Detroit had four early teams in the National Football League before the Detroit Lions. The Heralds played in 1920, and had played as an independent as far back as 1905. The Tigers, a continuation of the Heralds, played in 1921, folding midseason and sending their players to the Buffalo All-Americans. The Panthers competed from 1925 to 1926 and the Wolverines in 1928.
In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the defensive linemen who play directly on the line of scrimmage, and the linebackers, who play in the middle of the defense, and between the defensive line and the defensive backs.
The University of Dayton (UD) is a private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the US and the second-largest private university in Ohio. Its campus is located in southern Dayton and spans 388 acres on both sides of the Great Miami River. The campus is noted for the Immaculate Conception Chapel and the University of Dayton Arena.
Archie Mason Griffin is an American former football running back who played with the Cincinnati Bengals in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, and is the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner in NCAA history, 1974–1975, considered one of the greatest college football players of all time. Griffin won four Big Ten Conference titles with the Buckeyes and was the first player to ever start in four Rose Bowls. He was selected in the first round by the Bengals in the 1976 NFL draft.
Edgar Allen Diddle was an American college men's basketball coach, who also coached college football and baseball teams. He is known for coaching at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky from 1922 to 1964. Diddle became the first coach in history to coach 1,000 games at one school. Diddle was known as one of the early pioneers of the fast break and for waving a red towel around along the sidelines. During games he would wave, toss, and chew on this towel, and even cover his face in times of disappointment. His red towel is now part of WKU's official athletic logo. Diddle experienced only five losing seasons in 42 years.
Earl Henry "Red" Blaik was an American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and United States Army officer. He served as the head football coach at Dartmouth College from 1934 to 1940 and at the United States Military Academy from 1941 to 1958, compiling a career college football record of 166–48–14. His Army football teams won three consecutive national championships in 1944, 1945 and 1946. Blaik was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1964.
The 1920 APFA season was the inaugural season of the American Professional Football Association, renamed the National Football League in 1922. An agreement to form a league was made by four independent teams from Ohio on August 20, 1920, at Ralph Hay's office in Canton, Ohio, with plans to invite owners of more teams for a second meeting on September 17, 1920. The "American Professional Football Conference" (APFC) was made up of Hay's Canton Bulldogs, Akron Pros, the Cleveland Tigers and the Dayton Triangles, who decided on a six-game schedule to play each other at home-and-away, an agreement to respect each other's player contracts, and to take a stand against signing college students whose class had not yet graduated.
Wayne High School is a secondary public school located in Huber Heights, Ohio, north of Dayton, Ohio. With the high school being established in 1956, the school district was formerly known as Wayne Township Local School District. In 1981, the name changed to Huber Heights City School District when the majority of Wayne Township was turned into Huber Heights City. In February 2021, Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague named the school one of three Ohio Compass Award honorees of the month for its financial education curriculum and partnership with Sinclair Community College with its College Credit Plus program.
Will Allen is an American former professional football safety. Allen played college football for Ohio State University, and was selected for the All-American team. He was selected in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and also played for the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Harry Clifford "Blond Beast" Baujan was an American football player, coach of football and basketball, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at the University of Dayton from 1923 to 1946, compiling a record of 124–64–8. Baujan was also head coach of Dayton Flyers men's basketball team between 1923 and 1928, and later served as the school's athletic director.
Martin Ashley Bayless is an American football coach and former cornerback and safety. He is the secondary coach for the St. Louis BattleHawks of the United Football League (UFL). He is also the defensive coordinator for Brevard College, a position he has held since 2024. He played 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and played college football at Bowling Green State University. He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the fourth round of the 1984 NFL Draft. He holds the record for most career interceptions in NCAA history with 27. After retiring from the NFL in 1998, he joined the Buffalo Bills as a Front Office Executive in 2000. He transitioned into coaching in the college ranks, and he has since held jobs with several professional football organizations.
James Richard Katcavage was an American professional football defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) who played thirteen seasons for the New York Giants.
Robert Eugene Ferguson was an American football fullback who played in the National Football League (NFL) with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, where he won the Maxwell Award in 1961. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996.
David E. Raimey is a former American football player.
Michael DeForest Wilson is a former American football player who played tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, and Kansas City Chiefs from 1969 to 1975.
The Dayton Flyers football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of Dayton located in the U.S. state of Ohio. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the Pioneer Football League. Dayton's first football team was fielded in 1905. The team plays its home games at the 11,000 seat Welcome Stadium in Dayton, Ohio. The Flyers are coached by Trevor Andrews.
Mike Kelly is a former American football coach. He was the head football coach at the University of Dayton from 1981 to 2007. In 27 years as the head coach at Dayton, he compiled a record of 246–54–1. He led the Dayton Flyers to the NCAA Division III Football Championship in 1989 and appearances in the title game three other times, in 1981, 1987, and 1991. Kelly ranks among the top 25 college football coaches of all time in winning percentage (.819). Among coaches with at least 25 years of experience, he has the fifth best winning percentage of all time.
The 1980 Dayton Flyers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Dayton as an independent during the 1980 NCAA Division III football season. In their fourth and final season under head coach Rick E. Carter, the Flyers compiled a 14–0 record and outscored opponents by a total of 509 to 70.
The 1986 Miami Redskins football team was an American football team that represented Miami University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its fourth season under head coach Tim Rose, the team compiled an 8–4 record, won the MAC championship, outscored all opponents by a combined total of 346 to 228, and lost to San Jose State in the California Bowl.
The 1923 Dayton Flyers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Dayton as an independent during the 1923 college football season. The team compiled a 4–5 record.
