January 12, 1969 is generally the day that is recognized as the birthdate of the modern NFL. On that day Joe Namath and the New York Jets upset the heavily favored Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, thus legitimizing the AFL in the eyes of many fans and hastening the AFL-NFL merger leading to the NFL as we know it today.
Many fans are unaware that on December 14, 1930 , there was another game that had similar implications for a new, upstart, National Football League. It was on this day that legendary Notre Dame head coach Knute Rockne brought a Notre Dame All-Star team, featuring the legendary Four Horsemen ( Harry Stuhldreher, Don Miller, Jim Crowley, and Elmer Layden) to the Polo Grounds to battle Benny Friedman and the New York Giants.