Today in Sports History: Holy Cow

1998:  Hall of Fame baseball broadcaster Harry Caray passes away.

Today in Sports History: Air Jordan Takes Off

1963:  Michael Jordan is born.

Today in Sports History: Spinks Beats Ali

1978:   Leon Spinks claims the Heavyweight boxing title in a 15 round bout with Muhammad Ali.

Today in Sports History: Woody Hayes

February 14^th, 1913

Woody Hayes

Did you know that there used to be a college bowl game, and this is no joke, called the Salad Bowl.  It’s true!  Five Salad Bowl games were held from 1948-1952.  In 1951, Woody Hayes lead Miami (Ohio) to a 34-21 victory over Arizona State in the second to last Salad Bowl.  That Salad Bowl would be the last he would coach at Ohio as the big time was calling.

Miami has been called by some as the Craddle of Coaches, for it has produced such men as Paul Brown, Ara Parseghian, Weeb Ewebank, Bo Schembechler, and for the 1949 and ’50 season, Woody Hayes.

There is no doubt he was a successful coach on the sidelines for The Ohio State University Buckeyes.  5 National Championships spread over 28 seasons at Ohio State.  In total, he won 238 games, lost just 72 and tie another 10.  That record includes seasons at Denison and Miami of Ohio. 

Of course, Woody had incidents that made even his most faithful follower wince.  There was the 1971 incident with referee Jarry Markbreit.  An official did not penalize Hayes’ opponent, Michigan, for what he thought should have been pass interference.  He charged officials, cursed at them, and proceeded to throw yard markers about the field.  When all was said and done, Woody racked up 30 yards in penalties, was ejected, suspended and fined. 

December 29^th, 1978 was his last game.  Playing in the Gator Bowl against Clemson, late in the game, the Buckeyes were close to scoring a go ahead touchdown.  Clemson nose guard Charlie Bauman intercepted a pass and returned it out of bounds at the OSU bench.  Enraged, Hayes punched Bauman and a bench-clearing brawl ensued.  The Buckeyes were penalized 30 yards, Hayes was ejected, and the incident would lead to his firing. 

In a side note, Hayes’ son, Steven, was the Franklin County Municipal Judge who presided over the case of former Buckeye running back Maurice Clarett. 

He passed away March 12^th, 1987, but of all days, for a person with a hot temper, Woody Hayes just had to be born on Valentine’s Day, 1913.

Today in Sports History: Legendary Birthdays

February 13

Legendary Birthdays

If you want to be a legendary coach in college sports, and your birthday is today, then you have a pretty good shot.  Two coaches at the top of their respective sports share today as their birthday—Eddie Robinson and Mike Krzyzewski. 

In 1941, even before the United States of America was in World War II, Eddie Robinson was working for a feed mill during the day, and at night, he drove an ice truck, until someone told him that the Louisiana Negro Normal and Industrial Institute was looking for a football head coach.  He became the 6^th head coach for the football team at what would become Grambling State University.  It wouldn’t be until 57 years later until the school got its 7^th.  

In the meantime, Eddie Robinson racked up over 400 victories.  When he retired in 1997, his 408 victories while strolling the Grambling sideline were a record for Division I football coaches.  His resume is solid with over 200 players that went on the play in the National Football League.  One of them, Doug Williams, led the Washington Redskins to a Super Bowl victory over the Denver Broncos in 1988.  It was Williams who would become the school’s 7^th head coach, replacing Robinson for the 1998 season. 

Robinson’s first season at the helm was not spectacular by any stretch of the imagination.  The team went just 3-5.  However, he cut several players before the next season, since he felt they were not living up to expectations.  He got through to his team as they went undefeated the next year in 9 games.  What’s more, they did not yield a single point all season long—a feat that only one other team had accomplished, and none has since.

While his list of accomplishments could, and has, fill a book, what many remember most about him is what he stood for—character.  Everson Walls, who would star in the NFL, said, “Coach Rob did a lot more for us than teach us about football. He used to come through the halls early in the morning with a cowbell, waking us up for class and for church.”

Robinson’s eventual successor, Doug Williams, “…he always preached that no man is too big to coach the American youth.”

