Football Daily

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Born August 23, 1934 - Wilmington, North Carolina -Sonny Jurgensen was a former quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins. Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined the fantastic quarterback in the class of 1983. Sonny attended Duke University where in his first season playing for the Blue Devils he had a bigger impact as a DB than a QB, registering a total of five interceptions. In later years he went on to start at QB and was eventually drafted into the NFL by the Eagles. As a back up in 1960, behind Norm Van Brocklin, Jurgensen won his only NFL Championship.

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 December 5, 1957 - White Plains, New York - The University of Syracuse legendary wide receiver Art Monk was born. Monk played at Syracuse from 1976 through 1979 and won the Lambert Trophy for being the top college player in the East according to his bio on footballfoundation.org. His great athleticism earned him First Team All-America honors for the 1979 season. Art Monk entered into the prestigious College Football Hall of Fame in 2012. After he left Syracuse Art was a first round pick by the Washington Redskins in the 1980 NFL Draft. He played 16 seasons in the NFL in Washington as well as with the New York Jets and as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. The Pro Football Hall of Fame states that his career catches were counted at 940 and that he played 183 straight games where he caught at least one pass. Monk was an All-Pro twice and was voted into three Pro Bowls. The Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined Art Monk in 2008.

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Born May 22, 1907, in Chicago, Illinois, was Washington tackle of 1929 to 1931, Paul Schwegler. The FootballFoundation.org reflects on how the Washinton Huskies football program was not very good during Schwegler’s time there. In fact they won only 12 of the 27 games played. But the play of tackle "Schweg" Schwegler, a native of Raymond, Washington, helped ease the pain and reverse the trend. Despite Washington's lack of success, selectors were unable to overlook Schwegler, naming him to no less than 43 collegiate all-star teams.  In 1931 Paul was a first team All-America choice that year as well, and went on to be named the defensive standout of the West squad in the 1932 East-West Shrine game. Paul Schwegler received the great honor of being selected for inclusion into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1967.

Information on the polarizing person of George Preston Marshall, founder of the Washington Commanders franchise.

Born September 1, 1903, in Lamont, Washington was Ray Flaherty was a player and head coach in the early NFL and he spent a total of 18 years in pro football. Flaherty played football at Washington State before transferring to Gonzaga. After school in 1926 he joined the original AFL's LA Wildcats team before playing end with Red Grange's New York Yankees in 1927 and 1928. After this Yankees franchise folded, Ray played in the NFL for the New York Football Giants. After his playing days were over he took the job of coaching the Boston Redskins in 1936 and in his 7 seasons at the helm, his Redskin teams won two NFL Championships and four division titles. We have to keep in perspective George Halas and his Chicago Bears were the dominant force in the NFL during this era. Despite the powerful Bears Flaherty's squads defeated the Chicago teams in 2 out of 3 NFL championship games where they opposed each other.  Coach Flaherty was also an innovator as he introduced a couple of significant items to football, the screen pass behind the line of scrimmage and the two platoon system where one group specialized in passing and the other in the run game. Mr. Flaherty left the Redskins after the 1942 NFL Championship win to serve his country during World War II. After the war Flaherty returned to coach the New York Yankees in the brand new All American Football Conference and quickly guided the Yanks to two straight AAFC titles. He coached his final season in 1949 with the AAFC's Chicago Hornets and closed the brilliant coaching career with a record of 80-37-5 and an awesome .676 winning percentage! The Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined this great coach in the entry class of 1976 as a coach.

Eddie LeBaron wasn't built for the NFL. At 5'7" and 168 pounds, he was the shortest quarterback to ever start a Pro Bowl, an underdog in a world of giants. Yet, his football career transcended statistics and size, becoming a testament to grit, resilience, and an unwavering love for the game.

LeBaron's talent shone early. He led the College of the Pacific Tigers under Coach Amos Alonzo Stagg to victories and dazzled with his elusive agility and pinpoint throws. The NFL beckoned, but initial struggles against towering defenders threatened to dim his star. Eddie was selected by the Washington Redskins in the 10th round of the 1950 NFL Draft, but, after playing one season, was Drafted to serve the United States in the Korean War. He returned to D.C. after serving and filled future Hall of Fame QB Sammy Baugh, receiving All-Rookie honors by season's end. A knee injury a year later derailed his Redskins and possibly his NFL career.
His time in Canada with the CFL's Calgary Stampeders in 1954 proved an unexpected crucible, honing his skills and his resolve.

In 1960, fate presented an opportunity he wouldn't squander. As the newly-minted Dallas Cowboys, fresh off years of losing, took their first steps onto the NFL stage, they chose LeBaron as their leader. He wasn't just a quarterback; he was the franchise's face, its spark plug, its defiant howl against established giants.

The Cowboys stumbled initially, but LeBaron's spirit was infectious. He battled for every first down, his scrambles a blur of determination, his throws laser-like beams finding open receivers. Under his leadership, the Cowboys rose from doormats to contenders, culminating in a magical 1962 season where LeBaron shared the quarterbacking duties with the up-and-coming Don Meredith.

While ultimately overshadowed by Meredith's stardom, LeBaron's impact on the Cowboys can't be overstated. He was the bridge between their early woes and their future glory, paving the way for their Super Bowl appearances and solidifying their place in the NFL landscape.

Beyond Dallas, LeBaron's legacy extends to breaking barriers. He proved that size didn't define greatness and that heart and talent could overcome physical limitations. He inspired countless underdogs, showing that dreams could be reached in inches, not just yards.

Born April 29, 1918, in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, was Pro Football Hall of Fame Coach George Allen. This legend entered the NFL as the LA Rams offensive ends coach and later served under George Halas with the Chicago Bears as
-Consultant and Head of Player Personnel (1958)
- Assistant and Head of player personnel (1959–1961)
- Defensive Coordinator and Head of player personnel (1962–1965)

Allen went on to become the Head Coach of the Los Angeles Rams from 1966 to 1970 and again in 1978, and was the sideline boss of the Washington Redskins from 1971 through 1977.

Born August 31, 1918, in Los Angeles, California, was Kenny Washington, a tailback hailing from UCLA. Washington has the destinction of being the first African American player to sign a contract in the NFL in the common era (after World War II) with the L.A. Rams after playing in the Pacific Coast League with the Hollywood Bears. As a collegian Kenny Washington rushed for 9,975 yards which was a Bruin record for over 56 years! He was also UCLA's very first ever consensus All-American in 1939. Mr. Washington was enshrined in the College Football hall of Fame in 1956.

Born April 7, 1899, La Porte, Indiana, was the stellar center from 1917 to 1920 at Washington and Jefferson and in 1921 through the 1924 season for the Army team, Edgar Garbisch arrived in life to claim his date of birth. Edgar was an All-American in 1922 at the center position and in 1924 from the position of guard according to the National Football Foundation. Garbisch’s skill set did not stop there on the gridiron as he was a place kicker and drop kicker showing these talents off when he place-kicked a 47-yard field goal to give Army a victory over Navy 17-14 in 1922. In 1924 he drop- kicked 4 field goals as Army beat Navy 12-0. He has the unparalleled accomplishment of having to face Notre Dame five times as an opponent not leaving the field for even a second as a two-way player in any of the five tilts against the Irish. Once with W&J and four contests as a member of the Army Cadets. Edgar Garbisch received the great honor of being selected for inclusion into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954. Edgar was well decorated serving in the Army Corp of Engineers for two decades and serving on many organizational boards but most notably the gridiron associated ones of being a trustee of Pop Warner Little Scholars as well as the vice-president of the National Football Foundation.