This Day in Sports History: December 18
Sports in December include NBA and NHL games, NFL teams pushing for the playoffs, the end of the college football season, Grand Prix races, UFC Fight Nights, and college basketball….
Sports in December include NBA and NHL games, NFL teams pushing for the playoffs, the end of the college football season, Grand Prix races, UFC Fight Nights, and college basketball. Over the years, Dec. 18 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 from Dec. 18 include:
- 1930: Legendary college basketball coach Adolph Rupp coached his first game for the University of Kentucky, securing a 67-19 win over Georgetown College.
- 1932: The Chicago Bears beat the Portsmouth Spartans 9-0 to win the NFL Championship.
- 1949: The Philadelphia Eagles won the NFL Championship by beating the Los Angeles Rams 14-0.
- 1954: Maurice "Rocket" Richard became the first NHL player to reach 400 career goals.
- 1956: Soccer icon Stanley Matthews won the first-ever Ballon d'Or award.
- 1956: After a great playing career, baseball legend Phil Rizzuto began his long stint as a radio and television announcer for the New York Yankees.
- 1961: For the second straight year, the Associated Press named track star Wilma Rudolph as its female athlete of the year.
- 1962: Josef Masopust won the Ballon d'Or.
- 1962: Basketball giant Wilt Chamberlain scored 61 points in a game for the San Francisco Warriors.
- 1964: Oscar Robertson scored 56 points in a game for the Cincinnati Royals.
- 1976: The Oakland Raiders landed a solid comeback victory against the New England Patriots.
- 1977: The Cleveland Cavaliers retired Nate Thurmond's No. 42 jersey.
- 1983: Wayne Gretzky scored his 100th point of the season, a feat that took him just 34 games, making him the fastest player to hit the milestone in NHL history.
- 1983: The San Diego Clippers ended their 29-game losing streak on the road.
- 1984: Sweden beat the U.S.A. 4-1 to win the Davis Cup.
- 1988: The Seattle Seahawks won their first ever division title with a record of just 9-7.
- 1995: San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice recorded 289 receiving yards and three touchdowns in a game.
- 2001: Liverpool forward Michael Owen won the Ballon d'Or.
- 2011: The Green Bay Packers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, ending their 19-game winning streak.
- 2018: Manchester United fired Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho.
- 2022: Argentina beat France 4-2 in a penalty shootout to win the FIFA World Cup Final, ending a game where Lionel Messi scored twice for Argentina and Kylian Mbappé netted a hat-trick for France.
Three athletes who stood out on Dec. 18 were Maurice "Rocket" Richard, Oscar Robertson, and Kylian Mbappé.
Richard was the first NHL player to score 50 goals in 50 games and a symbol of Quebec's passion for hockey, winning eight Stanley Cups and a Hart Trophy. Robertson is one of basketball's all-time greats, known for his revolutionary all-around game and being the first player to average a triple-double across a whole season, an NBA champion (1971), MVP (1964), and 12-time All-Star. Mbappé is a French soccer superstar known for his explosive speed, incredible skill, and prolific goal-scoring.
