1.
National Football League
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The National Football League is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference and the American Football Conference. The NFL is one of the four professional sports leagues in North America. The NFLs 17-week regular season runs from the week after Labor Day to the week after Christmas, with each team playing 16 games, the NFL was formed in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association before renaming itself the National Football League for the 1922 season. The NFL agreed to merge with the American Football League in 1966, and the first Super Bowl was held at the end of that season, the merger was completed in 1970. Today, the NFL has the highest average attendance of any sports league in the world and is the most popular sports league in the United States. S. The NFLs executive officer is the commissioner, who has authority in governing the league. The team with the most NFL championships is the Green Bay Packers with thirteen, the current NFL champions are the New England Patriots, who defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34–28 in Super Bowl LI. Another meeting held on September 17,1920 resulted in the renaming of the league to the American Professional Football Association, the league hired Jim Thorpe as its first president, and consisted of 14 teams. Only two of these teams, the Decatur Staleys and the Chicago Cardinals, remain, the first event occurred on September 26,1920 when the Rock Island Independents defeated the non-league St. Paul Ideals 48–0 at Douglas Park. On October 3,1920, the first full week of league play occurred, the following season resulted in the Chicago Staleys controversially winning the title over the Buffalo All-Americans. In 1922, the APFA changed its name to the National Football League, in 1932, the season ended with the Chicago Bears and the Portsmouth Spartans tied for first in the league standings. This method had used since the leagues creation in 1920. The league quickly determined that a game between Chicago and Portsmouth was needed to decide the leagues champion. Playing with altered rules to accommodate the playing field, the Bears won the game 9–0. Fan interest in the de facto championship game led the NFL, beginning in 1933, the 1934 season also marked the first of 12 seasons in which African Americans were absent from the league. The de facto ban was rescinded in 1946, following public pressure, the NFL was always the foremost professional football league in the United States, it nevertheless faced a large number of rival professional leagues through the 1930s and 1940s. Rival leagues included at least three separate American Football Leagues and the All-America Football Conference, on top of regional leagues of varying caliber. Three NFL teams trace their histories to these leagues, including the Los Angeles Rams
2.
Fred Gehrke
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Clarence Fred Gehrke was an American football player and executive. He played in the National Football League for the Cleveland / Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, to boost team morale, Gehrke designed and painted the Los Angeles Rams logo in 1948, which was the first painted on the helmets of an NFL team. He later served as the manager of the Denver Broncos from 1977 through 1981. He is the great-grandfather of Miami Marlin Christian Yelich Gehrke was born, as a youth, he snuck into Utah Utes football games. He there developed a love for the sport and he attended South High School where he participated in swimming, track and field, and football. He graduated from school in 1935 and then attended the University of Utah. At Utah, he started at running back on offense and left cornerback on defense and he also returned punts and kickoffs. Gehrke entered the National Football League as an undrafted rookie and he landed a try-out with the Cleveland Rams in 1940. He was awarded a spot on team after he returned a kickoff for a touchdown in an exhibition game. His first contract with Cleveland paid him $135 per game, however he did not play in many games that season because Parker Hall, the NFLs MVP in 1939, was the Rams starting running back and his success kept Gehrke on the bench. When the United States entered World War II in 1941, Gehrke reported for military service, however, he was denied entry in the armed forces when military examiners noticed an operation scar across Gehrkes knee, he was immediately designated with a 4F status. Gehrke appealed the decision but was denied entry in the armed forces. Fred however did contribute to war effort by landing a job with Northrop Aircraft, which was based in California, as a technical illustrator, the players worked their jobs during the day and then worked out and played their games at night. Gehrke played for the Los Angeles Bulldogs in 1943 and the Los Angeles Wildcats in 1944, once the war ended in 1945, Gehrke returned to the Cleveland Rams. That season, the Rams won the 1945 NFL Championship Game by defeating the Washington Redskins 15-14, Gehrke led the NFL that year in both average rushing yards, with 6.3 yards per rush, and an average punt return of 15.0 yards. He was then named to Pro Football Illustrated s All-Pro team, in 1946 the Rams relocated to Los Angeles. That season, Gehrke was named to Pro Football Illustrated s All-NFL second team and he also repeated as the NFLs average rushing leader with 5.2 yards per carry. He also continued working at Northrup, since many players at the time took up jobs outside of football during the off-season and he would then take three months off to play professional football
3.
2013 NFL season
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The 2013 NFL season was the 94th season in the history of the National Football League. The Super Bowl was played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday and it was the first Super Bowl hosted by New Jersey and the first to be held outdoors in a cold weather environment. The Seahawks scored 12 seconds into the game and held the lead the rest of the way, Manning also was named the Offensive Player of the Year for the second time in his career. Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly earned Defensive Player of the Year honors, scoring reached historic levels throughout the league in 2013. As a whole the league set records for points scored, points scored per game. The Broncos set a new standard for scoring in the regular season with 606 points. In addition to the Broncos, ten teams each scored over 400 points. The regular season got underway on Thursday, September 5,2013, the regular season wrapped up on Sunday night, December 29. The playoffs began with the wild card round which took place the first weekend of January 2014, both home teams prevailed to set up just the second Super Bowl matchup of #1 seeds in the past 20 seasons. The 2013 league year began at 4 pm EST on March 12, the per-team salary cap was set at US$123,000,000. This period, which was referred to by some as the legal tampering period, a total of 524 players were eligible for some form of free agency. Eight players were assigned the franchise tag by their teams. These players were Brandon Albert, Jairus Byrd, Ryan Clady, Michael Johnson, Pat McAfee, Henry Melton, Anthony Spencer, none of these players changed teams. Smith had been the first overall selection of the 2005 NFL Draft, March 11 – Wide receiver Percy Harvin was traded by the Vikings to the Seahawks for the Seahawks 2013 first-round and seventh-round selections as well as the Seahawks third-round pick in 2014. The Seahawks subsequently signed Harvin to a 6-year, $67 million contract extension which includes $25.5 million in guaranteed money, March 11 – The 49ers acquired wide receiver Anquan Boldin from the Ravens for a sixth-round selection in the 2013 draft. Boldin, a three-time Pro Bowler and former Offensive Rookie of the Year, had refused to accept a pay cut that the Ravens had requested, April 21 – Cornerback Darrelle Revis was traded by the Jets to the Buccaneers. The Jets received the Bucs first round pick in 2013, the 13th overall selection and a conditional pick which would become the Bucs fourth-round selection in 2014. The Bucs signed Revis to a 6-year, $96 million contract, in-season September 18 – In a bit of a shocking mid-season move the Browns traded running back Trent Richardson to the Colts in exchange for the Colts first-round pick in the 2014 draft
4.
