By Darin From historic barrier-breakers to the largest crowd in football history, September 10 is a monumental date on the gridiron timeline. Imagine a single day that celebrates the debut of the Cleveland Rams in the NFL, a trade involving the league’s leading receiver, and a jaw-dropping crowd of over 156,000 fans packed into a racetrack for a college football showdown. Pair those milestones with the birthdays of legendary innovators like “Four Horsemen” icon Jim Crowley, defensive powerhouse Buck Buchanan, and pioneering quarterback Marlon Briscoe, and you have a date that fundamentally reshaped how the game is played, viewed, and celebrated.
September 10 American Football History Timeline
- September 10, 1936 – The Second edition of the American Football League played its first game as the Los Angeles Bulldogs defeated the Pittsburgh Americans 21-0.
The first edition of the AFL operated in 1926 and is sometimes referred to as the Grange League, as star players Red Grange, C.C. Pyle, and General Charles Zimmerman founded it, which operated only that one season. The AFL was revived in 1936 and 37 as a rival to the NFL. The Bulldogs were the first professional West Coast team to go undefeated and win a title.
They did this years before the Cleveland Browns did it in the AAFC, or when the Miami Dolphins did it in the NFL.
- September 10, 1937 – The Cleveland Rams franchise left the AFL and joined the NFL, and it was on this date that they played their first NFL game. The Detroit Lions defeated the Rams in their NFL debut, 28-0, but the franchise survived, though they started in Cleveland and in the 1940s moved to LA, then to St. Louis, then back to LA, where they are and always have been the Rams since this day in 1937.
- September 10, 1973 – The NFL’s leading receiver, Don Maynard, is traded by the New York Jets to the St. Louis Cardinals.
- September 10, 2016 – The largest paid attendance in the history of football was set, with 156,990 spectators attending a neutral-site game between the University of Tennessee and Virginia Tech at Bristol Motor Speedway.
September 10 Football Hall of Fame Birthdays
Happy Birthday to these historic gridiron pioneers! Since today is September 10, it is the perfect occasion to celebrate these dynamic innovators who fundamentally changed how the game was played and who played it.
Here is your list in order of birth:
- Jim Crowley [1902] Famously dubbed “Sleepy Jim” by Knute Rockne for his relaxed demeanor, Crowley became a legendary figure in college football history as one of Notre Dame’s immortal “Four Horsemen.” The Hall of Fame halfback combined a smooth, deceptive gait with violent execution on the field, later transitioning into a highly successful college coaching career that included leading Fordham in the world’s first televised football game.
- Buck Buchanan [1939] A towering 6-foot-7 defensive tackle from Grambling State, Buchanan revolutionized the line position with an unprecedented combination of size and track-star speed. The dual College and Pro Football Hall of Famer anchored the Kansas City Chiefs’ legendary defense during their Super Bowl IV championship era and famously used his immense reach to swat down 16 passes in a single season.
- Marlon Briscoe [1945] Nicknamed “The Magician” for his dazzling playmaking ability, Briscoe shattered barriers in 1968 with the Denver Broncos by becoming the first African-American starting quarterback in modern professional football. Before his barrier-breaking pro career and his 2016 induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, he dominated at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where he set 22 school records and captured three conference titles.
Conclusion
Whether tracking the multi-city odyssey of the Rams franchise or honoring the absolute dominance of the undefeated 1936 Los Angeles Bulldogs, September 10 encapsulates the relentless evolution of football. The legacy of today’s birthdays—from Crowley’s precision to Buchanan’s sheer power and Briscoe’s historic cultural breakthroughs—reminds us that the sport’s greatness is built on the shoulders of true pioneers. As we look back on these anniversaries and record-breaking crowd sizes, it’s clear that the events of this date continue to echo through every stadium and history book across the country.