Sports History Network March 29, 1989 – It was a historic moment in sports when the first athletes from the Soviet Union were allowed to play professionally for North American sports franchises. A 25-year-old Soviet skater named Sergei Pryakhin who played for the 1986 Soviet National team was allowed to sign with the NHL’s Calgary Flames. Standing 6′ – … Read more
The 1976 season got off to an excellent start for the defending Super Bowl Champions … or so it seemed. Victory seemed to be in the bag when the Steelers sprinted out to a comfortable 4th quarter lead, 28–14, against the Oakland Raiders. But the Raiders staged a furious comeback, scoring 17 unanswered points to … Read more
March 28, 1939 – The New York Renaissance Big Five basketball team won the very first pro basketball championship title. This group of hoopsters from Harlem was an all-black team of professional players that toured the country taking on all opponents. First established in February of 1923 when the team’s founder Bob Douglas worked out an … Read more
No one…absolutely no one thought he was a professional football player. In fact, the owner of his team took a first look at rookie Billy Cross and asked: “Who is that little fellow—the mascot?” Billy Cross had heard it all before—that he was too short, too light, and not tough enough for football. Yet he … Read more
March 27, 1939: The inaugural NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship was played. The single-elimination game tournament started off in this first year of existence with just an eight-team field. The concept was the brainchild of then Ohio State Coach Harold Olsen who with the help of the National Association of Basketball Coaches turned the idea into a … Read more
