A day of great intrigue, November 26th marks the culmination of some incredible accomplishments and moments that still influence the game today. Fred Lynn’s remarkable first season transformed into the first MVP ever awarded to a rookie. In addition to the career-long milestones achieved by AC Green, John Stockton, and Don Nelson, Dan Marino also set a significant career record of his own. Lastly, a WR nicknamed “Flipper” broke a single-game record on this day as well to ensure 11/26 will be remembered in the sports community for generations to come.

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

Pass TD King

On this day in 1995, QB Dan Marino set the career passing TD record at 343. Peyton Manning now holds it at 539. pic.twitter.com/rNrCiJtlxr
— 10 - The Ultimate Sports App (@10appofficial) November 26, 2015

YEAR: 1995

SIGNIFICANCE: Dan Marino became the all-time leader in career PASS TDs with 343

On this date a quarter of a century ago, Dan Marino set yet another career record on his road to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In a 36-28 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Dan Marino threw his 343rd career TD to Keith Byars just before halftime for Miami’s first points of the day. Down 24-6 through two quarters, he would connect on three more TD passes in an effort to climb out of the hole and finish the game 23-of-36 with 254 yards and an INT. Bringing his career total to 346, Marino blew past Fran Tarkenton‘s former record of 342 and would end up retiring after the 1999 season with 420 career TD passes.

REC YDS Record

YEAR: 1989

SIGNIFICANCE: Willie “Flipper” Anderson set an NFL record by recording 336 REC YDS in a single game

After a stellar career at UCLA during which he caught passes from Troy Aikman, Flipper Anderson was a second-round pick by the Los Angeles Rams in 1988. Despite playing all 16 games as a rookie, Anderson didn’t start any and caught just 11 passes his entire NFL sophomore season. His catch total would quadruple the following year, however, as he would lead the league in yards per reception (26) while recording 1,146 yards and five TDs.

Those final numbers were supported by a game against the Saints on this day where he hauled in 15 passes for an NFL-record 336 yards. Breaking Stephone Page’s record of 309 yards from just four years earlier, only Calvin Johnson has ever come close with his 329-yard game in 2013. More than just pure stats, his lone trip to the end zone tied the game late in the fourth quarter to send it into overtime where the 8-3 Rams escaped the Superdome with a 20-17 victory.

1st Rookie MVP

YEAR: 1975

SIGNIFICANCE: Red Sox OF Fred Lynn became the very 1st MLB rookie to ever win the MVP Award

On this day in 1975, 23-year-old rookie Fred Lynn became the first player in MLB history to win an MVP award. The young Red Sox outfielder led the majors in doubles (47) and paced the American League in runs (103) and OPS (.967). Lynn, who had a team-leading 7.3 WAR, was the main fixture of the ’75 Red Sox squad which won 95 games and made it all the way to Game 7 of the World Series against the eventual winners Cincinnati Reds. Lynn was joined by Ichiro Suzuki 26 years later when the Japanese international sensation won AL ROY and MVP at the age of 27 as the second player ever to attain both in the same season.

It's a Marathon

🗓 This Day in Stats, 2000: John Stockton plays his 1,271st game with the @utahjazz, passing John Havlicek for most with one team. pic.twitter.com/ClSPAZLpcE
— StatMuse (@statmuse) November 26, 2017

YEAR: 1999 & 2000

SIGNIFICANCE: AC Green AND John Stockton both set records for the staggering number of games they played

The marathon man himself, Los Angeles PF AC Green, toppled a historic professional basketball record (NBA and ABA) of grand stature by playing in his 1,042^nd consecutive game on this date in 1999 which added to his singularly NBA-record that didn’t take ABA games into account. This accomplishment broke the then-record of ABA-NBA player and 4x All-Star Ron Boone, with Green’s record remaining unscathed to this day as the game of basketball’s true “Iron Man.”

Enshrined in history on this date is a memorable mark left by the all-time assist leader and HOF PG John Stockton who spent his entire 19-year career with the Utah Jazz. Exactly two decades ago today, the top-of-the-line passer John Stockton breezed by the late Boston Celtic John Havlicek’s long-standing record for most games played with a single team. Stockton took possession of the title when he played in his 1,271^st game, but when he retired that number had amounted to a colossal 1,504 games – a bar that may never be reached with players switching teams more often than ever.

Fastest to 500

YEAR: 1986

SIGNIFICANCE: Head coach Don Nelson became the fastest to ever reach 500 career wins in NBA history

As a player for the Boston Celtics in the 1960s and 1970s, Don Nelson contributed significant minutes towards winning five championships throughout his nine seasons there. However, HOFer Nelson reached even more historical bounds in his head coaching career, which was kicked off in 1976, the season following his retirement as a player where he was hired by the Milwaukee Bucks to turn around the franchise after the departures of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (to LAL) and Oscar Robertson (retired).

Ten years into his career, on this date, the Milwaukee Bucks’ coach Don Nelson entered unprecedented territory as he put together his 500^th victory in his 817^th game – the fastest to ever do so in NBA history. It ended up being a massive win over the Washington Bullets, 122-103. Nelson’s name maintains prominence today as he is the all-time leader in head coaching wins with a seemingly unattainable 1,335 victories that has elevated him into being considered one of the greatest coaches of all-time.