SYD KRONISH | Stamps Issues will honor football heroes

It's almost football time again.
Millions of fans across the nation will be cheering on their favorite teams, college and professional, as the boys of autumn battle for their championships.
Through the years, there have been football heroes galore whose accomplishments have won them fame and fortune. The stars of the early years of the game set the standards for today by their accomplishments, some still in the record books.
The U.S Postal Service pays tribute to these "Early Football Heroes" with a set of four 37-cent commemorative stamps for release Aug. 8. The greats of the gridiron honored are Walter Camp, Ernie Nevers, Red Grange and Bronko Nagurski. All four are enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. Nevers, Nagurski and Grange are also in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Walter Camp (1859-1925) is considered the "Father of American Football." He is credited with shaping the rules that transformed rugby into the familiar modern game. Camp played football at Yale, serving there as captain and later, as head coach.
During this time, he instituted a wide range of important innovations, including the system of downs, the play from scrimmage, 11 players per side and the position of quarterback as the on-field leader.
Harold "Red" Grange (1903-91) became famous as a halfback for the University of Illinois. His speed and the ability to evade opponents labeled him in the press as "The Galloping Ghost." In a game against the University of Michigan on Oct. 18, 1924, Grange scored four touchdowns in the first 12 minutes of play and ran 402 yards in a 39-14 triumph. Michigan had been undefeated the previous two years.
It's history
Grange began his pro career in 1925 with the Chicago Bears. His continued success with the pros made his name a household word to fans throughout the country.
Ernest Alonzo Nevers (1903-76) became famous, in part, for playing offense and defense for the entire game. He ran, passed, kicked and tackled with amazing success. He was a star athlete at Stanford University, earning 11 letters in four sports.
Although Stanford lost to Notre Dame in the 1925 Rose Bowl game, Nevers was the game's hero, playing with braces while recovering from two broken ankles.
Nevers played for the Chicago Cardinals in the pros. In the Thanksgiving Day game in 1929 against the rival Bears, Nevers scored all 40 points, a one-game professional scoring record which remains the longest-standing record in the NFL.
Bronislau (Bronko) Nagurski became a legend not only for his ability to play offense and defense but for his amazing strength. As a collegiate he played both ways for the University of Minnesota.
In 1929 he was named All-America as a tackle and fullback. In 1922, Bronko led the Chicago Bears to a big win in the first official championship of the National Football League.
Today, the Football Writers Association of America annually selects the recipient of the Bronko Nagurski Trophy which is awarded to the defensive college player of the year.
The first-day-of-issue ceremony for the "Early Football Heroes" stamps will take place Aug. 8 at the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fames' Enshrinement Festival in South Bend, Ind. First-day postmarks can be obtained by calling the Stamp Fulfillment Services of the USPS at (800) Stamp-24.
The stamps will be available at your local post office beginning Aug. 11.