On This Day in Sport for December 4

Events in Sport

Event of Interest

1914 Walter Johnson accepts money from Federal League Chicago Whales; Clark Griffith threatens to take Johnson to court

MLB Pitcher Walter Johnson — MLB Pitcher
Walter Johnson

1920 CFL Grey Cup, Varsity Stadium, Toronto: U of Toronto Blues win 4th title; beat Toronto Argonauts, 16-3
1921 American Professional Football Association Championship, Cubs Park, Chicago: Chicago Staleys beat Buffalo All-Americans, 10-7 in de facto championship game after teams tied in standings
1926 CFL Grey Cup: Ottawa Senators retain Championship with 10-7 win over U of Toronto Blues
1927 Pittsburgh Pirates future Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder Paul Waner wins NL MVP
1943 Commissioner Landis announces any baseball club may sign Negroes
1945 11th Heisman Trophy Award: Doc Blanchard, Army (FB)
1947 In the first cricket Test match between the 2 nations, India is dismissed for 98 by Australia in Brisbane to lose by an innings & 226 runs; fast bowler Ernie Toshack takes 6 for 29 for match figures of 11 for 31
1948 13th Iron Bowl (first since 1907): Alabama beats Auburn 55-0 in Birmingham
1949 Bob Gage ties NFL record of a 97 yard touchdown run
1956 22nd Heisman Trophy Award: Paul Hornung, Notre Dame (QB)
1956 Australian swimmer Murray Rose sets world record 4:27.3 to claim the 400m gold medal at the Melbourne Olympics; Rose later also wins 1,500m gold
1956 American diver Pat McCormick wins the 3m springboard gold medal at the Melbourne Olympics with 142.46 points; later wraps up the women's double when she takes the 10m platform gold

Boxing Title Fight

1961 Floyd Patterson KOs Tom McNeeley in 4 for heavyweight boxing title

Boxing Champion Floyd Patterson — Boxing Champion
Floyd Patterson

1961 Smallest NY Knick, 49th St Madison Square Garden crowd-1,300 (snowstorm)
1961 1962 NFL Draft: Ernie Davis from University of Syracuse first pick by Washington Redskins
1963 Boston Bruins' right wing Andy Hebenton sets a new NHL record by playing in his 581st consecutive game in 2-2 tie with Chicago Black Hawks; reaches 630 straight games
1964 Baseball approves a free-agent draft
1964 Commissioner's office given full powers in baseball disputes
1964 Test Cricket debut of Ian Chappell, v Pakistan MCG, 11, 0-49, 0-31
1965 2nd NY Knicks game postponed (due to death of opponent 76ers' owner)
1965 San Francisco Giant Masanori Murakami, 4-1 this year, does not renew his contract signing instead with the Nankai Hawks of Osaka for $40,000
1977 NFL's 5,000th game, Cincinnati beats KC 27-7
1977 West Indies win 1st World Series Cricket 'Test' against Australia at VFL Park in Melbourne by 3 wickets; chasing 235 for victory, Viv Richards with 56 and Clive Lloyd 44 guide WI to 237/7 with 2 days to spare
1977 Davis Cup Men's Tennis, Sydney: John Alexander beats Adriano Panatta of Italy 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 8-6, 11-9 in a 3 hour, 54 minute classic to give Australia a 3-1 victory
1979 Cleveland Cavaliers retire jersey # 7, Bingo Smith
1980 Islanders end 15 game undefeated streak (13-0-2) (Col Rockies)
1982 48th Heisman Trophy Award: Herschel Walker, Georgia (RB)
1983 NJ Devils 1st shut-out, beating Minnesota North Stars 6-0

Event of Interest

1985 Slobodan Živojinović of Yugoslavia upsets No. 2 seed John McEnroe 2-6, 6-3, 1-6, 6-4, 6-0 in the Australian Open quarter finals; leaves McEnroe without a major singles title for the first time since 1978

Tennis Player John McEnroe — Tennis Player
John McEnroe

Event of Interest

1987 Defending champion Ivan Lendl of Czechoslovakia wins 3rd straight season-ending ATP Masters Grand Prix tennis title by defeating Mats Wilander of Sweden 6–2, 6–2, 6–3 in the final at Madison Square Garden, NYC

Tennis Player and Eight-Time Major Champion Ivan Lendl — Tennis Player and Eight-Time Major Champion
Ivan Lendl

Tennis Player and Seven-Time Major Champion Mats Wilander — Tennis Player and Seven-Time Major Champion
Mats Wilander

Event of Interest

1988 Orioles trade veteran 1B Eddie Murray to the Dodgers

MLB 1st Baseman Eddie Murray — MLB 1st Baseman
Eddie Murray

1988 Edmonton center Jimmy Carson becomes just the third player to score 6 NHL hat tricks before the age of 21 in the Oilers 10-6 win over the New York Rangers
1993 Dan Jansen skates world record 500m (35.92 sec)

