Today's events in sports history

January 22, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1951 - Fidel Castro was ejected from a Winter League baseball game after hitting a batter. He later gave up baseball for politics.

1959 - British world racing champion Mike Hawthorn was killed while driving on the Guildford Bypass.

1960 - The 10th NBA All-Star Game was played. The East beat the West 125-115 in Philadelphia.

1961 - Wilma Rudolph set a world indoor record in the women�s 60-yard dash. She ran the race in 6.9 seconds.

1968 - The NBA awarded franchises to Milwaukee and Phoenix.

1973 - Joe Frazier lost the first fight of his professional career to George Foreman. He had been the undefeated heavyweight world champion since February 16, 1970 when he knocked out Jimmy Ellis. The event was HBO's first televised boxing match.

1982 - Reggie Jackson, a free agent at the time, ended five seasons as a New York Yankee when he signed a four-year contract with the California Angels.

1983 - Houston became the first NBA team to not score a point in overtime. They lost to the Portland Trail Blazers after being outscored 17-0 in overtime.

1983 - Bjorn Borg retired from tennis. He had set a record by winning 5 consecutive Wimbledon championships.

1984 - Barry Manilow sang the U.S. national anthem at Super Bowl XVIII.

1984 - Annette Kennedy (State University of New York) set a woman's collegiate basketball record when she scored 70 points.

1998 - Minnesota's new NHL franchise selected the nickname Wild.

2001 - Former National Football League (NFL) player Rae Carruth was sentenced to a minimum 18 years and 11 months in prison for his role in the 1999 shooting death of his pregnant girlfriend, Cherica Adams. Adams died a month later from her wounds. The baby survived and lives with the victim's mother.

2002 - Pat Summerall announced that he would leave his NFL broadcasting partner, John Madden, after they called the Super Bowl for Fox Sports. The two had worked together for 21 years.

2002 - Heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson held a press conference to announce an upcoming fight. After an altercation the fight was delayed until June when Lewis knocked Tyson out in the eighth round.

2002 - Theo Fleury (New York Rangers) made an obscene gesture to fans at the end of a 5-4 victory over the New York Islanders. The next day the NHL fined Fleury $1,000.

2003 - Michael Jordan (Washington Wizards) became the third highest all-time scorer in the NBA.

2006 - Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors. It was the second highest point total in NBA history. Wilt Chamberlain had scored 100 points in a single game in 1962.

 

January 23, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1879 - The National Archery Association was organized in Crawfordsville, IN.

1944 - The Detroit Red Wings set record for the most goals, most consecutive goals and most points in a game. The Red Wings beat the New York Rangers 15-0 and had a total of 37 assists.

1950 - NFL owners approved the unlimited substitution rule that had been used on a trial basis for 1949.

1966 - The Detroit Red Wings ended a streak of 47 straight wins when leading after two periods. The streak started on November 21, 1964.

1982 - Diana Ross performed the U.S. national anthem at Super Bowl XVI.

1985 - O.J. Simpson became the first Heisman Trophy winner to be elected to pro football�s Hall of Fame in Canton, OH.

1988 - At the Quaker State Open, Bob Benoit won a $100,000 bonus and became the first bowler to win a televised tournament by rolling a perfect 300 game.

2002 - The NHL fined Theo Fleury (New York Rangers) $1,000 for making an obscene gesture to fans after a game the night before.

 

January 24, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1930 - Primo Carnera made his American boxing debut by knocking out Big Boy Patterson in one minute, ten seconds of the opening round.

1947 - NFL owners voted to allow a sudden-death overtime in playoff games. The rule wasn't used until 1958.

1955 - The rules committee of major league baseball announced a plan to strictly enforce the rule that required a pitcher to release the ball within 20 seconds after taking his position on the mound.

1964 - CBS-TV acquired the rights to televise the National Football League�s 1964-1965 regular season. The move cost CBS $14.1 million a year. The NFL stayed on CBS for 30 years.

