November 30, 1971: "Brian's Song" Premieres

James Caan as Brian Piccolo (left)

and Billy Dee Williams as Gale Sayers

November 30, 1971: The ABC Tuesday Night Movie airs the film Brian's Song. Billy Dee Williams plays African-American Chicago Bears running back Gale Sayers, and James Caan plays his white teammate Brian Piccolo.

While some dramatic license was taken, the story is mostly true: The two men overcome their respective biases and form a bond of friendship, first with Piccolo helping Sayers, the best running back in the game in the late 1960s, return from a devastating knee injury; then with Sayers helping Piccolo deal with the cancer that struck him, and ultimately brought his life to a close on June 16, 1970.

The film made stars of both Williams and Caan, and is often regarded as the first movie that allowed tough guys to cry.

A remake was made, airing on ABC almost exactly 30 years later, on December 2, 2001. The additional 30 years of changing sensibilities allowed some things to be filmed that couldn't be put on TV for the original. Sayers was played by Mekhi Phifer, and Piccolo by Sean Maher.

Phifer and Maher in the remake

By a coincidence, Sayers wore uniform Number 40, and Piccolo Number 41. Thus, they were given lockers next to each other. Both numbers were retired by the team.

*

November 30, 1971 was a Tuesday. Actress Jessalyn Gilsig was born. So was Kristi Noem, elected Governor of North Dakota as a Republican.

Baseball was out of season. Football was in midweek. There were 6 games played in the NBA that night:

* The New York Knicks lost to the Seattle SuperSonics, 110-109 at Madison Square Garden.

* The Cincinnati Royals beat the Baltimore Bullets, 118-103 at the Baltimore Civic Center (now the CFG Bank Arena).

* The Houston Rockets beat the Buffalo Braves, 115-101 at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium.

* The Chicago Bulls beat the Atlanta Hawks, 86-85 at the Chicago Stadium.

* The Golden State Warriors beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 106-103 at the Milwaukee Arena. In 1974, it was renamed the Milwaukee Exposition, Convention Center and Arena, or "The MECCA." Since 2014, it has been named the UW-Panther Arena. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had 30 points and 24 rebounds, but the Warriors had a more balanced attack. Four players had at least 20 points, led by Joe Ellis, who didn't even start, with 25.

* And the Phoenix Suns beat the Portland Trail Blazers, 121-111 in overtime at the Portland Memorial Coliseum.

There were 4 games played in the American Basketball Association:

* The Virginia Squires beat the Pittsburgh Condors, 134-129 at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh. Charlie Scott led all scorers on the night with 46 points for the Squires.

* The Indiana Pacers beat the Memphis Pros, 114-88 at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis.

* The Denver Rockets beat the Dallas Chaparrals, 106-91 at the Denver Auditorium Arena. The Chaps became the San Antonio Spurs in 1973, and the Rockets, anticipating entering the NBA where there was already a Houston Rockets, became the Denver Nuggets in 1974.

* And the Utah Stars beat the Miami Floridians, 127-114 at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City.

There were 2 games played in the NHL that night. The St. Louis Blues beat the California Golden Seals, 5-2 at the St. Louis Arena. And the Vancouver Canucks beat the Chicago Black Hawks, 4-2 at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver.