December 15, 1996: The End of the Houston Oilers

Barron Wortham and Reggie Lewis, after the last game at the Astrodome

December 15, 1996: The Cincinnati Bengals beat the Houston Oilers, 21-13 before just 15,131 fans at the Astrodome. Team founder/owner Bud Adams had already announced the team's move to Tennessee, and the fans took it out on him by not going.

The following Sunday, December 22, 1996, they played their final game as the Houston Oilers, beating the Ravens, 24-21 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore.

Kenneth Stanley Adams Jr. was a 36-year-old executive with Phillips Petroleum in Oklahoma when he became a charter team owner in the American Football League, taking the Houston Oilers. They won the 1st 2 AFL Championships, in 1960 and 1961, and lost the AFL Championship Game in 1962 and 1967. They went into a down period that included the 1970 merger with the NFL, but by 1978, they were a Playoff team again, turning home games at the Astrodome into nationally-televised parties.

A.O. "Bum" Phillips, Oilers head coach from 1975 to 1980, compared the Oilers to the much more nationally-popular Dallas team, and said, "The Cowboys are America's Team, but the Oilers are Texas' Team."

But they couldn't get past the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Oakland Raiders into the Super Bowl, and the team was broken up. In 1987, Adams told the Houston city government that he would move the Oilers to Jacksonville if they didn't improve the Astrodome, including raising seating capacity and putting in more of what the place practically invented: Luxury boxes. He got his wish: In 1990, it was expanded from 50,000 to 62,439 seats, including 65 luxury boxes, and the Oilers stayed.

The expansion did not improve the lousy sightlines: The seats near the 50-yard line were the furthest from the playing field, while the closest ones were in the end zone. And as the Astros were the stadium's primary tenant, whenever there was a scheduling conflict, or any dispute between the Astros and the Oilers, the Astros would always win out. Hard to believe, considering that Texas is the football State.

By 1995, the Oilers' radio network, which had been statewide, had been reduced to 1 station in Houston. As a result, Harris County, owners of the Astrodome, agreed to let the Oilers out of their lease, to enable the move to Tennessee after the 1996 season, instead of 1997 as had been planned.

In 2002, the Houston Texans debuted. In the interim, the Tennessee Titans went to a Super Bowl, but lost. Since then, the Texans have been contenders more regularly than the Titans, so maybe Houston was better off.

Adams died in 2013, the next-to-last of the original AFL owners still involved with his team. (Ralph Wilson of the Buffalo Bills was the last, and died the next year.)

UPDATE: The Oilers had a team Hall of Fame. From their 1960 and '61 AFL Champions, they have inducted founding owner Kenneth "Bud" Adams, quarterback George Blanda, and safety and punter Jim Norton. From their 1967 AFL Finalists: Adams, Blanda, Norton, and safety Ken Houston.

From their 1978 and '79 AFC Finalists: Adams, head coach O.A. "Bum" Phillips, running back Earl Campbell, receiver Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, defensive end Elvin Bethea, and linebacker Robert Brazile.

From their teams that made the AFC Playoffs every season from 1987 to 1993: Adams, executives Mike Holovak and Floyd Reese, quarterback Warren Moon, guard Mike Munchak, and tackle Bruce Matthews. The franchise now known as the Tennessee Titans has also honored coach Jeff Fisher, quarterback Steve McNair, running back Eddie George, and tight end Frank Wycheck, who were with the team at the time of the move.

Adams, Phillips, Campbell, Bethea, Brazile, Moon, Munchak, Matthews have also been inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. So have 1970s receiver Mike Renfro and 1980s and '90s defensive lineman Ray Childress.

Running back Ken Hall, "The Sugar Land Express," of Texas A&M, quarterback Don Trull and receiver Larry Elkins of Baylor University, and defensive tackle Lewis "Bud" McFadin of the University of Texas were also elected, and played for the Oilers in their founding days of the 1960s. Jack Pardee starred as a linebacker for Texas A&M, the Los Angeles Rams and the Washington Redskins, before serving as a head coach in Houston, for both the USFL's Gamblers and the Oilers.

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December 15, 1996 was a Sunday. Ukrainian soccer player Oleksandr Zinchenko was born.

 

These other games were played in the NFL:

* The New York Giants lost to the New Orleans Saints, 17-3 at Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands.

* The Carolina Panthers beat the Baltimore Ravens, 27-16 at Ericsson Stadium (now Bank of America Stadium) in Charlotte.

* The St. Louis Rams beat the Atlanta Falcons, 34-27 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

* The Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Seattle Seahawks, 20-13 at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium (now EverBank Stadium).

* The San Francisco 49ers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, 25-15 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.

* The Green Bay Packers beat the Detroit Lions, 31-3 at the Silverdome in the Detroit suburb of Pontiac, Michigan.

* The Minnesota Vikings beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 21-10 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

* The Indianapolis Colts beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 24-19 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

* The Dallas Cowboys beat the New England Patriots, 12-6 at Texas Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Irving, Texas.

* The Denver Broncos beat the Oakland Raiders, 24-19 at Mile High Stadium in Denver.

* The Arizona Cardinals beat the Washington Redskins, 27-26 at Sun Devil Stadium (now Mountain America Stadium) in the Phoenix suburb of Tempe, Arizona.

* The day before, the New York Jets lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, 21-20 at Giants Stadium.

* Also the day before, the Chicago Bears beat the San Diego Chargers, 27-14 at Soldier Field in Chicago.

* And the night after, on ABC Monday Night Football, the Miami Dolphins beat the Buffalo Bills, 16-14 at Pro Player Stadium (now Hard Rock Stadium) in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Baseball was out of season. There were 4 games in the NBA:

* The Detroit Pistons beat the Boston Celtics, 99-89 at The Palace in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Michigan.

* The Phoenix Suns beat the Vancouver Grizzlies, 103-84 at the America West Arena (now the Mortgage Matchup Center) in Phoenix.

* The Washington Wizards beat the Golden State Warriors, 110-102 at the San Jose Arena (now the SAP Center). The Warriors played there that season, while the Oakland Coliseum Arena was being renovated. Latrell Sprewell scored 43 points in defeat for them.

* And Houston fared better in the NBA that day: The Houston Rockets beat the Portland Trail Blazers, 99-89 at the Rose Garden (now the Moda Center) in Portland.

