TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY - DECEMBER 21ST

1891 - 1st game of basketball, based on rules created by James Naismith,

played by 18 students in Springfield, Massachusetts.

1892 - Walter Hagen, PGA golfer (US Open 1914, 19),

born in Rochester, New York.
1911 - Josh Gibson, pro baseball player,

"Negro Babe Ruth" (hit 800+ HRs) is born.
1918 - Red Sox trade Dutch Leonard, Ernie Shore & Duffy Lewis to

Yankees for Ray Caldwell & Slim Love, Frank Gilhooey, Al Walters & $15,000.

1926 - Joe Paterno, American football coach is born.

1932 - Giants sign former outfielder Billy Southworth as a coach.

1941 - Chicago Bears Ray McLean makes last NFL drop kick for an extra point.
1941 - Chicago bears win the NFL championship.

1952 - Joaquín Andújar, Professional baseball pitcher (Cardinals),

born in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic (d. 2015).

1954 - [Christine] Chris Evert, Fort Lauderdale Florida, tennis champion

(18 singles Gram Slams, 3 doubles titles) is born.

1959 - Tom Landry accepts coaching job with Dallas Cowboys (stays until 1988).

1959 - Florence Griffith Joyner, runner (Olympic-3 gold-1988), born in Los Angeles.
1969 - Vince Lombardi (Redskins) coaches his last football game.

1979 - Gary Unger plays in record 914th consecutive NHL game.
1980 - Harold Carmichael ends NFL streak of 127 consecutive game receptions.

1983 - NBA Indiana Pacers end a 28 game road losing streak.

1995 - SF Giants announce plans to build a new stadium to open in 2000.
1997 - Detroit Lions Barry Sanders is 3rd to run for 2,000 yards in a season.
1997 - Detroit Lions linebacker Reggie Brown, knocked unconscious in game.

2001 - Dick Schaap, American sports journalist (b. 1934) dies.
2005 - Joe Sakic is named captain of the 2006 Team Canada Olympic team.

2012 - The NHL announces a further cancellation of games until

January 14 brining the total number of cancelled games to 625.