Today's events in sports history

January 7, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1920 - Joe Malone (Quebec Bulldogs) scored two goals and became the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer with 59.

1927 - In Hinckley IL, the Harlem Globetrotters played their first game.

1972 - The Los Angeles Lakers set a National Basketball Association (NBA) record when they won their 33rd consecutive game.

1980 - The Philadelphia Flyers set a National Hockey League (NHL) record with 35 consecutive games without a loss.

1981 - Marcel Dionne (Los Angeles Kings) scored his 1,000th career point.

1991 - Pete Rose left an Illinois federal prison and checked into a halfway house in Cincinnati. He was completing a sentence for cheating on his taxes.

1994 - Tonya Harding won the U.S. Figure Skating championship.

1994 - Nancy Kerrigan withdrew from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Detroit. The previous day her right leg was severely bruised in an attack following a practice session.

1995 - The NHL Board of Governors threatened to cancel the regular season if the striking players did not agree with raising unrestricted free agency from 30 years to 32 years of age.

1997 - Grambling State University was charged with eight rules violations by the NCAA.

2002 - George Seifert was fired as head coach of the Carolina Panthers after a 1-15 season.

 

January 8, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1901 - In Chicago, IL, the first tournament sanctioned by the American Bowling Congress was held.

1955 - After 130 home basketball wins, Georgia Tech defeated Kentucky 59-58. It was the first Kentucky loss at home since January 2, 1943.

1957 - Jackie Robinson announced his retirement from major league baseball in an article that appeared in "LOOK" magazine.

1960 - The NCAA met in New York and voted against reviving the unlimited substitution rule for college football.

1977 - The cover of TV Guide was "Super Bowl."

1984 - ABC purchased the remaining 85% of ESPN.

1993 - Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) became the 18th player in NBA history to reach 20,000 points.

1994 - Dino Ciccarelli (Detroit Red Wings) became the 19th player in NHL history to score 500 career goals.

 

January 9, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1918 - The NHL announced a new rule that permitted goaltenders to leave their feet while making a save. Previously a penalty was called if a goalie sat or lay on the ice to stop the puck.

1930 - The Boston Bruins set an NHL record with 14 straight wins.

1952 - Jackie Robinson became the highest paid player in Brooklyn Dodger history.

1954 - Bert Olmstead (Montreal Canadiens) tied an NHL record when he scored 8 points in a game.

1962 - The NFL banned the grabbing of face masks.

1972 - The Los Angeles Lakers ended their 33 game winning streak.

1972 - The 2,000,0000th NBA point was scored.

1973 - The Philadelphia 76ers began a 20 game losing streak.

1977 - Super Bowl XI set a pro attendance record with 103,438. The NBC telecast was viewed by 81.9 million.

1981 - Hockey Hall of Famer, Phil Esposito, announced that he would retire as a hockey player after the New York Rangers-Buffalo Sabres hockey game. The game ended in a tie.

1984 - Pascual Perez (Atlanta Braves) was arrested for cocaine possession in his native Dominican Republic.

1991 - A special committee of Major League Baseball authorities officially banned Pete Rose from being elected into the Hall of Fame.

1997 - Former Los Angeles Kings owner Bruce McNall was sentenced to five years, 10 months in prison and ordered to repay five-million dollars after being convicted more than two years ago on bank fraud and conspiracy charges.

1998 - The "Hockey News" magazine selected Wayne Gretzky as the best NHL player ever.

2004 - Brian Boucher (Phoenix Coyotes) set a new NHL record with his fifth consecutive shutout. The total time of the streak was 325 minutes and 45 seconds.

2005 - Randy Moss (Minnesota Vikings) pretended to pull down his pants and moon the Green Bay Packer crowd during a playoff win. On January 13 the NFL fined Moss $10,000 for the act.

 

January 10, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1950 - Ben Hogan appeared for the first time in a golf tournament since an auto accident a year earlier. He tied �Slammin� Sammy Snead in the Los Angeles Open, however, Hogan lost in a playoff.

1962 - The NFL entered into a single-network agreement with CBS for telecasting all regular-season games for $4.65 million annually.

1963 - The Chicago Cubs became the first baseball club to hire an athletic director. He was Robert Whitlow.

1990 - The NCAA approved a random drug testing program among college football players and harsh penalties for drug use.

1995 - NHL owners rejected the players unrestricted free agency proposal (one year at 32, five years at 31) and countered with three years at 32 and three at 31.