Wrigley Field
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Wrigley Field /ˈrɪɡli/ is a baseball park located on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the citys two Major League Baseball franchises and it first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghmans Chicago Whales of the Federal League, which folded after the 1915 baseball season. The Cubs played their first home game at the park on April 20,1916, chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Jr. of the Wrigley Company acquired complete control of the Cubs in 1921. It was named Cubs Park from 1920 to 1926, before being renamed Wrigley Field in 1927, in the North side community area of Lakeview in the Wrigleyville neighborhood, Wrigley Field is on an irregular block bounded by Clark and Addison Streets and Waveland and Sheffield Avenues. Wrigley Field is nicknamed The Friendly Confines, a phrase popularized by Mr. Cub, Hall of Fame shortstop and first baseman Ernie Banks. The oldest park in the National League, the current seating capacity is 41,268, it is the second-oldest in the majors after Fenway Park, between 1921 and 1970, it was also the home of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. The elevation of its field is 600 feet above sea level. Baseball executive Charles Weeghman hired his architect Zachary Taylor Davis to design the park, the original tenants, the Chicago Whales came in second in the Federal League rankings in 1914 and won the league championship in 1915. In late 1915, Weeghmans Federal League folded, the resourceful Weeghman formed a syndicate including the chewing gum manufacturer William Wrigley Jr. to buy the Chicago Cubs from Charles P. Taft for about $500,000. Weeghman immediately moved the Cubs from the dilapidated West Side Grounds to his two-year-old park, in 1918, Wrigley acquired the controlling interest in the club. In November 1926, he renamed the park Wrigley Field, in 1927, an upper deck was added, and in 1937, Bill Veeck, the son of the club president, planted ivy vines against the outfield walls. The Ricketts family has been pursuing a Wrigley Field renovation since buying the team. Their current plan, revealed during the annual Cubs Convention in January 2013, calls for a $575-million, the team could not come to terms with the rooftop owners who have a lease with the team until 2023 in exchange for paying 17% of the gross revenues. In May 2014 the Cubs announced they would pursue the original 2013 plan to modify the park, the 1060 Project – Phase One started Monday, September 29,2014. During the off-season, the bleachers in both outfields were expanded and the footprint was extended further onto both Waveland and Sheffield Avenues. A3,990 sq ft Jumbotron scoreboard was added to the left field bleachers and it is topped with a sign advertising Wintrust Financial, a Rosemont-based bank and a Cubs Legacy Partner, the W in Wintrust flashes after every Cubs win. A2,400 sq ft video scoreboard was added in the right field bleachers. After the close of the extended 2015 season, work began on Phase Two of the project, the previous clubhouse space was utilized to enlarge the dugout and add two underground batting cages, an auditorium, and more team office space
5.
George Gulyanics
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George Gulyanics was born in Mishawaka, Indiana and was a professional American football player who played running back and punter for six seasons for the Chicago Bears. He currently ranks eleventh all-time in the National Football League in career yards per punt. Gulyanics won the South Bend, Indiana Golden Gloves welterweight title in 1937 and was an Indiana All-State fullback in 1941 at Mishawaka High School and he then attended Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, Mississippi and later played on the 1941 Alabama Crimson Tide football team. He served in the First Army Signal Corps from 1942 to 1945 and went ashore in Normandy at Utah Beach on D-Day Plus 1, in 1946, he played for the Halas-owned Akron Bears of the AFL, before being promoted to the Chicago Bears in 1947. Nicknamed Little Bronko, he played six years at fullback and halfback and was the teams punter. He ranks 15th on the Bears all-time rushing list with 2,081 yards, in 1953 he returned to Mishawaka and was elected to the Penn Township assessors office in 1954. He held that office for 32 years before his retirement in 1986 and he and his wife, Ann Marie, had four children. He is a member of the Mishawaka High School Athletics Hall-of-Fame
6.
Vince Banonis
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Vincent Joseph Banonis was an American football player. He played college football at the University of Detroit where he was selected as a first-team All-American in 1940 and he also played in the National Football League for the Chicago Cardinals from 1942 to 1950, and for the Detroit Lions from 1951 to 1953. He was a first-team All-NFL player three times and played on three NFL championship teams and he was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1975 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986. Banonis was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1921 and he attended Detroit Catholic Central High School. He was the center and captain for Catholic Central team that won a Detroit city championship, Banonis enrolled at the University of Detroit in 1938 and played at the center position for head coach Gus Dorais Detroit Titans football team from 1939 to 1941. In 1939, Detroits line coach, Bud Boeringer, who had been an All-American center at Notre Dame and he was reported to be almost uncanny at diagnosing plays on defense and to be particularly strong on forward pass defense. At the end of the 1941 season, Banonis was chosen as a first-round All-American by Colliers Weekly, International News Service and he was also chosen as a second-team All-American by the Newspaper Enterprise Association. Banonis was selected by the Chicago Cardinals in the round of the 1942 NFL Draft with the 29th overall pick. Banonis appeared in 11 games for the 1942 Cardinals and intercepted two passes that season, Banonis football career was interrupted for three years by wartime service in the United States Navy during World War II. He returned to the Cardinals in 1946 and remained with the club through the 1950 season, during his time with the Cardinals, he was selected as a first-team All-NFL player three times and a second-team All-NFL player three times. He intercepted 11 passes from 1946 to 1949 and led the NFL with 83 return yards on two fumble recoveries in 1947 and he was a member of the 1947 Cardinals team that won the NFL championship. In July 1950, Banonis younger brother, Vic Banonis, was signed by the Cardinals after playing football at Georgetown. However, his brother did not appear in any regular season games in the NFL, in 1951, Banonis was traded by the Cardinals to the Detroit Lions in exchange for offensive lineman Jack Simmons. Banonis appeared in 36 games at center for the Lions from 1951 to 1953, the Lions signed center Joe Schmidt in 1953, and Banonis appeared in his last professional football game that year at age 32. Banonis has been inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame and he died in 2010 at age 89 at Providence Hospital in Southfield, Michigan. He was buried at the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Southfield, vince Banonis at Find a Grave
7.
Johnny Lujack
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John Christopher Lujack Jr. is a former American football quarterback and 1947 Heisman Trophy winner. He played college football for the University of Notre Dame, Lujack was the first of several successful quarterbacks who hailed from Western Pennsylvania. Others include Pro Football Hall of Fame members Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath, Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, Joe Montana and George Blanda. Lujack was born to Alice and John, Sr. in 1925 in Connellsville, Pennsylvania, the family is of Polish descent and included older siblings Valentine, Stanley, Victoria, Aloysius, and younger sister Dolores. His father, John, Sr. worked for the Pittsburgh and he was on the Connellsville High School football team from 1939 to 1941, and was also senior class president and valedictorian. He lettered in four sports, baseball, football, basketball and he was the first Connellsville High School student to receive an appointment to Army. Lujack attended Notre Dame, where he was given a scholarship by Frank Leahy, from 1942 to 1943 and his career was interrupted for two years by World War II after his sophomore season, where he served an officer in the United States Navy. His time in the Navy was spent hunting German submarines in the English Channel as an ensign, when he returned from the Atlantic duty he appeared on the cover of the September 29,1947, issue of LIFE. He led the 1947 Fighting Irish to 9-0 record for his year, where he completed 61 passes on 109 attempts for 777 yards and also ran 139 yards on 12 carries. As he had in school, he once again received varsity letters in four sports while at Notre Dame. He was a two-time All-American and led Notre Dame to three national championships, and, in addition to winning the Heisman, he was named Associated Press Athlete of the Year. He was paid USD$17,000 for his rookie 1948 season with the Bears and $20,000 for his fourth, in his rookie season he played defensive back where he had 8 interceptions for 131 yards and kicked 44 out of 46 extra points. In the summer of 1949 he starred in a program on ABC, The Adventures of Johnny Lujack, which was a summer time replacement for the Jack Armstrong. It was a 30-minute program and broadcast on Monday, Wednesday, the show was broadcast from the studios of WGN in Chicago over the Mutual Broadcasting System and ran for 13-weeks. In the final game of the 1949 season, the 9–3 Bears defeated their hometown rivals, in that game Lujack threw six touchdown passes and set an NFL record with 468 passing yards. The record was later by Norm Van Brocklin. His wife is the former Patricia Ann Pat Schierbrock, daughter of Josephine, Lujack and Schierbrock were married in Davenport, Iowa at the Sacred Heart Cathedral on June 26,1949. They have three children, Mary, Jeff, and Carol, sid Luckman and George Blanda played behind Lujack in the rotation at quarterback for the 1949 and 1950 seasons
8.
