The middle of September is right in the heart of most football seasons. Teams and players are starting to find their “sea-legs” as the season commences, and some interesting events have unfolded through the years on the day. Our podcast version of the day’s events. New League Starts September 15, 1940 – The 3rd edition…
John Green, who played for Tulane in 1942 and then for the Army as a guard from 1943 to 1945, was born on September 15, 1924. Green, nicknamed “Jumbo” for his imposing size, was a two-way tackle who established himself as a dominant player for the Tulane Green Wave in the early 1940s. A celebrated…
Gene McEver, a halfback from the University of Tennessee, was born September 15, 1908. In McEver’s 3 seasons on the varsity team (1928, 1929, and 1931) at Tennessee, the Vols were undefeated. He was a two-time All-American and was “Mac” of the famous “Hac and Mac” backfield of the 1929 Volunteers with teammate Buddy Hackman. …
September 15, 1894 – Charles Wesley Harley was born in Chicago, Illinois. From a young age all of his friends and family referred to him as Chic. In 1912, Chic’s family moved from Chicago to Columbus, Ohio. He attended East High School in the capital city of Ohio, and his play in high school drew…
John McGovern a quarterback from the University of Minnesota, was born September 15, 1887. In 1909, the Walter Camp Foundation named the Golden Gopher QB to the All-American Team. The National Football Foundation selected him to enter its College Football Hall of Fame in 1966.
Francis “Reds” Bagnell, a University of Pennsylvania quarterback, was born September 15, 1928. He grew up in West Philadelphia, and fittingly enough, the house he grew up in is now part of the extended Pennsylvania University Campus. At Penn, he earned 9 varsity letters, 3 each in baseball, basketball, and football. The highlight of his…
September 15, 1940 – Merlin Olsen, a Defensive Tackle from Utah State, was born. Olsen was an All-American in college and also the winner of the coveted Outland Trophy for the country’s top interior lineman. At 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighing 270 pounds, Merlin was drafted as the number one pick by the…
Dan Marino, born September 15, 1961, was a former quarterback of the University of Pittsburgh football team. As a freshman in 1979, Dan led the Panthers to wins over local rivals West Virginia and Penn State. The 1980 version of the team finished the year ranked number 2 in the nation. After the 1981 college…
Born on September 15, 1971, in Fort Riley, Kansas, Will Shields built a legendary career marked by consistency, durability, and quiet dominance. College Career Will Shields’s journey to football greatness began at the University of Nebraska, where he played for the legendary Cornhuskers. From 1989 to 1992, he was a key component of one of…
The next Hall of Famer having a birthday was George Blanda. He was born on September 17, 1927, and was a quarterback and place kicker in both the AFL and the NFL, and the AAFC. His career lasted 26 years, longer than any other player in history. In his final season at the ripe old…
