This Day in Sports History

Dec. 9

1934 — The New York Giants wins the NFL championship by beating the Chicago Bears 30-13 in the famous “Sneakers Game.” With the temperature at 9 degrees and the Polo Grounds field a sheet of ice, the Giants open the second half wearing basketball shoes and score 27 points in the final period to overcome a 13-3 Chicago lead.

1949 — The AllAmerica Conference merges with the National Football League. Three teams from the AAFC — the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Colts — join the 10-team NFL. The league is called the National-American Football League, but months later the National Football League name is restored.

1973 — Jim Bakken of the St. Louis Cardinals kicks six field goals in a 32-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

1977 — Moses Malone leads the Houston Rockets to a 116-105 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in a game marred by a one-punch knockout of Rockets’ forward Rudy Tomjanovich. Los Angeles forward Kermit Washington and Rockets’ center Kevin Kunnert go at it at center court. Lakers’ center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar jumps in and grabs Kunnert. Tomjanovich rushes to aid Kunnert and Washington turns around and throws a right-hand punch to Tomjanovich’s face that knocks him to the floor, leaving him in a pool of blood.

1982 — The Los Angeles Kings snaps Wayne Gretzky’s NHLrecord 30-game point streak. Rookie goaltender Gary Laskoski makes 32 saves to lead the Kings to 3-3 tie with the Edmonton Oilers.