And there were 6 games in the NHL:

* The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Boston Bruins, 6-0 at the new CoreStates Center (now the Xfinity Mobile Arena) in Philadelphia.

* The Florida Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers, 6-0 at the Miami Arena.

* The Dallas Stars beat the Ottawa Senators, 4-0 at the Corel Centre (now the Canadian Tire Centre) in Ottawa.

* In an "Original Six" matchup, the Detroit Red Wings beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-1 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

* The Chicago Blackhawks beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, 2-1 at the United Center in Chicago.

* And the Vancouver Canucks beat the St. Louis Blues, 8-0 at the Kiel Center (now the Enterprise Center) in St. Louis.

December 8, 2013: A 64-Yard Field Goal

December 8, 2013: The Denver Broncos wallop the Tennessee Titans, 51-28 at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver. (It is now named Empower Field at Mile High, although, scoring 51 points, the Broncos didn't need any more empowerment that day.)

The Titans actually led 21-10 late in the 2nd quarter, before the Broncos took over the game. Peyton Manning completed 39 of 59 passes for 397 yards, 4 touchdowns and no interceptions.

Most notably, on the last play of the 1st half, with the Titans still leading 21-17, head coach John Fox sent kicker Matt Prater, who had already kicked a 25-yard field goal, in to attempt a 64-yard field goal. At first, this looked like a bad idea, for 2 reasons: The NFL record was 63 yards, and Fox had missed the preceding 3 games recovering from a heart issue. Fox did not need this kind of pressure.

But 63 yards had been done 3 times before, twice at altitude, in Denver, and to close the 1st half each time: By Jason Elam of the Broncos, on October 25, 1998, against the Jacksonville Jaguars, at the old Mile High Stadium; and Sebastian Janikowski of the Oakland Raiders, on September 12, 2011, against the Broncos, at the new stadium. The 1st time it was done, it was by Tom Dempsey of the New Orleans Saints, on November 8, 1970, a game-winner against the Detroit Lions at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans -- actually below sea level.

Prater converted it, and a new NFL record was set. Perhaps inspired by this, the Broncos scored 14 points in the 3rd quarter, and 17 in the 4th quarter, including a 19-yard field goal by Prater. Prater also went 6-for-6 on points-after-touchdowns. The Broncos won the AFC Championship, but got clobbered in Super Bowl XLVIII by the Seattle Seahawks.

Two years later, they won Super Bowl 50 -- but with Brandon McManus as their placekicker. On January 2, 2022, against the Los Angeles Chargers, not far above sea level at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, he kicked a 61-yard field goal. Through the 2022 season, with him still kicking for the Broncos, that remains his career high. So the Broncos' fine kicking tradition, going back to former Jet Jim Turner helping get them into Super Bowl XII in the 1977-78 season, and Rich Karlis kicking them into 3 Super Bowls in the 1980s before Elam helped them win 2 in the 1990s, continues.

On September 28, 2008, at the end of a 1st half, Janikowski was sent in for the most ridiculous field goal attempt ever: 76 yards, on grass, into the wind, at the Oakland Coliseum, just 43 feet above sea level. It flew 58 yards, still a great kick under any circumstances, but it was 18 yards short, and wide right.

On September 9, 2012, David Akers, then with the San Francisco 49ers, hit a 63-yarder against the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay is 581 feet above sea level.

On October 7, 2018, in Charlotte, North Carolina, 761 feet above sea level, Graham Gano did something no kicker had done since Dempsey: Kick a game-winning field goal 63 yards or more. He kicked one from 63 yards out, to give the Carolina Panthers a 33-31 win against the New York Giants.

On September 26, 2021, Justin Tucker of the Baltimore Ravens, at Ford Field in Detroit, 656 feet above sea level, kicked a 66-yard field goal, for a new record. It was well above sea level, on turf, indoors. But, like Dempsey, it was a game-winner. Also like Dempsey, it gave his team a 19-17 win over the Lions.

Before kicking tees were outlawed by the NCAA, 3 college players had kicked 67-yard field goals. The national high school record is 69 yards.

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December 8, 2013 was a Sunday. These other NFL games were played:

* The New York Giants lost to the San Diego Chargers, 37-14 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.

* The New York Jets beat the Oakland Raiders, 37-27 at MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands.

* The New England Patriots beat the Cleveland Browns, 27-26 at Gillette Stadium in the Boston suburb of Foxborough, Massachusetts.

* The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Detroit Lions, 34-20 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

* The Baltimore Ravens beat the Minnesota Vikings, 29-26 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.

* The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Washington Redskins, 45-10 at FedEx Field (now Northwest Stadium) in the Washington suburb of Landover, Maryland.

* The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Buffalo Bills, 27-6 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

* The New Orleans Saints beat the Carolina Panthers, 31-13 at the Superdome in New Orleans.

* The Miami Dolphins beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, 34-28 at Heinz Field (now Acrisure Stadium) in Pittsburgh.

* The Cincinnati Bengals beat the Indianapolis Colts, 42-28 at Paul Brown Stadium (now Paycor Stadium) in Cincinnati.

* The Green Bay Packers beat the Atlanta Falcons, 22-21 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.

* The Arizona Cardinals beat the St. Louis Rams, 30-10 at the University of Phoenix Stadium (now State Farm Stadium) in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals had played in St. Louis from 1960 to 1987, and the Rams left Los Angeles to play in St. Louis from 1995 to 2015, before moving back to L.A.

* The San Francisco 49ers beat the Seattle Seahawks, 19-17 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. The Niners played 1 more game at Candlestick, before moving down the Peninsula to Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara the next season.

* The next night, on Monday Night Football, the Chicago Bears beat the Dallas Cowboys, 45-28 at the new Soldier Field in Chicago.

* And the preceding Thursday night, the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Houston Texans, 27-20 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville.

Baseball was out of season. There were 5 games played in the NBA:

* The New York Knicks lost to the Boston Celtics, 114-73 at Madison Square Garden.

* The Miami Heat beat the Detroit Pistons, 110-95 at The Palace in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills.

* The Houston Rockets beat the Orlando Magic, 98-88 at the Toyota Center in Houston.

* The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Indiana Pacers, 118-94 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena (now the Paycom Center) in Oklahoma City. Kevin Durant led all scorers on the day with 36 points.

* And the Toronto Raptors beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 106-94 at the Staples Center (now the Crypto.com Arena) in Los Angeles.

