October 23,  1914  – Pelahatchie, Mississippi – Frank “Bruiser” Kinard, a tackle from the University of Mississippi, was born. Bruiser was voted in as an All-American in both 1936 & 1937, the first player from the state of Mississippi to be selected to the honor. The National Football Foundation’s bio tells how Frank seldom would

October 16, 1893  – New York City  – Harold Ballin was born and raised in the Big Apple. After a successful education at the prestigious Lawrenceville School, he was not able to make it on the team because, in his own words, his athleticism was “underdeveloped.” According to the National Football Foundation’s biography page on

October 10, 1894 – Walter Gordon was a guard/tackle from the University of California from 1916 through the 1918 season. Walter grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, and was the grandson of an enslaved person. Mr. Gordon became one of the first black football players on the West Coast. The National Football Foundation’s bio on him

October 5, 1921 – Bill Willis was a tackle from Ohio State University. He was gifted with the quickness, size, and strength to become a very formidable blocker in the Buckeye offense during his playing days at the school. Willis’ lightning-like quickness was his trademark in the clearing of paths for Ohio State runners. His

October 31, 1897 – Mansfield, Ohio – Wilbur “Pete” Henry was a 3-year All-American tackle from Washington and Jefferson College. “Fats” was the largest lineman of his era, standing 5-foot-11-inches tall and weighing in at a solid 245 pounds. Pete signed to play with the Canton Bulldogs, coincidentally on the same day that the NFL’s

September 28, 1935 – Lou Michaels was a former tackle from the University of Kentucky in the seasons of 1955 through 1957.  Michaels was a wide-line player, as well as the team’s kicker and punter.  In both his junior and senior seasons, Lou was voted as a consensus All-American at a time when only 11