This Date In Sports

Dec. 24

1961 — George Blanda’s 35-yard touchdown pass to Billy Cannon gives the Houston Oilers a 10-3 victory over the San Diego Chargers for their second AFL title.

1967 — New York’s Joe Namath becomes the first player to throw for 4,000 yards in a season. Namath passes for 343 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Jets to a 42-31 win at San Diego. Namath finishes the year with 4,007 yards.

1997 — In one of the biggest upsets in college basketball, Division II American-Puerto defeats the No. 12 Arkansas Razorbacks 64-59 in the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic.

2000 — Marshall Faulk breaks Emmitt Smith’s NFL record for touchdowns, scoring three times to give him 26 for the St. Louis Rams. Faulk’s three touchdowns and 220 yards fueled a 26-21 victory over the New Orleans Saints. Emmitt Smith scored 25 times for Dallas in 1995.

2000 — Baltimore sets an NFL record for fewest points allowed in a 16-game schedule. The Ravens allow 165 points, easily breaking the mark of 187 by the 1986 Chicago Bears.

2006 — Colt Brennan sets the NCAA single-season record for touchdown passes at 58, throwing five in the second half to lead Hawaii to a 41-24 victory over Arizona State in the Hawaii Bowl. Brennan, 33-of-42 for 559 yards, breaks the previous mark of 54 set by Houston’s David Klingler in 1990.

2006 — Atlanta’s Michael Vick becomes the first NFL quarterback to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. Needing only 10 yards to reach the mark, he gains 17 on his first carry on the Falcons’ opening possession. Morten Andersen’s 539th career field goal, a 40-yarder, gives the 46-year-old Falcons kicker the NFL record, passing Gary Anderson for the career mark.

2011 — Denver’s Willis McGahee becomes the second NFL player to reach 1,000 yards rushing with three teams. McGahee has 64 yards rushing in a 40-14 loss to the Buffalo Bills, to give him 1,054 this season. He previously did it with Buffalo and Baltimore. Ricky Watters rushed for 1,000 yards with San Francisco, Philadelphia and Seattle.