Aug. 31
Today in sports history
Today is Aug. 31. On this date in:
1881: The first U.S. National Lawn Tennis Championship began at the Newport Casino in Rhode Island, launching the tournament that became the U.S. Open. Richard Sears won the inaugural men’s singles title.
1934: The defending NFL champion Chicago Bears faced a team of college stars in the inaugural Chicago College All-Star Game, playing to a scoreless tie before 79,432 spectators at Soldier Field.
1950: Brooklyn Dodgers first baseman Gil Hodges hit four home runs and drove in nine runs during a 19-3 victory over the Boston Braves, becoming the sixth major leaguer to homer four times in a game.
1959: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax struck out 18 San Francisco Giants during a 5-2 victory, tying Bob Feller’s major league record for strikeouts in a nine-inning game.
1960: At the Rome Olympics, the United States swept the men’s shot put medals as Bill Nieder won gold ahead of Parry O’Brien and Dallas Long.
1969: Former heavyweight boxing champion Rocky Marciano, who retired with a 49-0 record, died in an airplane crash near Newton, Iowa, one day before his 46th birthday.
1990: Seattle’s Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. became the first father and son to play as teammates in a Major League Baseball game, hitting consecutive singles during a 5-2 victory over Kansas City.
1991: Houston quarterback David Klingler threw an NCAA-record six touchdown passes in the second quarter and finished with nine touchdown passes in a 73-3 rout of Louisiana Tech.
1996: Oklahoma State defeated Southwest Missouri State 23-20 in overtime, becoming the first Division I-A team to win a regular-season overtime game under the NCAA’s newly adopted overtime format.
2014: Baylor defeated SMU 45-0 in the first football game at McLane Stadium, opening the university’s new $266 million venue in Waco, Texas.
2018: The Los Angeles Rams signed Aaron Donald to a six-year, $135 million extension, making him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history at the time.
2021: Manchester United completed the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus, bringing the global superstar back to Old Trafford 12 years after his departure.
2023: Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a grand slam for his 30th home run and became the first player in American or National League history to record at least 30 homers and 60 stolen bases in a season.
— USA TODAY Network
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: Today in sports history, August 31