Sept. 21 – Marciano’s last fight
In 1955, Rocky Marciano fought in his last title bout against Archie Moore. Marciano was knocked down for a four-count during the second round, but recovered with a knockout in round nine, retaining his title of heavyweight champion. Marciano would go on to announce his retirement a year later, finishing his career at 49-0. Marciano remains to be the only fighter to have defeated every opponent he faced for the world heavyweight title.
Sept. 22 – Don Shula wins 300
Miami Dolphins head coach Don Shula won his 300th career game by a score of 16-13 over the Green Bay Packers in 1991. Shula would go on to win 28 more games, earning the record of most regular season wins as a head coach. Shula was also the first head coach to appear in six Super Bowls, five with the Dolphins and one with the Baltimore Colts.
Sept. 23 – First woman in pro-sports
In 1992, Manon Rhéaume, a 20-year-old Canadian woman, played for the Tampa Bay Lightning as goalie in a preseason game against the St. Louis Blues. Rhéaume allowed two goals on nine shots and was then lifted in the first quarter. Rhéaume became the first woman to try out and play in any of the major North American pro-sports leagues. Rhéaume played another preseason game against the Boston Bruins in 1993 before leaving the league.
Sept. 24 – Ruth plays last game with Yankees
Baseball legend Babe Ruth played his final game with the New York Yankees at the Yankee Stadium in 1934. That season, the Yankees finished second, seven games behind the Detroit Tigers. Ruth was then traded to the Atlanta Braves as the team’s vice president in addition to playing. Playing for the Braves was the last season Ruth had as a player in the league.
Sept. 25 – Alonso becomes youngest winner
In 2005, Fernando Alonso secured his Drivers’ Championship with a third-place finish in the Brazilian Gran Prix. This win made Alonso the youngest champion in Formula One. This was a part of Alonso’s third full season in Formula One and ended Michael Schumacher’s five-year hold on the title.
Sept. 26 – Bengals formed again
Cincinnati, Ohio is given an American Football League team, becoming the tenth and final team in the AFL’s existence in 1967. The team was later named the Bengals, taking inspiration of the Cincinnati NFL team that played in the 1930’s. The Bengals, along with other teams in the AFL, were merged over to the NFL in 1970.
Sept. 27 – Johnson stripped of medal
In 1988, Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson was disqualified from the Summer Seoul Olympics 100 meters after a urine sample found traces of the steroid stanozolol. Johnson had won the gold medal on Sept. 24 and was later stripped of it due to his drug use. Johnson had denied willfully using steroids, instead claiming that an herbal drink he was given before the race was spiked. The gold medal was then given to runner up Carl Lewis.
