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Kentucky Sports
Timeline
1858
July 15, 1858, Louisville’s earliest box scores appeared in the Louisville Daily Democrat. The “Louisville Base Ball Club” played on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. The paper noted the club wore uniforms of Blue cottonade pants, white flamed shirts with blue piping, dark blue caps and leather belts. Ref: 25
1865
July 19, 1865, Louisville, KY hosted the first baseball game played west of the Alleghenies played under standard rules. The Louisville Grays hosted and defeated the Nashville Cumberlands. When Louisville businessman Walter Haldeman and others formed the National League in 1876, this Louisville club was a charter member. The Grays finished fifth in 1876 and in 1877 led the league in the final weeks of the season, losing to the Boston Red Caps in the final game. It was later discovered that gamblers had paid four Louisville players to lose games in 1877 so that Boston would win the championship. Baseball’s first major scandal led to the demise of the Grays, and the four team members were banned from playing professional baseball for life. Kentucky has not been represented by a major league team since.
1882
May 2, 1882, Louis Rogers “Pete” Browning, made his Major League Baseball debut for the Louisville Eclipse. A genuine pre-modern national star, one of the major league game’s pioneers, and one of the sport’s most enduring and intriguing figures, Louis Rogers “Pete” Browning was a lifelong residence of Louisville. A skilled marbles player and name figure skater, Browning was a talented baseball player from the start. He was one of the sport’s most accomplished batters of the 1880s. A three-time batting champion, he finished among the top three hitters in the league in each of his first seven years. Twice in the decade, he hit for the cycle in 1886, and again in 1889. He also led the league in hits, total bases and on-base percentage in 1885. Nicknamed the “Louisville Slugger”, he was enormously attentive to the bats he used, and was the first player to have them custom-made, establishing a practice among hitters which continues to the present. Pete’s 44 year life spanned from 1861 – 1905.
July 18, 1882, Tony Mullane was the first pitcher to pitch both left and hand handed in a major league game. Ref: 25
1888
May 9, 1888, Tony “Icebox” Chamberlin became the first and only switch pitcher to win a game. It was during Louisville’s win over Kansas City 18-6. Ref: 25
1892
September 27, 1892, the first Eclipse Baseball Park in Louisville caught fire. The team built seats and a new fence within 48 hours so that the scheduled games would not be interrupted. Ref: 25
1897
July 18, 1897, Honus Wagner began his major league career in Louisville. Ref: 25
1899
August 12, 1899, fire swept through the second Eclipse Park in Louisville. It was said to have started by a lightning strike. Ref: 25
September 2, 1899, the last major league game for Louisville and Kentucky took place at Eclipse Park. Louisville beat Washington 25-4. Ref: 25
1916
November 30, 1916, the Kentucky Wildcats tied the volunteers in what was one of college football’s major upsets. The Volunteers going into the last game of the season were unbeaten and had only given up 13 points in two games the entire season. The game was played in Knoxville at Waite Field.
1920
August 17, 1920, Raymond Johnson Chapman from Beaver Dam passed away after being hit by a pitch while batting in a major league game. He remains the only player to die from an injury received during a MLB game. The game was held during a dark, rainy, afternoon, at the Yankee’s Polo Grounds, visiting was the Cleveland Indians. In the first pitch of the fifth inning, a loud crack was heard and the ball trickled toward the mound. The Yankee pitcher quickly fielded it, tossing it to first for what he thought was the first out of the inning. But Chapman had sunk to a knee in the batter’s box, his eyes closed and his mouth open. He was carried off the field and died 12 hours later after surgery. Married before the start of the season to Kathleen Daly who was pregnant, he had hinted this would be his last season. The Indians, won the game and the World Series later that year.
1922
November 20, 1922, in the early morning hours the third Eclipse Park burned to the ground. Making it three Eclipse Parks that burnt down. Ref: 25
1923
May 1, 1923, Parkway Field opened. A revolutionary stadium when it opened, the seats flipped up and down with no front legs making clean up easy.
1926
January 21, 1926, Kentucky hosted Centre in Alumni Gymnasium. Below is the Courier-Journal write-up.
