March 31, 1973: Ken Norton Breaks Ali's Jaw

     On March 31, 1973, in front of more than 12,000 people at the San Diego Sports Arena in California, Ken Norton broke Muhammad Ali's jaw in a bout that saw Norton claim victory by split-decision in 12 rounds. When the bell rang after that first round, the former heavyweight champion of the world came to his corner and informed his trainer Angelo Dundee that he thought it might be broken. There were no signs of visible damage on Ali other than a little bit of blood coming from the corner of his mouth, so he continued to battle until the bitter end. While it was a bitter end for Ali, it was a sweet victory for Norton who would see Ali again.

     Norton, a 28-year-old ex-Marine came into the fight as a 5 to 1 underdog and stunned everyone as he handed "The People's Champion" a stunning defeat. Despite the broken jaw Ali hung in until the end. Although, he was a much different Ali than what the people were used to seeing. In the 11th round Norton looked like he might be tiring. He had never gone more than 10 rounds in his career, and Ali was steadily inflicting damage upon him. However, Norton came out in the 12th and final round trying to knock Ali out. He knew the scorecards would be close to even. With the crowd cheering him on Norton backed Ali into the ropes and unloaded a furious combination as he battled toward victory.

     Nearly six months later Norton and Ali stepped in the ring once again, and Ali avenged the loss. Much like the first fight it too went the distance, but this time it was Ali who earned the split decision. Norton then fought George Foreman in an attempt to win the Heavyweight Title. Foreman destroyed Norton in two rounds to retain his title. In 1976, Ali beat Norton in their third and final meeting. The bout in '76 went 15 rounds before the judges scorecards determined that Ali won by a unanimous decision. It marked the end to a trilogy that began with a broken jaw for who is considered to be one of the greatest boxers of all time. The first fight also made Ken Norton a household name as he earned the victory. Before the fight his biggest purse was $7,500, the Ali  fight earned him $50,000, many more dollars and a lot of recognition was on the way.

March 31, 1931; Tragedy Strikes Knute Rockne

     On March 31, 1931, Knute Rockne was killed when the plane that was carrying him and seven others exploded while flying through the skies of Bazaar, Kansas. There were no survivors. Rockne was regarded as one of the best football coaches in the history of college football as he led the Notre Dame fighting Irish to a 105-12-5 record from 1918-1930. He was just 43 years of age at the time of his death.

     The fateful trip that took the life of Knute Rockne was a trip to California where he was going to help in the production of the feature film called The Spirit of Notre Dame. He had made a planned stop in Kansas City to visit his two sons. After the visit he boarded the plane that was set to take him on the rest of his trip around 9:15 in the morning, less than two hours later a farmer tending to some cows looked up and seen the plane explode. After the plane came crashing down the farmer rushed to the site of the crash where he realized no one could be saved.

     The President of the United States, Herbert Hoover called Rockne's death a national loss. His funeral held in South Bend, Indiana drew thousands of people, and tens of thousands more tuned in on the radio to listen to the services, a legend had been lost, but his legacy would stand the test of time. That legacy included the innovation of the forward pass, 4 National Championships, and the famed Four Horsemen who had helped lift Rockne and the Irish to the National Title in 1924. His "Win one for the Gipper" speech is one of the most famous speeches that has ever been given in the world of sports. While we reflect on Rockne's journey on earth ended on this day so many years ago, the most important thing is to remember the life that came before that day. It was a life that will never be forgotten.

March 29, 1982: North Carolina Wears The Crown

   

     On March 29, 1982, trailing the Georgetown Hoyas by one point with 15 seconds to go in the National Title game, freshman standout Michael Jordan nailed a 18-foot jump shot to put his North Carolina Tar Heels up 63-62. The Tar Heels held onto that lead, and 15 seconds later they were crowned National Champions. The game was one for the ages, as the Hoyas were led by another freshman by the name of Patrick Ewing, while the Tar Heels had James Worthy who matched Ewing dunk for dunk as they battled for the title.

