How did the Brooklyn Dodgers get their name?

Dodgers was an abbreviation for trolley dodgers. The term developed during the early to mid-twentieth century, when trolley cars were common sights in urban areas such as Brooklyn. To be a trolley dodger meant that you were able to slip through traffic. The players on the field needed the same kind of agility.

What football teams constitute the Big Ten?

The football conference that became the Big Ten, or the Western Conference, was formed in 1896 by the Universities of Chicago, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, along with Northwestern and Purdue universities. Iowa and Indiana joined in 1899 and Ohio State in 1912. The University of Chicago dropped out in 1946 after terminating its football … Read more

Who was the first golfer to win the prestigious grand slam?

Bobby Jones has achieved the feat of winning the grand slam. He did so as an amateur, before the present-day tournament requirements were instituted. He won the British Amateur tournament in Scotland on May 31, 1930. Next, on June 20, 1930, he won the British Open in Holyoke, England, with a four-round total of 291. … Read more

What games were played in the first modern Olympics?

what games were played in the first modern olympics

The first modern Olympics, held in Athens, Greece, in April 1896, featured the following sports: cycling, fencing, gymnastics, shooting, swimming (including diving, synchronized swimming, water polo), track and field, weight lifting, and wrestling.

Who won the last legal bare-knuckle boxing match?

who won the last legal bare knuckle boxing match

John L. Sullivan knocked out Jake Kilrain in the 75th round of the U.S. heavyweight championship at Rich-burg, Mississippi, on July 8, 1889. This was the last legal bare-knuckle fight. He claimed to have won the world’s championship with that victory, since Kilrain had previously fought a draw with the English champion. After that fight, … Read more

What is the longest pro football game on record?

what is the longest pro football game on record

The game on December 25, 1971, between the Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs lasted 82 minutes and 40 seconds. It went into a second period of sudden death before Garo Yepremian kicked a field goal and won the game for the Dolphins, 27-24.

When was the NFL organized and founded?

when was the nfl organized and founded

The National Football League was founded in 1920 in Canton, Ohio. Originally called the American Professional Football Association, it adopted its name in 1922. Athlete Jim Thorpe was its first president. The NFL and the American Football League merged in 1970 to create the new 26-team NFL.

Who was the first pro football player?

who was the first pro football player

The first pro football player was William (“Pudge”) Heffelfinger. He made his professional debut for the Allegheny Athletic Association on November 12, 1892. He was paid $500 for his performance against the Pittsburgh Athletic Club, in which he led his team to victory, 4-0.

How far is the pitching mound from home plate?

how far is the pitching mound from home plate

According to 1894 baseball rules, the 4-by-12-inch pitching rubber embedded in the pitcher’s mound lies 60 feet, 6 inches from the front edge of home plate. The pitcher is supposed to place both feet on the rubber at the start of his delivery. Previously, the distance of the mound from home plate had been 50 … Read more

Who invented the boxing glove?

who invented the boxing glove

Jack Broughton of Great Britain invented the boxing glove. The English bare-knuckle fighting champion for many years (beginning in 1734), Broughton also wrote the first set of boxing rules.

Where did the baseball term texas leaguer come from?

where did the baseball term texas leaguer come from

This phrase texas leaguer for a weak hit falling just over the heads of the infielders may first have been used to describe the hits of Arthur Sunday, a player from Texas. Another version is that the term was coined in Syracuse, New York, in 1886 by a pitcher who lost a game because of … Read more

How big is a hockey puck?

how big is a hockey puck

Usually made of vulcanized rubber, an ice hockey puck is 3 inches in diameter, 1 inch thick, and weighs 5.5 to 6 ounces.

Where was Martina Navratilova born?

where was martina navratilova born

Martina Navratilova was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, on October 18, 1956, as Martina Subertova. When her mother later divorced and remarried, Martina took the name of her stepfather, Miroslav Navratil, adding the traditional feminine ending ova. She moved to the United States in September 1975 during the U.S. Open.