And there were 5 games played in the NHL:

* The New York Rangers lost to the Washington Capitals, 4-1 at Madison Square Garden.

* In an "Original Six" matchup, the Boston Bruins beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 5-2 at the Air Canada Centre (now the Scotiabank Arena) in Toronto.

* The Chicago Blackhawks beat the Florida Panthers, 6-2 at the United Center in Chicago.

* The Minnesota Wild beat the San Jose Sharks, 3-1 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.

* And the Vancouver Canucks beat the Colorado Avalanche, 3-1 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver.

October 18, 2010: The Boone Logan Game

October 18, 2010: Game 3 of the American League Championship Series is played at the new Yankee Stadium. This wasn't the most damaging late-season or postseason bullpen screwup by Joe Giradi, who managed the New York Yankees from 2008 to 2017. But it was the ugliest.

Cliff Lee (there must be a reason why he kept changing teams, despite apparently being so good) shut the Yankees out on 3 hits over the 1st 8 innings. But it was still only 2-0 in favor of the Texas Rangers, after Josh Hamilton hit a home run off Andy Pettitte back in the 1st. The Yankees could still have won it.

Instead, Girardi took Kerry Wood out after he'd pitched a scoreless 8th, and brought in Boone Logan, because he was a lefthanded pitcher, to pitch to Hamilton. What the Yankee skipper forgot is, A, Logan was a terrible pitcher; and, B, Hamilton could hit the ball 400 feet without even thinking about it (possibly with pharmaceutical help).

Hamilton hit another homer, and before Logan, David Robertson and Sergio Mitre could finally stop the bleeding, the Rangers ha taken an 8-0 lead. That was the final score, and the Rangers led the series, 2-1. They went on to beat the Yankees in 6 games, including Logan having a part in blowing the next night's game, and won their 1st Pennant.

In 4 seasons as a Yankee, 2010 to 2013, Logan went 16-7, with an ERA of 3.27 and a WHIP of 1.347, the last 2 being much too high for a relief pitcher. He also blew 34 games, including 2 games in this series. He might have been the most damaging pitcher in Yankee history.

Hamilton was an even wilder baseball story. At the age of 18, in 1999, the native of Raleigh, North Carolina was chosen by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays as the 1st pick in the MLB Draft. At 20, he was a rising baseball prospect. Then he was in a car accident, and got hooked on painkillers. At 25, he had thrown his life away, having twice been suspended for entire season due to drug use.

Then, with help, he turned his life around. At 26, he made his major league debut. At 27, in 2008, he became an All-Star with the Texas Rangers, won the American League’s RBI title, and thrilled fans at the All-Star Game's Home Run Derby at the old Yankee Stadium – making everyone forget that Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins won it.

At 29, he led the Rangers to the 1st Pennant in team history, won the batting title, and was named the AL's Most Valuable Player. At 30, he led them to another Pennant, although they lost the World Series both times. At 33, by then with the Los Angeles Angels, it looked, despite his rough start, like he had an outside shot at the Hall of Fame.

Then he suffered a nasty injury, and relapsed on painkillers. At 34, back with the Rangers, he played his last game, finishing with a .290 lifetime batting average and exactly 200 home runs. At 38, he was arrested for beating one of his three daughters. At 41, he pled guilty to a lesser charge. As of October 18, 2022, he is not involved in baseball in any capacity.

*

October 18, 2010 was a Monday. It was a travel day in the National League Championship Series. The San Francisco Giants and the Philadelphia Phillies were tied, 1-1. The Giants went on to win the series in 6 games, and sweep the Rangers in the World Series, 4 straight.

On Monday Night Football, the Tennessee Titans beat the Jacksonville Jaguars, 30-3 at EverBank Field (now TIAA Bank Field) in Jacksonville, Florida.

The NBA season didn't start until November 1. There were 5 games played in the NHL:

* The New York Rangers lost to the Colorado Avalanche, 3-1 at Madison Square Garden.

* The New York Islanders beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 2-1 at the Air Canada Centre (now the Scotiabank Arena) in Toronto. John Tavares scored the winning goal with 1:34 left in overtime.

* The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Dallas Stars, 5-4 at the St. Pete Times Forum (now the Benchmark International Arena) in Tampa.

* The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Ottawa Senators, 5-2 at the CONSOL Energy Center (now the PPG Paints Arena) in Pittsburgh.

* And the Chicago Blackhawks beat the St. Louis Blues, 3-2 at the United Center in Chicago. Patrick Sharp scored the winning goal with 1:10 left in overtime.

October 6, 2002: Darrell Green Breaks the Record for Games By a Defensive Player

October 6, 2002: The Washington Redskins beat the Tennessee Titans, 31-14 at The Coliseum (now named Nissan Stadium) in Nashville, Tennessee. Stephen Davis rushed for 2 touchdown.

Darrell Green started at cornerback for the Redskins. That didn't surprise anybody. He was only involved in 1 tackle, and made no interceptions. That surprised a few people. But it shouldn't: He was 42 years old.

Playing in the NFL at age 42, except for quarterbacks, placekickers and punters, is surprising. But Green was one of the greatest defensive backs in history. It was in his 20th season in the League, and it turned out to be his last. He had made 7 Pro Bowls, helped the Redskins win 2 Super Bowls, was named to the NFL's 1990s All-Decade Team, and his winning of various speed contests over the years gave him the reputation as perhaps the fastest player in NFL history.

What's more, this was the 283rd game of his career, a new record for defensive players. At 282, Jim Marshall, a defensive end of the 1960s and '70, who spent most of his career with the Minnesota Vikings, set the old record -- and still holds the record for consecutive games played by a defensive player.

In 1999, while still active, The Sporting News ranked Green 81st on their list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. In 2010, the NFL Network ranked him 75th on their list of the 100 Greatest Players. He went on to be named to the NFL's 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, and the Ring of Fame of the team now known as the Washington Commanders. (UPDATE: The Commanders later retired his Number 28.)

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October 6, 2002 was a Sunday. These other NFL games were played:

* The New York Giants beat the Dallas Cowboys, 21-17 at Texas Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Irving, Texas.

* The New York Jets lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, 29-25 at Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands.

* The Arizona Cardinals beat the Carolina Panthers, 16-13 at Ericsson Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

* The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Atlanta Falcons, 20-6 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

* The Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 28-25 at Alltel Stadium (now EverBank Stadium) in Jacksonville, Florida.

