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This Day in Sports History: February 15

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The amount of sports in February is a fan’s dream We have both the NBA and NHL seasons in full swing, along with the Super Bowl, and the NBA All-Star game. Throw in some college basketball tournaments, spring training for the MLB, NASCAR’s Daytona 500, Formula E, PGA Tour events, and the Winter Olympics to top the month off. Over the years, Feb. 15 has witnessed many notable moments and stories involving sporting legends. Here are some of them.

Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records

Great moments in sports history from Feb. 15 included: 

  • 1930: The Wenona Mustangs beat the Toluca Wildcats in an Illinois basketball tournament, in 10 overtimes, 26-22.
  • 1936: Great Britain tied 0-0 with the United States hockey team. It was enough to get Great Britain their first-ever Olympic ice hockey gold medal.
  • 1936: Figure skater Sonja Henie became the most successful Olympic figure skater ever, as she won her third straight gold medal.
  • 1963: Figure skater Tenley Albright became the first United States World Figure Skating Champion.
  • 1964: Basketball player Bill Bradley scored 51 points in a game for Princeton.
  • 1966: Kees Verkerk became a world champion all-round skater.
  • 1970: Ard Schenk became the world champion all-round skater.
  • 1976: David Pearson won the 18th annual Daytona 500.
  • 1978: Boxer Leon Spinks beat Muhammad Ali in 15 rounds to take the heavyweight boxing title.
  • 1980: Speed skater Eric Heiden won the 500-meter race in an Olympic record of 38.03 seconds. It was the first of a record five gold medal sweeps of the games.
  • 1980: Edmonton Oiler Wayne Gretzky assisted on an NHL-record-tying seven goals, as the Oilers beat Washington 8-2.
  • 1981: In the 23rd Daytona 500, Richard Petty won a record seventh title.
  • 1982: NBA player Dan Issel began his streak of 63 straight free throws.
  • 1986: The largest NBA crowd to date happened, as 44,180 fans watched Philadelphia vs. Detroit.
  • 1987: Chi-Chi Rodriguez won his second and final Champions Tour major title.
  • 1996: NFL coach Bill Belichick was fired by the Cleveland Browns. His record with them was 36-44.
  • 1998: In the 40th Daytona 500, driver Dale Earnhardt got his only Daytona win in his 20th start.
  • 2000: Martin Brodeur became the first goaltender in NHL history to get credit for a game-winning goal, as the Devils beat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2.
  • 2004: In the 46th Daytona 500, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won exactly six years to the day after his father, Dale Earnhardt Sr., won his title.
  • 2009: In the 58th NBA All-Star Game, the West beat the East 146-119, and the MVPs were Lakers Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.
  • 2018: Center Nikola Jokic got the fastest triple-double in NBA history with a time of 14 minutes and 33 seconds.
  • 2024: Caitlin Clark became the NCAA Division I women’s career scoring leader.

Three athletes who stood out on Feb. 15 were Leon Spinks, Martin Brodeur, and Nikola Jokic.

Spinks was renowned for his aggressive style, gap-toothed smile, and for being the only man to take a title from Ali in the ring. Brodeur has all-time records with 691 wins, 125 shutouts, and 1,266 games played, almost entirely with the New Jersey Devils. Jokic is famous for revolutionizing the center position with elite passing, triple-double proficiency, and high-efficiency scoring.

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