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Most Significant Sports History on December 5th
Learn about December 5th's most significant sports history including Klay's 60-point game, Pete Rose to Philly, the Seahawks' birth, and more!
Ben Margot / AP Images
Some of the most memorable in-game moments in sports history occurred on December 5th. An absolutely historic performance from a Golden State Warriors stud went down under unlikely circumstances. Further, one year short of half a century ago, one of the most impressive RB displays of all-time went down and has been solidified as timeless since. Events like these continue to influence the course of professional sports each day.
🏀 Shot Chart of the Day: @KlayThompson's 60-point performance for the @warriors on December 5, 2016. He went 21-33 FGM, 8-14 3PM, 10-11 FTM. pic.twitter.com/D3F8DtISc4
— StatMuse (@statmuse) January 12, 2018
YEAR: 2016
SIGNIFICANCE: Klay Thompson had a historic performance of 60 PTS in 29 MIN with 11 dribbles & only 90sec of possession
The catch-and-shoot killer, Klay Thomson, was on the mark in an epic performance four years ago to date, serving as the engine for Golden State’s offensive machine. Thompson single-handedly dismantled the Indiana Pacers, 142-106, at Oracle Arena, pouring on a historically efficient 60 points in 29 action-packed minutes in which he only dribbled the ball 11 times, and had a mere 90 seconds of possession time. With the game well in hand by the end of the third period Thompson would end his night there, shooting 63.6% FG and 8-14 on 3-pointers.
The methodical attack of Thompson terrorized the defense with his point total registering the NBA’s season-high and a career-high performance. Additionally, his 60-piece revealed to be the most points scored by a Golden State player in the last 42 years, joining the ranks of Warrior legends Wilt Chamberlain, Rick Barry, and Joe Fulks.
OTD 1971: #LARams Willie Ellison rushes for a then-NFL single-game record 247 yards in a 45-28 victory over the Saints at the Coliseum. pic.twitter.com/wcYzI2NYTi
— Kevin Gallagher (@KevG163) December 5, 2017
YEAR: 1971
SIGNIFICANCE: Willie Ellison broke Jim Brown’s single-game NFL record with 247 rushing yards
Before this date in 1971, Willie Ellison was a relative unknown to the casual football fan. A fifth-year pro from Texas Southern, he finished 1968 with 616 rushing yards but totaled just 521 the other three seasons as part of a stellar backfield committee. Replacing future HOF HC George Allen, new HC Tommy Prothro made a concerted effort to get him the ball more often, which translated to a Pro Bowl and career-best yardage output (1,000 exactly) that reached its climax on this day in a victory over the Saints.
Ellison was feeling it from the very start, ripping off an 80-yard TD run to open up the scoring. Though he wouldn’t find the end zone for the rest of the day, his 26 carries resulted in an NFL-record 247 rushing yards to break Jim Brown’s decade-long record(s) from 1957 and 1961. Ellison’s mark would stand for less than two years, however, as OJ Simpson would break 250 yards in September of 1973. Unable to replicate that success again, Willie Ellison’s final three seasons (one with LA, two with KC) would result in just 1,289 combined rushing yards and nine TDs.
Today in 1978, Pete Rose became highest-paid athlete in pro sports when he left the Reds after 16 years & signed a 4-year deal w/ Phillies.
— High Heat Stats (@HighHeatStats) December 5, 2012
YEAR: 1978
SIGNIFICANCE: Pete Rose’s 4y/$3.24M deal made him baseball’s highest earner at the time
On this day in 1978, 1B Pete Rose inked what once was the most lucrative deal in MLB history, which saw him earn around $800k/yr. Rose signed with the Philadelphia Phillies after spending the first 16 years of his career with the Cincinnati Reds. And according to Rose himself, the Phillies offer was the lowest he received.
His contract, despite being less in total money to Reggie Jackson’s deal with the Yankees, was worth more per year since Jackson had money deferred and more years on his deal. Rose was entering his age-38 season, but was not showing definitive signs of regression. During the three years prior to signing the contract, Rose was a .312/.381/.816 lifetime hitter while playing no less than 159 games per season during that span. Rose had a great debut season in 1979 (130 OPS+) and was instrumental in their ability to capture the 1980 World Series.
📬17 years ago today, December 5, 2000
— 🖼️NFT is Life (@NFT_Promoter) December 5, 2017
Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz moving past Wilt Chamberlain and into second place on the NBA's all-time scoring list. Malone scored 31 pts in Utah's 98-84 win over Toronto, giving him 31,443 career pts, 24 more than Chamberlain's 31,419 pts. pic.twitter.com/2eBSTHbTp8
YEAR: 2000
SIGNIFICANCE: Karl Malone reached 31,443 career points, moving past Wilt Chamberlain for 2nd on the all-time scoring list
Towards the tail end of his career “The Mailman”, Karl Malone, delivered an astounding accomplishment to confirm his place in the lore of great NBA scorers. The longtime Jazz who spent 18 years in an Utah uniform had leap-frogged past the iconic Wilt Chamberlain for possession of second place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list exactly two decades ago.
His hard work with set-up man John Stockton had paid off as Malone dropped-in a finger-roll layup in a 98-84 win over Toronto where he collected 31 points, giving him 31,443 career points. This was 24 more points than Chamberlain, but Malone wouldn’t halt operations there as he vaulted himself to 36,928 points by his career’s end, where he maintains his spot for second place to this day.
National Football League awards Seattle a franchise for future Seahawks on December 5, 1974. https://t.co/Gqar6bKq5d pic.twitter.com/FKqkxYUp71
— Norm Gregory (@NormGregory) December 5, 2017
YEAR: 1974
SIGNIFICANCE: Seattle was officially granted an NFL franchise, which would become the Seahawks
Long before the likes of Russell Wilson, Pete Carroll, the “LOB”, the “12th Man”, and even the “Boz”, Seattle’s dreams of having a NFL team finally came to fruition on this day in 1974. Led by Lloyd W. Nordstrom, the “Seattle Professional Football” consortium was officially awarded the expansion franchise by Commissioner Pete Rozelle at an NYC press conference. On June 15th, 1975, the adoption of the “Seahawks” nickname was announced and just over a year later — September 12th, 1976 — the team made their regular season debut against the St. Louis Cardinals in the brand-new Kingdome.
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