This Month in Sports History

February

The smell of of the forthcoming March Madness looms, last second deals at the NBA trade deadline& All-Star Weekend, baseball spring training, and oh yeah….THE SUPERBOWL!!!

• February 2, 1967: The formation of American Basketball Association is announced.
• February 2, 2020: The Kansas City Chiefs win Super Bowl LIV by defeating the San Francisco 49ers, 31-20. This was K.C.’s first Superbowl win in 50 years.
• February 8, 2018: Cleveland Cavaliers trade 36 year Dwyane Wade back to Miami.
• February 9, 1951: The St Louis Browns sign pitcher Satchel Paige at age 45.
• February 12, 1982: Wayne Gretzky scores 153rd point of season, breaking NHL record.
• February 13, 1983: At the 33rd NBA All-Star Game, East beats West, 132-123; MVP: Julius Erving, Philadelphia 76ers.
• February 16, 1972: Wilt Chamberlain  becomes first player in NBA history to reach 30,000 career points.
• February 19, 1909: Boston Red Sox trade legendary, Cy Young to Cleveland. 
• February 21, 1993: The NBA All-Star Game is held in Utah. The West narrowly defeats the East, 135-132 in overtime. Hometown Heroes Karl Malone & John Stockton win Co-MVP.
• February 22, 1959: The Inaugural Daytona 500 is held.
• February 23, 1991: UNC becomes the 1st NCAA basketball team to win 1,500 games.

January

Ahhhhh wintertime sports! NFL Playoffs, college basketball interconference play, College Football Bowl Games, and the midseason runs in the NBA. Some great moments have taken place in the Month January. A few important highlights are listed below.

• January 1, 1990:  Florida State beats Nebraska, 41-17 in 19th Fiesta Bowl.
• January 2, 1987: Indiana Pacers beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 116-106 to give coach Jack Ramsay his 800th NBA victory; at the time Ramsey is one of only 2 coaches (with Red Auerbach) to reach milestone.
• January 3, 1983: Dallas running back Tony Dorsett sets NFL record with 99-yard rush in the Cowboys’ 31-27 defeat at Minnesota Vikings.
• January 11, 2016: College Football National Championship, University of Phoenix Stadium: #2 Alabama beats #1 Clemson, 45-40.
• January 13, 1999: Michael Jordan announces his second retirement just prior to start of lockout-shortened 1998-99 NBA season; returns in 2001 with Washington.
• January 16, 2019: Houston guard James Harden becomes first player to score 55 or more points in back-to-back NBA games since Wilt Chamberlain (1962).
• January 19, 2013 Cyclist Lance Armstrong admits to doping in all seven of his Tour de France victories.
• January 22, 2006: Kobe Bryant scores 81 points in a 122-104 Lakers victory over the Toronto Raptors; second-highest game total in NBA history, behind only Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game (1962).
• January 31, 2009: Serena Williams wins 10th Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open, defeating Dinara Safina of Russia 6-0, 6-3.

What other awesome January moments would you to highlight? Add them in the comments section below and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe!

December

December is truly a fun month for sports fans. Typically the NFL dominates the headlines this time of year. However, at times the injuries in the NBA and NHL at times steal the spotlight along with shocking trades and signings that occur in the MLB offseason!

• December 4th 1909: The Oldest still-operating NHL franchise is officially established. Known then as the “Club de Hockey Canadien,” known today as the Montreal Canadiens
• December 5th 1973: Chicago Cubs’ Ron Santo became first baseball player to veto his trade
• December 5th 1978: Pete Rose signed with the Philadelphia Phillies. The contract was for four years and $3.2 million making Rose the highest paid athlete in team sports
• December 6th 1988: The Milwaukee Bucks won their 1,000th NBA game
• December 8th 1940: National Football League Championship, Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C.: Chicago Bears beat Washington Redskins, 73-0; most one-sided victory in NFL history; first NFL title game broadcast on national radio
• December 8th 1966: New York Yankee trade, Roger Maris for St’ Louis’ Charlie Smith
• December 12th 1965: Gale Sayers, of the Chicago Bears, scores six touchdowns, tying a National Football League record
• December 14th 1969: In his only season with Washington, Vince Lombardi gets his last win as an NFL coach, as the Redskins defeat the New Orleans Saints, 17-14
• December 21st 1975: In the final regular-season game of his 26-year professional football career, 48-year-old George Blanda becomes the first player to reach 2,000 points. He kicks four extra points in the Oakland Raiders’ 28-20 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, lifting his scoring total to 2,002 points, a still-standing record
• December 24th 1950: National Football League Championship: Cleveland Browns beat LA Rams, 30-28
• December 28th 1905: Intercollegiate Athletic Association of US founded (becomes NCAA in 1910)

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November

O November! What a great month for sports! My two favorite sports are front and center. At this point, you can make educated Superbowl predictions and the NBA is in full swing.

