September 17 Football History
A little over a hundred years ago, the end of World War I occurred, and the U.S. economy was booming going into the 1920s. Automobiles, radios, and telephones were becoming popular in every household in America. College Football entertained people during the chillier autumn months, and Prohibition had just started in January 1920.
But on September 17, a small group of men in Canton at an automobile showroom got together, and they formed what would become the NFL. Happy birthday, NFL. It’s your 105th anniversary today, as we talk about it in just a moment. September 17 is also the anniversary of other great moments in gridiron lore, such as the Browns’ first NFL contest, the Vikings’ big day, and a 1988 college football game so famous that it has its own word to describe it.
We have some fantastic football stories to share with you on the 100th anniversary of the NFL’s inception. However, there are also some teams getting started and other initiatives underway, and we’re going to get right to it. So, set those gunners on the outside.
We’re ready to kick off. September 17, 1920, was the day the NFL was started. It was on that day that Ralph Hay’s Hupmobile Showroom in Canton, Ohio, where 11 franchise delegations met, and each chipped in $100 to start the American Professional Football Association, which would change its name in 1922 to the NFL.
There were not enough seats for everyone to have a seat, so some of the men sat on the floorboards of the cars in the showroom. Ralph Hayes served illegal Prohibition draft beer in camouflaged buckets for the men to drink while they talked. The teams represented were the Chicago Cardinals, the Decatur Stalys, the Canton Bulldogs, the Muncie Flyers, the Rock Island Independents, the Hammond Pros, the Rochester Jeffersons, the Massillon Tigers, the Cleveland Indians, the Akron Pros, and the Dayton Triangles.
After reviewing a few items from a meeting they had in August at the showroom to organize, the first order of business was the withdrawal of the Massillon franchise from professional football in 1920. The league would pick up the Buffalo All-Americans, Columbus Panhandles, Detroit Heralds, and the Chicago Tires before the start of games being played, though. The first Game featuring the AFPA team would be played on September 26, 1920, as the Rock Island Independents beat up on their non-league opponent, the St. Paul Ideals, 48-0.
The first head-to-head matchup of APFA teams took place on October 3, 1920, when the Dayton Triangles defeated the Columbus Panhandles, 14-0.
Three decades later, in 1950, the San Francisco 49ers made their debut in the NFL. Formerly, they were in the All-American Football Conference.
But on that day in 1950, they fell to the New York Yanks, 21-17, at Bay City’s Cesar Stadium. The Niners, who were the 1949 runners-up in the AAFC to the Browns, lost their first five games in the NFL. They finally found their footing in the league, though, on their sixth Game on October 22, 1950, when they defeated the Detroit Lions, 28-27, at Cesar Field.
Vikings Get Their Start
It was almost 11 years later, in 1961, on September 17, that the Minnesota Vikings played their very first regular-season Game in the NFL. Minnesota did it in style, cruising to a 37-13 victory over the Chicago Bears. Rookie quarterback Fran Tarkington made his NFL debut count as he tossed an NFL debut game record four touchdown passes.
Saint March into 1st Game
A few years later, on September 17, 1967, the New Orleans Saints played their first NFL regular-season game, losing 27-13 to the Los Angeles Rams. The upstart Saints would not find their way to the victory column until their eighth Game on November 5, 1967, when they surprised the Philadelphia Eagles with a 31-24 victory in New Orleans.
Feature story – “The Puntarooskie”
On September 17, 1988, a top-10 college football showdown between No. 10 Florida State and No. 3 Clemson was a classic, rain-soaked battle. With the score tied 21-21 and a little over a minute left on the clock, the tension in Clemson’s Death Valley was palpable. The Seminoles faced a 4th and 4 from their own 20-yard line, a situation that screamed “punt.” But Florida State coach Bobby Bowden had other plans—a play so audacious it would become the stuff of legend.
Bowden called a daring fake punt known as the “Puntrooskie.” The play was a deception masterpiece: the snap went to up-back Dayne Williams, who then placed the ball between the legs of fellow up-back LeRoy Butler. Butler, with no one in front of him, took off running to the left sideline. The Clemson defense, completely fooled by the fake over-the-head snap, stood frozen as Butler streaked 78 yards down the field.
The stunned silence of the 84,000 fans in attendance was a testament to the play’s sheer audacity. Butler was finally tackled at the Clemson 1-yard line, setting up the game-winning score. A few plays later, kicker Richie Andrews sealed the 24-21 victory with a 19-yard field goal.
The “Puntrooskie” was more than just a trick play; it was a defining moment for Bowden and the Florida State program. It perfectly captured his reputation as a fearless gambler and solidified his team’s identity as a national powerhouse. Reflecting on the moment, Bowden said, “We were determined; somebody was going to win that game.” His willingness to risk it all paid off, turning a routine punt into one of the most famous plays in college football history and cementing the legacy of a legendary coach.
The game was so exciting and memorable that ESPN in 2020 named it as the 99th Greatest College Football Game of All Time.
Goodbye WLAF
We fast forward to the year 1992, and on September 17 of that year, the NFL suspended the operations of its World League of American Football for one season.
As promised, though, the revamped Overseas League came back in 1994 under a new name, NFL Europe. Then, a few years after that, in the year 2000, the Miami Dolphins officially retired Dan Marino’s number 13 jersey in honor of their former quarterback for his legendary career.
South Beach Super Bowl
Three years after that, on September 17, 2003, team owners awarded Super Bowl XLI to the city of Miami to be the host, scheduled for February 4, 2007.
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