Robinson’s last game came November 29^th, 1997.  Grambling State took on Southern and lost in the Bayou Classic.  April 3^rd, 2007, Eddie Robinson passed away, a victim of Alzheimer’s disease.  He was born on this day in 1919.

Meanwhile, the book on Mike Krzyzewski is not complete.  You know that he is the head coach for the University of Duke Blue Demons basketball team.  You know that in 2011, he became the all-time winningest Division I basketball coach. 

Coach K grew up in Chicago and was a 3-year letterman at the United States Military Academy under head coach Bobby Knight.  After being captain for the 1969 season, Krzyzewski served 5 years in the Army until 1974.  He would reunite with Coach Knight, now at Indiana University.  He stayed in Bloomington for only one year as he would return to West Point to begin his own illustrious career. 

The rest is history.  4 NCAA championships, 11 Final Four appearances, 12 regular season ACC titles, 13 ACC tournament banners, and over 900 wins…the most ever by a DI coach.

Yes, if you want to be a legendary college coach, it would benefit you to have February 13^th as your birthday, for you would share it with Eddie Robinson (1919) and Mike Krzyzewski (1947).

Today in Sports History: Tom Landry

February 12, 2000

Tom Landry Passes Away

The Texas State Cemetery is located just blocks away from the state Capital.  It is reserved mainly for politicians and for those, who, according to its web site, “…made a significant contribution to Texas history and culture.” 

Tom Landry spent the overwhelming majority of his life in the Lone Star State.  Born September 11, 1924 in Mission, Texas, the only times he would spend not living in Texas were when he served his country in World War II, and during his playing and coaching days in New York. 

He played one season, 1949, for the New York Yankees of the All-American Football Conference.  After that league folded, Tom made his way cross town to play for the Giants.  Landry’s playing career was not spectacular, although he did have 32 interceptions in just 80 games.

Landry’s coaching career actually began before his playing days ended.  While a young Vince Lombardi was the Giants’ offensive coordinator, Landry began running the defense in 1954.  Following his retirement as a player, Landry stayed in the Big Apple to run the Giants’ defense.  The team would appear in 3 NFL Championship games in 4 years.  They throttled the Chicago Bears in 1956, but they lost to the Baltimore Colts in ’58 and ’59.

1960 saw the addition of a new NFL team.  Dallas Cowboys owners Clint Murchison, Jr., and Bedford Wynne signed Tom Landry to a personal services contract December 27^th, 1959.  It was with the understanding that Landry would be named as the team’s first head coach when they were officially awarded a franchise.   They were, and they did.

The Cowboys first game under Landry was September 24^th, 1960, in Dallas against Pittsburgh.  In front of 30,000, the Cowboys dropped the opener 35-28.  They would lose the next 27-25, and the next 26-14, and the next 48-7, and the next, and the next.  In fact, in that first season, the best that America’s Team could do was muster a 31-31 tie in New York.  The Cowboys, America’s team, went 0-11-1 in their inaugural season. 

The next season, things looked better.  The Cowboys won 4 of their first 7 games.  However, things collapsed as they lost 6 of their next 7 to finish the season.  In fact, the team never reached .500 until the 1965 season. 

1966 was a turning point in the franchise’s history.  They finished the regular season with a 10-3-1 record winning the Eastern Conference title.  However, they lost in the championship game to Landry’s old coaching mate, Vince Lombardi, who was now guiding things in Green Bay.  The teams would meet a year later in the now famous Ice Bowl of 1967.  The Packers won that game as well.  However, the seeds of future success were being laid. 

Eventually, Landry would guide the Cowboys to 5 Super Bowl wins, 5 NFC championships, and 250 regular season wins.  He was let go by new owner Jerry Jones February 26^th, 1989. 

Personally, Landry was married to his wife Alicia for 51 years.  The couple had 3 children.

Tom Landry now rests in the Texas State Cemetery.  He passed away this date in the year 2000.

Today in Sports History: Douglas Defeats Tyson

February 11, 1990

Douglas beat Tyson

Mike Tyson had a reign of terror in heavyweight boxing. 

Albany, New York, March 6^th, 1985, the reign began in his first professional fight.  Hector Mercedes became his first victim.  Like many of Tyson’s fights, it didn’t even make it past the 1^st round. 

