Moments in time: Sports history on December 4
Photo courtesy of Unsplash, Raymond Petrik
Kelsey Watson, Sports Editor
Lace up your cleats and grab your peanuts; it’s time for a trip down sports memory lane on December 4. From as far back as 1914, sports have had impacts through decades, all shown on According to this Day in History.
On Dec. 4, 1943, the MLB commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis announced that any baseball club would then be allowed to have black players. According to this Day in History, Landis had been blamed for delaying integration because he did not take action to make this process faster. He claimed that there were no rules preventing owners from signing black players and his job as commissioner was to uphold those rules.
This opened doors for not only black baseball players, but also black individuals during the civil rights movement. Just under two years later, Jackie Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers and became the first African-American to play in the modern era of the MLB.
In 1948, Alabama beat Auburn in the 13th Iron Bowl 55-0 in Birmingham, AL. This was the first Iron Bowl since 1907. According to The Montgomery Independent, it is believed the teams did not play for 40 years because the two institutions could not agree on the terms of the contract. It included things like meal money, officials and how many players the teams could bring.
In 1956, Notre Dame quarterback Paul Hornung won the 22nd Heisman Trophy Award. According to the NCAA, despite his team having a 2-8 losing record, Hornung finished his season with 59 passes for 917 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed 94 times for 420 yards. He is credited for over half of Notre Dame’s points for the year and ended the season with 1,337 yards of total offense. Not only was he a quarterback, but he also returned kickoffs and kicked extra points. Hornung won Notre Dame’s fifth Heisman Trophy as a truly versatile player.
Dec. 4, 1977 was the NFL’s 5,000th game. Cincinnati beat Kansas City 27-7. Pro Football Reference said Cincinnati quarterback Ken Anderson had two touchdowns and wide receiver Pat McInally scored his first ever touchdown in the NFL.
In 1979, the Cleveland Cavaliers retire Bingo Smith’s number seven jersey. Smith was a 6’5 shooting guard and small forward. According to the NBA, he played 865 games with an average of 12.6 points per game. He also averaged 4.2 rebounds per game and two assists per game. Smith helped the Cavaliers grow to a playoff team in the 1970s after only being seen as an expansion team. He died just over a year ago, on Oct. 26, 2023.
The Orioles traded Eddie Murray, veteran first baseman to the Dodgers in 1988. The National Baseball Hall of Fame says Murray was an eight-time all-star and set a record for sacrifice fly balls with 128. He was the all-time leader among switch-hitters in RBIs with 1,917. Murray also had 504 career home runs, 560 doubles and 35 triples. He played in 3,026 games with 11,336 at bats.
2010 was only the 6th ACC Championship game. Virginia Tech beat Florida state 44-33. ESPN says FSU’s passing yard game leader was EJ Manuel with 288 yards and one touchdown. VT’s rushing yards game leader was Darren Evans with 69 yards and one touchdown.
In 2022, Caitlin Clark scores 22 points, gets 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team against Wisconsin, which they won 102-71. This accomplishment allows her to surpass the Big Ten career triple-double record. Just Women’s Sports said this game also moved Clark to 1,915 career points.
Every day in sports has a long history full of football stats, records set and many firsts.
