As part of an on-going series throughout the fall, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame posts in advance This Week in College Football History, which takes a look back at some of college football’s landmark moments over the last 138 years. During the season, many of these events are featured in a changing exhibit at the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind.

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 5,177 rushing yards. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986.

Other Notable Moments:

September 11, 1913: Birth date of Paul “Bear” Bryant in Moro Bottom, Arkansas. After playing at Alabama, Bryant coached at Maryland, Kentucky, Texas A&M, and Alabama, winning 328 games.


September 12, 1972: Southern California begins the week as the #1 team in the country in the AP 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.

NFF