Gridiron Timeline 1925: The Galloping Ghost — How Red Grange Saved the NFL

In 1925, the NFL was dying. Teams folded. Owners went bankrupt. Average Chicago Bears home attendance hovered at 6,500. Then Red Grange — the Galloping Ghost of Illinois, the most electrifying player college football had ever seen — did the unthinkable: five days after his final college game, he signed a professional contract with the Chicago Bears. Gridiron Timeline — Episode 3 The college establishment called him a sellout. A mercenary. A corrupting influence on the amateur game. But Grange and his manager C.C. Pyle had negotiated something no football player had ever dreamed of — 50 percent of the gate. And when 73,000 fans packed the Polo Grounds to see the Galloping Ghost, the NFL changed forever. This is the story of the barnstorming tour that saved professional football — eight games in twelve days, a White House visit where the President thought the Bears were an animal act, Babe Ruth giving business advice in a Washington hotel room, and one young man who proved that the game belonged to the players who played it. ⏰ Timecodes ⏰ 00:02 The Dedication of Memorial Stadium 01:20 The Rise of Red Grange: From College Star to Legend 03:38 The Rise of Professional Football 06:20 The Grueling Spectacle of Professional Football 08:31 The Transition of Grange: From Star Player to Team Owner 11:31 The Birth of the NFL Draft Grab a copy of our latest book, "Red Grange & Chicago Bears 1925-1926 Barnstorming Tour: 100th Anniversary Scrapbook" written by NFL Film's Chris Willis, and compiled by Darin Hayes https://amzn.to/4r8rVyp 🏈 More football history: Pigskin Dispatch — Your Portal to Gridiron History Where do you stand — was Red Grange a sellout or a pioneer? Drop your take in the comments. #NFLHistory #RedGrange #GallopingGhost #ChicagoBears #IllinoisFootball #NFLHistory #1925Bears #FootballHistory #GridironTimeline #PigskinDispatch #NFLDocumentary #CollegeFootballHistory