December 2, 1995: The End of the Southwest Conference

December 2, 1995: The University of Texas, the nation's Number 9-ranked college football team, defeats their arch-rivals, Texas A&M University, ranked Number 16. The score is Longhorns 16, Aggies 6, at A&M's home, Kyle Field in College Station.

Elsewhere in Texas, the University of Houston beat crosstown rival Rice University, 18-17 at Rice Stadium. These would be the last 2 football games ever played in the Southwest Conference.

It was appropriate that the SWC's finale was between the two biggest teams in its now one-and-only State. Someone once said that, if football is a religion in Texas, then Longhorns vs. Aggies is a holy war.

The SWC was founded in 1914, and played its 1st football season in 1915, with these founding members: The University of Arkansas, Baylor University, the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma A&M University, Rice University, Southwestern University, the University of Texas, and Texas A&M University.

Southwestern University, in Georgetown, Texas, left after only 2 seasons. Oklahoma left after the 1919 season. Oklahoma A&M left after 1925, and changed their name to Oklahoma State in 1958.

Southern Methodist University (SMU), in Dallas, joined in 1918. Their Fort Worth rivals, Texas Christian University (TCU), joined in 1923. Texas Tech University joined in 1956, and the University of Houston joined in 1972. 

Arkansas left after the 1991 season, leaving the SWC as a Texas-only league. They joined the Southeastern Conference, in what turned out to be a foreshadowing of the SWC's end.

In 1994, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Baylor reached a deal to join the Big Eight Conference, to form the Big Twelver Conference. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State would join them in a South Division, while the remaining Big Eight teams would form the North Division: Nebraska, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Iowa State and Colorado. The remaining SWC teams -- SMU, TCU, Houston and Rice -- joined other leagues.

Texas A&M left the Big 12 for the SEC in 2011. Texas no longer had the revenue from that rivalry, but didn't want to give up the revenue from their rivalry with Oklahoma. So the Longhorns talked the Sooners into joining the SEC with them, and they will do so for the 2024 season.

*

December 2, 1995 was a Saturday. These other college football games were played that day:

* Number 2 Florida beat Number 23 Arkansas, 34-3, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game.

* Army beat Navy, 14-13 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.

* And Oklahoma State beat the University of Hawaii, 24-20 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu.

Nebraska won the National Championship defeating Florida in the Fiesta Bowl. Texas lost the Sugar Bowl to Virginia Tech. Texas A&M beat Michigan in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio. The last Cotton Bowl of the SWC era had no Texas-based team: Colorado beat Oregon, 38-6. Southern California beat Northwestern in the Rose Bowl, and Florida State beat Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl.

Baseball was out of season. There were 10 NBA games on this day:

* The New York Knicks beat the Philadelphia 76ers, 94-85 at Madison Square Garden.

* The New Jersey Nets beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 79-78 at the Brendan Byrne Arena at the Meadowlands.

* The Washington Bullets beat the Boston Celtics, 135-107 at the USAir Arena (formerly the Capital Centre) in the Washington suburb of Landover, Maryland.

* The Detroit Pistons beat the Atlanta Hawks, 104-96 at The Palace in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Michigan.

* The Houston Rockets beat the Charlotte Hornets, 113-98 at The Summit in Houston. (The arena has since been converted into the Central Campus of the Lakewood Church, Dr. Joel Osteen's "megachurch.") Clyde Drexler scored 41 points. 

* The San Antonio Spurs beat the Phoenix Suns, 101-93 at the Alamodome in San Antonio. David Robinson scored 37 points.

* The Denver Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 109-105 at the McNichols Area in Denver.

* The Chicago Bulls beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 104-98 at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. Michael Jordan scored 37 points.

* The Golden State Warriors beat the Indiana Pacers, 100-97 at the Oakland Coliseum Arena.

* The Sacramento Kings beat the Orlando Magic, 109-106 at the Arco Arena in Sacramento.

There were 10 games played in the NHL:

* The New York Rangers beat the Ottawa Senators, 4-2 at the Ottawa Civic Centre (now the TD Place Arena).

* The New York Islanders beat the New Jersey Devils, 4-1 at the Nassau Coliseum.

* In an "Original Six" matchup, the Detroit Red Wings beat the Montreal Canadiens, 11-1 at the Montreal Forum. Vyacheslav Kozlov scored 4 of those Detroit goals. Mark Recchi had the lone tally for the Habs.

This was the game in which Canadiens' goalie Patrick Roy was infamously hung out to dry by Canadiens management, leading to him being traded 4 days later, leading to "The Curse of St. Patrick.," I have a separate entry for that event.

* The Boston Bruins beat the Buffalo Sabres, 6-4 at the FleetCenter (now the TD Garden) in Boston.

* The Florida Panthers beat the Hartford Whalers, 5-3 at the Hartford Civic Center (now the PeoplesBank Arena).

* The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim played to a tie, 4-4 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.

* The Chicago Blackhawks and the Winnipeg Jets played to a tie, 2-2 at the Winnipeg Arena.

* The St. Louis Blues beat the Edmonton Oilers, 7-3 at the Edmonton Coliseum (formerly the Northlands Coliseum).

* The Dallas Stars and the Los Angeles Kings played to a tie, 2-2 at The Forum outside Los Angeles in Inglewood, California.

* The San Jose Sharks beat the Washington Capitals, 5-3 at the San Jose Arena (now the SAP Center).

* And the Philadelphia Flyers, the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Vancouver Canucks, the Calgary Flames, the Colorado Avalanche and the Tampa Bay Lightning were not scheduled.

And in English soccer, North London team Arsenal went to Birmingham, and played Aston Villa to a 1-1 draw at Villa Park.

November 30, 2013: Kick Six In the Iron Bowl

November 30, 2013: The Iron Bowl is played at Jordan-Hare Stadium, in the City of Auburn, in the State of Alabama.

The annual football game between the University of Alabama, in Tuscaloosa, and Auburn University is called the Iron Bowl because of the iron and steel production in Alabama. The State's largest city, Birmingham, and 2 others, Leeds and Sheffield, are steel production cities, and were named after steel production cities in England, all of them in love with a game they call football, but which Americans call soccer.

Football became a way of life in Alabama. and the University of Alabama, the Crimson Tide, built a great program in the 1920s. Auburn's took longer to get going, with coach Ralph "Shug" Jordan (and that's pronounced JUR-din, not JOHR-din) leading them to a share of the 1957 National Championship with Ohio State.

Paul "Bear" Bryant, who had played on 'Bama's 1934 National Championship team, became their head coach in 1958, and, for many people, even outside the South, became the college football coach. He won more games than any coach before him, and more than most coaches since him. He won 6 National Championships, probably should have been awarded at least 1 more, made his houndstooth hat an icon of American sports, and inspired this joke: "In Alabama, an atheist is someone who doesn't believe in Bear Bryant."

In the 1980s, as Bryant retired and died, Pat Dye rebuilt the Auburn program. The Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in Birmingham features a statue of three men: A generic football player, who by his facial features could be either black or white, with Bryant and Dye standing on either side of him, each with a hand on the player's shoulder pads.

Nick Saban, son of AFL Championship-winning Buffalo Bills coach Lou Saban, had won a National Championship at Louisiana State in 2003, and Alabama hired him in 2007. He won National Championships in 2009, 2011 and 2012. He went into the 2013 Iron Bowl 11-0, ranked Number 1 in the country. He had won away to Texas A&M when they were ranked Number 6, and that was the only team to come close to beating 'Bama to that point. He also beat his former team, LSU, when they were ranked Number 10.

