MORRISTOWN, N.J., September 13, 2005 – As part of an ongoing series throughout the fall, This Week in College Football History takes a look back at some of college football’s landmark moments throughout the last 137 years. Throughout the season, many of these items are depicted in a changing exhibit at the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind.
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Featured Moment
September 15, 1973: Considered by some to be the greatest running back in college football history, Archie Griffin today remains as the only two-time winner of the Heisman Trophy. Griffin started in four Rose Bowls during his career at Ohio State, and led the Buckeyes to three top-5 finishes.
On September 15, 1973, against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Griffin began a streak of 31 consecutive 100-yard rushing games. The streak would span three seasons and would come to an end on November 22, 1975 against Michigan. Griffin finished his career with a then-record 5177 rushing yards, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986.
Other notable moments to occur This Week in College Football History:
September 12, 1972: Southern California begins the week as the #1 team in the country in the Associated Press poll. They would stay there for 17 consecutive weeks, a record that would stand for 15 years.
September 12, 1998: Martin Gramatica of Kansas State University kicks a 65-yard field goal against Northern Illinois. It still stands as the longest field goal kicked without the use of a tee.
September 13, 2003: Tonya Butler of West Alabama kicks a 27-yard field goal against Stillman College. She becomes the first woman to kick a field goal in a college football game.
September 16, 1989: Raghib “Rocket” Ismail returns two kickoffs for touchdowns as No.1 Notre Dame defeats No.2 Michigan 24-19 in Ann Arbor.
September 16, 2000: Alvon Brown of Kentucky State sets a Division II single-game rushing record by gaining 405 yards against Kentucky Wesleyan.
September 17, 1994: Jason Davis of UNLV completes 28 of 41 passes for 347 yards in the fourth quarter of a game against Idaho, setting an I-A record for most completions, attempts, and yardage gained in a single quarter. In the same game, UNLV’s Randy Gatewood catches a single-game record 23 passes.
September 18, 1982: Northwestern drops the last of a record 34-straight defeats, this one to Miami (OH). They would end the streak the following week, beating Northern Illinois 31-6.
With 119 chapters and over 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 America’s young people. 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 annual scholarships of nearly $1 million for college and high school scholar-athletes.
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