September 1
First all-black lineup
In 1971, the Pittsburgh Pirates fielded an “all-black” lineup consisting of African-American and Latino players — a first in Major League Baseball. Presumed to be the most diverse of all teams in the MLB, the team was made up of 13 players of Latin or African-American descent. Most notably, the lineup consisted of Hall of Famers Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell. The Pirates won 10-7 against the Philadelphia Phillies and went on to win the World Series that season.
September 2
Miami Dolphins established
The Miami Dolphins started their first-ever season as a part of the American Football League in 1966. The team was founded by politician Joe Robbie and comedian Danny Thomas. This was the first time since 1946 that the region had a professional football team, previously featuring the Miami Seahawks. The original training location of the team was in St. Pete Beach, with practices in August taking place at a local high school in Gulfport. Unfortunately, for their first game, the Dolphins lost to the Oakland Raiders with a score of 23-14.
September 3
The U.S. wins gold at Munich Olympics
In 1972, American swimmer, Mark Spitz, won the 100m gold medal at the Munich Olympics. Spitz earned the world record for the time with a record of 51.22 seconds — not too far off from the present-day record of 46.91 seconds. By the end of Spitz’s career, he had won nine Olympic golds, one silver and one bronze. Additionally, Spitz went on to set 35 world records in the sport.
September 4
New face of Nike
Colin Kaepernick became the newest face of Nike’s 30th anniversary advertising campaign in 2018 after kneeling during the U.S. national anthem. Kaepernick took a knee for the first time two years prior in the 49ers’ final 2016 preseason game. This method of peaceful protest was in response to police brutality, in turn gaining massive traction in the media. Alongside Kaepernick was teammate Eric Reid. Kaepernick has not played professionally since the 49ers’ final game that season in 2017, unofficially blacklisted by NFL owners.
September 5
New consecutive games record
In 1995, Cal Ripken Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles tied Lou Gehrig’s long-standing record of playing in 2,130 straight MLB games. Gehrig, who played for the New York Yankees, held the record for 56 years before Ripken tied and eventually passed his record. Ripken still holds the record today with a consecutive game count of 2,632 over the course of 16 years.
September 6
Williams wins another title
Serena Williams won her third U.S. title in the U.S. Open for Women’s tennis in 2008. Williams beat Jelena Jankovic of Serbia with a score of 6-4 and 7-5. Williams is an accomplished tennis player, holding the most Grand Slam titles in singles, doubles and mixed doubles, with a total of 39 titles. In 2016 and 2017, Williams was the highest-paid female athlete and in 2015 was named Sportsperson of the Year by Sports Illustrated.
September 7
Three new Hall of Famers
In 1988, Guy Lafleur, Tony Esposito and Brad Park were all inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame. Lafluer was known for his time with the New York Rangers and the Quebec Nordiques and for being the first in NHL history to score 50 goals and 100 points in six consecutive seasons. Esposito, who played for the Chicago Black Hawks, was known for pioneering the now popular butterfly style and was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in 2017. Park, who played for the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings, was named to the all-star team several times throughout his career and is also on the 100 Greatest NHL Players list.
