This Day in Football History

2013 - Tony Gonzalez retires

After 17 seasons in the NFL, Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez decides to call it a career.

Gonzalez's retirement comes off the heels of a disappointing season for the Falcons, who finish at the bottom of the NFC South with a 4-12 record. He leaves his teammates with this message:

"My message was, learn something from this year. There's a lot of growing you can have when you're in adversity, when you're in a losing situation," Gonzalez says. "I know that's what brought me here today. My second year in the league when I dropped 17 balls and I had that horrible year, it made me the person I am today.

"That's what I wanted to stress to those guys, use this year. Make it count for something because the sky's the limit."

A former first-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs, Gonzalez played in 270 games over the course of his career, catching 1,325 passes for 15,127 yards and 111 touchdowns.

2013 - 'Black Monday' claims five coaches

Less than 24 hours after the completion of the regular season, five NFL head coaches find themselves jobless.

Mike Shanahan of the Washington Redskins, Jim Schwartz of the Detroit Lions, Leslie Frazier of the Minnesota Vikings, and Greg Schiano of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are all fired on NFL's "Black Monday." 

The most surprising firing comes a day earlier, when the Cleveland Browns decide to part ways with Rob Chudzinski.

"I was shocked and disappointed to hear the news that I was fired," Chudzinski says. "I am a Cleveland Brown to the core, and always will be. It was an honor to lead our players and coaches, and I appreciate their dedication and sacrifice. I was more excited than ever for this team, as I know we were building a great foundation for future success."

2000 - Lamar Smith sets post-season carries record

Miami Dolphins running back Lamar Smith rushes for a franchise-record 209 yards and an NFL post-season record 40 carries in a 23-17 overtime victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

"What a workhorse," Dolphins cornerback Patrick Surtain says after the game. "We're gonna keep feeding him until he gets tired."

The win advances the Dolphins to the divisional round of the AFC playoffs, where they went on to lose to the Oakland Raiders, 27-0.

Birthdays

1937 - Jim Marshall
1941 - Mel Renfro
1948 - Bob Pollard
1972 - Kerry Collins
1976 - Patrick Kerney
1978 - Heath Evans
1978 - Dominic Raiola
1983 - Paul Soliai