Blizzard
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A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds of at least 35 mph and lasting for a prolonged period of time—typically three hours or more. A ground blizzard is a condition where snow is not falling but loose snow on the ground is lifted. In the United States, the National Weather Service defines a blizzard as a severe Snow storm characterized by strong winds causing blowing snow that results in low visibilities, the difference between a blizzard and a snowstorm is the strength of the wind, not the amount of snow. While severe cold and large amounts of drifting snow may accompany blizzards, Blizzards can bring whiteout conditions, and can paralyze regions for days at a time, particularly where snowfall is unusual or rare. A severe blizzard has winds over 72 km/h, near zero visibility, in Antarctica, blizzards are associated with winds spilling over the edge of the ice plateau at an average velocity of 160 km/h. Ground blizzard refers to a condition where loose snow or ice on the ground is lifted. The Australia Bureau of Meteorology describes a blizzard as, Violent and very cold wind which is laden with snow, some part, at least, Blizzard conditions of cold temperatures and strong winds can cause wind chill values that can result in hypothermia or frostbite. The wind chill factor is the amount of cooling the body feels due to the combination of wind. They are most common in the Great Plains, the Great Lakes states, and the states along the coast. Another storm system occurs when a cold core low over the Hudson Bay area in Canada is displaced southward over southeastern Canada, the Great Lakes, and New England. When the rapidly moving cold front collides with warmer air coming north from the Gulf of Mexico, strong winds, significant cold air advection. With few trees or other obstructions to wind and blowing. In a true whiteout there is no visible horizon, people can become lost in their own front yards, when the door is only 3 m away, and they would have to feel their way back. Motorists have to stop their cars where they are, as the road is impossible to see, a noreaster is a macro-scale storm along the upper East Coast of the United States and Atlantic Canada. It gets its name from the direction the wind is coming from, the term is most often used in the coastal areas of New England and Atlantic Canada. This type of storm has characteristics similar to a hurricane, more specifically it describes a low-pressure area whose center of rotation is just off the East Coast and whose leading winds in the left-forward quadrant rotate onto land from the northeast. High storm waves may sink ships at sea and cause coastal flooding, notable noreasters include The Great Blizzard of 1888, one of the worst blizzards in U. S. history. It dropped 100–130 cm of snow and had sustained winds of more than 45 miles per hour that produced snowdrifts in excess of 50 feet, railroads were shut down and people were confined to their houses for up to a week
9.
Shibe Park
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Shibe Park, known later as Connie Mack Stadium, was a baseball park located in Philadelphia. It was the home of the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League, when it opened April 12,1909, it became baseballs first steel-and-concrete stadium. In different eras it was home to The $100,000 Infield, The Whiz Kids, Shibe Park stood on the block bounded by Lehigh Avenue, 20th Street, Somerset Street and 21st Street. It was five blocks west, corner-to-corner, from the Baker Bowl, the stadium hosted eight World Series and two MLB All-Star Games, in 1943 and 1952, with the latter game holding the distinction of being the only All-Star contest shortened by rain. In May 1939, it was the site of the first night game played in the American League, Phillies Hall-of-Fame centerfielder and longtime broadcaster Richie Ashburn remembered Shibe Park, It looked like a ballpark. It had a feeling and a heartbeat, a personality that was all baseball, when as many as 28,000 showed up to fill the 9,500 wooden bleacher seats, Shibe and partner Connie Mack decided the As needed a new place to play. He searched for a site for his new park and found one on Lehigh Avenue between 20th and 21st Streets, five blocks west of Baker Bowl, straddling the neighborhoods known as Swampoodle and Goosetown. It was still primitive at the time, an area of high bluffs, rain-washed gullies, quagmires, open fields, even ponds where chickens pecked. Although a grid of streets was planned for the area, few actually existed, without the hospital, the areas stigma would eventually dissipate, but at the time, the land was still a bargain. He spent a total of $67,500 on seven land packages totaling 5.75 acres, for the design and its execution, Shibe hired William Steele and Sons. Their engineering staff had worked with the new technology of steel-reinforced concrete, and designed and built the citys first skyscraper, the Steele design for the Shibe façade was in the ornate French Renaissance style, including arches, vaultings, and Ionic pilasters. The souvenir program on Opening Day called it a combination of color. Gabled dormer windows on the upper decks copper-trimmed green-slate mansard roof looked out over the streets below, presiding over all were terra cotta busts of Shibe and Mack above the main entrances on Lehigh and 21st. The signature feature of the design was the octangular tower on the southwest corner. On the ground floor was an entrance lobby. Bobby Shantz, pitcher for the As in their last years at Shibe, Shibe was proud of the egalitarianism of the design, he said it was for the masses as well as the classes. In April 1908, design in hand, the Shibes and the Steeles broke ground, with the resources of the Steele firm, construction was speedy, efficient and completed in time to open the 1909 season. The city was excited about its new ballpark – the Philadelphia Public Ledger called it a palace for fans, American League president Ban Johnson pronounced that Shibe Park is the greatest place of its character in the world
10.
Philadelphia
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In 1682, William Penn, an English Quaker, founded the city to serve as capital of the Pennsylvania Colony. Philadelphia was one of the capitals in the Revolutionary War. In the 19th century, Philadelphia became an industrial center. It became a destination for African-Americans in the Great Migration. The areas many universities and colleges make Philadelphia a top international study destination, as the city has evolved into an educational, with a gross domestic product of $388 billion, Philadelphia ranks ninth among world cities and fourth in the nation. Philadelphia is the center of activity in Pennsylvania and is home to seven Fortune 1000 companies. The Philadelphia skyline is growing, with a market of almost 81,900 commercial properties in 2016 including several prominent skyscrapers. The city is known for its arts, culture, and rich history, Philadelphia has more outdoor sculptures and murals than any other American city. Fairmount Park, when combined with the adjacent Wissahickon Valley Park in the watershed, is one of the largest contiguous urban park areas in the United States. The 67 National Historic Landmarks in the city helped account for the $10 billion generated by tourism, Philadelphia is the only World Heritage City in the United States. Before Europeans arrived, the Philadelphia area was home to the Lenape Indians in the village of Shackamaxon, the Lenape are a Native American tribe and First Nations band government. They are also called Delaware Indians and their territory was along the Delaware River watershed, western Long Island. Most Lenape were pushed out of their Delaware homeland during the 18th century by expanding European colonies, Lenape communities were weakened by newly introduced diseases, mainly smallpox, and violent conflict with Europeans. Iroquois people occasionally fought the Lenape, surviving Lenape moved west into the upper Ohio River basin. The American Revolutionary War and United States independence pushed them further west, in the 1860s, the United States government sent most Lenape remaining in the eastern United States to the Indian Territory under the Indian removal policy. In the 21st century, most Lenape now reside in the US state of Oklahoma, with communities living also in Wisconsin, Ontario. The Dutch considered the entire Delaware River valley to be part of their New Netherland colony, in 1638, Swedish settlers led by renegade Dutch established the colony of New Sweden at Fort Christina and quickly spread out in the valley. In 1644, New Sweden supported the Susquehannocks in their defeat of the English colony of Maryland
11.