* The Miami Dolphins beat the New England Patriots, 26-13 at Pro Player Stadium (now Hard Rock Stadium) in Miami Gardens, Florida.

* The New Orleans Saints beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, 32-29 at the Superdome in New Orleans.

* The Oakland Raiders beat the Buffalo Bills, 49-31 at Ralph Wilson Stadium (formerly Rich Stadium) in the Buffalo suburb of Orchard Park, New York.

* The Baltimore Ravens beat the Cleveland Browns, 26-21 at Cleveland Browns Stadium (now Huntington Bank Field) in Cleveland.

* The Indianapolis Colts beat the Cincinnati Bengals, 28-21 at the RCA Dome (formerly the Hoosier Dome) in Indianapolis.

* The Denver Broncos beat the San Diego Chargers, 26-9 at Invesco Field at Mile High (as Empower Field at Mile High was then known) un Denver.

* The San Francisco 49ers beat the St. Louis Rams, 37-13 at 3Com Park (as Candlestick Park was then known) in San Francisco.

* The next night, on ABC Monday Night Football, the Green Bay Packers beat their arch-rivals, the Chicago Bears, 34-21 at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, on the campus of the University of Illinois. The Bears played the 2002 season there, while the original Soldier Field was being demolished, and the new one was being built on the site.

* And the Detroit Lions, the Houston Texans, the Minnesota Vikings and the Seattle Seahawks had a bye week.

And baseball's Playoffs were in progress. Two games were played, on opposite sides of the San Francisco Bay Area. In Game 5 of the American League Division Series, the Minnesota Twins beat the Oakland Athletics, 5-4 at the Oakland Coliseum. Each team scored 3 runs in the 9th inning, but the A's couldn't find a tying run. Through the 2022 season, this remains the last postseason series won by the Twins. (UPDATE: They won one in 2023.) But they would lose the AL Championship Series to the team then known as the Anaheim Angels.

Three hours later, at Pacific Bell Park (now Oracle Park) in San Francisco, the San Francisco Giants beat the Atlanta Braves, 8-3 in Game 4 of the American League Division Series. The next day, they won Game 5 to take the series, and beat the St. Louis Cardinals to win the NL Championship Series. The Angels beat the Giants in the World Series.

August 14, 1959: The American Football League Is Founded

AFL Founder Lamar Hunt

August 14, 1959: The founding meeting of what was soon named the American Football League is held in Chicago. That city would not have a team in this league, the 4th to assume the name. (Previous AFLs operated in 1926, 1936-37 and 1940-41.)

The 8 founding teams that would begin play in September 1960 were, in alphabetical order:

* The Boston Patriots, founded by Billy Sullivan. With their move to suburban Foxborough, Massachusetts in 1971, they were renamed the New England Patriots.
* The Buffalo Bills, founded by Ralph Wilson. A team with that name had played in the All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1949.
* The Dallas Texans. They were moved and renamed the Kansas City Chiefs in 1963. The team was owned by the League's founder, Lamar Hunt. Today, the AFC Championship trophy is named for him.
* The Denver Broncos, founded by Bob Howsam.
* The Houston Oilers, founded by Bud Adams. They were moved to Memphis and renamed the Tennessee Oilers in 1997, moved to Nashville in 1998, and renamed the Tennessee Titans in 1999.
* The Los Angeles Chargers, founded by Barron Hilton. They were moved to San Diego in 1961, and back to the Los Angeles market in 2016.
* The New York Titans, founded by Harry Wismer, before being taken over by Sonny Werblin and Leon Hess. They were renamed the New York Jets in 1963.
* The Oakland Raiders, founded by Wayne Valley, before being taken over by Al Davis. They were moved to Los Angeles in 1982, moved back to Oakland in 1995, and moved to Las Vegas for the 2020 season.

In 1966, the AFL would add the Miami Dolphins. In 1968, it would add the Cincinnati Bengals. From 1966 to 1970, having made peace in their wild war with the established National Football League, the process of merging the 2 leagues into the modern NFL was undertaken.

The 1960s AFL was the most successful "rebel league" in U.S. sports history. You could argue that the NHL was, but it was an all-Canadian league at the start. In baseball, the National League wasn't really a "rebel league." The American League did get to make peace with the National League in 1902.

But people didn't really think of "Major League Baseball" as a single entity at that time. It can be argued that MLB didn't become such an entity until the establishment of the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball in 1920, or even until 2000, when the AL and the NL were rendered team groupings only, with a single baseball and a single set of umpires for both Leagues.

Compare the number of teams that were absorbed into the established league:

* 1926 AFL: None.
* 1936-37 AFL: 1, the Cleveland (later Los Angeles) Rams.
* 1940-41 AFL: None.
* 1946-49 AAFC: 3, the Cleveland Browns, the San Francisco 49ers, and the original Baltimore Colts, who soon failed.
* 1960-69 AFL: 10, all of them.
* 1961-62 American Basketball League: None. It had 8 teams, including in 6 cities that didn't then have NBA teams. Cleveland, the San Francisco Bay Area and Washington would get NBA teams; Kansas City had one, but lost it.
* 1967-76 American Basketball Association: 4, the New York (now Brooklyn) Nets, the Denver Nuggets, the Indiana Pacers and the San Antonio Spurs. It had 12 franchises in all. Of these cities in which those teams played, the following now have NBA teams, in addition to the preceding: Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, Memphis, Miami, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Salt Lake City and Washington. Kansas City and San Diego got teams, but lost them.
* 1972-79 World Hockey Association: 4, the Edmonton Oilers, the original Winnipeg Jets (now the Arizona Coyotes), the Quebec Nordiques (now the Colorado Avalanche) and the Hartford Whalers (now the Carolina Hurricanes). Besides the preceding, the NHL would also put teams in Calgary, Cleveland (failed), the Miami area, New Jersey, Ottawa and Phoenix.
* 1974-75 World Football League: None. It had teams in 8 cities that did not then have NFL teams. Only 2 of those cities now have them: Charlotte and Jacksonville.
* 1983-85 United States Football League: None. It had teams in 10 cities that did not then have NFL teams. 3 of those cities would get NFL teams long-term: Baltimore, Jacksonville and Phoenix; 2 others would get them temporarily: Memphis and Oakland.
* 2001 XFL: None.
* 2019 Alliance of American Football: None.

