The history of sports on September 5th is outlined by some of the most iconic names to ever play professional sports. Over two decades ago, legendary wideout Jerry Rice cemented his legacy as one of the all-time greats. Just one year short of a century ago, Cy Young’s all-time strikeout record would stand no longer. Records like these are accomplished once in a few generations, and interestingly enough these occurrences came on the same day.

Kaivan Tabatabai also contributed to this article.

Rice Seals His Legacy

YEAR: 1994

SIGNIFICANCE: San Francisco 49ers WR Jerry Rice surpassed Jim Brown as the all-time touchdown leader of the NFL

There is simply no better wide receiver in the history of football than Jerry Rice. The NFL HOF in just shy of a 20-year career won three Super Bowls, went to 12 Pro Bowls, and still comfortably holds the record for most receiving yards in the NFL. 26 years ago today, Rice made history by snatching two touchdowns (126th & 127th) against the Oakland Raiders to surpass Jim Brown as the NFL’s all-time touchdown leader. Not only did he accomplish this top milestone, he did so early in his career over a decade before he’d retire in 2006. His 218 career touchdowns are BY FAR the most in NFL history as Emmitt Smith’s second-most 178 TDs pales in comparison.

New All-Time SO Leader

Today's Date in History: 1921 - Walter Johnson breaks Cy Young's career strikeout mark by fanning seven Yankees to run his total to 2,287.
— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) September 5, 2013

YEAR: 1921

SIGNIFICANCE: Walter Johnson reached 2,287 career SO, breaking Cy Young‘s all-time record

On this day 99 years ago, Washington Senators SP Walter Johnson recorded his 2,287th career punch out, officially surpassing Cy Young as the all-time career strike out leader. In his career, Johnson led the league in strikeouts 12 of his 21 seasons, and led all of the major leagues in seven. Compared to starters today, Johnson’s K/9 numbers are very low; 7.6 K/9 being his career high. The reason his total strikeout numbers are so high is because of the incredible amount of innings he threw. The Hall of Famer and all-time leader in shutouts pitched 5,914.1 career innings and had 17 seasons with at least 250 IP. The Big Train finished his career with 3,509 career strikeouts, good for ninth most all-time.

Ripken Ties Gehrig

Game 13 on our countdown is 2130. Cal Ripken, Jr. ties Lou Gehrig w/his 2,130th consecutive game played (& homers in the process). #OPACY25 pic.twitter.com/XadeSDrhxD
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) January 26, 2017

YEAR: 1995

SIGNIFICANCE: In his 2,130th consecutive game, Cal Ripken Jr. tied Lou Gehrig‘s all-time record

Baltimore Orioles SS Cal Ripken Jr. tied Lou Gehrig’s 2,130 consecutive game streak on this day in 1995. Ripken Jr. had played every single game for the past 13 seasons and a half, dating back to 1982. During that span, Ripken Jr. hit .277/.346/.800, and won the Rookie of the Year in ’81 and MVP honors twice in ’82 and ’91. Ripken would go ahead and break Gehrig’s record to become the new “Iron Man”, and in 1997 set the all-time mark at an unbreakable 2,632 games.

McGwire Hits HR #60

YEAR: 1998

SIGNIFICANCE: Mark McGwire became just the 3rd player ever to hit 60 HR in a season

On September 4, 1998, St. Louis Cardinals 1B Mark McGwire joined Babe Ruth and Roger Maris as the only players ever to hit at least 60 HR in a single season. Big Mac hit his milestone Home Run in a 7-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds off SP Dennys Reyes in the bottom of the first inning. The summer of ’98 was a very historic time for baseball as McGwire and Sammy Sosa were battling it out to see who could break the all-time record set by Maris in 1961. McGwire won the race as he set the all-time record at 70, until Barry Bonds broke it in 2001. McGwire finished 1998 with a .299/.470/.1.222 slash line.

Meyers Makes History

https://twitter.com/DoctorNBA/status/772780563853959168

YEAR: 1980

SIGNIFICANCE: Ann Meyers became the 1st and only woman to ever sign an NBA contract

Many names in sports go down in history for the accomplishments and accolades they accomplish on the field. This name goes down for more than that, as exactly four decades ago a woman named Ann Meyers stepped on the court to make history. Making her name at the college level, Meyers proved to be miles ahead of her competitors as the first 4x All-American and the first NCAA Division I player to record a quadruple-double. Recognizing her skill-level, she did the unthinkable and tried-out for the NBA. She was given a $50,000 NBA contract with the Indiana Pacers to become the first and only woman to ever do so. Her name goes down in history as a brilliant athlete and a leader for the women’s progressive movement.