Jul 14, 2022 2 min read

ON THIS DATE

July 15

1912 – Jim Thorpe wins the decathlon at the Stockholm Olympics. At the closing ceremony, Sweden’s King Gustav proclaims Thorpe the world’s greatest athlete.

1939 – National League president Ford Frick orders two-foot screens affixed inside all foul poles after Billy Jurges of the New York Giants and umpire George Magerkurth spit at each other after a disputed foul ball call down the left-field line at the Polo Grounds.

1961 – Arnold Palmer shoots a 284 at Royal Birkdale to win his first British Open title.

1967 – St. Louis pitcher Bob Gibson’s right fibula is fractured by a Roberto Clemente line drive during a 6-3 loss to the Pirates. The injury will sideline the right-hander until Labor Day.

1980 – Eddie Johnston, former head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks, takes the same job with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Johnston replaces Johnny Wilson, who was fired in May.

1994 – After being confiscated in the first inning of the Indians-White Sox game at Comiskey Park, Albert Belle’s bat, suspected of being corked, is placed in umpire Dave Phillips’ locker for further examination. The theft of the questionable piece of lumber, taken and replaced by a burglar who gains access to the umpire’s room by squirming through an overhead crawl space, a thievery Jason Grimsley confesses to five years later, is immediately discovered when pieces of ceiling tile litter the floor, and the name on the ‘clean’ bat now reads, Paul Sorrento.

1996 – Oval Jaynes resigns after five years as Pitt’s athletic director.