Despite being the son of oil baron H.L. Hunt and the brother of Nelson Bunker Hunt and William Herbert Hunt, some real pieces of work, Lamar Hunt was universally admired. He was also a key figure in American soccer, having attended the 1966 World Cup in England. He helped to found the North American Soccer League in 1967, trying and failing to save it in 1985, helping to found Major League Soccer in 1996, and using his clout to save MLS in 2001. He was also a minority owner of the NBA’s Chicago Bulls from their 1966 founding until his death.

The American Football Conference’s championship trophy and the U.S. Open Cup, America's answer to England’s FA Cup, are named for him. He died in 2006, having been elected to the Pro Football, National Soccer and International Tennis Halls of Fame.

*

August 14, 1959 was a Friday. Basketball legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson and actress Marcia Gay Harden were born. And these baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Boston Red Sox, 11-6 at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees led 6-0 after 3 innings, but the Sox scored 9 runs in the top of the 8th, off Whitey Ford and then Ryne Duren. Vic Wertz and Gary Geiger hit home runs, while Ted Williams went 0-for-3 with 2 walks. Mickey Mantle went 0-for-2 with 2 walks.

This was the one season in his career that Williams did not bad at least .316, finishing at .254; and the one season between 1947 and 1964 in which the Yankees were out of the American League Pennant race before the 2nd week of September.

* The Cincinnati Reds swept a doubleheader from the Philadelphia Phillies, 15-13 and 5-4 at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia. Over the 2 games, Frank Robinson went 6-for-10 with a home run and 4 RBIs.

* The Washington Senators beat the Baltimore Orioles, 7-3 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Harmon Killebrew went 3-for-4 with a home run and 3 RBIs. Brooks Robinson went 1-for-2 with 2 walks.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Milwaukee Braves, 2-1 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Roberto Clemente and Hank Aaron both went 1-for-4, and Clemente also had an RBI.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians, 11-1 at Briggs Stadium (renamed Tiger Stadium in 1961) in Detroit. Al Kaline went 1-for-4 with a walk and an RBI. Harvey Kuenn went 3-for-5 with a home run and 2 RBIs. For the Indians, Tito Francona hit a home run, and Rocky Colavito went 1-for-4. Just before the next season started, Kuenn and Colavito would be traded for each other.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the San Francisco Giants, 7-5 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Ernie Banks, Walt "Moose" Moryn and Dale Long hit home runs for the Cubs. For the Giants, Willie Mays went 2-for-5, and Willie McCovey went 3-for-4 with a home run and 3 RBIs.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Kansas City Athletics, 5-1 at Kansas City Municipal Stadium.

* And the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 2-1 at the 1st Busch Stadium (formerly the last Sportsman's Park) in St. Louis. Alex Grammas singled Bill White home with the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning. This made a winning pitcher of Lindy McDaniel, in a game where the starting pitchers were Bob Gibson for the Cards and Don Drysdale for the Bums. Neither of them hit a batter. Stan Musial appeared only as a pinch-hitter, and did not reach base. Duke Snider went 3-for-4, including a home run.

January 30, 2000: The Greatest Show On Turf

January 30, 2000: The franchises I grew up knowing as the Los Angeles Rams and the Houston Oilers play each other in Super Bowl XXXIV, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

But the Rams moved to become the St. Louis Rams in 1995, and the Oilers to Memphis in 1997, then to Nashville in 1998, and finally changed their name to the Tennessee Titans in 1999.

In midseason, the Rams, coached by former Philadelphia Eagles coach Dick Vermeil, replaced starting quarterback Trent Green with Kurt Warner, and the result became known as "The Greatest Show On Turf." Warner could throw passes to receivers Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, Az-Zahir Hakim and Ricky Proehl, and to running back Marshall Faulk, who, in this 1999-2000 season, maybe have become the best all-around player in the game. Tackle Orlando Pace was then the best offensive lineman in the league.

It wouldn't have mattered much if they didn't also have a good defense, with tackles Ray Agnew and D'Marco Farr, ends Kevin Carter and Grant Wistrom, linebackers Lendon Fletcher and Mike Jones, and cornerbacks Dré Bly and Todd Lyght. So while the Rams had 9 games of at least 34 points, they also had 11 games of allowing 14 or fewer points.

They won 13 of their 1st 15, clinching the top seed on the NFC side of the Playoffs, before a meaningless loss away to the Philadelphia Eagles in their season finale. In the Playoffs, they won a 49-37 shootout over the Minnesota Vikings, and went the other way in the NFC Championship Game, winning a defensive struggle over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 11-6.

The Titans struggled in their 1st 2 seasons, as the Tennessee Oilers. But in their 1st season under the Titans name, their 1st season at the Adelphia Coliseum (now Nissan Stadium), coach Jeff Fisher's men were embraced by Nashville fans. The embracees included quarterback Steve McNair, running back Eddie George, receiver Kevin Dyson, tight end Frank Wycheck, center Bruce Matthews, defensive end Jevon Kearse (known as The Freak), safeties Blaine Bishop and Anthony Dorsett (son of Hall-of-Famer Tony), and ageless placekicker Al Del Greco.

The Titans weren't flashy, but they won 7 of their last 8 games, saving their biggest offensive outputs for their last 2, a 41-14 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars at home, and a 47-36 battle away to the Pittsburgh Steelers. A last-minute kickoff return, featuring a lateral from Wycheck to Dyson, beat the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card Round, becoming known as the Music City Miracle. They beat Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts away, 19-16, and then went to Jacksonville and beat the Jags again, 33-14, for the AFC Championship.

For the Rams, it was their 1st trip to the Super Bowl in 20 years, and they were looking for their 1st World Championship in 49 years, since Los Angeles beat Cleveland in the 1951 NFL Championship Game. For the Oilers/Titans franchise, it was their 1st trip to the Super Bowl ever. They had won the 1st 2 AFL Championships, in 1960 and '61, and also made it to the AFL Championship Game in '62 and '67. But except for back-to-back trips to the AFC Championship Game in '78 and '79, their NFL experience had been a bust. Until now.

For St. Louis as a city/metro area, there had not been a World Championship in over 17 years, since the Cardinals won the 1982 World Series. They had lost 2 World Series and a National League Championship Series in the interim. The NFL version of the Cardinals had moved to Arizona after the 1987 season. The NHL's Blues hadn't reached the Stanley Cup Finals since 1970. And there was no NBA team.

