March 31, 1923: King Clancy Plays Every Position

On March 31, 1923, in the deciding game of the Stanley Cup Finals, Ottawa Senators defenseman King Clancy became the first player to play all six positions in a game, including goaltender. The Senators squad was battered and bruised which led Clancy to doing it all. His team went onto win the game by the score of 1-0 and the Senators took home the Stanley Cup.

The 1923 Stanley Cup Champions would be decided with a three game series. The Senators beat the Montreal Canadiens on their way to meeting the Edmonton Eskimos in the Stanley Cup Finals. In the first game of the series Edmonton grabbed a 1-0 lead early, before the Senators tied it up in the third with a goal by Lionel Hitchman. The game was headed to overtime. Two minutes into the extra frame, Cy Denneny scored the game winner and the Senators needed just one victory to be named champs.

The second game had Clancy's team reeling with injuries. At least 4 players weren't able to play the entire game and some of those that did play were far from 100%. The Senators took an early 1-0 lead with a goal from Punch Broadbent. They were able to hold onto it with Clancy doing literally everything to keep his team in the game. At the time goalies had to serve their own penalties if they were called for an infraction, when Clint Benedict took a two penalty Clancy jumped between the pipes and stopped everything the Eskimos threw at him. It was an amazing effort by Clancy that led his team to celebrating a championship victory.

It was just the beginning for Clancy, he spent 16 seasons on the ice between the Senators and the Maple Leafs. He won another Stanley Cup as a member of the Senators in 1927 then his third and final championship came with the Maple Leafs in 1932. His playing days ended in 1937 but his contributions to the sport were far from over. He coached the Montreal Maroons and officiated games before until 1953 when the Toronto Maple Leafs came calling. He was head coach of the Maple Leafs for three seasons, before moving to the front office. Clancy remained with in Toronto until he passed away in 1986. The man that could play every position in a game and dedicated his entire life to hockey was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958.

March 30, 1992: Sammy Sosa is traded to the Cubbies

On March 30, 1992, the Chicago Cubs traded outfielder George Bell to the Chicago White Sox for a relief pitcher named Ken Patterson and a young outfielder named Sammy Sosa. Bell was an established major leaguer that had won the A.L. MVP as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays in 1987, on the other hand Sosa was just a kid who had not lived up to expectations up to that point. While Bell only played two more seasons, Sosa established himself as one of the best power hitters in the game on his way to becoming the all time home run leader in Chicago Cubs franchise history.


The White Sox had a win now mentality and they looked at 32 year old Bell as the final piece to the puzzle. Bell hit 25 long balls while knocking in 122 runs. His success was short lived, his numbers fell off dramatically in 1993 and he retired following the season. On the other side of town Sosa arrived to the Cubs as an unpolished 23 year old kid, while the hopes were high for him nobody could know what they had in store. In his first season with the Cubs he was still figuring things out, he hit just 8 homers and recorded 25 rbi over 67 games. Sosa's second season in a Cubs uniform was a turning point in his career, his numbers jumped dramatically, while Bell was struggling to put together one last season Sosa cranked out 33 jackertons and plated 93 runs, the Sammy Sosa era was just beginning on the North Side.

Sosa developed into a solid ballplayer that could knock the ball out of the yard anytime he stepped up to the plate. From 1993 to 1997 Sosa averaged 34 home runs a year and had knocked in over 500 runs. Then came 1998, the season will be remembered for the great home run chase with Sosa and Mark McGwire putting on an impressive show in a chase to see who could surpass Roger Maris' record of 61 home runs in a single season. The two sluggers knocked home runs out of the park at a record pace, they both surpassed Maris, Sosa finished the season with 66 homers while Big Mac took the crown with his 70 on the year.