Of his first 28 fights, 16 of them ended in the 1^st round either by knockout or technical knockout. 

Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion at the tender age of 20 years and 4 months.  It didn’t take much for Tyson to grab the belt from reigning WBC champion Trevor Berbick November 22^nd, 1986.  Tyson won in a 2^nd round TKO.  He would add the WBA’s title March 7^th, 1987 by beating James Smith in Las Vegas.  Later that summer, August 1^st, Tyson added the IBF belt to his collection by beating Tony Tucker.  He had become the first heavyweight to have all three major belts at once.  

Iron Mike was 37-0 and the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world heading into a bout against James “Buster” Douglas.  Tyson’s most recent fight ended midway through the 1^st round when he knocked out Carl “The Truth” Williams.  Meanwhile, Douglas had a nice record of 29-4-1, but he was considered, by most, to be just a journeyman.  In fact, most considered this fight, in Tokyo, to be a tune up for a bout with Evander Holyfield.  Holyfield had ringside seats for this fight. 

While it is well documented that Mike Tyson faced many issues outside the ring, Douglas was dealing with is own problems.  His mom died in January, and the mother of his child was dealing with kidney issues.

In 2010, Richard O’Brien of Sports Illustrated, wrote:

The early rounds feature a lot of action and some real back-and-forth exchanges.   Douglas, fighting tall and moving Tyson back with that thudding jab, shows the blueprint for how to beat a fighter who until then everyone assumed was unbeatable. 

Nonetheless, most still felt that Tyson would prevail for the better.  In fact, Tyson knocked down Douglas at the end of the 8^th round.  Tyson’s promoter Don King, argued that Douglas was given the benefit of a long count. 

Both fighters survived a vicious 9^th round, but in the 10^th round, Tyson hit the canvas—for the first time in his career.  For the record, the referee was Octavio Meyran.  He began counting as Tyson searched for his mouthpiece.  Before he could find, get it back in and stand up, Meyran reached ten, and a stunning upset had been completed.

Sugar Ray Leonard was the part of the broadcast team that night on HBO.  In his words, the result was, “Unbelievable.”

Both fighters would eventually lose to Holyfield.  Douglas would lose his belts in his first title defense against Holyfield.  Tyson would go to jail, begin boxing again after his release, and regain the WBA and WBC belts.  He would lose the WBA title to Holyfield, November 9^th, 1996.  A rematch was held less than a year later, in June of ’97.  Mike Tyson went home that night with a little more of Holyfield than what he came with.  That was the bout that saw Tyson bite off part of Holyfield’s ear.

James “Buster” Douglas knocked out Mike Tyson, on this date, 1990.

Today in Sports History: Dan Kelly

February 10, 1989

Dan Kelly passes away

Of the 10 numbers either retired or “honored” by the St. Louis Blues, there is one I miss the most, although I never saw him play.

He was the one from which I learned hockey.  On cold winter nights, when I was supposed to be doing homework, I was paying more attention to the radio.  This was in the day before you could watch every single game on T.V., or even before games could be watched over the Internet. 

Dan Kelly was one of the premier hockey broadcasters of all time, if not the best.  His trademark, “He shoots, he scores,” was loud, drawn out, and came from a natural enthusiasm. 

Kelly began broadcasting for the Blues in their second year.  Before that, he was becoming well known in Canada for his work on Hockey Night in Canada. 

He was the broadcaster for 16 Stanley Cup Finals from 1969 until 1988.  In addition, he did the play-by-play for the 1988 hockey Olympic games held in Calgary. 

While in St. Louis, Kelly also handled play-by-play duties, on a certain level, for the Missouri Tiger’s football (he could call a mean football game), St. Louis Cardinals’ baseball, as well as working for NBC and CBS. 

Dan Kelly was born September 17^th, 1936 in Ottawa.  He died on this day in 1989 from lung cancer in his home near St. Louis.  He would be awarded the NHL’s Lester Patrick award, and as a tribute, the press box in St. Louis still bears his name.

Today in Sports History: Joe Louis

February 9, 1940

Joe Louis Defends Title

Three times in 1940, Joe Louis defended his heavyweight title--twice against the same person, Arturo Godoy.  The first happened February 9th, a bout won by Louis in a 15 round decision.  Lois would win the 2nd Aruto fight in June with an 8th round knockout.  