For Tennessee, this was all new. They'd had teams in "rebel leagues" like the ABA, the WFL and the USFL, but until now, with the NHL also adding the Nashville Predators for the 1997-98 season, they'd had nothing in the major leagues.

Vermeil had gotten the Eagles into Super Bowl XV, but they lost it. Before Super Bowl XXXIV, he got phone calls from many of his Eagle players, telling him they were pulling for him.

The Rams were favored by 7, possibly because the game would be played on artificial turf, which they usually played on at the Trans World Dome (now The Dome at America's Center), while the Titans played their home games on natural grass.

The 1st half was a defensive struggle. The Rams went 3-for-4 on field goal attempts, the Titans 0-for-1, and neither team could get into the end zone. The half ended with the Rams up, 9-0. On their opening drive of the 2nd half, the Rams blocked a Titan field goal attempt.

Finally, "The Greatest Show On Turf" took over, and Warner got the Rams going, leading to a 9-yard touchdown pass to Holt. It was 16-0 St. Louis. The Titans answered with a touchdown drive of their own, ending with a 1-yard run by George. They went for the 2-point conversion, but missed, and it was 16-6 Rams as the 3rd quarter ended.

The Titans forced the Rams to punt on their next drive. McNair took advantage of this by taking his team 79 yards in 13 plays, concluding with George running it in from 2 yards out. The Titans were now within 16-13, with 7:21 to go. The Titans forced the Rams to put again, and they got close enough for another field goal attempt by Del Greco. With 2:12 left, the game was tied, 16-16.

This was the 1st time a team had a lead of 16 or more points in a Super Bowl, and blown it. Could the Rams recover? Yes: On their next play from scrimmage, Warner threw a bomb to Bruce, who took it 73 yards for a touchdown. With 1:54 left, the Rams led, 23-16.

The Titans' last chance began at their own 12-yard line with 1:48 left. They were aided by a pair of dumb defensive penalties by the Rams, putting the ball on the Ram 40 with 59 seconds to go.

On a 3rd & 5, McNair escaped what looked like a sure sack, and passed to Dyson for a 1st down and the Ram 10. With 6 seconds left, the Titans called their last time-out. At this point, there had never been a Super Bowl go to overtime. Of course, if the Titans scored, and went for 2 instead of 1, there would be no overtime.

Fisher's plan for the last play (at least, of regulation time) was to have Wycheck run straight up the right side, as a decoy, to lure Jones away from Dyson. Dyson would then slant left through the middle and be open at around the 5-yard line. McNair would then pass to him for the touchdown that would make it no worse than 23-22.

It didn't work. Jones saw Dyson getting ready to catch the ball. Jones ran toward Dyson, and wrapped is arms around Dyson's legs to tackle him, less than 3 yards short of the goal line. But Dyson knew he was not yet down, and he reached out with his arm, holding the ball, hoping to have it break the plane of the goal line for the touchdown. But the way that Jones tackled him, his shoulder hit the ground, ending the play, and the ball was still about one full foot away from the goal line.

It's become known as "The Tackle" and "The Longest Yard." The Titans had fought bravely, but were one yard short of, at the very least, being tied at the end of regulation of the Super Bowl. The Rams had blown a 16-point 2nd half lead in the Super Bowl, but were still World Champions. They also became the 1st team to win NFL Championships in 3 different cities: Cleveland in 1945, Los Angeles in 1951, and St. Louis in 1999-2000.

Warner's story of being a supermarket bagger and an Arena Football League quarterback in Iowa to winning the Most Valuable Player award in a Super Bowl was made into the recent movie American Underdog, starring Zachary Levi. And Dick Vermeil, once again crying tears of joy after a big win, finally got his ring.

After failing to repeat, the Rams got back to the Super Bowl in the 2001-02 season, but lost to the New England Patriots on a last-play field goal. Soon, "The Greatest Show On Turf" broke up, and the Rams became a mediocre team again. Warner went, ironically, to the former St. Louis football team, now the Arizona Cardinals, and got them into Super Bowl XLIII, but lost.

St. Louis lost interest in the Rams, and when they moved back to Los Angeles in 2016, there wasn't much of a fuss over it. The Rams got back to the Super Bowl in the 2019 season, but lost. They're back in it this season, and will play the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI in their new home, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. (They had previously played Super Bowl XIV in the Rose Bowl, 14 miles from their home at the time, the Los Angeles Coliseum, but lost it to the Pittsburgh Steelers.)

The Titans reached the AFC Championship Game again in the 2002 season, but lost it to the then-Oakland Raiders, They were still a Playoff team as late as 2008, but fell apart. They have rebuilt, making the Playoffs in 4 of the last 5 seasons, including another AFC Championship Game in the 2019 season, which could have set up a Super Bowl rematch with the Rams, but they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.

In 2019, a poll ranked this game 16th on a list of the 100 Greatest Games of the NFL's 1st 100 years.

UPDATE: On February 13, 2022, the Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals, 23-20, and won Super Bowl LVI.

Rams Aeneas Williams, Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Orlando Pace, Isaac Bruce, D'Marco Farr, Kevin Carter, Mike Jones, Torry Holt, head coach Dick Vermeil and assistant coach Mike Martz have been elected to the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame. Vermeil, Bruce, Trent Green and Grant Wistrom have been elected to the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

The Titans have a Ring of Honor: Its inductees include:

* From their previous tenure as the Houston Oilers: Founding owner Bud Adams, 1960s quarterback George Blanda, 1960s safety Ken Houston, 1960s punter Jim Norton, 1970s head coach O.A. "Bum" Phillips, 1970s receiver Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, 1970s defensive end Elvin Bethea, 1970s linebacker Robert Brazile, 1980s running back Earl Campbell, 1980s guard Mike Munchak, 1990s general manager Mike Holovak, 1990s quarterback Warren Moon, 1990s guard Bruce Matthews.

* From their Titans era: Adams, Matthews, head coach Jeff Fisher, quarterback Steve McNair, running back Eddie George and tight end Frank Wycheck.

Adams, Fisher, McNair, George and safety Blaine Bishop have been elected to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.

*

January 30, 2000 was a Sunday. There were, of course, no other football games on this day. And baseball was out of season.

Traditionally, in order to avoid competing for TV viewers even with the interminable pregame programming on Super Sunday, the NBA avoids scheduling many games for the day. This time, they scheduled 2: The New York Knicks beat the Sacramento Kings, 120-111 at Madison Square Garden. And the Houston Rockets beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 89-83 at The Summit in Houston. (The arena has since been converted into the Central Campus of the Lakewood Church, Dr. Joel Osteen's "megachurch.")

