Events in Sports History on December 5

  • 1868 1st American bicycle college opens (NY)
  • 1914 CFL Grey Cup, Varsity Stadium, Toronto: Toronto Argonauts win first Championship; beat U of Toronto Blues, 14-2
  • 1924 Hamilton Tiger Red Green scores 5 goals to beat Tor Maple Leafs 10-5
  • 1925 CFL Grey Cup, Landsdowne Park, Ottawa: Ottawa Senators win first title; beat Winnipeg Tammany Tigers, 24-1
  • 1931 CFL Grey Cup, Molson Stadium, Montreal: Montreal AAA Winged Wheelers shutout Regina Roughriders, 22-0 for their first title
  • 1936 CFL Grey Cup, Varsity Stadium, Toronto: Sarnia Imperials defeat Ottawa Rough Riders, 26-20 for their 2nd Championship
  • 1942 CFL Grey Cup, Varsity Stadium, Toronto: Toronto RCAF Hurricanes beat Winnipeg RCAF Bombers, 8-5
  • 1943 NFL Philadelphia Eagle-Pitts Steeler merger dissolves

Louis vs. Walcott

1947 Joe Louis beats Jersey Joe Walcott in 15 for heavyweight boxing title, at Madison Square Garden, NYC

  • 1948 NY Giant Charley Conerly sets NFL record of 36 pass completions

Charles vs. Barone

1950 Ezzard Charles KOs Nick Barone in 11 for heavyweight boxing title

  • 1956 17-year-old British swimmer Judy Grinham and American Carin Cone both swim world record 1:12.9 in the women's 100m backstroke at the Melbourne Olympics; Grinham is awarded gold medal
  • 1956 Danish yachtsman Paul Elvstrøm wins the Finn class gold medal at the Melbourne Olympics; his 2nd straight Finn gold and 3rd consecutive Olympic gold in sailing

Larisa Latynina's Golds

1956 Soviet artistic gymnast Larisa Latynina wins the women's vault and ties for gold in the floor exercise section at the Melbourne Olympics; later takes gold total to 4 with teams and individual all-round titles

  • 1958 Phils drop plans for NY sportcast as Yanks threat to do same in Philadelphia
  • 1959 Future Pakistan cricket captain Intikhab Alam bowls Australian opener Colin McDonald with his first ball in Test cricket in drawn 3rd Test in Karachi

Esposito Scores on Brother's Debut

1968 Future Hockey Hall of Fame center Phil Esposito of the Boston Bruins scores 2 goals in his goaltender brother Tony's (also HOF) NHL debut for the Montreal Canadiens; 2-2 tie

  • 1970 NFL Los Angeles Rams running back Willie Ellison sets NFL record of 247 yards rushing
  • 1970 Stanley Cup, Conn Smythe Trophy & Bill Masterson Trophy stolen from Hockey Hall of Fame
  • 1972 38th Heisman Trophy Award: Johnny Rodgers, Nebraska (FL)
  • 1973 Chicago Cubs Ron Santo becomes 1st baseball player to invoke 10-5 rule and veto his trade (with the California Angels)
  • 1974 Birmingham Americans defeat the Florida Blazers 22-21 in the WFL's World Bowl
  • 1974 NFL's Seattle Seahawks forms

Rose Highest Paid Player

1978 Free agent Pete Rose signs 4-year, $32 million contract with Phillies becoming highest paid baseball player

  • 1978 Islanders took 28 shots in 1 period vs Penguins, Penguins' Ross Lonsberry failed on 7th penalty shot against Islanders

Chappell, Hughes Rescue Australia

1979 Ex-World Series Cricket combatants Greg Chappell (124) and Kim Hughes (130no) return to rescue Australia on last day of the drawn 1st Test v West Indies in Brisbane

  • 1981 47th Heisman Trophy Award: Marcus Allen, Southern Cal (RB)
  • 1982 Dutch judoka Ingrid Berghmans retains judo's world championship
  • 1982 Mel Gray ends NFL streak of 121 consecutive game receptions
  • 1982 NFL Cleveland Browns' Brian Sipe sets club record with 33 pass completions
  • 1982 Senior PGA Championship, PGA National GC: Don January wins his lone Champions Tour major title by 1 stroke over Julius Boros
  • 1983 LA Dodger pitcher Steve Howe is suspended for 1 year for cocaine use
  • 1984 New York Yankees trade catcher Rick Cerone to Atlanta Braves for pitcher Brian Fisher

Rickey Henderson to the Yankees

1984 Oakland Athletics trade Rickey Henderson to the NY Yankees for Jay Howell and Jose Rijo

  • 1987 53rd Heisman Trophy Award: Tim Brown, Notre Dame (WR)

Boon's 5th Century

1987 David Boon's 5th Test Cricket century, 143 v NZ at Brisbane

Becker's 1st ATP

1988 Boris Becker beats defending champion Ivan Lendl 5–7, 7–6, 3–6, 6–2, 7–6 in a classic final to win his first of 3 ATP Masters Grand Prix tennis titles at Madison Square Garden, NYC

  • 1990 Blue Jays trade F McGriff & T Fernandez to SD for R Alomar & J Carter
  • 1992 1st SEC Championship Game: #2 Alabama beats #12 Florida, 28-21
  • 1993 82nd Davis Cup: Germany beats Australia in Dusseldorf (4-1)
  • 1996 Portland's Jermaine O'Neal at 18 becomes the youngest NBA player
  • 1997 1st Game at Wash Capitals' MCI Center vs Fla Panthers
  • 1998 3rd Big 12 Championship Game: #10 Texas A&M beats #2 Kansas State, 36-33 (2 OT)
  • 1998 7th SEC Championship Game: #1 Tennessee beats #23 Mississippi State, 24-14
  • 1999 88th Davis Cup: Australia beats France in Nice (3-2)
  • 2004 93rd Davis Cup: Spain beats USA in Seville (3-2)

Maddux's $10M Deal

2006 Greg Maddux signs a one-year deal with the San Diego Padres worth $10 million

O. J. Simpson Sentenced

2008 Former NFL star O.J. Simpson is sentenced to 33 years in prison for kidnapping and armed robbery

  • 2009 14th Big 12 Championship Game: #3 Texas beats #21 Nebraska, 13-12
  • 2009 18th SEC Championship Game: #2 Alabama beats #1 Florida, 32-13
  • 2009 5th ACC Championship Game: #12 Georgia Tech beats #25 Clemson, 39-34
  • 2010 99th Davis Cup: Serbia beats France in Belgrade (3-2)
  • 2017 Russia is banned from the next Winter Olympics in South Korea over state-sponsored doping