This Day in Sports History: December 20

Kobe Bryant #8 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on against the New York Knicks during the game

Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

Sports in December include the NBA and NHL seasons, NFL teams pushing for the playoffs, the end of the college football season, F1, UFC Fight Nights, and college basketball tournaments. Over the years, Dec. 20 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. 20 included:

1905: Jack O'Brien defeated defending champion Bob Fitzsimmons to win the World Light Heavyweight boxing title.
1921: Baseball's commissioner returned to the best-of-seven format for the World Series.
1926: The St. Louis Cardinals traded future Baseball Hall of Fame infielder Rogers Hornsby to the New York Giants for Frankie Frisch and Jimmy Ring.
1938: Boston Bruins' rookie goaltender Frankie Brimsek recorded his third straight shutout, making it his sixth shutout in his first eight NHL games.
1966: The NBA awarded an expansion franchise to create the Seattle SuperSonics.
1973: Montreal Canadien Henri Richard scored his 1,000th NHL point.
1981: Winnipeg left winger Doug Smail set an NHL record by scoring just four seconds into the Jets' 5-4 win over the St. Louis Blues.
1983: The Montreal Canadiens' Guy Lafleur became the 10th player in the NHL to score 500 goals.
1985: Denis Potvin passed Bobby Orr as the leader for NHL defensemen.
1985: North Carolina set an NCAA record with 18 blocked shots in an 87-55 win over Stanford.
1987: Sweden defeated India 5-0 to win the Davis Cup.
1994: FC Barcelona's Hristo Stoichkov won the Ballon d'Or award.
1998: The Green Bay Packers' Brett Favre became the first NFL player to throw for more than 30 touchdowns in five different seasons.
2001: France defeated Australia 3-2 to win the Davis Cup.
2005: Kobe Bryant scored a career-high 62 points.
2007: Marian Gaborik scored five goals in an NHL game.
2009: Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger became the first Steelers quarterback to throw more than 500 passing yards in a game.
2014: Kentucky scored the first 24 points in an 83-44 win over UCLA in men's basketball.
2018: Quarterback Kyler Murray won the Heisman Trophy.

Three athletes who stood out on Dec. 20 were Doug Smail, Brett Favre, and Kobe Bryant.

Smail had a 13-season career in the NHL and holds the Winnipeg Jets franchise record for career shorthanded goals at 25. Favre is a Pro Football Hall of Famer and one of football's all-time greats, while Bryant won five NBA championships, Most Valuable Player awards, and Olympic gold medals.

Sports History

Michael GaraventaWriter