TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

1886 - The Hockey Association was formed in England. This date is the birthday of modern field hockey.
1951 - The NFL passed a rule that said that a tackle, guard or center was not eligible to catch a forward pass.
1958 - Willie O'Ree made his NHL debut with the Boston Bruins. He was the first black player to enter the league
1967 - The NHL held the All-Star Game at midseason for the first time.
1976 - The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Dallas Cowboys 21-17 in Super Bowl X. The CBS telecast was viewed by an estimated 80 million people
1985 - Mary Decker broke a world, indoor record when she ran the women’s, 2,000-meter race in just 5 minutes and 34.2 seconds
1996 - Baseball owners unanimously approved interleague play for 1997
1998 - The Boston Celtics retired Robert Parrish's #00
2002 - Two NHL records held by Bobby Hull were broken in a game between the Detroit Red Wings and the Washington Capitals. Luc Robitaille scored his 611th career goal and Brett Hull scored his 99th game-winning goal. Robitaille's goal gave him the most goals of any left wing in NHL history and 10th place on the career NHL goal list. Brett Hull's goal moved him into third place on the game-winning goal list