Apr 22, 2021 3 min read

April 24

1950 – Chuck Cooper, an All-American from Duquesne playing with the Harlem Globetrotters, becomes the first black to be picked in the NBA draft when he’s taken by the Boston Celtics.

1961 – Canon-McMillan High School’s Hank Armstrong wins the 220-yard dash in a meet record 22.3 seconds at the Canonsburg Relays.

1972 – Canon-McMillan’s Dan Corcoran throws a no-hitter, and Ralph Wilson breaks a scoreless tie with a pinch-hit home run in the sixth inning, as Canon-McMillan defeats Chartiers-Houston 2-0 in a Section 3 baseball game. Corcoran strikes out 17 and allows only two baserunners (one walk, one hit batsman).

1974 – Clark Graebner, player-coach of the Cleveland Nets in World Team Tennis, trades his wife, Carole, to the Pittsburgh Traingles in exchange for Laura Dupont.

1974 – The NFL votes to expand to Tampa, Fla.

1980 – Elaine Sobansky of Trinity becomes only the second high school girl in United States history to break the 50-feet barrier outdoors in the shot put. Sobansky makes a throw of 50-1 at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, breaking the meet record for high school girls by more than four feet.

1986 – Trinity hires J.C. Martin, a former Hillers player, to be the school’s head boys soccer coach. Martin replaces Art Richardson, who resigned.

1987 – The San Francisco 49ers acquire quarterback Steve Young in a trade with Tampa Bay. The 49ers send second- and fourth-round draft picks in the upcoming NFL draft and cash to the Buccaneers.

1993 – Pittsburgh’s NHL-record 14-game playoff winning streak and its overall 21-game unbeaten string are snapped as the New Jersey Devils beat the Penguins 4-1.

1994 – The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Colorado wide receiver Charles Johnson with the 17th pick in the NFL Draft.

1996 – Petr Nedved puts a wrist shot past Washington goaltender Olig Kolzig with 44.6 seconds left in the fourth overtime to give the Pittsbrugh Penguins a 3-2 victory over the Capitals in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Pittsburgh overcomes the ejection of Mario Lemieux late in the second period, and Penguins goaltender Ken Wregget stops a penalty shot by Washington’s Joe Juneau in the second overtime.

April 25

1957 – Monongahela High School wins its second consecutive WPIAL soccer championship by routing Scott Township, 6-0. Pete Legeza leads the Wildcats with two goals.

1968 – Groundbreaking ceremonies are held for Three Rivers Stadium, the new home of the Pirates and Steelers, to be constructed on Pittsburgh’s North Side. Among the featured speakers is former track star and Olympic champion Jesse Owens.

1974 – Chartiers-Houston wins its fourth consecutive Tri-County Conference track meet. The Bucs’ Bob Anasetti breaks his own conference record with a leap of 42-5 1/2 in the triple jump. Jefferson-Morgan’s Dennis Garrett establishes the conference record of 21-3 in the long jump.

1976 – Chicago Cubs center fielder Rick Monday rescues the American flag from two trespassers who tried to set it on fire in the outfield of Dodger Stadium during as game. The incident happened in the fourth inning of a 5-4, 10-inning loss to Los Angeles.

1989 – Mario Lemieux ties NHL playoff records with four first-period goals, five overall and eight points as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat Philadelphia, 10-7, to take a 3-2 lead in the Patrick Division finals.

1993 – Pittsburgh’s NHL-record 14-game playoff winning streak and its overall 21-game unbeaten string are snapped as the New Jersey Devils beat the Penguins 4-1.