1993 2nd SEC Championship Game: #9 Florida beats #16 Alabama, 28-13
1994 83rd Davis Cup: Sweden beats Russia in Moscow (4-1)
1996 Orlando Magic tie NBA record of fewest points scored since inception of 24 second clock losing to Cleveland Cavalier, 84-57
1997 NBA suspends former Golden State Warriors guard Latrell Sprewell for 1 year for attacking coach P.J. Carlesimo
1999 8th SEC Championship Game: #7 Alabama beats #5 Florida, 34-7
2004 13th SEC Championship Game: #3 Auburn beats #15 Tennessee, 38-28
2005 94th Davis Cup: Croatia beats Slovak Republic in Bratislava (3-2)
2007 Ballon d'Or: Milan's Brazilian midfielder Kaká is named best football player in the world; first year in which players from clubs outside the UEFA federation eligible for nomination
2010 19th SEC Championship Game: #2 Auburn beats #18 South Carolina, 56-17
2010 6th ACC Championship Game: #12 Virginia Tech beats #20 Florida State, 44-33
2010 15th Big 12 Championship Game: #10 Oklahoma beats #13 Nebraska, 23-20
2011 100th Davis Cup: Spain beats Argentina in Seville (3-1)
2017 New York Giants fire head coach Ben McAdoo and manager Jerry Reese after a 2–10 start
2018 Ownership group Seattle Hockey Partners led by billionaire businessman Davis Bonderman is unanimously granted an NHL license by the Board of Governors; to start play 2020-21 season at KeyArena
2020 New Zealand cricket captain Kane Williamson smashes 251 to set up the home side's innings & 134 run win over the West Indies in the 1st Test in Hamilton

