This Date in Sports History: Feb. 20

By: The Associated Press
Saturday, February 20, 2021 | 6:01 AM

1887 — The International Association, the first minor league baseball association, is organized in Pittsburgh.

1951 — In the wake of the college point-shaving scandal, Long Island University drops basketball and all other intercollegiate sports. LIU revives basketball in 1957.

1971 — En route to a record 76-goal season, Boston’s Phil Esposito becomes the first player to score his 50th goal in February, but the Bruins lose to the Los Angeles Kings, 5-4.

1972 — Larry Brown of the Denver Rockets set ABA records for assists in a game (23), half (18) and quarter (10) during a 146-123 win over the Pittsburgh Condors at Denver.

1974 — Gordie Howe, the NHL’s career scoring leader, comes out of retirement and signs a $1 million, four-year contract to play with the Houston Aeros of the WHA and his two sons, Mark and Marty.

1976 — Muhammad Ali beats Jean-Pierre Coopman with a fifth-round knockout at Roberto Clemente Coliseum in Puerto Rico to defend his world heavyweight title.

1988 — In Calgary, Alberta, Brian Boitano of the United States wins the men’s Olympic figure skating gold medal on a technical merit tiebreaker and nearly flawless free skating performance.

1993 — Julio Cesar Chavez records a fifth-round TKO over Greg Haugen in a WBC super lightweight title bout before a record crowd of 130,000 at Mexico City’s Aztec Stadium.

1998 — Tara Lipinski, 15, becomes the youngest Olympic figure skating champion in history, jumping over fellow teen and U.S. teammate Michelle Kwan to take the gold. Lipinski, at 15 years, 8 months and 10 days, is two months younger than Sonja Henie was in her 1928 victory.

2000 — Defending Winston Cup champ Dale Jarrett wins his third Daytona 500 in eight years. Jarrett’s win matches Bobby Allison’s total, leaving him trailing only Cale Yarborough with four and Richard Petty with seven.

2006 — Tanith Belbin and partner Ben Agosto snap the U.S. medals drought in the Olympic figure skating dance competition with a silver. Belbin and Agosto win the first dance medal for the United States since the bronze won by Colleen O’Connor and James Millns in 1976.

2009 — Lindsey Van of the United States nails a perfect second jump to become the first women’s ski jumping world champion. Women’s ski jumping debuts at this year’s Nordic skiing world championships in Liberec, Czech Republic. Todd Lodwick wins the opening Nordic combined event to give the United States two golds in one day.

2011 — Kobe Bryant wins his record-tying fourth All-Star game MVP award in front of his hometown fans, scoring 37 points and propelling the West to a 148-143 victory over the East in the NBA All-Star game.

2016 — Lindsey Vonn clinches a record 20th World Cup crystal globe title and surpassing Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark. It’s Vonn’s record eighth downhill title — adding to four overall globes plus five in super-G and three in combined. Sweden’s Stenmark held the record of 19 globes established from 1975 to 1984.

2018 — South Korea wins the penalty-filled women’s 3,000-meter short-track relay final at the Pyeongchang Olympics. China and Canada are disqualified. Italy takes silver, and the Netherlands earns bronze after being elevated to the podium after winning the B final in world-record time.