Sports History Network

Join Gridiron Greats Magazine Publisher and Editor Bob Swick along with his co-host Joe Squires for the all new 2019 of Gridiron Greats Magazine-The Podcast Gridiron Greats Magazine is the only publication in America which focuses upon the history and memorabilia of the North American Football Game since its inception in 1869. Covering 150+ years of football history and memorabilia, Gridiron Great...

Hammond Pros | An Original NFL Team The Hammond Pros from little old Hammond, IN were a founding team of the NFL, led by a guy named Doc Young. Although the team did not amass too much in the standings, the team did leave a mark on the NFL. This wasn\'t just because Doc Young was at the meeting on September 17, 1920, in Ralph Hay\'s Hupmobile auto showroom. The biggest mark the Hammond Pros left o...

Rochester Jeffersons - John Steffenhagen Interview (Part 2) Tweet This episode we pick up the 2nd half of an interview with John Steffenhagen. He is Leo Lyons great-grandson, and he rides shotgun with us today in the DeLorean to take us back to the early days of the NFL, teaching us about the history of the Rochester Jeffersons. If you have not listened to Part 1 of the John Steffenhagen interview...

When the World Football League launched its inaugural season in 1974, all of the leagues 12 teams had very high hopes. But one team in particular thought it was going to do much better than it did – the Detroit Wheels. But, in reality, this team never stood a chance. After all, how can team expect to succeed when it’s operated with a pay-as-you-go mentality? The Wheels had 33 owners and none of th...

Join Gridiron Greats Magazine Publisher and Editor Bob Swick along with his co-host Joe Squires for the all new 2019 of Gridiron Greats Magazine-The Podcast Gridiron Greats Magazine is the only publication in America which focuses upon the history and memorabilia of the North American Football Game since its inception in 1869. Covering 150+ years of football history and memorabilia, Gridiron Great...

Rochester Jeffersons - John Steffenhagen Interview (Part 1) Tweet This episode we fire up the DeLorean and head back to March 11, 1892, the birth of this week's hero, Leo Lyons.   He was the main guy responsible for building the Rochester Jeffersons from a sandlot team into one of the first franchises of the NFL.  Leo was destined to be apart of Pro Football, considering he was born just 8 month...

Cardinals in Chicago - Joe Ziemba Interview (Part 2)   Tweet   This is the 2nd part of the Joe Ziemba interview covering the time when there were Cardinals in Chicago.   If you have not listened to the 1st part of the Joe Ziemba interview covering the Chicago Cardinals' early history, I recommend you go back here .  If you've already listened to that episode, then let's proceed with the 2nd part...

Join Gridiron Greats Magazine Publisher and Editor Bob Swick along with his co-host Joe Squires for the all new 2019 of Gridiron Greats Magazine-The Podcast Gridiron Greats Magazine is the only publication in America which focuses upon the history and memorabilia of the North American Football Game since its inception in 1869. Covering 150+ years of football history and memorabilia, Gridiron Great...

There are figures in sports who are larger than the game whom people know so little about. One of the biggest of those names is Chuck Taylor. In fact, almost everyone who has ever laced up a pair of sneakers has worn a pair of Chuck All Stars, Converse’s best-selling shoe. Interestingly, very few people can tell you anything about Chuck Taylor. Many think Chuck Taylor is a fictional character, a p...

Chicago Cardinals - Joe Ziemba Interview (Part 1)   Tweet   This episode we fire up the DeLorean and head back to October 15, 1899, the first game in Arizona Cardinals history.   Wait a tick.   That doesn't sound right, does it?   Well, the thing is, the Arizona Cardinals are the oldest franchise in the NFL .  However, they were previously the St. Louis Cardinals, and before that, they were th...

College offenses are taking to the air as Illinois and Purdue combine for the greatest passing day in Big Ten history. Jim McMahon and the BYU Cougars continue their assault on the record books when their aerial circus invades Logan, Utah for a game against the Utah State Aggies. The Pitt Panthers look to take out their frustrations after an upset loss to Florida State with a rumble against West V...

Muncie Flyers | An Original NFL Team The first official NFL games were played on October 3, 1920. Historians believe the first NFL game ever was between the Dayton Triangles and the Columbus Panhandles. However, some believe it's possible a game between the Rock Island Independents, and this week's team the Muncie Flyers, could have been the first game. No matter which game was first, I'm sure the...