Pat Harder
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Marlin M. Pat Harder was an American football player, playing fullback and kicker. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1993, after graduating from Washington High School, in Milwaukee, he enrolled in the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Playing fullback for the Badgers, Harder led the Big Ten Conference in rushing and scoring in 1941. In 1942, Harder was part of a team that went 8–1–1, including a 17–7 victory over the national champion Ohio State Buckeyes. Harder left Wisconsin to join the United States Marine Corps in 1943 to fight in World War II, despite having a year of eligibility left when he left the Marines, Harder turned pro in 1946. Harder was drafted 2nd overall in the 1944 NFL Draft by the Chicago Cardinals, Harder was part of the Cardinals Million Dollar Backfield which also included quarterback Paul Christman and halfback Charley Trippi. He was the first player in history to score over 100 points in three consecutive years, which he did from 1947 to 1949, leading the league all three years. In 1947, the Cardinals won the NFL Championship, in the championship game, Harder kicked four extra points to help defeat the Philadelphia Eagles, 28–21. Harder was traded to the Detroit Lions in 1951 and he helped the Lions win back-to-back NFL Championships in 1952 and 1953. Harder retired from football in 1953. Harder served as an NFL official from 1966 to 1982, working as the umpire on the crew of legendary referee Jim Tunney wearing uniform number 88. The most famous game he worked came on December 23,1972 and he also served as vice-president of a car leasing company in Milwaukee. He died in Waukesha, Wisconsin on September 6,1992, Harder was posthumously inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1993. In 2005, he was named to the Professional Football Researchers Association Hall of Very Good in the associations third HOVG class. The popular chant Hit em again harder, harder, harder was a University of Wisconsin cheer aimed at Pat Harder and can still be heard at high school, Pat Harder at the College Football Hall of Fame
12.
History of the Chicago Cardinals
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The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois. This article chronicles the history during their time as the Chicago Cardinals from 1920 to 1959. In 1898, Chicago painting and building contractor Chris OBrien established an amateur Chicago-based athletic club football team named the Morgan Athletic Club, OBrien later moved them to Chicagos Normal Park and renamed them the Racine Normals, since Normal Park was located on Racine Avenue in Chicago. In 1901, OBrien bought used maroon uniforms from the University of Chicago and it was then that the team changed its name to the Racine Cardinals. The original Racine Cardinals team disbanded in 1906 mostly for lack of local competition, a professional team under the same name formed in 1913, claiming the previous team as part of their history. As was the case for most professional teams in 1918, the team was forced to suspend operations for a second time due to World War I. They resumed operations later in the year, and have operated continuously. At the time of the founding of the modern National Football League, in 1920, the team became a charter member of the American Professional Football Association, for a franchise fee of $100. The person keeping the minutes of the first league meeting, unfamiliar with the nuances of Chicago football, recorded the Cardinals as from Racine, the team was renamed the Chicago Cardinals in 1922 after a team actually from Racine, Wisconsin entered the league. That season the team moved to Comiskey Park, the Staleys and Cardinals played each other twice in 1920 as the Racine Cardinals and the Decatur Staleys, making their rivalry the oldest in the NFL. They split the series, with the team winning in each. In the Cardinals 7-6 victory over the Staleys in their first meeting of the season, each scored a TD on a fumble recovery. The Cardinals defeat of the Staleys proved critical, since George Halass Staleys went on to a 10-1-2 record overall, 5-1-2 in league play. The Akron Pros were the first ever champions, they finished with an 8-0-3 record, 6-0-3 in league play. Since the Pros merely had to tie the game in order to win the title, had the Staleys not lost to the Cardinals, they would have gone into that fateful game with an 11-0-1 record, 6-0-1 in league play. As it was, it all but assured that the Staleys/Bears, in 1922, the Staleys, now renamed the Bears, went 9-3-0, losing to the Cardinals twice. The Bears still edged the Cardinals for 2nd place in the league, in 1923 and 1924, the Bears got the better of the Cardinals all three times the two teams played. But in 1925, the Bears went 0-1-1 against the Cardinals with the tie meaning the Cardinals were only a ½ game in front of the Pottsville Maroons heading into their fateful 1925 showdown
13.
Steve Van Buren
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Stephen Wood Van Buren was a professional American football halfback who played for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League from 1944 to 1951. Regarded as a powerful and punishing runner with excellent speed, through eight NFL seasons he won four league rushing titles, when he retired, he held the NFL career records for rushing attempts, yards, and touchdowns. As of 2016, he remains the Eagles franchise leader in rushing touchdowns. Van Buren played college football for Louisiana State University, where he led the NCAA in scoring in his season for the LSU Tigers. After leading LSU to victory in the Orange Bowl, he was drafted by the Eagles with the fifth pick in the 1944 NFL Draft. Van Buren acquired many nicknames over his career in reference to his style, including Wham Bam, Moving Van. After his playing career, Van Buren coached in league football. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965, Van Buren is a member of the NFL 1940s All-Decade Team and the National Football League 75th Anniversary All-Time Team. For his college career, he was inducted into the Louisiana State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1944 and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 1961. Born in La Ceiba, Honduras to an American-born father and a mother of Spanish heritage, Stephen Wood Van Buren was orphaned at age ten and was sent to live with relatives in New Orleans, Louisiana. There he attended Warren Easton High School, and tried out for the team originally as a sophomore. Later that year he dropped out of school and went to work in an iron foundry. He returned to school two years later and made the team as an end his senior year. He played well enough that season to earn a scholarship to Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Van Buren received a class IV-F exemption due to an eye defect and he probably was the greatest running back in Southeastern Conference history, Moore recalled, and I used him as a blocking back until his last year. The folks in Baton Rouge never let me forget that and he began the 1943 season by scoring four touchdowns in a 34–27 win over Georgia, including the game-winning touchdown with less than two minutes to play. He finished the season with 847 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns and he also completed 13 of 36 passing attempts for 160 yards. His 98 points scored led the nation, after the season, the Associated Press named Van Buren to its All-Southeastern Conference first team
14.
Malcolm Kutner
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Malcolm James Mal Kutner was an American football end in the National Football League, and was selected as the NFL Most Valuable Player in 1948 while playing with the Chicago Cardinals. He played college football at the University of Texas where he was an AP All-American in 1941 and he was an All-Pro End and, in 1947, he was selected as the NFLs Player of the Year. He was inducted into the National Football Foundations College Hall of Fame in 1974, malcolm Kutner graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1938 and, in 1990, was inducted into Woodrows Hall of Fame. Malcolm Kutner at Find a Grave
15.
Pittsburgh
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Pittsburgh is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the United States, and is the county seat of Allegheny County. The city proper has a population of 304,391. The metropolitan population of 2,353,045 is the largest in both the Ohio Valley and Appalachia, the second-largest in Pennsylvania, and the 26th-largest in the U. S. The city features 30 skyscrapers, two inclines, a fortification and the Point State Park at the confluence of the rivers. Aside from steel, Pittsburgh has led in manufacturing of aluminum, glass, shipbuilding, petroleum, foods, sports, transportation, computing, autos, and electronics. For part of the 20th century, Pittsburgh was behind only New York and Chicago in corporate headquarters employment, Americas 1980s deindustrialization laid off area blue-collar workers and thousands of downtown white-collar workers when the longtime Pittsburgh-based world headquarters moved out. The area has served also as the federal agency headquarters for cyber defense, software engineering, robotics, energy research. The area is home to 68 colleges and universities, including research and development leaders Carnegie Mellon University, the region is a hub for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, sustainable energy, and energy extraction. Pittsburgh was named in 1758 by General John Forbes, in honor of British statesman William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham. The current pronunciation, which is unusual in English speaking countries, is almost certainly a result of a printing error in some copies of the City Charter of March 18,1816. The error was repeated commonly enough throughout the rest of the 19th century that the pronunciation was lost. After a public campaign the original spelling was restored by the United States Board on Geographic Names in 1911. The area of the Ohio headwaters was long inhabited by the Shawnee, the first known European to enter the region was the French explorer/trader Robert de La Salle from Quebec during his 1669 expedition down the Ohio River. European pioneers, primarily Dutch, followed in the early 18th century, Michael Bezallion was the first to describe the forks of the Ohio in a 1717 manuscript, and later that year European fur traders established area posts and settlements. In 1749, French soldiers from Quebec launched an expedition to the forks to unite Canada with French Louisiana via the rivers, during 1753–54, the British hastily built Fort Prince George before a larger French force drove them off. The French built Fort Duquesne based on LaSalles 1669 claims, the French and Indian War, the North American front of the Seven Years War, began with the future Pittsburgh as its center. British General Edward Braddock was dispatched with Major George Washington as his aide to take Fort Duquesne, the British and colonial force were defeated at Braddocks Field. General John Forbes finally took the forks in 1758, Forbes began construction on Fort Pitt, named after William Pitt the Elder while the settlement was named Pittsborough
16.