Gus Malzahn became Auburn's head coach in 2013, after having been an assistant to Gene Chizik, including on Auburn's National Championship team of 2010. He got the Tigers to a 10-1 record, losing only to LSU, then ranked Number 6, away. Auburn went into the Iron Bowl ranked Number 4. But they were a 10-point underdog to Alabama.

It was understandable: Alabama was in the 1st tier of great college football programs, Auburn in the 2nd tier at best; and Alabama's glories, and their fans' teasing of Auburn as a rural "cow college" gave them an inferiority complex. To put it another way: Alabama hate losing to Auburn mainly because they hate losing, period; whereas Auburn could go 0-10 before the Iron Bowl, but if they win it, that makes it a successful season.

And so the 2013 Iron Bowl was set. Alabama came in ranked Number 1 in the country; Auburn, Number 4. The winner of the game would win the Southeastern Conference Western Division Championship, go to the SEC Championship Game, and have a good shot at the National Championship.

Auburn led 7-0 after the 1st quarter, but Alabama led 21-14 at the half. At the time, under Saban, 'Bama's record when leading at the half was 73-3. But Auburn tied it 21-21 after 3 quarters. Three times, once on a block, 'Bama missed field goals. But in the 4th quarter, Auburn downed a punt at the 'Bama 1-yard line, and A.J. McCarron threw a 99-yard touchdown pass to Amari Cooper. With 2:41 left, it was 28-21 Alabama.

With 32 seconds left, Nick Marshall threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Sammie Coates. Deciding that tying it and trying to win in overtime would be easier than attempting a 2-point conversion now, Malzahn had the extra point kicked, and it was 28-28.

Alabama had 1 more chance. With 7 seconds left, T.J. Yeldon advanced the ball to the Auburn 38, and the clock ran out. Saban asked for a replay review, saying the clock hadn't run out before Yeldon went out of bounds. The replay proved him right. Saban called for a field goal attempt, from 57 yards out.

According to the rules, if a field goal is missed, and the opposing team recovers it, it can be advanced. So Malzahn's defensive coordinator, Ellis Johnson, suggested putting a receiver in the end zone. Malzahn chose the team's main punt returner, Chris Davis.

Cade Foster, who had once kicked a 53-yard field goal, had missed 3 attempts in this game, 1 of them blocked. So Adam Griffith was sent in to try the 57-yarder. It was on target, but a little short, and Davis caught it, 9 yards deep in the end zone.

He started running straight ahead, then turned to his left, and ran down the sideline. Saban had made a critical mistake: Except for the kicker and the holder, the field goal unit was made up of all offensive linemen. No one had enough speed to catch him. He ran 109 yards, into the end zone. Final score: Auburn 34, Alabama 28.

(In NCAA history, only 1 other player had ever done that -- and it was earlier that year, for LSU, by future pro receiving star Odell Beckham Jr.)

Rod Bramblett had the call for Auburn's radio network:

Chris Davis is going to drop back into the end zone in single safety. Well, I guess if this thing comes up short, he can field it and run it out.

Alright, here we go. 56-yarder, it's got, no, it does not have the leg. And Chris Davis takes it in the back of the end zone. He'll run it out to the 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 45! There goes Davis! (His partner, former Auburn quarterback Stan White, shouts "Oh my God! Oh my God!") Davis is going to run it all the way back! Auburn's gonna win the football game! AUBURN'S GONNA WIN THE FOOTBALL GAME! He ran the missed field goal back! He ran it back 109 yards!

[fans streaming onto the field] They're not gonna keep them off the field tonight! Holy Cow! Oh, my God! Auburn wins! Auburn has won the Iron Bowl! Auburn has won the Iron Bowl in the most unbelievable fashion you will ever see! I cannot believe it! 34–28! And we thought "A Miracle in Jordan-Hare" was amazing! Oh, my Lord in Heaven!' Chris Davis just ran it 109 yards and Auburn is going to the Championship Game!

The crowd reaction registered on seismographs across the state of Alabama, in a manner similar to activity registered during the 1988 "Earthquake Game," a 7-6 LSU win over Auburn.

As returning an interception for a touchdown is known as a pick six, this became known as the Kick Six. It rivals California vs. Stanford, another nasty rivalry, and "The Play" in 1982, for the honor of the most famous kick return in football history. Certainly, no pro kick return is on this level, not even the Tennessee Titans' 2000 "Music City Miracle."

Auburn beat Missouri in the SEC Championship Game, but lost to Florida State in the National Championship Game.

Chris Davis played for the San Diego Chargers in 2014, and the San Francisco 49ers in 2015 and '16, but injuries cut short his playing career. He has since joined the coaching staff at an Alabama high school.

Adam Griffith received death threats for missing that kick. Death threats? It was 57 yards! On real grass, not artificial turf. And he was a freshman. It was hardly his fault he missed. How about blaming everybody else on offense for not getting into his range? Or for having 109 yards in which to stop the return and not stopping it? How about blaming Nick Saban for not warning about the possibility?

That game reminded a lot of people of why they loved football. But those threats are a reminder of how sick some people can be.

In 2014, Griffith kicked a game-tying field goal against LSU on the last play of the 4th quarter. Alabama won in overtime, 20–13. In 2015, he kicked a career-long 55-yard field goal against LSU. Later that season, he went 5-for-5 in the Iron Bowl, as Alabama beat Auburn, 29–13. And in that season's National Championship Game, against Clemson, he made a perfectly placed onside kick, to help the Crimson Tide achieve a 45–40 victory. Still, he was not selected in the NFL Draft, and went into the construction business in South Carolina.

*

November 30, 2013 was a Saturday. Other noteworthy college football games played that day:

* Rivalry: Number 2 Florida State beat Florida, 37-7 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida.

* Rivalry: Number 3 Ohio State won a thriller against Michigan, 42-41 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

* Number 5 Missouri beat Number 19 Texas A&M, 28-21 at Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri.

* Number 8 Stanford beat Number 25 Notre Dame, 27-20 at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, California.

* Number 9 Baylor beat Texas Christian (TCU), 41-38 at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas.

* Rivalry: Number 10 South Carolina beat Number 6 Clemson, 31-17 at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina.

* Number 11 Michigan State beat Minnesota, 14-3 at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan.

* Rivalry: Number 13 Arizona State beat Arizona, 58-21 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona.

* Number 14 Wisconsin lost to Penn State, 31-24 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin.

* Rivalry: Number 22 UCLA beat Number 23, USC at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

* Rivalry: Number 24 Duke beat North Carolina, 27-25 at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

* Rivalry: Indiana beat Purdue, 56-36 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana.

* And Rutgers lost to Connecticut, 28-17 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut.

There were 7 games played in the NBA that day:

* The Brooklyn Nets beat the Memphis Grizzlies, 97-88 at the FedEx Forum in Memphis.

* The Washington Wizards beat the Atlanta Hawks, 108-101 at the Verizon Center (now the Capital One Arena) in Washington.

* The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Chicago Bulls, 97-93 at the Quicken Loans Arena (now the Rocket Arena) in Cleveland.

* The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Boston Celtics, 92-85 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee.

* The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Dallas Mavericks, 112-106 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

* The Houston Rockets beat the San Antonio Spurs, 112-106 at the AT&T Center (now the Frost Bank Center) in San Antonio. James Harden led all scorers on the night with 31 points.

