Jim Thorpe, Red Grange & Curly Lambeau are among the inaugural class of 17 inductees to the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Cassius Clay 'shook up the world' by defeating Sonny Liston by TKO in the 8th round to win the World Heavyweight Championship

Ace Dodger southpaw Sandy Koufax sets a record for strike outs in a perfect game with 14 while becoming the first pitcher with 4 no-hitters

In his first season after being traded by the Cincinnati Reds, Frank Robinson leads the Baltimore Orioles to their first title by winning AL Triple Crown, AL MVP & World Series MVP

The NFL champion Packers defeat the AFL champion Chiefs 35-10 in the first AFL-NFL World Championship Game, a game that would become known as Super Bowl I

A powerful civil rights message is made when African American medal winners Tommie Smith and John Carlos hold their fists up in protest at the Olympics in Mexico City

Shocking year for New York sports: the Jets beat heavily favored Colts in Super Bowl III, the Amazin' Mets win World Series, Mickey Mantle retires after 18 years with the Yankees

Bobby Orr flies through the air and across the ice after he lights the lamp 40 seconds into OT of Game 4 to complete a sweep of the Blues as the Bruins hoist the Stanley Cup

Joe Frazier successfully retains the undisputed Heavyweight title by unanimous decision and gives Muhammad Ali his first professional loss in the Fight of the Century

A broken up pass on 4th & 10 falls into Franco Harris's hands and he runs the Immaculate Reception over 40 yards for a TD with :05 left in a 13-7 Steelers playoff win over Oakland

After beating Margaret Court in two sets 4 months earlier, Bobby Riggs loses three straight sets to Billie Jean King in tennis's famous Battle of the Sexes

In one of Don King’s first ventures as a boxing promoter, Muhammad Ali floors George Foreman in the 8th round to regain the Heavyweight Title in the 'Rumble in the Jungle'

Though the Reds win the Series, Carlton Fisk provides an iconic moment when he wills a ball fair for a home run in the 12th inning for a Game 6 Red Sox win in the Fall Classic

At age 14, Romanian Nadia Comăneci becomes the youngest Olympic gymnastics all-around champion ever, scores seven perfect 10.0s and wins three gold medals at the Games in Montreal

With 3 HRs on 3 swings in the Series clinching game, Reggie Jackson earns his Mr. October moniker as the Yankees win their 1st title under George Steinbrenner's ownership

Edging out Alydar by a nose, Affirmed races the fastest last mile in Belmont Stakes history and becomes the 11th and most recent winner of Thoroughbred Racing's Triple Crown

Incomparable promoter Bill Veeck, with assistance from his son Mike and a local DJ, holds Disco Demolition Night, which results in a riot at Comiskey Park

Team captain Mike Eruzione and coach Herb Brooks lead the U.S. to an improbable victory over the Soviet Union in the 'Miracle on Ice' en route to an Olympic gold

Fernandomania: quirky Dodgers LHP Fernando Valenzuela wins his first 8 games (with 7 CGs & 5 shutouts) and becomes the only man to win Rookie of the Year and Cy Young the same year

In the final minute of the NFC Championship Game, Joe Montana tosses one to the back of the end zone and Dwight Clark makes 'The Catch' to give the 49ers a 28-27 win over Dallas

A year before he first lifts the sacred trophy, Wayne Gretzky watches the New York Islanders win their 4th straight Stanley Cup in a 4-game sweep of the Edmonton Oilers

With Akeem Olajuwon off the board, the Trail Blazers pick Sam Bowie 2nd overall; the Bulls then pick Michael Jordan 3rd overall and the 76ers pick Charles Barkley 5th

A leg fracture suffered while being sacked by Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson ends Joe Theismann's career in front of a national Monday Night Football audience

At age 46, Jack Nicklaus wins his 6th green jacket at Augusta, his 18th and final Major Championship

In front of deafening Metrodome fans and behind Series MVP Frank Viola, the Twins edge past the Cardinals in the first Fall Classic in which all games are won by the home team

