Chris Mueller

The holiday tradition took off in 1934, when the Detroit Lions hosted the unbeaten Chicago Bears in a game broadcast nationally on radio.

Drafted in 1971 by the New Orleans Saints, the 'other' Manning never had a winning season in the NFL.

'Everything we did, we did right. Everything they did, they did wrong.' Bears coach George Halas said following a 73-0 win in 1940.

Colorado's Kordell Stewart called his 64-yard, game-winning touchdown pass against Michigan in 1994 'a gift from God.'

"I have never seen a greater performance," a legendary coach said of Notre Dame's stunning win over Texas at the 1971 Cotton Bowl.

The 1966 Notre Dame-Michigan State and 1971 Nebraska-Oklahoma showdown were among those billed as 'Games of the Century.'

The hirings of Woody Hayes at Ohio State, Bear Bryant at Alabama and Ara Parseghian at Notre Dame produced major headlines—and eventually national championships.

Michigan-Ohio State had a 'Ten-Year War,' and the 1982 Stanford-Cal game was won by one of the craziest plays in sports history.

Benny Friedman was the league's 'first real quarterback,' and the Los Angeles Rams' Bob Waterfield, who was married to a famous actress, glamorized the position.

In 1956, the New York Yankees' Don Larsen, an 'imperfect man,' pitched a perfect game—the only one in World Series history.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James led their new teams to multiple championships. Bill Russell, dealt by St. Louis to Boston in 1956, powered the Celtics' 1960s dynasty.

In 1962, Detroit's trouncing of the eventual champion Green Bay Packers prompted boasts from the Lions. 'We kicked the hell out of them,' said defensive lineman Alex Karras.

Barry Sanders, John Elway, Lawrence Taylor, Vince Lombardi, Joe Namath stood out among groups with remarkable star power.