December 3rd is the home to some memorable moments and events in professional sports history. Just a year ago, one of the wildest NBA games captured the attention of fans across the country in a matchup full of controversy. Nearly matching the craziness, one of the most impressive NFL records was set and broken on the same day half a century apart. Occurrences like these are extremely rare and put 12/3 in the spotlight as nothing short of a rare day in sports history.

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

Dunk Didn't Count

YEAR: 2019

SIGNIFICANCE: James Harden set a record for FTM, shot a historically poor FG% while mounting 50-pts

Coming off a 60-point out-pouring, the Houston Rockets’ NBA 3x scoring champion James Harden accumulated another high-volume game in lieu of coming down to Earth. The tactical contact-creating mastermind, who attempted 11.8 free throws per game last year, finessed his way to the charity stripe countless times as he sank all 24-24 attempts. This grand achievement would set the record for the most free throws made in a game without recording a single miss. Harden would also contribute nine boards and six assists in his efforts. On the downside, an error was made by refs during 4th Qtr combat between the Rockets and San Antonio Spurs.

With just under eight-minutes to play and Houston up 15, officials mistakenly waved off Harden’s made dunk which flipped onto the rim after going through, appearing as if it might have missed. This play would spark an epic Spurs rally to give them an unforeseen 135-133 double OT victory as Harden tracked the worst field goal efficiency ever for a 50-piece, shooting an ugly 29% (11-38 FG) which didn’t help his team’s poor 37.8% FG rate. On the bright side, “The Beard” branded himself as only the third player ever to rebound off a 60-point game with a 50-point performance, joining Kobe Bryant and Wilt Chamberlain.

Record-Breaking REC

Tom Fears would have turned 97 today. One of the most feared receivers of his time. Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, Fears caught 84 passes for the Rams in 1950 (a record that stood for a decade). For his efforts he was rewarded with $13,000 contract. pic.twitter.com/MgJ1I6a3Lg
— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) December 3, 2019

YEAR: 1950

SIGNIFICANCE: Tom Fears caught 18 passes on his birthday to set a single-game record

In the 1950 regular season finale, the Rams stomped the Packers 51-14. Tom Fears celebrated his 28th birthday with a single-game record that would last half a century. Smashing the former record of Packers great Don Hutson (14 REC in 1942), Fears hauled in 18 passes for 189 yards and two TDs from two separate HOF QBs — Bob Waterfield and Norm Van Brocklin. Adding to his league-leading numbers (1,116 yards on 84 REC — another record), the future Hall of Famer’s new high mark would remain intact until shortly after his passing in 2000, when Terrell Owens made 20 catches against the Bears that December.

No Pass, No Problem

#OTD in 1950 the @Browns behind their wishbone offense and future @ProFootballHOF QB Otto Graham defeat @Eagles 13-7 in the last 'no pass' game in @NFLHistory. They go on to win the @NFL Championship. #NFL100 #Cleveland #NFL #OTDinNFLHistory pic.twitter.com/b9o5cITEce
— OTDinNFLHistory (@OTDinNFLHistory) December 3, 2019

YEAR: 1950

SIGNIFICANCE: The Browns defeated the Eagles as the last team in NFL history with no pass attempts

Their very first season since joining the NFL from the AAFC, the Cleveland Browns’ debut year resulted in a 10-2 record and an NFL Championship right off the bat. Coached by the legendary Paul Brown, CLE paired arguably the league’s best defense with top-10 offensive unit that could generate run production with the best of them. In a late-season matchup with the Eagles, steady rain throughout the day resulted in a muddy, slippery playing surface and ball. Instructed by Brown to never throw a pass until they lost the lead, Cleveland did exactly that after returning an INT 30 yards for a TD to begin the game exactly 70 years ago.

On 41 plays, the Browns made 41 rush attempts and mustered only 68 yards and a single first down, punting 12 times in the first half. Though the offense was completely inept, Paul Brown’s goal was to prevent turnovers that would shorten the field for Philly. The Eagles, on the other hand, attempted 21 passes and completed just eight for 81 yards along with two INTs that proved to be the difference. Compared to CLE’s 0 TOs, three of PHI’s four TOs resulted in Cleveland scores that would ultimately determine the game. A 13-7 home victory, the Browns were officially the very last team in NFL history to go an entire game without a single pass attempt.

Major Rule Changes

RIP Bob Gibson. His 1968 season was one of, if not the best, season ever pitched in the majors. It was so good that baseball needed to change the height of the mound. Plus don’t forget his 1968 17K performance in that World Series. One of the best. #BobGibson #STLCards pic.twitter.com/wI7vlt85E3
— Dave L Funnell (@sportz_nutt51) October 3, 2020

YEAR: 1968

SIGNIFICANCE: MLB officially lowered the pitcher’s mound and shrunk the strike zone in an effort to boost offensive production

Following the 1968 baseball season, the Major League Baseball Rules Committee officially changed the height of the pitchers’ mound and shrunk the strike zone as an effort to increase offensive production. Baseball had been in a Dead Ball Era 2.0, and ’68 was the final straw for the league. The ’68 season was literally called the Year of the Pitcher, due to Bob Gibson and Denny McLain winning their respective league’s Most Valuable Player award, a trophy usually given to position players.

It has been rumored since then that Gibson and his unimaginable 1.12 ERA were the reason for MLB to take action. The Rules Committee lowered the mound from 15 inches to 10, and the top of the strike zone was lowered from the batter’s shoulders to the armpits. Today, the strike zone is even smaller, ranging from the batter’s knees now only up to his chest.

Historic Win Streak

🗓 This Day in Stats, 1993: The Hawks beat the @HoustonRockets 133-111, ending their then-record-tying 15-0 start to the 1993-94 season. pic.twitter.com/AeuqnE1zUo
— StatMuse (@statmuse) December 3, 2019

YEAR: 1993

SIGNIFICANCE: The Atlanta Hawks ended Houston’s NBA record-tying 15-0 start

Turning back the calendar to this date in 1993 would uncover the Hakeem Olajuwon-led Houston Rockets’ first loss of the season. Their spotless 15-0 win-loss record set the mark for the best start to a season a team has had since the 1948-49 Washington Capitols. However, they fell short of breaking this record as they suffered a brutal 133-111 loss on December 3 to the Atlanta Hawks featuring Dominique Wilkins, “The Human Highlight Reel”.

Following this disheartening defeat, Houston maintained composure and won seven-straight games with their immaculate play to bump up their record to 22-1. This fantastic start to the season would ultimately result in the red-hot Rockets’ first championship banner ascending to the rafters later that season, which they followed up with back-to-back titles during Michael Jordan’s absence from the NBA.