September 12 marks a historic day of professional debuts and unprecedented winning streaks on the gridiron. From the Seattle Seahawks playing their very first regular-season game in 1976 under the Kingdome roof to the newly relocated Cardinals bringing Monday Night Football to Phoenix in 1988, this date is packed with franchise milestones. Take a deep dive into the origins of the NFL’s oldest continuous franchise, a bizarre World War II team merger, and the legendary college players who literally forgot how to lose.
September 12 American Football History Timeline
- September 12, 1965 – The Pro Football Hall of Fame conducted the enshrinement of the following NFL legends: Guy Chamberlin, Paddy Driscoll, Dan Fortmann, Otto Graham, Sid Luckman, Steve Van Buren, and Bob Waterfield.
- September 12, 1976 – The Seattle Seahawks play their inaugural regular-season game in a loss to St. Louis, 30 to 24.
Jack Patera led the Hawks in front of a sold-out Kingdome, and the Seahawks played hard in close games but still started the franchise by losing five straight.
A pair of legendary rookies gained valuable early-season experience as quarterback Jim Zorn was under center for Seattle, and his favorite career target, Hall of Famer Steve Largent, was at wideout. Jim Hart quarterbacked the Cardinals that day as the Cardinals rolled.
- September 12, 1988 – This is the very first NFL game played in Phoenix, Arizona, as the newly transplanted Cardinals hosted the Dallas Cowboys.
The second matchup that week was a Monday Night Football game, and the Cowboys spoiled the party in the desert with a 17-14 victory over the Redbirds.
When you peek at the box score, you have to take a second look as it shows Jay Novacek of Phoenix catching a 23-yard pass for a score from Cardinals quarterback Neil Lomax in the final score of the game. One could easily forget that Novacek played five seasons for the Redbirds before making his mark in Big D with the boys.
The Cardinals have a long history, and we actually are the oldest franchise still playing in the NFL.
The franchise dates back to 1898, when Chris O’ Brien formed the Morgan Athletic Club team, which, a few years later, bought and wore cast-off, faded uniforms from the University of Chicago Maroons. O’ Brien described the uniforms as Cardinal Red, and the nickname stuck, helping to set the team colors for years to come.
That season, they played their home games at 61st and Racine Street and were dubbed the Racine Street Cardinals.
As far as the NFL goes, there were charter members of the league and they started off in Chicago with the Cardinals name in 1920 and played in Windy City until 1959, except for the 1944 season when they combined with Pittsburgh to create a team called the Card Pitts due to a player shortage caused by World War II. From 1961 through the 1987 season, they played as the St. Louis Cardinals.
A more recent move in 1988 to the desert had them play as the Phoenix Cardinals until 1993, when they changed their location name to the Arizona Cardinals for better representation of the area.
- September 12, 2004 – Larry Fitzgerald Makes His NFL Debut: The third overall pick Larry Fitzgerald took the field for his very first regular-season NFL game as the Arizona Cardinals faced the St. Louis Rams. Fitzgerald hauled in nine receptions for 70 yards, kicking off a 17-year career that yielded 1,432 receptions and 17,492 receiving yards—both ranking second in NFL history behind Jerry Rice.
- September 12, 2011 – Sebastian Janikowski Ties the 63-Yard Field Goal Record: Oakland Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski blasted a 63-yard field goal just before halftime against the Denver Broncos at Mile High. The booming kick tied the NFL record for the longest field goal in league history, matching the 63-yard marks set by Tom Dempsey in 1970 and Jason Elam in 1998.
- September 12, 2011 – Tom Brady Torches Miami for 517 Yards and a 99-Yard Strike: On Monday Night Football, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady delivered a masterclass against the Miami Dolphins, throwing for a franchise-record 517 yards and four touchdowns. The performance was punctuated by a historic 99-yard touchdown pass to Wes Welker, tying the NFL record for the longest offensive play from scrimmage.
- September 12, 2026 – #1-ranked Ohio State visited #4 Texas in week 2 of the College football season for a game to be remembered and one that will surely have National Championship implications. Down by 20 points in the fourth quarter, Longhorns QB Arch Manning led Texas to an unbelievable last-second comeback with a 24-23 win.
September 12 Football Hall of Fame Birthdays
Happy Birthday to these historic collegiate titans! As we look ahead to September 12, we celebrate a decorated naval leader who kicked his way into gridiron lore and an unshakeable defensive tackle who quite literally never lost a game in his entire four-year college career.
Here is the list in order of birth:
- John “Babe” Brown [1891]A consensus First-Team All-American guard for the Navy Midshipmen, Brown was a formidable trench warrior and clutch kicker who famously accounted for all the scoring with two field goals in a 6–0 victory over rival Army. Enshrined in the inaugural College Football Hall of Fame class of 1951, he went on to serve as Athletic Director at Annapolis and achieved the rank of Vice Admiral in the U.S. Navy during World War II while later serving the National Football Foundation.
- Lynn Thomsen [1964]A dominant defensive tackle for Augustana College (Illinois), Thomsen accomplished a feat unmatched in college football history by starting 50 consecutive games across four seasons without ever suffering a defeat (posting an astonishing 49–0–1 record). A 1986 Division III All-American and CCIW Defensive Player of the Year, the 1997 College Football Hall of Fame enshrinee anchored the defensive front for four straight NCAA Division III national championship squads.
Conclusion
The milestones of September 12th weave a rich tapestry of football’s enduring evolution, spanning from the birth of the 1898 Morgan Athletic Club to the modern NFL expansion era. Whether celebrating the early chemistry of Jim Zorn and Steve Largent, tracking the Cardinals’ nomadic history, or honoring the undefeated legacy of Hall of Famer Lynn Thompson, this date reminds us how deep the game’s roots run. For more positive football news, comic strips, and daily historical deep dives, be sure to explore Pigskin Dispatch and our partners at the Sports History Network.
