Events in Sports History in November 1997

Sports History

Nov 1 Expanded Negro Leagues Museum and the new American Jazz Museum open in Kansas City's historic 18th and Vine district

Nov 1 Louisiana State University running back Kevin Faulk rushes for 212 yards and a school record 5 touchdowns in a 63-28 win at Kentucky's Commonwealth Stadium, Lexington
Nov 1 Nebraska head football coach Tom Osborne records his 250th NCAA career victory with a 67-7 drubbing of Oklahoma; Osborne, in his 25th season, reaches milestone faster than anyone (301 games)
Nov 1 North Carolina State University wide receiver Torry Holt catches 5 touchdown passes in a 48-35 loss to Florida State at Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee
Nov 2 New York City Marathon: John Kagwe of Kenya wins men's race in 2:08:12; Franziska Rochat-Moser of Switzerland women's champion in 2:28:43
Nov 2 NFL San Diego Chargers Eric Metcalf returns punts for touchdowns of 85 & 67 yards in 38-31 loss at Cincinnati; joins Hall of Famer Jack Christiansen as only players in NFL history to return punts for TDs twice in a game

Sports History

Nov 3 American racing legend Bill Shoemaker retires from thoroughbred training with a 90 winners from 713 start record; rode record 8,833 winners as a jockey, before becoming a trainer in 1990

Racing Hall of Fame Jockey Bill Shoemaker

Nov 3 Boston Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra becomes 6th player to be unanimous choice for American League Rookie of the Year; leads AL in hits (209), triples (11), multi-hit games (68); also sets AL rookie-record with 30-game hitting streak
Nov 6 SF Giants manager Dusty Baker named NL Manager of the Year
Nov 8 Breeders' Cup Horse Racing, Hollywood Park; winners: Countess Diana, Elmhurst, Ajina, Spinning World, Favorite Trick, Chief Bearhart, Skip Away
Nov 8 Tampa Bay Devil Rays name their 1st manager Larry Rothschild

Canadians win Cy Young

Nov 11 Canadian based players win Cy Young Awards for best MLB pitcher; Toronto Blue Jays' Roger Clemens wins his 4th AL Award; Pedro Martinez of Montreal Expos takes NL Award

Nov 11 NHL’s new Columbus franchise (scheduled to begin play in 2000) announce team’s name would be “Blue Jackets” after soldiers in the Union army during the American Civil War
Nov 11 WNBA announces franchises in Detroit (Shock) and Washington D.C. (Mystics) would join the League as expansion teams for the 1998 season

Griffey AL MVP

Nov 13 Ken Griffey Jr. unanimously wins AL MVP

Baseball Hall of Fame Outfielder Ken Griffey Jr.

Sports History

Nov 16 47th NASCAR Sprint Cup: Jeff Gordon wins

Pete Sampras

Nov 16 American tennis great Pete Sampras wins back-to-back ATP Tour World Championship titles with a 6–3, 6–2, 6–2 over Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov in Hanover, Germany

Nov 16 CFL Grey Cup, Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton: heavily favoured defending champion Toronto Argonauts beat Saskatchewan Roughriders, 47-23

Mario Lemieux

Nov 17 Mario Lemieux enters NHL Hall of Fame

Nov 18 Arizona Diamondbacks & Tampa Bay Devil Rays expansion draft
Nov 18 Mavericks' A. C. Green ties Randy Smith's NBA record of 906 cons games
Nov 20 Last original Florida Marlin, Jeff Conine, traded to KC Royals
Nov 20 Mavericks' A C Green sets NBA record of 907 consecutive games played
Nov 20 NY Islanders lose, beginning a 10 game losing streak