(Photo courtesy of Rio Grande University Archives)

2/02/1936 - Cobb highlights first Hall of Famers

Major League Baseball announces the first members of its Hall of Fame. The original five players to receive the prestigious honor were home run slugger Babe Ruth, Pirates shortstop Honus Wagner, strikeout king Walter Johnson, screwball-thrower Christy Mathewson, and Tigers great Ty Cobb, who received more votes than anyone and appeared on 222 of 226 ballots. Cobb retired as the all-time leader in hits, runs, games, at-bats, and seasons batting at least .300 (23), and was known for his all-out style of play that inspired the likes of future-hit-king Pete Rose.

Cobb was playing on a golf course when a reporter told him that he was the immortal of immortals, No. 1 overall. Cobb was never the most cheery of individuals, but he was completely gracious when he learned the news. "I am overwhelmed," he told the reporter. "I deeply appreciate the honor. I am glad (the writers) feel that way about me. I want to thank them all."

The top three players to not receive the required 75% of votes were Nap Lajoie, Tris Speaker, and Cy Young, who would all join the illustrious group the following season. While the Hall of Fame inductions began in 1936, the actual hall had yet to be built, meaning that it wasn't until 1939 that the commemorated players were actually enshrined in anything. That year, the 1936, '37, '38, and '39 inductees all went in at the same time.

2/02/1954 - Bevo scores 113

Clarence "Bevo" Francis was one of the greatest scorers to ever play college basketball, averaging 48.3 points per game in 1953 and 48.0 in 1954. On this day in 1954, Bevo scored 113 points against Hillsdale College -- setting the all-division record for points in a game. However, since he played for Rio Grande, a Division II school, his performance was listed in a separate category from the Division I record. Just eleven days after his performance, Frank Selvy tallied 100 points to set a new Division I scoring mark.

Although he was playing against lesser opponents, Bevo's scoring outputs made him famous to many sports fans. Adding to his mystique was that many of his highest-scoring games, including a 116-point outburst in 1953, weren't officially counted because his opponents weren't NCAA schools. After college, he signed on with the Boston Whirlwinds, a barnstorming team that regularly played the Harlem Globetrotters. He was later drafted by the Philadelphia Warriors but chose not to sign with them.

2/02/1968 - Chamberlain records double-triple-double

In a game where the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Detroit Pistons, 131-121, Sixers center Wilt Chamberlain had one of the greatest statistical games in history (perhaps even more impressive than scoring 113 in a college game). The "Big Dipper" compiled 22 points, 25 rebounds, and 21 assists -- the first and only double-triple-double in NBA history.

Harvey Pollack, who was the PR man for the Sixers at the time, claimed that Wilt's performance was the greatest thing he ever saw at the old Philadelphia Spectrum. "Nobody's ever even come close to it," he told PhillyBurbs.com. "Anybody gets a triple-double today and it's a big deal. When it was over, (the players) all knew what he had done."

Chamberlain, who miraculously never fouled out of a single game, had 78 career triple-doubles, though none were as impressive as this.

Further reading:

Rio Grande: a team for the ages [Columbus Dispatch]