Cats Conquer Centre With Ease, 45 to 25
Lexington, Ky., Jan. 21 – Playing listlessly but outclassing their opponents, the University of Kentucky basketball team tonight easily defeated Centre College’s quintette, 45 to 25. Centre was no match for the smoothly functioning Wildcat five, which while far off on its basket-shooting, never was pushed after the first quarter of the contest. Centre drew first blood when O’Neil was successful in shooting a foul but State soon was out front by 11 to 2. Centre rallied here and sinking the majority of its tries for field goals gained a total of ten points. The Blue and White tossers then began taking a more accurate aim and were out front, 23 to 17, at the half. Mohney registered two fouls for the first points in the second half and from that point on, the game was one-sided. Centre never being able to penetrate close to the basket. State ran in a string of subs late in the game and they succeeded in holding Centre’s scoring to a minimum. State missed may shots for field goals and displayed but little of the form exhibited against Georgia Tech last Saturday night. Centre, although held to fewer scoring chances than the Blue and White, took advantage of most of its opportunities.
1931
September 14, 1931, the very first night baseball game in Kentucky took place in Parkway Field. The travelling House of David team from Michigan brought their own portable lighting system to town for a game against the Louisville All-Stars.
1933
September 30, 1933, the newly formed SEC played their first football game in Lexington, KY at Stoll Field/McLean Stadium. The University of Kentucky beat the Sewanee Purple Tigers 7-0.
1942
December 22, 1942, the Keeneland Association wrote check number 2591 for $35,000. It was presented to the Community War Chest during WWII. Servicemen received gifts and amenities through this foundation which would later be known as The United Way. Ref: 28
1948
March 23, 1948, Adolph Rupp coached the University of Kentucky basketball team to its first NCAA Championship by beating Baylor University 58-42 in New York City. Eight teams participated in the tournament and Wildcat Alex Groza was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Video
1951
January 1, 1951, the Kentucky Wildcats, led by Coach Bear Bryant, beat the Oklahoma Sooners 13-7 in the 17th Sugar Bowl, considered one of the biggest upsets in college football. The game pitted Big Seven champion Oklahoma (ranked #1 in the Associated Press poll) against the Southeastern Conference champion Kentucky (ranked #7). Oklahoma’s regular season record was 10-0; Kentucky’s was 10-1. Oklahoma averaged 34.5 points per game and entered the game with a 31-game winning streak. Only one team had scored more than twice in a game against Kentucky that season. Walt Yowarsky was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. His position was defensive tackle and recovered a fumble on the Oklahoma 22-yard line, leading to Kentucky’s first score: for a 7-0 Kentucky lead at the end of the first quarter. He had played less than 5 minutes on defense during the regular season.
1954
February 4, 1954, Paul William “Bear” Bryant resigned as the head football coach at the University of Kentucky after signing a twelve year contract a month earlier. He attributed his decision to the highly competitive nature between himself and Coach Rupp, both men wanted top billing for their program. When Bryant signed his new contract, he believed that Rupp would soon retire. When Rupp signed a ten year extension, Bryant resigned. Coach Bryant enjoyed an impressive 60-23-5 record while coaching the Wildcats, including 3-1 in bowl games. (Great Lakes ’48, Orange ’50, Sugar ’51 and Cotton ’52) (AP Photo/Joe Holloway Jr.)
1956
February 27, 1956, Kentucky’s General Assembly passed Senate Resolution 70, establishing the spotted bass as Kentucky’s state gamefish. Soon afterwards, the legislation was signed into law by Governor Chandler. From that date, the spotted bass became known as the Kentucky bass, a common name that is widely accepted in Kentucky. The spotted bass was chosen as the state gamefish because of its abundance in the Ohio River, and tributaries to the south, many of which arise or flow through the Bluegrass State. Populations of spotted bass are found in most of Kentucky’s major rivers, but ichthyologists didn’t recognize that the spotted bass was a separate species from the largemouth bass until 1927. In Kentucky, adult spotted bass are commonly 8 to 15 inches in length, weighing 8 ounces to 2 pounds.
