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History of sports

By mlapthorne72

  • First College Football game

    First College Football game
    In a game that only slightly resembles today's version of football, Rutgers beat Princeton 6 goals to 4. The game evolved in the early part of the 20th century to look more like football today, including using an egg-shaped ball and the implementation of goal posts.

  • First MLB game

    First MLB game
    Initially called the National League from 1876-1900, Major League Baseball played it's first game, the Red Stockings beat the Athletics 6-5. The Chicago White Stockings went on to win the first National League title that year. The American League started in 1901.

  • First College Basketball game

    First College Basketball game
    University of Chicago defeated University of Iowa 15-12 in the first ever college basketball game. The game was played a decade before the formation of the NCAA.

  • Formation of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)

    Formation of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
    Originally known as the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States, the NCAA was formed in large part to help regulate college football.

  • First NHL games

    First NHL games
    The Montreal Canadians beat the Ottawa Senators 7-4 and the Montreal Wanderers beat the Toronto Arenas 10-9 on the first day of play in the NHL. The "Original Six" era started in 1942 and went until 1967.

  • First National Football League game

    First National Football League game
    Originally called the American Professional Football Association from 1920-1922, the first game of the National Football League was a 14-0 victory for the Dayton Triangles over the Columbus Panhandles. Louis Partlow of the Dayton Triangles scored the first touchdown in NFL history.

  • Formation of NBA

    Formation of NBA
    The Basketball Association of America, later renamed the National Basketball Association, consisted of 11 teams at the time of its creation. Boston, Providence, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Washington formed the East Division and Cleveland, Detroit, Toronto, Chicago and St. Louis the West Division.

  • Jackie Robinson breaks the color barrier

    Jackie Robinson breaks the color barrier
    28-year-old Jackie Robinson became the first African-American to play in a Major League Baseball game. Robinson played for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1947-1957 and was inducted in the MLB Hall of Fame in 1962.

  • First American Football League game

    First American Football League game
    Led by Dallas businessman Lamar Hunt, the AFL formed in 1960 consisting of six teams, all of which still exist in the National Football league today. The Denver Broncos defeated the Boston Patriots in the first regular season AFL game. The American Football League would later merge with the National Football League.
  • Period: to

    John Wooden wins 10 NCAA basketball titles

    John Wooden, legendary basketball coach at UCLA, won an impressive ten national championships in the span of twelve seasons.

  • NFL and AFL merge

    NFL and AFL merge
    Just six years after the AFL was formed it merged with the NFL. The two leagues played the first Super Bowl in 1966, The Green Bay Packers of the NFL defeated the Kansas City Chiefs of the AFL 35-10. The two leagues didn't start playing regular season games against one another until 1970.

  • First American Basketball Association game

    First American Basketball Association game
    The Oakland Oaks beat the Anaheim Amigos 134-129. The ABA was formed as a flashier, higher-scoring alternative to the NBA. The league had trouble surviving on its own however, and was forced to merge with the NBA less than a decade after its inception.

  • Title IX Passed

    Title IX Passed
    The passing of Title IX into law meant that schools could not discrminate based on sex. The result was a vast increase in womens sports throughout the country. Title IX is still celebrated today.

  • NBA and ABA merge

    NBA and ABA merge
    The two leagues merge after the ABA had trouble maintaining an audience. The NBA adopted the Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, New York Nets and San Antonio Spurs from the ABA.

  • First X Games Competition

    First X Games Competition
    Originally named the Extreme Games, the X Games hosted it's first competition in Newport, Providence, Middletown Rhode Island, and Mount Snow, Vermont. The event attracted 198,000 spectators.

  • First MLS game

    First MLS game
    The San Jose Clash defeated D.C. United 1-0 in the first ever Major League Soccer game. The league started with ten teams and has since doubled in size.

  • Tiger Woods wins first major

    Tiger Woods wins first major
    Less than a year after turning pro Tiger Woods won the 1997 Masters, his first major victory. At age 21 Woods was the youngest golfer to ever win the tournament.