This Day in Sports History: December 9
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….
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. 9 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. 9 included:
- 1922: Margaret Molesworth won the first Australasian Championships for women's tennis.
- 1922: James Anderson won the first of three Australasian titles, defeating fellow Australian Gerald Patterson.
- 1933: The Toronto Argonauts defeated the Sarnia Imperials 4-3 to win their third Grey Cup title.
- 1934: The New York Giants beat the Chicago Bears 30-13 to win the National Football League Championship.
- 1935: Chicago halfback Jay Berwanger won the first Heisman Trophy Award.
- 1953: The Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs combined for 204 penalty minutes in a game.
- 1973: St. Louis Cardinal's Jim Bakken kicked six field goals against the Atlanta Falcons.
- 1984: Mats Wilander won his second consecutive Australian Open tennis title.
- 1984: Los Angeles Rams' running back Eric Dickerson rushed for 215 yards and finished the season with a record total of 2,105 yards.
- 1984: Peter Thomson won his lone Champions Tour Major title by three strokes.
- 1985: San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice began his NFL streak of 274 games in a row with at least one reception.
- 1990: New York Giants running back Otis Anderson became the eighth player in NFL history to rush for over 10,000 yards.
- 1995: Ohio State running back Eddie George won the 61st Heisman Trophy Award.
- 2000: Ledley King scored a goal for Tottenham in 9.82 seconds, making it the fastest goal in English Premier League history.
- 2006: Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith won the 72nd Heisman Trophy Award.
- 2012: Juan Manuel Márquez knocked out Manny Pacquiao in six rounds to win the WBO light welterweight title.
- 2013: The Chicago Bears retired Mike Ditka's number 89 jersey.
- 2018: Quarterback Aaron Rodgers broke Tom Brady's NFL record with his 359th straight pass without an interception.
- 2018: Tom Brady broke Peyton Manning's record for most touchdown passes in NFL history.
- 2021: Chicago Blackhawks' goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury became the third goalkeeper to reach 500 career wins.
Three athletes who stood out on Dec. 9 were Jay Berwanger, Eric Dickerson, and Marc-Andre Fleury.
Berwanger was a versatile college footballer and a legendary athlete who played halfback for the University of Chicago. Dickerson's record season-ending total of 2,105 rushing yards in 1984 still stands today, while Fleury won three Stanley Cups, a Vezina Trophy, and was the second most successful goaltender in NHL history.
