The game of American football is filled with strategy, legendary figures, great teams, and amazing events that have created euphoria in fandom. We celebrate the game and its people. Here are some items of interest that capture the spirit of the gridiron.
The Legend of the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame Begins
Football History | The Legend of the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame Begins
The 1922 Rose Bowl
Celebrate 2 of the top Gridiron Coaches in history in the latest Pigskin Dispatch book When Greasy Met the Wonder Coach
Greatest Pro Team
Who was the MOST DOMINANT team in Pro Football History? We have the answer in the latest Pigskin Dispatch book The World's Greatest Pro Gridiron Team
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The Legend of the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame Begins
On October 18, 1924, the gridiron stage was set for a legendary clash between two football titans: Notre Dame and Army. The Polo Grounds in New York City was the chosen battleground, and the anticipation was palpable. As the teams took the field, the nation held its breath, ready to witness a spectacle that would forever be etched in football lore.
Under the guidance of the legendary coach Knute Rockne, Notre Dame fielded a team of extraordinary talent. Their backfield, dubbed the "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse," was a force to be reckoned with. The quartet, consisting of Harry Stuhldreher, Jim Crowley, Don Miller, and Elmer Layden, possessed a combination of speed, agility, and power that left opponents in awe. The backfield inspired legendary journalist Grantland Rice to pen the now famous column that started poetically with:
"Outlined against a blue-gray October sky, the Four Horsemen rode again. In dramatic lore they are known as Famine, Pestilence, Destruction and Death. These are only aliases. Their real names are Stuhldreher, Miller, Crowley and Layden. They formed the crest of the South Bend cyclone before which another fighting Army football team was swept over the precipice at the Polo Grounds yesterday afternoon as 55,000 spectators peered down on the bewildering panorama spread on the green plain below.
A cyclone can't be snared. It may be surrounded, but somewhere it breaks through to keep on going. When the cyclone starts from South Bend, where the candle lights still gleam through the Indiana sycamores, those in the way must take to storm cellars at top speed.
Yesterday the cyclone struck again as Notre Dame beat the Army, 13 to 7, with a set of backfield stars that ripped and crashed through a strong Army defense with more speed and power than the warring cadets could meet." - Grantland Rice from "The Four Horsemen" for the New York Herald Tribune, 18 October 1924.
Learn more about the actual contest in our 1924 Notre Dame vs Army Game coverage.
ESPN in 2019 ranked it as the 17th Greatest College Game ever.
Under the guidance of the legendary coach Knute Rockne, Notre Dame fielded a team of extraordinary talent. Their backfield, dubbed the "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse," was a force to be reckoned with. The quartet, consisting of Harry Stuhldreher, Jim Crowley, Don Miller, and Elmer Layden, possessed a combination of speed, agility, and power that left opponents in awe. The backfield inspired legendary journalist Grantland Rice to pen the now famous column that started poetically with:
"Outlined against a blue-gray October sky, the Four Horsemen rode again. In dramatic lore they are known as Famine, Pestilence, Destruction and Death. These are only aliases. Their real names are Stuhldreher, Miller, Crowley and Layden. They formed the crest of the South Bend cyclone before which another fighting Army football team was swept over the precipice at the Polo Grounds yesterday afternoon as 55,000 spectators peered down on the bewildering panorama spread on the green plain below.
A cyclone can't be snared. It may be surrounded, but somewhere it breaks through to keep on going. When the cyclone starts from South Bend, where the candle lights still gleam through the Indiana sycamores, those in the way must take to storm cellars at top speed.
Yesterday the cyclone struck again as Notre Dame beat the Army, 13 to 7, with a set of backfield stars that ripped and crashed through a strong Army defense with more speed and power than the warring cadets could meet." - Grantland Rice from "The Four Horsemen" for the New York Herald Tribune, 18 October 1924.
Learn more about the actual contest in our 1924 Notre Dame vs Army Game coverage.
ESPN in 2019 ranked it as the 17th Greatest College Game ever.
Orville Mulligan: Sports Writer
We invite you to take a ride through 1920's sports history in the audio drama that takes the listener through the sounds and legendary events of the era through the eyes of a young newspaper journalist. You will feel like you were there!
Brought to you by Number 80 Productions and Pigskin Dispatch
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Proud to Support The Professional Football Researchers Association
To learn more about joining the fun in preserving football history go to The Official PFRA Website.
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Sports Jersey Dispatch
If you like remembering players of the NFL by their numbers then you may also enjoy going uniform number by number in other team sports as well. We have it for you on our other website in baseball, basketball, hockey and more on the Sports Jersey Dispatch.
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Gridiron Legacy: Pro Football's Missing Origin Story
Author Gregg Ficery tells the story of the beginnings of Pro Football through the pro football career of his Great Grandfather, Bob Shiring
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Sports History Network
A Proud Partner in the Headquarters of Sports Yesteryear, SHN.
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Bears versus Cardinals: The NFL's Oldest Rivalry
Author Joe Ziemba the master historian of football in Chicago has released another beauty. It is titled Bears versus Cardinals: The NFL's Oldest Rivalry.
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