This Day in Football History
1982 - NFL players' strike ends
The NFL players' strike that lasted 57 days ends and the season is reduced from 16 to nine games.
As a result, the playoffs are expanded to include 16 teams in a Super Bowl tournament, with the Washington Redskins eventually defeating the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII.
The strike spawned a players' revolt against the union, and the unresolved issues lingered to force another strike in 1987. That strike would lead to one of the ugliest incidents in football history, a Keanu Reeves motion picture called "The Replacements".
1968 - The "Heidi" Bowl is played
In a moment that incensed crusty old men wearing suspenders and drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon, NBC cut away from the Oakland Raiders-New York Jets game with one minute remaining to show "Heidi", the story of an orphaned girl living in the Swiss Alps.
The Raiders would complete a miraculous comeback to win 43-32, further enraging viewers. This game reputedly forces a policy change, with sports leagues demanding that games be shown to completion regardless of the score or what program is scheduled next.
2007 - Tim Tebow throws for 20, rushes for 20
Future NFL lightning rod Tim Tebow becomes the first player in NCAA history to throw for 20 touchdowns and rush for 20.
The Florida Gators quarterback goes on to be drafted by the Denver Broncos in 2010 after they move up to the first round to select him. Tebowmania ensues. While football experts openly question his ability to be an NFL quarterback, he leads the Broncos to a playoff victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2011.
Still, his career fizzles, as he goes to the New York Jets and then New England Patriots before being cut. His college days are considered the peak of his football career.
Birthdays
1978 - Reggie Wayne
1978 - Kyle Vanden Bosch
1983 - Eric Winston
1981 - Nathan Vasher