Multiple massive accomplishments were achieved across multiple leagues in professional sports on November 13th. The fans of the MLB were privileged to see an icon from the mound record four consecutive Cy Young Awards 25 years ago. Meanwhile, the NBA witnessed revolutionary accolades from Magic Johnson and big man Bob Pettit decades apart. What occurred on 11/13 in sports history set an extremely high standard for athletes to strive for each and every game.

Jaime Segui & Alex Raphael covered the MLB & NBA sections in this article.

4 Straight Cy Youngs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCjEYPSzaIg

YEAR: 1995

SIGNIFICANCE: Greg Maddux became the 1st pitcher in MLB history to win 4 consecutive Cy Young Awards

Atlanta Braves SP Greg Maddux left no doubt that he was the best pitcher in baseball during the early 90s. The 2014 Hall of Fame class member became the first pitcher in MLB history to win the Cy Young award in four consecutive seasons exactly a quarter century ago. The streak started in 1992 when he was still a member of the Chicago Cubs, and it stretched until ’95, three years into his historic Braves’ tenure.

During those four seasons, Maddux posted a 1.98 ERA, the lowest in baseball by almost a full run, while averaging 237 innings per season. The Professor was no strikeout artist (6.97 K/9), but he was a maestro in inducing soft contact, bearing a major league low 0.31 HR/9 during his Cy Young award streak. The 18x Gold Glove winner is joined by Randy Johnson (1999-2002) as the only pitchers to ever win four consecutive Cy Young trophies. The Braves as a whole dominated the Cy Young competition from 1991 to 1996, where either one of Atlanta’s Hall of Fame trio of Maddux, Tom Glavine, or John Smoltz, won the NL Cy Young Award; a streak that Pedro Martinez snapped in 1997.

NBA Milestones

🗓 This Day in Stats, 1964: @ATLHawks legend Bob Pettit becomes the first player in @NBA history to reach 20,000 career points. https://t.co/ACsrKoJnqH pic.twitter.com/7ns0PVyR0x
— StatMuse (@statmuse) November 13, 2019

YEAR: 1964 & 1990

SIGNIFICANCE: Bob Pettit became the 1st to reach 20K pts AND Magic Johnson became the 2nd to reach 9K assists

The 2x MVP and 11x All-Star Bob Pettit left a monumental mark on the league’s young 19-year-existence, only comprised of a mere nine teams at the time in 1964. 56 years ago today, the future HOFer achieved a historical milestone by becoming the first player in league history to register 20,000 points, snatching two scoring titles to help along the way. As a true pioneer of the game the St. Louis Hawks big man (current day Atlanta Hawks) was a force using his finesse-oriented style while standing 6-foot-9 with an average of 26.4 points and 16.2 rebounds per game over his illustrious 11-year career.

Earvin Johnson Jr. was a generational talent who put on a show every game he laced them up for Los Angeles. The 3x MVP and 12x All-Star earned the moniker of “Magic” in accordance with the wizardly way he passed the ball to his teammates. Turning back the clock 30 years to this day in 1990, Magic Johnson joined the elite company of Oscar Robertson as he became just the second player to dish out 9,000 career assists in NBA history, snagging four league assist titles to get there.

The HOF guard stood a towering 6-foot-9 and was the driving force behind the Lakers’ fast-break engine that was famously referred to as the “Showtime” which outpaced opponents and drove them to five NBA titles during his time sporting the purple and gold.

Not 1, But 2 MVPs

#TodayInHistory: 1979 - Willie Stargell shares NL MVP Award with Keith Hernandez. First time that two players finish in a tie.
— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) November 13, 2014

YEAR: 1979

SIGNIFICANCE: Keith Hernandez and Willie Stargell became the 1st ever co-MVPs in MLB history

For the first time in MLB history an MVP award voting ended in a tie, resulting in both St. Louis Cardinals 1B Keith Hernandez and Pittsburgh Pirates OF Willie Stargell taking home the award. Hernandez and Stargell were pretty much complete opposites.

Hernandez was 25 years old and was a contact hitter that led the majors in batting average (.344) and doubles (48). Stargell, 39 years and old and in his 18th major league season, was in the twilight of his career and was mainly a power hitter, smashing 32 HRs and slugging .552 in 1979. The ’79 NL MVP is still the only MVP award in MLB history to be shared, but was the second time a major trophy had been split, following the AL Cy Young in 1969 between Denny McLain and Mike Cuellar.

Wild FG Attempts

Have you ever seen a fake field goal like this?! #Bears100

(Nov. 13, 1994) @CurtisConway80 @ChicagoBears pic.twitter.com/SImExHya64
— NFL Legacy (@NFLLegacy) September 17, 2019

YEAR: 1994 & 2005

SIGNIFICANCE: Bears scored miraculous TD on fake FG AND longest play in NFL history (108 YDS) on missed FG

Down just three points in the first quarter to the Dolphins, the Bears lined up for a game-tying FGA at the Miami 24-yd line in a peculiar formation. The kicker and holder were aligned normally, but the snapper was left by himself with seven “linemen” a few yards to his left, and WR Curtis Conway a few yards behind them parallel to the holder. The defense knew that Chicago had something up their sleeve, yet had no idea what it could be.

A direct snap to Conway was followed by a chaotic series of events as seen in the video above, including K Kevin Butler whiffing a block then redeeming himself, a cross-field throw that was tipped up into the air, and finally a juggling catch by the unintended receiver (Keith Jennings), who was able to score. A 17-14 victory for Chicago, the first-quarter gamble proved the be the difference in the game, and one of the most memorable special teams plays of all-time.

A decade later, the Bears were locked into a defensive battle plagued by weather with the 49ers on this date. Holding a 3-0 lead with just a few seconds left until halftime, San Francisco attempted to extend their lead with a 52-yard FGA. Strong winds were gusting through Soldier Field that night, however, and Joe Nedney’s kick directly into the wind was pushed short and wide right.

Anticipating a short kick, Nathan Vasher was back to return and snagged the ball on the run in the very back of the end zone. Hesitating at first, he ran to his closest blocker but was immediately met with a swarm of 49ers. He planted his foot, spun out of danger, then widened the field for his blockers to gain ground and positioning, and they did the rest of the work. The Chicago FG unit set up a wall on the sideline to shield Vasher, who bobbed and weaved his way to a 108 yard TD return which was the longest TD in NFL history at the time (broken in 2008).

𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟑, 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟓

Nathan Vasher returns a missed field goal 108 yards for a Bears touchdown! pic.twitter.com/U6f8YL19yR
— This Day in Chicago Sports (@ChiSportsDay) November 13, 2019

Shattered Glass

YEAR: 1979

SIGNIFICANCE: Darryl Dawkins became the very 1st player to shatter a backboard in-game

In the inaugural year of the 3-point line, the first player to be drafted out of high school, Darryl Dawkins did some destruction inside the restricted area to remind viewers that paint play was still dominant. During that season, the Philadelphia 76ers center, self-nicknamed “Chocolate Thunder”, rose to a new level of hype by shattering a pair of backboards, marking the first time a player had produced such an event in an official NBA game.

His first strong man-showing owhich warranted the backboard breaking to bits was at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City occurred exactly 41 years ago where he posterized his poor opponent into oblivion as shards of glass came crashing down onto the hardwood. Later that same year, the league installed shatter-proof glass to reduce Dawkins’ likelihood of obliterating any more backboards.