* The Utah Jazz beat the Phoenix Suns, 112-104 at the US Airways Center (now the Mortgage Matchup Center) in Phoenix.

And there were 11 games played in the NHL:

* The New York Rangers beat the Vancouver Canucks, 5-2 at Madison Square Garden.

* The New York Islanders lost to the Washington Capitals, 3-2 at the Nassau Coliseum. Alexander Ovechkin won it with 2:53 left in overtime.

* The New Jersey Devils beat the Buffalo Sabres, 1-0 at the Prudential Center in Newark. Steve Bernier won it with 41 seconds left in overtime.

* In the opener of CBC's Saturday Hockey Night In Canada doubleheader, the Montreal Canadiens beat their arch-rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-2 at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

* The Boston Bruins beat the Columbus Blue Jackets, 3-1 at the TD Garden in Boston.

* The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Florida Panthers, 5-1 at the BB&T Center (now the Amerant Bank Arena) in the Miami suburb of Sunrise, Florida.

* The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Nashville Predators, 3-2 in a shootout at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

* The Colorado Avalanche beat the Minnesota Wild, 3-2 in a shootout at the Pepsi Center (now the Bell Arena) in Denver.

* The Chicago Blackhawks beat the Phoenix Coyotes, 5-2 at the Jobing.com Arena (now the Desert Diamond Arena) in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Arizona.

* In the 2nd half of the HNIC doubleheader, the Calgary Flames beat the Los Angeles Kings, 2-1 at the Staples Center (now the Crypto.com Arena) in Los Angeles.

* The San Jose Sharks beat the Anaheim Ducks, 4-3 in a shootout at the SAP Center in San Jose.

And in English soccer, whose Football Association includes 5 "member clubs' from adjoining Wales, North London team Arsenal beat Cardiff City, 3-0 at Cardiff City Stadium.

November 5, 2011: Louisiana State vs. Alabama, "The Game of the Century"

November 5, 2011: Louisiana State, ranked Number 1, takes on Number 2 Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Complicating things is the fact that Alabama coach Nick Saban had previously led LSU to a National Championship. Les Miles, known as "The Mad Hatter" for his signature white cap and odd-but-successful play-calling, was not LSU's head coach.

It is one of several college football games that has gotten billed as "The Game of the Century," and it goes to overtime, where Alabama's Cade Foster misses a field goal, while Drew Alleman makes his to give LSU a 9-6 victory.

But, in one of the several scenarios that made people hate the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) and demand a Playoff system (which we now have), 'Bama ended up Number 2 in the national rankings anyway, and got a rematch with LSU, and dominated it, 21-0, to win the National Championship. It made Saban the 1st coach ever to win National Championships at 2 different schools.

It shouldn't have happened. The November 5 matchup decided the Southeastern Conference Western Division title. LSU then beat Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. Alabama couldn't even win its Division, never mind its Conference. If you can't win your Conference Championship, that should eliminate you from consideration for the National Championship.

The fact that Alabama had finished Number 2 in the BCS rankings -- a computerized system, not a poll -- should have been irrelevant. The November 5 game should have been considered an elimination game. So the team that finished Number 3, Oklahoma State, should have been raised to Number 2, and played LSU in the National Championship Game.

*

November 5, 2011 was a Saturday. Among the other college football games played that day were these:

* Number 3 Oklahoma State beat Number 17 Kansas State, 52-45 at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Oklahoma State won the Big Twelve Conference title.

* Number 4 Stanford beat Oregon State, 38-13 at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Oregon. Stanford went to the Fiesta Bowl, where they lost to Oklahoma State.

* Number 5 Boise State beat the University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV), 48-21 at Sam Boyd Stadium in the Las Vegas suburb of Whitney, Nevada. But they blew their chance at the Bowl Championship Series the next week, by losing to Texas Christian University (TCU).

* Number 6 Oregon beat Washington, 34-17 at Husky Stadium in Seattle. Oregon won the Pacific-Twelve Conference title, but lost to Southern California 2 weeks later, forcing a tie in the Pac-12 standings with Stanford. Despite having the head-to-head tiebreaker over Stanford, having beaten them, Stanford ended up with the higher BCS ranking, and went to the Playoff. Oregon had to console themselves with the usual prize for the West Coast's top team, a trip to the Rose Bowl.

* Number 7 Oklahoma beat Texas A&M, 41-25 at Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium in Norma, Oklahoma.

* In another big SEC game, Number 8 Arkansas beat Number 10 South Carolina, 44-28 at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

* Number 9 Nebraska were upset by Northwestern, 28-25 at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.

* Number 11 Clemson were idle. They won the Atlantic Coast Conference title, and went to the Orange Bowl, where they beat West Virginia.

* Number 13 Michigan were upset by Iowa, 24-16 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. Michigan still went to the Sugar Bowl, and beat Virginia Tech.

* Number 19 Wisconsin beat Purdue, 62-17 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. Wisconsin won the Big Ten Conference title, and went to the Rose Bowl, but lost to Oregon.

* Number 20 Arizona State were upset by UCLA, 29-28 at the Rose Bowl outside Los Angeles in Pasadena, California.

* Number 24 West Virginia were upset by Louisville, 38-35 at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia.

* Notre Dame beat Wake Forest, 24-17 at BB&T Field (now Truist Field) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Notre Dame went to the Citrus Bowl, where they lost to Florida State.

* Among the service academies, Air Force beat Army, 24-14 at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs; while Navy beat Troy, 42-14 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland.

* And Rutgers beat South Florida, 20-17 at High Point Solutions Stadium (now SHI Stadium) in Piscataway, New Jersey.

The baseball season had ended 7 days earlier, when the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Texas Rangers in Game 7 of the World Series. And the NBA team owners had locked the players out, so the season didn't start until Christmas Day (a day whose revenue, more TV than arena-grounds, the owners did not want to lose). But 11 NHL games were played:

* In an "Original Six" game, the New York Rangers beat the Montreal Canadiens, 5-3 at Madison Square Garden.

* The New York Islanders beat the Washington Capitals, 5-3 at the Nassau Coliseum.

* The New Jersey Devils beat the Winnipeg Jets, 3-2 at the Prudential Center. Adam Henrique scored the winning goal with 3:32 left in overtime. That season, in the Playoffs, Henrique would score an even bigger overtime winner. And then a bigger one than that.

* The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Columbus Blue Jackets, 9-2 at the Wells Fargo Center (now the Xfinity Mobile Arena) in Philadelphia.

* The Buffalo Sabres beat the Ottawa Senators, 3-2 in a shootout at Scotiabank Place (now the Canadian Tire Centre) in Ottawa.

* In another "Original Six" game, the Boston Bruins beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 7-0 at the Air Canada Centre (now the Scotiabank Arena) in Toronto.

* The Detroit Red Wings beat the Anaheim Ducks, 5-0 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

* The Minnesota Wild beat the St. Louis Blues, 2-1 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.

* The Phoenix Coyotes beat the Edmonton Oilers, 4-2 at the Jobing.com Arena (now the Desert Diamond Arena) in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Arizona.

* The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Los Angeles Kings, 3-2 in a shootout at the Staples Center (now the Crypto.com Arena) in Los Angeles.

* And the Nashville Predators beat the San Jose Sharks, 4-3 at the SAP Center in San Jose, California. David Legwand scored the winning goal with 2:07 left in overtime.

And in English soccer, Arsenal beat Birmingham-area team West Bromwich Albion, 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium in North London.