1981 - Mike Bossy (New York Islanders) tied Rocket Richard's record of 50 goals in first 50 games of the season.

1982 - The San Francisco 49ers won their first Super Bowl. Joe Montana won the first of his three MVP awards.

1987 - Walter Payton and Joe Montana were guests on "Saturday Night Live."

1990 - Clarence "Big House" Gaines collected the 800th victory of his college coaching career when Winston-Salem State University beat Livinstone, 79-70.

1995 - The prosecution gave its opening statement at the O.J. Simpson murder trial.

2006 - Mario Lemieux retired from playing in the NHL for the last time. He had previously retired and came back from cancer, a heart problem, agonizing back pain, a rare bone infection, a self-imposed one-season layoff and, five years earlier, from the boredom of retirement.

 

January 25, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1924 - The first Winter Olympic Games, also known as the Winter Olympic Festival, were inaugurated in Chamonix in the French Alps. Sixteen countries sent 294 athletes to compete in five sports and thirteen events.

1981 - The Oakland Raiders beat the Philadelphia Eagles 27-10 in Super Bowl XV. The Raiders won the Super Bowl after entering the playoffs as a wildcard team.

1987 - Neil Diamond sang the U.S. national anthem at Super Bowl XXI.

1987 - The New York Giants defeated the Denver Broncos, 39-20, in Super Bowl XXI on NBC. The game featured TV commercials cost $550,000 for 30 seconds.

1988 - Rickey Green of the Utah Jazz scored the 5 millionth point in NBA history.

1995 - The defense gave its opening statement in the O.J. Simpson trial.

1998 - The Denver Broncos beat the Green Bay Packers 31-24 in Super Bowl XXXII. The Broncos had lost 3 previous Super Bowl appearances with quarterback John Elway. The win also broke the 13 game winning streak of the NFC.

2002 - Ken Hitchcock was fired as head coach of the Dallas Stars. He had a record of 277-160-60-6, five straight division titles and two Stanley Cup finals appearances. His post season record was 47-33.

2003 - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won Super Bowl XXXVIII in San Diego. Coach Jon Gruden, at age 39, was the youngest coach to ever win the title.

2010 - Kelly Kulick became the first woman to win a PBA Tour title.

 

January 26, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1924 - Charles Jewtraw of the United States won the 500-meter speed skating. He was the first Gold Medalist at the Winter Olympics.

1985 - Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers) became the first NHL player to score 50 goals in 49 games.

1990 - Steffi Graf won her 48th consecutive match.

1997 - ZZ Top, James Brown and the Blues Brothers performed at the Super Bowl XXXI halftime show. The Green Bay Packers won 35-21 over the New England Patriots. It was the third Super Bowl win for the Packers.

2002 - Jennifer Capriati won Australian Open Tennis Championships in Melbourne.

2003 - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Oakland Raiders 48-21 in Super Bowl XXXVII. Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden became the youngest coach to ever win a Super Bowl. It was the first Super Bowl appearance for the Buccaneers.

2003 - In Berlin, Lindsay Benko broke the 400 freestyle world record. She became the first to go under the four-minute mark (3 minutes, 59.53 seconds).

2003 - In Berlin, Thomas Rupprath set a new world record in the men's 100 medley. He came in at 52.58.

 

January 27, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1965 - Ulf Sterner became the first Swedish-born player to appear in the NHL. Sterner only played four games in the NHL.

1967 - Paige Cothren became the first player to sign with the New Orleans Saints.

1973 - The UCLA Bruins won their 61st consecutive game to break the NCAA record held by the University of San Francisco.

1984 - Carl Lewis beat his own two-year-old record by 9-1/4 inches when he set a new indoor world record with a long-jump mark of 28 feet, 10-1/4 inches.

1984 - Wayne Gretzky set a National Hockey League (NHL) record for consecutive game scoring. He ended the streak at 51 games the next night against the Los Angeles Kings. The streak began on October 5, 1983.

1991 - Whitney Houston sang the "Star Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XXV.

