Tag Archives: American Football League
Harry Wismer
Harry Wismer (Sportscaster and club owner. Born, Port Huron, MI, June 30, 1913; died, New York, NY, Dec. 4, 1967.) From his start at WJR in Detroit in 1935, Harry Wismer was one of America’s leading sportscasters. In 1941, Wismer became the sports director and lead announcer for NBC’s second radio network (“Blue”), which shortly […]
Matt Snell
Matt Snell (Pro football. Born, Garfield, GA, Aug. 18, 1941.) Breaking into the Jets starting lineup as the club’s premier running back in his rookie season of 1964, Matthew Snell went on to become the star of the 1969 Super Bowl. In Super Bowl III at Miami’s Orange Bowl, Snell carried 30 times for 121 yards […]
Century Milstead
Century Milstead (College and pro football. Born, Allegheny, PA, Jan. 1, 1901; died, Pleasantville, NY, June 1, 1963.) Ranked among the best linemen of his time, Century Allen Milstead was a two-time all-America tackle at Yale (1923-24). Unlike many of his contemporaries, Milstead assayed a pro career and signed with the newly-organized Giants. After the […]
Harry Newman
Harry Newman (Pro football. Born, Detroit, MI, Sept. 5, 1909; died, Las Vegas, NV, May 2, 2000.) As a triple-threat tailback from the University of Michigan, Harry L. Newman signed a contract with the Football Giants that gave him a percentage of the gate. Newman justified the deal by leading the N.F.L. in passing in […]
Tom Harmon
Tom Harmon (Pro football. Born, Gary, IN, Sept. 28, 1919; died, Los Angeles, CA, Mar. 15, 1990.) A little-known fact about the 1940 Heisman Trophy winner from Michigan is that Thomas Dudley Harmon played his first pro game in New York. Harmon played one game for the New York Americans of the American Football League in […]
Don Maynard
Don Maynard (Pro football. Born, Crosbyton, TX, Jan. 25, 1936.) Although he played parts of seasons with three other teams, Don Maynard will always be identified with the New York Jets, with whom he became one of the great pass receivers in the history of football. When he retired after the 1973 season, he was […]
Cash ‘n’ Carry Pyle
Cash ‘n’ Carry Pyle (Promoter. Born, Van Wert, OH, Mar. 15, 1882; died, Los Angeles, CA, Feb. 3, 1939.) Easily the best-known sports promoter of the 1920s, Charles C. Pyle earned his nickname by his demands for upfront money (and a share of the team) while representing Red Grange in contract negotiations with the Chicago […]
George Pease
George Pease (College and pro football. Born, Brooklyn, NY, June 18, 1903; died, Dallas, TX, Oct. 23, 1984.) Overshadowed by his more famous running back teammates, George G. Pease nevertheless managed to establish a solid reputation for himself. During the first two of his three years at Columbia (1923-25), Pease was basically a blocking back […]
Red Grange
Red Grange (Pro football. Born, Forksville, PA, June 13, 1903; died, Lake Wales, FL, Jan. 28, 1991.) In the 1920s, during the so-called “Golden Age of Sports” in America, Harold Edward Grange was the star who put pro football on the big-time stage. Grange’s sensational exploits at the University of Illinois grabbed headlines across the […]