 

January 11, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1953 - J. Edgar Hoover declined a six-figure offer to be the president of the International Boxing Club.

1970 - Billy Casper became the second golfer in history to top the $1-million mark in career earnings when he won the Los Angeles Open golf tournament.

1973 - Owners of American League baseball teams voted to adopt the designated-hitter rule on a trial basis.

1976 - Dorothy Hamill won her third consecutive national figure skating championship.

1976 - The Soviet Olympic team walked off the ice in protest to the rough tactics of the Philadelphia Flyers.

1995 - NHL owners and Players ended a 103 day lockout. It was announced that the regular season would be reduced to 48 games and would start January 20.

2002 - Muhammad Ali received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

2007 - It was announced that David Beckham had signed a five-year $250 million contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy.

2010 - Mark McGwire admitted that he used steroids on and off for nearly a decade. The timeframe including the 1998 season when he broke the then single-season home run record.

2014 - Arbitrator Fredric Horowitz reduced Alex Rodriguez's (New York Yankees) drug suspension from 211 to 162 games.

 

January 12, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1906 - The forward pass was legalized by the football rules committee.

1921 - Kennesaw Mountain Landis became the first commissioner of baseball.

1946 - The Cleveland Rams were granted permission to move to Los Angeles.

1958 - Major league baseball players Stan Musial and Johnny Padres were guests on the "Ed Sullivan Show."

1960 - Dolph Schayes of the Syracuse Nationals became the first pro basketball player in the NBA to score more than 15,000 points in his career.

1966 - Red Auerbach won his 1,000th game as coach of the Boston Celtics.

1969 - The New York Jets defeated the Baltimore Colts 16-7 in Super Bowl III. It was first victory for an AFL team over an NFL team and was considered a huge upset. This was the first time "Super Bowl" was officially used as the name for the game.

1993 - It was announced that Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) had Hodgkin's disease.

1999 - Mark McGwire's 70th home run ball was sold at auction in New York for $3 million to an anonymous bidder.

2000 - Charlotte Hornets guard Bobby Phills was killed in a crash during a drag race.

2002 - Brenden Shanahan (Detroit Red Wings) got his 1,000th career point in a 5-2 win over the Dallas Stars.

2004 - Cam Neely's No. 8 was retired by the Boston Bruins.

2016 - The NFL approved St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke's plan to move the Rams back to Los Angeles, CA.

 

January 13, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1962 - Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia Warriors) scored 73 points against the Chicago Packers.

1968 - Bill Masterson (Minnesota North Stars) was injured when he was checked into the boards. He died two days later. He was the first casualty in the NHL.

1983 - The Quebec Nordiques played their 251st NHL game without being shutout.

1984 - Wayne Gretzky extended his NHL consecutive scoring streak to 45 games.

1986 - The NCAA adopted the controversial "Proposal 48," which set standards for Division 1 freshman eligibility.

1995 - A collective bargaining agreement was ratified by NHL players.

1998 - The NFL completed a $9.2 billion deal to keep "Monday Night Football" on ABC and the entire Sunday night cable package for ESPN.

1999 - Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) announced his retirement from the NBA.

2003 - The NHL's Buffalo Sabres filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

2005 - Major League Baseball adopted a steroid-testing program that suspended first-time offenders for 10 days and randomly tested players year-round.

2005 - The NFL fined Randy Moss (Minnesota Vikings) $10,000 for pretending to pull down his pants and moon the Green Bay Packer crowd during a playoff win the previous weekend.

 

January 14, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1936 - Cecil "Tiny" Thompson (Boston Bruins) became the first NHL goalie to receive credit for an assist.

1943 - Alex Smart (Montreal Canadiens) scored three goals in his first NHL game.

1948 - Plastic helmets were prohibited in the NFL.

1951 - The first National Football League Pro Bowl All-Star Game was played in Los Angeles, CA.

1954 - Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio were married. The marriage only lasted nine months.

1973 - The Miami Dolphins became the first NFL team to go undefeated in a regular season. They also defeated the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII.

1974 - The World Football League was founded.

1976 - Ted Turner completed the purchase of the Atlanta Braves.

1985 - Martina Navratilova won her 100th tournament. She joined Jimmy Connors and Chris Evert Lloyd as the only professional tennis players to win 100 tournaments.

1989 - Bobby Knight won his 500th career victory as a college basketball coach.

1990 - Joe Montana (San Francisco 49ers) set an NFL record when he threw his 30th and 31st post-season touchdown passes. Terry Bradshaw held the previous record of 30.