Birthdays in Sport

1858 William Gunn, English cricket batsman (11 Tests) and soccer winger (2 caps), born in St Ann's, Nottingham (d. 1921)
1865 Luther Gulick, American Basketball Hall of Fame contributor (basketball pioneer; international official), born in Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands (d. 1918)
1868 Jesse Burkett, American Baseball Hall of Fame left fielder (NL batting champion 1895-96, 1901; 240 hits in 1896 MLB record for 15 years), born in Wheeling, West Virginia (d. 1953)
1890 Bob Shawkey, American baseball pitcher (World Series 1923, 27; AL ERA leader 1920, New York Yankees), born in Sigel, Pennsylvania (d. 1980)
1890 Jack Darragh, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame right wing (Stanley Cup 1911, 20-21, 23; Ottawa Senators), born in Ottawa, Ontario (d. 1924)
1899 Charlie Spencer, English soccer defender and manager (2 caps; Newcastle United; mgr Grimsby Town 1937-51), born in Washington, England (d. 1953)
1901 Adam Walsh, American College Football Hall of Fame center and coach (Notre Dame; Bowdoin), born in Churchville, Iowa (d. 1985)
1910 Amar Singh, Indian cricket all-rounder (7 Tests, 28 wickets; India's first half-century in Test cricket), born in Rajkot, Gujarat, India (d. 1940)
1916 Lew Jenkins, American boxer (World Lightweight Champion 1940-41), born in Milburn, Texas (d. 1981)
1923 Eagle Keys, American Canadian Football Hall of Fame linebacker and coach (Grey Cup champion 1949, 54-56, 66; Edmonton Eskimos, Saskatchewan R'riders), born in Tompkinsville, Kentucky (d. 2012)
1930 Lorraine Chargin, American boxing promoter (Bobby Chacon, Tony "The Tiger" Lopez, Loreto Garza), born in New Haven, Connecticut (d. 2010)
1930 Harvey Kuenn, American baseball utility (AL batting champion 1959; 10 × All-Star 1953–1960²; Detroit Tigers), born in West Allis, Wisconsin (d. 1988)
1931 Alex Delvecchio, Canadian ice hockey forward, coach, and executive (Stanley Cup 1952, 54-55, Detroit Red Wings 1,549 games, 1,281 points), born in Fort William, Ontario
1933 Dick Ricketts Jr., American basketball center (# 1 overall pick 1955 NBA draft St. Louis Hawks) and baseball pitcher (St. Louis Cardinals), born in Pottstown, Pennsylvania (d. 1988)
1935 Fred Rumsey, English cricket fast bowler (5 Tests, 17 wickets; founded Professional Cricketers Association 1967), born in London, England
1938 Frank Myler, English rugby league stand-off (24 caps Great Britain, 1 England; Widnes, St. Helens) and coach (Widnes, Swinton, Oldham), born in Widnes, England (d. 2020)
1938 Richard Meade, British equestrian (3 x Olympic gold eventing 1968, 72; World C'ship gold team 1970, 82), born in Chepstow, Monmouthshire, Wales (d. 2015)
1941 Raul Blanco, Argentine-Australian soccer coach (Australia 1996-97), born in Buenos Aires, Argentina
1941 Marty Riessen, American tennis player (9 Grand Slam doubles titles), born in Hinsdale, Illinois
1943 Gary Sabourin, Canadian ice hockey right wing (NHL All Star 1970-71; St. Louis Blues), born in Parry Sound, Ontario
1944 François Migault, French auto racer (24 Hours of Le Mans 1976 runner-up; 16 F1 GP), born in Le Mans, France (d. 2012)
1953 Rick Middleton, Canadian ice hockey right wing (Canada Cup gold 1984; NHL All-Star Game 1981-82, 84; Boston Bruins), born in Toronto, Ontario
1953 Jean-Marie Pfaff, Belgian soccer goalkeeper (64 caps; Beveren, Bayern Munich), born in Lebbeke, Belgium
1955 Dave Taylor, Canadian ice hockey right wing and executive (NHL All-Star 1981-82, 86, 94; LA Kings; St. Louis Blues), born in Levack, Ontario
1956 Bernard King, American Basketball Hall of Fame small forward (NBA All-Star 1982, 84-85, 91; NY Knicks, Washington Bullets), born in Brooklyn, New York
1956 Blagoi Blagoyev, Bulgarian weightlifter (World C'ship gold - 90kg 1991, 92, 93; Olympic silver - 82.5kg 1976), born in Veliki Preslav, Bulgaria
1956 Costantino Rocca, Italian golfer (British Open 1995 runner-up; hole in one 1995 Ryder Cup), born in Bergamo, Italy
1957 Lee Smith, American Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (7 × MLB All-Star 1983, 87, 1991–95; saves leader 1983, 91-92, 94)), born in Jamestown, Louisiana
1957 Raul Boesel, Brazilian auto racer (World Sportscar C'ship 1987; 24 Hours of Daytona 1988; 30 F1 GP), born in Curitiba, Brazil
1958 Sergei Starikov, Russian ice hockey defenseman and coach (Olympics gold 1984, 88; silver 1980; New Jersey Devils), born in Chelyabinsk, Russia
1959 Paul McGrath, Irish soccer defender (83 caps Rep of Ireland; Aston Villa, Manchester United), born in London, England
1960 Glynis Nunn, Australian athlete (Olympic gold heptathlon 1984), born in Toowoomba, Australia
1961 Frank Reich, American NFL quarterback (Buffalo Bills) and coach (Indianapolis Colts 2018-20), born in Freeport, New York
1962 Gary Freeman MNZM, New Zealand rugby league halfback, captain and coach (45 Tests; coach 3 games; Dally M Medal 1992), born in Auckland, New Zealand
1963 Sergey Bubka, Ukrainian pole vaulter (Olympic gold 1988; World C'ship gold 1983, 87, 91, 93, 95, 97), born in Luhansk, Ukraine
1963 Nigel Heslop, English rugby union and rugby league wing (10 caps RU; Orrell RUFC, Liverpool St Helens; Oldham RLFC), born in West Hartlepool, England
1964 Scott Hastings, Scottish rugby union centre and broadcaster (65 caps; 2 caps British & Irish Lions; Watsonians RFC), born in Edinburgh, Scotland
1965 Ulf Kirsten, German soccer striker and manager (49 caps GDR; 51 caps Germany; Dynamo Dresden, Bayer Leverkusen), born in Riesa, Germany
1967 Klaus Wilmsmeyer, Canadian NFL punter (Super Bowl 1994, SF 49ers), born in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
1967 Guillermo Amor, Spanish soccer midfielder and executive (37 caps, FC Barcelona), born in Benidorm, Spain
1968 Mike Barrowman, American swimmer (Olympic gold 200m breaststroke 1992, World C'ship gold 1991), born in Costa Mesa, California
1970 Jeff Blake, American NFL quarterback (Pro Bowl 1995; Cincinnati Bengals), born in Daytona Beach, Florida
1971 Shannon Briggs, American boxer (lineal 1997-98 & WBO heavyweight champion 2006-07), born in Brooklyn, New York
1972 Ted Johnson, American NFL inside linebacker (Super Bowl 2001, 03-04; New England Patriots), born in Alameda, California
1973 Corliss Williamson, American basketball forward (NBA C'ship 2004, Detroit Pistons; NBA 6th Man of the Year 2002; NCAA Final 4 MOP 1994), born in Russellville, Arkansas
1973 Steven Menzies, Australian rugby league lock (13 Tests; NSW 20 games; Manly Sea Eagles), born in Sydney, Australia

