Browsing: Sports

A Brief History On March 4, 1990, the sporting world was shocked when Hank Gathers, age 23, died during an NCAA Division I basketball game between Loyola Marymount University (his team) and the University of Portland. Digging Deeper Gathers was a blue chip basketball player, and in the 1988-1989 season had become only the second player in NCAA history  (Xavier McDaniel and Kurt Thomas being the only other 2 players to have achieved the feat) to lead the nation in both scoring (32.7 points per game) and rebounding (13.7 rebounds per game).  Originally enrolled at the University of Southern California,…

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A Brief History On February 18, 2001, a nation of racing car fans was stunned when the biggest current star of NASCAR stock car racing, Dale Earnhardt, died in a high speed crash into a wall at the Daytona 500, the premier race of NASCAR. Digging Deeper Known as “The Intimidator” for his aggressive racing style, Earnhardt was born Ralph Dale Earnhardt (later Sr.) in 1951.  Winner of the 1998 Daytona 500 and tied with Richard Petty with a record 7 Winston Cup Championships in 1994 (later tied in 2016).  Dale Sr. also  added 4 IROC Championships to his list…

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A Brief History On February 13, 1954, Franklin Delano Selvy, shooting guard/small forward for the Furman University (South Carolina) basketball team scored an NCAA Division I record 100 points in a game against Newberry College (South Carolina), a feat never matched in Division I play. Digging Deeper The 6’ 3” Selvy, known as Frank, hailed from Corbin, Kentucky and was born in 1932, presumably the reason he was so named.  (Franklin Delano Roosevelt won the 1932 US Presidential election the same month Selvy was born.) In a story right out of a book of Fairy Tales, Selvy was being honored…

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A Brief History On February 2, 1876, the National League of Professional Baseball Clubs was founded, replacing the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players, which had been founded in 1871 as a replacement itself for the National Association of Base Ball Players (note no mention of “professional”) which operated from 1869 to 1871. Digging Deeper Known today as Major League Baseball’s “Senior Circuit” as simply the National League, the original league had 8 teams, including Chicago White Stockings (which actually became the Cubs, not the White Sox!), the Louisville Grays, the Philadelphia Athletics (not the ones that became the…

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A Brief History On January 29, 1963, the first class of inductees to the new Pro Football Hall of Fame was announced, 17 players and executives that helped make professional football a reality. Digging Deeper Located in Canton, Ohio (because this is the birthplace of what became the NFL), the Pro Football Hall of Fame is independent of the National Football League, though it maintains a close association.  Originally a paltry 2 rooms, the building now has 5 rooms and over 82,000 square feet.  The Hall has a gift shop, research library, and of course a theater where you can…

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