THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY: 12/31

1918 – Kid Gleason replaces Pants Rowland as White Sox manager.

1950 – Jockeys Bill Shoemaker & Joe Culmone set record of 388 wins in a year.

1952 – Danny Nardico stops former world middleweight champion Jake LaMotta in 7 rounds in a light heavyweight non-title bout in Coral Gables, Florida; LaMotta is knocked down for the only time in his career, his corner stopping fight after the round.

1961 – National Football League Championship, City Stadium, Green Bay: Green Bay Packers shutout NY Giants 37-0; first of 5 NFL titles won in 7-season span by Packers and head coach, Vince Lombardi.

1962 – American Basketball League announces suspension of operation.

1967 – 1st NBA game at Great Western Forum, LA Lakers beat Houston 147-118.

1967 – AFL Championship, Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland: Oakland Raiders beat Houston Oilers 40-7; George Blanda 4 field goals for Raiders in club’s 1st AFL Championship.

1967 – NFL Championship, Lambeau Field, Green Bay: Green Bay Packers beat Dallas Cowboys, 21-17; “The Ice Bowl”, -13°F.

1968 – NY Jets win AFL championship.

1974 – New York Yankees sign Cy Young Award winner Jim “Catfish” Hunter for 5 years for a record $3.75 million from the Oakland A’s.

1980 – NY Islanders greatest shutout margin (9-0) vs Chicago Black Hawks.

1988 – Pittsburgh NHL center Mario Lemieux accounts for all his team’s goals in Penguins 8-6 win over the NJ Devils; famously scores 5 goals, each in a different way: even strength, power play, shorthanded, penalty shot and empty net; also 3 assists.

1997 – 72 year-old Marv Levy retires as coach of the NFL Buffalo Bills after 12 seasons, including 4 consecutive losing Super Bowl appearances.

2017 Cleveland Browns crash to a 28-24 loss to Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field to become only the 2nd team in NFL history to finish season with 0-16 record.

2018 Houston guard James Harden scores 43 points in Rockets’ 113-101 win over Memphis Grizzlies; 4th straight NBA game with 40+ points and 8th straight with 35+; joins Oscar Robertson as only player with at least 35 points & 5 assists in 8 straight games.