Labor Day was established in the late 1800s to honor the American labor movement, and is dedicated to the economic and social achievements of workers in the U.S. Labor Day falls on the first Monday of September – in 2017, it’ll be on Sept. 4 – which is the day we’ll be using as a reference for this post. This year, you can enjoy the holiday while reflecting back on these three noteworthy sporting events.
The Cleveland Browns Score the First Two-Point Conversion Ever
NFL rules are always under scrutiny, and every season brings changes to them. The two-point conversion attempt that we know today wasn’t instituted until 1994 when owners agreed to allow teams to “go for two” instead of kicking an extra point.
The first team to do so? The Cleveland Browns. That same year, their season opener pitted them against their division rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals, at Riverfront Stadium. While the Browns may suffer from lack of success in recent years, that specific game drew a large crowd of over 50,000 attendees – who got to see NFL history in the making as punter and holder Tom Tupa took the snap and crashed into the end zone. The Browns left the Bengals stadium that day with a win of 28-20.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BQJ5mMAhj3D/?taken-by=detroitnews&hl=en
The Cardinals Land in Arizona
The Arizona Cardinals didn’t always bear that name, and in fact, they were originally founded halfway across the country – in Illinois. Dating back to 1898, the Cardinals are the longest continuously running professional football franchise in the U.S. They started out in the Chicago area, then operated in St. Louis for 28 years, and finally relocated to the Sun Devil Stadium on the Arizona State University campus in 1988.
The Phoenix Cardinals (their former name) took to the field for their first game on Sept. 4, 1988. Interestingly, they also faced the Cincinnati Bengals at the Bengals’ home field. This first Cardinals game after their relocation to the southwest didn’t go well, as they ultimately lost to the Bengals with a score of 14-21.
Two-Day Home Run Record
Gary Carter played catcher for the New York Mets for five seasons and helped them toward their 1986 World Series win. On Sept. 4, 1985, he tied the record for the most home runs in two consecutive games, slamming five homers against the Padres in San Diego.
Happily, for Mets fans, they won both contests: 8-2 on Sept. 3, 1985 and 9-2 on Sept. 4, 1985.
Over his 19-year Hall-of-Fame career, Carter launched 324 homers and batted in 1,225 runs.
Now that Sept. 4 is here, what sports history will be made this year? Will our favorite teams labor on Labor Day?
Whether you’re a Browns fan, a Cardinals fan, or a Mets fan, Fanatics.com has got you covered for any season of sports. So what are you waiting for? Visit us online, and show some love for your favorite teams.
Sources
- https://www.dol.gov/general/laborday/history
- http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/article-1/Top-Browns-Season-Openers—9/7322e0e2-7b10-4785-8659-68e2a1b0d165
- http://www.azcardinals.com/history/franchise.html
- https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/crd/1988_games.htm
- https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SDN/SDN198509030.shtml
- https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SDN/SDN198509040.shtml
- http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/nym/history/single_game_records.jsp
