Football Daily

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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.

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.

Born August 6, 1906, in West Haven, Connecticut was Halfback/placekicker Elmer Kenneth "Ken" Strong. According to a Yahoo.com article Ken was an All-American at NYU from 1926 through the 1928 season and later was one of the NFL’s early stars. Strong once scored two touchdowns, two extra points, and a field goal in one game to lead the New York Giants to victory in the 1934 NFL Championship Game, remembered in NFL lore as the Sneaker Game because the Giants wore sneakers to get better footing on the ice-covered field at the Polo Grounds. Besides playing with the Giants from 1933 through 1935 and later in the 1940's per the article, Ken also signed with Staten Island Stapletons in 1929 through 1932, the AFL's New York Yankees for the seasons of 1936-37. Ken Strong was a five-time First-team All-Pro as well as a member of the NFL 1930s All-Decade Team. He is the second player in NFL history to devote an entire season to placekicking. Strong’s  jersey No. 50 was retired by the Giants in 1947. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967 and into the Giants Ring of Honor in 2010.

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.

July 27, 1929 the Orange/Newark Tornadoes franchise joins the NFL and is a League member from 1929 through the 1930 season. The team was the remnants of the Duluth Eskimos franchise which was sold and transferred to Orange and then one year later to Newark. According to the American Football Fandom the franchise existed in some form or fashion from 1887 to 1971. Their history besides being in the National Football League from 1929 to 1930 was that they were members of the American Association from 1936 to 1941, the Atlantic Coast Football League from 1963 to 1964, the Continental Football League from 1965 to 1969, and back to the ACFL for the 1970 to 1971 seasons before disbanding.

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!

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.

Born August 7, 1945, in Canton, Ohio, was Alan Page was a defensive end from Notre Dame that was selected to enter the College Football Hall of Fame. He was a member of that famed 1966 Fighting Irish National Championship team.

Mr. Page went on to have a tremendous 15 year pro career as part of the famed Purple People Eaters of the Minnesota Vikings and later 3 seasons with the Chicago Bears. In 1967 he won the NFL Rookie of the Year honors.

As a Viking, Alan played in four Super Bowls (IV, VIII, IX, XI), but unfortunately never got a chance to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. Page was named to the 1970s NFL All-Decade Team, inducted into the Vikings Ring of Honor

The great defender also has his bronze bust placed in Canton in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Page was the first player on the defensive side of the ball to win the NFL MVP honors, and only Lawrence Taylor has done it since!

What does a super-intelligent football player do after a brilliant career? Well, according to Yahoo.com, Page attended the University of Minnesota Law School while still playing for the Vikings and earned his law degree in 1978. The man then served as a Minnesota Supreme Court Associate Justice from 1992-2015. Incredible!

Born July 16, 1968 - Wichita, Kansas - Barry Sanders the running back from Oklahoma State during the 1986 through 1988 seasons. The FootballFoundation.org states that Sanders learned how to work hard as a youngster helping his father put on roofs in the hot Wichita summers. This work ethic stuck with his through his gridiron career at both the college and the professional levels and paid dividends on Saturdays and Sundays. The hard work also taught him to be selfless and humble as even after scoring one of his many touchdowns he would generally just hand the ball to an official and trot off the field, with out an attention grabbing celebration to be seen. While Oklahoma State he played behind All-America Thurman Thomas for two seasons. He used this "grooming" time wisely in the seasons that he spent as a back-up becoming a special teams demon, even leading the nation in kickoff return average in 1987. When Barry became the featured Cowboy back, he put together what the NFF describes as the most remarkable season ever compiled by a college running back. That year he set 34 NCAA records in winning the Heisman Trophy, the Walter Camp, and Maxwell Awards as the nation's top player. Barry led the nation in rushing with his 2,628 yards, 3250 all-purpose yards, and scored 234 points. Sanders ran for over 300 yards in six games and exceeded 200 yards seven times. Barry was rewarded for these feats in college by being selected as the top pick of the Detroit Lions in the 1989 NFL Draft, spending 10 seasons in the Motor City. In fact he became the first player to ever rush for 1000 or more yards in his first ten seasons according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame website. On the road to professional pigskin immortality Sanders, with 1,304 yards rushing in 1990, topped all runners, and then repeated claiming the top NFL ground gainer title in 1994 with 1,883 yards and in 1996 running for 1,553 yards. His 44 receptions for 283 yards in 1994 gave him a combined 2,166 yards from scrimmage. The most impressive feat of his remarkable career, however, is when he won the NFL MVP award in 1997, as he rushed for a league-best 2,053 yards and gained another 305 yards on 33 catches for an amazing 2,358 combined yards gained. To ice that he gained at least 100 yards in 14 consecutive games! The Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined Barry Sanders in 2004 while Mr. Sanders also entered the College Football Hall of Fame for his legendary college career at Oklahoma State in 2003. Many have described Barry Sanders as the best pure running back to ever play the game, as he left the NFL at a fairly young age with a lot of yardage on his stat bio.