This Day in Sports History: November 22
Sports in November include the NBA and NHL seasons, the end of the college football season, the NASCAR Cup Series Championship, the ATP World Tour Finals, UFC Fight Nights, and…
Sports in November include the NBA and NHL seasons, the end of the college football season, the NASCAR Cup Series Championship, the ATP World Tour Finals, UFC Fight Nights, and the start of the college basketball season. Over the years, Nov. 22 has witnessed many notable moments and stories involving sporting legends. Here are some of them.
Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records
Great moments in sports history on Nov. 22 included:
- 1936:Â Denny Shute won the first of his consecutive PGA titles.
- 1945:Â Jim Benton gained 303 yards, and the Cleveland Rams beat the Detroit Lions 28-21. Benton set an NFL single-game rushing record, which stood for more than 40 years.
- 1950:Â The Fort Wayne Pistons beat the Minneapolis Lakers 19-18, making it the lowest NBA score of 37 combined points.
- 1957:Â Mickey Mantle won his second American League Most Valuable Player award.
- 1961:Â Reds outfielder Frank Robinson won the National League MVP award.
- 1961:Â St. Louis Hawks' Bob Pettit set an NBA record, making 19 of 19 on free throws.
- 1965: In his second defense, Muhammad Ali retained his world heavyweight boxing championship title by way of a technical knockout in the 12th round against Floyd Patterson.
- 1966:Â Steve Spurrier won the Heisman Trophy.
- 1970:Â Bobby Isaac won the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
- 1972:Â The Penguins set an NHL record for scoring the fastest five goals in a game in a time of 2:07.
- 1981:Â Darrell Waltrip won the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
- 1981:Â The Edmonton Eskimos won their fourth consecutive CFL Grey Cup title.
- 1986:Â Mike Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history when he stopped titleholder Trevor Berbick in round two to win the WBC title.
- 1986:Â Wayne Gretzky became the 13th player to score 500 goals in the NHL.
- 1987:Â Dale Earnhardt won the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
- 1987:Â Jack Sikma ended his NBA free-throw streak at 51 games.
- 1987:Â The Patriots shut out the Colts 24-0.
- 1992:Â Monica Seles won her second consecutive WTA Tour Championship title and her third straight end-of-season title.
- 1998:Â Jeff Gordon won the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
- 2003:Â England defeated Australia 20-17 to win the Rugby World Cup Final.
- 2008:Â The Montreal Canadiens retired goaltender Patrick Roy's number 33 jersey.
- 2014:Â Lionel Messi set a new goal-scoring record in La Liga with 253 goals.
- 2015:Â Novak Djokovic won his fourth straight season-ending ATP World Tour Finals.
Three athletes who stood out on Nov. 22 were Jim Benton, Mike Tyson, and Wayne Gretzky.
In 91 NFL games, Benton caught 288 passes for 4,801 yards and 45 touchdowns and led the NFL in 1945 with 1,067 yards. Tyson was the first heavyweight to hold all three major boxing belts, the WBC, WBA, and IBF, while Gretzky's fame stemmed from his record-breaking performances and impact on growing hockey's popularity, especially in non-traditional markets, following his trade to the Los Angeles Kings.