Washington Redskins
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The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Redskins compete in the National Football League as a member of the National Football Conference East division. The Redskins have played more than 1,000 games since 1932, the Redskins have won five NFL Championships. The franchise has captured 14 NFL divisional titles and six NFL conference championships, the Redskins were the first team in the NFL with an official marching band, and also the first team to have a fight song, Hail to the Redskins. The team began play as the Boston Braves in 1932, based in Boston, before relocating to Washington, the Redskins won the 1937 and 1942 Championship games, as well as Super Bowls XVII, XXII, and XXVI. They also played in, and lost, the 1936,1940,1943 and they have made 24 postseason appearances, and have an overall postseason record of 23–18. All of the Redskins league titles were attained during two 10-year spans, from 1936 to 1945, the Redskins went to the NFL Championship six times, winning two of them. The second period lasted between 1982 and 1991 where the Redskins appeared in the seven times, captured four Conference titles. The Redskins have also experienced failure in their history, the most notable period of general failure was from 1946 to 1970, during which the Redskins posted only four winning seasons and did not have a single postseason appearance. During this period, the Redskins went without a winning season during the years 1956–1968. In 1961, the franchise posted their worst regular season record with a 1–12–1 showing, since 1992, the Redskins have only won the NFC East three times, made five postseason appearances, and had nine seasons with a winning record.85 billion. They also set the NFL record for attendance in 2007. The team name and logo have been the subject of controversy, with lawsuits being filed by Native American groups who consider the team name, polls conducted in the 2010s have shown a lack of major support among fans for a name change. The team originated as the Boston Braves, based in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1932, at the time the team played in Braves Field, home of the Boston Braves baseball team. The following year the club moved to Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, to round out the change, Marshall hired William Lone Star Dietz, who was part Sioux, as the teams head coach. However, Boston wasnt much of a town at the time. The Redskins relocated to Washington, D. C. in 1937, in their early years in Washington, the Redskins shared Griffith Stadium with the Washington Senators baseball team. The Redskins played and won their first game in Washington, D. C. on September 16,1937, on December 5,1937, they earned their first division title in Washington against the Giants, 49–14, for the Eastern Championship
17.
Harry Gilmer
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Harry Vincent Gilmer Jr. was an American football halfback and quarterback in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins and Detroit Lions. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1993, Gilmer was born in Birmingham, Alabama, where he attended and played high school football at Woodlawn High School. Gilmer often utilized the practice of leaping high into the air to pass the ball because as a child he often played games with teammates who were much older. Gilmer was then one of the first players to popularize the jump pass when he continued using the technique at the collegiate level, after high school, Gilmer attended and played college football at the University of Alabama, where he was the left halfback from 1944 to 1947. As a freshman, he was 8 for 8 in passing attempts during a loss against Duke University in the Sugar Bowl, gilmers best year was his sophomore season, when he led the nation in touchdown passes,13, and he ran for nine touchdowns. He had 79 rushing attempts with a gain of 7.0 yards. His total offense,1,457 yards, was second in the nation, Gilmer also spent time as a punter and kickoff returner and in his junior year, he returned 37 punts and his average,14.5 yards, led the nation. During that season, Gilmer led Alabama to the 1946 Rose Bowl, in his career Gilmer passed for 26 touchdowns and ran for 24. He passed for 2894 yards and rushed for 1673 and his punting average was 36.4 yards. He averaged 28.7 yards on returns,13.5 on punt returns. Gilmer was drafted as the first overall pick in the 1948 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins and he then was traded to the Detroit Lions for Bert Zagers and Bob Trout, where he played in 1955 and 1956. After retiring from football, Gilmer began coaching, and was the coach of the Lions from 1965 to 1966. Gilmer was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1973, in 1999, Sports Illustrated named him the 37th greatest Alabama sports figure. Gilmer died on August 20,2016 at the age of 90, until his death, he lived in St. Louis, along with his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. List of NCAA major college yearly punt and kickoff return leaders Groom, the Crimson Tide – An Illustrated History. Tuscaloosa, The University of Alabama Press,2000, Harry Gilmer at the College Football Hall of Fame Harry Gilmer at Pro-Football-Reference. com
18.
University of Alabama
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The University of Alabama is a public research university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States, and the flagship of the University of Alabama System. Founded in 1820, UA is the oldest and largest of the universities in Alabama. UA offers programs of study in 13 academic divisions leading to bachelors, masters, Education Specialist, the only publicly supported law school in the state is at UA. The school was a center of activity during the American Civil War, the University of Alabama varsity football program, which was inaugurated in 1892, ranks as one of 10 winningest programs in US history. In a 1913 speech then-president George H. Denny extolled the university as the capstone of the school system in the state, lending the university its current nickname. The University of Alabama has consistently ranked as one of the top 50 public universities in the nation by the U. S. News & World Report. In 1818, U. S. Congress authorized the newly created Alabama Territory to set aside a township for the establishment of a seminary of learning. When Alabama was admitted to the Union on December 14,1819, the board chose as the site of the campus a place which was then just outside the city limits of Tuscaloosa, the state capital at the time. The new campus was designed by William Nichols, also the architect of newly completed Alabama State Capitol building, the universitys charter was presented to the first university president in the nave of Christ Episcopal Church. UA opened its doors to students on April 18,1831, an academy-style institution during the Antebellum period, the university emphasized the classics and the social and natural sciences. There were around 100 students per year at UA in the 1830s, consequently, only a fraction of students who enrolled in the early years remained enrolled for long and even fewer graduated. Those who did graduate, however, often had distinguished careers in Alabama, early graduates included Benjamin F. Porter and Alexander Meek. As the state and university matured, a literary culture evolved on campus. UA had one of the largest libraries in the country on the eve of the Civil War with more than 7,000 volumes, campbell, novelist William Gilmore Simms, and Professor Frederick Barnard. The addresses to those societies reveal a vibrant intellectual culture in Tuscaloosa, they illustrate the proslavery ideas that were so central to the university. Discipline and student behavior was an issue at the university almost from the day it opened. Early presidents attempted to enforce strict rules regarding conduct, Students were prohibited from drinking, swearing, making unauthorized visits off-campus, or playing musical instruments outside a one-hour time frame. Yet riots and gunfights were not an uncommon occurrence, to combat the severe discipline problem, president Landon Garland lobbied and received approval from the legislature in 1860 to transform the university into a military school
19.
