversation unfolds, it becomes clear that these investments did not guarantee long-term sustainability. Brown attributes the decline of many programs to a combination of factors, including financial constraints, demographic shifts, and resource limitations faced by urban universities. He reflects on how the events of World War II drastically impacted college athletics, leading institutions to reassess their commitment to football amidst manpower shortages and budgetary pressures.

The dialogue also addresses the contemporary landscape of college football, where the challenges of urban institutions persist. Brown discusses how land constraints and high operational costs continue to hinder football programs at schools located in densely populated areas. Despite these challenges, he offers a glimpse of hope as he points to a growing trend of D3 schools reinstating football programs as a strategic initiative to attract students. This episode ultimately serves as a rich narrative that intertwines historical insights with current realities, making it a valuable resource for anyone interested in the evolution of college football and its cultural significance.

Takeaways:

-The episode discusses the history of college football programs that have dropped or de-emphasized their football teams, focusing on the reasons behind these decisions.

-Timothy P. Brown explores the significant impact of stadium size on football programs and their sustainability over time.

-The podcast highlights the shift in Catholic universities' investment in football due to the influence of Notre Dame's success in the 1920s.

-Budget constraints and manpower shortages are key factors leading to the cancellation of football programs in various universities.

-The discussion includes how urban universities face unique challenges, such as land constraints, making it difficult to maintain football programs.

-Catholic University, which dropped its football program during WWII, later revived it in 1977, showcasing the evolving landscape of college sports.

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The tackle for loss is always a goal for the defenders on the line, but who has taken down the QB in a season the most?

Our statuary friends in the Great Hall pose this question, and like always, they have the answer in this daily nugget of knowledge of football history.

Welcome to Bronze Busts Football Facts, a series where we explore fascinating moments in football history and uncover the legends behind the sport. From the first paid player to the founding of the NFL, each episode reveals a key milestone that shaped the game we love today. Join us as we celebrate the icons, the events, and the unforgettable plays that have left their mark on the field. Let’s dive into the rich history preserved in the Halls of Greats, and share these amazing football facts with you!

Listeners are taken on an engaging exploration of Leeman’s life, from his rural upbringing to his experiences in the fast-paced world of professional football in the 1940s. The episode highlights Leeman’s unique perspective on life as a player during a time when the sport was still in its infancy. One particularly compelling story recounted is how Leemans managed to lead his team to victory without achieving a single first down in a game against the Washington Redskins, showcasing the unpredictability and excitement of early football. This narrative serves as a springboard for broader discussions about the evolution of football strategies and the significance of camaraderie among teammates in overcoming challenges.

Furthermore, the hosts delve into Myron Cope's literary contributions, particularly his efforts to document the stories of early NFL players. The episode emphasizes the importance of preserving football history through literature and storytelling, urging listeners to appreciate the rich narratives that surround the sport. The recommendation to read Cope’s book, “The Game That Was,” encapsulates the episode's dedication to honoring the past while engaging with the present and future of football. The episode concludes by inviting listeners to stay tuned for more insights and stories from the world of American football, reinforcing the notion that the spirit of the game continues to thrive through shared history and collective memory.

Takeaways
-This episode commemorates the 100th anniversary of the New York Giants and highlights their storied history.

-Darin Hayes shares insights about Tuffy Lehman's contributions to the Giants and his playing career.

-The podcast discusses Myron Cope's book, 'The Game That Was', focusing on early NFL players.

-Tuffy Leeman's unique experience with the Giants included finding the city quite boring.

-Interesting anecdotes about a 1942 game where the Giants won without a single first down.

-Listeners are encouraged to check out the new book about the 1922 Rose Bowl coaches.

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The facts of football seem to come to life straight from the hallway of legends. In this short video our Bronze Busts provide the NFL leader in career interceptions, and the answer might amaze you.

Welcome to Bronze Busts Football Facts, a series where we explore fascinating moments in football history and uncover the legends behind the sport. From the first paid player to the founding of the NFL, each episode reveals a key milestone that shaped the game we love today. Join us as we celebrate the icons, the events, and the unforgettable plays that have left their mark on the field.

Let’s dive into the rich history preserved in the Halls of Greats, and share these amazing football facts with you!

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The Bronze Busts tackle this intriguing question of the most consecutive NFL playoff appearances in this episode.

Welcome to Bronze Busts Football Facts, where we bring you key moments and iconic figures from the rich history of football. In each episode, we highlight pivotal events—from the first paid player to the birth of the NFL—that have shaped the sport and its legacy. Join us as we share fascinating football facts and celebrate the legends who made the game what it is today.

Dive into the history preserved in the Halls of Greats, and let’s uncover the stories behind the game’s greatest milestones!