• November 1st 1913: Notre Dame upsets Army, 35-13 in the colleges’ inaugural football game
• November 1st 1924: Boston Bruins officially join the NHL, becoming the first United States based team to enter the League
• November 2nd 1990: The Golden State Warriors beat the Denver Nuggets, 162-158. The 320 points set an NBA record for the most points scored by two teams in a non-overtime game
• November 2nd 2007: Washington misses all 16 of its 3-pointers, an NBA record for most attempts without making one, in a 103-83 loss at Boston
• November 5th 1933: Chicago Bears 30 game unbeaten streak ends
• November 10th 1940: Pittsburgh Steelers & Philadelphia Eagles play one of only 4 penalty free games in NFL history; Steelers win 7-3 at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh
• November 10th 1991: Bernie Kosar ends NFL record of 308 passes without an interception
• November 15th 2017: 3 UCLA basketball players suspended after admitting shoplifting in China 
• November 19th 1983: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar becomes the second player in NBA history to score 30,000 points, joining Wilt Chamberlain, as the Lakers win 117-110 at Portland
• November 19th 2004: Indiana’s Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson charge into the stands to fight with Auburn Hills fans in the final minute of their game against the Detroit Pistons. The brawl forces an early end to the Pacers’ 97-82 win
• November 20th 1934: Toronto Maple Leaf’s Harvey Jackson is 1st to score 4 goals in a period
• November 20th 1966: Dallas sacks Pittsburgh QBs an NFL record 12 times
• November 20th 1977: Walter Payton rushes for NFL single game record 275 yards
• November 25th 1951: Cleveland Browns penalized a record 209 yards against Chicago Bears
• November 25th 1952: Only win ever for NFL’s Dallas Texans beating the Bears
• November 30th 1979: Pat Summerall and John Madden broadcast a game together for the first time, a pairing that lasts 22 years and becomes one of the most well-known partnerships in TV sportscasting history
• November 30th 1993: NFL announces 30th franchise (Jacksonville Jaguars)
• November 30th 2015: Kobe Bryant announces his intention to retire at the end of the season

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October

October has long been regarded as an exciting month for sports fans. It is a crossroads time where the seasons of the four major American team sports overlap. The NBA and NHL seasons are just beginning with new dreams and players starting with new teams. At the same time, the NFL season is taking shape and the cream of the crop are rising to the top. Meanwhile, MLB is winding down and a new champ is soon to be crowned! The list below contains some memories that you may know. It also has some has facts that may make your brain grow! Happy reading!

• October 1, 1975- “The Thrilla in Manilla” goes down with Muhammad Ali defeating “Smoking” Joe Frazier in 14 rounds to retain his WBC/WBA heavyweight title.
• October 7, 2000-Last ever competitive soccer match at Wembley Stadium, England defeated 1-0 by Germany.
• October 13, 1903-1st Baseball World Series: Boston Americans beat Pittsburgh Pirates, 3-0 in Game 8 at Huntington Avenue for a 5-3 series victory
• October 22, 1939-The very 1st televised professional football game was broadcasted on NBC. The featured game was between the Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Eagles. NBC brought live football to approximately 500 homes in New York. It was also shown on monitors at the RCA Pavilion at the World’s Fair. The Dodgers won the contest 24-14.
• October 23, 1921-The Green Bay Packers play their 1st APFA (forerunner to NFL) game; They beat the Minneapolis Marines, 7-6 at Hagemeister Park, Green Bay, WI.
• October 25, 1884-The 1st “World Championship” Baseball Series was held, Polo Grounds, NYC: The Providence Grays (NL) beat the NY Mets (American Association), 12-2 in 6 innings.
• October 27, 2019- Tiger Woods defeats Hideki Matsuyama at the inaugural Zozo Championship to tie Sam Snead’s record of 82 PGA victories.

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