    Besides the stars already named, North Carolina also had Sam Perkins on the floor, and Georgetown had Eric "Sleepy" Floyd on their side. Each and every player on both squads gave it their all, in what was one of, if not the hardest fought battles of that season. Before the game Ewing had been criticized for his lack of defensive play. He proved the naysayers wrong as he knocked down 23 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and had three steals, and two blocked shots. The coach of the Tar Heels, Dean Smith was even amazed by Ewing's play. Luckily for Smith, he had a few amazing players of his own. Most notably James Worthy who knocked down 28 points on his way to winning the game's MVP award.

     Georgetown led 32-31 at the half. When the teams returned to the floor a seesaw battle ensued that  never had either team leading by more than four points. The Hoyas took the lead for the final time with just 57 ticks left on the clock on a short jumper by Floyd. Dean Smith called a timeout to set up the next play, and told Jordan if he had an open shot to take it. Jordan heard him loud and clear, and with time winding down he found his opening and took the shot that brought North Carolina their second title in men's basketball. Although there was 15 seconds to go, which meant Georgetown had more than enough time to take the lead right back. However, guard Fred Brown thought he saw his teammate Eric Smith in peripheral vision and fired a pass that was intercepted by Worthy. The Tar Heels were champions. It was the first title for the program since 1957. They have returned to the top of the college basketball mountain three more times since that day in 1982.

Worthy's 28 points led the Tar Heels, Jordan knocked down 16, and Sam Perkins had 10 under his belt. On the Georgetown side of the ball, Ewing's 28 led the way, it was followed up by 18 points for Floyd, and another 14 by Eric Smith. You can check out the entire box score here: http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/ncaa-tournament/history/yearbyyear/1982

   

March 28, 1944: The Utah Utes Claim The NCAA Crown

     On March 28, 1944, the Utah Utes were named the National Champions after defeating Dartmouth 42-40. In the waning moments of regulation The Big Green of Dartmouth trailed the Utes 36-32, before and Bob Gale and Dick McGuire hit on a pair of field goals to send the contest to into overtime.  In the overtime frame Utah's Arnie Ferren knocked down 4 points before Herb Wilkinson sank an off balance shot to seal the victory. To date, this is the only National Title for the Utah men's basketball program.

     The way that Utah entered the tournament was an unusual one. Initially, the program turned down the invitation, and chose to enter the National Invitational Tournament instead. At the time the NIT was more prestigious than the NCAA tournament. Like the NCAA tournament, the NIT was just an eight team field to decide a champion. Utah drew Kentucky in the first round of the NIT, and were handed a 46-38 loss. Meanwhile, just days before the NCAA tournament was set to take place tragedy struck the Arkansas basketball program. A coach had been killed and two players were seriously injured in a car accident. Arkansas was considered to be a favorite before the accident, but after the horrible set of circumstances hit they decided not to play. This opened the door for the Utes who would exceed all expectations by taking home the crown.

     After the loss to Kentucky in the NIT, a 2 a.m. closed door meeting was held to decide if the Utah squad would jump on a train and head to Kansas City to join the NCAA tournament. Other than the NIT field being more prestigious, another big reason why Utah joined that tournament instead was that they were guaranteed a tour of Manhattan. After knocking off Missouri, and a as heavily favored Iowa State team, the Utes squad jumped back on a train and got to tour the city once again as they were set to face Dartmouth for the National Title. Dartmouth came into the contest as a 7-point underdog. However, as they were led by Arnie Ferren the team took on the nickname "The Blitz Kids." 

     Ferren knocked down 12 points in the win over Missouri, and another six in the victory over Iowa State. He saved his best performance for last which was a 22-point performance in the victory over Dartmouth. Before the game an assistant coach from Utah overheard some Dartmouth players saying that they should play an intrasquad scrimmage so they would at least get their moneys worth. The coach relayed the conversation to his squad, which fueled the fire that was already burning hot. The Utes showed the Big Green that they not only belonged there, they also showed them how a champion celebrates.

     Two days after the victory over Dartmouth, a Red Cross Benefit that pitted Utah against St. Johns who had won the NIT Championship. St. Johns had ousted Kentucky out of that tournament. Many considered this game to be what would truly decide the National Title. Once again Utah fought their way to victory, this time by the score of 43-36. That game brought in $35,000 for the Red Cross.  By today's standard that would be more than $450,000.  From their the Utah basketball squad were treated like the Kings of New York. They dined for free at some of the finest restaurants, enjoyed free shows, and had parties held in their honor. They were much more than the Kings of New York, they were Champions.

