Dec 30, 2022 6 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.

Jan. 1

1969 – Bob Campbell’s two-point conversion run gives Penn State a 15-14 win over Kansas in the Orange Bowl. The conversion comes after a 3-yard TD run by Chuck Burkhart with 15 seconds remaining.

1970 – Second-ranked Penn State intercepts seven Missouri passes and Chuck Burkhart throws a 29-yard touchdown pass to Lydell Mitchell as the Nittany Lions win the Orange Bowl, 10-3, and run their unbeaten streak to 30 games.

1974 – Chuck Herd makes a one-handed catch on a 72-yard touchdown pass from Tom Shuman and Penn State goes on to defeat LSU 16-9 in the Orange Bowl.

1977 – Pitt lays claim to the college football national championship as the undefeated and untied Panthers dominated the 43rd Sugar Bowl, trouncing Georgia 27-3 in the Superdome. Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett rushes for 202 yards and one touchdown on 32 carries for the Panthers.

1982 – Dan Marino throws a 33-yard touchdown pass to tight end John Brown with 35 seconds remaining to give Pitt a 24-20 victory over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

1983 – Curt Warner runs for two touchdowns and Greg Garrity catches a 47-yard TD pass from Todd Blackledge in the fourth quarter as Penn State wins its first football national championship with a 27-23 victory over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

1987 – The Pittsburgh Pirates trade pitchers Rick Rhoden, Pat Clements and Cecilio Guante to the New York Yankees in exchange for pitchers Doug Drabek, Brian Fisher and Logan Easley.

2008 – Sidney Crosby’s shootout goal gives Pittsburgh a 2-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres in the outdoor Winter Classic in front of a league-record 71,217 fans. In elements way more suited for football than hockey, Crosby wins the NHL’s second outdoor game – and first in the United States – in the most dramatic of fashion at Ralph Wilson Stadium, home to the NFL’s Buffalo Bills.

2010 – Dampened by rain and slowed by mud, Penn State manages to defeat LSU 19-17 in the capital One Bowl when Collin Wagner kicks a 21-yard game-winning field goal with 57 seconds left.

Jan. 2

1922 – Washington & Jefferson and heavily favored California play to a scoreless tie in the Tournament of Roses football game (now known as the Rose Bowl) before more than 50,000 fans. It is the only scoreless game in Rose Bowl history. All 11 starters for W&J play the entire game.

1957 – Tackles Ralph Cindrich of Avella and Wayne Shanor of Washington, along with Monongahela end Ken Osleger, are named to the Pennsylvania team for the Big 33 football game against Texas.

1973 – Ernie Closser resigns as wrestling coach at Waynesburg High School. In 13 seasons with the Raiders, Closser has a 137-35 record, and during a seven-year stretch Waynesburg goes 98-1 in dual meets. Assistant coach Joe Ayersman is named acting head coach.

1982 — Rolf Benirschke’s 29-yard field goal at 13:52 of overtime ends one of the wildest and highest-scoring playoff games as the San Diego Chargers beat the Miami Dolphins 41-38.

1986 – Becky Burlingham breaks Immaculate Conception’s girls basketball scoring record in the Comettes’ 57-43 victory over Washington. Burlingham scores 20 points to surpass the record of 1,010 points set by Diane Gillespie.

1987 – Penn State’s D.J. Dozier scores on a six-yard run in the fourth quarter and Pete Giftopoulos grabs his second interception of the game in the final minute to secure the Nittany Lions’ 14-10 victory over Miami, Fla., in the Fiesta Bowl. The win give Penn State the national championship. Miami is hampered by seven turnovers, including five interceptions of the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Vinny Testaverde.

1989 – Tony Rice passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns as Notre Dame completes an undefeated season with a 34-21 victory over No. 3 West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl.

1991 – Mike Cipoletti scores 24 points and West Greene High School defeats previously unbeaten Frazier 73-65. The win improves the Pioneers’ record to 9-1.

2002 – Washington & Jefferson hires Rick Creehan as its athletics director. Creehan had been the AD at Allegheny College.

2005 — The Pittsburgh Steelers win their 14th straight game to match the record set by Miami in 1972 and become the fourth team in NFL history to finish 15-1.

2006 – Freshman Steve Slaton rushes for a Sugar Bowl-record 204 yards and three touchdowns as Big East champion West Virginia upsets Georgia 38-35 in Atlanta.