The Football History Dude

02/07/2020

01/05/2020

in 1931, the Empire State Building first opened, becoming the new "world's tallest skyscraper" at that time. All I can think about is King Kong climbing the tower when I think of the building. In the same year, the Green Bay Packers became the first 3-peat champions.

01/05/2020

in 1920, "The Sultan of Swat" - "The Great Bambino" - or maybe the name most of us didn't know, George Herman Ruth Jr., hit his first homer for the . He crushed 53 more, breaking the previous record of 29 (by him). It's no wonder pro football had an uphill battle.

01/05/2020

history book of the day. This one comes from author Gretchen Atwood covering integration in the NFL and some of the pioneers during that time.

Lost Champions - https://buff.ly/3c5aQPj

Lost Champions: Four Men, Two Teams, and the Breaking of Pro Football’s Color Line

29/04/2020

history book of the day. This one takes us back to the beginning. Many consider this the best book ever about the life of Jim Thorpe, the man you can see in the form of a large statue at the Hall of Fame. The author is Kate Buford.
Jim Thorpe - https://buff.ly/3aJ3cIF

Native American Son: The Life and Sporting Legend of Jim Thorpe

29/04/2020

in 1980, Billy Sims was the number 1 overall draft pick, by my . This also happened to be the first televised ever. Do you remember watching the draft? And you think I should try to get Billy Sims on the show to re-live his career?

17/04/2020

in 1999, the Saints and Redskins pulled off a blockbuster draft-day trade. The Saints sent 8 draft picks to the Redskins, in exchange for the 5th overall pick. With that pick, they selected Ricky Williams.

https://www.profootballhof.com/edgerrin-james/

17/04/2020

in 1999, Edgerinn James was drafted 4th overall by the Colts, to pair him with Peyton Manning. Edge is part of the class, and I'm sure we'll see Peyton next year as a first-ballot Hall of Famer.


https://buff.ly/3cnrklg

16/04/2020

in 1928, the late Dick "Night Train" Lane was born in Austin, TX. The Hall of Famer holds the single-season record for interceptions (14). He accomplished that in 1952, his rookie season. Even more impressive, they only played 12 games back then.

https://buff.ly/2VxYk3x

16/04/2020

book of the day. This one covers the history of the London Monarchs. Yes, across the pond kind of London. I found out this book existed on site.



https://buff.ly/2Vbk6v3

American Football's Forgotten Kings: The Rise and Fall of the London Monarchs

16/04/2020

in 2000, Tom Brady was selected in the 6th round of the . I found it interesting that today is also Bill Belichick's birthday. It's possible this was the greatest birthday present in history.

12/03/2020

Chris Willis is the Head of the Research Library at NFL Films, a position he has held since 1996. He stops by for an interview to share his experiences with NFL Films and as an author of 7 books covering the history of the NFL. As a member of the Professional Football Researchers Association, Chris was awarded the Ralph Hay Award for his "lifetime achievement in football research and historiography." Among many other things, Chris is just a very knowledgeable dude regarding the history of the game. I recommend checking out this episode here.

Want to "peel back the curtain" of NFL Films and see what it's like working there from the Head of the Research Library since 1996?

10/03/2020

Congratulations to Rupert Patrick for achieving the Ralph Hay Award from the Pro Football Researchers Association.

10/03/2020

Congratulations to Chris Serb for this achievement!

During World War I, American army camps, navy stations and marine barracks formed football's first true all-star teams, competing against each other and top colleges while raising millions of dollars for the war effort. More than fifty college football hall-of-famers, dozens of future general...

21/02/2020

19/02/2020

19/02/2020