Category: History and More

Super Bowl LX is today, meaning people who don’t know the difference between football and foosball will still be tuning in to the event. And make no mistake about it – it is an event, with 60 minutes of gridiron action augmented (and sometimes overshadowed) by music, marketing and talking – lots and lots of talking.

But while February 8, 2026, will see the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots battle for the Lombardi Trophy, February 8, 1926, was also a pretty big day in NFL history.

On that date, newspapers across the United States reported that the head of the newly-anointed NFL champion Chicago Cardinals had taken a pass on his team being declared champion. Plus, a new football league was being formed to challenge the National Football League.

That’s a lot to unpack, so let’s open the suitcase …

One hundred years ago, NFL owners held their winter meetings in Detroit. Among the agreements reached for the 2026 season included banning college players from playing in the NFL until their class had graduated; limiting league clubs to scheduling no more than two games per week; upping guarantee money from $1,000 to $1,500, with one percent of gate receipts going to a league fund; increasing team roster size from 16 to 18 players; and reelecting NFL President Joseph Carr for a new three-year term (at $5,000 per year).

“Professional football successfully passed its crisis at the Detroit meeting,” Green Bay Packers president A.B. Turnbull proclaimed to the Green Bay Press-Gazette. “It was the unanimous opinion of the delegates that some drastic steps were necessary and those in attendance lost little time in putting across several regulations that will be of benefit to the postgraduate sport.”

Those “regulations” were interesting, but pale in comparison to the main headlines.

For openers, Carr decided to dethrone the Pottsville Maroons, who finished the 1925 season with a 10-2 NFL record. They were 13-2 overall, counting exhibition conquests of independent Colwyn Darby, Eastern League foe Atlantic Roses, and the Notre Dame All-Stars (featuring Harry Stuhldreher, Don Miller, Jim  Crowley and Elmer Layden of “Four Horsemen” fame).

However, the franchise violated the territorial rights of the Frankford Yellowjackets by playing the Notre Dame exhibition in Philadelphia, an offense Carr found so grievous that he suspended the Maroons, stripped them of their title and awarded it to the Cardinals (who lost to Pottsville, 21-7, in 2025).

But … Chicago owner Chris O’Brien declined the honor. The Cardinals, in fact, were on probation for suiting up four high school players in a 2025 contest. He said that sanction – and the fact that Pottsville had been removed from the league – convinced him it would be wrong to accept a crown. He wanted a championship “clearly won on the field of play.”

Thus, league owners voted that there would be no champion for the 1925 season.

Turns out, the NFL had even bigger concerns.

On February 7 it was revealed that a  new football league would be formed in Chicago later in the month. C.C. Pyle, manager of superstar Red Grange (who played with the Chicago Bears in 1925), made the announcement when he was denied a franchise in New York.

While Pyle – who had a lease with Yankee Stadium – said the majority of owners were fine with a second team in America’s First City, New York Giants officials blocked the move.

“There is room for two teams in New York, just as there is in Chicago,” Pyle told the Associated Press.

On February 18, Pyle announced that Grange would be the main attraction for the New York Football Yankees of the American League of Professional Football. Philadelphia and Milwaukee were also granted franchises, with St. Louis, Cleveland and Boston awarded conditional franchises.

So, by the end of February, the National Football League found itself without a defending champion and also had to fend off a challenge from another circuit showcasing the sport’s biggest draw in Grange.

O’Brien, however, was confident the senior organization would prevail.

“We have most of the high class stars under contract and a war chest of which we draw, and we certainly intend to protect our investment to the best of our financial ability,” he said in an interview with the Green Bay Press-Gazette. “If the newcomers think they can break in without a fight, they are welcome to try it.”

A century later, it’s obvious things have turned out just fine for the NFL.

Pyle’s circuit lasted only one season, although his Yankees were granted admission to the NFL for 1927. They folded after two seasons, and Grange returned to the Bears in 1929. Frankford – pictured at the top of this article – won the 1926 NFL championship with a 14-1-2 record and nary a hint of controversy.