With the '98 season included Sosa averaged 57 home runs a season over the next 5 years, it earned him the nickname "Slammin Sammy" Sosa. Despite all of his success at the plate he couldn't bring the Cubs the ring they have been seeking since 1908. He spent 13 seasons in a Cubs uniform, in those 13 years he jacked 545 home runs and plated more than 1400 runs. I'm pretty sure the Cubs organization was pretty happy with the deal they made in 1992. In February of 2005 the Cubs traded him to the Baltimore Orioles, coincidentally he he hit 600th home run in an inter league game against the his former club. After a year in Baltimore Sosa left the game for a couple of season before a season with the Rangers in 2007. He flirted with a return but it never came to fruition. Sosa officially retired in 2009.

While Sosa will forever be linked with steroid use in baseball, what he did in a Cubs uniform was remarkable. I know that the steroid era has been turned into something that many would like to forget but that's not the case for me. I look at it as history and good or bad we can't deny history. I have a lot of fond memories from the home run chase of 1998, one of the best memories was when McGwire hit 62, with the Cubs playing the Cardinals at Busch, Sosa came running into congratulate McGwire on his historic accomplishment. While some people criticized Sosa after he congratulated Big Mac, I think the two players had formed a bond over that season that couldn't be denied. It really was a year to remember and I would dare anyone to say they didn't enjoy it in the moment. I would understand if the view has changed over time but in '98 Sosa and McGwire captivated a nation. I'm sure each and every Cubs fan was pleased with the deal that brought Sosa to the North Side.

March 29, 1994: Jimmy Johnson resigns as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys

On March 29, 1994, Jimmy Johnson announced that he would be stepping down as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Johnson had helped build the Super Bowl winning teams of the early 90's but couldn't see eye to eye with the owner of the team Jerry Jones. Johnson served as Dallas' head coach from 1989 to 1993, in that time he won two Super Bowls and established the Cowboys as one of the best teams of the early 90's.

After winning the National Championship as head coach of the Miami Hurricanes in 1987, Johnson was the next hot coaching prospect. Jerry Jones had just purchased the Cowboys and was looking to replace the legendary Tom Landry. Landry had been the only head coach the Cowboys had ever known since their inception in the league in 1960. Jones and Johnson had been friends and teammates at the University of Arkansas which helped persuade Johnson to take the job in Dallas.

Johnson's tenure in Dallas started off a little rough, in his first season the Cowboys went 1-15. He had drafted what would become his franchise quarterback in Troy Aikman, but Aikman was raw and he still lacked a team around him. Four games into the 1989 season, Johnson engineered the largest trade in NFL history by moving Herschel Walker to the Vikings. The trade was instrumental in turning the team around, names like Emmitt Smith, Alvin Harper, and Darren Woodson came to Dallas through draft picks they had garnered from Minnesota. In his second year with the team Johnson had revamped the roster and their record improved to 7-9, the team was on the rise.  In just his third year the team posted an 11-5 record and grabbed a Wild Card spot in the playoffs. The team was knocked out in the division round but they had completed a huge turnaround and the best was yet to come.

The 1992 Cowboys were absolutely dominant under Johnson, they cruised to 13-3 and won the NFC East for the first time since 1985. The Cowboys rock and rolled through the playoffs then took down Jim Kelly and the Buffalo Bills by the score of 52-17 in Super Bowl XXVII. There was no Super Bowl hangover for that club, they came right back the next year and did it again. The '93 team went 12-4 and won the NFC East crown for the second consecutive season.  The Cowboys marched right back through the playoffs and took down the Bills for the second year in a row, this time by the score of 30-13. With back to back Super Bowl Championships under his belt nobody expected the coach's resignation.

It ultimately came down to a power struggle and with Jones as the owner of the team, there could only to be one winner. Johnson surprised everyone with his announcement that he would be leaving the team. The tension between him and Jones had come to a boiling point and he was done as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Jerry Jones hired Barry Switzer to take over the club and he would lead them to the NFC Title game in his first season in 1994 then a Super Bowl Championship in 1995. While Switzer was the head coach the team won their third ring in a four year span, a lot of credit went to the way Johnson had built the team and deservedly so.

