“Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’“ is the opening song from the musical Oklahoma!….which premiered on Broadway in 1943….and was written by composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist/librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The leading male character in Oklahoma!, Curly McLain, sings the song at the beginning of the first scene of the musical. The refrain runs: “Oh, what a beautiful mornin’! / Oh,…
Larry Holmes vs. Muhammad Ali was billed as “The Last Hurrah“….which was a professional boxing match contested on October 2, 1980 in Las Vegas for the WBC and Lineal Heavyweight Championships ….as the fight was estimated to have been watched by a record 2 billion viewers worldwide. Larry Holmes was Ali’s sparring partner for a long time. “He lived with Ali. They boxed hundreds of…
“Joltin’” Jeff Chandler is a former professional boxer…..who reigned as the Lineal and WBA World Bantamweight Champion from November 1980 to April 1984….as the 5’7″ (67 inches / 1.70 meters) tall Philadelphian began his professional career with a four-round draw in 1976 after only two amateur bouts. Chandler then began a four-year string of victories culminating in a challenge for the world’s…
For the 1958 NFL season, the Packers, with five future Hall of Famers playing on the team, finished with a record of 1–10–1…..which was the worst in Packer history….as the players were dispirited the Packer shareholders were disheartened….while the Green Bay community was enraged. The angst in Green Bay extended to the NFL as a whole……as the financial viability…
The rematch took place November 25, 1980, at the Superdome in New Orleans. Leonard used his superior speed and movement to outbox and befuddle Durán…..saying “The whole fight, I was moving, I was moving….and Voom! I snapped his head back with a jab. Voom! I snapped it back again. He tried to get me against the ropes….when I’d pivot,…
The 1986 World Figure Skating Championships were held in Geneva, Switzerland from March 18th to March 23rd…..as an event sanctioned by the International Skating Union…..with medals were awarded in men’s singles, ladies’ singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. The ISU Representative was Czech Josef Dědič and the ISU Technical Delegate was Elemér Terták of Hungary. Soviet judge Natalia Danilenko was suspended for ignoring a new rule requiring mandatory deductions…
Moonlight Becomes You is a popular song….which was composed by Jimmy Van Heusen with lyrics by Johnny Burke…..as the song was written for the Paramount Pictures release Road to Morocco in 1942…..and published in connection with the film…..after a staff arranger named Vic Schoen wrote the arrangement for Paramount. The song has been recorded many times….while becoming a standard….but the recording by Bing Crosby on June 12, 1942 is the best…
The fiddle tune “Orange Blossom Special” is about the passenger train of the same name….which was written by Ervin T. Rouse in 1938….with the original recording being created by Ervin and Gordon Rouse in 1939. It is often called simply The Special…..and has been referred to as the fiddle player’s national anthem…..and for that matter, country music’s national anthem. Rouse copyrighted the song before the Orange Blossom…
Chuck Noll was named the 14th head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers on January 27, 1969….after Penn State coach Joe Paterno turned down an offer for the position…..as Noll was the youngest coach in NFL history at the time…..when Steelers owner Art Rooney would later credit Don Shula as the person who recommended Noll as a head coach. Noll implemented a defensive system in Pittsburgh that…