August 31
1997 — Eddie George runs for 216 yards on 35 carries and scores a touchdown as the former Houston Oilers, playing their first game in Tennessee, beat Oakland 24-21 in overtime at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis
September 1
1996 — The Carolina Panthers defeat the Atlanta Falcons 29-6 in their first regular season game at Ericsson Stadium.
September 2
1966 — Joe Auer returns the opening kickoff 95 yards for a Miami touchdown in the Dolphins' first regular-season game, but Oakland wins 23-14 at the Orange Bowl before 26,776 spectators
September 3
1970 — The sports world grieves the death of Vince Lombardi who dies at age 57. Lombardi led the Green Bay Packers to an 89-29-4 record and the first two Super Bowl crowns in nine years. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971.
September 4
1994 — Miami quarterback Dan Marino throws five touchdown passes in the Dolphins' 39-35 win over New England to set an NFL record with his 18th game of four-or-more touchdown passes.
September 5
1994 — San Francisco wide receiver Jerry Rice catches two touchdown passes and runs for another score in a 44-14 victory over the Raiders to surpass Jim Brown as the NFL's career touchdowns leader with 127.
September 6
1946 — The All-America Football Conference begins regular season play as the Cleveland Browns beat the Miami Seahawks 44-0 before 60,135 at Cleveland's Municipal Stadium. The Browns, coached by future Hall of Famer Paul Brown, go on to a 12-2 record and win the first of their four AAFC championships before four of the league's teams join the NFL in 1950.
© 2008 NFL Enterprises LLC. NFL and the NFL shield design are registered trademarks of the National Football League.The team names, logos and uniform designs are registered trademarks of the teams indicated. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. NFL footage © NFL Productions LLC.
