Sports Fact of the Day 2/8/08-2/13/08

Feb. 8:

2/8/1996:
Jason Kidd has 25 assists and Jim Jackson scores 38 points, leading the Dallas Mavericks to a 136-133 victory over the Utah Jazz in double overtime at Reunion Arena. Kidd also scores 20 points and hits a three-point basket early in the second OT to put the Mavs ahead for good. Karl Malone (36), John Stockton (28), David Benoit (24) and Jeff Hornacek (22) combine for 110 points in the losing effort for the Jazz.

Birthdays:
Joe Black b. 1924
Clete Boyer b. 1937
Marques Johnson b. 1956
Dino Ciccarelli b. 1960
Alonzo Mourning b. 1970

1992:
Magic Johnson returned from retirement to play in the NBA All-Star Game. He scored a game-high 25 points and won the Most Valuable Player award.

"How many times did you see Magic...throw an indescribable 40-foot bullet of a bounce pass that met [a teammate] in full stride, just as they cut toward the basket? That ability to calculate the convergence of a bouncing ball with a sprinting player is a gift, and Magic is one of the few players who ever had it." -Jack McCallum, November 18, 1991

Packers Fact:
Linebacker A.J. Hawk's older brother, Ryan, is a quarterback in arenafootball2.

Feb. 9:
After being widely quoted on several controversial topics on the PGA Tour, including the issue of whether women should be allowed to play men's events, Vijay Singh forthrightly defended himself: "I speak my mind and I'm very honest about it. I'm not a fake, like many of the guys out here."

Birthdays:
Dit Clapper b. 1907
Phil Ford b. 1956
Mookie Wilson b. 1956
Vladimir Guerrero b. 1976
Jameer Nelson b. 1982

Feb. 10:
2/10/1991:
Top-ranked and unbeaten UNLV (20-0) takes charge of second-ranked Arkansas (23-2) with a 16-2 run to start the second half en route to a 112-105 victory at Barnhill Arena in Fayetteville. The Runnin' REbels build a 23-point lead with lightning speed, creating countless fast breaks off hurried Razorback shots and guard-line turnovers. Stacey Augmon leads all scorers with 31 points, Anderson Hunt has 26 and Larry Johnson adds 25. It will be a colossal upset when this relentless UNLV team loses to Duke, 79-77, in the NCAA tournament semifinals next month.

Birthdays:
Bill Tilden b. 1893
Mark Spitz b. 1950
Greg Norman b. 1955
Lenny Dykstra b. 1963
Lance Berkman b. 1976

1992:
At the Winter Olympic Games in Albertville, France, Bonnie Blair set a world record time of 39.10 seconds in the 500-meter speedskating final. That made her the first American woman to win gold medals in back-to-back Olympics.

"There are no sequins in women's speedskating. No death-drop necklines or feathered hats. Nobody gets points for lipstick or meaningful eye contact...There are only fast women waiting for a guy. They are tough, and they dress not to flirt but to fly." -Rick Reilly, March 7, 1988

Feb. 11:
2/11/2006:
The Wisconsin Badgers defeat Ohio State, 4-2, in a hockey game staged outdoors at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. Captain Adam Burish scores Wisconsin's first goal only 23 seconds into the game. Kyle Klubertanz, Andrew Joudrey and Robbie Earl also score for the Badgers, who replicate a Packers tradition by doing a celebratory "Lambeau Leap" into the front row of the seating area following their victory. Two months from now, they'll really have something to celebrate when they win their sixth national championship and first since 1990.

Birthdays:
Eddie Shack b. 1937
Sammy Ellis b. 1941
Ben Oglivie b. 1943
James Silas b. 1949
Brian Daubach b. 1972

1990:
Unheralded boxer James "Buster" Douglas knocked out the undefeated champion Mike Tyson to win the heavyweight title, in Tokyo, Japan.

"This is how the latest of sports' sure things, the Tyson dynasty, ended; far from home and entirely removed from expectation and possibility. It was probably the biggest upset in boxing history, and certainly the unlikeliest result of all recent sporting events." -Richard Hoffer, February 19, 1990

Packers Fact:
While in college at Boise State, offensive lineman Daryn Colledge set school records for consecutive games played and started (52).

Feb. 12:
The Western Conference routs the East, 139-112, in the 45th annual NBA All-Star Game at Phoenix. Mitch Richmond of the Sacramento Kings earns MVP honors, shooting 10 of 13 from the field and leading all scorers with 23 points. A 59-41 edge off the boards helps the Western Stars get 19 more field goal attempts than the East, and when they also shoot 53% from the floor, the outcome is never really in doubt. Gary Payton adds 15 assists for the West and Hakeem Olajuwon contributes 11 rebounds in the mid-season exhibition played at the Suns' new home, America West Arena.

Birthdays:
Chick Hafey b. 1903
Dom DiMiggaio b. 1917
Joe Garagiola b. 1926
Don Stanhouse b. 1951
Chet Lemon b. 1955

1983:
Boxing champion "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler raised his career record to 56-2-2 and retained the world middleweight title with a sixth round knockout of Britain's Tony Sibson.

"The Englishman is about as devious as a hungry bear making for a honey tree, and such men are made to order for a moving, slashing sharpshooter like the champion. The fight became a magnificent exhibition of Hagler's impressive, even frightening, skills." -Pat Putnam, February 21, 1983

Feb. 13:
2/13/1991:
American sprinter Leroy Burrell sets a new world record of 6.48 seconds in the 60-meter dash at a track meet in Madrid. He actually runs the race twice within a matter of minutes. After his first clocking of an even faster 6.40 seconds is voided by the judges for a premature start, he gets back in the blocks and posts his second record time, bettering Lee McRae's 6.50 seconds in 1987 at Indianapolis.

Birthdays:
Patty Berg b. 1918
Eddie Robinson b. 1919
Mike Krzyzowski b. 1947
Mats Sundin b. 1971
Randy Moss b. 197

1995:
The pitcher Hideo Nomo, a five-time All-Star in the Japanese Baseball League, signed a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers and became the second player from Japan to play in the major leagues.

"In coming to America, Nomo has stumbled over the expected cultural and linguistic hurdles, but at the same time he has shown an unmistakable fluency. It is his pitching delivery, which begins when he thrusts both hands high above his head, stretching his arms in the exaggerated manner of a man awakening from a long nap." -Tom Verducci, May 15, 1995

Packers Fact:
While at Boise State, offensive lineman Daryn Colledge helped the school win four consecutive conference championships. The Broncos went 31-1 in conference play during his tenure there.