The NHL scheduled 3 games. The Montreal Canadiens beat the Carolina Hurricanes, 3-0 at the Molson Centre (now the Bell Center) in Montreal. The Washington Capitals beat the Philadelphia Flyers, 2-0 at the MCI Center (now the Capital One Arena) in Washington. And the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Vancouver Canucks, 3-1 at GM Place (now the Rogers Arena) in Vancouver.

January 8, 2000: The Music City Miracle

January 8, 2000: The Music City Miracle takes place, one of the wildest and most controversial plays in NFL history.

The Houston Oilers moved in 1997, becoming the Tennessee Oilers. After 1 season at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, they realized they weren't going to draw enough fans as a lame-duck team. All previous pro football teams in Tennessee had been based in Memphis, and, since Memphis and Nashville don't like each other, Nashvillians never really adopted the WFL's Memphis Southmen or the USFL's Memphis Showboats; and Memphis fans, knowing the Oilers would be in Nashville in 1999, rejected them.

So they moved to Nashville a year earlier than they'd intended, even though Vanderbilt Stadium seated only 41,000. After all, they weren't getting that much in Memphis.

In 1999, the Adelphia Coliseum -- now named Nissan Stadium -- opened, across the Cumberland River to the east of downtown Nashville. They changed their name again, to the Tennessee Titans, and adopted a new logo and new colors as well. The people of Nashville really took to them, because, for the first time, they had a true Nashville team to root for.

Winning helped: After going 8-8 in each of their 2 seasons as the Tennessee Oilers, head coach Jeff Fisher led the Titans to a record of 13-3, the best in the franchise's 40-season history. Ordinarily, this would be good enough to win the Division. But the Jacksonville Jaguars went 14-2 to win the AFC Central Division. So the Titans got into the Playoffs as a Wild Card.

But they would get the 1st round of the Playoffs at home. The franchise hadn't made the Playoffs in 6 years, since they were still in the Astrodome.

Their opponents were the Buffalo Bills. Although the Bills had won 4 straight AFC Championships from 1990 to 1993, including beating the Oilers in a Playoff game with the biggest comeback in NFL history, they lost 4 straight Super Bowls. A few players from those teams were still with them as they took the field at Adelphia.

The 1st quarter ended scoreless. Early in the 2nd quarter, Jevon Kearse, known as "The Freak" and winner of the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year, sacked Bills quarterback Ron Johnson in the end zone. It was 1 of 6 sacks on the day by the Titans, 1 of 2 by Kearse. Quarterback Steve McNair led the Titans down the field, and scored on a 1-yard run. That made it 9-0 Tennessee.

The next time the Titans had the ball, Al Del Greco attempted a 45-yard field goal, and missed. But the Bills committed a defensive penalty on the play, and Del Greco made the re-kick. The 1st half ended 12-0 in the Titans' favor.

Bills fans need to remember this: For much of the half, their team really wasn't in the game. The Titans held them to 64 yards, and they were penalized for almost as many: 44, after being penalized, how many times, Ed Rooney? "Nine times!"

But on the Bills' 1st play of the 2nd half, Antowain Smith ran for 44 yards. Four plays later, he scored from 4 yards out. On their next drive, Kearse made a big mistake with a roughing-the-passer penalty. This led to Smith scoring another touchdown, early in the 4th quarter, giving the Bills a 13-12 lead. But they couldn't make the 2-point conversion.

Del Greco kicked another field goal to put the Titans ahead 15-13 with 1:48 left in regulation. The Bills drove, and, with 20 seconds left, Steve Christie -- who had kicked the overtime winner in that comeback, 7 years and 5 days earlier -- kicked from 41 yards out, and it was 16-15 Buffalo.

The Bills treated the game as already won. Hall-of-Fame defensive end Bruce Smith was caught on film saying, "We got a win on the road, baby!" But the Bills still had to kick off, and hold the Titans off for another 16 seconds.

Perhaps some Tennessee fans were thinking of the ending of the 1982 California vs. Stanford game, which Cal won with a lateral-filled kickoff return known simply as "The Play." But Titans special teams coordinator Alan Lowry was thinking of a different play from the same year.

He was then an assistant coach with the Dallas Cowboys. Also in Dallas is Southern Methodist University -- both teams used the Cotton Bowl as their main home field from 1960 to 1971 -- and SMU used a trick play on a kickoff return to beat Texas Tech. Lowry made the Titans practice the play, which he called "Home Run Throwback," mixing his sports metaphors. They even used it once in the regular season, scoring a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons.

Christie tried a "pooch kick," to make it harder to run the ball back. Lorenzo Neal picked the ball up. Right behind him was Frank Wycheck, and Neal handed him the ball. This was key: The Bills saw this, and keyed on Wycheck.

Wycheck then threw the ball across the field, to Kevin Dyson. Except for Christie, every Bills player was fooled. Dyson ran down the sideline 75 yards, and had every other Titan available to block every Bill player coming over, and scored a touchdown.

Titans broadcaster Mike Keith had the call:

Do the Titans have a miracle left in them, in what has been a magical season to this point? If they do, they need it now. Christie kicks it high and short. Gonna be fielded by Lorenzo Neal at the 25, pitches it back to Wycheck, he throws it across the field to Dyson, 30, 40, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 5, end zone! Touchdown, Titans! There are no flags on the field! It's a miracle! Tennessee has pulled a miracle! A miracle for the Titans!

On TV for ABC, Mike Patrick had a similar call: "Dyson's going to go all the way! And there is no flag!"

Why would there be a penalty flag? Because it looked to many people like Wycheck had thrown a forward pass on a kickoff, which is illegal. The referee agreed to review the play.

The referee was Phil Luckett. Twice, in the previous season, he had been involved in controversy. On Thanksgiving, he had flipped the coin for overtime, and heard the Pittsburgh Steelers' Jerome Bettis call "Heads" then change his mind to "Tails," and went with the initial call of "Heads." The coin landed tails, the Detroit Lions got the ball, and they kicked a field goal to win without the Steelers even getting the ball. The Steelers missed the Playoffs due in part to losing that game.