The National League has held off all challengers ever since. Its biggest, coming from the modern American Football League, resulted in a full merger that went into effect in 1970. Now at 32 clubs and an international brand, it’s hard to imagine any serious future competition.

And as for that vacated title in 1925, well, the NFL officially awarded it to the Chicago Cardinals in 1963.

Travel to the Borough of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, however, and you might find there remains some disagreement over that decision.

A normal pro basketball game lasts 48 minutes.

But half a century ago in the American Basketball Association, the New York Nets and Virginia Squires completed a showdown that took 67 and a half minutes of clock time and 17 days – and it didn’t even go to overtime.

On January 7, 1976, at the Norfolk Scope, the Squires brought an ABA-worst record of 5-28 against Julius “Dr. J” Erving and the Nets. After four, 12-minute quarters, lowly Virginia had apparently secured a 112-89 victory, giving fans of the hard-luck squad a rare reason to celebrate in what would be the ABA’s final season.

To say the contest was tense would be quite the understatement.

New York coach Kevin Loughery drew six – yes, six – technical fouls, and his team was issued nine in all. One of the coach’s came in the second quarter, another was issued with 2:46 to play when officials claimed the Nets were using an illegal zone defense, and he was tagged with four more Ts for continuing to argue with the men in black (and white).

Mike Jackson led the hosts with 32 points and 17 rebounds, while rookie teammate Mel Bennett pumped in 24. Dr. J was limited to 26 points after fouling out with 7:28 left to play.

That, however, was not the end of the story – or even the end of the game.

ABA commissioner Dave DeBusschere called Loughery into his office the next day to discuss his rash of technical fouls. When he did, the Nets boss announced that he was protesting the game because Virginia’s Willie Wise was permitted to re-enter the tilt after being injured and failing to participate in a jump ball, a violation of Rule 6, Section 4 of the ABA rule book.

The rule reads: “The jump call shall be between the players involved unless injury precludes one or both of the jumpers from participating. If the injured player must leave the game, he will not be permitted to re-enter the game and the opposing coach selects the replacement.”

Loughery wound up being fined $1,000 and suspended two games for his multiple techs, but DeBusschere upheld the protest.

On January 13, the commissioner fined officials Jess Kersey and Bob Serafin for permitting the violation, which occurred in the third quarter of the contest. And he ruled that the game would be picked up with 19:05 remaining and the Squires leading, 63-49.

Wise would not be allowed to play in the continuation, which would take place on January 24 before the regularly scheduled rematch between the clubs.

“The referees erred by permitting Wise, then an illegal player, to return with 7:05 remaining in the third quarter,” DeBusschere said in a statement released by the ABA. “They are supposed to know the rules and, as a result of the circumstances surrounding the protest, I have ordered a replay from the point of the error and have additionally levied fines on the two officials. This was a book rule mistake.”

So, instead of losing by 23 points on January 7, the Nets found themselves trailing by just 14 with nearly 20 minutes to go on January 24.

New York had nearly half a game to make it closer on this trip to Norfolk, but in the end the Squires still came out on top, 107-100.

Then – following a break – the teams hooked up again in their regularly scheduled matchup. New York got 27 points from Erving and that helped avenge the protest game loss as the Nets took a 94-85 decision.

While this one was certainly notable, it was not the first successful protest in ABA history, nor the longest – at least in terms of days. That honor goes to the San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers, who spent 18 days trying to figure out a winner back in 1973.

On Nov. 13, the Indiana Pacers thought they had defeated the Spurs, 84-83. But Spurs officials insisted the game clock was not reset properly when possession changed hands, costing San Antonio 10 seconds and a chance to cross mid-court and take a shot.

Mike Storen was ABA commissioner at the time, and upheld the protest. His solution was to replay the final 30 seconds before the teams faced each other again on December 3.

This time, the protest worked in favor of the protesters, as the Spurs rallied for a 95-90 overtime conquest.

So, has the NBA had any protested games?

Quite a few – including one that started in one year and ended in another.

