Dec 30, 2021 2 min read

ON THIS DATE

Dec. 31

1972 – The Pittsburgh Pirates’ Roberto Clemente and four companions are killed in the crash of an overloaded cargo plane carrying relief supplies to victims of an earthquake in Managua. Three days of national mourning for Clemente is proclaimed in his native Puerto Rico.

1973 – Third-ranked Notre Dame edges top-ranked Alabama 24-23 in the Sugar Bowl. Notre Dame’s Bob Thomas kicks a 19-yard field goal with 4:26 left to give the Irish a one-point lead. With two minutes left, the Irish clinch the victory when on third-and-8 from the their own 3, Tom Clements completes a 35-yard pass from his own end zone to Robin Weber, and Notre Dame runs out the clock.

1974 – Jim “Catfish” Hunter, baseball’s first free agent, signs with the New York Yankees.

1975 – Dan Kendra passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns as West Virginia beats North Carolina State 13-10 in the Peach Bowl, the final game for Bobby Bowden as the Mountaineers’ head coach.

1981 – Paul Woodisde kicks four field goals and Mickey Walczyk runs for a touchdown and catches a TD pass from Oliver Luck as West Virginia upsets Florida, 26-6, in the Peach Bowl.

1988 – Mario Lemieux scores five goals in five different ways – even strength, shorthanded, power play, penalty shot and empty net – as the Pittsburgh Penguins defeat the New Jersey Devils.

1988 – A dense fog rolls in during the second quarter of the Chicago Bears’ 20-12 NFC semifinal victory over the Philadelphia Eagles at Soldier Field in Chicago. The fog obscures the game from most of the 65,534 fans present and a national television audience that could watch only ground-level shots.

1989 – Notre Dame assistant Barry Alvarez, a Langeloth native, agrees to become the head football coach at Wisconsin.

1989 – Gary Anderson kicks a 50-yard field goal 3:26 into overtime to give the Pittsburgh Steelers a 26-23 victory over the Houston Oilers in an AFC wild-card playoff game at The Astrodome.

2006 – San Diego coach Marty Schottenheimer, a McDonald native, wins his 200th regular-season game, joining Don Shula, George Halas, Tom Landry and Curly Lambeau in that exclusive club.