Today in sports history, November 25

Nov. 25 Today in sports history Today marks November 25 in sports history. On this day, Pierre de Coubertin advocated for the revival of the Olympic Games at the Sorbonne in Paris, resulting in the establishment of the modern Olympics. The Akron Pros triumphed over the Canton Bulldogs with a score of 7-0, marking the inaugural Thanksgiving Day NFL game.

Fritz Pollard led the Akron team to victory, with Bill Terry of the New York Giants and Joe Cronin of the Washington Senators earning National League and American League MVP titles from the Sporting News. Lou Boudreau became one of the youngest managers in Major League Baseball history when he took the helm of the Cleveland Indians at age 24 in 1941, guiding them to the 1948 World Series championship.

Ted Williams clinched the American League MVP Award in 1949, and Dub Jones set an NFL single-game record by scoring six touchdowns in a 42-21 win against the Chicago Bears. Moe Roberts, then 46, became the oldest goaltender to play in an NHL game when he replaced Harry Lumley for the Chicago Blackhawks against Detroit in 1951. Nándor Hidegkuti scored three goals and Ferenc Puskás scored twice, leading Hungary to a 6-3 home win against England at Wembley.

Bob Cousy of the Boston Celtics became the second NBA player to reach 15,000 career points in 1961. Lou Piniella of the Kansas City Royals was named American League Rookie of the Year in 1969. Thurman Munson of the New York Yankees was awarded American League Rookie of the Year in 1970, eventually earning an MVP and leading the team to two World Series titles.

Nebraska defeated Oklahoma 35-31 in a dramatic national championship game in 1971, with Jeff Kinney scoring the game-winning touchdown. O.J. Simpson of the Buffalo Bills rushed for 273 yards in 1976, breaking the NFL single-game rushing record. Sugar Ray Leonard reclaimed the WBC welterweight championship in 1980 after Roberto Durán stopped fighting in the eighth round.

Wayne Gretzky scored four goals and added an assist in Edmonton's 11-4 win over Los Angeles in 1981, setting an NHL single-season record with 10 hat tricks. Miami upset Notre Dame 27-10 at the Orange Bowl in 1989, ending the Fighting Irish's 23-game winning streak. Tim Biakabutuka of Michigan rushed for a school-record 313 yards in a 31-23 upset of Ohio State in 1995.

The Baltimore Ravens' Ozzie Newsome became the NFL's first African American general manager in 2002. LaDainian Tomlinson of the San Diego Chargers became the 23rd player in NFL history to reach 10,000 career rushing yards in 2007. Sebastian Vettel clinched his third consecutive Formula 1 world championship in 2012, beating Fernando Alonso by three points.

Lionel Messi surpassed Raúl as the all-time leading scorer in UEFA Champions League history after scoring a hat trick against APOEL in 2014. Alex Ovechkin scored three goals in Washington's 4-2 victory over Toronto in 2017, becoming the 16th player to reach 20 NHL hat tricks and surpassing Mike Bossy on the league's career goals list.

Diego Maradona, considered one of soccer's greatest players, passed away at age 60 in 2020. Jannik Sinner saved three match points to defeat Novak Djokovic 6-2, 2-6, 7-5, then teamed with Lorenzo Sonego to win the deciding doubles match, sending Italy to its first Davis Cup final since 1998 in 2023.