October 31, 1959: Billy Cannon's Halloween Run

October 31, 1959: Louisiana State University hosts the University of Mississippi at Tiger Stadium in a foggy Baton Rouge. LSU comes into the game ranked Number 1, Ole Miss Number 3. Late in the 4th quarter, Ole Miss leads 3-0.

Jake Gibbs, Ole Miss' quarterback and punter, and later a catcher for the New York Yankees, punts, and Billy Cannon, who led LSU to the National Championship the year before, returns it 89 yards, breaking 7 tackles and running the last 60 yards untouched through the fog, for a touchdown that wins the game, 7-3. It becomes known as "Billy Cannon's Halloween Run," and it effectively clinches the Heisman Trophy for him.

But LSU lost to the University of Tennessee the next week, 14-13, as Cannon was stuffed on an attempt for a 2-point conversion, costing LSU a 2nd straight national title. A rematch with Ole Miss was set up for the Sugar Bowl, and Ole Miss won.

Cannon played in all 10 seasons of the American Football League, winning AFL Championships with the 1960 and '61 Houston Oilers and the 1967 Oakland Raiders, playing in Super Bowl II but losing to the Green Bay Packers. He played 1 more season, in the NFL after the merger, with the Kansas City Chiefs. He later became a dentist, but fell into gambling debts, and turned to counterfeiting to pay them off. He got caught, and served 2 1/2 years in prison. He managed to restore his reputation as the dentist of the Louisiana State Prison system, eventually being named director of its entire medical system. He lived until 2018.

Exactly 20 years later to the day, on October 31, 1979, Billy Cannon Jr. followed in his father's footsteps, sort of. Playing for Broadmoor High School in Baton Rouge, he returns a punt 89 yards for a touchdown, leading them to a 20-18 win over... his father's Alma Mater, Istrouma High School.

A safety, he went to Texas A&M, and was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys. But his career ended 8 games into his rookie season, 1985, as a tackle he made damaged his neck and forced him into early retirement at age 22. He sued the Cowboys for negligence, and the case was settled out of court.

*

October 31, 1959 was a Saturday. Among the other college football games played on this day were these:

* Number 2 Northwestern beat Indiana, 30-13 at Dyche Stadium (now Ryan Field) in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois.

* Number 4 Texas beat Southern Methodist (SMU), 21-0 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Texas won the Southwest Conference title.

* Number 5 Syracuse beat Pittsburgh, 35-0 at Pitt Stadium in Pittsburgh. With sophomore running back Ernie Davis, who would win the Heisman Trophy 2 years later, Syracuse rose to Number 1, went to the Cotton Bowl, and beat Texas, winning the National Championship.

* Number 6 University of Southern California (a.k.a. USC) beat the University of California (a.k.a. Cal or Berkeley), 14-7 at California Memorial Stadium in the San Francisco suburb of Berkeley.

* Number 7 Penn State beat West Virginia, 28-10 at the old Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia. Losses to Syracuse and Pitt left a pre-Joe Paterno Penn State in the Liberty Bowl, where they beat Alabama.

* Number 8 Auburn beat Florida, 6-0 at Cliff Hare Stadium (now Jordan-Hare Stadium) in Auburn, Alabama.

* Number 9 Georgia Tech were upset by Duke, 10-7 at Grant Field in Atlanta. Tech had already lost to Auburn, beat Notre Dame the next week, then dropped their next 3, to Alabama, Georgia and Arkansas, to drop out of bowl consideration.

* Number 10 Wisconsin beat Michigan, 19-10 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. Wisconsin won the Big Ten Conference title.

* Number 14 Georgia beat Florida State, 42-0 at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia. Georgia didn't play LSU or Ole Miss, but each of them finished with 1 loss in the Southeastern Conference, while Georgia went undefeated in SEC play. But the Sugar Bowl wanted the LSU-Ole Miss rematch, perhaps the 1st rematch in bowl game history. So George were invited to the Orange Bowl.

* Number 17 University of Washington beat UCLA, 23-7 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Washington won the title in the league then named the Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU, now the Pacific-Twelve Conference), then beat Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl.

* Missouri, then unranked, lost to Colorado, 21-20 at Folsom Field in the Denver suburb of Boulder, Colorado. Missouri rebounded to win the Big Seven Conference title (Oklahoma State soon joined to make it the Big Eight), and lost to Georgia in the Orange Bowl.

* Among the service academies, Army and Air Force played each other, to a 13-13 tie at Michie Stadium in West Point, New York; while Navy lost to Notre Dame, 25-22 at the new Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland.

* And among the New Jersey teams, Princeton beat Brown, 7-0 at Palmer Stadium in Princeton; and Rutgers lost to the University of Delaware, 34-14 at Rutgers Stadium in Piscataway.

Baseball season was over. There were 4 games played in the NBA:

* The New York Knicks lost to the Boston Celtics, 123-109 at the old Madison Square Garden.

* The Philadelphia Warriors beat the Detroit Pistons, 120-112 at the Philadelphia Civic Center. Wilt Chamberlain, in only his 2nd NBA game, scored 36 points and grabbed 34 rebounds.

* The Syracuse Nationals beat the Minneapolis Lakers, 117-108 at the Onondaga County War Memorial (now the Upstate Medical University Arena) in Syracuse, New York.

* And the St. Louis Hawks beat the Cincinnati Royals, 109-102 at the Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis. Clyde Lovellette scored 33 for the Hawks, Jack Twyman 35 for the Royals.

And there were 2 games in the NHL. The Detroit Red Wings and the Montreal Canadiens played  to a tie, 2-2 at the Montreal Forum. And the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Boston Bruins, 4-3 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. The New York Rangers and the Chicago Black Hawks were not scheduled.

October 19, 1968: The Richmond Flowers Game

October 19, 1968: It is the 3rd Saturday in October, which means a college football game between the University of Tennessee and the University of Alabama.

Richmond Flowers was from Dothan, Alabama. He got his undergraduate degree from Auburn University and his law degree from the University of Alabama -- making him a War Eagle and a Roll Tide. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in World War II, rose to the rank of Captain, and served on General Douglas MacArthur's special staff during the occupation of Japan.

In 1954, he was elected to the Alabama State Senate. In 1962, he ran for the office of State Attorney General, and won -- in the same election in which George Wallace was first elected Governor. Unlike Wallace, whose inaugural address promised, "Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, and segregation forever!" Flowers was a genuine 1960s-style liberal.

Richmond Flowers Sr.

He argued a landmark case before the U.S. Supreme Court: Reynolds vs. Sims, announced on June 15, 1964. It struck down discriminatory State legislature district-drawing, which was almost entirely done in Southern States, to give white rural areas provenance over cities with black people in them; and ruled that districts for State legislatures must be roughly equal in population. These cases established the concept of "One man, one vote." (Now known as, "One person, one vote.")

Flowers also fought to aid the application of the federal law requiring public school desegregation, and successfully prosecuted members of the Ku Klux Klan, which was previously considered legally untouchable. Unused to challenges to their authority, they threw bricks through his house's windows, and burned crosses on his lawn on multiple occasions. He became known as "the most hated white man in Alabama."

At the time, the Constitution of the State of Alabama stated that the Governor could not succeed himself. So Wallace put his wife Lurleen up in the Primary. To fight this effort to have Lurleen be a puppet for her husband, Flowers ran. So did former Governors James Folsom and John Patterson. Unfortunately, this split the anti-Wallace vote, and Lurleen won. She died in mid-term, but George won again in 1970, after having run for President on a 3rd-party ticket in 1968.

