Author: Luke Reimer

Today in sports history (1998), Peyton Manning was selected as the number one pick in the 1998 NFL Draft. Manning, of course, was selected by the Indianapolis Colts. This selection came on the heels of some controversy about who was going to be selected number one overall. Ryan Leaf was the other quarterback in the draft, who drew much interest. Clearly, the Colts made the smart choice as Leaf quickly flamed out of the NFL and Manning went on to have a Hall of Fame career. What most people forget though is that this draft class was one of the better ones…

Today in sports history (1947), Jackie Robinson played his first game in the MLB. Robinson is one of the quintessential players in MLB history, as he was the first African-American player to play in an MLB game. Born in Georgia, Robinson succeeded in many sports at UCLA. He began his career in the Negro League, with the Kansas City Monarchs in 1945. After finding success there, the Brooklyn Dodgers were impressed enough to sign him. Five days later, Robinson debuted. Segregation and racism were still a major problem in the USA at the time of Robinson’s debut. This led the Hall of…

Today in sports history (2019), Tiger Woods won the Masters after not winning a major in 11 years. Woods won his fifth green jacket, putting him one Masters win short of Jack Nicklaus’ record of six. This Masters Sunday was especially notable, considering Woods’ prior off-field issues. This included infidelity, drug issues and car crashes. Many thought that in 2009, when Woods was in his car accident, he was done with the sport. This looked to be true, as he had not won a major tournament in 11 years. Seeing Woods in the last round of the Masters with a chance of…

Today in sports history (2016), NBA legend Kobe Bryant ended his career, scoring 60 points against the Utah Jazz. This game was the end of an era as one of the greatest basketball players of all time was stepping away from the sport. The 37-year-old did what he did best in this game, and that was scoring the ball. Bryant put up 60 points on 22/50 shooting from the field. Kobe Bryant also knocked down six three-pointers on 21 attempts. Nothing was as big in this game though as his clutch elbow jumper to give the Lakers a lead late in the…

Today in sports history (1981), Larry Holmes defeated Trevor Berbink by unanimous decision. Holmes was in the midst of his prime, as he defended his heavyweight title against Berbink. Trevor Berbink came into this fight with 50-1 odds to win. Though this was the case, many viewed Berbink as a legitimate contender. This was due to his knockout victory over WBS heavyweight John Tate. People were skeptical of Berbink due to him losing by way of knockout to the unknown Bernardo Mercado. Larry Holmes Successfully Defends Heavyweight Title The fight opened up fast. Berbink set the pace of the fight early, often…

Today in sports history (1974), Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s home run record. Ruth finished his career with 714 home runs in 1935. His home run record stood for 39 years. Many did not want this record to be broken, given how beloved he had become. With many not wanting the record to be broken, many thought that it would not be broken. One man had different plans though. When Aaron took over for Bobby Thompson in 1954, nobody knew what was to come. Aaron bashed his 715th home run as a part of the Atlanta Braves. Though Hank Aaron’s competition was…

Today in sports history (2008), the Kansas Jayhawks beat the Memphis Tigers in the 2008 NCAA Championship. College basketball fans all around the world were treated to one of the best championships of all time. The 2008 Final Four featured all one seeds, leading the championship to be a one vs. one. This was the second championship game in a row that featured two one seeds battling it out. The story for the Memphis Tigers all year was the play of Derrick Rose. Chris Douglas-Roberts was also instrumental in getting the Tigers to the championship game of the NCAA Tournament. On the…

Today in sports history (1984), Los Angeles Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar broke the NBA all-time points leader record. Abdul-Jabbar scored his 31,420th point against the Utah Jazz. The previous record-holder, Wilt Chamberlain, was one of Abdul-Jabbar’s biggest rivals in the NBA. Kareem went on to play through the 1989 season. Between the time that he broke Chamberlain’s NBA record to the time that he retired, Abdul-Jabbar scored an additional 6,967 points. He is currently still the NBA all-time points leader, with 38,387 points. With Kareem holding the record for 38 years many have tried, but have not been able to pass him.…

Today in sports history (1983), the North Carolina State Wolfpack took down the Houston Cougars in the College Basketball Championship Game in one of the biggest upsets in NCAA history. Houston was led by Hakeem Olajuwon and was favored by 7.5 points. NBA Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler was also a prominent star for Houston. On the Wolfpack’s side, they were led by Thurl Bailey and Dereck Whittenburg. NC State came into this game as a six seed. On their path to the championship, they defeated #3 UNLV by one point and #1 Virginia by one point. Houston had a little bit…

Today in sports history (1990), the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels destroyed the Duke Blue Devils in the 1990 NCAA Championship. UNLV was led by Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon, Greg Anthony and Anderson Hunt. Duke was led by Bobby Hurley, Christian Laettner, Grant Hill and Phil Henderson. Jerry Tarkanian led the Rebels to his only championship win. Duke was led by no other than Coach K. This game famously ended with UNLV giving Duke the largest loss in NCAA Tournament history, 103-73. This championship win for UNLV also marked the last time that a team from outside a power-five won the National Championship. UNLV…