Johnson spent a couple of years in the booth before returning to coaching in 1996. It would be the second time in a row he would be following up a coaching legend, this time it was Don Shula in Miami. Things didn't go the way he had envisioned in Miami, while the team never dipped below .500 they never did achieve great success. The 1999 season was his last one, he resigned as the head coach of the Dolphins after a humiliating loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round of the playoffs. Now days you can catch him with the crew on Fox before games and at halftime, I would imagine that job is a lot less stressful than running a football team.

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March 28,1977: Lenny Randle attacks Frank Lucchesi

On March 28, 1977, Texas Rangers second baseman Lenny Randle attacked manager Frank Lucchesi before a Spring Training contest in Orlando, Florida. In the days leading up to the attack it had become clear that Randle had lost his starting position to a rookie named Bump Wills. The attack was vicious and by the time it was over Lucchesi had a fractured cheekbone, a concussion, and a busted lip. It would take surgery to repair the cheekbone and criminal charges would follow. His teammates condemned his actions and some of them said they would never play with him again. It was something they wouldn't have to worry about. After he was suspended for 30 days immediately following the attack, the team traded him to the New York Mets before the suspension was over.

Despite his struggles at the plate the year before, Randle felt he deserved the starting position and he let everyone from the media to his teammates know just that. He had even threatened to leave camp, only to be talked out of it by his teammates. When Lucchesi caught wind of Randle's complaints he responded with "It's just too damn bad that somebody stopped him from leaving. I'm tired of these punks saying play me or trade me. Anyone who makes $80,000 a year and gripes and moans all spring is not going to get a tear out of me." With tensions mounting the Rangers were set to play the Minnesota Twins in a spring training exhibition game. About an hour before the game, Randle went to talk to Lucchesi and whatever was said caused Randle to snap and what he did was far over a line that should never be crossed. Lucchesi's injuries left him in the hospital for a week and the team had no choice but to move him as soon as someone would take him off their hands. They practically gave him away.

Randle was able to bounce back with the Mets by hitting .304 on the year, it was his last decent season in the majors. He played with the Mets for two seasons, then bounced around a little before hanging up the cleats in 1982. Randle was described as a player who was always smiling and by most accounts he was a good teammate. He just had a moment that caused him to snap, unfortunately for him it probably defined his legacy. Randle's career was really of the up and down variety, he hit over .300 just twice in his 10 years in the bigs. He did have some memorable moments including a huge walkoff homer in the bottom of the 17th inning for the Mets in July of '77. The attack on his former manager would forever overshadow anything he ever did on the field.

Following the attack a warrant was issued for his arrest in the State of Florida, while Randle was able to avoid being prosecuted for a felony he was found guilty of a misdemeanor and was required to pay all of Lucchesi's medical bills. A civil lawsuit followed, in December of 1978, Lucchesi put the issue to bed by settling for an undisclosed amount of money. Lucchesi wished his former player the best and decided to just call it water under the bridge. I'm sure that undisclosed amount of money helped the water flow under that bridge at a much smoother rate.

March 27,1939: The Birth of March Madness

On March 27, 1939, March Madness was born when the University of Oregon won the National Title by beating Ohio State 46-33 in the inaugural NCAA basketball tournament. A field of eight teams were invited to the tournament, Texas, Villanova, Brown, Utah State, Oklahoma, and Wake Forest, all joined Oregon and Ohio State in the inaugural tourney. Through time the tournament grew to a field of 64 and has turned into one of the most watched sporting events in America.

The coach of Ohio State, Harold Olsen came up with the idea to hold the tourney to compete with the more prestigious NIT. If he only knew what it has become he might be stunned. The tournament was held on the campus of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. They had to give tickets away throughout the tournament just to have warm bodies in the seats. With the tournament in its infancy nobody really cared about it, in fact they lost $2,600 by the time it was all said and done. It's a far cry from the money the tournament generates today. Eight teams competed for the title until 1951, when they expanded the field to 16 teams. Throughout the years the NCAA expanded the tournament multiple times and it eventually became a field of 64 that we all watch today.

