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Most Significant Sports History on December 26th
Learn about December 26th's most significant sports history including Babe Ruth to NYY, Peyton's TD record, Lombardi's playoff loss, & more!
National Baseball Hall of Fame Library
Though much of the world formally recognizes December 26th as “Boxing Day”, this date also holds its fair share of historic moments in sports. An infamous trade of one of baseball’s most iconic figures was agreed upon on this date, spawning a championship curse that lasted nearly a century. Numerous NFL and AFL title games, each of great significance, were held on 12/26 throughout the 1950’s and ’60’s, but one of the most memorable bad-weather games in NFL history also took place in the late ’70’s. More recently, a surefire Colts HOF QB broke a single-season record that had stood two whole decades to cap off a day full of monumental moments in sports history.
See what happened on this day in: 2020 | 2019
Today in 1919, the Red Sox trade Babe Ruth to the Yankees.... pic.twitter.com/d8prSnN2mb
— Old School Boston (@OldSchoolBoston) December 26, 2019
YEAR: 1919
SIGNIFICANCE: Yankees and Red Sox reached an agreement that would send legend Babe Ruth from Boston to New York
For the sum of $125,000 (around $1.9M in 2020 value), the Boston Red Sox sent George Herman Ruth to the New York Yankees in what became known as the most infamous trade in MLB history. Ruth was mainly a pitcher during his time in Boston, and a great one at that. In six seasons with the Red Sox, the Babe had a 2.19 ERA in nearly 1,200 innings. He was their best player by far and helped the Sox win three championships. In 1919, he started to consistently receive at-bats, and managed to lead the majors in all major hitting categories except AVG. His 29 HRs that year set a new single-season record, breaking Ned Williamson’s 1884 record of 27.
When Ruth joined the Yankees, he became a full-time outfielder and showcased his “Ruthian” offensive prowess. In 15 years with the Yanks, Babe simply turned himself into the greatest hitter that ever was. From 1920-1934, he collected 659 HRs, over 2,500 hits, and had a 1.195 OPS. He won four titles with NYY alongside a squad of deadly hitters, mainly Lou Gehrig, whose duo wreaked havoc during their prime. For Boston, this trade became known as the “Curse of the Bambino,” causing a severe championship drought for 86 years. During that timespan, the Yankees won 39 league pennants and 26 World Series while BOS failed to win a single title.
Colts-Chargers week 16, 2004: Peyton Manning moves past Dan Marino for the most TD passes in a season (49) with a 21-yard strike to Brandon Stokley! The record was broken 3 seasons later by Tom Brady (50) and again by Peyton in 2013 (55). pic.twitter.com/WrTfUVgTq9
— Four Verts 🏈 (@FourVerticals_) April 24, 2019
YEAR: 2004
SIGNIFICANCE: Peyton Manning threw his 49th TD of the season to set the new NFL single-season record
Entering a matchup with the San Diego Chargers and Drew Brees on this date, Peyton Manning’s 46 PASS TDs on the season ranked second in NFL history to only Dan Marino’s 48 from 1984. He tied the mark by the end of the third quarter, but the Colts were still down by eight with less than 2:00 to play. Driving 80 yards from their own 20, Manning led the Colts downfield with a precision aerial attack, completing five consecutive passes and going 7/8 on the drive. From the SD 21, he audibled to a post route for WR Brandon Stokley, who faked to the corner and left his DB on the ground.
The ball arrived the moment he turned around, and Stokley secured the record-setting TD for Manning’s 49th of the season. The job was not done, however, as the “Sheriff” motioned for quiet in order to attempt the game-tying two-point conversion. RB Edgerrin James rammed through for the tie, and the Colts received the ball to begin OT where Manning connected with Stokley again and WR Reggie Wayne for 58 total yards on consecutive plays to begin the extra period. From the SD 12-yard-line, K Mike Vanderjagt won the game on a FG to not only send the fans and players home happy, but to allow Peyton to celebrate his record in winning fashion.
December 26, 1960#Eagles #Packers
— Old Time Football 🏈 (@Ol_TimeFootball) July 25, 2020
The only Championship game held at Franklin Field.
Vince Lombardi loses the only playoff game of his career.#1960ChampionshipThread pic.twitter.com/YvS2RaatVY
YEAR: 1960
SIGNIFICANCE: Vince Lombardi suffered his only Playoff loss at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles
In his second season at the helm, Vince Lombardi led the Green Bay Packers back to the postseason with a strong 8-4 record. Prior to his arrival and subsequent 7-5 record in 1959, the Packers had not put together a winning season since 1947 (6-5-1) but found themselves in position for their first title since 1944. The Packers traveled down to Philly on this date, where the Eagles proceeded to hand Lombardi his first and only career postseason loss while claiming their third NFL Championship.