1993 - NFL Commissioner Tagliabue announced the establishment of the "NFL World Partnership Program."

1996 - Fox aired the San Francisco 49er/Dallas Cowboy NFC championship game. The game pulled a 34.2/57 Nielsen rating.

1997 - Dennis Rodman got his 10,000th NBA career point.

2002 - Barry Bonds signed a contract with the San Francisco Giants worth $90 million for five years.

2002 - Lance Armstrong ran the final leg of the Olympic torch relay in San Diego.

2002 - The NBA announced a three game suspension for Shaquille O'Neal (Los Angeles Lakers) and a one game suspension for Brad Miller (Chicago Bulls) for a fight that occurred during a game.

2002 - TNT world premiered the TV movie "Monday Night Mayhem."

2003 - In Dallas, Dwayne Goodrich (Dallas Cowboys) was charged with two counts of manslaughter and was released after posting a $50,000 bond. The charges stemmed from Goodrich's involvement in a hit-and-run accident that killed two people.

 

January 15, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1892 - In Springfield, MA, the rules of "basketball" by James Naismith were printed in the "Triangle" newspaper.

1934 - Babe Ruth signed a 1934 contract for $35,000.

1942 - U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave baseball the approval to play despite World War II. He encouraged night games so that war workers could attend.

1958 - The New York Yankees announced that they would televise 140 games in the 1958 season.

1967 - The first National Football League Super Bowl was played. The Green Bay Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs (of the American Football League) with a final score of 35-10. The game was televised by both CBS and NBC and was not a sell out.

1968 - Bill Masterson (Minnesota North Stars) died of a brain injury that he had suffered two days earlier in a game against the Oakland Seals. He was the first casualty in the NHL.

1978 - The Super Bowl was played indoors for the first time. The game was played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Denver Broncos 27-10.

1990 - Don Nelson became the second man in NBA history to appear in 1,000 games as a head coach and as a player. Lenny Wilkins was the first to achieve the record.

1997 - Dennis Rodman (Chicago Bulls) kicked cameraman Eugene Amosin in the groin.

1997 - The Seattle Supersonics set an NBA record with 27 steals against the Toronto Raptors.

2001 - An anonymous bidder paid just over $3 million for a baseball. The ball was the 70th home run ball hit by Mark McGwire.

2002 - Seven minority players took part in an NHL game between the St. Louis Blues and the Edmonton Oilers. The record number of minority skaters included Edmonton's Anson Carter, Georges Laraque, Sean Brown and Mike Grier and St. Louis' Jamal Mayers, Fred Brathwaite and Bryce Salvador.

 

January 16, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1896 - The first five-player college basketball game was played at Iowa City, IA.

1961 - Mickey Mantle signed a contract which made him the highest paid baseball player in the American League at $75,000 for the 1961 season.

1981 - Leon Spinks was mugged. Even his gold teeth were taken by the assailants.

1988 - The St. Louis Cardinals announced that they would be moving to Phoenix.

1993 - Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) scored 64 points against the Orlando Magic. It was Jordan's second highest single-game total of his career.

1995 - Malcolm Glazer bought the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for an estimated $192 million.

2002 - Baseball owners voted to approve the record $660 million sale of the Boston Red Sox.

 

January 17, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1916 - The Professional Golfers Association was formed in New York City.

1963 - Wilt Chamberlain (San Francisco Warriors) scored 67 points against Los Angeles.

1972 - Roger Staubach and Bob Griese appeared on the cover of TIME magazine.

1989 - Al Arbour won his 600th game as a coach in the NHL.

1995 - The Los Angeles Rams announced that they would be moving to St. Louis.

1996 - Steve Yzerman (Detroit Red Wings) became the 22nd player in NHL history to score 500 goals.

1999 - The Atlanta Falcons beat the Minnesota Vikings to advance to the Super Bowl for the first time in team history.

2002 - The city of Los Angeles had "Muhammad Ali Day."

 

January 18, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1886 - The Hockey Association was formed in England. This date is the birthday of modern field hockey.

1951 - The NFL passed a rule that said that a tackle, guard or center was not eligible to catch a forward pass.

1958 - Willie O'Ree made his NHL debut with the Boston Bruins. He was the first black player to enter the league.

1967 - The NHL held the All-Star Game at midseason for the first time.

1969 - Ted Williams was appointed manager of the Washington Senators.

1976 - The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Dallas Cowboys 21-17 in Super Bowl X. The CBS telecast was viewed by an estimated 80 million people.

