Posts with players, coaches, and other topics from the Pre-NFL era for The Football History Dude podcast, covering the history of the NFL.
In this episode, we fire up the DeLorean and head back to explore the life and career of Ralph Hay, The Founder of the NFL. He was an owner of an auto dealership and the Canton Bulldogs, a professional football team. Professional football in the Ohio region was on the brink of extinction, so Mr. … Read more
Indoor football in the NFL is not uncommon as we approach the 100th birthday of the league in a few days. However, this was not always the case. The Houston Astrodome was the first domed stadium in the NFL, home to the Oilers from 1968 – 1996. Pro Football’s first indoor game was at the … Read more
When you first heard about the Pro Football Hall of Fame Centennial Class, did you know the name, Duke Slater? If you did not, you were not alone. He is a long-forgotten name in the annals of football glory. Many referred to him as one of the greatest football players of all time, or the … Read more
If you were to watch an American football game 150 years ago, you would not recognize many of the rules. Over the course of the past century and a half, we have seen the transformation from a soccerish/rubbyish game to America’s favorite sport. But what caused the evolution of football? There were many micro-changes barely … Read more
Hugo Bezdek was a man who played professional football BEFORE he played in college, and later went on to become the only person who coached an NFL team as well as managed a major league baseball team. Early Life His name was Hugo Bezdek and he was born on April 1, 1884 in Bohemia, or … Read more