The Klan's allies in the State government, no longer facing a State Department of Justice controlled by Flowers, got their revenge. He was indicted for extortion, trying to get payments from companies seeking licenses to do business in Alabama while he was Attorney General. To the end of his life, he insisted he was innocent.

His son, Richmond Flowers Jr., was a high school football and track star. Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant wanted him at Alabama. Lots of people wanted him at Alabama. He refused, because of the way his home State treated his father. He went to the University of Tennessee, because his preferred sport was track, and while Alabama then had a decisive edge in football, Tennessee had an even more pronounced one in track.

He still played both sports, and helped to, pardon the pun, turn the tide of the football games in Tennessee's favor. He quit football after the 1967 season, so he could concentrate on making the U.S. Olympic team as a hurdler. But an injury ruined his chances of making the 1968 Olympics, where the U.S. track team included record-breakers Jim Hines, Lee Evans, Dick Fosbury, Al Oerter, Wyomia Tyus, and the great rebels Tommie Smith and his race's Bronze Medalist, John Carlos.

Tennessee coach Doug Dickey welcomed Richmond Jr. back onto the football team. Every year, "The Third Saturday In October," is when Tennessee plays neighboring Alabama. That will include this coming Saturday, when they will meet at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville. Alabama leads the series 58-38-8.

On October 19, 1968, they played in Knoxville. Awaiting trial, Richmond Sr. was escorted by FBI agents, and wearing handcuffs, into Neyland Stadium, to watch his son play. Richmond Jr., a receiver, caught a pass for the game's only touchdown. Tennessee won, 10-9.

The Vols' glory would be short-lived: Three weeks later, they lost to Auburn in Birmingham, costing them the Southeastern Conference title. They did get invited to the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, where they lost to Texas.

The following year, Richmond Sr. was convicted -- as if there was any doubt that a jury of 12 white Alabamians would put him away. He was sentenced to 8 years, but was paroled after 16 months. In 1978, President Jimmy Carter, former Governor of Georgia, pardoned him.

He returned to his hometown of Dothan, and taught history and criminal justice at a community college there -- ironically named George C. Wallace State Community College, named for the father of his political rival. In 1989, CBS aired the TV-movie Unconquered, written by Pat Conroy, author of The Lords of Discipline and The Prince of Tides. Richmond Sr. was played by Peter Coyote, and Richmond Jr. by Dermot Mulroney. Richmond Flowers Sr. died in 2007, at age 89.

Richmond Flowers Jr. was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 1969, and was used as a safety and a kick returner. In 1971, he became a New York Giant, and intercepted 4 passes in the 1972 season. He got hurt in 1973, and played in the World Football League in 1974 before retiring.

Richmond Flowers Jr.,

playing for the New York Giants at Yankee Stadium

He finally went to the University of Alabama, getting his law degree there as his father did before him. He practiced law, got involved in commodities trading, and is now retired. Sadly, he supports Donald Trump, thus betraying everything his father stood for.

The Flowers family, honored on the 50th Anniversary of the game,

at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, 2018.

Richmond Jr. is in the shades, 3rd from left.

His son, Richmond Flowers III, followed his father into hurdling, college football, and the Cowboys. He became an assistant coach, and is now an agent for football coaches.

Richmond III, right, with Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay

 

*

October 19, 1968 was a Saturday. Among the other college football games played that day:

* Number 1 Southern California beat Washington, 14-7 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. USC won the Pacific-Eight Conference title, led by Heisman Trophy-winning running back O.J. Simpson.

* Number 2 Ohio State beat Northwestern, 45-21 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus. Ohio State won the Big Ten Conference title, then beat USC in the Rose Bowl for the National Championship.

* Number 3 Penn State had the week off. They finished the season undefeated.

* Number 4 Kansas beat Oklahoma State, 49-14 at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas. Kansas won the Big Eight Conference title, but lost the Orange Bowl to Penn State. Penn State thought they deserved the National Championship as much as Ohio State did. This was the 1st time Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions thought they'd gotten robbed by the voters. It would not be the last.

* Number 5 Purdue beat Wake Forest, 28-27 at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana. Purdue had already blown their shot at Big Ten and national honors the week before, losing their Number 1 ranking by losing to Ohio State.

* Number 6 Notre Dame beat Illinois, 58-8 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame had already blown their chance at national honors by losing to Purdue, and would later lose to Michigan State, although they did hold USC to a tie at the Coliseum on Thanksgiving Saturday.

* Number 7 Florida were upset by North Carolina, 22-7 at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

* Number 9 Arkansas were upset by Number 17 Texas, 39-29 at Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. This game decided the Southwest Conference title, and sent Texas to the Cotton Bowl, where, as I said earlier, they beat Tennessee. The Texas-Arkansas game would be even bigger the next season, one of those occasional "Games of the Century."

* Number 10 Georgia beat Vanderbilt, 32-6 at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia. Georgia won the Southeastern Conference Championship.

* Number 13 Nebraska were upset by Number 20 Missouri, 16-14 at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.

* Number 18 Michigan beat Number 19 Indiana, 27-22 at Seventeenth Street Stadium (now Memorial Stadium) in Bloomington, Indiana.

* Army beat Rutgers, 24-0 at Rutgers Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey.

* Navy beat Pittsburgh, 17-16 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland.

* Air Force beat Colorado State, 31-0 at Hughes Stadium in Colorado Springs.

* Columbia lost to Yale, 29-7 at the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut.

* And Princeton lost to Colgate, 14-7 at Palmer Stadium in Princeton, New Jersey.

The baseball season had ended 10 days earlier, when the Detroit Tigers beat the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 7 of the World Series.

There were 6 games played in the NBA:

* The New York Knicks lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, 118-96 at the new Madison Square Garden. Wilt Chamberlain had 29 points and 23 rebounds.

* The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Baltimore Bullets, 124-121 at the Baltimore Civic Center (now the CFG Bank Arena).

* The Atlanta Hawks beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 125-107 at the Alexander Memorial Coliseum (now the McCamish Pavilion) in Atlanta.

* The Cincinnati Royals beat the Detroit Pistons, 127-115 at Cincinnati Gardens.

* The Boston Celtics beat the Chicago Bulls, 106-96 at the Chicago Stadium.

* And the San Francisco Warriors beat the Seattle SuperSonics, 107-95 at the Seattle Center Coliseum. Nate Thurmond had 41 points and 27 rebounds.

There was 1 game in the American Basketball Association: The Oakland Oaks beat the Kentucky Colonels, 134-113 at Freedom Hall in Louisville. Rick Barry had 46 points and 14 rebounds.

There were 4 games played in the NHL that day:

* The Chicago Black Hawks beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-1 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.

* The Boston Bruins beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, 5-1 at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh.

* The Minnesota North Stars beat the Los Angeles Kings, 4-1 at the Metropolitan Sports Center in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota.

* The St. Louis Blues beat the Oakland Seals, 4-1 at the St. Louis Arena.

* And the New York Rangers, the Montreal Canadiens, the Detroit Red Wings and the Philadelphia Flyers were not scheduled.

In high school football, the school that would become my alma mater, East Brunswick, defeated Edison High School, 26-7 at Matthew J. Drwal Stadium in Edison Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey.

Also, the soccer team I would one day support, Arsenal F.C. of North London, lost to West Bromwich Albion, 1-0 at The Hawthorns in West Bromwich, near Birmingham.

October 12, 1929: Sanford Stadium Opens In Georgia

October 12, 1929: Sanford Stadium opens, on the campus of the University of Georgia in Athens, 72 miles east of downtown Atlanta.

