THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY: 12/25

1862 – 40,000 people watch Union army men play baseball at Hilton Head, South Carolina.

1888 – 1st indoor baseball game played at fairgrounds in Philadelphia.

1956 – Detroit’s future Hockey Hall of Fame right wing Gordie Howe picks up a Xmas hat-trick & 3 assists in Red Wings’ 8-1 win over NY Rangers; most points he scores in a single game in entire 26-year NHL career.

1971 – The longest NFL game ever played took place on Christmas day.

1971 – Dolphins beat Chiefs 27-24 in a double overtime game, with the playing time of the entire game lasting 82 minutes and 40 seconds.

1984 – Bernard King of the New York Knicks scores 60 points against the New Jersey Nets — establishing a Christmas day scoring record.

1995 – Dallas Cowboys’ Emmitt Smith makes a NFL record of 25 touchdowns in a season against the Arizona Cardinals.

2008 – Phil Jackson becomes the sixth coach in NBA history to win 1,000 games