Today in sports history: Feb. 18
In 2001, Dale Earnhardt, the greatest stock car star of his era, is killed in a crash on the last turn of the last lap of the Daytona 500 as he tries to protect Michael Waltrip’s victory.
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1928, 1932: Sonja Henie wins figure skating titles
1928 — At Moritz, Switzerland, Sonja Henie becomes the youngest Olympic figure skating champion. At 15 years and 315 days, easily beats Austria’s Fritzi Burger and American Beatrix Loughran.
1932 — Sonja Henie wins her sixth straight World Figure Skating title.
Sonja Henie practices in Oslo, Norway, Jan. 24, 1928. Henie will compete in the Figure Skating Ladies Single at the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in St. Moritz. (AP Photo)
1944: 15-year-old Joe Nuxhall signs with the Cincinnati Reds
1944 — One day after playing in a high school basketball game, 15-year-old Joe Nuxhall signs with the Cincinnati Reds.
Joe Nuxhall, age 15, is shown in a Cincinnati Reds uniform in Cincinnati, Ohio, on June 10, 1944, when he entered a game and pitched two-thirds of an inning to become the youngest player to ever participate in a major league game. (AP Photo)
1973: Richard Petty wins his fourth Daytona 500
1973 — Richard Petty wins his fourth Daytona 500. Petty gets two breaks when Cale Yarborough blows his engine on the 153rd lap and Baker blows his engine with 15 miles to go.
Richard Petty and Bobby Allison, rear, give a push to Cale Yarborough after his racer stopped as he was returning to the garage area after a practice run for the Daytona 500 stock car race Feb. 18, 1973. (AP Photo)
1990: Derrick Cope wins Daytona 500 after Dale Earnhardt blows tire on last lap
1990 — Dale Earnhardt blows a tire with one mile remaining in the Daytona 500, giving unheralded Derrike Cope the biggest upset in stock car racing history.
Derrike Cope drives his Chevrolet across the finish line ahead of Terry Labonte's Oldsmobile to win the Daytona 500, Sunday, Feb. 18, 1990. (AP Photo/Mark Foley)
1994: American speedskater Dan Jansen breaks his jinx by winning gold in the Lillehammer Games
1994 — After numerous Olympic setbacks, American speedskater Dan Jansen breaks his jinx by winning the gold in the 1000-meter race at the Lillehammer Winter Games.
American speed skater Dan Jansen of Greenfield, Wis., exults after winning the gold medal in the men?s 1,000 meter speedskating race on Friday, Feb. 18, 1994 at Hamar Olympic Hall in Hamar, Norway. Jansen set a world record in his performance in 1 minute, 12:43 seconds. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)
2006: Shani Davis becomes first Black athlete to win individual gold in Winter Olympic history
2006 — Shani Davis becomes the first Black athlete to win an individual gold medal in Winter Olympic history, capturing the men’s 1,000-meter speedskating race. Joey Cheek makes it a 1-2 American finish at the Turin Games.
United States Shani Davis, from Chicago, Ill., races on his way to the gold medal during the Winter Olympics men's 1,000 meter speedskating competition at the Oval Lingotto in Turin, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 18, 2006. (AP Photo/Jasper Juinen)
2010: Evan Lysacek becomes first U.S. male figure skater to win Olympic gold medal since 1988
2010 — Figure skater Evan Lysacek becomes the first U.S. man to win the Olympic gold medal since Brian Boitano in 1988, shocking everyone with an upset of defending champion Evgeni Plushenko.
In this Feb. 18, 2010 file photo, Evan Lysacek waves the U.S. flag during the victory ceremony after winning the gold medal in the men's free program figure skating competition at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
2011: Dale Earnhardt killed in crash on last turn of Daytona 500
2001 — Dale Earnhardt, the greatest stock car star of his era, is killed in a crash on the last turn of the last lap of the Daytona 500 as he tries to protect Michael Waltrip’s victory.
In this Feb. 18, 2001, file photo, Dale Earnhardt's (3) window pops out of the car after being hit by Ken Schrader (36) during the Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Greg Suvino, File)
2012: St. John's hands UConn first home loss to unranked team in 19 years
2012 — Shenneika Smith’s 3-pointer from the wing with 8 seconds left lifts St. John’s to a 57-56 win over No. 2 Connecticut, snapping the Huskies’ 99-game home court winning streak. It’s the Huskies’ first home loss to an unranked opponent in nearly 19 years.
St. John's Shenneika Smith, right, runs for the basket while pursued by Connecticut's Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis in the second half of an NCAA women's college basketball game at Storrs, Conn., Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012. St. John's defeated Connecticut 57-56. (AP Photo/Bob Child)
2013: Baylor's Brittney Griner scores 3,000th point of career, rallying Bears past UConn
2013 — Brittney Griner scores 25 points, including the 3,000th of her career, to help No. 1 Baylor rally past third-ranked Connecticut 76-70. Griner is the eighth player in Division I history to reach the milestone.
Baylor's Brittney Griner, left, is pressured by Connecticut's Stefanie Dolson during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Hartford, Conn., Monday, Feb. 18, 2013. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
2017: Mikaela Shiffrin wins a third straight slalom title at the ski world championships
2017 — Mikaela Shiffrin wins a third straight slalom title at the ski world championships to retain her unbeaten record at major events. The 21-year-old American beats home crowd favorite, Wendy Holdener of Switzerland. Shiffrin’s gold medal streak in slalom includes each world championships she entered, starting in 2013, and the 2014 Olympics. Her victory gives the United States its first world title at St. Moritz in the 10th of 11 medal events.
United States' Mikaela Shiffrin poses with the gold medal of the women's slalom, at the alpine ski World Championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Saturday, Feb.18, 2017. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)
2018: LeBron James scores go-ahead layup, wins his third All-Star Game MVP
2018 — LeBron James scores 29 points and hits the go-ahead layup with 34.5 seconds to play, winning his third All-Star Game MVP award while his hand-picked team rallies to win an uncommonly entertaining showcase, beating Team Stephen 148-145. For the first time in All-Star Game history, the league abandons the traditional East-West format used since 1951 and allows team captains James and Stephen Curry to choose their own rosters.
Team LeBron's LeBron James, of the Cleveland Cavaliers, holds the MVP trophy after his team defeated Team Stephen at the NBA All-Star basketball game, Sunday, Feb. 18, 2018, in Los Angeles. Team LeBron won 148-145. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)