TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY - APRIL 1ST

1876 - 1st official NL baseball game (Boston-6, Phila-5).

1912 - Greek athlete Konstantinos Tsiklitiras breaks the world record

in standing Long Jump jumping 3.47 metres.

1929 - Bo Schembechler, American football coach (d. 2006) is born.

1931 - Jackie Mitchell became 1st female in professional baseball.
1938 - Joe Louis KOs Harry Thomas in 5 for Heavyweight boxing title.

1939 - Phil Niekro, knuckleball pitcher (NY Yankees, Atlanta Braves) is born.

1963 - NY Mets purchase Duke Snider from the Dodgers for $40,000.
1969 - Seattle Pilots trade Minor League outfielder Lou Piniella to Royals.
1970 - Bud Selig becomes CEO of Milwaukee Brewers.
1970 - Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club, headed by Bud Selig, purchases

the Seattle Pilots for $10,800,000 Although negotiations were conducted over

a period of months, it was not until March 13 when a federal bankruptcy referee

declared the Pilots bankrupt.
1972 - Major league Baseball Players stages 1st collective strike.

1980 - Baseball Players' Association votes to cancel 92 remaining exhibition games.
1980 - Wayne Gretzky breaks Bobby Orr's record with 103rd assist.

1983 - NY Isle Mike Bossy becomes 1st to score 60 goals in 3 cons seasons.

1989 - A Bartlett Giamatti replaces Ueberroth as 7th commissioner of baseball.

1990 - CBS fires sportscaster Brent Mussburger.
1990 - Jack Nicklaus wins 1st start on Senior PGA tour.

1991 - Dwight Gooden signs $5.15 million 3 year contract with NY Mets.
1992 - NFL decides to stay with 17 week schedule instead of expanded 18 games.
1992 - NHL players begin 1st strike in 75-year history.

1995 - NY Islanders retire Bobby Nystrom's uniform #23.

1996 - John McSherry, American baseball umpire (b. 1944) dies.

1997 - 69 year old Gordie Howe begins playing AHL game with Syracuse Crunch.

2007 - Herb Carneal, American sports broadcaster (b. 1923) dies.