1992 - Former world boxing champion Mike Tyson went on trial for allegedly raping an 18-year-old contestant in the 1991 Miss Black America Contest.

2002 - The Montreal Canadiens became the first NHL team to score 10,000 home goals. The feat was achieved in the Canadiens' 2,675th regular season game. The goal was scored by Sergei Berezin who had come to the team only two days before from the Phoenix Coyotes.

 

January 28, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1904 - The University of Chicago awarded blankets with the letter C to all seniors that played football during the 1903 season. This event marked the beginning of the sports letter tradition.

1922 - The National Football League franchise in Decatur, IL, transferred to Chicago. The team took the name Chicago Bears.

1948 - Max Bentley (Chicago Blackhawks) scored 4 goals and his brother Doug assisted on all of them. Doug also had a goal in the game.

1957 - The Brooklyn Dodgers announced that circus clown Emmett Kelly had been hired to entertain fans at baseball games.

1958 - Roy Campanella (Brooklyn Dodgers) was seriously injured in an auto accident in New York. He would never return to play again.

1990 - Aaron Neville sang the U.S. national anthem at Super Bowl XXIV. Joe Montana got his third MVP award. The San Francisco 49ers beat the Denver Broncos 55-10.

1996 - Diana Ross performed as the featured halftime performer at Super Bowl XXX in Tempe, AZ. The Dallas Cowboys beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-17. It was the fifth Super Bowl for the Cowboys.

2003 - The WNBA announced that Connecticut had been awarded a franchise for the 2003 season. The team, the Connecticut Sun, was the first WNBA team to be owned by a non-NBA owner (the Mohegan Sun).

 

January 29, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1936 - The first members of major league baseball's Hall of Fame were named in Cooperstown, NY. They were Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson.

1963 - The first members to the NFL's Hall of Fame were named in Canton, OH. The list included Sammy Baugh, Johnny Blood, Dutch Clark, Red Grange, Mel Hein, Pete Henry, Cal Hubbard, Don Hutson, Bronko Nagurski, Ernie Nevers, Jim Thorpe, Bert Bell, Joe Carr, George Halas, Curly Lambeau, Tim Mara, and George Preston Marshall.

1985 - Jari Kurri (Edmonton Oilers) set an NHL record when he scored his 100th point in the 39th game of the season.

1989 - Billy Joel sang the U.S. national anthem at Super Bowl XXIII.

1995 - The San Francisco 49ers became the first team in National Football League (NFL) history to win five Super Bowl titles. The 49ers defeated the San Diego Chargers 49-26 in Super Bowl XXIX. San Francisco quarterback Steve Young threw six touchdown passes in the game.

2004 - Major League Baseball owners approved the $430 million sale of the Los Angeles Dodgers from News Corp. to Frank McCourt.

 

January 30, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1910 - Work began on the first board-track automobile speedway. The track was built in Playa del Ray, CA.

1920 - Joe Malone (Quebec Nordiques) scored seven goals against the Toronto St. Patricks in a 10-6 win.

1960 - The women�s singles U.S. figure skating championship was won by Carol Heiss.

1994 - Natalie Cole sang the U.S. national anthem at Super Bowl XXVIII. The Dallas Cowboys won 30-13 over the Buffalo Bills.

1994 - Dan Jansen of the United States set a world record of 35.76 when he became the first to skate 500 meters in less than 36 seconds.

2000 - The New York Mets announced that Garth Brooks would begin training with the team on February 20.

2000 - John Rocker (Atlanta Braves) was suspended from major league baseball for disparaging foreigners, homosexuals and minorities in an interview published by Sports Illustrated.

 

January 31, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1920 - Joe Malone (Quebec Bullldogs) set an NHL record with 7 goals in a game.

1961 - In Houston, TX, voters approved financing for a domed stadium.

1988 - Herb Alpert performed the U.S. national anthem at Super Bowl XXII. The Washington Redskins beat the Denver Broncos 42-10.

