Sports Fact of the Day 11/10-13/2009

11/10/2004:
Paul Pierce hits a fallaway jumper as time expires to give the Celtics a 90-88 victory over Portland at the FleetCenter. Already playing with an unwieldy face guard after seven hours of dental surgery to repair the damage after he took an elbow to the mouth in a game last week, Pierce takes another hard hit to his face in the final minute of this game. Following a time-out, he returns to the court, calls for a clear-out, milks the clock down and drains a buzzer-beater to win the game.

Birthdays:
Norm Cash b. 1934
Jack Clark b. 1955
Mike Powell b. 1963
Isaac Bruce b. 1972
Shawn Green b. 1972

Packers Fact:
Kick returner Desmond Howard was the most valuable player of the Packers' 35-21 victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI in the 1996 season.

11/11/1984:
The Philadelphia Flyers defeat Edmonton, 7-5, at the Spectrum, snapping the Stanley Cup champion Oilers' NHL record 15-game unbeaten streak (12-0-3) from the start of the season. The Flyers outshoot the Oilers, 46-26, score three goals in a three-minute span of the third period and come back from three Edmonton leads during the game to gain the victory. Goals by Mark Howe and Ilkka Sinisalo just 31 seconds apart with four minutes remaining prove decisive against Edmonton goalie Andy Moog.

Birthdays:
Bobby Dodd b. 1908
Rudy LaRusso b. 1937
Fuzzy Zoeller b. 1951
Roberto Hernandez b. 1964
Oksana Baiul b. 1977

Packers Fact:
Don Majkowski led the NFL when he passed for 4,318 yards in 1989. He made the Pro Bowl that season.

Describing the learning cuve for highly touted NFL quarterbacks, longtime front office executive Ernie Accorsi confessed: "You look for improvement, but one thing about improvement is that it's not a steady incline. It's like an EKG. It goes up and down."

Birthdays:
Tuffy Leemans b. 1912
Ken Houston b. 1944
Nadia Comaneci b. 1961
Sammy Sosa b. 1968
Corey Maggette b. 1979

Packers Fact:
Denver is the only NFL team to beat the Packers in a Super Bowl. The Bronco won game XXXII in the 1997 season, 31-24.

11/13/1977:
Bears quarterback Bob Avellini throws a 37-yard touchdown pass to Greg Latta with three seconds left, rallying Chicago to a 28-27 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs at Soldier Field. This play comes just moments after Ed Podolak scored a touchdown for the Chiefs, giving them a seemingly secure 27-21 lead with only 24 seconds left. However, a decent kickoff return and a 20-yard strike from Avellini to Robin Earl sets up the game-winning TD pass in the closing moments. Bears running back Walter Payton is rewarded for a superlative day: 33 carries for 192 yards and three touchdowns.

Birthdays:
Steve Bilko b. 1928
Gil Perreault b. 1950
Vinny Testaverde b. 1963
Pat Hentgen b. 1968
Ron Artest b. 1979

Packers Fact:
After Don Chandler retired following the 1967 season, the Packers used nine kickers over the next four seasons. They made only a combined 46 percent of their field goals, however, and Green Bay drafted Chester Marcol in the second round in 1972.