Football History

Step into a time machine where cleat meets mud, pigskins soar, and legends are born. The Football Video Archive is your portal to the golden age of pro football, where every snap crackles with history, and every play unfolds like a cinematic masterpiece.

Founder and host Andrew Brown's website is more than just an archive; this community of fans is curators of passion, chroniclers of gridiron greatness, and storytellers who bring the past to life through the magic of celluloid. Here, you'll find a treasure trove of vintage film footage:

Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules,[2] or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by kicking the oval ball between the central goal posts (worth six points), or between a central and outer post (worth one point, otherwise known as a "behind").

During general play, players may position themselves anywhere on the field and use any part of their bodies to move the ball.

Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes rugby, football, footy or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 m (74 yd) wide and 112–122 m (122–133 yd) long with H shaped posts at both ends.[1] It is one of the two codes of rugby football, the other being rugby union.[a] It originated in 1895 in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England as the result of a split from the Rugby Football Union (RFU) over the issue of payments to players.

Born August 5, 1940 - Roman Gabriel was a quarterback from North Carolina State that in 1989 was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He landed in the NFL with the LA Rams where he played for 11 years before moving onto Philadelphia to play for the Eagles for another 5 seasons after that. He was the first Filipino- American in the NFL to play the quarterback position.

Murray Shelton - Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame.
Born April 20, 1893, Dunkirk, New York, was Cornell’s top tier end from 1913 to 1915, Murray Shelton. Shelton and Big Red captain, Quarterback Charles Barrett, made up an efficient and deadly passing combination which relied heavily upon intelligence and instinct. In 1915, they led Cornell to a 9-0 record and were both named to Walter Camp's All-America listing per the National Football Foundation. Late in the season their perfect record was in jeopardy a few times. In game number eight the Big Red scored 33 points in the second half to overcome the challenging Washington & Lee team, 40-21. During another late contest, Penn was on the verge of ending Cornell's clean slate loss column. But, the Big Red caught fire in the final quarter and scored 17 points to claim a 24-9 triumph. Cornell played Harvard, which had not lost a game in four years but the Big Red blacked the Harvard eleven 10-0. The National Football Foundation selected Murray Shelton for entrance into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1973. 

Born May 18, 1924, in Asheville, North Carolina, was North Carolina Tarheels halfback of 1946 through 1949, Charlie Justice. The National Football Foundation led his Edwards High School in Asheville, North Carolina, to two unbeaten seasons. He matched North Carolina all-stars against South Carolina all-stars and scored three touchdowns in the contest! After high school, he spent four years in the Navy in World War II. Charlie was a key player on the football team at Bainbridge Naval Center; therefore, after his discharge, he was offered a pro football contract. He chose instead, at age 22, to start college. He was the starting tailback for four years in the single-wing formation coached by Carl Snavely at North Carolina. North Carolina had a 32-9-2 record while Justice was wearing the North Carolina Blue. Charlie was named All-America in 1948 and 1949 and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting in both seasons! Justice set a school record for total offense that lasted for 45 years. Among his achievements: 1946--As a freshman against Virginia, Justice carried the ball 17 times and gained 170 yards. 1948--He led North Carolina to a 9-1-1 record, a national No. 3 ranking, the highest in school history. He gained 766 yards rushing and 846 passing. He returned 19 punts for an average of 17.5 yards, five kickoffs for 18 yards. His punting standard, 44.1 yards, led the nation. Justice set Heel records a lot during his four years at UNC. He scored 234 points and passed or ran for 64 touchdowns. As a ball carrier, he accumulated 2,634 yards. His total offense record of 4,883 yards lasted for 45 years until quarterback Jason Stanicek broke the mark in 1994.
Justice, graciously, was on hand to congratulate Stanicek. He was named the Most Valuable Player in the 1950 College All-Star Game, leading the college team to a 17-7 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. His nickname was "Choo-Choo," and a book titled "Choo Choo." The website GoHeels.com tells us that the great Benny Goodman and the late Johnny Long recorded the Campbell-Beebe song "All The Way Choo Choo." It sold by the thousands. in honor of this great athlete. Charlie Justice's collegiate football records are celebrated in the College Football Hall of Fame after his induction in 1961. Justice, after college, took his game to the pro level, where he played for the Washington Redskins from 1950-54. In his book, They Made the Bell Tower Chime, Bob Quincy succinctly summed up Charlie Justice's college career. An excerpt is repeated here:
The Justice era of 1946-49 was the most exciting in Carolina's football history. Charlie was the ringleader of a circus of thrills. He set the pace, but his backing was superb.