1999 - The Denver Broncos won Super Bowl XXXIII. It was their second consecutive Super Bowl win.

2003 - The Chicago White Sox announced a deal that would change the name of Comiskey Park after a 93-year association with the Comiskey name.

 

February 1, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1913 - Jim Thorpe signed a contract to play baseball with the New York Giants.

1929 - Weightlifter Charles Rigoulet of France achieved the first 400 pound �clean and jerk� as he lifted 402-1/2 pounds.

1962 - The National League released its first 162-game schedule.

1968 - Vince Lombardi resigned as the coach of the Green Bay Packers.

1970 - Terry Sawchuck got the last shutout of his career and set the career record at 103.

1992 - Barry Bonds signed the highest single season contract. It was for $4.7 million.

1992 - Dennis Potvin's #5 became the first number to be retired by the New York Islanders.

1995 - John Stockton (Utah Jazz) became the NBA's career assist leader when he scored his 9,922nd assist to move past Magic Johnson.

2015 - Tom Brady (New England Patriots) set a Super Bowl record with 37 completions. Brady also increased his career Super Bowl touchdown passes to 13 setting a new record.

 

February 2, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1876 - The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs (known as the National League) was formed in New York. The teams were located in Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Hartford, Louisville, New York, Philadelphia and St. Louis.

1949 - Golfer Ben Hogan was seriously injured in an auto accident in Van Horn, TX.

1967 - The American Basketball Association was formed by representatives of the NBA.

2003 - Dany Heatly (Atlanta Thrashers) became the fifth player to score four goals in the NHL's All-Star game.

 

February 3, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1876 - Albert Spalding and his brother started a sporting goods store. They manufactured the first official baseball, tennis ball, basketball, golf ball and football.

1912 - In the U.S., professional football set some new rules. The field was shortened to 100 yards, touchdowns were to be worth six points instead of five, four downs would be allowed instead of three and the kickoff was moved from midfield to the 40 yard line.

1944 - Syd Howe (Detroit Red Wings) scored six goals in a 12-6 win over the New York Rangers.

1951 - Dick Button won the U.S. figure skating title for the sixth time.

1972 - The first Winter Olympics in Asia were held at Sapporo, Japan.

1979 - The Minnesota Twins traded Rod Carew to California for four players.

1984 - At Madison Square Garden in New York City Carl Lewis beat his own world record in the long jump by 9-1/4 inches.

1990 - Darryl Strawberry (New York Mets) voluntarily entered an Alcohol rehab center.

1998 - Dino Ciccarelli (Florida Panthers) became the 9th NHL player to score 600 career goals.

2001 - The XFL debuted. The Las Vegas Outlaws beat the New York/New Jersey Hitman 19-0 and the Orlando Rage beat the Chicago Enforcers 33-29.

2002 - The New England Patriots won Super Bowl XXXVI 20-17 over the Los Angeles Rams. It was the first Super Bowl win for the Patriots. The game ended with a last second field goal. Britney Spears performed the national anthem.

 

February 4, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1924 - The first Olympic Winter Games opened in Chamonix, France.

1932 - The first Winter Olympics in the United States opened at Lake Placid, NY. The games were opened by New York Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt.

1952 - Jackie Robinson was named Director of Communication for NBC. He was the first black executive of a major radio-TV network.

1969 - John Madden was named the head coach of the NFL's Oakland Raiders.

1970 - John Lennon and Yoko Ono gave a Michael X a bag of their cut hair in return for a pair of genuine Muhammad Ali boxing shorts.

1973 - The New York Islanders and the Buffalo Sabres played an entire game with no penalties called.

1993 - The Boston Celtics retired Larry Bird's #33.

1997 - A civil jury in California found O.J. Simpson liable in the death of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. Goldman's parents were awarded $8.5 million in compensatory damages.

1997 - Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) scored his 600th National Hockey League (NHL) goal during his 719th game. Lemieux reached the milestone second fastest in history. Gretzky had reached the plateau during his 718th game.