Watching Kirk Gibson hobble around the bases after a home run off of dominant closer Dennis Eckersley to win Game 1 of the World Series sparks the Dodgers to a 4-0 sweep of the A's

After 20 seasons highlighted by 19 All Star Games, 6 Championships and a record 6 MVPs, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar retires as the NBA's all-time leading scorer with 38,387 points

An 83-inch reach and fearless approach by 42-to-1 underdog James 'Buster' Douglas leads to a jaw-dropping upset of undefeated heavyweight champion Mike Tyson

Scott Norwood's kick in the final seconds of Super Bowl XXV sails wide right to secure a 20-19 Giants victory

Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson & Karl Malone are among the 11 future basketball Hall of Famers that lead the U.S. Dream Team to Olympic Gold in Barcelona in dominant fashion

Joe Carter tags a Mitch Williams pitch and proceeds to touch 'em all to end the 6th and final game of the World Series as the Toronto Blue Jays successfully defend the championship

Down 3–2 in the Conference Finals, Mark Messier backs up a public guarantee with a hat trick, highlighting the road the Rangers take to their first Stanley Cup win in 54 years

The Iron Man, Cal Ripken Jr, takes the field for the 2,131st time in a row, breaking the record long held by The Iron Horse, Lou Gehrig

After falling and damaging her ankle on her first attempt, Kerry Strug performs a superb vault in noticable agony for a score of 9.712 to secure an Olympic gold for the U.S.

On June 17, the San Francisco Giants defeat the Texas Rangers 4-3 at The Ballpark in Arlington in Major League Baseball's first regular season interleague game

Michael Jordan breaks Byron Russell's ankles and hits his final shot as a Bull with 5.2 seconds left in Game Six to lead Chicago to their sixth NBA title in eight years

After a shootout goal gives the U.S. a win over China in the Finals of the FIFA Women's World Cup, Brandi Chastain whips off her jersey and falls to her knees in celebration

Derek Jeter becomes the only player to win the All Star Game MVP and World Series MVP in the same season as the Yankees win their third straight World Series title

A wreck on the last lap of the Daytona 500 marks the final chapter of the untouchable legacy left by The Intimidator, Dale Earnhardt, after 76 victories and 7 NASCAR championships

Pete Sampras defeats Andre Agassi in a four-set battle in the finals of the U.S. Open to capture his 14th and final Grand Slam singles title

Two days after Yankee Stadium sees 6 Astros combine to no-hit its host, it sees New York's Roger Clemens earns his 4,000th strike out and 300th win in a defeat of the Cardinals

An unprecedented comeback vs rival Yankees sparks a team of self-proclaimed Idiots in Boston to reverse the curse and lead Red Sox to their first World Series title in 86 years

Following his 7th consecutive Tour de France victory, where he completes the tour at the highest pace in the race's history, Lance Armstrong retires from professional cycling

On 4th & 5 from the 9, Vince Young bolts into the end zone with 19 seconds left for his 3rd rushing TD as Texas defeats USC in the Rose Bowl 41-38 to win the National Championship

Amid a cloud of controversy regarding his suspected steroid use, Barry Bonds passes Hank Aaron as MLB's all-time homerun king and finishes his career with 762

Tiger Woods limps his way through over 90 holes in the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, defeating Rocco Mediate in a playoff for his 14th Major title

James Harrison's record 100-yard interception return for a TD and great footwork by MVP Santonio Holmes lead the Steelers to a 27-23 win over the Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII

Roy Halladay no-hits the Cincinnati Reds in the Phillies' 4–0 win in Game 1 of the NLDS, the only no-hitter in postseason play besides Don Larsen's 1956 World Series perfect game

After leading the Rays by 9 games in early September, the Red Sox lose 20 of their last 27 games and watch Tampa grab the AL wildcard by winning 17 of their last 25

Four years after spoiling New England's perfect season in the season's final game, the Giants beat the Patriots in another championship game, winning Super Bowl XLVI 21-17