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Most Significant Sports History on November 17th
Learn about November 17th's most significant sports history including Bill Cartwright's perfect day, another CYA for ATL, and more!
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Many unique, yet significant accolades and milestones have been achieved across multiple professional sports league on November 17th in history. A vicious big man for the New York Knicks many decades ago set a record many would not expect from a player of such stature. Additionally, one of the best pitching trios ever added another Cy Young Award to their legacy just two years before the turn of the millennium. Further remarkable events set 11/17 aside as a special day to look into regarding the history of sports.
He shoots, he scores! Today in #SportsHistory, 1981: NBA New York #Knick Bill Cartwright ties the record of 19 out of 19 free throws completed! pic.twitter.com/e59AYOa2az
— ToastingTheTown.com (@toastingnyc) November 17, 2018
YEAR: 1981
SIGNIFICANCE: Bill Cartwright tied an NBA record by converting all 19 of his FTAs
Taken third overall by the New York Knicks in the 1979 NBA draft, Bill Cartwright went on to have a fruitful career by winning three rings with Michael Jordan in Chicago. The front-end of his career also saw success as the 7-foot-1 center carried with him a funky form, yet uncanny touch from the free throw line for a big man. In a 1981 game on this day, Cartwright would convert 100% of his free bees, accumulating 19 in a loss versus the Kansas City Kings at MSG. This would defy his career 77.1% FTA, and tie Bob Pettit’s record for the most free throws made in a row in a single game.
YEAR: 1998
SIGNIFICANCE: For the 6th time in 8 years, a Braves pitcher won the Cy Young Award—this time Tom Glavine (2 of the 6 CYAs)
The year after Pedro Martinez snapped the six-year stretch of John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, or Greg Maddux winning the NL Cy Young, Glavine bounced back by winning his second career CYA. Glavine first won the award back in 1991 which began the run of Braves pitchers winning the Cy Young from 1991-98, where Atlanta had a pitcher win in six of those eight years. (Maddux won one of his four CYAs as a member of the Cubs). F
Glavine won the Cy Young award despite receiving less first-place votes than San Diego Padres CP Trevor Hoffman, who led the majors in saves (53) and had a sensational 1.48 ERA. Glavine led the big leagues with 20 wins and posted a career-low 2.47 ERA over 229.1 IP. During this eight-year stretch, Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz had a combined 2.79 ERA and a total of 365 wins, that represented one of the most dominant runs by a pitching trio in baseball history.
November 17, 1959
— 🖼️NFT is Life (@NFT_Promoter) November 17, 2015
Connie Dierking became the first player to foul out of a game in the first quarter. #NbaHistory pic.twitter.com/IhBrg7k69o
YEAR: 1959 & 2000
SIGNIFICANCE: Connie Dierking became the 1st player to foul out in the 1st Qtr AND Jason Kidd tied a turnover record
Prior to the franchise picking up and moving to Philadelphia in 1963, the Syracuse Nationals posted winning seasons in 11 of their 14 years. Unfortunately, it wasn’t all pretty as one of their player’s set an ugly record in 1959. The team’s fifth overall pick a year prior was New York native Connie Dierking, and on this day 61 years ago, he became the very first player to ever foul out of a game in the first quarter. He picked up these fouls in rapid succession as the rule was shifted to allowing six fouls (from five fouls) in the 1947-1948 season.
Fast-forward to the year 2000, a HOF guard assist-machine, who earned five-assist titles, had a historically poor passing performance. Jason Kidd not simply had his worst turnover season, gifting the ball away to the other teams 3.7 times per contest, but had one of the worst turnover games in history. Exactly two decades ago, the offensive visionary who sits second all-time in assists (behind John Stockton) turned over the ball an NBA record-tying 14 incredulous times. This gave Mr. Triple-Double the pitiful quadruple-double he didn’t want on the stat sheet with 18 PTS, 12 REB, and 10 AST to pair with those 14 TOs.
🗓 This Day in Stats, 2000: Jason Kidd has 14 turnovers in a Suns loss to New York, the most in a game since John Drew in 1978. https://t.co/tbT2Cju7cG pic.twitter.com/nLiHiCxZQ1
— StatMuse (@statmuse) November 17, 2019
YEAR: 1959
SIGNIFICANCE: Willie McCovey was unanimously named ROY, marking consecutive years a Giant won the award (Orlando Cepeda)
On November 17, 1959, San Francisco Giants 1B Willie McCovey became the second unanimous Rookie of the Year in MLB history, joining Frank Robinson (1956). McCovey’s NL ROY win secured consecutive rookie honors for the Giants, as teammate Orlando Cepeda (who later became the first ever unanimous MVP) had won the award the year prior. The 21-year-old McCovey played in just 52 games in his rookie year, but he was so dominant in his 219 plate appearances, that he even got one MVP vote.
In his debut game, McCovey went 4-for-4 with two triples—setting the tone of what was to come. The rookie hit an astounding .354/.429/1.085 along with 13 HRs and 38 RBI. McCovey would go on to hit 521 career home runs in his illustrious 22-year career, where he led the NL in home runs three times and won the 1969 NL MVP award. The native of Mobile, Alabama was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame in 1986.
Today in 1953 The St. Louis Browns move to Baltimore, the city officially names the team "The Orioles" pic.twitter.com/ukBB3aW3qy
— Baseball (@baseballminutia) November 17, 2015
YEARS: 1953 & 1960
SIGNIFICANCE: The Browns move to Baltimore (become the Orioles) & the Senators relocate to Minnesota so DC gets new team
52 years after establishing themselves as the St. Louis Browns, the team was headed east to become the Baltimore Orioles after an eight-year stretch of losing seasons. The Browns long lived in the shadows of the city rivals St. Louis Cardinals, who won five World Titles during the Browns stay in St. Louis.
The Orioles franchise struggled early on, but by their fourth year of existence they had a 76-76 regular season record, a sign that things were changing for the better. By 1966, the Orioles, winners of at least 94 games in the previous three seasons, swept the Los Angeles Dodgers for the first World Series championship in franchise history. That began a nine-year high where the O’s made at least the ALCS in six of those seasons and claimed the 1970 WS as well.
Later in 1960, the Washington Senators moved to Minnesota to become the Twins. Similar to the Browns, the Senators went eight consecutive seasons with a losing record prior to their move to Minneapolis. Unlike the Orioles, however, the Twins found quick success in winning baseball games. Despite an under .500 debut season, Minnesota went on a streak of seven winning season in a span of nine years.
Notwithstanding their regular season success, the Twins struggled to win in October, failing to win in their three postseason appearances; 1965 (lost WS in Gm7), 1969 (swept in ALCS), and 1970 (swept in ALCS). It took them until 1987 to win a series, the World Series where they beat the Cardinals in seven games. Major League Baseball awarded Washington DC a “new” Senators team right after the other team’s move to Minnesota. The new Senators lasted until 1971, when they relocated and became the Texas Rangers. The nation’s capital wouldn’t have an MLB team until the Nationals arrival in 2005.
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