Dec 10, 2021 3 min read

ON THIS DATE

Dec. 11

1956 – Myron Pottios, Charleroi High School’s hard-hitting fullback, is selected to the Associated Press All-Pennsylvania Football team. Pottios is one of three WPIAL players named to the first team.

1965 – California State College sets a school basketball scoring record by blasting Bliss College of Columbus, Ohio, 155-84. The Vulcans score 94 points in the second half. Pat Hobart leads seven Cal players in double figures with 26 points.

1973 – The Pittsburgh Triangles of World Team Tennis sign two-time United States Open champion Ken Rosewall to a one-year contract to be player-coach.

1975 – The Pittsburgh Pirates acquire pitcher George “Doc” Medich in a trade with the New York Yankees. The Pirates give up second baseman Willie Randolph and pitchers Ken Brett and Dock Ellis.

1985 – Pitt hires Kansas’ Mike Gottfried as its head football coach replacing fired Foge Fazio.

1990 – The Pittsburgh Penguins acquire defensemen Larry Murphy and Peter Taglianetti in a trade with the Minnesota North Stars. The Penguins give up defensemen Jim Johnson and Chris Dahlquist.

1993 – Pervires Greene scores 25 points to lead five West Virginia scorers in double figures and the Mountaineers force 28 Pitt turnovers in beating the Panthers, 99-91.

1999 – Fort Cherry running back Mike Vernillo is named the Observer-Reporter Offensive Players of the Year and Waynesburg linebacker Lanfer Simpson is the Defensive Player of the Year.

2008 – Petr Sykora ends the longest streak in NHL history without a hat trick by a player who had at least two goals in a game, scoring three times to lead Pittsburgh to a 9-2 rout of the New York Islanders. Sykora previously had 38 games with two goals without getting a third, far surpassing the 28 games by Hall of Fame defenseman Larry Murphy.

2011 – David Williams makes the second of two free throws with 1.7 seconds remaining in overtime to give Canon-McMillan a 53-52 victory over Trinity in the championship game of the EQT Energy Classic.

2016 – Pittsburgh’s Le’Veon Bell scores three times and gains a franchise-record 236 yards rushing in a 27-20 win over the Buffalo Bills.

Dec. 12

1958 – Washington & Jefferson’s basketball team edges Wayne State 49-48 in Detroit. The key basket in the game came with eight minutes remaining as Wayne State’s Winfield Henry inexplicably shot the ball through the wrong basket after grabbing a defensive rebound and scoring two points for the Presidents.

1965 – Chicago’s Gale Sayers scores six touchdowns with 336 combined yards to lead the Bears to a 61-20 rout of the San Francisco 49ers. The six TDs give Sayers an NFL-record 21 for the season. Sayers’ first touchdown is a reception, the next four rushing and the final, an 85-yard punt return.?

1979 – Rod Wheeler makes 17 of 20 free throws, including six straight in the second overtime, to foul up Cal State’s slowdown tactics and lead Waynesburg to a 55-53 victory at Hamer Hall.

1984 – The Pittsburgh Pirates trade pitcher John Tudor and utility player Brian Harper to the St. Louis Cardinals for outfielder George Hendrick and minor leaguer Steve Barnard.

1985 – Mike Gottfried agrees to a five-year contract to become Pitt’s head football coach. Gottfried spent the last three years at Kansas, where he had a 15-18-1 record.

1985 – Tammy McIntire scores 36 points and Waynesburg remains undefeated with a 55-47 victory over visiting Peters Township in Section 10-AAA-AA. Candy Ross scores 20 points for PT.

1989 – Tom Emelo scores 29 points, Dan Kovatch has 23 and Joe Rudolph 20 as Belle Vernon knocks off Monessen 93-86 in a non-section game.

1990 – Laura Marquis scores 20 points in Mapletown’s 58-29 win over Frazier to become the Maples’ all-time leading scorer with 1,026 points.

2004 – Pitt’s Walt Harris is hired as Stanford’s football coach. Harris had a 52-44 record in eight seasons at Pitt.