Today's Tidbit... 1969 and the 100th Anniversary Sticker

It could have been a big deal and should have been a big deal, but college football's centennial celebration fizzled. Intended to honor the 100th anniversary of the 1869 Princeton-Rutgers games, the NCAA announced their intention to celebrate the anniversary in March and opened the events with the June Coaches' All America, when they honored Barbara Sprecht, the National Centennial Queen, at halftime.

('A Time To Recall 100 Grid Years,' Fresno Bee, September 14, 1969.)

Perhaps it was the Vietnam War or the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, but the celebration took off like a lead balloon. Centennial flags were to fly at stadiums, and each of the 423 NCAA member schools received 22 medallions to award to varsity players. There was also a commemorative postage stamp, but it all fell flat.

(Personal collection)