The Miami Heat contested a December, 2007, game against the Atlanta Hawks in which Shaquille O’Neal was sent off in overtime when officials ruled he had six fouls. However, O’Neal had only five, and NBA Commissioner David Stern agreed the mistake had to be rectified. Thus, the final 51.9 seconds were replayed in March of 2008 – after Shaq had been traded to Phoenix.

But, that’s another story for another time …

When the Football Bowl Subdivision had a four-team playoff, I said many times that it was really little more than an invitational. There are currently 136 teams in the FBS, and four is a ridiculously small sample size.

That the field has grown to 12 does make it seem much more like a tournament – although Notre Dame might feel differently since the Fighting Irish were left out.

So, what’s next – 16? Maybe. The deadline to alter the format is set for January 23, 2026, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the CFP grew by at least 33 percent. That would make room for more Power 4 teams while still holding a spot for those pesky Group of 6 programs.

What’s funny, though, is that the rest of the NCAA has had this whole playoff thing figured out for a while now. And the FCS, Division II and Division III all provide templates worth considering.

The FCS will crown its champion next Monday when Montana State meets Illinois State in Nashville. That contest will cap off a 24-team playoff (out of 129 members) that features 11 conference champions and 13 wildcards. The top eight seeds earn first round byes.

Division II’s 32-team tourney ended with Ferris State highlighting a 16-0 season with a 42-31 thrashing of Harding in the title tilt.

Sixteen conference champions and 16 wildcards filled out the bracket.

And Division III? UW-River Falls and North Central will clash Sunday night at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, in the season finale.

They are the survivors of a robust 40-team field that saw 27 conference champions and 13 at-large selections earn berths.

Admittedly, I didn’t watch the selection shows for FCS, Division II or Division III, nor did I troll social media for reactions of schools that were left out of the fields. I kinda figure, though, there wasn’t much room for complaints. In fact, I’m sure there were plenty of teams that received invites with no chance at all of going all the way.

And you know what? I love that for them.

One of the joys of the NCAA Basketball Tournament is cheering for a Cinderella team, even though you know that Cinderella team ultimately won’t get a fairytale ending.

The University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC) became to first No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 seed when it stunned top-ranked Virginia, 74-54, in 2018. We remember that, while forgetting that the Retrievers followed up with a 50-43 loss to Kansas State.

Anyway, I used to think a 16-team format was perfect for big-time college football. Upon further review, however, I now believe all FBS conference champions should be in a 24-team CFP. That would still leave 14 at-large spots.

If such a tournament were in place this year, Tulane, Duke, Indiana, Texas Tech, Kennesaw State, Western Michigan, Boise State, Georgia and James Madison would’ve gotten automatic bids as conference champions. (The Pac-12 would’ve had to sit this one out since it only had two football-playing members. It’ll be up to eight in 2026).

Using the final BCS pre-bowl rankings as a guide, the 15 wildcard teams in 2025 would be Ohio State, Oregon, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Alabama, Miami, Notre Dame, BYU, Texas, Vanderbilt, Utah, Southern Cal, Arizona and Michigan.

Now, do I think MAC champion Western Michigan could run the table and win the national championship? Of course not.

But shouldn’t the Broncos be given the opportunity – against all odds – to pull off at least one juicy upset? Sure. Plus, they deserve a piece of the huge money pie the CFP generates.

I mean, yes, the Power 4 conferences feature teams with huge advantages over the Group of 6, both talent-wise and financially. Put any Group of 6 champion in a Power 4 league and they wouldn’t be champions.

But …

All FBS schools play under the same banner, which is the National Collegiate Athletic Association. And if the NCAA holds a championship tournament for each of its classifications, it’s only fair that it’s open to all conference champions.

There has been talk over the past few years about some sort of “Super League” that would put elite programs in a separate class from the rest of the FBS. If that happens and those schools want to have their own private playoff, fine.

But until and unless it comes to pass, I say give the little guys a chance – even if they have little or no chance.

In the meantime, enjoy this season’s quarterfinals. Here’s hoping for four good ones.