In 1905, 18 men died from injuries sustained on the football field. President Theodore Roosevelt stepped in and instituted safety measures to make the game safer.

The first pick (by Eagles) in the first NFL draft in 1935, was Jay Berwanger from the University of Chicago. He never played in the league.

The 'huddle' in football was formed due to a deaf football player who used sign language to communicate and his team didn't want the opposition to see the signals he used and in turn huddled around him.

The first Rose Bowl game was held in 1902 in Pasadena, California. The University of Michigan beat Sanford 49-0.

Pro Football or the National Football League originated in 1869 from a combination of rugby and soccer.

During the early years, African-Americans were banned from the NFL. The first known African-American to play pro football was Charles Follis, with the Shelby Athletic Club in 1902. When Follis retired from professional football in 1906, he was replaced that same year by Charles "Doc" Baker, the second African-American pro-football player. Baker played two years as a running back with the Akron Indians.

The Vince Lombardi Trophy is awarded to the winners of the Super Bowl.

First Instant Replay was used during Army Navy Football Game at Municipal Stadium Philadelphia on December 7, 1963, invented by CBS Director Tony Verna

The first professional football team to sport an insignia on their helmets was the Los Angeles Rams in 1950, who hand painted yellow horns on their blue leather helmets.

The first Super Bowl was played in 1967. The Green Bay Packers of the National Football League defeated the Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football League, 35-to-10.

The highest consumption of pizza occurs during Super Bowl week.

ABC's Monday night football premiered in September 1970 with Keith Jackson, Don Meredith, and Howard Cosell.

Because of a football's resemblance to an olive, the Chinese often call the American game of football "olive ball."

In the NFL the home team is required to provide 24 footballs for each game, although only around 10 are normally used.

For the 2000 Super Bowl, about a third of the TV commercial spots were purchased by dot-com companies.

Soldier Field in Chicago is the oldest stadium still in use in the NFL.

At greatest risk of injury to a professional football player's anatomy is the knee.

In 1910, a football team was penalized 15 yards for an incomplete forward pass.

Richard Nixon once tried to offer tactics to an American Football team.

The 1940’s & The Triple Crown

Until free substitutions were permanently instituted in the NFL after World War II, players performed on both the offensive and defensive units. Some of the most famous offensive stars like Don Hutson, the great Green Bay Packers receiver, or Dutch Clark, the do-everything quarterback of the Detroit Lions, were also outstanding defensive stars.

And most of the offensive players did a little bit of everything - running, passing, catching passes, returning kicks, place kicking, punting. As a result, it was possible for some of the top players to win individual statistical championships in more than one category.

Only three, however, have won the so-called "Triple Crown," three individual statistical championships in one year. All three Triple Crowns were achieved in a four-season period from 1943 to 1946. Sammy Baugh of the Washington Redskins was first in 1943, followed by Steve Van Buren of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1945 and Bill Dudley of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1946.

Almost everyone remembers Baugh as the first great forward passer in the NFL. Few, however, recall that he was one of history's greatest punters and almost no one knows that he was an excellent safety on defense. In 1943, the versatile Baugh led the league in passing, punting and interceptions.

Van Buren, who provided the power in Philadelphia's punch in the 1940s and early 1950s earned his triple crown on offense and special teams. He led the league in rushing, scoring, and kickoff returns.

In 1946, Dudley became the first and only player to lead the NFL in four different statistical categories. "Bullet Bill" finished first in rushing, punt returns, interceptions, and lateral passing. Dudley's unique accomplishment is often overlooked since lateral passing is no longer carried as a separate statistical category.

 

Knute Rockne gave his "Win One for the Gipper" speech to the Notre Dame players at halftime of the 1928 Army game. Rockne was trying to salvage something from his worst season as a coach at Notre Dame. To inspire the players he told them the story of the tragic death of the greatest player ever at ND, George Gipp. Although historians believe that it is doubtful that Rockne's version of Gipp's last words was true, Notre Dame did win the game against Army.
         More importantly, the story became solidified into popular culture after its recreation in the 1940 movie, Knute Rockne- All American. The phrase "Win one for the Gipper" was infused into the lexicon of American society and later became a rallying cry for the political campaigns of the actor who played Gipp in the movie, Ronald Reagan. Here is the transcript of the dialogue from the movie that begins one hour and seventeen minutes after the showing of the MGM logo.

KNUTE ROCKNE- ALL AMERICAN (1940)

ROCKNE:
          Well, boys ... I haven't a thing to say.
          Played a great game...all of you. Great game.
                   (He tries to smile.)
          I guess we just can't expect to win ‘em all.
                   (Rockne pauses and says quietly.)
          I'm going to tell you something I've kept to myself for years --
          None of you ever knew George Gipp.
          It was long before your time.
          But you know what a tradition he is at Notre Dame...
                   (There is gentle, faraway look in his eyes as he recalls the boy's words.)
          And the last thing he said to me -- "Rock," he said -
          "sometime, when the team is up against it -- and the
          breaks are beating the boys -- tell them to go out there
          with all they got and win just one for the Gipper...
                   (Knute's eyes become misty and his voice is unsteady as he finishes.)
          I don't know where I'll be then, Rock", he said - "but
          I'll know about it - and I'll be happy."

         There is a hushed stillness as Rockne and the crowd of boys look at each other. In the midst of this tense silence, Rockne quietly says "Alright," to the men beside him, and his chair is wheeled slowly out of the dressing room.
          PLAYER # 12
          Well, what are we waiting for?
          With a single roar, the players throw off their blankets and rush through the doorway.

CHS Eagles Football Trivia

Carl Perkins coached the team from

1982-1989!  Dr. Perkins is now the Principal of CHS!

SOURCES:

http://archives.nd.edu/rockne/speech.html

www.topendsports.com

http://www.alltrivia.net/facts/football.htm

http://www.aaregistry.com/detail.php?id=441

Pro Football Hall of Fame