February 28
1922 – In the first official collegiate conference basketball tournament, North Carolina defeats Mercer 40-26 to win the Southern Collegiate Conference championship. The 13-team league maintained its lead in its second season.
1929 – The Chicago Blackhawks are suspended for an NHL record eight consecutive games. It wasn’t a complete defeat, as the Blackhawks were tied 0-0 with the New York Rangers without scoring a point.
1940 – College basketball games are televised for the first time. Station W2XBS carries basketball doubleheaders from Madison Square Garden in New York. The University of Pittsburgh plays Fordham University, and New York University plays Georgetown University.
1957 – Johnny Longdon becomes the first jockey in history to achieve 5,000 wins. Longdon began his career in 1927, leading Bent to an overhead win over the Flying Finish II in the fourth game at Santa Anita Park.
1960 – At the Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California, the U.S. hockey team scored six goals in the third period to defeat Czechoslovakia 9-4 and win the gold medal. The U.S. trailed 4-3 after two periods, but Roger Christian scored three times in the third period. Roger’s brother, Bill Christian, assisted on two of the three goals.
1971 – Jack Nicklaus wins the PGA Championship by three strokes over Billy Casper.
1981 – Houston’s Calvin Murphy sets a then-NBA record by making the last of 78 consecutive free throws against San Diego.
1986 – Baseball Commissioner Peter Ueberroth conditionally suspends Dave Parker of the Cincinnati Reds, Keith Hernandez of the New York Mets, Joaquin Andujar of the Oakland Athletics Earl, Lonnie Smith of the Kansas City Royals, Enos Cabell of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Jeff Leonard of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the San Francisco Giants and Dell Berra of the New York Yankees were sentenced for substance abuse One year in jail. After the conditions are met, the suspension is reduced.
1987 – Los Angeles Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn says he has played in 2,000 consecutive games with the team, a streak that has stood for 22 years.
1993 — Winnipeg’s Teemu Selanne scores 4 goals and becomes the third rookie in NHL history to score 50 goals in a season. Serani scored his 51st goal in the third period to help the Jets beat the Minnesota North Stars 7-6 at Winnipeg Arena.
1999 – Venus and Serena Williams become the first sisters to win a WTA Tour event on the same day. Venus won the IGA SuperThrift Tennis Classic in Oklahoma City after Serena won her first title on the WTA Tour at the French Gas Open.
2003 — In Valdifeme, Italy, Johnny Spillane wins the Nordic Combined Sprint Championship, becoming the first American to win a gold medal at the Nordic World Championships.
2010 – In the Vancouver Olympics final, Sidney Crosby scored the winning goal in overtime as Canada defeated the United States 3-2. The U.S. silver medal is Team USA’s 37th medal at the Olympics and the first time the U.S. has won a medal race since 1932.
2020 – The Court of Arbitration for Sport bans China’s three-time Olympic gold medalist Sun Yang from competitive swimming for eight years for violating anti-doping rules.
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