This Day in Sports History: February 19
Sports in February include the NBA and NHL seasons, Super Bowl, NBA All-Star game, college basketball tournaments, spring training for the MLB, NASCAR’s Daytona 500, Formula E, some PGA Tour…
Sports in February include the NBA and NHL seasons, Super Bowl, NBA All-Star game, college basketball tournaments, spring training for the MLB, NASCAR's Daytona 500, Formula E, some PGA Tour Events and the Winter Olympics. Over the years, Feb. 19 has witnessed many notable moments and stories involving sporting legends. Here are some of them.
Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records
Great moments in sports history from Feb. 19 included:
- 1928: Canada retained their Olympic ice hockey title, as they routed Switzerland 13-0.
- 1928: World champion French team Andrée Joly and Pierre Brunet won the Olympic pairs figure skating gold medal.
- 1952: Figure skater and defending champion Dick Button became the first figure-skater to land a triple jump in competition.
- 1960: Cross country skier Sixten Jernberg won the 30k event at the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics.
- 1970: AL Cy Young Award winner Denny McLain is suspended for bookmaking.
- 1977: Rod Gilbert became the first player in New York Rangers history to score 1,000 career points.
- 1978: The 20th Daytona 500: Bobby Allison takes the lead with 11 laps remaining. It was the lowest starting position (33rd) for a winner until 2007.
- 1983: Fernando Valenzuela wins his salary arbitration of $1 million.
- 1984: The 26th Daytona 500: Cale Yarborough wins for the second consecutive year and fourth time in his career. He had a last-lap pass to beat Darrell Waltrip.
- 1987: Less than a month after re-signing, Oakland Athletics pitcher Vida Blue retires.
- 1989: The 31st Daytona 500: Darrell Waltrip wins with a bold fueling strategy. The Hendrick Racing team decided to be the only car not to pit in the closing laps to add fuel.
- 1995: The 37th Daytona 500: Sterling Marlin wins for the second straight year. He is the third driver to achieve back-to-back titles, following Richard Petty and Cale Yarborough.
- 2006: The 48th Daytona 500: Jimmie Johnson driving from Hendrick Motorsports wins a 203 lap race and goes on to win his first championship.
- 2006: The 55th NBA All-Star Game happened at the Toyota Centre in Houston, Texas, where the East beat the West, 122-120. The MVP was Lebron James.
- 2017: The 66th NBA All-Star Game took place at the Smoothie King Centre, in New Orleans, Louisiana, where the West beat the East, 192-182. The MVP was Anthony Davis.
- 2019: Four-time MLB All-Star at third base, Manny Machado, agrees to the largest free-agent contract in American sports history: a 10-year deal worth $300 million with the San Diego Padres.
- 2023: The 65th Daytona 500: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. wins for JTG Daugherty Racing in double overtime and under caution over a record 212 laps.
Three athletes who stood out on Feb. 19 were Dick Button, Jimmie Johnson, and Manny Machado.
Button was a legendary American figure skater, two-time Olympic champion (1948, 1952), and five-time world champion known for revolutionizing the sport. Johnson is best known for tying the record with seven NASCAR Cup Series championships (2006–2010, 2013, 2016) and a record five consecutive titles. Machado is known for his elite defense, high-volume power hitting, and seven All-Star appearances.