Since the inception of the tournament in 1939 the development of the game has come a long way. Ohio State's, Jimmy Hull took home the first Most Outstanding Player award as he led his team to the title game. The list of players that have taken home that award alone helps define how great the tournament really is, we have names like; Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Magic Johnson on the list that was started by Jimmy Hull. You can view the complete list here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_Basketball_Tournament_Most_Outstanding_Player

With one little idea the tournament was born. It really is amazing to think that once upon a time someone had to give tickets away just hoping people would show up to watch the NCAA Title game. Today thousands of fans will fight for the chance to land a ticket to watch the next Champions cut down the net. After losing $2,600 the first time around, the tournament has become something that generates billions of dollars and it all started with Oregon taking down Ohio State in 1939.

March 26,1979: Magic Beats Bird For The National Title

On March 26, 1979, Magic Johnson and the Michigan State Spartans won the National Title by beating Larry Bird's Indiana State Sycamores by the score of 75-64. The game stills holds the record for most watched ever and it established one of the greatest rivalries in the history of the sport.

Both Johnson and Bird had been stars in high school and they each continued to shine through college. Despite being recruited by powerhouses like UCLA and Indiana, Magic decided he wanted to play close to home. The Lansing Michigan native had narrowed it down to Michigan or Michigan State. When he was told he would be able to play point guard for the Spartans he decided that it was the place for him.

Bird had accepted a scholarship to play for Bobby Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers. He was just a small town kid from French Lick, Indiana and the life at the big school proved to be too much for him. 24 days after he became a Hoosier he decided that it wasn't going to work. Bird spent a year playing a little bit of basketball and working for the street department in French Lick before he enrolled at Indiana State. The school was far from a powerhouse but it was probably the best place for him as he was developing into the man he would become. Bird transformed the Sycamores from a team that had never been to the dance to a team that would go all the way to the title game in his senior year.  He had become a one man wrecking crew that averaged 30 points a game in his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons in college. Indiana State had never received an invitation to the big dance, that would change in his final year with the team. Bird was dominant through the first four games of the tournament and it led him to the showdown against Magic and Michigan State.

Michigan State coach Jud Heathcoate's plan was to disrupt Bird in hopes that he would have a bad offensive night. The plan worked. Bird shot just 7-21 from the field then 5 for 8 from the line, he finished with 19 points on the night but it wasn't enough to match Magic Johnson and the Spartans offense. Johnson scored 24 on the way to being named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. The game helped solidify basketball nationally as the entire nation tuned in to see these two greats go head to head.

The Boston Celtics had taken Bird with the 6th pick of the 1978 draft, he decided to play his senior season before he would enter the NBA. The Los Angeles Lakers took Magic with the first overall pick in 1979 and both players would be entering the league in the same season. They both went onto have some of the most storied careers in the history of the NBA. The Johnson/Bird rivalry continued throughout the 80's as the Celtics and the Lakers met three times in the NBA Finals. Bird and the Celtics were able to prevail over the Lakers in the 1984 Finals then Johnson and the Lakers beat the Celtics in 1985 and 1987. The rivalry between the two players truly helped basketball on both the collegiate level and the professional level.

The thing that I have always thought was great about the rivalry between these two players is how it developed into a great friendship. They had true disdain for one another throughout the early years, by the mid eighties a photo shoot brought them together that was followed by a lunch at Bird's house. The two players who couldn't stand each other realized they were much more alike than they would have ever thought and from that day on they were friends. Bird was one of Magic's biggest supporters when he was diagnosed with HIV, in fact Bird was the first player that heard the news. Bird did what any good friend would do by letting him know he would be there by his side in good times and bad. They had come a long way from the Championship game in 1979.

March 25, 1962: Bobby Hull Becomes Just The Third Player To Score 50 goals in an NHL Season

On March 25, 1962, in the final game of the season at Madison Square Garden in New York, Blackhawks left winger Bobby Hull scored his 50th goal of the season. Hull was just the third player to reach the milestone, only Rocket Richard and Bernie Geoffrion had accomplished the feat before "The Golden Jet" was able to join them in the exclusive 50 goal club.

