October 12, 1998: The Murder of Matthew Shepard

October 12, 1998: Matthew Shepard, an openly gay student at the University of Wyoming, dies 5 days after being beaten and tied to a wooden fence post -- a filthy twist on the Crucifixion -- in the University's town of Laramie. He was a few weeks short of his 22nd birthday. His killers were convicted, and sentenced to life in prison, where they remain.

As it happened, after he was found, he was taken to a hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado. Fort Collins is the home of Colorado State University -- which the University of Wyoming considers their arch-rival in sports. (And likewise. The University of Colorado is each's secondary rival, but considers its own biggest rival to be the University of Nebraska.)

Matthew Shepard effectively became to the gay rights movement what Emmett Till was to the original Civil Rights Movement. His murder helped to create a new generation of gay rights activists, one not old enough to remember the depth of the AIDS epidemic in the mid-1980s, much less the Stonewall Riot in 1969 or the assassination of Harvey Milk and its aftermatch in 1978 and '79. It also inspired hate-crime legislation.

On May 6, 2013, basketball player Jason Collins became the 1st major league athlete to come out while still active. He had already dropped a hint at the start of that season, when, having been signed by the Boston Celtics, he switched his uniform number from the 34 he had worn with previous teams to 98, in Matthew's memory.

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October 12, 1998 was a Monday. Game 5 of the National League Championship Series was played at Qualcomm Stadium, formerly named San Diego Stadium and Jack Murphy Stadium. After 7 innings, the San Diego Padres led the Atlanta Braves, 4-2. The Braves scored 5 runs in the top of the 8th, to take the lead. The Padres tried to come back in the bottom of the 9th, and fell just short, 7-6.

The Padres had led the series 3 games to none. Now, the Braves had closed to within 3-2. To that point, no team, in either League's Championship Series history, had come back from being down 3-0 to force a Game 7. This was the 1st time a Game 6 had even been forced. But the Padres won Game 6 in Atlanta to take the Pennant.

The American League Championship Series was on a travel day. The New York Yankees led the Cleveland Indians, 3 games to 2. The next night, the Yankees won Game 6 to take the Pennant.

And on ABC Monday Night Football, the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Miami Dolphins, 28-21 at Alltel Stadium (now TIAA Bank Field) in Jacksonville, Florida.