Anke Huber

1974 Anke Huber, German tennis player (Fed Cup 1992, Hopman Cup 1995), born in Bruchsal, Germany

1974 Tadahito Iguchi, Japanese baseball second baseman and manager (first Japanese position player to win World Series 2005, Chicago White Sox; Chiba Lotte Marines), born in Tokyo, Japan
1975 Marci Miller [Jobson], American soccer midfielder and coach (17 caps; coach Baylor), born in St. Charles, Illinois
1976 Kristina Groves, Canadian speed skater (Olympic silver 1,500m, team pursuit 2006, silver 1500m bronze 3000m 2010), born in Ottawa, Ontario
1976 Betty Lennox, American basketball guard (WNBA champion, WNBA Finals MVP 2004, Seattle Storm), born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
1977 Shahid Nazir, Pakistani cricket fast bowler (15 Tests, 36 wickets; 17 ODIs), born in Faisalabad, Punjab
1977 Ajit Agarkar, Indian cricket all-rounder (26 Tests, 58 wickets, top score 109; 191 ODIs), born in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
1979 Jay DeMerit, American soccer defender (25 caps; Watford, Vancouver Whitecaps FC), born in Green Bay, Wisconsin
1982 Ho-Pin Tung, Dutch-Chinese auto racer (FIA World Endurance C'ship 2017, 18-19, 19-20 runner-up), born in Velp, Netherlands
1982 Waldo Ponce, Chilean soccer defender (42 caps; Universidad de Chile), born in Los Andes, Chile
1984 Joe Thomas, American College Football Hall of Fame offensive tackle (University of Wisconsin; Pro Bowl 2007-16, Cleveland Browns), born in Brookfield, Wisconsin
1985 Carlos Gómez, Dominican baseball outfielder (MLB All Star 2013-14; Gold Glove Award 2013; hit for cycle 2008, 2017), born in Santiago, Dominican Republic
1989 Pornanong Phatlum, Thai golfer (British Open 2018 runner-up), born in Khon Kaen, Thailand

Weddings in Sport

Wedding of Interest

1973 NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle (47) weds activist Carrie Cooke

2005 2004 Olympic volleyball team member Kerri Walsh (27) weds fellow volleyball player Casey Jennings (30) at the La Quinta Resort in Palm Springs, California

Divorces in Sport

Divorce of Interest

2006 American tennis player Chris Evert (51) divorces American alpine skier Andy Mill (52) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, citing irreconcilable differences

Tennis Legend Chris Evert — Tennis Legend
Chris Evert

Deaths in Sport

1935 Hylton Philipson, English cricket wicketkeeper (5 Tests, 11 dismissals), dies at 69
1938 Tamanishiki San'emon, Japanese sumo wrestler (32nd yokozuna; winner 9 top division yūshō), dies following a delayed appendectomy at 34
1944 Roger Bresnahan, American Baseball Hall of Fame catcher, outfielder and manager (St. Louis Cardinals; first shin guards and batting helmet), dies at 65
1952 James E. Norris, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame team owner (Detroit Red Wings), dies at 72
1967 Harry Wismer, American sports broadcaster and AFL team owner (New York Titans), dies after a fall at 54
1976 Ace Gutowsky, Russian/American football fullback (Portsmouth Spartans, Brooklyn Dodgers; NFL C'ship 1935, Detroit Lions), dies of cancer at 67
1980 Stanislawa Walasiewicz [Stella Walsh], Polish-born American athlete (Olympic gold 100m 1932), dies when shot during an armed robbery, at 69
1983 Bruce Drake, American Basketball Hall of Fame coach (University of Oklahoma 1938-55, 200-181), dies at 77
1999 Sylvester Clarke, West Indian cricket fast bowler (11 Tests, 42 wickets), dies from a heart attack at 44
2000 Colin Cowdrey CBE, England cricket batsman (114 Tests, 7,624 runs @ 44.06), dies of a heart attack at 67
2003 Iggy Katona, American auto racer (ARCA Series 1955-57, 62, 66-67; record 79 wins), dies at 87
2011 Sócrates [Socrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Sousa Vieira de Oliveira], Brazilian soccer midfielder and manager (60 caps, 22 goals Brazil; Corinthians), dies of septic shock at 57
2012 Miguel Calero, Colombian soccer goalkeeper (50 caps; Copa América 2001; Pachuca), dies from cerebral thrombosis at 41
2013 McDonald Bailey, British-Trinidadian 100m runner (Olympic bronze 1952), dies at 92
2016 Margaret Whitton, American actress (Good & Evil, Major League), dies of cancer at 67
2019 Bob Willis, English cricket fast bowler and captain (90 Tests, 325 wickets; 64 ODIs), dies of prostate cancer at 70
2019 Ockie Oosthuizen, South African rugby union front rower (9 caps; Transvaal), dies from cancer at 64