This Day in Football: A Day-by-Day Record of the Events That Shaped the Game

This Day in Football contains a full football season of facts, history, and nostalgia. It will tell you the date the passes-attempted record was broken (94 on November 1, 1953) as well as the game in which a defensive tackle lined up as a tight end and made the only touchdown reception of his career (William Perry, Chicago Bears, November 3). You will learn, for example, that October 14, 1951, is notable for being the day Detroit Hall of Famer Jack Christiansen set a new record for most punt return yards in a game against the Rams--a record broken again later that same day by Emlen Tunnell of the Giants. (What are the odds?)

T. J. Troup had coached football at both the high school and college levels and is one of the nation’s foremost historians/researchers on the history of pro football. He has written articles for American Football Coaches Monthly and was football coordinator/consultant to George Clooney for the film Leatherheads. He lives in Tustin, California.