Named for Dr. Steadman Vincent Sanford, an English professor and an early supporter of the school's athletic program, the University of Georgia opens it with 15-0 win over Yale in front of 30,000 fans. Since UGa had been founded by missionaries from Yale, and had also borrowed Yale's team name of Bulldogs, they were the invited guests.

Known for the privet hedges that surround the field, and the end zone containing the crypts for the deceased Uga the Bulldog mascots, Sanford Stadium has seen several expansions and renovations that have put its current seating capacity at 92,746. It hosted the soccer games of the 1996 Olympics, even though Athens and Atlanta, despite being in the same State, are not all that close.

With stars like Frankie Sinkwich, Charlie Trippi, Theron Sapp, Fran Tarkenton, Jake Scott, Herschel Walker, Garrison Hearst, Champ Bailey, Knowshon Moreno and Brock Bowers, the Georgia Bulldogs have won 15 Southeastern Conference Championships since moving in, as well as the 1942, 1980 and 2021 National Championships. They've also had All-Americans named Johnny Carson (not the talk show host), Randy Johnson (not the baseball pitcher) and George Patton (not the general).

UPDATE: They were SEC and National Champions again in 2022, and SEC Champions again in 2024. So that's 17 SEC titles, and 4 National Championships.

*

October 12, 1929 was a Saturday. Napoleon "Nappy" Brown, the original singer of the rhythm & blues songs "Don't Be Angry" and "The Night Time Is the Right Time," was born on this day.

Game 4 of the World Series was played at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Going into the bottom of the 7th inning, the Chicago Cubs led the Philadelphia Athletics, 8-0. The A's set a Series record by scoring 10 runs in the inning, and won the game, 10-8. Since playing professional sports was still illegal in Pennsylvania until 1933, the A's could not wrap up the Series the next day, so they wrapped it up the day after that, on Monday, October 14, in Game 5.

Pro basketball was still strictly minor-league. And the NHL season didn't begin until November 14. But there were other college football scores, including the following:

* The top team in the South that season, Tulane University, beat Mississippi A&M, 34-0 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. (A&M would rename itself Mississippi State in 1932.)

* Notre Dame beat Navy, 14-7 at Municipal Stadium in Baltimore. From 1950 to 1954, piece by piece, it was converted into Memorial Stadium, longtime home of the Orioles and Colts. Notre Dame went 9-0, and were retroactively declared National Champions.

* The University of Pittsburgh also claim a National Championship for this season. They went 9-1, including on this day, winning their annual "Backyard Brawl" with West Virginia, 27-7.

* Purdue beat Michigan, 30-16 at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana. This game decided the Big Ten Conference title.

* The top team on the Pacific Coast, USC beat the University of Washington, 48-0 at Husky Stadium in Seattle.

* In New York City, Fordham beat New York University, 26-0 at the Polo Grounds.

* And City College of New York lost to St. Lawrence University, 22-0 at Weeks Field in Canton, New York.

* In New Jersey, Princeton lost to Brown, 13-12 at Palmer Stadium in Princeton.

* And Rutgers lost to Holy Cross, 20-3 at Fitton Field in Worcester, Massachusetts.

September 30, 1967: SEC Football's Painful Integration

Nate Northington

September 30, 1967: For the 1st time, a black man plays football for a school in the Southeastern Conference. The circumstances become physically painful. They were already emotionally painful, and for a reason above and beyond the region's racist history.

The University of Kentucky, the northernmost school in the SEC, and far better known for their basketball program, which had already won 4 NCAA Tournaments, was the 1st school to break the barrier. They signed 2 black players: Running back Nate Northington and defensive end Greg Page.

But on August 22, 1967, in a preseason practice, Page was injured. His back was broken, and he was paralyzed. Northington, his dorm-mate, would have to go into the season's home opener, at home to the University of Mississippi (a.k.a. "Ole Miss"), as the lone black player in the game.

Greg Page

The season did not begin with that home opener. Kentucky started the season away to Indiana University -- a major rivalry in basketball, but not in football -- and Indiana won, 12-10. Page did not play in that game.

Things went from bad to worse. Complications from his condition killed Page the day before the game. He was only 19 years old. A moment of silence was held before the game at McLean Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky.

Northington played the 1st 3 plays against Ole Miss, but on the 3rd play, he separated his shoulder, and had to leave the game. Ole Miss won, 26-13. With Page dead and Northington injured, the Wildcats went 2-8, beating only West Virginia at home and, in their lone SEC win, Vanderbilt away.

Northington left the team after his sophomore season, and transferred to Western Kentucky University. In 1970, he scored a touchdown in WKU's rivalry game with Eastern Kentucky.

In September 2016, 50 years after Northington, Page, Wilbur Hackett and Houston Hogg debuted on Kentucky's freshman team, statues of the 4 of them were dedicated outside Kroger Field, which (under the name Commonwealth Stadium) replaced McLean Stadium in 1973. As of September 30, 2022, Northington is still alive.

Here's when the other SEC schools -- the ones in the league then, and the ones who have since entered the league -- integrated their football teams:

* Tennessee: Lester McClain, September 14, 1968.

* Florida: Leonard George and Willie Jackson, both debuting on September 12, 1970.

* Mississippi State: Robert Bell and Frank Dowsing, both debuting on September 12, 1970.

* Georgia Tech (left the SEC in 1963): Eddie McAshan, September 12, 1970. He became the 1st black quarterback for a major formerly all-white Southeastern university -- but not the 1st in the SEC.

* South Carolina (did not join the SEC until 1992): Jackie Brown, September 12, 1970. Same game in which McAshan debuted for Tech.

* Auburn: James Owens, September 19, 1970.

* Alabama: John Mitchell, September 10, 1971.

* Vanderbilt: Taylor Stokes, September 11, 1971.

* Georgia: Richard Appleby, Horace King, Chuck Kinnebrew and Larry West, all debuting on September 11, 1971.

* Tulane (left the SEC in 1965): Charlie Hall, Charles Inniss, Robert Johnson and John Washington, all debuting on September 11, 1971.

* Louisiana State (LSU): Mike Williams, September 16, 1972.

* And Mississippi (Ole Miss), not surprisingly, was the last one: Ben Williams, September 30, 1972.

*

September 30, 1967 was a Saturday. Actress Andrea Roth was born. And, in Philadelphia, their new arena, The Spectrum, opened. I have a separate entry for that event.

Among the other college football games played that day were these:

* Number 1 Notre Dame were upset by Number 10 Purdue, 28-21 at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana.

* Number 2 Southern California (USC) beat Michigan State, 21-17 at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan.

* The night before, Number 3 University of Houston beat Wake Forest, 50-6 at the Astrodome in Houston.

* Number 4 UCLA beat Washington State, 51-23 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

* Number 5 Georgia beat Clemson, 24-17 at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina.

* Number 7 Nebraska beat Minnesota, 7-0 at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.

* Number 8 Texas lost to Texas Tech, 19-13 at Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas.

* Number 9 Alabama beat Southern Mississippi, 25-3 at Ladd Stadium in Mobile, Alabama.

* Among the service academies, Army beat Boston College, 21-10 at Alumni Stadium, just outside Boston in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts; Navy lost to Rice, 21-7 at Rice Stadium in Houston; and Air Force lost to the University of Washington, 30-7 at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

* In New Jersey, Princeton beat Rutgers, 22-21 at Palmer Stadium in Princeton.