2001 - Jimmy Buffet was ordered by NBA referee Joe Forte to give up his courtside seat due to the use of profanity. After a several-minute delay, the game between the Miami Heat and the visiting New York Knicks continued.

2002 - Minnesota's Supreme Court refused to consider an appeal by the Minnesota Twins of an injunction that would force the Twins to fulfill their lease at the Metrodome.

2003 - Jaromir Jagr (Washington Capitals) scored his 500th career goal. He also got his 11th career hat trick in the game.

 

February 5, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1943 - Mervyn "Red" Dutton was named the new NHL president. Frank Calder had died the day before.

1950 - Dick Irvin (Montreal Canadiens) became the first NHL coach to win 500 games. He ended his career with 690 wins.

1972 - Bob Douglas became the first black man elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA.

1977 - Sugar Ray Leonard won his first pro fight. He beat Luis Vega in 6 rounds.

1988 - The first time in 30 years a wrestling match was aired in prime-time. Andre beat Hulk Hogan in the match.

1989 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar became the first NBA player to score 38,000 points.

1990 - NBC-TV obtained the television rights to all of Notre Dame's home football games for the next five years. Notre Dame was the first school to sell its games to a major TV network.

1991 - Dave Taylor (Los Angeles Kings) became only the 29th NHL player to score 1,000 career points.

1994 - Peter Bondra (Washington Capitals) became the 10th player in NHL history to score four goals in one period.

1997 - Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) became the seventh player to score 600 career goals.

1999 - Mike Tyson was sentenced to a year in jail for assaulting two people after a car accident on August 31, 1998. Tyson was also fined $5,000, had to serve 2 years of probation, and had to perform 200 hours of community service upon release.

2003 - Bob Knight (Texas Tech) coached his 800th victory.

2003 - Mike Modano (Dallas Stars) got his 600th career assist making him only the second American-born player to get 400 goals and 600 assists. Jeremy Roenick was the first American-born player to achieve the feat.

2006 - The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 21-10 in Super Bowl XL. It was the fifth Super Bowl victory for the Steelers. Jerome Bettis announced his retirement after the gam

 

February 6, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1921 - The New York Yankees issued a press release to announce the purchase of 10 acres of property in the west Bronx. The land was used for Yankee Stadium I.

1926 - The National Football League adopted a rule that made players ineligible for competition until their college class graduated.

1932 - Dog sled racing happened for the first time in Olympic competition.

1958 - Ted Williams signed a contract with the Boston Red Sox that was worth $135,000. The contract made him the highest paid player in major league history.

1970 - The NBA expanded to 18 teams for the 1970-71 season. The new teams added were Buffalo, Cleveland, Houston and Portland.

1986 - Peter McNab (New Jersey Devils) became the 42nd player to score 450 career goals.

1990 - Brett Hull (St. Louis Blues) and his father Bobby Hull, became the only father-son combination in NHL history to score 50 goals in a season.

2005 - The New England Patriots defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21 in Super Bowl XXXIX. It was the 3rd win in four years for the Patriots.

 

February 7, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1882 - The last bareknuckle fight for the heavyweight boxing championship took place in Mississippi City.

1949 - Joe DiMaggio signed a contract with the New York Yankees that was worth $100,000. It was the first six-figure contract in major league baseball.

1958 - The Dodgers officially became the Los Angeles Dodgers, Inc.

1965 - Cassius Clay began using the name Mohammed Ali.

1975 - The New Orleans Jaz ended a 28 game road losing streak.

1976 - Darryl Sittler (Toronto Maple Leafs) set a National Hockey League (NHL) record when he scored 10 points in a game against the Boston Bruins. He scored six goals and four assists.

1976 - Dave Reece (Boston Bruins) played his last game in the NHL.

1985 - "Sports Illustrated" released its annual swimsuit edition. It was the largest regular edition in the magazine�s history at 218 pages.

1988 - Mike Tyson and Robin Givens were married.

1989 - The 40th NHL All-Star Game was played.

