February 2, 1997:
Mark O’Meara shoots his fourth consecutive round of 67, holding off a charging Tiger Woods and third-round leader David Duval to win his fifth Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. With Woods posting a sizzling 8-under-par 64 in the final round, O’Meara sinks a chip-in for birdie from 20 feet on the 16th hole. Close friends and occasional practice partners, O’Meara and Woods relish their mano-a-mano duel in one of the PGA TourR 17;s showcase events.
B I R T H D A Y S
Red Schoendienst b. 1923
Gary Dornhoefer b. 1943
Arturs Irbe b. 1967
Sean Elliott b. 1968
Scott Erickson b. 1968
February 1, 1988:
The New Jersey Nets snap a 26-game road losing streak by beating Dallas, 108-103, at Reunion Arena as 6′1″ John Bagley becomes the shortest man ever to record a triple-double. The stocky Nets guard has 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to lead his team’s rally from 11 points behind the Midwest Division-leading Mavericks, who had won 15 of their last 17 home games.
B I R T H D A Y S
Paul Blair b. 1944
Dick Snyder b. 1944
T.R. Dunn b. 1955
Malik Sealy b. 1970
Tommy Salo b. 1971
January 31, 1960:
Presaging the NBA’s extension to the West Coast, the Philadelphia Warriors beat the Minneapolis Lakers, 114-104, at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. Rookie sensation Wilt Chamberlain of the Warriors leads all scorers with 41 points, while Elgin Baylor paces the Lakers with 21. Tomorrow night the two clubs will meet in Los Angeles, where Philly will win again, 103-96. Following this season the Lakers will move to L.A., and following the 1962 season the Warriors will move to San Francisco as the jet age of commercial air travel enables eastern teams to easily fly to California on a regular ba sis.
B I R T H D A Y S
Jackie Robinson b. 1919
Hank Aguirre b. 1931
Ernie Banks b. 1931
Camille “the Eel” Henry b. 1933
Nolan Ryan b. 1947
January 30, 1973:
Jim Harrison of the WHA’s Alberta Oilers becomes the first player in the modern era to score 10 points in a big-league game, leading to an 11-3 blowout of the New York Raiders at the Edmonton Gardens. Harrison’s three goals and seven assists break the WHA single-game points record of seven established by Danny Lawson of Philadelphia earlier this season and the NHL standard of eight set by Montreal Canadiens Rocket Richard (1944 ) and Bert Olmstead (1954).
B I R T H D A Y S
Walt Dropo b. 1923
Davey Johnson b. 1943
Curtis Strange b. 1955
Payne Stewart b. 1957
Jalen Rose b. 1973
January 27, 1960:
Seventeen-year-old Australian Margaret Smith arrives on the big-time tennis stage, upsetting reigning Wimbledon and U.S. champion Maria Bueno of Brazil in blistering 100° heat on the grass in the quarterfinals of the Australian National Championships. Readily establishing command, Smith pins Bueno to the baseline with powerful passing shots, neutralizing her customary serve-and-volley game. She’ll beat Jan Lehane in a straight-set final and eventually capture the Australian title a record 11 times.
B I R T H D A Y S
Frankie Alber t b. 1920
John Lowenstein b. 1947
Billy “White Shoes” Johnson b. 1952
Cris Collinsworth b. 1959
Marat Safin b. 1980
