1968: San Diego and Montreal are awarded MLB expansion franchises for the 1969 season by the National League during an owners meeting in Chicago.
|
Guthrie broke a barrier at Indy. |
1977: Janet Guthrie becomes the first woman to compete in the Indianapolis 500.
FOLLOW-THROUGH: The following year, Guthrie finished ninth at the Indy 500, still the highest finish ever by a woman.
1982: The NHL’s Colorado Rockies, who played in Denver’s McNichols Arena from 1976 to 1982, are sold to John McMullen as NHL owners approve the team’s relocation to New Jersey, where it becomes the Devils.
1995: O.J. Simpson, Mike Tyson and Tonya Harding are among the most admired athletes, according to a poll by Sponsorship Research International. Michael Jordan ranks No. 1, while Harding, Simpson and Tyson rank 18th, 19th and 20th, respectively. SRI’s Mike Kellner: “The significance of the poll isn’t in the number of mentions but in the fact that all three made the list at all.”
1995: Denver Nuggets owner Comsat Entertainment Group acquires the Nordiques from a Quebec group led by Marcel Aubut for $75 million and announce the team’s move to Denver. The team is renamed the Colorado Avalanche and begins play in Denver in the 1995-96 season.
1997: Ken Dryden is named president of the Toronto Maple Leafs. He replaces Cliff Fletcher, who resigned a week earlier.
FOLLOW-THROUGH: In June 2003, Dryden was
|
Dryden joined Leafs in 1997 and left last week. |
named Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. vice chairman and became a member of the organization’s board of directors. However, last week he announced his resignation to pursue political aspirations in Canada. Fletcher, meanwhile, joined the Phoenix Coyotes after two years in an advisory role with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Fletcher served as general manager and currently is senior executive vice president of hockey operations.
1998: During halftime of an NBA Conference Finals game, NBC and Turner Sports announce plans for a new professional football league.
FOLLOW-THROUGH: NBC’s and Turner’s $1.2 billion NASCAR TV deal late in 1999 made the networks decide to not start the football venture. NBC later joined Vince McMahon and the WWF to form the XFL, which lasted only one season.
1998: The Montreal Expos sign a 20-year naming-rights deal with Labatt, set to begin in 2001 conditional on a new stadium project . The deal is for $100 million Canadian. Labatt would pay $40 million Canadian over 20 years for the naming rights to the team’s proposed downtown ballpark and around $60 million Canadian to be the team’s main sponsor.
FOLLOW-THROUGH: The relationship and new stadium plan fell apart, as did the deal. In February 2002, the Major League Baseball Ownership Committee recommended approval of the sale of the Florida Marlins to Expos owner Jeffrey Loria. Less than two weeks later, MLB took over control of the Expos.
1999: NFL owners vote unanimously to approve the
|
Snyder paid $800M for the ’Skins and stadium in ’99. |
sale of the Washington Redskins and Jack Kent Cooke Stadium to Daniel Snyder for $800 million. In other NFL news, owners vote 28-1, with two abstentions, to loan more than $200 million to the New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos to help fund new facilities.
1999: Adidas signs 19-year-old Sergio Garcia to a five-year apparel deal.