New York Giants
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The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League as a club of the leagues National Football Conference East division. The team plays its games at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Giants hold their training camp at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center at the Meadowlands Sports Complex. The Giants were one of five teams that joined the NFL in 1925 and their championship tally is surpassed only by the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears. Throughout their history, the Giants have featured 28 Hall of Fame players, including NFL Most Valuable Player award winners Mel Hein, Frank Gifford, Y. A. Tittle, and Lawrence Taylor. The teams heated rivalry with the Philadelphia Eagles is the oldest of the NFC East rivalries, dating all the way back to 1933, the Giants played their first game as an away game against All New Britain in New Britain, Connecticut, on October 4,1925. They defeated New Britain 26–0 in front of a crowd of 10,000, the Giants were successful in their first season, finishing with an 8–4 record. In its third season, the finished with the best record in the league at 11–1–1 and was awarded the NFL title. In 1930, there were many who questioned the quality of the professional game. In December 1930, the Giants played a team of Notre Dame All Stars at the Polo Grounds to raise money for the unemployed of New York City and it was also an opportunity to establish the skill and prestige of the pro game. Knute Rockne reassembled his Four Horsemen along with the stars of his 1924 Championship squad and told them to score early, Rockne, like much of the public, thought little of pro football and expected an easy win. But from the beginning it was a one-way contest, with Friedman running for two Giant touchdowns and Hap Moran passing for another, when it was all over, Coach Rockne told his team, That was the greatest football machine I ever saw. I am glad none of you got hurt, the game raised $100,000 for the homeless, and is often credited with establishing the legitimacy of the professional game for those who were critical. It also was the last game the legendary Rockne ever coached, in a 14-year span from 1933 to 1947, the Giants qualified to play in the NFL championship game 8 times, winning twice. During this period the Giants were led by Hall of Fame coach Steve Owen, the period also featured the 1944 Giants, which are ranked as the #1 defensive team in NFL history. a truly awesome unit. They gave up only 7.5 points per game and shut out five of their 10 opponents, though they lost 14-7 to the Green Bay Packers in the 1944 NFL Championship Game. The famous Sneakers Game was played in this era where the Giants defeated the Chicago Bears on an icy field in the 1934 NFL Championship Game, the Giants played the Detroit Lions to a scoreless tie on November 7,1943
20.
Steve Owen (American football)
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Stephen Joseph Owen was an American football player and coach. He earned a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as head coach of the National Football Leagues New York Giants from 1930 to 1953 and his personal style was memorable for the odd congruence of gravelly voice and easy disposition to go with his perpetual tobacco chewing. While working on a ranch, he attended Phillips University in Enid. He supplemented his income at that time as a wrestler under the pseudonym Jack OBrien. Owen served in the U. S. Army training corps in World War I and he started to play pro football in 1924, at $50 a game, for the NFLs Kansas City Cowboys. After playing for the Cowboys and then the Cleveland Bulldogs in 1925, he was sold to the New York Giants in 1926 for $500, joining his brother Bill. After a futile attempt to get a cut of the price from Kansas City coach Leroy Andrews, he later said of the sale. But in those days, a fat hog was a lot more valuable than a fat tackle, I was going to New York even if I had to walk there. His leadership became clearly evident during the 1927 season as captain of a team outscored opponents 197–20, went 11–1–1. In 1930, he was promoted to co-player-coach for the two games of the season with another future Hall of Famer, Benny Friedman. The 2–0 finish was a premonition of Owens future long-term success as head coach starting the following season. In an unusual move for the time, he didnt sign a contract with owner Tim Mara. He would coach the next 23 years on a handshake, the team slipped to 8–5 in 1934, but still made the NFL championship game again. Facing the 13–0 Chicago Bears, the Giants came in as huge underdogs, the icy conditions and 9 °F weather led to an adjustment between halves that became a memorable part of National Football League lore. More than seven decades later, the contest is still remembered as the sneakers game, New York appeared in four more season-ending NFL title clashes under Owen, but lost them all. An early World War II Three Stooges short referred to them when Moe sarcastically asked a hulking adversary, Owen was the host of Pro Football Highlights on the DuMont Television Network from 1951 to 1953. After the Giants slipped to 3–8 in 1953, Owen announced his retirement as head coach days before the end of the regular season, ending his 28 years at field level with the Giants. As the final minutes ticked away in his last game as Giant coach and his record as head coach was 150–99–17 and his 150 wins are still the most in franchise history
21.
Philadelphia Eagles
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The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football franchise based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles compete in the National Football League as a club of the leagues National Football Conference East division. The franchise was established in 1933 as a replacement for the bankrupt Frankford Yellow Jackets, when a group led by Bert Bell secured the rights to an NFL franchise in Philadelphia. Bell, Chuck Bednarik, Bob Brown, Reggie White, Steve Van Buren, Tommy McDonald, Greasy Neale, Pete Pihos, Sonny Jurgensen, the team has an intense rivalry with the New York Giants. This rivalry is the oldest in the NFC East and is among the oldest in the NFL and they also have a historic rivalry with the Washington Redskins, as well as their bitter rivalry with the Dallas Cowboys, which has become more high-profile in the last three decades. The team consistently ranks in the top three in attendance and has sold out every game since the 1999 season, in a Sports Illustrated poll of 321 NFL players, Eagles fans were selected the most intimidating fans in the NFL. Midway through the 1931 season, the Frankford Yellow Jackets went bankrupt, the Bell-Wray group had to pay an entry fee of $3,500 and assumed a total debt of $11,000 that was owed to three other NFL franchises. Neither the Eagles nor the NFL officially regard the two franchises as the same, citing the period of dormancy. Furthermore, almost no Yellow Jackets players were on the Eagles first roster, the Eagles, along with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the now-defunct Cincinnati Reds, joined the NFL as expansion teams. To accommodate football at Shibe Park during the winter, management set up stands in right field, some 20 feet high, these east stands had 22 rows of seats. The goalposts stood along the first base line and in left field, the uncovered east stands enlarged capacity of Shibe Park to over 39,000, but the Eagles rarely drew more than 25 to 30,000. The Eagles struggled over the course of their first decade, enduring repeated losing seasons, soon after, Bell and Rooney traded the Eagles franchise to Thompson and moved it to Pittsburgh, while Thompson moved the Steelers franchise to Philadelphia. By the late 1940s, head coach Earle Greasy Neale and running back Steve Van Buren led the team to three consecutive NFL Championship Games, winning two of them in 1948 and 1949. After the 1957 season, the Eagles moved from Connie Mack Stadium to Franklin Field at the University of Pennsylvania, Franklin Field would seat over 60,000 for the Eagles, whereas Connie Mack had a capacity of 39,000. The stadium switched from grass to AstroTurf in 1969 and it was the first NFL stadium to use artificial turf. In 1960, the Eagles won their third NFL championship, under the leadership of future Pro Football Hall of Famers Norm Van Brocklin and Chuck Bednarik, the head coach was Buck Shaw. The 1960 Eagles, by a score of 17–13, became the team to defeat Vince Lombardi. The Eagles had a good 1961 season and then fell on hard times in 1962
22.
Greasy Neale
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Alfred Earle Greasy Neale was an American football and baseball player and coach. Neale was born in Parkersburg, West Virginia, although writers eventually assumed that Neale got his nickname, Greasy, from his elusiveness on the football field, it actually arose during his youth, from a name-calling joust with a friend. He played Major League Baseball as an outfielder with the Cincinnati Reds between 1916 and 1924 and briefly with the Philadelphia Phillies for part of the 1921 season, Neale was the starting right fielder for the 1919 Cincinnati Reds. He batted.357 in the 1919 World Series and led the Reds with ten hits in their series win over the scandalous White Sox. Neale spent all but 22 games of his career with the Cincinnati Reds. He had a batting average of.259 and finished in the top ten in stolen bases in the National League four times. When football season came around, often he would leave baseball and fulfill his football duties, Neale also played professional football in the Ohio League with the Canton Bulldogs in 1917, the Dayton Triangles in 1918, and the Massillon Tigers in 1919. He starred as an end on Jim Thorpes pre-World War I Canton Bulldogs as well as the Dayton Triangles in 1918 and he coached the Triangles in 1918. Neale began his career while still a professional player. He coached basketball for two seasons at Marietta as well, amassing a record of 26–11 and he also served as an assistant football coach at Yale Bulldogs football for seven seasons. At Washington & Jefferson, he led his 1921 squad to the Rose Bowl, at Virginia, Neale was also the head baseball coach from 1923 to 1929, tallying a mark of 80–73–2. Neale later coached the independent professional Ironton Tanks with his style, flair. He and Tanks quarterback Glenn Presnell claimed victories against the NFLs second place New York Giants, Neale moved to the National Football League, serving as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1941 to 1950. Although it took Neale a while to pull together the needed talent to build a team, once he had the right ingredients. From 1944 through 1949, Neales Eagles finished second three times and in first place three times and it was the last championship for the Eagles until 1960. His offense was led by the passing of quarterback Tommy Thompson, the catching of future Hall of Fame end Pete Pihos. He tallied a mark of 66–44–5 including playoff games in his ten seasons with the club, Neale was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1967 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1969. Both inductions recognized his coaching career, Neale died in Florida at the age of 81 and is buried at Parkersburg Memorial Gardens in West Virginia
23.
