This Day in Sports History (12/15/2019 – 12/21/2019)

Introduction

December 15th, 1891

• James Naismith is credited with creating basketball as we know it today.

December 16th, 1929

• The inaugural NHL match took place at Chicago Stadium, where the Chicago Blackhawks triumphed over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

December 17th, 1933

• The NFL begins to track official statistics as the Chicago Bears, champions of the Western Division, faced off against the Eastern Division champions, the New York Giants, winning the first NFL Championship game with a score of 23 to 21 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, gathering an audience of 25,000.

December 18th, 1949

• In the NFL Championship game, the Philadelphia Eagles secured a 14 to 0 victory against the Los Angeles Rams.

December 19th, 1984

• At just 18 years old, Wayne Gretzky makes history as the youngest player in the NHL to achieve 1,000 career points.

December 20th, 1966

• The NBA grants Seattle a franchise for the Supersonics, which will make its debut in the 1967-1968 season.

December 21st, 1969

• Vince Lombardi concluded his coaching career with a final game that ended in defeat.

Written by: David Green