Oct. 19
Today in sports history
Today is Oct. 19. On this date in:
1873: Representatives from Princeton, Rutgers and Yale met in New York to organize and standardize the rules of intercollegiate football, a major step in the development of American college football.
1940: Alabama ended Tennessee’s NCAA-record streak of 71 consecutive quarters without allowing a point, a run that had begun against LSU in 1938.
1957: Montreal Canadiens star Maurice “Rocket” Richard scored his 500th career NHL goal in a 3-1 victory over the Chicago Black Hawks, becoming the first player in league history to reach the milestone.
1960: Oscar Robertson and Jerry West made their NBA debuts against each other as the Cincinnati Royals defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 140-123 in the Lakers’ first regular-season game after relocating to Los Angeles.
1966: Bobby Orr made his NHL regular-season debut for the Boston Bruins and recorded an assist in a 6-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings, beginning one of hockey’s most celebrated careers.
1968: American Madeline Manning won the Olympic women’s 800 meters in Mexico City in an Olympic-record 2 minutes, 0.9 seconds.
1968: American Bill Toomey won the Olympic decathlon in Mexico City with an Olympic-record 8,193 points.
1981: Rick Monday hit a two-out home run in the ninth inning to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a 2-1 victory over Montreal in Game 5 of the NLCS and send the Dodgers to the World Series.
1982: Rookie John Stuper pitched a complete-game four-hitter as the St. Louis Cardinals routed the Milwaukee Brewers 13-1 in Game 6 of the World Series to force a decisive seventh game.
1999: The Atlanta Braves defeated the New York Mets in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series to capture the NL pennant and advance to the World Series.
2004: Curt Schilling pitched seven innings on an injured ankle, with blood visible on his sock, as the Boston Red Sox beat the New York Yankees 4-2 in Game 6 of the ALCS to force Game 7 after trailing the series 3-0.
2005: The Houston Astros defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 6 of the NLCS to clinch the first World Series berth in franchise history.
2006: Yadier Molina hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning and Adam Wainwright struck out Carlos Beltrán for the final out as the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the New York Mets 3-1 in Game 7 of the NLCS to reach the World Series.
2013: The Boston Red Sox defeated the Detroit Tigers in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series to win the AL pennant and advance to the World Series.
2014: Peyton Manning threw his 509th career touchdown pass, breaking Brett Favre’s NFL record as the Denver Broncos routed the San Francisco 49ers 42-17.
2014: Brad Keselowski won the GEICO 500 at Talladega in a must-win situation to advance to the next round of the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs.
2019: Jose Altuve hit a two-run, walk-off homer off Aroldis Chapman in the ninth inning of Game 6 of the ALCS, giving the Houston Astros a 6-4 victory over the New York Yankees and a berth in the World Series.
2022: Philadelphia Phillies ace Aaron Nola faced his brother, San Diego Padres catcher Austin Nola, in the National League Championship Series, marking the first pitcher-versus-batter matchup between brothers in MLB postseason history.
2024: Juan Soto hit a three-run homer in the 10th inning as the New York Yankees defeated Cleveland 5-2 in Game 5 of the ALCS, clinching their first World Series berth since 2009.
— USA TODAY Network
This story was created with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of information gathering, review, editing and publishing. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Today in sports history, October 19
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