Today in sports history: March 17

  • Thursday, March 17, 2016 1:00am
  • Sports

1871 — The National Association of Professional Baseball Players is organized to replace the amateur National Association.

1897 — Bob Fitzsimmons knocks out Jim Corbett in the 14th round to win the world heavyweight title in Carson City, Nev. It’s the first boxing match photographed by a motion picture camera.

1908 — Tommy Burns knocks out Jene Roche in 80 seconds at the Royal Theatre in Dublin, Ireland, to retain the world heavyweight title.

1961 — Manhattan District Attorney Frank Hogan arrests professional gamblers Aaron Wagman and Joseph Hacken and implicates Hank Gunter and Art Hicks of Seton Hall in a college point-shaving scandal.

1974 — The Celtics beat the Capital Bullets 129-103 at Boston Garden behind an NBA-record 61 defensive rebounds.

1988 — Michael Adams of Denver sets an NBA record of 24 consecutive games with at least one 3-point field goal, breaking Celtic Danny Ainge’s mark set earlier that season. Adams extends the streak to 79 consecutive games (over two seasons) with at least one 3-pointer.

1993 — Dallas ends a 19-game losing streak with a 102-96 win over visiting Orlando. The Mavericks were one game away from tying the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers for the longest single-season losing streak in NBA history.

2001 — Connecticut cruises to a 101-29 win over Long Island University in the first round of the East Regional, the best defensive effort in the history of the women’s NCAA tournament. Connecticut’s 72-point victory also ties the second-biggest margin in tournament history.

2006 — Jermaine Wallace hits a fadeaway 3-pointer with a split second left, and little Northwestern State pulls off a shocker with a furious rally, beating No. 3 seed Iowa 64-63 in the first round of the men’s NCAA tournament.

2007 — Colorado’s Paul Stastny extends his NHL rookie record by scoring in his 20th consecutive game with two goals in a 6-3 win over Phoenix. His streak is snapped the next night.

2010 — Michael Jordan becomes the first ex-player to be a majority owner in the National Basketball Association. The NBA’s Board of Governors unanimously approve Jordan’s $275 million bid to buy the Charlotte Bobcats from Bob Johnson.

2012 — Lindsey Vonn sets a women’s record for the most World Cup points in a season after finishing eighth in a slalom won by Austria’s Michaela Kirchgasser at Schladming, Austria. Vonn reaches 1,980 points to beat the mark of 1,970 set by Janica Kostelic of Croatia in 2006.

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