Today in Sports History: Vince Lombardi

1968:  Vince Lombardi resigns as head coach of the Packers, but he remains as the general manager.  

Lombardi was hired as the Packers head coach in January of 1959.  As head coach, Lombardi guided the Packers to 5 NFL Championships, including wins in the first two Super Bowls.  His overall record in Green Bay was 89-29-4. 

He stepped down as GM of the Pack in February, 1969 and headed east to become the part owner, executive vice president, and head coach of the Washington Redskins.   He would lead the Redskins to a 7-5-2 record, their first winning record in over a decade.

Born Vincent Thomas on June 11, 1913 in Brooklyn, New York, Lombardi was diagnosed with colon cancer in June, 1970.  He would die just ten weeks later, September 3rd at the age of 57. 

Today in Sports History: The Ryan Express

1947:  Born Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr., better know as Nolan, the youngest of six kids in Refugio, Texas. 

Originally drafted by the New York Mets in the 12th round of the 1965 draft, Ryan played for four diffrent teams in his 27 year career:  Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros, and Texas Rangers, the team he is now part owner of.

He is the all time leader in strikeouts with 5,714, and he has a record 7 no-hitters.  In addition, Ryan has 12 one-hitters (tied for most with Bob Feller) and 18 two-hitters. 

He debuted September 11, 1966, and his last appearance was September 22, 1993.  His jersey is retired by three different teams:  California, Houston, and Texas.  He is the only player to have that honor. 

He was elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1999 with 98.79% of the vote.  What idiot did not vote for him?

Today in Sports History: Rams win Super Bowl

2000:  Kurt Warner is named the MVP as the Rams beat Tennessee in Super Bowl XXXIV 23-16 at Atlanta's Georgia Dome.

1994:  The Dallas Cowboys beat the Buffalo Bills 30-13 in Super Bowl XXVIII, also in Atlanta.

1983:  Behind the running of MVP John Riggins, the Washington Redskins beat the Miami Dolphins 27-17 in Super Bowl XVII.

Today in Sport History: Not a Bad Class!

1936: Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, and Walter Johnson make up the first class elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, elected today in 1936.

Oswalt to Cardinals?

Reports indicate that 34 year old Roy Oswalt is close to signing with the defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals.  The right handed pitcher has a career record of 153-93, but he has been plagued by back issues, and a deal with any team would include a physical.  


Other teams that have been mentioned as being interested in the former Philadelphia and Houston hurler include the Rangers, Red Sox, and Astros.  


If Oswalt signs with the Redbirds, he would be reunited with former teammates Lance Berkman and Carlos Beltran.

Today in Sports History: Roy Campanella

1958:  Dodger catcher Roy Campanella was driving home from a liquor store which he owned and operated.  He hit a patch of ice, went off the road, and was paralyzed from the neck down as a result of the accident.  Campanella played in 5 World Series, was the National League MVP in 1951, '53 and '55 and he hit 242 home runs while playing catcher.  The Philadelphia native also saw playing time for the Baltimore Elite Giants of the Negro Leagues.  He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1969.  Born November 19th, 1921, he passed away June 26th, 1993.

Nasty Injury (VideoCentre TV's Channel)

Edmonton Oiler Taylor Hall suffers a NASTY injury during pregame warmups.