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November 28 has been a date marked by extraordinary achievements and dramatic turns across the sports world. From boxing to hockey, football to basketball, and even soccer, the day has produced a remarkable array of historic moments.
Early 20th Century Highlights
In 1906, Tommy Burns kept his world heavyweight boxing championship by fighting Jack O'Brien to a 20-round draw in Los Angeles, thus continuing his reign atop the division. Nearly two decades later, in 1925, Montreal Canadiens goaltender Georges Vézina collapsed during a 1-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates while playing in his 328th consecutive game. Diagnosed with tuberculosis, he never played again and passed away four months later; the NHL's Vezina Trophy was later named in his honor.
1929 saw Chicago Cardinals fullback Ernie Nevers set an NFL record that still stands: he scored 40 points in a single game, with six touchdowns and four extra points, accounting for every Cardinals point in a 40-6 rout of the Chicago Bears. Two years later, in 1931, the Toronto Maple Leafs hired Dick Irvin as coach just one day after firing Art Duncan, and that same night defeated the Boston Bruins 6-5 in overtime. Toronto went on to win the Stanley Cup that season.
Mid-Century Milestones
In 1942, Holy Cross pulled off one of the biggest upsets in college football history, stunning unbeaten and top-ranked Boston College 55-12 at Fenway Park, ending the Eagles' national championship hopes. Two years later, Detroit Tigers ace Hal Newhouser was named American League Most Valuable Player after a dominant 29-win season, becoming the first pitcher to begin a run of back-to-back MVP awards.
1954 brought a scoring explosion from Boston Bruins forward Leo Labine, who netted three goals in 4:22 and added three assists in a 6-2 victory over Detroit, tying the NHL record with five of those points in one period. In 1957, Detroit's Gordie Howe recorded his 409th career assist in a 3-3 tie with Toronto, surpassing Elmer Lach to become the NHL's career assists leader. That same year, Milwaukee Braves left-hander Warren Spahn won the Cy Young Award, adding another milestone to a Hall of Fame career that produced more victories than any left-handed pitcher in major league history.
1958 saw the Toronto Maple Leafs fire coach Billy Reay and replace him with Punch Imlach, who later guided the franchise to four Stanley Cup championships in the 1960s. In 1969, Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Ted Sizemore was named National League Rookie of the Year, becoming the seventh Dodger to earn the honor.
Modern Era Magic
1974: Rookie backup quarterback Clint Longley replaced an injured Roger Staubach with Dallas trailing Washington 16-3 and rallied the Cowboys to a 24-23 Thanksgiving victory, throwing a 50-yard winning touchdown pass to Drew Pearson with 28 seconds left. In 1979, New York Islanders goaltender Billy Smith became the first goalie in NHL history credited with a goal when he was the last Islander to touch the puck before Colorado accidentally sent it into its own empty net during a 7-4 Rockies victory. That same year, Dodgers rookie Rick Sutcliffe captured National League Rookie of the Year honors after winning 17 games for Los Angeles.
1981: Alabama's Bear Bryant earned the 315th victory of his coaching career with a 28-17 Iron Bowl win over Auburn, surpassing Amos Alonzo Stagg as the winningest coach in major college football history at the time. In 1988, Magic Johnson produced 32 points, 20 assists and 11 rebounds as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated Philadelphia 109-104, becoming the second player in NBA history with at least 30 points, 20 assists and 10 rebounds in a game.
1992: Reggie Miller scored a career-high and Indiana Pacers franchise-record 57 points in a victory over the Charlotte Hornets. In 1997, Michael Jordan moved past Elvin Hayes into fourth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list during the Chicago Bulls game against the Indiana Pacers. Two years later, Pete Sampras defeated Andre Agassi 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 in Hanover, Germany, to win his fifth and final ATP Tour World Championship title, tying Ivan Lendl's then-record for season-ending championships.
21st Century Thrills
2001: Bryan Murray became the eighth coach in NHL history to reach 1,000 games when his Mighty Ducks of Anaheim lost 2-0 to Edmonton; Oilers goalie Jussi Markkanen made 27 saves to become the 14th goalie in league history to post a shutout in his first NHL appearance. In 2005, Ronaldinho was named European Footballer of the Year, winning the Ballon d'Or after starring for Barcelona and Brazil and becoming the third Brazilian to claim the award.
2010: Roger Federer defeated Rafael Nadal 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 in London to win the ATP World Tour Finals for the fifth time, matching Pete Sampras and Ivan Lendl for the most titles at the event. In 2012, the New York Yankees signed 40-year-old left-hander Andy Pettitte to a one-year contract, bringing him back for what became the final season of his 18-year major league career.
2014: New York Rangers forward Martin St. Louis scored against Philadelphia for the 1,000th point of his NHL career, becoming at the time the third-oldest player to reach the milestone. In 2015, Tyson Fury shocked heavyweight boxing by defeating Wladimir Klitschko via unanimous decision in Düsseldorf, ending Klitschko's nearly decade-long reign as heavyweight champion and capturing the WBA, WBO and IBF titles. That same year, Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy scored against Manchester United to become the first player in Premier League history to score in 11 consecutive matches, breaking Ruud van Nistelrooy's record.
2022: Shohei Ohtani won the Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award for the second consecutive season, becoming the first repeat winner since David Ortiz won five straight from 2003-07. In 2023, Yoshinobu Yamamoto won his third consecutive Pacific League MVP award in Japan, tying Ichiro Suzuki and Hisashi Yamada as the only players in Nippon Professional Baseball history to win three straight MVPs.
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