TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
1884 The first cricket test match is played at the Adelaide Oval. 1899 George F. Grant of Boston, Mass., patents the wooden golf tee. 1930 The Baseball Rules Committee greatly revises the rule book. When a ball bounces into stands, it is now considered a double, not a home run. 1937 The Washington Redskins win the NFL championship. 1949 The American League votes 7-1 to reject legalizing the spitball. 1950 16th Heisman Trophy Award: Vic Janowicz, Ohio State (halfback). 1950 U.S. Major League Baseball owners vote to drop the four-year-old bonus and high school rule. 1952 The Dallas Texans (formerly the Boston Yankees) play their last game, last original team. 1964 Cleveland Browns’ Frank Ryan sets a club record of five touchdown passes. 1965 Gale Sayers of the Chicago Bears scores six TDs, ties the NFL record. 1966 The U.S. Supreme Court votes 4-3 to allow the Braves baseball team to move to Atlanta. 1973 Canada begins selling Olympic coins ($5 and $10 silver coins). 1973 San Diego files an antitrust suit against the National League (stopping the Padres move to Washington D.C.). 1976 Quarterback Joe Namath plays his last game with New York Jets. 1977 The New York Yankees purchase Andy Messersmith from Atlanta. 1982 57th Australian Open women’s tennis: Chris Evert beats Martina Navratilova, 6-3, 2-6, 6-3. 1986 James (Bone Crusher) Smith TKOs WBA champion Tim Witherspoon at Madison Square Garden. 1987 Mookie Blaylock sets the NBA record of 13 steals in a game. 1987 Oklahoma sets the NCAA record of 33 steals versus Centenary. 1987 Rollermania at Madison Square Garden, Eastern Express beats Midwest Pioneers. 1991 The New Jersey Nets set the NBA record of 22 blocks, beating the Denver Nuggets, 121-81. 1991 Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Dexter Manley retires after failing a drug test. 1992 58th Heisman Trophy Award: Gino Torretta, Miami Florida (quarterback). 1992 The New York Giants lose, 19-0, to the Phoenix Cardinals. 1995 NBA referees return to work after striking. 1996 The Florida Marlins sign their sixth free agent since Nov. 22, Moises Alou. 1997 Florida releases Alex Arias, the last original Marlins player. 1997 The Boston Red Sox sign Pedro Martinez to a record six-year, $69-million contract. 1998 Pitcher Kevin Brown becomes baseball’s first $100-million-plus man as he signs a seven-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers for $105 million US.