Sports in October are all about the MLB postseason, the start of the NBA and NHL seasons, college football, the Xfinity 500 for NASCAR, track events, the UEFA Champions League, and Formula 1. Over the years, Oct. 19 has witnessed many notable moments and stories involving sporting legends.

Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records

Great moments in sports history from Oct. 19 include:

1932: Jimmie Foxx won the American League MVP, and Chuck Klein won the National League MVP.1940: Alabama scored against the University of Tennessee, ending the Volunteers’ legendary NCAA-record streak of 71 consecutive quarters without allowing a single point. (Tennessee still won the game 27-12).1957: The Montreal Canadiens Maurice “Rocket” Richard became the first NHL player to score 500 career goals.1958: Mike Hawthorn won the World Drivers’ Championship.1960: The Lakers played their first-ever regular season game after moving from Minneapolis to Los Angeles. In that same game, NBA icons Oscar Robertson (Cincinnati Royals) and Jerry West (Lakers) made their professional debuts against each other.1964: Sprinter Edith McGuire ran an Olympic record time of 23.05 seconds and won the women’s 200-meter race.1966: Bobby Orr made his regular-season NHL debut for the Boston Bruins.1968: Swimmer Michael Wenden swam a world record time of 52.2 seconds and won the men’s 100-meter freestyle gold medal.1974: Evonne Goolagong won her first WTA Tour Tennis Championship.1975: Browns kicker Don Cockroft kicked a club record by scoring five field goals in a game.1981: Rick Monday hit a dramatic two-out, 9th-inning home run to lift the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 2-1 win over the Montreal Expos in Game 5 of the NLCS, clinching the National League pennant.1983: The Philadelphia Flyers began a 13-game winning streak.1999: The Atlanta Braves beat the New York Mets four games to two and won the National League Pennant.2004: Playing with a damaged ankle tendon stitched together, Curt Schilling pitched the Boston Red Sox past the New York Yankees 4-2 in Game 6 of the ALCS. This forced a Game 7 and fueled Boston’s historic comeback from a 3-0 series deficit.2005: The Houston Astros beat the St. Louis Cardinals four games to two and won the National League Pennant.2007: Patrick Kane scored his first NHL goal against the Colorado Avalanche.2008: American League Championship: Tampa Bay Rays beat the Boston Red Sox 4-3.2013: The Boston Red Sox beat the Detroit Tigers four games to two and won the American League Pennant.2022: Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola faced his brother, San Diego Padres catcher Austin Nola, in the first MLB playoff sibling pitcher-batter faceoff. Austin went 1-for-2 in the game.2024: The Yankees beat the Guardians four games to one and won the American League Pennant. Juan Soto hit a three-run home run in the 10th. It was also the Yankees’ first World Series appearance since 2009.

Three athletes who stood out on Oct. 19 were Maurice “Rocket” Richard, Don Cockroft, and Sandy Alomar.

Richard was known for his electrifying play, winning eight Stanley Cups. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and remains one of the greatest players in NHL history. Cockroft played his entire 13-season career for the Cleveland Browns and was one of the last NFL players to hold both punting and placekicking duties for his team simultaneously. Alomar was a six-time All-Star, won two AL pennants, was inducted into the Indians Hall of Fame, and won AL Rookie of the Year.