The third title defense came December 16th against Al McCoy.  That fight ended when McCoy could not come out for the 6th round.  

Today in Sports History: KC Tragedy

February 8, 2000

Derrick Thomas

Derrick Thomas dies in a Miami Hospital following a January 23rd car accident.  

On his way to an airport to catch a flight from Kansas City to St. Louis to watch the NFC Championship game, Thomas was driving a vehicle that went off the road during a snowstorm.  

A passenger died at the scene, while a third person, the only person wearing a seat belt, walked away uninjured.  

Initially, Thomas was paralyzed from the chest down.  However, a blood clot developed in his lower extremities, and the cause of death was a pulmonary embolism.  

Today is Sports History: Darryl Sittler

1976:  Darryl Sittler, the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, has 10 points on 6 goals and 4 assists, still the NHL record for most points in a single game.  Sittler was almost magical that night. 

His last goal came from behind the net.  Sittler was centering the puck, and it bounced off a Bruin defenseman into the cage.  The Leafs beat the Boston Bruins that night 11-4.  It was the last NHL game ever for Bruins net minder Dave Reece.

Today in Sport History: A Babe is Born

February 6, 1895

George Herman "Babe" Ruth is born

George, Sr. and Kate had 8 children.  Unfortunately for them, only a quarter of them survived.  Fortunately for the baseball world, one of them was George, Jr. 

As a youngster, Babe had a lot of unsupervised time.  Both parents worked long hours.  Which one of is wouldn’t get into a lot mischief if given the circumstances?  At one point, the older George was an owner of a tavern, and he brought the younger one along.  That environment did not help Junior’s decision making. 

By the tender age of 7, Babe had grown too much to handle for his parents.  They sent him off to St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys.  That was the official title, but it was more of an orphanage.  There, George learned trades that would make him a useful member of society later in life.  The boys also learned sports—boxing, football, and of course baseball. 

Under the careful tutelage of Brother Matthias, Babe worked on all aspects of the game.  He became so good, that the school sent an invitation to the owner of the Baltimore Orioles to watch Babe play.  It was February 1914, shortly after Babe’s 19^th birthday.  Jack Dunn liked what he saw, and because of Babe’s age, he would have to become his guardian to take him out of St. Mary’s. 

It was Dunn’s other players on the Orioles who gave George his now famous nickname. 

Babe played well enough to be sold to the Red Sox that same year.  He appeared in only five games that season, four of them as a pitcher.  His Major League debut was July 11, 1914, and he was credited with the win.  Nonetheless, he spent much of the season with the Red Sox minor league team in Providence, where they would win the International League pennant. 

1915 became a pivotal year for the Babe.  He won 18 games with an ERA of just 2.44.  The following year, he led the league with an ERA of just 1.75 to go with 23 wins.  In 1917, he completed all but 3 of his 38 starts, winning 24 with an ERA of just over 2. 

A funny thing happened along the way of becoming one of the most prolific pitchers of all time.  In 1918, Babe’s hitting power forced him to become an everyday player.  He knocked 11 out of the park to tie for the league lead.  His final season in Boston, 1919, the Babe became the first player in Major League history to belt 29 homeruns. 

The day after Christmas that year, the Babe was sold to New York.  The Red Sox would go on to face a curse of epic proportions, and the Yankees would go on to have success of epic proportions.  His first season there, he blasted 54 homeruns, then 59 the following year.  He drove in 171 runs, batted .376, and had a slugging percentage of .846 that year.  The high water mark came in 1927 with his famous 60 homeruns.  The 1927 Yankee’s, Murderer’s Row, is still thought of by many as the best baseball club ever assembled. 

The Babe would go back to Boston to finish out his career with the Braves.  His final homerun came May 25, 1935 at Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field.  He actually hit 3 dingers that day.  One source indicates that number 714 is in Baseball’s Hall of Fame.  He would walk off the field as a player for good just 5 days later.   

He was part of Baseball’s first Hall of Fame class in 1936, and he died 12 years later on August 16^th.

America’s first sports superstar, Babe Ruth, was born on this day 1895, at 216 Emory St in Baltimore, Maryland.

 

Today in Sports History: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

February 5^th, 1989

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scores his 38,000 point

There have been many basketballers who have scored many points.  In recent years, Karl Malone put in nearly 37,000 points.  Michael Jordan was credited with over 32,000.  Wilt Chamberlain—31,419, Shaquille O’neal—28,596, Moses Malone (not related to Karl)—27,409, Elvin Hayes, who played most of his career before the 3-point shot—27,313, John Havlicek, who played all of his career before the tre,—26,395.  Many players are on the list of the top 25 all-time NBA scorers, bottomed out by Clyde the Glide Drexler’s 22,195.

But, only one man has gone beyond 38,000.  38,387 by the time he walked off the court for good.

You knew him originally as Lew Alcindor, but he was born April 16^th as Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Jr. in New York.  You know the story of his name change when he converted to Islam. 

After a prolific career under John Wooden at UCLA, Abdul-Jabbar was the top overall pick of the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1969 draft.  The Bucks had beaten the Phoenix Suns for the rights of the first pick.  A coin flip was the deciding factor.  Abdul-Jabbar was also the top draft pick the ABA’s draft that year, taken by the New Jersey Nets.  Furthermore, he was offered a million dollars by the Harlem Globetrotters. 

His first game on NBA hardwood took place October 18^th, 1969.  Less than 8,000 saw, Abdul-Jabbar score 29 points, leading the Bucks to a 119-110 victory over visiting Detroit.  He would go on that first season to average 28.8 points per game, second in the league. 

In his 2^nd season, he was named the league’s MVP as he upped his average to 31.1 points per game, leading the league.  In just their third season in existence, the Bucks won 66 games, the 2^nd most ever, and they went on to win their only championship.

Abdul-Jabbar is still the Bucks all-time leading scorer.  In 468 games over 6 seasons, he poured in 14,211 points.  Despite his overwhelming success, he was unhappy in Milwaukee, where his beliefs were not shared by many.  He was asked to be traded, and on June 16^th, 1975, he headed west to the Lakers in exchange for Junior Bridgeman, Dave Meyers, Elmore Smith, and Brian Winters.

Abdul-Jabbar would wear the purple and gold for the first time October 23rd, 1975 as the Lakers opened the season in New York.  The New York native did not lead his team in scoring that night.  Cazzie Russell’s 29 points were 2 better than Abdul-Jabbar’s. 

Under Coach Bill Sharman in the 1975-76 season, the Lakers finished under .500 at 40-42 and failed to make the playoffs.  But, they were building for Showtime. 

Under Paul Westhead, LA won a title in 1980, then again in 1982—the first of four under Pat Riley. 

February 5^th, 1989, the Lakers took to the court at the Los Angeles Forum, hosting the New Jersey Nets, the team that made him the ABA’s number 1 pick in 1969.  That night, Abdul-Jabbar was just third best in points for his team.  His 18 were behind a guy named Majic Johnson (27) and James Worthy (22).  That’s not what is most important, for it was the cumulative total that mattered that night.  In a 134-116 victory, heading down the homestretch of his career, Abdul-Jabbar went over 38,000.  He would score a total 24,176 with the Lakers.  That combined with his Milwaukee total combined for 38,387, a record then, and still

Today in Sports History: Super Mario

February 4^th, 1997

Mario Lemieux first skated on National Hockey league ice October 11, 1984.  It was the first game of a new season, and the first game of what would become a brilliant career.  He had been taken as the number one overall pick by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1984 June Draft, and the Montreal native had just celebrated his 19^th birthday less than a week earlier.  In sports, there are a lot of “can’t miss” misses.  Look ‘em up.  But not this one. 

The Pittsburgh Penguins traveled to historic Boston Garden for the opener of the 1984-85 season, and it didn’t take long for head coach Bob Berry, his teammates, and many others to know that they were watching history being born.  On his first shift, the young budding star took the puck right off the stick of future Hall of Fame defenseman Ray Bourque of the Bruins.  He blazed effortlessly up the left wing with no one in his way.  He dodged a sliding Bruin, who was trying to break up the play.  As a matter of record, Peter Peeters (Yes, that was his name) was between the pipes for the home team.  Lemieux went to his left and slid the puck past Peeters for a goal on his first NHL shot.  In celebration, Lemieux jumped up and down behind the net and received the puck from a teammate for a keepsake.  The Bruins were victorious, however, that night 4-3.  Two nights later, the Penguins would lose again on the road, this time in Lemieux’s hometown of Montreal, by the same 4-3 score.

