This Day in Sports History: October 23

Notable sports events in October include the MLB playoffs, NBA and NHL preseason games, college football, the Xfinity 500 NASCAR Cup Series race, track meets, the UEFA Champions League, and Formula 1. In previous years, Oct. 23 has seen many momentous sports moments and stories from legends of the game. These are some of them.

Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records

Oct. 23 featured the following memorable sporting events:

• 1884: The Providence Grays beat the New York Metropolitans 6-0 in a postseason opener widely viewed as an early precursor to the World Series.
• 1903: In the eighth Iron Bowl game, Alabama beat Auburn 18-6.
• 1910: The A’s beat the Cubs 4-1 and won their first World Series title.
• 1921: The Green Bay Packers played the first American Professional Football Association game and beat the Minneapolis Marines 7-6.
• 1935: Cubs catcher Gabby Hartnett won the National League MVP.
• 1945: Jackie Robinson signed a contract with the Montreal Royals, a minor league farm team of the Brooklyn Dodgers.
• 1964: Anton Geesink won an open gold medal in the first-ever Olympic judo competition.
• 1964: Joe Frazier beat Hans Huber on points and won the Olympic heavyweight gold medal.
• 1964: Gymnast Larisa Latynina won the floor exercise gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
• 1968: American swimmer Kaye Hall set a world record 1:06.2 to beat Canadian Elaine Tanner by 0.5s and win the 100m backstroke gold medal at the Mexico City Olympics.
• 1976: Pittsburgh’s Tony Dorsett rushed for 180 yards to become the NCAA’s all-time leading career rusher with 5,206 yards.
• 1977: Bill Rodgers defended his title and won the New York City Marathon with a time of 2:11.38.
• 1984: Cubs pitcher Rick Sutcliffe was selected as the unanimous choice for the National League Cy Young Award.
• 1993: The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-2 and won the World Series.
• 1994: Dale Earnhardt secured his seventh NASCAR Winston Cup championship, tying Richard Petty’s record.
• 1996: The New York Yankees erased a 6-0 deficit against the Atlanta Braves, sparked by Jim Leyritz’s eighth-inning home run, to win 8-6 in 10 innings.
• 2000: The Monday Night Miracle happened. The New York Jets were down 30-7 at the end of the third quarter against the Miami Dolphins. The Jets scored four touchdowns and a field goal in the fourth quarter, eventually winning 40-37 in overtime.
• 2004: In the 16th annual college football Holy War game, Boston College beat Notre Dame 24-23.
• 2008: Joe Sakic scored the final goal of his NHL career at No. 625.
• 2011: New Zealand beat France 8-7 and won the Rugby World Cup Final.
• 2011: Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints crushed the Indianapolis Colts 62-7, tying the NFL record for most points scored by a single team post-merger.
• 2019: Kyrie Irving scored 50 points and set a new NBA record for points in a debut with a new team. However, the Brooklyn Nets still lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves 127-126 at home.
• 2022: Brock Purdy played against the Kansas City Chiefs and threw for 66 yards and an interception.

The outstanding athletes on Oct. 23 were Jackie Robinson, Joe Sakic, and Kyrie Irving.

Besides breaking the color barrier in MLB, Robinson was also recognized for his activism during the Civil Rights Movement, his success as a businessman, and for being the first African American to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Sakic won two Stanley Cups as captain in 1996 and 2001 and was instrumental in another as the general manager in 2022, earning him the nickname “Burnaby Joe.” Irving is celebrated for his exceptional ball-handling, clutch performances, and a 2016 NBA championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers.