Events in Sports History in October 1968

Baseball History

Oct 2 1st time, 2 soon-to-be-named MVPs oppose each other Cards Bob Gibson beat Tigers Denny McLain 4-0

Oct 2 St. Louis pitcher Bob Gibson establishes a new Baseball World Series mark by striking out 17 batters as the Cardinals beat Detroit, 4-0 in Game 1 of the Fall Classic
Oct 10 Baseball World Series: Detroit Tigers beat St Louis Cardinals, 4-1 at Busch Memorial Stadium to clinch, 4-3 series win; MVP: Tigers pitcher Mickey Lolich

Twins Appoint Martin

Oct 11 MLB star Billy Martin named manager of the Minnesota Twins

Baseball Player and Manager Billy Martin

Oct 12 Enriqueta Basilio, Mexican track and field athlete becomes 1st woman to light Olympic flame at 19th Summer Olympics, in Mexico City, Mexico
Oct 12 IXX Summer Olympic Games open at Mexico City, Mexico; first Olympics in Latin America

World Record

Oct 14 American sprinter Jim Hines runs a world record 9.95s to beat Lennox Miller of Jamaica and Charles Greene of the US, and win the 100m gold medal at the Mexico City Olympics

Oct 14 MLB National League expansion draft: Snaan Diego Padres pick San Francisco Giants outfielder 'Downtown' Ollie Brown & Montreal Expos pick Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Manny Mota 1st as they choose 30 players each
Oct 14 Viorica Viscopoleanu of Romania sets world record 6.82m to win the women's long jump at the Mexico City Olympics; beats Sheila Sherwood of Great Britain by 0.14m

Sports History

Oct 15 Al Oerter of the US wins the men's discus in an Olympic record 64.78m at the Mexico City Games; Oerter's unprecedented 4th consecutive Olympic discus title

Oct 15 American sprinter Wyomia Tyus wins her second consecutive Olympic 100m title with a world record 11.08s; beats teammate Barbara Ferrell by 0.08s for the gold medal at the Mexico City Games
Oct 15 Australian Ralph Doubell runs a world record 1:44.40 to beat Kenyan Wilson Kiprugut and win the men's 800m at the Mexico City Olympics
Oct 15 British athlete David Hemery sets a world record 48.12s to beat Gerhard Hennige of West Germany and take the gold medal in the men's 400m hurdles at the Mexico City Olympics
Oct 15 MLB American League expansion draft: Kansas City Royals pick Baltimore Orioles pitcher Roger Nelson & Seattle Pilots pick California Angels infielder Don Mincher 1st as they choose 30 players each
Oct 16 American Bob Seagren, Claus Schiprowski of West Germany and East German Wolfgang Nordwig all record 5.40m in the final of the pole vault at the Mexico City Olympics; Seagren awarded gold on countback

Black Power Salute

Oct 16 Americans Tommie Smith (gold 19.83 WR) and John Carlos (bronze) famously give the Black Power salute on the 200m medal podium during the Mexico City Olympics to protest racism and injustice against African-Americans

Tommie Smith and John Carlos on the podium at 1968 Olympics

Oct 16 Jim Dorey sets Toronto Maple Leaf penalty records (48 mins on 9 penalties in a game & 44 minutes on 7 penalties in a period)
Oct 16 Milwaukee Bucks play their 1st game losing 89-84 to Chicago Bulls
Oct 17 Björn Ferm of Sweden beats Hungary's András Balczó by just 11 points to take the gold medal in the modern pentathlon at the Mexico City Olympics
Oct 17 Soviet athlete Viktor Saneev sets world record 17.39m to win the triple jump at the Mexico City Olympics; world record improved 5 times by 3 different athletes during competition

World Record

Oct 17 US men's 4 x 100m freestyle relay team of Zac Zorn, Stephen Rerych, Ken Walsh & Mark Spitz swim world record 3:31.7 to outclass the Soviet Union & Australia and win the gold medal at the Mexico City Olympics

Oct 18 A rare Australian 1-2 in track & field; Maureen Caird in Olympic record 10.39s beats teammate Pam Kilborn by 0.07s to win the 80m hurdles at the Mexico City Games
Oct 18 American athletes sweep the medals in the men's 400m at the Mexico City Olympics; Lee Evans wins gold in world record 43.86s ahead of Larry James and Ron Freeman
Oct 18 American long jumper Bob Beamon sets an incredible world record (8.90m, 29' 2½") in high altitude at the Mexico City Olympics; 0.55m (22") improvement over previous world record
Oct 18 American swimmer Don Schollander anchors US 4 × 200m freestyle relay team to world record 7:52.1 and the Olympic gold medal in Tokyo; Schollander's 4th gold of the Games
Oct 18 Polish sprinter Irena Szewińska runs a world record 22.58s to beat Australian Raelene Boyle by 0.16s and win the 200m gold medal at the Mexico City Olympics

Olympic Games

Oct 18 US Olympic Committee suspends Tommie Smith and John Carlos for giving the Black Power salute to protest racism and injustice against African-Americans during Olympic medal ceremony

