This Week in College Football History: Oct. 23 - Oct. 29

NFF Contacts:

Phil Marwill, director of communications
1-800-486-1865, ext. 118
Mobile: 917-579-4256

Hillary Jeffries, special projects assistant
1-800-486-1865, ext. 123

Bo Carter, correspondent
Mobile: 214-418-6132

This Week in College Football History:
Oct. 23 - Oct. 29


MORRISTOWN, N.J., Oct. 17, 2006 – As part of an on-going series throughout the fall, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame circulates in advance This Week in College Football History, which takes a look back at some of college football’s landmark moments over the last 138 years. During the season, many of these events are featured in a changing exhibit at the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind.



*If you choose to use this content in whole or in part, as a courtesy, please credit The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame.


Featured Moment:

October 28, 1958: The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame hosts its first annual awards banquet at what is now known as the Waldorf=Astoria in New York. U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes the first recipient of the coveted Gold Medal, the highest individual award bestowed by the NFF, which recognizes an outstanding American who has contributed significantly to the sport of college football and our country. Subsequently, seven U.S. Presidents and many other outstanding Americans, including John Wayne, Norman Schwarzkopf and Gen. Tommy R. Franks, have also been honored with the prestigious award.


Other Notable Dates:

October 23, 1930: Eureka (Ill.) downs Illinois Wesleyan 12-0 behind the blocking of a right guard named Ronald Reagan, later President of the United States and a 1971 NFF Gold Medal recipient.

October 24, 1964: After a death in the family forces Penn State head coach Rip Engle to rush to his family’s side, assistant coach Joe Paterno fills in at the helm. Paterno and the Nittany Lions ruin West Virginia’s homecoming with a 37-8 win over the Mountaineers.

October 25, 1997: Ohio University reels off 61 rushing plays from scrimmage without a pass in a 21-17 victory at Akron. It was the first time since 1993 in Division I-A that one team did not attempt a single pass.

October 27, 1973: 1988 College Football Hall of Famer Lee Roy Selmon and his brothers Lucious and Dewey combine for 26 tackles as Oklahoma downs Kansas State 56-14 in the 16th game of a 37-game unbeaten streak for the Sooners.

October 27, 1984: 2005 College Football Hall of Famer Willie Totten of Mississippi Valley State passes for 599 yards against Prairie View, the third best single-game performance in I-AA history. Totten threw for over 530 yards in a single game four times in his collegiate career.

October 28, 1950: Nevada punter Pat Brady sets an NCAA record 99-yard punt against Loyola Marymount.

October 28, 1967: UTEP back-up QB Brooks Dawson fills in for starter Billy Stevens. His first six completions go for touchdowns in a 75-12 victory over New Mexico.

October 29, 1921: Centre College (Ky.) upsets Harvard 6-0, handing the Crimson its first defeat since 1916. Centre’s Bo McMillin, a 1951 College Football Hall of Fame inductee, scored on a 32-yard run in what many still consider as one of the 20th century’s greatest sports upsets.


With 120 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, a non-profit educational organization, runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. The NFF presents the MacArthur Trophy, the Draddy Trophy presented by HealthSouth and releases the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Standings. NFF programs include the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., Play It Smart, the NFF Center for Youth Development Through Sport at Springfield College (Mass.), the NFL-NFF Coaching Academy, and scholarships of over $1 million for college and high school scholar-athletes.


For more information, please visit us on the web at www.foot ballfoundation.com


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

phone: 973-829-1933
web: http://www.footballfoundation.com/
The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, Inc. | 22 Maple Avenue | Morristown | NJ | 07960-5215