They say we should use this time to learn something new – so we thought we’d offer up a history lesson free of charge!
We’re going to be recapping all the important sporting moments each and every day as we look to fill the void our beloved sports and teams have left behind.
So if it’s AFL, NRL, Basketball, Cricket, Golf or even Wrestling, be sure to return each and every morning as we take a trip back through the history books to relive some of sports‘ greatest moments.
2008: OK C ya later Seattle!
The Seattle Supersonics vote to relocate.
After much speculation, controversy, tension and protest, it was on this day in 2008 the collective heart of Seattle broke as the NBA owners voted to approve the relocation of the Sonics to Oklahoma City in a 28-2 vote.
The only team owners not to vote for the relocation was Paul Allen, owner of the Portland Trail Blazers and Mark Cuban from the Dallas Mavericks.
The city of Seattle fought hard to keep their team and in arbitration settled for $75 million and allowed the Sonics who are now the OKC Thunder to move under certain terms and conditions – including the historic items associated with Seattle remains in the city’s Museum.
Seattle is still without an NBA team and the sports fans of the city are still campaigning hard for professional Basketball to return to this day.
The Seattle Sonics became the Oklahoma City Thunder from the 2008-09 NBA season.
1995 – Joe Montana Retires
Before a huge crowd at Justin Herman Plaza in the heart of San Francisco and broadcast live on local television, legendary 49ers Quater Back Joe Montana called it a day after a phenomenal career.
With career achievements including four-time Super Bowl Champion, Three Super Bowl MVP, eight Pro Bowls, two-time NFL MVP, Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year in 1990 just to name a few, the 49ers retired his number 16 jersey as a tribute.
Super Bowl XXX was dedicated to Montana, who got to toss the coin before the game.
1970 – VFL Park Opens
The Victorian Football League’s purpose-built stadium – VFL Park at Waverley opened on this day 50 years ago with Fitzroy hosting Geelong.
Although construction of the ground was incomplete, 25,887 people attended and saw Geelong easy account for the Roys by 61 points.
Waverley was originally planned, when completed, to hold 166,000 people and replace the MCG has the jewel in the Football crown.
That never eventuated and when it was “completed” the ground opted for the smaller 75,000 capacity.
For the first 20 years of VFL Park’s existence, it was a netural venue hosting the game of the day and three out of the six finals.
Hawthorn made it its home ground in 1992 with the Saints moving in for the 1993 season until it stopped hosting AFL matches at the end of 1999.
The ground was known for its cold, rainy weather hence the nickname “Arctic Park”, the never-ending car park to which people are still trying to get out of today, night footy, the lights going out during a game in 1996 and had the first state-of-the-art sepia-tone dot-matrix sepia screen.
Waverley was around for a good time – not a long time.
Just 30 seasons of football to be exact.
Overall, the ground hosted 727 matches of home and away/finals football, the night series, concerts including KISS, David Bowie and U2, World Series Cricket and of course, the 1991 AFL Grand Final between Hawthorn and West Coast while the Southern Stand was under construction at the MCG.
While Waverley had many great moments on the footy field, arguably its most infamous was Angry Anderson belting out “Bound for Glory” in his batmobile at half-time in the ’91 Grand Final.