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Most Significant Sports History on December 29th
Learn about December 29th's most significant sports history including the Patriots' perfect season, Wilt's 3rd retired jersey, and more!
Jim McIsaac / Getty Images Sport
December 29th contains some of the most notable franchise accolades and achievements in the history of professional sports. The landscape of the NFL was forever changed as a team completed a 16-game season without a single defeat for the first time ever. More recently, a revolutionary offense conquered a single-season rushing record that would solidify an all-time great rushing attack in the new passing era. More events make 12/28 an extremely memorable day in sports history.
See what happened in sports on this day in: 2020 | 2019
YEAR: 2007
SIGNIFICANCE: New England Patriots completed the 1st perfect 16-game schedule & Brady set the season PASS TD record
In 1972, the Miami Dolphins cemented their names into football immortality by completing the modern NFL’s very first perfect season — a 14-0 regular season, two playoff victories, and the franchise’s first Super Bowl title. Their historic achievement became even more unrealistic to match when the league expanded to a 16-game schedule as only a select few have come even relatively close. That was, until the 2007 New England Patriots, who completed the NFL’s very first undefeated 16-game regular season on this date against — ironically — the New York Giants.
Giving the Patriots a legitimate scare, they held a 28-16 lead late in the third quarter on the strength of Eli Manning’s four PASS TDs. Allowing 22 unanswered points, New York’s lead withered away as New England snatched the momentous victory from the jaws of defeat. Completing his 50th TD of the season on a 65-yard bomb to Randy Moss, Tom Brady also broke Peyton Manning’s single-season PASS TD record from three years earlier while winning his first MVP award. The Patriots would advance through the AFC Playoffs and entered their Super Bowl XLII rematch with New York with an 18-0 overall record — but fate had other ideas.
The 2019 @Ravens have surpassed the 1978 New England Patriots (3,165 rushing yards) for the most rushing yards by a team in a single season in @NFL history. #NFL100 #PITvsBAL pic.twitter.com/Tx4daZX7v4
— NFL345 (@NFL345) December 29, 2019
YEAR: 2019
SIGNIFICANCE: Baltimore Ravens broke the 1975 Patriots’ team RUSH YDS record for a single season (3,165)
Just a year ago, the Ravens hosted the Steelers to conclude the regular season as Baltimore hoped to clinch their best record in franchise history (14-2). Despite sitting multiple starters — including Lamar Jackson, Ronnie Stanley, Marshal Yanda, etc. — the Ravens won handily, 28-10. In addition to the league’s best record, the Ravens’ ground attack also set an all-time record.
Led by RGIII and Gus Edwards, they totaled a whopping 223 RUSH YDS to break the 1978 Patriots’ single-season record of 3,165 as a team. Besting the former record by 131 yards, which is exactly how many RUSH YDS Edwards had in Wk17, the 2019 Ravens were officially the greatest rushing offense in NFL history.
On this date in NBA history: In 1999, Wilt Chamberlain became the 1st player to have his jersey retired by 3 teams (Warriors/76ers/Lakers). pic.twitter.com/2TghVx2gnF
— BasketballontheBrain 🧠 (@1Guy1Basket) December 29, 2016
YEAR: 1999
SIGNIFICANCE: Wilt Chamberlain became the 1st player to have 3 different teams retire his jersey
Entering the NBA in 1959, Wilt Chamberlain couldn’t have hypothesized the ever-lasting imprint he’d leave on the league. Native to Pennsylvania, Chamberlain was taken by the Philadelphia Warriors who would relocate to San Francisco in 1962, taking Wilt along with them. He departed back to his hometown of Philly to play for the 76ers where he’d win a ring in 1967. Then, Chamberlain packed his bags to head for California once again, this time, to play for the L.A. Lakers with whom he won his second ring in 1972. Retiring in 1973, the HOFer Chamberlain saw his numbers retired by the Lakers and Sixers in 1983 and 1991 respectively.
The 4x MVP, passing away in October of 1991 did not get to see his Warriors jersey raised to the rafters on December 29th of that year, however. This historic event made Chamberlain the first player ever to have his jersey hanging in three different team’s arenas as the No. 13 will forever be enshrined in NBA history. “The Big Dipper” spent six youthful years with the Warriors, documenting a video game-like 41.5 points and 25.1 rebounds per game over 429 contests.
(12/29/01) 1,000-Victory Club: Don Nelson became the 3rd head coach (Lenny Wilkens & Pat Riley) in @NBAHistory to win 1,000 games. pic.twitter.com/c95OjzNtRv
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) December 29, 2016
YEAR: 2001
SIGNIFICANCE: Don Nelson became the 3rd HC with 1K wins AND Jerry Sloan became the 10th HC to reach 800 wins
Serving as a head coach for over 30 seasons — from 1976-2010 — HOFer Don Nelson retired as the most winningest coach in NBA history with an astounding 1,335 victories. Despite never reaching the NBA Finals, 3x Coach of the Year Nelson captured seven consecutive division championships in Milwaukee and made 18 postseason appearances. Then, on December 29th, 2001 Nelson joined Pat Riley and Lenny Wilkens as the third coach in history to obtain 1,000 career wins, with his Dallas Mavericks beating the Atlanta Hawks 113-97.
To complement Nelson’s coaching feat, the late, great Jerry Sloan cemented his legacy in the NBA’s illustrious lore on that exact date as well. Steering the Malone and Stockton-captained Jazz to an 89-81 win over the Sixers, Sloan became just the 10th coach ever to win 800 games. In his 26 years of head coaching, Sloan was the puppet master of Utah from 1988-2011 as he manipulated them to six Western Conference finals and two Finals. The wins came in bunches for Sloan as he tallied three 60-win seasons and 14 50-win seasons, concluding his coaching career with 1,221 victories — the fourth-most ever.
YEAR: 1979 & 2019
SIGNIFICANCE: Vernon Perry set a single-game INT record AND Jameis Winston became the 1st to throw 30 TDs & INTs
On this date in 1979, the San Diego Chargers hosted the Houston Oilers in an AFC Divisional matchup between iconic HCs — Don Coryell and Bum Phillips. Despite the absence of Houston’s QB, RB, and WR — including league MVP Earl Campbell — the latter got the best of the former’s “Air Coryell” scheme that day. Houston DC Eddie Biles managed to break the code used to relay offensive play calls from OC Joe Gibbs, and Houston capitalized massively. HOF QB Dan Fouts tied a modern NFL record by throwing five INTs while a rookie S — Vernon Perry — caught four of them, tying the all-time record and breaking the playoff record.
Exactly 40 years later, Jameis Winston made his own INT history. Tossing two in a Week 17 loss to ATL, Jameis cemented his 2019 season as one of the most enigmatic in NFL history. Despite the eighth-most PASS YDS in NFL history (5,109), his game-ending pick-six marked 30 INTs on the season to lead the league by a wide margin (9). Combined with his 33 PASS TDs, Winston became the very first in league history to throw 30 TDs and INTs each in a single season. His final pass as a Buc also set the single-season record for pick-6’s (7), while just a few weeks earlier he became the first with 450+ PASS YDS in consecutive games (Weeks 14 & 15).
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