It would be Philadelphia’s last title until Super Bowl LII in 2018 where they won their first Super Bowl, while this loss exactly 60 years ago basically kick-started Green Bay’s legendary dynasty. Over the next seven years, the Packers would win five NFL Championships in addition to the first two Super Bowls under Lombardi’s tutelage. By the time he resigned as HC after Super Bowl II, he accumulated an 89-29-4 regular season record in addition to an outstanding 9-1 postseason career — that lone blemish coming on 12/26/1960 to the Philadelphia Eagles.
BOTD Otto Graham
— Old Time Football 🏈 (@Ol_TimeFootball) December 6, 2020
This is the final TD pass of Otto’s career, 35 yards to Ray Renfro December 26, 1955 #NFL Championship Game.
Otto was league champion 7 times.#Browns pic.twitter.com/X0dG6qMNTV
YEARS: 1954, 1955, 1964, & 1965
SIGNIFICANCE: Bills and Browns each won monumental championships in their franchise’s history
After the Los Angeles Rams exacted their revenge on their former hometown’s Browns in the 1951 NFL Championship Game, Cleveland returned to the next two title games but fell to the Detroit Lions both times. The two teams met up yet again in 1954, but the third edition wasn’t nearly as close as the first two were. After ten-point and one-point losses in the 1952 and ’53 title games, the Browns flat-out embarrassed the Lions in Cleveland to win their second NFL championship — sixth including the AAFC — while K Lou Groza converted an NFL-record eight PATs on this exact day 66 years ago.
Precisely one year later, the Browns made it back to their 10th consecutive title game and faced off yet again with the LA Rams. After three consecutive bouts with the Lions (1-2), the reigning-champion Browns entered the LA Coliseum as six-point favorites but absolutely rolled to their second-straight championship blowout. The first run of back-to-back NFL titles for the former AAFC giant, legendary QB Otto Graham would announce his retirement soon after the victory. Their seventh overall championship would be their last until the latter years of Paul and Jim Brown (1964), while the Rams wouldn’t fight for a title again until the year 2000.
Nearly 20 years after the inception of the AAFC — which spawned the Browns, 49ers, and Colts — the upstart AFL was gaining stream. Exactly 10 years after Cleveland’s first of two blowout title victories, the Buffalo Bills secured their very first title against the San Diego Chargers — the reigning AFL Champions. They had ran roughshod over the Boston Patriots (56-10) in the previous title game, but the Lou Saban-led Bills had become a juggernaut. Fielding the league’s top-ranked offense and defense, Buffalo held San Diego’s outstanding offense to just seven points, clinching their very first Championship in franchise history by a score of 20-7.
Exactly one year later, BUF & SD met yet again to decide the AFL’s champion. Held in Cali this time around, the Bills entered as underdogs due to their 34-3 loss to SD in October, notwithstanding their Thanksgiving tie. Lou Saban’s defense came to play that day, however, as the Bills blanked the Chargers in front of their home crowd to win their second straight AFL title. Scoring a combined seven points over the two bouts, SD advanced to five of the AFL’s first six championships but managed to only win one. This would also be the last game before the first “AFL-NFL World Championship Game” was instituted (which became the Super Bowl).
Back-to-back AFL championships.
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) January 16, 2020
The 1964-1965 Buffalo Bills were legendary. 👏 pic.twitter.com/3o6YhvLlRm
OTD 1977
— Kevin Gallagher (@KevG163) December 26, 2018
° 1977 NFC DIVISIONAL °
~ "The Mud Bowl" ~
The #Vikings and a prolific Southern California monsoon stymie the Rams in a quagmire at the L.A. Coliseum, 14-7.
One of the most well-known bad weather games in league history. pic.twitter.com/oEZtni6nxu
YEAR: 1977
SIGNIFICANCE: Vikings defeated the Rams in the original “Mud Bowl” to advance to the NFC Championship
A re-match of the previous season’s NFC Championship Game, where the Vikings defeated the Rams to advance to their fourth Super Bowl (defeat), their 1977 Divisional bout on this date was held in LA rather than Minneapolis as their previous meetings had been. The area was going to be hit by a torrential downpour soon, however, and Vikings HC Bud Grant wanted QB Bob Lee to pass early on, hoping to jump out to a lead before the field became a disaster. He went 5/5 on that first drive, which was finished off by RB Chuck Foreman’s five-yard TD, then attempted only five more passing attempts (no CMP) the rest of the game.
The field’s conditions worsened, and the Vikings shifted to a “control the clock” offensive game plan, leaning heavily on Foreman. He would take 31 hand-offs and gain 101 yards in the swampy contest, dubbed the “Mud Bowl”, but the game was truly won by retaining possession. Minnesota couldn’t even crack 200 total yards while LA was approaching 300, but they forced three takeaways and did not turn the ball over at all. Minnesota would advance to their fourth NFC title game in five years, but would fall to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Cowboys at Texas Stadium the following week.
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