This Day in Sports History: February 26
Sports in February include the NBA and NHL seasons, Super Bowl, NBA All-Star game, college basketball tournaments, spring training for the MLB, NASCAR’s Daytona 500, Formula E, some PGA Tour…
Sports in February include the NBA and NHL seasons, Super Bowl, NBA All-Star game, college basketball tournaments, spring training for the MLB, NASCAR's Daytona 500, Formula E, some PGA Tour Events and the Winter Olympics. Over the years, Feb. 26 has witnessed many notable moments and stories involving sporting legends. Here are some of them.
Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records
Great moments in sports history from Feb. 26 included:
- 1839: In the first Grand National steeplechase, Jem Mason won aboard 5/1 favorite Lottery.
- 1859: Paul Morphy's chess match vs Augustus Mongredien begins and Morphy wins the match.
- 1887: George Lohmann took their first 8-wicket haul in test cricket, 8-35 at Sydney Cricket Ground.
- 1935: New York Yankees release Babe Ruth and he signs with the Boston Braves.
- 1938: Rie Van Veen swam a world record 200 meter free style time of 2:24.6.
- 1938: The United States female Figure Skating championship was won by Joan Tozzer.
- 1960: David Jenkins won the Olympic Gold for men's figure skating.
- 1961: Third Daytona- Marvin Panch wins in a 1960 Pontiac owned by Smokey Yunick when race leader Fireball Roberts' car suffered a blown engine with 13 laps remaining.
- 1967: Ninth Daytona- Mario Andretti wins his first and only NASCAR Grand National event. It was the only time a driver born outside the United States had ever won the Great American Race.
- 1980: New Zealand cricket captain Geoff Howarth 147 and Richard Hadlee 103 hold off West Indies pace quartet of Roberts, Garner, Holding, and Croft during a famous second test draw at Christchurch.
- 1987: Michael Jordan's 58 points in one game is a Chicago Bulls record.
- 1987: The Washington Bullets blocked 20 Indiana Pacers shots, tying the NBA regulation game record.
- 1989: The New York Yankees announce that Tom Seaver is their new television sportscaster.
- 1989: California court throws out most of Margo Adam's 12 million breach-of-contract suit against Red Sox third baseman Wade Boggs.
- 1991: Bill Veeck & Tony Lazzeri are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
- 1994: The St. Louis Blues beat the Ottawa Senators 11-1.
- 2012: The 61st NBA All-Star Game was played at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. The West defeated the East 152-149, and Kevin Durant, a forward for the Oklahoma City Thunder, was named MVP.
- 2017: In the 59th Daytona 500, Kurt Busch won the race after Kyle Larson ran out of gas on the last lap.
- 2017: Margo Hayes becomes the first woman to climb a 9a+ (5.15a) graded route by ascending La Rambla in Siurana, Spain.
Three athletes who stood out on Feb. 26 were David Jenkins, Michael Jordan, and Kurt Busch.
Jenkins dominated the sport alongside his brother, Hayes Alan Jenkins, and is noted for being one of the first skaters to successfully land a triple axel in practice. Jordan is known as "Air Jordan" for his acrobatic, high-leaping style. He was a 14-time All-Star, 5-time NBA MVP, and a global icon who revolutionized sports marketing through his partnership with Nike. Busch is recognized for winning in all three top NASCAR national series.