Fast-forward 4,499 days.  Since his debut, Lemieux rewrote records, won awards, 2 Stanley Cups, and even an Olympic gold medal.  It is February 4^th, 1997.  This time, the game is at home for Lemieux and the Penguins.  The opponent is the Canucks from Vancouver.  The Penguins are handling the Canucks, leading 5-4 late in the game.  Lemieux receives a pass on the left side as he crosses the Canucks’ blue line.  This time, there is no goalie blocking shots as Vancouver had pulled their goalie.  Lemieux got a shot off from the top of the left faceoff circle, and the puck landed safely in the opposing cage.  Lemieux would end up with 690 pucks to his credit. 

Goal number 600 for Super Mario came on this day in 1997. 

Today in Sports History: Patriots Begin Dynasty

Today in Sports History—February 3^rd, 2002

The St. Louis Rams were on the verge of a dynasty.  They had all the makings of one…They won the Super Bowl just two years prior, potential Hall of Famers at key offensive positions, and they were favored by 14 points.  They were the Greatest Show on the Turf, amassing 14 wins in the regular season to go with only 2 losses. 

Offensively, they are one of the best all-times!  There is no debate about that.  They led the league in total offense, and their 503 points was the third year in a row in which they surpassed the 500 mark, an NFL record.  Kurt Warner won his 2^nd MVP award, throwing for over 4,800 yards.  Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce each had over 1,100 yards receiving, and they combined for 142 catches and 13 touchdowns. 

Marshall Faulk ran out of the backfield, and he ran, and he ran, and he ran.  He ran for over a 1,000 yards, and caught another 765.  He was the first player ever to have over 2,000 yards combined running and catching for 4 straight seasons.  He was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame in 2011. 

Although the Rams’ defense wasn’t the show the offense was, they had made great improvements from previous years.  Under first year coordinator Lovie Smith, they allowed the third fewest yards in the league, and they were 7^th in points allowed (an improvement from 31^st the previous season).  The defense was anchored by the likes of Leonard Little, Grant Wistrom, London Fletcher, Dre’ Bly, Aeneas Williams, and Dexter McCleon. 

All they had to do was go out and take care of business. 

Indeed, a dynasty was launched that day in the Big Easy ten years ago today, amidst the pomp and circumstance that had grown over the years surrounding the Super Bowl. 

The American Football Conference sent the New England Patriots to Louisiana, an unlikely representative just a few months prior.  The Boys from Boston lost their first 2 games, their veteran quarterback, Drew Bledsoe was injured in that second loss, and their leading receiver from the previous season, Terry Glenn, was benched during the 4^th game due to issues away from the sport.

After Bledsoe was injured, the Patriots turned to 2^nd year quarterback Tom Brady to go under center.  Brady had been drafted in the 6^th round of the 2000 draft, just a few months after the Rams had won their first Super Bowl.  Brady struggled in college at times, and he even nearly transferred to California.  Like in many cases, including the Rams’ own Kurt Warner, heroes come when least expected.  Brady was able to rally the Patriots to an 11-5 record in the regular season, and in the playoffs, they defeated The Oakland Raiders in the now famous “tuck rule” game, followed by a road victory over the Steelers in the AFC Championship game.

Initially, things went according to plan in Super Bowl XXXVI.  The Rams had a drive midway through the first quarter in which Kurt Warner completed 6 of 7 passes for 48 yards.  That led to Jeff Wilkins hitting the third longest Super Bowl field goal from 50 yards away, and the Rams were up 3-0.

However, 6:11 into the 2^nd quarter, things got off course.  New England’s Ty Law picked off a Warner throw and ran it 47 yards into the end zone. 

Another Rams’ turnover, this time a fumble by Ricky Proehl, led to another Patriot touchdown.  With :31 seconds left in the half, Tom Brady cashed in by hitting David Patten on an 8-yard pass to claim a 14-3 lead at the break.