And in New Jersey high school football, East Brunswick, the school that would one day be my Alma Mater, beat Woodbridge, 14-0 at home, at the stadium that would one day be named Jay Doyle Field.

And these games were played in Major League Baseball:

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Minnesota Twins, 6-4 at Fenway Park in Boston. This was the next-to-last day of the regular season, and the Red Sox and Twins were battling the Detroit Tigers and the Chicago White Sox for the American League Pennant. Carl Yastrzemski of the Red Sox and Harmon Killebrew of the Twins each hit his 44th home run of the season. Neither of them homered the next day, so they finished in a tie for the AL home run lead.

With Yaz also leading the AL in batting average and runs batted in, that means that, despite only being tied for the home run lead, he was awarded the Triple Crown. There would not be another Triple Crown winner for 45 years.

At the time, the Red Sox' games were broadcast on WHDH-Channel 5. With the Sox involved in a Pennant race for the 1st time in a generation, the station went against protocol, which was to save money on videotape by taping over old games, and saved several games from that season. These clips were edited down into a highlight reel, except for the last 2 games, this one and the next day's. As a result, this Boston victory over Minnesota is, as far as is publicly known, the oldest surviving full color video broadcast of an MLB game.

* A doubleheader was split at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. The Detroit Tigers won the opener, 5-0. Mickey Lolich pitched a 3-hit shutout. The California Angels won the nightcap, 8-6. Over the 2 games, Al Kaline went 1-for-8 with a walk.

With this doubleheader, the AL standings now featured the Red Sox and the Twins tied for 1st place, with the Tigers only half a game back. The Red Sox and Twins played each other again the next day, with the winner assured of no worse than a Playoff for the Pennant the next day. The Tigers had another doubleheader, and if they swept it, they would have a Playoff with the Red Sox-Twins winner. As it turned out, the Red Sox beat the Twins, and the Tigers only split their doubleheader, so the Sox won the Pennant.

* The Washington Senators beat the Chicago White Sox, 4-0 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. The White Sox had been eliminated from the race when the Senators beat them the night before, so this game was meaningless -- except, perhaps, to Senators pitcher Frank Bertaina, who pitched a 5-hit shutout.

* The New York Yankees beat the Kansas City Athletics, 5-4 at Yankee Stadium. Mickey Mantle drove in the Yankees' 1st run with a groundout, and then left the game due to injury. Rookie Reggie Jackson did not play for the A's in this game. The next day, the Yankees won, 4-3. This was the last game for the A's representing Kansas City. The next season, they moved to Oakland.

* The New York Mets beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-0 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Les Rohr pitched 8 shutout innings, and Ron Taylor completed a 7-hit shutout, to outpitch Don Drysdale. Ken Boswell hit a home run.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Atlanta Braves, 3-1 at Atlanta Stadium (later Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium). In contrast to the AL, the Cardinals had the National League Pennant wrapped up several days earlier. Lou Brock went 3-for-4. Roger Maris went 1-for-4 with an RBI. Joe Torre went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Hank Aaron only appeared as a pinch-hitter, and struck out.

* The Houston Astros beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-3 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Roberto Clemente went 1-for-3 with a walk. Willie Stargell went 1-for-4 with an RBI.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Cleveland Indians, 5-2 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Frank Robinson went 0-for-4, and Brooks Robinson did not play.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds, 9-4 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. Ernie Banks went 4-for-5 with an RBI. Pete Rose went 1-for-5 with 2 RBIs. Rookie Johnny Bench did not play for the Reds in this game.

* And the San Francisco Giants swept a doubleheader with the Philadelphia Phillies, 3-2 and 1-0 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Willie McCovey hit a home run in the 1st game. Willie Mays went 0-for-4, and then did not play in the 2nd game. Three Giant pitchers -- Bill Henry (3 innings), Nestor Chavez (4, winning pitcher) and Lindy McDaniel (2, save) combined on a 4-hit shutout.

September 30, 1933: The 1st Southeastern Conference Football Game

September 30, 1933: The football team at the University of Kentucky beats Sewanee: The University of the South, 7-0 at McLean Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky. UK is normally thought of as one of the great powers of college basketball, certainly the leading hoop school in the Southeastern Conference. It is not one of the traditional leaders in SEC football. Nevertheless, the Wildcats hosted, played, and won the first game between two SEC teams -- technically, the 1st SEC football game.

Sewanee left the SEC after the 1940 season, and downgraded their program. They now play in NCAA Division III.

Although schools that are currently members of the SEC have been playing football since 1892, it was only in 1933 that the league was formed, mostly with teams leaving the Southern Conference, whose rump members would invite other schools, and, 20 years later, face another exodus, one that resulted in the founding of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

Other SEC schools played on this day, but not against other SEC teams:

* Alabama beat Oglethorpe University, of Brookhaven, Georgia, 34-0 at Denny Stadium (now Bryant-Denny Stadium) in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

* Arkansas beat Oklahoma Baptist, 42-7 at The Hill in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

* Florida beat Stetson University, of DeLand, Florida, 28-0 at Florida Field in Gainesville.

* Georgia beat North Carolina State, 20-0 at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia.

* Georgia Tech, a charter member of the SEC but no longer in it, beat Clemson, 39-2 at Grant Field in Atlanta.

* Louisiana State University (LSU) beat Rice, 13-0 at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

* Mississippi (a.k.a. Ole Miss) beat Mississippi State Teachers College, 45-0 at Hemingway Stadium (now Vaught-Hemingway Stadium) in Oxford, Mississippi. MSTC is now the University of Southern Mississippi.

* Mississippi State beat Millsaps College, of Jackson, Mississippi, 12-0 at Scott Field (now Davis-Wade Stadium) in Starkville, Mississippi.

* Tennessee beat Virginia Tech, 27-0 at Shields-Watkins Field (now Neyland Stadium) in Knoxville, Tennessee.

* The night before, Alabama Tech beat Howard College, 19-0 at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. In 1960, Alabama Tech was renamed Auburn University. In 1965, Howard, of Homewood, Alabama, was renamed Samford University. It should not be confused with Howard University in Washington, D.C.; or with Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.

Most of the SEC did rather well. But not all of them. Vanderbilt played Oklahoma to a 0-0 tie at Owen Field in Norman, Oklahoma. Tulane lost to Texas A&M, 13-6 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. And, the night before, South Carolina, a member of the SEC now but not then, lost to Temple, 26-6 at Temple Stadium in Philadelphia.

When the season ended, Alabama had a conference record of 5-0-1, and LSU were 3-0-2. Because they played more games and had fewer blemishes on their record, Alabama were declared the 1st SEC football Champions. They finished 7-1-1, having lost to Fordham, 2-0 at the Polo Grounds, and a tie with Ole Miss at Legion Field.

That game at the Polo Grounds? It attracted 60,000. 'Bama's other 8 games combined? 112,000. The SEC already had most of the stadiums it is known for today, but they had yet to be expanded to the massive size they are today.

*

September 30, 1933 was a Saturday. These other notable college football games were played that day:

* Army beat Mercer University, of Macon, Georgia, 19-6 at Michie Stadium in West Point, New York.

* Navy beat William & Mary, 12-0 at Thompson Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland.

* Rivalry: Colorado A&M, which became Colorado State in 1957, beat Wyoming, 7-0 at Corbett Field in Laramie, Wyoming.

* Fordham beat Albright College, of Reading, Pennsylvania, 52-0 at Fordham Field in The Bronx.