---

Born May 10, 1917, in Montreal, Quebec, was Charlie O'Rourke the Boston College quarterback of 1938 through the season of 1940. The media labeled him “Chuckin” Charlie because with O’Rourke the passing lanes were always open. O'Rourke was one of the most clever tailbacks the game has ever known, bringing a twinkle to the eyes of a young head coach named Frank Leahy, and leading Boston College to a 9-1 record in the 1939 regular season campaign, and the Eagles' first bowl invitation. The FootballFoundation.org shares that Eagles lost to Clemson by the score of 6-3, in that 1940 Cotton Bowl contest, but the wily triple-threat O’Rourke would not be denied applying some damage. It was in Chuckin Charlie’s senior season that he led the Eagles to a 10-0-0 record and inspired the Boston College eleven to a come-from-behind 19-13 victory over powerful Tennessee in the Sugar Bowl. However, O'Rourke's career shining moment probably took place earlier that season. The game was match made in heaven and easily would have been the game of the week if played in the modern era. The Eagles were set to tangle with previously unbeaten Georgetown - a game that Grantland Rice claimed was "the greatest college football game I've ever seen." Boston College was clinging to a 19-16 lead with two minutes remaining when, on fourth down, O'Rourke raced back to his end zone, eluding tacklers for almost a full minute before taking a safety. He then punted BC out of trouble and preserved a 19-18 victory. Risky indeed but talk about adding drama to a game! Charlie earned All-America status in 1940. The National Football Foundation selected Charlie O’Rourke for entrance into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1972. After his collegiate playing days were over Charlie had a pro football career with the Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Dons, and Baltimore Colts in 1942 and from 1946-49. He later coached football at the University of Massachusetts 1952-59. Somewhere in that busy schedule he even served as commissioner of the Pop Warner League, a national organization of junior football teams. NCAAF Jersey 13

Born August 3, 1925, in Chicago, Illinois was Legendary coach from Coe College, Marv Levy. Marv started his Pro coaching career in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles as  the kicking teams coach and then in 1970 he joined George allen's staff with the Los Angeles Rams as the special teams coach. He then got his break to be the head man of a pro team north of the border with the CFL's Montreal Allouettes from 1973 to 1977.  His Montreal teams won two Grey Cups in five seasons and Levy then returned States Side to the NFL in 1978 as the head coach of the KC Chiefs. His Kansas City teams showed improvement until the strike shortened season on 1982 when the fell to a dismal 3-6 mark and he left the franchise. During the next two seasons he coached the USFL's Chicago Blitz and then in 1986 he took over the reigns of the Buffalo Bills. In his second seasn at the helm the Bills were 12-4 and won their first of six stright AFC East Titles. The Pro Football Hall of Fame says that Levy is the winningest head coach in Buffalo Bills history. During that run they also played in four straight Super Bowls and under Levy's watch had the highest win percentage in the League behind the 49ers. Levy was voted as the NFL Coach of the Year in 1988 and the AFC Coach of the Year in 1988, 1993 and 1995. Marv Levy was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001.

Born February 14, 1960 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - The outstanding quarterback from the Miami Hurciane’s program Jim Kelly was born. The Buffalo Bills selected Kelly in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft but the signal caller decided to sign with the USFL’s Houston Gamblers franchise instead.

The 6’-4” 225 quarterback spent two seasons with the Gamblers and threw for 9,842 yards and a whopping 83 touchdowns per the ProFootballHOF.com website. When the USFL folded Jim signed on with the NFL team that originally drafted him, the Bills in 1986. It was a perfect fit for both parties as Kelly ran the famed “no Huddle” fast paced offense of Coach Marv Levy to a tee. Having offensive weapons like running back Thurmon Thomas and receivers Andre Reid and James Lofton didn’t hurt either.

The Bills played in four straight Super Bowls in the 1990’s led by Kelly’s arm. In Jim’s 11 seasons with the Bills, he led the Bills to the AFC playoffs eight times. In those 17 playoff appearances, including four the Super Bowls, Kelly tossed the ball for 3,863 yards and 21 touchdowns! Jim Kelly was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002.

Born July 9, 1947 - San Francisco, California - O. J. Simpson the legendary Southern California running Back of the seasons of 1967 and 1968. O.J. Simpson Pro Football Hall of Fame Running Back that played for the Buffalo Bills.

Simpson held the NFL single season rushing record of 2003 yards until Eric Dickerson broke that record a few decades later. Known as "the Juice" he played college ball at USC. According to the National Football Foundation, in 1968, O.J. carried the ball 355 times for 1709 yards and 22 touchdowns while leading USC to a 9-0-1 regular season record, equalling or bettering a long list of USC records. Again, he was named to scores of All-America first teams and was granted 21 awards, including Rose Bowl MVP, the Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award.After winning the Heisman Trophy in 1968 the College Football Hall of Fame inducted them into their museum in 1983's class.

Juice went into broadcasting and even acting after his NFL career was over.