A few weeks later, Vinny Testaverde fell a foot short of the goal line on a 4th down play, but the ball was ruled to have crossed the plane of the goal line, giving the New York Jets a win they didn't really deserve against the Seattle Seahawks. Luckett wasn't the official who made the call, and it wasn't reviewable under the rules of that season; but as head official for the game, he got blamed. So, for the 1999 season, the NFL team owners voted to bring instant replay back, and this was the biggest reviewed play since that decision.

The rule for instant replay is that, in order for the call on the field to be overturned, it must be conclusively shown to have been wrong. The replay didn't conclusively show that Wycheck's throw was a forward pass. I've seen it many times, and have never had any doubt that it was a lateral, slightly (maybe a foot or two) backward. No one reviewing the play thought the throw was the slightest bit forward. The touchdown was allowed to stand.

There were still 3 seconds left on the clock when Dyson crossed the goal line. So this crazy game wasn't over yet. But the Bills didn't have a "miracle" of their own, and the Titans won, 22-16.

During the off-season, the NFL office hired a computer analyst to check the play. Once again, it was affirmed that the Wycheck throw was a lateral. After 22 years, Bills fans still disagree.

But, through 2 different broadcasters' use of the word "miracle," the play and the game have become known as the Music City Miracle.

The Titans went on to beat the Indianapolis Colts and the Jaguars, to win the franchise's 1st AFC Championship. As the Oilers, they had won the AFL Championship in 1960 and 1961, but had lost the AFL Championship Game in 1962 and 1967, and had lost the AFC Championship Game in 1978 and 1979. So this would be the franchise's 1st trip to the Super Bowl.

The Titans lost Super Bowl XXXIV to the St. Louis Rams, 24-17. On the game's final play, Dyson, who had scored the touchdown on the Music City Miracle, was tackled by Mike Jones, 1 yard short of a touchdown that, with an extra point, would have sent the game to overtime -- or, with a 2-point conversion, would have won Tennessee the World Championship.

The Titans made the Playoffs in 5 of the next 9 years, and lost another AFC Championship Game in 2002. Then they went into a down period. But they have rebuilt. They reached the AFC Championship Game again in 2019, made the Playoffs again in 2020, and are among the AFC favorites this season.

The Bills missed the Playoffs for the next 17 seasons in a row. But they, too, have built a contender, and reached the AFC Championship Game in 2020. We could see another Bills vs. Titans Playoff game in the next few weeks.

UPDATE: Both teams were eliminated from the 2021-22 Playoffs in the Divisional round. Frank Wycheck died on December 9, 2023, at the age of 52. He thought he had CTE, and he may have been right, because he died from falling and hitting his head.

The day after, the Bills got hit with a similar play against the Kansas City Chiefs, but it was nullified for offside. Like the Music City Miracle, the officials got the call correct. And the Bills won the game.

*

January 8, 2000 was a Saturday. Also in Nashville on that day, singer Noah Cyrus was born to country singer Billy Ray Cyrus. Both would be surpassed in stardom by Noah's sister Miley.

An NFC Playoff game was also played that day: The Washington Redskins beat the Detroit Lions, 27-13. It was the 1st Playoff game played at FedEx Field in the Washington suburb of Landover, Maryland. The team currently known as the Washington Football Team has been so inept since, that stadium has only hosted 3 more, and Washington have lost them all. In fact, their only Playoff victory since has been on the road, at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2005 season.

There were 12 games played in the NBA that day, including both New York Tri-State Area teams:

* The New York Knicks lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers, 89-86 at Madison Square Garden.

* The New Jersey Nets beat the Miami Heat, 90-89 at the new American Airlines Arena (now the Kaseya Center) in Miami.

* The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Detroit Pistons, 110-105 at The Palace in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Michigan. Grant Hill scored 40 points in defeat, while the T-Wolves got 28 from Terrell Brandon.

* The Chicago Bulls beat the Boston Celtics, 96-79 at the United Center in Chicago.

* The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Washington Wizards, 130-129 in 2 overtimes at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee.

* The Dallas Mavericks beat the Atlanta Hawks, 95-85 at the Reunion Arena in Dallas.

* The Utah Jazz beat the Houston Rockets, 103-87 at The Summit in Houston. (The arena has since been converted into the Central Campus of the Lakewood Church, Dr. Joel Osteen's "megachurch.")

* The San Antonio Spurs beat the Orlando Magic, 127-92 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

* The Denver Nuggets beat the Charlotte Hornets, 97-92 at the Pepsi Center (now the Ball Arena) in Denver.

* The Los Angeles Clippers beat the Indiana Pacers, 107-94 at the Staples Center (now the Crypto.com Arena) in Los Angeles. Michael Olowokandi had 24 points and 17 rebounds for the Clips.

* The Portland Trail Blazers beat the Phoenix Suns, 96-91 at the Rose Garden (now the Moda Center) in Portland.

* And the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Seattle SuperSonics, 110-100 at the KeyArena in Seattle.

There were 11 games played in the NHL that day, including all 3 New York Tri-State Area teams:

* The New Jersey Devils beat the Phoenix Coyotes, 4-3 at the Continental Airlines Arena at the Meadowlands.

* In an "Original Six" matchup, the New York Rangers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 5-3 at the Air Canada Centre (now the Scotiabank Arena) in Toronto.

* The New York Islanders beat the Boston Bruins, 5-2 at the FleetCenter (now the TD Garden) in Boston.

* The Philadelphia Flyers beat their arch-rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins, 6-2 at the First Union Center (now the Xfinity Mobile Arena) in Philadelphia.

* The Washington Capitals beat the Atlanta Thrashers, 3-0 at the MCI Center (now the Capital One Arena) in Washington.

* The Buffalo Sabres beat the Ottawa Senators, 7-4 at the Corel Centre in the Ottawa suburb of Kanata, Ontario. (It's now the Canadian Tire Centre. The town was absorbed into Ottawa proper in 2001.)

* The Detroit Red Wings beat the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, 5-3 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

* The Nashville Predators beat the Chicago Blackhawks, 6-3 at the Gaylord Entertainment Center (now the Bridgestone Arena) in Nashville.

* The St. Louis Blues beat the Vancouver Canucks, 4-2 at the Kiel Center (now the Enterprise Center) in St. Louis.

* The Calgary Flames beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, 3-2 at the Saddledome in Calgary. Phil Housley scored with 32 seconds left in overtime to win it.

* And the Florida Panthers beat the San Jose Sharks, 4-2 at the San Jose Arena (now the SAP Center).