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The question of the franchise with the most wins in NFL playoff history is somewhat of a moving target. We have the answer, at least for the end of the 2023 season, in this entertaining video short.

Pigskin Dispatch is on a mission to preserve football history through all forms of media that can be imagined. let's Huddle up and have fun with football!

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The 1938 season marked a pinnacle in the New York Giants' history. Under the guidance of coach Steve Owen, the team clinched the NFL Eastern Division title and ultimately captured the NFL Championship, solidifying their status as a dominant force in professional football.

The Giants' regular season was marked by a balanced attack strategy, a testament to their versatility and adaptability. With a record of 8-2-1, they demonstrated their prowess on both sides of the ball. Their defense was a formidable obstacle for opponents, allowing the fewest points in the league. On offense, the team's balanced attack effectively moved the ball down the field and capitalized on scoring opportunities.

-The 1938 Season in NFL Eastern Division

The New York football club needed clear sailing through the season to represent the Eastern Division in the League finals. The Washington Redskins were the front runners of the East teams going into the pivotal games of week 10 of the '38 season. In their way were the defending NFL Champions, the Washington Redskins.

Washington lost to the Chicago Bears 31-7 in week 10, which allowed the Giants to take over the top spot as N.Y. blanked the Cleveland Rams 28-0. Less than a month later, the stage was set for the December 4 game at the Polo Grounds, where the G-Men would host their foes from the Nation's Capitol. This was, in essence, a game for the Eastern Title as the Giants sat at 7–2–1, and the Redskins were perched with a 6-2-2 record going into the contest. It was a win-and-in scenario for Washington, while the Giants could move on with a win or a tie. The game was a rematch from the 1937 season, which Washington won handily 49-14, propelling them to the NFL Championship game victory over the Bears 28-21.

On December 4, 1938, the largest NFL crowd of the season gathered at the Polo Grounds: 57,461 screaming fans, mainly from the Big Apple, witnessed the action.

The Skins were a talented bunch led by star Quarterback Slingin' Sammy Baugh, End Bob McChesney, Fullback Andy Farkas, and fellow fieldmates Ernie Pinkert, Max Krause, and Jay Turner.

The Giants countered with a star-studded roster featuring Quarterback Ed Danowski, backs Tuffy Leemans, Bull Karcis, Ward Cuff, Center Mel Hein, and End Jim Lee Howell.

Much of the stat line for the game was misleading, as Washington outgained New York 207 to 160 in total offensive yards, and the visitors tallied 13 first downs to the Giants 6 times of reaching the line to gain. This is very misleading, as all the other numbers in the game heavily leaned towards the home team.

The Giants' defense was outstanding, forcing seven D.C. fumbles that helped propel Big Blue to a 36-0 route. Four of the five New York TDs were set up on Redskin miscues. The scoring was led by Chuck Gelatka, who caught a Leeman's pass for a score and also took Baugh's interception to the house. Cuff completed a Pick-Six of his own, measuring 96 yards, and added more points off his toe in the kicking game.

-The 1938 Season NFL Championship Game

The Giants' successful season climaxed in the championship game against the Green Bay Packers, held on December 11 at the Polo Grounds. Over 48,000 spectators entered the New York City venue gates to root their teams on. The game was a thrilling contest that showcased both teams' talent and determination.

The Packers had won the Western Division with an 8-4 record, outlasting the challenges of the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears, who were nipping at their heels much of the season. A couple of weeks earlier, a dramatic win by the Pack over the Lions 28-7 and a regular season-ending Eagles victory over Detroit sealed the Green Bay appearance in the Title game.

Under Head Coach Curly Lambeau, Green Bay featured quarterback Arnie Herber and his favorite target, Don Hutson. Other formidable gridiron legends, such as Cecil Isbell, Ed Jankowski, Andy Uram, and Clark Hinkle, were also on the Wisconsin team's roster.

On game day, just before the coin toss, Giant star Mel Hein was presented with a watch by NFL President Joe Carr. This watch signified him as the League's Most Outstanding Player for the season, as he was at the top of the News Pro All-America voting. This award matches the modern NFL Player of the Year honors.

The fans were in for a treat as the game lived up to the hype in one of the season's most exciting NFL contests. Staying true to form, the Giants took advantage of their opponent using opportunities made on defense, and maybe more accurately stated, special teams, and jumped out a nine-point lead in the first quarter on a Ward Cuff field goal set up after New York's Jim Lee Howell blocked a Packer punt the Giants recovered at the Green Bay seven. Three straight rushes were stymied by the Packers short-yardage defense, which set up Cuff's three-pointer.