The 3^rd quarter featured another costly Rams’ turnover when Warner was intercepted by Otis Smith.  Receiver Torry Holt, the intended receiver, slipped at the start of the play.  The Patriots converted that turnover into 3 points when Adam Venateri hit a 37-yard field goal for a 17-3 lead.

In the 4^th quarter, Warner gave the Rams life when he scored on a 2-yard run with 9:31 to play. 

With less than 2 minutes to go, the Rams got the ball at their own 45-yard line.  As was the case with many drives over the past few years, St. Louis was able to churn up a lot of yards in a short amount of time.  It took only :21 for the Rams to score, a 26 yard toss from Warner to Proehl followed by a Wilkins extra point, to tie the game at 17 with just 1:30 left.  The drive was 55 yards in just 3 plays and in just :21. 

With little more than a minute left and having no time outs, some thought the Patriots should just run out the clock and take their chances in overtime.  There had never been an overtime contest in the Super Bowl, and Patriots coach Bill Billichick was not about to buck that trend. 

Running back J.R. Redmond caught 3 passes to begin the drive.  The Patriots had advanced to their own 41, but the clock was down to :33.  An incomplete pass, a 23-yard completion, and a 6-yard pass brought the ball to the Rams’ 30-yard line.  Brady spiked the ball to stop the clock with just :07 remaining. 

No team had ever won a Super Bowl with a field goal on the last play.  A field goal attempt can be a relatively routine ordeal in a football game, but a few things do have to go right, especially when it’s a 48-yard attempt, and the Lombardi Trophy is on the line.  The lineman can’t move before the snap, the center has to throw the ball under his legs seven to eight yards behind him, the holder has to catch the ball and have the laces facing away from the kicker. 

For the record, Lonie Paxton was the center on the play, the holder was Ken Walter, and the kicker was Adam Vinateri.  Vinateri had kicked 2 field goals during the playoffs in a blinding snow to advance the Patriots.  One was a 45-yarder to send New England to overtime in the Divisional game against the Raiders, and he won it with a 23-yarder. 

Everything went perfectly for the Patriots.  When Vinateri connected with the pigskin, there was never really any doubt.  The ball traveled the required 48 yards, and then some, and the Patriots completed one of the biggest Super Bowl upsets with a 20-17 victory.

Indeed, a dynasty was launched that day in the Big Easy.  The Rams would go on to make the playoffs 2 of the next 3 years, but they never made it past the Divisional round.  Lately, things have been downright bad.  The Patriots have done nothing but re-write record books.  They won 2 more Super Bowls, added 2 conference championships, nearly went 19-0 one year, and they have won a total of 9 division titles. 

It all started on this day in 2002.

Today in Sports History: National League

1876:  The National League formed on this day, much different looking from what it is today.  The original 8 franchises were located in Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, St. Louis, Hartford, Louisville, New York, and Cincinnati.  Only two of the teams survive today.  The original teams were:

           Chicago White Stockings who would become the Cubs.

           Philadelphia Athletics who were expelled after one season.

           Boston Red Stockings who would become the Braves.

           Hartford Dark Blues who folded after two seasons of play.

           Mutual of New York who were expelled after the first season.

           St. Louis Brown Stockings who folded after 1877.

           Cincinnati Red Stockings who folded after the 1880 season.

           Louisville Grays who folded after the 1877 season.

Before a crowd of 3,000, Boston scored two runs in the 9th inning to win the first game 6-5, played April 22nd against the host team, Philadelphia. 

The Current Teams, of course, include:

       Atlanta Braves:  Formed in 1876
       Arizona:  1998
       Chicago:  1876 (Wouldn't be called the Cubs until 1902)
       Cincinnati:  Originated in 1882 and joined the NL in 1890
       Colorado:  1993
       Houston:  1962--Moving to AL in 2013
       Los Angeles:  Joined the NL in 1890 in Brooklyn
       Miami:  1993
       Milwaukee:  Started in Seattle as the Pilots in 1969 in the AL.  Moved to Milwaukee in 1970,
       and joined the NL in 1998.  
       New York:  1962
       Philadelphia:  1883
       Pittsburgh:  Joined the NL in 1887
       Washington:  1969 (in Montreal)
       San Diego:  1969
       San Francisco:  1883 as the New York Gothams
       St. Louis:  Joined NL in 1892