March 27, 1990: The New York Rangers Take The Patrick Division Crown

     On March 27, 1990, the New York Rangers ended a 48-year NHL title drought when they clinched the Patrick Division title with a 7-4 victory over the Nordiques in Quebec. The Rangers found themselves trailing 4-2 as they headed into the third period, then rallied with 5 goals in less than 10 minutes as they laid claim to the division crown for the first time since 1942.

     The rally started with a powerplay goal from James Patrick 5 minutes and 27 seconds into the third, as he blasted a 45 foot slapshot past the Nordiques netminder Ron Tugnutt. Less than three minutes later Brian Mullen tied it up with another powerplay goal. Mike Gartner who had been acquired at the trade deadline put the Rangers ahead 5-4 with a goal at the 9:10 mark. The squad from Quebec scored two goals before the Rangers, John Ogrodnick answered back with a goal at the 11:26 mark, then Paul Broten scored the 7th Rangers goal capped things off with a little under 5 minutes to go.

     The division crown that had evaded them for so long was finally theirs. After the game, ex-Rangers
 Michel Petit and Guy Lafleur skated over to the New York bench to congratulate their former teammates. The Rangers coach Roger Neilson, was also congratulated by the coach of the Nordiques, Michel Bergeron who had been fired as the Rangers coach one year before. When Neilson spoke after the game he said "I seen a lot of happy faces in the dressing room after the game tonight." The coach went onto say "We wanted to do it for ourselves and the players came out flying. You can't beat scoring five goals in the the third period."

     Unfortunately for Neilson, and the Rangers, they would be knocked out in the second round of the playoffs. With Neilson at the helm they followed up the division winning season with a second place finish the following season, then returned to the top of the division after a very successful '91-'92 campaign. The next year was a struggle for the Rangers and Neilson was a casualty. He lost his job in January of '93, and the team would end up missing the playoffs. One season later, under new head coach Mike Keenan the Rangers held Lord Stanley's Cup high. It had been 54 years since they had last held the cup.

March 26, 1974: George Foreman Destroys Ken Norton

     

On March 26, 1974, it took Big George Foreman just two rounds to successfully defend his heavyweight title against Ken Norton in Caracas, Venezuela. Foreman had taken the title from Smokin Joe Frazier a little over a year before. The fight in Venezuela would become known as the "Caracas Caper" after the Venezuelan government made the decision that they would tax the purses to the tune of 18%. 

     Just 12 hours before the fight was set to take place, Foreman's status was in question. He had an apparent knee injury and was sitting in a hospital waiting to see how bad it was. Luckily, it was not bad at all, and the fight would go on. Fast forward to the moment the bell rang. Foreman came into the fight a 3 to 1 favorite and he made such quick work of his opponent that you would have thought might have he left his car running outside.  

     After an evenly fought first round that saw Foreman come on strong in the moments before the bell rang, he came out like a mad man in the second. Early in the round Foreman rocked Norton with a hard right to the head. As Norton tried to slip away, Foreman realized that he had him right where he wanted and let go a  furious combination that knocked Norton into the ropes. Although, he didn't hit the canvas the referee jumped in and signaled a knockdown, so Norton had to take the mandatory eight count. Just moments later, Foreman rocked Norton again, and again his opponent went flailing into the ropes. After bouncing back to his feet, the ref refrained from making him take the eight count again, and the barrage of punches continued by Foreman. After the initial knockdown, Norton never did regain composure.  His legs were wobbly under him, and Foreman let go another fierce combo that sent him crashing to the canvas. Norton did everything in his power to get to his feet. He stumbled along the ropes in an effort to stand straight up, but it could not be done. With Norton's trainer running in to stop the fight, the ref beat him to the punch and ruled he could not continue. Foreman was still the champ. 

