TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY - NOVEMBER 20TH

1866 - Pierre Lalemont patents rotary crank bicycle.

1866 - Kenesaw Mountain Landis, judge/1st commissioner of baseball is born.
1869 - Clark Griffith, Mo, baseball player/manager (NY Yankees) is born.
1882 - Andy Coakley, baseball player and long-time

coach at Columbia University (d. 1963) is born.
1902 - Geo Lefevre & Henri Desgrange create Tour de France bicycle race.

1928 - Boston Gardens opens, Mont Canadiens beat Boston Bruins, 1-0.
1934 - Eiji Sawamura, 17, gives up 1 hit, Lou Gehrig's HR, US beats Japan 1-0.

1952 - Cubs slugger Hank Sauer wins NL MVP.

1962 - Mickey Mantle wins AL MVP.

1967 - Mets pitcher Tom Seaver (16-12) is named NL Rookie of Year.

1969 - Pele scores his 1,000th soccer goal.

1969 - SF Giant Willie McCovey edges Tom Seaver as NL MVP.

1977 - Steve Largent begins NFL streak of 177 consecutive game receptions.
1977 - Walter Payton (Bears) rushes for NFL-record 275 yards.

1984 - Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden wins NL Rookie of Year.
1985 - NY Yankee Don Mattingly easily wins AL MVP.

1989 - Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Robin Yount wins AL MVP.
1990 - Oakland's Rickey Henderson wins AL MVP.

1990 - Sacramento Kings last NBA win on the road for over a year.
1991 - Atlanta Braves Terry Pendleton wins NL MVP.

1995 - Sergei Grinkov, figure skater (Oly-gold), dies of heart attack at 28.

1997 - Flyers Eric Lindros tries to bite San Jose defenseman Marty McSorley.
1997 - Last original Florida Marlin, Jeff Conine, traded to KC Royals.
1997 - Mavericks' A C Green sets NBA record of 907 consecutive games played.

2009 - Max Robertson, British sports commentator,

radio and television presenter and author (b. 1915).