Pittsburgh Steelers
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The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Steelers compete in the National Football League, as a club of the leagues American Football Conference North division. Founded in 1933, the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC, Pittsburgh has won more Super Bowl titles and hosted more conference championship games than any other NFL team. The Steelers have won 8 AFC championships, tied with the Denver Broncos and they share the record for most conference championship games played in with the San Francisco 49ers. The Steelers share the record for second most Super Bowl appearances with the Broncos, and Dallas Cowboys, the Steelers lost their most recent championship appearance, Super Bowl XLV, on February 6,2011. The Steelers were founded as the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 8,1933, by Art Rooney, taking its name from the baseball team of the same name. The ownership of the Steelers has remained within the Rooney family since its founding, the current owner is Arts son, Dan Rooney, who has given much control of the franchise to his son Art Rooney II. The Steelers enjoy a large, widespread fanbase nicknamed Steeler Nation, the Steelers currently play their home games at Heinz Field on Pittsburghs North Side in the North Shore neighborhood, which also hosts the University of Pittsburgh Panthers. Built in 2001, the stadium replaced Three Rivers Stadium which hosted the Steelers for 31 seasons, prior to Three Rivers, the Steelers had played their games in Pitt Stadium and Forbes Field. The Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL first took to the field as the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 20,1933, through the 1930s, the Pirates never finished higher than second place in their division, or with a record better than.500. Prior to the 1940 season, the Pirates renamed themselves the Steelers, during World War II, the Steelers experienced player shortages. They twice merged with other NFL franchises to field a team, during the 1943 season, they merged with the Philadelphia Eagles forming the Phil-Pitt Eagles and were known as the Steagles. In 1944, they merged with the Chicago Cardinals and were known as Card-Pitt and this team finished 0–10, marking the only winless team in franchise history. The Steelers made the playoffs for the first time in 1947 and this forced a tie-breaking playoff game at Forbes Field, which the Steelers lost 21–0. The Steelers also received a $3 million relocation fee, which was a windfall for them, the Steelers history of bad luck changed with the hiring of coach Chuck Noll for the 1969 season. The Pittsburgh Steelers 1974 draft was their best ever, no team has ever drafted four future Hall of Famers in one year. They also enjoyed a regular season streak of 49 consecutive wins against teams that would finish with a record that year. The Steelers suffered a rash of injuries in the 1980 season, the 1981 season was no better, with an 8–8 showing
24.
John Michelosen
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John Michelosen was an American football player and coach. He served as the coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League from 1948 to 1951. From 1955 to 1965 he was the football coach at his alma mater. Michelosen was a native of the Pittsburgh suburb of Ambridge, Pennsylvania, Michelosen got his start in football playing quarterback at Ambridge High School, under coach Maurice Moe Rubenstein. He attended the University of Pittsburgh where he played for Jock Sutherland and he started for three years, playing on Pittsburghs national championship teams in 1936 and 1937. He was a captain in 1937. He was also a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity, after graduating, Michelosen joined Pitts staff as an assistant football coach. In 1948 Michelosen became the youngest head coach of any National Football League team in the modern era when he took command of the Steelers. At the age of 32 years and two months he remained the youngest head coach in NFL history until 1962 when Harland Svare beat him out by four months in mid-season. Michelosen held on to the distinction of being the youngest coach ever to start an NFL season until the Oakland Raiders hired Lane Kiffin in 2007, michelosens tenure as Steelers head coach lasted until 1951 and he compiled a 20–26–2 record. In 1949 Michelosen guided the Steelers to a place finish in the NFLs Eastern Division. At the time only division champions qualified for post-season play, Michelosen returned to the University of Pittsburgh in 1955 and served as head football coach for 11 seasons, through the 1965 campaign. He led Pitt to back-to-back major bowl games in the 1950s, Michelosen put together a 56–49–7 record over 11 seasons, with only four losing campaigns. Michelosen was an influence on NFL greats such as Mike Ditka and Marty Schottenheimer, Michelosen also has a place in the civil rights history of the country, guiding the first team to break the color barrier in the southern bowls. In the 1956 Sugar Bowl Pitt became the first sports team ever to field an African American player in the deep south, Michelosen was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1970. Michelosen died on October 17,1982 in San Diego, California following a heart attack, time article on the 1956 Pitt season and coach Michelosen John Michelosen at the College Football Data Warehouse
25.
Turk Edwards
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Albert Glen Turk Edwards was an American football tackle in the National Football League. He played his career for, and later became the head coach of. Edwards was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1969, Edwards attended and played college football at Washington State University from 1929 to 1931. He helped lead the Cougars to a 9–0 record during the 1930 season, Edwards, along with Mel Hein, became the first All-Americans selected from Washington State. He was a member of the Alpha Omicron Chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity while at Washington State University, after finishing college, Edwards received offers from three NFL franchises, the recently created Boston Braves, the New York Giants, and the Portsmouth Spartans. He chose the highest bid, $1,500 for 10 games from the Braves, Edwards played for the Braves/Redskins for nine seasons, winning All-NFL honors from major media outlets every year of his career except his last one. Edwards sustained an injury during a coin-tossing ceremony prior to a game against the New York Giants in 1940. After calling the toss and shaking hands with college teammate Mel Hein. However, his cleats caught in the grass and his knee gave way, ending his season. Edwards was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1969 and he was introduced at the ceremony by Mel Hein, who said, The thing Ill remember most about Turk Edwards is that he was a true sportsman, a true gentleman and still is. Edwards continued with the Redskins as an assistant coach from 1941 to 1945, after 17 consecutive seasons with the Redskins, Edwards retired from professional football. After retiring from football, Edwards returned to the Pacific Northwest, in 1961, he moved to Kelso, Washington, where he spent 12 years working in the Cowlitz County assessors office. Edwards died on January 12,1973 after a long illness, Turk Edwards at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Turk Edwards at the College Football Hall of Fame Turk Edwards at Pro-Football-Reference. com Turk Edwards at Find a Grave
26.
Chicago Bears
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The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. The Bears compete in the National Football League as a club of the leagues National Football Conference North division. The Bears have won nine NFL Championships and one Super Bowl and hold the NFL record for the most enshrinees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Bears have also recorded more victories than any other NFL franchise. The franchise was founded in Decatur, Illinois, in 1919 and it is one of only two remaining franchises from the NFLs founding. The team played games at Wrigley Field on Chicagos North Side through the 1970 season, they now play at Soldier Field on the Near South Side. The Bears have a rivalry with the Green Bay Packers. The team headquarters, Halas Hall, is in the Chicago suburb of Lake Forest, the Bears practice at adjoining facilities there during the season. They hold their training camp from late July to mid-August at Ward Field on the campus of Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois. Originally named the Decatur Staleys, the club was established by the A. E. Staley food starch company of Decatur and this was the typical start for several early professional football franchises. The company hired George Halas and Edward Dutch Sternaman in 1920 to run the team, the 1920 Decatur Staleys season was their inaugural regular season completed in the newly formed American Professional Football Association. Full control of the team was turned over to Halas and Sternaman in 1921, official team and league records cite Halas as the founder as he took over the team in 1920 when it became a charter member of the NFL. The team relocated to Chicago in 1921, where the club was renamed the Chicago Staleys, under an agreement reached by Halas and Sternaman with Staley, Halas purchased the rights to the club from Staley for US$100. In 1922, Halas changed the name from the Staleys to the Bears. The team moved into Wrigley Field, which was home to the Chicago Cubs baseball franchise, as with several early NFL franchises, the Bears derived their nickname from their citys baseball team. Halas liked the bright colors of his alma mater, the University of Illinois. The Staleys/Bears dominated the league in the early years and their rivalry with the Chicago Cardinals, the oldest in the NFL, was key in four out of the first six league titles. During that span, the Bears posted 34 shutouts, the Bears rivalry with the Green Bay Packers is one of the oldest and most storied in American professional sports, dating back to 1921. The franchise was a success under Halas, capturing the NFL Championship in 1921
27.