June 6, 1956, Esker Carroll caught a Kentucky state record 97 pound flathead catfish in the Green River.
1958
March 22, 1958, the University of Kentucky basketball team won its 4th NCAA Tournament beating Seattle 84-72. Temple and Kansas St. completed the final four. The tournament involved 24 schools and the finals were held in Louisville. The Wildcats were coached by Adolph Rupp.
April 28, 1967, Muhammad Ali was stripped of his title: World Heavyweight Champion. He refused his army induction notice for religious reasons and was sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined $10,000. He served no time but was barred from his livelihood. “Smokin” Joe Frazier was awarded the title and thus started one of sports’ greatest feuds. Three years later Ali received a license to fight again.
1976
1978
February 15, 1978, Muhammad Ali, 36, loses his Heavyweight title by split decision after 15 rounds to Leon Spinks. The 25 year old pulled off one of the great upsets in boxing after only seven professional fights and a Gold Medal. Ali had beaten all the other Olympic gold medalists of his era, and he expected to easily defeat Spinks. But Ali trained very little for the fight, and as usual, lay on the ropes as Spinks built a lead. For the first time, however, Ali could not come back and lost a split decision in Vegas.
1984
April 14, 1984, Dale Wilson of London, Kentucky set a Kentucky record by catching a Largemouth Bass that weighed 13 lbs; 10.4 ozs. He caught it in Wood Creek Lake in Laurel County. *
August 12, 1984, Pee Wee Reese, from Ekron, KY, was inducted in Baseball’s Hall Of Fame. His primary team was the Brooklyn Dodgers, playing shortstop. His most important action on a baseball field may have been prior to a game. In 1947, the Dodgers were visiting Cincinnati, and the fans and opposing players were getting on rookie Jackie Robinson. Reese calmly walked over to Robinson, put his arm around his teammate’s shoulder, and chatted. The gesture is remembered as an important moment in both Robinson’s career and the acceptance of African Americans in baseball—and American society. Earlier, Reese had refused to sign a petition circulating among Dodger teammates concerning Robinson’s participation on the team. Jackie’s widow, Rachel Robinson, said, “I thought it was a very supportive gesture, and very instinctive on Pee Wee’s part. You shouldn’t forget that Pee Wee was the captain, and he led the way. Pee Wee was more than a friend. Pee Wee was a good man.”
1987
January 25, 1987, Phil Simms from Springfield won his first Super Bowl. NY Giants defeated Denver in Super Bowl XXI 39-20. In the biggest game of his life, Simms had one of the finest performances in Super Bowl history. He completed 22 of 25 passes (2 drops) for 268 yards, setting Super Bowl records for consecutive completions (10), accuracy (88%) and passer rating (150.9). In addition, he threw three touchdown passes and his passer rating set an NFL postseason record. “This might be the best game a quarterback has ever played,” Giants coach Bill Parcells later said. Two of the most famous plays from the game were the flea flicker to McConkey, and the touchdown pass caught by McConkey off of the fingertips of Giants tight end, Mark Bavaro. Simms was named MVP of Super Bowl XXI. He is credited for being the first to use the phrase “I’m going to Disney World!” following a championship victory. See the commercial here.
1996
August 4, 1996, James Paul David Bunning, from Southgate, KY, was elected in to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Jim Bunning, Bill Foster, Ned Hanlon and Earl Weaver made up the 58th induction class in Hall of Fame history. Jim Bunning was a tough right-handed sidearm pitcher during his 17-year big league career, but consistency was what he craved, once stating, “I am most proud of the fact I went through nearly 11 years without missing a start. They wrote my name down, and I went to the post.” Bunning won 224 games, an eight-time All-Star, one 20-win season, but would win 19 games four times and one perfect game. Besides throwing no-hitters in the American and National leagues, Bunning was also the second pitcher, behind Hall of Famer Cy Young, to win 100 games and collect 1,000 strikeouts in both circuits. When Bunning retired, he was second on the all-time strikeouts list to Walter Johnson with 2,855.
