Sign Up for Newsletters
Jeff Phelps’ This Date In Sports History: Dec. 4
unning back Barry Sanders #20 of the Detroit Lions carries the football during the Lions 26-15 win over the Green Bay Packers at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Stockman /Allsport
Here’s what happened on this date in sports history for December 4th:
1909 – 1st CFL Grey Cup: University of Toronto defeats Toronto Parkdale, 26-6
1943 – Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis announced that any club was free to employ black players.
1964 – Major league baseball established a free-agent draft that would take effect in 1965.
1979 – Cleveland Cavaliers retire jersey # 7, Bingo Smith
1987 – Kareem Abdul Jabaar was held to only 7 points in a game establishing an NBA record of 787 straight games with double digit points.
1996 – Orlando Magic tie NBA record of fewest points scored since inception of 24 second clock losing to Cleveland Cavalier, 84-57
1997 – John Elway (Denver Broncos) surpassed 3,000 yards for the season. It was his 12th consecutive season to pass for more than 3,000 yards.
1997 – Barry Sanders (Detroit Lions) set an NFL record when he rushed for over 100 yards in 12 consecutive games.
Birthdays
1956 – Bernard King, basketball player (NY Knicks, NJ Nets)
1963 – Sergey Bubka, Ukraine, pole vaulter (Olympics-gold-88, 92)
1969 – Terry Glenn, wide reciever (New England Patriots)