George Halas
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George Stanley Halas Sr. nicknamed Papa Bear and Mr. Everything, was a player, coach, and owner involved with professional American football. He was the founder and owner of the National Football Leagues Chicago Bears and he was also lesser known as an inventor, jurist, radio producer, philanthropist, philatelist, and Major League Baseball player. He was one of the co-founders of the National Football League in 1920, Halas was born in Chicago, Illinois, into a family of Czech-Bohemian immigrants. His parents were migrants from Pilsen, Austria-Hungary, George had a varied career in sports. In 1915, Halas worked temporarily for Western Electric, and was planning on being on the SS Eastland and he was running late, however, as he was attempting to gain weight to play Big Ten football and missed the capsizing. He also became a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity and he helped Illinois win the 1918 Big Ten Conference football title. Serving as an ensign in the Navy during World War I, he played for a team at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station, and was named the MVP of the 1919 Rose Bowl. Afterward, Halas played minor league baseball, eventually earning a promotion to the New York Yankees, however, a hip injury effectively ended his baseball career. The popular myth was that Halas was succeeded as the Yankees right fielder by Babe Ruth, later that year, Halas played for the Hammond Pros and received about $75 per game. After one year with the Pros, Halas moved to Decatur, Illinois to take a position with the A. E. Staley Company, a starch manufacturer. He served as a sales representative, an outfielder on the company-sponsored baseball team. Halas selected his alma maters colors—orange and navy blue—for the teams uniforms, in 1920, Halas represented the Staleys at the meeting which formed the American Professional Football Association in Canton, Ohio. After suffering financial losses despite a 10–1–2 record, company founder, Halas moved the team to Chicago and took on teammate Dutch Sternaman as a partner. Halas was given a $5,000 bonus for the move to Chicago provided that he keep the Staleys franchise name for the 1921 season, the newly minted Chicago Staleys maneuvered their schedule to win the NFL championship that year. They took the name Bears in 1922 as a tribute to baseballs Chicago Cubs, Halas was not only the teams coach, but also played end and handled ticket sales and the business of running the club. However, severe financial difficulties brought on by the Great Depression put the Bears in dire financial straits even though Jones led them to the NFL title in 1932, Halas returned as coach in 1933 to eliminate the additional cost of paying a head coachs salary. He coached the Bears for another ten seasons and his 1934 team was undefeated until a loss in the championship game to the New York Giants. Every other team in the league immediately began trying to imitate the format, the Bears repeated as NFL champions in 1941, and the 1940s would be remembered as the era of the Monsters of the Midway
28.
Jimmy Conzelman
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James Gleason Dunn Conzelman was an American football player and coach, baseball executive, and advertising executive. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1964 and was selected in 1969 as a quarterback on the National Football League 1920s All-Decade Team. A native of St. Louis, Conzelman played college football for the 1918 Great Lakes Navy Bluejackets team that won the 1919 Rose Bowl, in 1919, he was an All-Missouri Valley Conference quarterback for the Washington University Pikers football team. He was also an owner in Detroit and, as player-coach. He served as coach of the NFLs Chicago Cardinals from 1940 to 1942. He led the Cardinals to an NFL championship in 1947 and Western Division championships in 1947 and 1948 and he was also an executive with St. Louis Browns in Major League Baseball from 1943 to 1945. Conzelman was born James Gleason Ryan Dunn in St. Louis, Missouri and he was the son of James Dunn and Marguerite Ryan, though his father died when he was still a baby. In 1902, his mother married a dentist, Oscar Conzelman, Conzelman attended Loyola Academy and later Central High School in St. Louis. He began playing football as a halfback at Central High in 1914, after a realignment of high school districts in 1915, Conzelman attended McKinley High School. He led the 1915 McKinley football team to a league championship, Conzelman enrolled at Washington University in St. Louis in 1916. He played freshman football that year but enlisted in the United States Navy when the United States entered World War I in 1917 and he was stationed at the Great Lakes Naval Station north of Chicago. During two years of service, he played for the Naval Stations football, baseball, and basketball teams and he also took up boxing while in the Navy and won a championship in the middleweight division. He was the quarterback of the 1918 Great Lakes Navy Bluejackets football team that defeated previously undefeated Navy, Conzelmans teammates on the 1918 Great Lakes team included George Halas and Paddy Driscoll, all three of whom were later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. After the war, Conzelman turned down offers to become a professional boxer and he played for the 1919 Washington Pikers football team that compiled a 5–2 record and outscored opponents 127 to 30. Conzelman was selected as the All-Missouri Valley Conference quarterback for 1919 and he also was the catcher for the 1920 Washington University baseball team and organized an orchestra, played banjo, and wrote songs while attending Washington University. During the spring semester of 1920, Conzelman lost his eligibility to play due to academic deficiencies. His father had died in May 1919, and he withdrew from school to help support his mother and younger siblings. In June 1920, Conzelman announced that he would not return to Washington University in the fall and he spent the summer leading an orchestra in Arkansas
29.
Detroit Lions
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The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League as a club of the leagues National Football Conference North division. The team plays its games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit. Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and called the Portsmouth Spartans, despite success within the NFL, they could not survive in Portsmouth, then the NFLs smallest city. The team was purchased and relocated to Detroit for the 1934 season and they are one of four current teams and the only NFC team to have not yet played in the Super Bowl. Aside from a change to maroon in 1948 instituted by then head coach Bo McMillin. The design consists of silver helmets, silver pants, and either blue or white jerseys, the shade of blue used for Lions uniforms and logos is officially known as Honolulu blue, which is supposedly inspired by the color of the waves off the coast of Hawaii. The shade was chosen by Cy Huston in 1935, houston, the Lions first vice president and general manager, said of the choice, They had me looking at so many blues I am blue in the face, Huston said about the selection. But anyway, its the kind of blue, I am told, there have been minor changes to the uniform design throughout the years, such as changing the silver stripe patterns on the jersey sleeves, and changing the colors of the jersey numbers. White trim was added to the logo in 1970, in 1998, the team wore blue pants with their white jerseys along with grey socks but dropped that combination after the season. In 1999, the TV numbers on the sleeves were moved to the shoulders, in 1994, every NFL team wore throwback jerseys, and the Lions were similar to the jerseys used during their 1935 championship season. The helmets and pants were silver, the jerseys Honolulu blue with silver numbers. The team wore solid blue socks along with black shoes, the helmets also did not have a logo, as helmets were simple leather back then. The Lions also wore 50s-style jerseys during their traditional Thanksgiving Day games from 2001 to 2004 as the NFL encouraged teams to wear throwback jerseys on Thanksgiving Day, in 2003, the team added black trim to their logo and the jerseys. The face masks on the changed from blue to black with the introduction of the new color. Additionally, a home field jersey which makes black the dominant color was introduced in 2005. For 2008, the dropped the black alternate jerseys in favor of a throwback uniform to commemorate the franchises 75th anniversary. The throwback uniform became the teams permanent alternate jersey in 2009, the Lions officially unveiled new logo designs and uniforms on April 20,2009