Sprinter and Civil Rights Activist John Carlos

Sprinter and Civil Rights Activist Tommie Smith

Oct 19 American swimmer Jan Henne in 1:00.0 leads American sweep of the women's 100m freestyle medals at the Mexico City Olympics; teammates Susan Pedersen & Linda Gustavson both swim 1:00.3 for minor medals
Oct 19 Australian swimmer Michael Wendon sets world record 52.2s to win the blue ribband men's 100m freestyle gold medal at the Mexico City Olympics
Oct 19 New Zealand scores an upset victory in the men's coxed four rowing final at the Mexico City Olympics; beats favoured East German crew by 2.58s; first ever rowing gold medal for the Kiwis
Oct 19 The West German crew beats Australia by just 0.9s to win the men's eights rowing gold medal at the Mexico City Olympics
Oct 20 American Dick Fosbury using his unconventional technique wins the men's high jump gold medal with 2.24m at the Mexico City Olympics; "Fosbury Flop" becomes accepted most efficient technique
Oct 20 American sprinter Jim Hines anchors US men's 4 x 100m relay team to win his second gold medal at the Mexico City Olympics; with teammates Charles Greene, Mel Pender & Ronnie Ray Smith sets world record 38.24s
Oct 20 Kenyan runner Kip Keino wins 1,500m gold medal at the Mexico City Olympics in 3:34.91 despite a severe gall bladder infection
Oct 20 Mamo Wolde wins 16th Olympic marathon (2:20:26.4)
Oct 20 Margitta Gummel of East Germany throws world record 19.61m to beat teammate Marita Lange by 0.83m and win the women's shot put gold medal at the Mexico City Olympics
Oct 20 US men's 4 x 400m relay team of Vincent Matthews, Ron Freeman, Larry James & Lee Evans runs world record 2:56.16; easily beats Kenya & West Germany into the minor medals at the Mexico City Olympics
Oct 20 US women's 4 x 100m relay team sets world record 42.88s to win the gold medal at the Mexico City Olympics; Margaret Bailes, Barbara Ferrell, Mildrette Netter & Wyomia Tyus
Oct 22 American swimmers sweep the medals in the women's 200m freestyle at the Mexico City Olympics; Debbie Meyer takes gold in Olympic record 2:10.5 ahead of teammates Jan Henne and Jane Barkman
Oct 23 American swimmer Kaye Hall sets a world record 1:06.2 to beat Canadian Elaine Tanner by 0.5s and win the 100m backstroke gold medal at the Mexico City Olympics
Oct 24 16-year old American swimmer Debbie Meyer wins the inaugural women's 800m gold medal in 9:24.0 at the Mexico City Olympics; first swimmer to win 3 individual gold medals at a Games (200/400m)
Oct 24 Australian swimmer Michael Wendon wraps up the Mexico City Games sprint double when he wins the men's 200m freestyle gold medal in Olympic record 1:55.2
Oct 25 American swimmer Claudia Kolb wraps up the women's individual medley double in Mexico City, winning the 400m I/M in Olympic record 5:08.5; she also won the 200m I/M in OR 2:24.7
Oct 25 Czech gymnast Věra Čáslavská wins the uneven bars and vault gold medals at the Mexico City Olympics; her 6th & 7th career gold medals and her 4th at these Games
Oct 25 East German swimmer Roland Matthes wins the 200m backstroke gold medal in Olympic record 2:09.6 at the Mexico City Games; wraps up backstroke double
Oct 25 Longest Olympic field hockey game, The Netherlands beats Spain 1-0 in 2h25m (6 OT)
Oct 25 US men's basketball team beats Yugoslavia 65-50 to win the gold medal at the Mexico City Olympics; 7th straight basketball title for the Americans
Oct 26 Charlie Hickcox wins his 3rd gold medal of the Mexico City Olympics when he leads the US men's 4 x 100m medley relay team with teammates Don McKenzie, Doug Russell & Ken Walsh to world record 3:54.9

Olympic Gold

Oct 26 Future world heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman wins the Olympic heavyweight gold medal when the final against Jonas Čepulis (Soviet Union) is stopped in round 2 at the Mexico City Games

Oct 26 Italian diver Klaus Dibiasi wins first of 3 consecutive men's 10m platform gold medals when he comfortably beats Álvaro Gaxiola of Mexico at the Mexico City Olympics
Oct 26 Japanese gymnast Akinori Nakayama wins 3 individual gold medals on the one day (horizontal bar, rings & parallel bars) at the Mexico City Olympics; with team victory, 4 gold for the Games
Oct 26 Japanese gymnasts sweep the medals in the men's floor exercise competition at the Mexico City Olympics; Sawao Kato wins his 3rd gold of the Games ahead of teammates Akinori Nakayama and Takeshi Katō
Oct 26 Striker Antal Dunai scores twice as Hungary outclasses Bulgaria 4-1 to take the men's football gold medal at the Mexico City Olympics
Oct 26 The Soviet Union wraps up the volleyball double at the Mexico City Olympics; both men's & women's teams take gold at the end of their respective round-robin competitions
Oct 31 Milwaukee Bucks win their 1st game beating Detroit 138-118 (6th game)