For four years, 1946 through 1949, the NFL faced stiff competition from an upstart league, the All America Football Conference. The AAFC was the real deal. Rosters featured such stars as Otto Graham, Joe Perry, Frankie Albert and Y.A. Tittle. It’s champion team, the Cleveland Browns, could compete with any NFL team and its coach, Paul Brown, created a passing attack that NFL teams just couldn’t de...

The largest crowd in Florida State history awaits an encore from the Seminoles as they take on their second straight top-five opponent. This time they host the Pitt Panthers, the Beast of the East, and their star defender Hugh Green in a battle of top-ranked independents. Bear Bryant and the Crimson Tide look for some national media exposure while in the Big Apple to take on Rutgers and find thems...

First NFL Game Ever | Columbus Panhandles at Dayton Triangles When was the first NFL game ever played?   The date was October 3, 1920, in Dayton, OH at Triangle Park.   It was a game that saw the Columbus Panhandles roll into Dayton to face the Dayton Triangles.   This was a game the Triangles won 14-0, and you can learn more about the first ever NFL game from last week's episode, mostly coveri...

The Florida State Seminoles take on third-ranked Nebraska in Lincoln with a walk-on center and big, bad Ron Simmons. Ohio State defends The Horseshoe against a revenge-minded UCLA Bruins team with nothing to lose while Penn State goes to Columbia, Missouri and comes away with a win and a quarterback. Plus, Colorado is on the wrong end of history as Oklahoma puts up offensive numbers higher than th...

The Football History Dude is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear . LINKS Follow The Football History Dude on X Follow Sports History Network on X Follow Sports History Network on Facebook Sports History Network YouTube channel Sports History Network TikTok channel  EPISODE SUMMARY What teams played in the first-ever NFL game? Last week we discussed the firs...

Join Gridiron Greats Magazine Publisher and Editor Bob Swick along with his co-host Joe Squires for the all new 2019 of Gridiron Greats Magazine-The Podcast Gridiron Greats Magazine is the only publication in America which focuses upon the history and memorabilia of the North American Football Game since its inception in 1869. Covering 150+ years of football history and memorabilia, Gridiron Great...

Blanton Collier was the last coach to lead the Cleveland Browns to an NFL Championship; and he did so in 1964. Amazingly, if you ask most Browns fans who the last coach was to lead the team to a Championship most will say Paul Brown. Of course, Brown, for whom the team is named, was at the helm for a combined seven AAFC and NFL Championships. But his last title with Cleveland came in 1955. Sure, h...

The oldest rivalry in college football plays its final chapter 111 years after giving birth to the game. The Nebraska Cornhuskers make a trip to Happy Valley for their biggest test of the season against an unbeaten Penn State team looking for revenge. Michigan once again finds itself in a close contest that is decided on the final play, this time against George Rogers and the South Carolina Gameco...

Rock Island Independets | Original NFL Team Can you name all 14 of the original NFL teams? Would you have guessed one of the big-time teams of the inaugural 1920 NFL season hailed from one of the good ole' Quad Cities? That's right. The Rock Island Independents were a founding and original team of the NFL way back in the first season in 1920. They were even invited to  Founding of the NFL  back...

Join Gridiron Greats Magazine Publisher and Editor Bob Swick along with his co-host Joe Squires for the all new 2019 of Gridiron Greats Magazine-The Podcast Gridiron Greats Magazine is the only publication in America which focuses upon the history and memorabilia of the North American Football Game since its inception in 1869. Covering 150+ years of football history and memorabilia, Gridiron Great...

Alabama reclaims its top spot in the polls after Ohio State’s close call with Syracuse. The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame look for their second big win of the season when the Michigan Wolverines come calling and it’s a battle of USC’s as South Carolina and George Rogers invade Los Angeles to take on Ronnie Lott and the Southern Cal Trojans. Plus, Georgia squares off against Clemson between the hedg...

Founding of the NFL | A Meeting on September 17, 1920 Did you ever wonder what day was the founding of the NFL? It was a hot and muggy night in the middle of September in a town all NFL fans have heard of. The date was September 17, 1920. Ralph Hay invited representatives from 11 franchises to his Hupmobile auto showroom, resulting in the nickname - The Founder of the NFL . The result of this meet...

On November 28, 1929, Ernie Nevers scored six touchdowns for the Chicago Cardinals and kicked four extra points. That’s 40-points in one NFL game by one player, and that’s still the record. And Nevers did NOT do this against a pushover franchise. He scored all of the Cardinals points in a 40-6 win over the Chicago Bears. That’s only part of the story. Ernie Nevers was a phenomenal athlete. Not onl...