1992 - Mike Tyson testified at his rape trial in Indianapolis.

1994 - Michael Jordan signed a contract with the Chicago White Sox to play baseball.

1995 - Joe Mullen (Pittsburgh Penguins) became the first American-born player to score 1,000 points in the NHL. Mullen ended his career with 1,063 career points.

1995 - U.S. President Clinton invited the two sides of the major league baseball strike to the White House in an effort to reach an agreement. The two sides did not resolve the issue that day.

1997 - Jim Kelly (Buffalo Bills) announced his retirement from the NFL. He was the only quarterback to date to guide the same team to four losing Super Bowls.

1998 - The Dallas Stars retired Neal Broten's #7.

2002 - The one-hour television show entitled "NBA All-Star Read to Achieve Celebration" aired.

 

February 8, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1896 - The Western Conference was formed by representatives of Midwestern universities. The group changed its name to the Big 10 Conference.

1936 - The first National Football League (NFL) draft was held. Jay Berwanger was the first to be selected. He went to the Philadelphia Eagles.

1950 - The Associated Press named Jim Thorpe and Baby Didrikson Zaharias the greatest male and female athletes of the first half of the 20th century.

1984 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar broke Wilt Chamberlains record of 12,681 goals. He scored 15,836 goals before retiring in 1989.

1991 - Roger Clemens signed a contract with the Boston Red Sox that paid $5,380,250 per year.

1996 - Charles Barkley became the 22nd player in NBA history to reach 20,000 points.

1997 - Scotty Bowman won his 1,000th NHL regular season game as a coach.

1997 - Mike Gartner (Phoenix Coyotes) became only the sixth player in NHL history to get 600 career goals and 600 career assists.

1998 - The first female ice hockey game in Olympic history was played. Finland beat Sweden 6-0.

2003 - Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) became the second fastest NHL player to reach 1,000 career assists.

 

February 9, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1895 - In Massachusetts, W.G. Morgan invented volleyball.

1895 - The first college basketball game was played as Minnesota State School of Agriculture defeated the Porkers of Hamline College, 9-3.

1900 - Dwight F. Davis put up a new tennis trophy to go to the winner in matches against England. The trophy was a silver cup that weighed 36 pounds.

1924 - Frank Nighbor received the first NHL Hart Trophy. The award, that judges the most valuable player to his team, was the first individual award in the NHL.

1932 - America entered the 2-man bobsled competition for the first time at the Olympic Winter Games held at Lake Placid, NY. They won the Gold Medal.

1960 - A verbal agreement was reached between representatives of the American and National Football Leagues. Both agreed not to tamper with player contracts.

1989 - Kevin Johnson (Phoenix Suns) ended an NBA free throw streak of 57 games.

1992 - Mike Gartner tied an NHL record when he reached the 30-goal mark for the 13th straight season. Only Bobby Hull and Phil Esposito had accomplished the feat.

1993 - Fourteen people were arrested when violence erupted at the Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl victory parade.

2005 - NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said that a deal between the league and the players' association would have to be in place before the end of the week to save the season.

2009 - Alex Rodriguez (New York Yankees) admitted that he had taken banned substances from 2001 to 2003.

 

February 10, 2022
Today in
Sports History
1920 - Major league baseball representatives outlawed pitches that involved tampering with the ball.

1946 - Jackie Robinson and Rachel Isum were married.

1961 - The American Football League's Los Angeles franchise was transferred to San Diego.

1971 - Bill White (New York Yankees) became the first black baseball announcer.

1962 - Jim Beatty became the first American to break the four minute barrier for the indoor mile.

1992 - Mike Tyson was convicted in Indianapolis of raping Desiree Washington, Miss Black American contestant.

2003 - Brett Hull (Detroit Red Wings) became the 6th player in NHL history to score at least 700 career goals.

2005 - The NHL and the players' association broke off talks after two days. The previous day commissioner Gary Bettman had said that a deal would need to be ready by the weekend to save the season.