A bit later, a second Cecil Isbell punt was blocked, this time by Jim Poole, with Howell diving on the ball at the Green Back 26. After a short pass gained ground, the Packers D was loosened up for the Tuffy Leemans show to commence. Leemans was handed the leather on multiple plays until he finally twisted and turned through a reported four would-be Packers tacklers for the Giant's first TD. John Gildea's extra point try missed the mark, but the first quarter ended with the Giants up 9-0.

The second stanza featured a flurry of points between the two teams. Green Bay got on the board when Arnie Herber scrambled and launched a 49-yard strike to Carl Mulleneaux, who stepped under the goal post and over the goal line to cut the New York lead to two.

The momentum was with the Packers, who held the Giants on the next series and got the ball back, moving it to midfield before they fumbled, and New York's future Hall of Famer Mel Hein came out of the pile with the pigskin. The Giants scored a TD of their own six plays later with a short pass from Danowski to Hap Barnard.

Coach Lambeau would later comment that the officials made a bad call on the pass play and claim that moving pictures would show Barnum losing control of the ball and flying out of bounds, making it not a catch but an incomplete pass, which would have nullified the score.

Isbell helped the Packers get back into the game just before the half, leading a drive with his legs and arms that culminated when Paul Miller plunged over the goal line behind the block of his right guard to make the score 16-14 Giants at the intermission.

-It Was a Crazy Half Time Session

Usually, Coach Lambeau would make some adjustments and possibly give a rousing speech in the locker room at the half, but this particular game, the legendary sideline chief was eerily absent.

The halftime session was filled with drama as Curly Lambeau needed clarification from the officials as they were walking off the field and in not following the rest of the team to the Polo Grounds Visitors locker room, Lambeau made a wrong turn and, by some bizarre circumstance, found himself outside of the stadium! When he tried to return, the gatekeepers did not recognize him and would not believe his story to let him reenter.

Eventually, the commotion of Lambeau's pleas was heard by sportswriters who confirmed his identity, and Ole Curly was allowed entrance just in time to go back to the field with the team. The team showed no effects from not having their field boss in the locker room.

-Thrilling Second Half

The second half started with excitement when Green Bay's Joe Law returned the kick-off to the Packers's 31, and a combination of long runs by Clark Hinkle and Bob Monnett moved the drive to the New York fourteen before a fourth and less than a half yard brought on a field goal try. The boot by Paul Engebretsen was true, and the visitors went up by one on the scoreboard. This lead would only be for three minutes.

New York took the ball after the kick and went on a long drive that ended with Giants back Hank Soar snatching an errant pass off Hinkle's fingertips and then tiptoeing across the goal line stripe to put Big Blue up 23-17.

The game had a controversial fourth-quarter play that Lambeau would later point to when an apparent long pass play from Herber to Gantenbein, which would have moved the sticks, was called back by officials who stated that the receiver was ineligible. The Giant's defense held on to the next play and gave New York the ball back. Their drive was stalled, and Green Bay would get the ball back with little time left.

The Packers were not done yet, though. In the last eleven seconds of regulation, the Green Bay offense moved forty yards.

Ultimately, the Giants emerged victorious with a score of 23-17, securing their place in NFL history as champions.  

The 1938 New York Giants were a team defined by their grit, skill, and, most importantly, their unwavering commitment to excellence and opportunistic defensive and special team play. This dedication and determination were critical factors in their championship triumph, a cherished chapter in the franchise's storied legacy.

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Lace up your cleats and step back in time to December 9th, 1934, for a championship game unlike any other. This isn't just about a battle between gridiron giants – the New York Giants and Chicago Bears. This is the story of ingenuity, adaptation, and a surprising footwear choice that changed the course of the game, earning it the unforgettable nickname: The Sneakers Game.

Get ready for a tale of frozen fields, underdog tactics, and a legendary fourth-quarter comeback fueled by...well, let's just say it wasn't your typical football gear. Join us as we delve into the history of this iconic game, exploring the strategies, the stars, and the unexpected twist that secured victory for one lucky team. So, grab some hot cocoa, because things are about to get interesting (and a little slippery) in the 1934 NFL Championship Game!

-The 1934 Season

The defending champion Chicago Bears, a team that had dominated the NFL in 1934 and went undefeated in the regular season, were the Giants' formidable opponents.

December 9, 1934 - Polo Grounds, New York City - "The Sneakers game" is what this National Football League Championship game has been fondly branded. This was a rematch of the two teams that played in the 1933 League Championship contest, the Chicago Bears and the New York Giants. The Bears entered the game as the favorites; after all, they had not lost a game all season and had beaten the Giants twice earlier. The November 4 match-up of the two squads at Wrigley Field saw the home team dismantle New York 27-7. The two franchises met again two weeks later at the Polo Grounds, and the Bears won out again in a much closer decision, 10-9.