1985 - Mary Decker broke a world, indoor record when she ran the women�s, 2,000-meter race in just 5 minutes and 34.2 seconds.

1996 - Baseball owners unanimously approved interleague play for 1997.

1998 - The Boston Celtics retired Robert Parrish's #00.

2002 - Two NHL records held by Bobby Hull were broken in a game between the Detroit Red Wings and the Washington Capitals. Luc Robitaille scored his 611th career goal and Brett Hull scored his 99th game-winning goal. Robitaille's goal gave him the most goals of any left wing in NHL history and 10th place on the career NHL goal list. Brett Hull's goal moved him into third place on the game-winning goal list.

 

January 19, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1952 - The National Football League (NFL) bought the franchise of the New York Yankees from Ted Collins. The franchise was then awarded to a group in Dallas on January 24.

1953 - Jesse Owens was named Illinois Athletic Commission secretary.

1958 - The Canadian Football Council changed its name to the Canadian Football League.

1972
Sandy Koufax becomes youngest player elected to Baseball Hall of Fame

1989 - President Reagan pardoned George Steinbrenner. Steinbrenner was indicted on 14 criminal counts on April 5, 1974, then pleaded guilty to making illegal contributions to Nixon's re-election campaign and a felony charge of obstruction of justice on August 23.

1993 - The Oakland A's unveiled a new elephant logo.

1995 - The NHL Board of Governors approved the sale of the Winnipeg Jets, officially clearing the way for the team to move to Phoenix for the 1996-97 season.

1996 - The NHL announced that the Winnipeg Jets could move to Phoenix.

1997 - Ivan Rodriguez signed a deal with the Texas Rangers worth $6.65 million for one year.

 

January 20, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1892 - The first official basketball game was played by students at the Springfield, MA, YMCA Training School.

1937 - Nels Stewart (New York Americans) became the NHL's career leading scorer when he scored his 270th NHL goal.

1949 - Free substitution was adopted for one year in the NFL.

1952 - Patricia McCormick debuted as the first professional woman bullfighter.

1968 - Houston ended UCLA's 47-game winning streak with a 71-69 victory at the Astrodome before 52,693 fans. The game also set a NCAA attendance record.

1985 - The most-watched Super Bowl game in history was seen by an estimated 115.9 million people. The San Francisco 49ers beat the Miami Dolphins, 38-16. Super Bowl XIX marked the first time that TV commercials sold for a million dollars a minute. Joe Montana was awarded his third MVP award.

1995 - The NHL season opened with the teams playing a 48-game schedule instead of the usual 84. The season had been shortened due to a players strike.

1999 - ESPN announced the creation of the Great Outdoor Games to be held in Lake Placid, NY, in 2000.

1999 - The NBA lockout officially ended after 204 days.

2002 - Joe Nieuwendyk (Dallas Stars) played in his 1,000th career NHL game.

2003 - Patrick Roy (Colorado Avalanche) became the first NHL goalie to play in 1,000 games.

 

January 21, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1911 - The first Monte Carlo motor rally took place.

1973 - The AFC beat the NFC 35-31 in the NFL Pro Bowl in Dallas. The game had been played in Los Angeles since 1942.

1979 - The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Dallas Cowboys 35-31 in Super Bowl XIII. The Steelers became the first team to win three Super Bowls.

1985 - Dennis Potvin tied Bobby Orr's career record of 270 NHL goals. Potvin ended up with 310 career goals.

1986 - Former major-league player, Randy Bass, became the highest-paid baseball player in Japanese history. Bass signed a three-year contract for $3.25 million. He played for the Hanshin Tigers.

1989 - Wayne Gretzky passed Marcel Dionne to become the NHL's second all time scorer.

1990 - John McEnroe was disqualified and expelled for throwing a tantrum and using abusive language at an official while leading Mikael Pernfors in the Australian Open. He was the first person to be thrown out of a Grand Slam in 27 years. He was fined $6,500 and kicked out of the tournament.

1995 - John Stockton became the NBA's all-time career assist leader when he got his 9,922nd.

1997 - Don Mattingly (New York Yankees) officially announced his retirement.

1997 - Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) scored 51 points against the New York Knicks.

2002 - Michael Jordan (Washington Wizards) played his first game in Chicago as a visiting player. The Wizards beat the Bulls 77-69.

2010 - Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) became the 15th player in NBA history to reach 25,000 career points and the youngest to hit the milestone. He did it 35 days faster than Wilt Chamberlain.