It was a big game in New York that had the scoring title on the line. Hull had been in a battle all season long with Rangers right winger Andy Bathgate for the league lead in points and this contest would decide who took home the Art Ross Trophy. Just 5 minutes into the game Hull made history when he got the puck passed Rangers netminder Gump Worsley. The goal gave Hull a one point advantage over his rival, then just a few minutes later Bathgate evened things up with a goal of his own. Both players would be held in check the rest of the game despite spending a lot of time on the ice and they each ended the season with 84 points. Hull took home the Art Ross Trophy because he led in the goals category with 50 to Bathgate's 28. The Rangers won the game by the score of 4-1 and it marked the end of a truly great season for both players.

This season marked the prime of his career for Bathgate, at 29 years old he had literally grown up with a Rangers emblem on his chest. He had accomplished a lot throughout his time with the Rangers including being named league MVP in 1959. He was a selfless player who could put the biscuit in the basket just as quick as he could hit a teammate with a pass that setup the game winning goal. In February of 1964, Bathgate was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. It was a move that shocked him and the fans in New York. He helped Toronto win the Stanley Cup by scoring 5 goals and 4 assists throughout the playoffs. After one full season with the Maple Leafs he was dealt to the Red Wings, then picked up by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1967 expansion draft. At the end of the '70-'71 campaign his NHL career came to a close. It was a great career that earned him an induction into the Hall of Fame in 2009.

While the '61-'62 season was the pinnacle of Bathgate's career, it was just the beginning of Hull's journey to the Hall of Fame. At 23 years old it was his fifth full season in the league. From day one the Blackhawks new that had something special, at 19 years old he had blazing speed and made an immediate impact with the team on the way to finishing as the runner up for the rookie of the year honors. He only got better, by his third year in the league he led all players with 39 goals and 81 points, he had quickly become one of the brightest young stars in the league. While he didn't invent the slapshot he helped revolutionize its use by developing the fiercest slapshots in the game. He would lead the Hawks to a Stanley Cup Championship in 1961, by taking down the Detroit Red Wings. Hull would reach the Stanley Cup Finals two more times but wasn't able to win a second title. In 1966, Hull did something that no player had done before by scoring more than 50 goals in a season. He reached the 50 goal mark 5 times in his career, with his career high coming in the '68-'69 season when he lit the lamp 58 times.

Much like Bathgate, Hull grew up wearing the jersey of one team, that would change in 1972. Bobby was 33 years old and he was unhappy with his contract. A new league had formed that was known as the World Hockey Association. The Winnipeg Jets lured Hull away by offering him a million dollars over ten years to be a player/coach in their upstart league. Hull gave the league instant credibility and he continued his winning ways with in Winnipeg with a 77 goal season in 1975, then two championships, the first one coming in 1976 then the second in 1978. By 1979 the WHA and the NHL merged, the Edmonton Oilers, Hartford Whalers, Quebec Nordiques, and Hull's Winnipeg  Jets were all now NHL clubs. He played just 18 games with the Jets before being moved to the Whalers where his great career came to an end. At that point, Hull had lit the lamp 610 times as a member of the NHL and another 303 times while he was with the WHA. Bobby Hull had spent 20 years on the ice and had forged one of the best careers in the history of the NHL. He will forever be remembered as one of the greatest Blackhawks to ever strap on a pair of skates. He still holds franchise records for most goals in a season with 58 and no other player has scored more than his 604 goals with that uniform on. He joined the ranks of hockey's immortals in 1983 when he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Andy Bathgate's career numbers: http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/b/bathgan01.html

Bobby Hull's career numbers: http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/h/hullbo01.html

Both of these videos are close to 10 minutes long, they provide great insight to each of these great men.

Legends of Hockey Andy Bathgate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArN7X_z8ecs 

Legends of Hockey Bobby Hull: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyMwd1XvLd0