Today In Sports History 5/1

Our past has shaped the present by many things in history including sports, here is how sports marked our history today.

Baseball

• In 1884 catcher Moses Walker is acknowledged as the first African-American to play major league baseball joining the Toledo Blue Stockings

Boxing

• In 1959 Floyd Patterson scores 11th round KO of Englishman Brian London in Indianapolis. It’s Patterson’s 4th World Heavyweight Boxing title defense

Golf

• In 1955 American golfer Babe Didrikson-Zaharias wins the Peach Blossom LPGA Tournament in Spartanburg, South Carolina, her final victory before her death the following year

Miscellaneous

• In 1883 Bob Rogers is acknowledged as the first American pro sports trainer when he is hired by the NY Athletic Club

NBA

• In 1988, after scoring 50 points in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference playoff series, Michael Jordan has 55 in Chicago Bulls 106-101 win vs Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 2. Jordan is the first to score 50+ points in consecutive playoff games

NHL

• In 1965 in the Stanley Cup, Dick Duff has a goal and 2 assists as Montreal Canadiens beat Chicago Blackhawks, 4-0 in Game 7 to take title 4-3

NFL

• In 1969 Leonard Tose buys the Philadelphia Eagles for a professional sports record $16.15 million

Olympics

• In 1940 the summer Olympics, scheduled for Helsinki, are cancelled by the Finnish Olympic Committee because of WWII