A WEEK IN HISTORY
It’s Friday once again, and that can only mean one thing; that’s right, it’s time to get sucked into a time warp that travels to seven specific moments in time that all correlate to a unique event in NFL history. I mean what else would it be, curling up next to your significant other on the couch in your favorite blanket to watch a movie after a nice dinner only to fall asleep part way through and wake up with them resting on your shoulder with the screen asking if you’re still there? Don’t be ridiculous; that type of thing only happens in Hallmark movies. This is real life, which means we are going to take a look at the best moments from the history of the NFL between 11/-5 and 11/11. Just keep swimming!
*Games not played in the ninth week of that season but between 11/5-11/11 as a result of the schedule changing over time.
#7* Nov. 5, 1978: John Madden wins 100th NFL game. In a game where the Oakland Raiders beat the Kansas City Chiefs 20-10, John Madden became the 13th coach in NFL history to win 100 games. Madden reached the milestone the third fastest only behind George Halas and Curly Lambeau. He also has the best regular season winning percentage with 103 wins and only 32 losses. His career winning percentage is .731 which is second among coaches with at least 100 wins and is only behind the legendary Vince Lombardi who has a record of .740. 1978 would be Madden’s last year as a coach, but by then, he had already won a Superbowl and brought the Oakland Raiders to the playoffs in eight out of his ten seasons as coach in part to never having a losing record with the team. He quickly moved to broadcasting and became the face of NFL video games. The hall of famer has truly done it all.
#6* Nov. 6, 1929: First NFL game played at night. The game was played at the Cycledrome in Providence, Rhode Island where the Providence Steam Rollers lost to the Chicago Cardinals 16-0. The game was lit by floodlights and paved the way for the primetime games we have on Sundays and Mondays. In the game, the Cardinals scored two touchdowns (missed one extra point) and a field goal by Ernie Nevers. The Cardinals would finish the season with a record of 6-6-1 while the Steamrollers would finish 4-6-2.
#5* Nov. 7, 1943: Last scoreless tie in NFL. In a game between the Detroit Lions and the New York Giants, neither team could score any points. This was due to the two major factors of many great players being recruited for the war happening at the time and the weather being abysmal on the day. Both kickers missed numerous field goals and neither team got legitimately close to getting into the endzone. There had been a handful of scoreless ties before this, but this is certainly the most talked about one. The Lions finished 3-6-1 while the Giants finished 6-3-1. The game was the lowest attended for the Lions that year with less than 17,000 in the stands at Briggs Stadium that day.
#4* Nov. 8, 1970: Tom Dempsey kicks 63-yard field goal. In New Orleans second of two wins that season, the Saints beat the Detroit Lions 19-17 in the Big Easy. It was the longest field goal ever kicked until 2013 when Matt Prater kicked a 64-yard field goal in the thin air of Mile High Stadium in Denver. However, Dempsey’s feat of furious feet was arguably much more impressive since no one was doing that type of thing at the time. The longest field goal before Dempsey was a 56 yarder by Bert Rechichar of the Colts. Instead of going for the more plausible option at the time of a hail Mary pass, Dempsey was put in and the 63 yarder gave the Saints the knock off win.
#3* Nov. 9, 1989: Kyle Rudolph is born. The Minnesota Vikings tight end was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and was drafted in the second round of the 2011 NFL draft. He has gone to the pro bowl twice and his best overall season came in 2016 when he caught 83 passes for 840 yards and had seven touchdowns. This year hasn’t been his best, but when he is playing well, he is one of the best tight ends in the league.
#2* Nov. 10, 1957: 102,368 fans attend LA Coliseum. In a record setting number for attendance figures, the contest between the LA Rams and the San Francisco 49ers brought in the most people ever to see an NFL game. The Rams would beat the 49ers 37-24. The following season, the Rams would play in two games that had over 100,000 people in attendance. This was one of four contests between the Rams and 49ers to reach over 90,000 fans in the 1950s. This regular season record is now held by the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys who attracted 105,121 fans to Cowboys Stadium in 2009 with the Giants beating the Cowboys 33-3. The Rams and 49ers playing in front of 100,000 fans is similar to when Jaws became the first film to reach 100 million at the box office. It has been surpassed since, but it broke down the barrier for others to pass through. It showed the power of the medium when the perfect circumstances are put into play.
#1* Nov. 11, 1986: Mark Sanchez is born. The man forever associated with the “butt fumble” was born on this day in Long Beach, California. Sanchez was drafted by the New York Jets in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft. Much like many of his college counterparts, Sanchez suffered from the USC curse, starting off white hot and then cooling down pretty quickly much like a microwave burrito. He is mostly known for the aforementioned embarrassing play in which he ran into his own lineman causing him to fumble the ball which was then recovered and ran for a touchdown by the Patriots. After retiring in 2019, he signed on with ESPN doing analysis for college football.