* Manhattan College beat Clarkson University, of Potsdam, New York, 13-7 at Manhattan Field, next-door to the Polo Grounds in Upper Manhattan.

* City College of New York (CCNY) beat Brooklyn College, 18-12 at Lewisohn Stadium in Upper Manhattan.

* Rutgers beat Franklin & Marshall, 10-0 at Neilson Field in New Brunswick, New Jersey. New York City's Columbia and New York University (NYU), and New Jersey's Princeton, began their season the following week.

And Major League Baseball entered its final weekend. These games were played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Washington Senators, 7-2 at Yankee Stadium. The Senators had already clinched the American League Pennant. Babe Ruth went 2-for-3 with a home run. Lou Gehrig went 1-for-3.

* The New York Giants beat their arch-rivals, the Brooklyn Dodgers, 4-2 at Ebbets Field. The Giants had already clinched the National League Pennant. Player-manager Bill Terry and Mel Ott both went 2-for-5 with an RBI. 

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Boston Braves, 2-1 at Braves Field in Boston. Virgil Davis hit a home run to win it in the to of the 10th inning.

* The Boston Red Sox swept a doubleheader from the Philadelphia Athletics, 2-1 and 12-1 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Over the 2 games, Jimmie Foxx went 1-for-6 with a walk.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians, 3-0 at Navin Field in Detroit. (That ballpark was later renamed Briggs Stadium and Tiger Stadium.)

* The Chicago White Sox beat the St. Louis Browns, 4-1 at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

* The Chicago Cubs beat their arch-rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals, 12-2 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Babe Herman, formerly a star with the Brooklyn Dodgers, went 4-for-6 with a home run and 4 RBIs. Woody English went 3-for-6 with 2 RBIs. Billy Herman (no relation to Babe) went 3-for-5 with a walk and an RBI. Riggs Stephenson went 2-for-6 with 2 RBIs. Kiki Cuyler went 2-for-5 with an RBI. Every Cubs player, including pitcher Guy Bush, got at least 1 hit. Bush outpitched Dizzy Dean.

* And, in an action that wouldn't be done today, the Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates moved their game scheduled for today, at Crosley Field in Cincinnati, up, to July 30. The Pirates won that game, 8-6. Paul Waner went 1-for-5 with 2 RBIs. Lloyd Waner had no RBIs -- he usually batted leadoff -- but went 4-for-5.

And in English soccer, Arsenal beat North Yorkshire team Middlesbrough, 6-0 at the Arsenal Stadium, a.k.a. Highbury, in North London.

September 12, 1970: The Sam Cunningham Game

September 12, 1970: The University of Southern California, a.k.a. USC, takes the field at Legion Field in Birmingham, the secondary home field of the University of Alabama. They do so with the 1st all-black backfield in college football history, outside of historically black schools: Quarterback Jimmy Jones and running backs Clarence Davis and Sam Cunningham. 'Bama had been forced to racially integrate by President John F. Kennedy in 1963, but still hadn't fielded a single black football player. Of the schools then in the Southeastern Conference, Alabama's arch-rival Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Vanderbilt had; Georgia, Louisiana State (a.k.a. LSU) and Mississippi (a.k.a. Ole Miss) also had not. To be fair, Paul "Bear" Bryant had tried hard to recruit Frank Dowsing to be Alabama's 1st black player in 1969, but, a Mississippi native, he chose Mississippi State instead, becoming their 1st. So the Crimson Tide put an all-white team out against the USC Trojans. Sam Cunningham ran for 135 yards and 2 touchdowns. USC beat 'Bama, 42-21. The Bear knew he couldn't send an all-white team out anymore. Jerry Claiborne, an assistant to Bryant at Texas A&M and Alabama, was head coach at Virginia Tech at the time, and later at Maryland and Kentucky. He said, "Sam Cunningham did more to integrate Alabama in 60 minutes than Martin Luther King Jr. did in 20 years." Ironically, in the next off-season, Bryant played golf with USC coach John McKay, who mentioned he had a commitment from a junior college transfer who was an Alabama native, defensive end John Mitchell. Bryant got him to switch, and he became 'Bama's 1st black varsity player. He even became one of Bear's assistant coaches, and has been on the Pittsburgh Steelers' staff since 1994.

John Mitchell

"Sam Bam" Cunningham helped USC win the National Championship in 1972. He spent the next 10 seasons with the New England Patriots, rushing for 5,453 yards and making the 1978 Pro Bowl. Despite all their success in the 21st Century, he is still their all-time leading rusher. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame, and the Patriots elected him to their team Hall of Fame.

But if not for that game in Birmingham in 1970, he would now be known as the older brother of the great Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham, who played his college ball at Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV). Sam died on September 7, 2021, at age 71. The other members of that USC backfield? Jones played in the Canadian Football League, and helped the Montreal Alouettes win their championship, the Grey Cup, in 1974. Although less regarded in college than Cunningham, Davis had a better pro career, helping the Oakland Raiders win Super Bowl XI in 1977.

*

September 12, 1970 was a Saturday. The University of Texas, the defending National Champions, opened the season at Number 1 in the polls, but didn't play their 1st game until the following Saturday. They almost won the title again, but lost the Cotton Bowl to Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish also didn't open until September 19. The same was true in New Jersey for Rutgers. Princeton opened a week after that.

A full slate of Major League Baseball games was played, and then some:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Washington Senators, 7-3 at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington. Ron Hansen hit a home run, and Horace Clarke got 3 hits. But it wasn't enough, as Mel Stottlemyre got shelled, allowing 5 runs and leaving with just 1 out in the 2nd inning.

* The New York Mets lost to the Montreal Expos, 5-3 at Shea Stadium. So the other New York team, at this time the defending World Champions, lost to the team that ended up replacing the Senators as the Washington Nationals.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Atlanta Braves, 6-5 at Atlanta Stadium (renamed Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in 1974). For the Reds: Lee May had 3 hits including a home run and a triple, Johnny Bench went 1-for-4 with 2 RBIs, and Pete Rose went 0-for-5. For the Braves: Tony Gonzalez hit a home run, and Hank Aaron went 1-for-3 with a walk.

* The Boston Red Sox swept a doubleheader from the Cleveland Indians at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. The Sox won the opener 6-2, and the nightcap 8-2.

* A doubleheader was split at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. The Detroit Tigers won the 1st game 7-3, and the Baltimore Orioles won the 2nd game 13-3.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 10-2 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-6 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. This was a wild one, that went to the 10th inning. The Bucs scored 3 in the top half, including a home run by Al Oliver. The Cards scored 2 in the bottom half, and had men on 1st and 2nd with 2 out, and Dick Allen at the plate. Pirate manager Danny Murtaugh made Bruce Dal Canton his 3rd pitcher of the inning, and he got Allen to ground to short.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals, 10-5 at Kansas City Municipal Stadium.

* The Houston Astros beat the San Francisco Giants, 8-7 at the Astrodome in Houston. Willie Mays went 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI, but it wasn't enough.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-1 at San Diego Stadium.

* The California Angels beat the Minnesota Twins, 6-2 at Anaheim Stadium.

* And a doubleheader was split at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The Oakland Athletics won the 1st game 4-3. Don Mincher hit 2 home runs. Reggie Jackson pinch-hit in the 8th inning, and struck out. The Milwaukee Brewers won the 2nd game 2-1. Reggie pinch-hit in the 8th again, and this time, he flied out.

Also, Arsenal beat Burnley, 2-1 at Turf Moor in Burnley, Lancashire.