Today's Tidbit... 100 Years of Football: 1927-1930

This is the tenth in a series looking back at “100 Years of Football,” syndicated cartoons published by Jerry Brondfield and Charles Beck in 1969. Today's version covers the period from 1927-1930.

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Yale’s Pudge Heffelfinger was football’s first legendary player who combined size and athleticism; Bronko Nagurski was the second. Standing 6 feet 2 inches and weighing 220 pounds, he was massive compared to others of his day. (The average WWII GI was 5’ 8” and 144 lbs.) At Minnesota and later in the NFL, he played fullback and tackle, dominating both positions.

As always, click the image to enlarge.

(Brondfield & Beck, '100 Years Of Football,' Central New Jersey Home News (New Brunswick, NJ), November 17, 1969.)

The Twenties were the Golden Age of Sports, and a series of running backs followed Red Grange’s lead to capture the nation’s attention, but there was an underside to college athletics that was out-of-step with the amateur ideal times. The 1929 Carnegie reports chronicled a lengthy investigation, leaving many pointing fingers. ”Subsidies” at Iowa led to the Hawkeyes being booted from the conference for the 1929 season.