The Bears had a roster of All-Stars and future Hall of Famers. Experienced veterans like Red Grange, George Musso, Walt Keisling, Link Lyman, and Bronko Nagurski complemented the athleticism of Keith Molesworth, Rookie Beattie Feathers, Bill Karr, and Jack Manders. Yes, George Halass has put together an extremely talent-laden roster.

The Giants countered with a strong supporting cast of Red Badgro, Ray Flaherty, Mel Hein, Ed Danowski, and Ken Strong but ran the gambit with a disappointing 8-5 regular season mark. New York had suffered two season-opening losses, one to Green Bay and the other to Detroit, to back into the season 0-2 before rattling off four straight. The Giants did just enough to win the East outlasting the 6-6 Boston Redskins for the right to play in the NFL Championship game.

The Giants were quite confident entering the contest; though blown out in Chicago during the regular season, they played the Bears almost even on the Polo Grounds' home field. Coach Owen had to carefully search for an edge to give his team an advantage and a fighting chance against the undefeated Champs. Ultimately, this 'leg up' would reveal itself on game day.

The 1934 NFL Title Game

The game was played in New York as the NFL practiced an alternate rotation of East and West Conference's home-field advantage for the title game participants. You may remember from a previous discussion that the 1933 game was played at Wrigley when the two teams squared off. Weather in New York City in early December is always a factor to consider, and in this case, rain the night before froze as temperatures plummeted below 32 degrees to the teens, leaving the Polo Grounds turf and every other outdoor surface in the Big Apple more like a hockey rink that a gridiron battlefield. A sparse crowd of over 35,000 braved the elements to watch the contest in the frozen stands.

The early portion of the contest went as the oddsmakers calculated. Molesworth was a handful for the Giant's defenders as he and Nagurski slashed and pounded the football for chunks of yardage in the first half. Chicago's bright young star, Beattie Feathers, was injured and unavailable for this big game. Bronko eventually lumbered his way over the goal line, and Chicago jumped out to a 10-3 lead by the intermission.

A Change in Momentum

John Mara, the Giants treasurer, noticed that the turf of the Polo Grounds was practically a sheet of ice just hours before kick-off. Mara let the coaching staff, including team Captain Ray Flaherty, know about the field. Flaherty's thoughts returned to a game he remembered that he and his team at Gonzaga College had played with similar icy conditions where they took off their cleats and put on basketball shoes to try and gain better traction. Flaherty wanted the Giants to take the same action; however, since it was a Sunday, no sporting goods store was in the open area. That's when some networking and a true home-field advantage played out.

The Giants' equipment personnel hurried to Manhattan College to borrow their basketball teams' footwear. Both teams initially struggled with traction, but Head Coach Steve Owen's secret strategy and the Giants' determination turned the tide. At halftime, it was time for a footwear revision, and Owen's receivers and backs donned the limited number of sneakers they had on loan, gaining a significant advantage.

At the onset of the second half, things got worse for the Giants as the visitors padded the lead with a field goal that went up 13-3.

Ken Strong's talents were shown bright that day even though he had been banged up due to a rough injury-plagued season, and star end Red Badgro had suffered a season-ending wound in an earlier game, preventing him from playing in the title tilt. He was the Giants' weapon of choice for much of the game, but for the first three quarters, the Bears' defense limited his effectiveness. Strong and the Giants finally caught a break in the third, but it was almost heartbreaking. Ed Danowski stepped back to pass as the Giants drove deep into Chicago territory. The QB's toss seemed destined for glory until Chicago's Carl Brumbaugh stepped in front and appeared to intercept the ball. However, New York receiver Ike Frankian swiped the ball out of the Bears's defender's mits and strolled into the endzone to close the gap on the Chicago lead, avoiding the disaster and making it 13-10 early in the fourth quarter.

After a quarter, the Giants were literally and figuratively finding their footing as the rubber-soled footwear, with its suction cup design to grab a hold on the hardwoods, gave traction to the New York bunch that wore them. It was all Giants the rest of the way as Ken Strong crossed the stripe twice, the first one on a 41-yard scamper to paydirt, followed by another of his own and a Danowski TD run as an insurance policy.

The G-men scored four touchdowns in the final stanza, surprising the Chicago Bears with a 30-13 Giants comeback victory route.

For their efforts, the players on the Giants received a check of $621.03 each while the Bears players licked their wounds on the long train ride back to the Windy City, holding their pay receipts up to just over $400 each.

Little did anyone know that this game would go down in history, not just for the Giants' victory but also for the innovative strategy that changed the course of football.