     What followed the fight earned it an infamous nickname as the Venezuelan government backtracked on a deal to waive all takes in order to have the fight take place on their soil. However, the night before they changed their tune, and let those involved know that some taxes would be assessed. It looked like it was an issue that was going to be easily resolved when the management at the Poliedro Arena insisted they would put up a tax bond to cover expenses, but they too came up short on their end of the bargain. It took days to settle the issue. When it was all said and done Norton had to pay nearly $50,000 to the government, while Foreman was stuck paying an estimated $300,000. Norton was able to leave the country on the 29th of March, and Foreman finally headed home on the first of April. Just days after the fight, newspapers all across America dubbed the fight as the "Caracas Caper", it would not only remembered  for the dominant display of raw power by Foreman, it would also be remembered for the political mess that followed.

     Foreman lost the title to Muhammad Ali in October of 1974. The championship reign was put on hiatus for 20 years. In 1994, at the age of 45, Foreman regained the title with a knockout of Michael Moorer, making him the oldest heavyweight champion ever. He was one of the best to put n a pair of gloves in Boxing's Golden Era. 

Watch the fight here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12OFNnJ10Wc

     

March 25, 1934: Horton Smith Wins The Inaugural Masters

     On March 25, 1934, Horton Smith won the inaugural Masters Tournament held in Augusta, Georgia. Smith, a native of Joplin, Missouri, shot a 284 during the four day tournament that covered 36 holes, which led to a one stroke victory over Craig Wood to take home what would become one of golf's most coveted prizes.

     Since Smith hailed from Joplin, Missouri, the press dubbed him the "Joplin Ghost." He turned pro in 1926 when he was an 18-year-old kid and joined a golf club out of Chicago. In 1929, the PGA tour was born, and Smith with a variety of others were the pioneers who helped lay the groundwork for what it is today. Smith won eight of the first twenty-two events that were held in that first year of the tour. It was by far his most dominant year of play in his career, however, the first ever win at the Masters tournament earned him a spot in sports history that can not be surpassed by no other.

     Even though Smith took home the top prize, Bobby Jones was in large part the center of attention. Jones had come out of retirement to play in this tournament. At that point in his life he was already a legend in the world of golf. He had won 13 Major Championships before retiring in 1930. Following his retirement, Jones began to look for ground around his hometown of Atlanta to build a course where he could spend the latter years of his life. This is how Augusta National was born. The 345 acres where the course would come to be was purchased for $70,000 in 1931 by Jones and his partner Clifford Roberts. By today's standards that would be more the $1 million.

     Long before golf would be played at Augusta an indigo plantation had occupied the grounds before it was converted into a nursery in 1857. When Jones and company came across the land they believed it to be the perfect spot for what they were envisioning. Jones, along with an architect by the name of Alister MacKenzie designed the course, and by 1933 golf began to be played at Augusta. Unfortunately, the architect did not see the day that the first Masters were played, as he passed away just two months before it happened. However, MacKenzie's contributions to golf earned him a spot in the World Golf Hall of Fame. He was very accomplished and had his hand in designing courses on four different continents. While he did not see the day they first Masters tournament was held, he was instrumental in laying the groundwork for what it has become
today.

     Jones did not fare well in the tournament. He finished 13th with a 294. With that said, his brainchild had come to be and it has developed into one of the premier courses in the World of Golf. Jones played in every Masters tournament until 1948, although, he only played as a competitor in the inaugural event. Health issues forced him off the golf course, however, what he did in his glory days, along with bringing Augusta to the forefront also led him to the World Golf Hall of Fame.

     While Jones stole some of the spotlight from Smith in 1934, the same could not be said two years later when he took home the top prize at the Masters once again. He was not just the first time winner of the Masters, he was the first two-time winner also. Once again he found victory by holding onto a one stroke lead. In both of Smith's wins at Augusta the top prize was $1,500, today that would be right around $25,000 today. The top prize today is more than $1 million. The green jacket that Smith was awarded after that 1934 victory sold for nearly $700,000 in September of 2013.Smith is also a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. Each of the men mentioned in the piece were instrumental in helping the sport develop into what it is today. They were pioneers. If you tune into the upcoming Masters be sure to remember that there is a rich history that goes along with the course and it all began On This Day in 1934.

If you would like to learn more about the history of the Masters check this out: http://www.augusta.com/masters/history