What is the Baltimore chop?

what is the baltimore chop

The term, the Baltimore chop came into vogue in 1890. It refers to a batted ball that bounces so high that it cannot be fielded successfully before the batter reaches first base. It is said to have been named for two Baltimore players, John McGraw and Willie (“Wee Willie”) Keeler, who often reached base this … Read more

Who were the first players inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame?

who were the first players inducted into the baseball hall of fame

The first group, inducted in the 1936 Baseball Hall of Fame, consisted of Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Babe Ruth, and Honus Wagner. Tyrus Raymond Cobb (1886-1961), “the Georgia Peach,” had played for the Detroit Tigers. Walter Perry Johnson (1887-1946) had pitched for the Washington Senators. Christopher Mathewson (1880-1925) had been a pitcher for … Read more

What was Jack Nicklaus’s first major golf tournament win?

what was jack nicklauss first major golf tournament win

Jack Nicklaus’s first major golf tournament win was the 1962 U.S. Open, where he beat the popular champion Arnold Palmer. It was Nicklaus’s second year as a pro. He went on to win 71 tour victories and 20 major championships over the next two decades.

What type of tennis stroke did Chris Evert popularize?

what type of tennis stroke did chris evert popularize

Chris Evert popularized the two-fisted backhand, which she began using out of necessity when she was six years old. Beginning her professional career in 1972, Evert has won close to 150 women’s singles titles and more than 1,000 career matches.

What is the longest baseball game on record?

what is the longest baseball game on record

A baseball game running eight hours and six minutes was played by the Chicago White Sox and the Milwaukee Brewers on May 9, 1984. It was the longest baseball game recorded. The White Sox won, 7-6.

How long was Secretariat’s horse racing career?

how long was secretariats horse racing career

Secretariat the horse raced for only 16 months in 1972 and 1973. In that time the chestnut stallion became the first horse in 25 years to win the Triple Crown, set record times in the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes, and won 16 of his 31 races. He was retired to stud in November … Read more

Where and when was the first recorded baseball game?

where and when was the first recorded baseball game

The first baseball game was on June 19, 1846, at Elysian Fields in Hoboken, New Jersey, the New York Club beat the Knickerbockers, 23-1. On that date, another baseball tradition began: The New York Club pitcher, James Whyte Davis, was fined 6 cents for swearing at the umpire.

What was the worst disaster in sports history?

what was the worst disaster in sports history

More lethal than any soccer riot was the collapse of the grandstands of the Hong Kong Jockey Club on February 26, 1916. In all, 606 racetrack spectators died; hundreds more were injured, making it the worst sports disaster in history.

When was the first gladiatorial combat?

when was the first gladiatorial combat

The first known gladiatorial contest took place in Rome in 264 B.C. It featured three pairs of armed fighters. Later contests featured hundreds or even thousands of pairs of duelists.

When was the last gladiator fight?

when was the last gladiator fight

It isn’t certain. Constantine abolished the gladiator shows in A.D. 325, but they persisted. Honorius abolished them again in the fifth century, but even then they may have continued.

When could you have taken part in the sport of gouging?

when could you have taken part in the sport of gouging

The frontier sport of gouging, imported from England, flourished in the Ohio River Valley around 1800. The object was to gouge out the opponent’s eye with a thumbnail. To compete effectively, you would have needed to let your thumbnail grow extra-long.

What was the first publicly televised sporting event?

what was the first publicly televised sporting event

The first publicly televised sporting event was a Japanese baseball game, broadcast on September 27, 1931. The Ushigome and Awazi Shichiku Higher Elementary Schools battled it out on the Tozuka Baseball Ground, watched by viewers on 8-by-5-inch screens.

How long does it take to walk around the world?

how long does it take to walk around the world

It took David Kunst a little over four years, from June 10, 1970, to October 5, 1974, to walk around the world. One other man, George Schilling, claimed in an unconfirmed report to have accomplished the feat between June 1897 and June 1904.