Looking back at some significant sports dates, events and milestones which took place in September in Hartford and Tolland counties.
HARTFORD-TOLLAND COUNTIES, CT — This monthly series on Patch sites in Hartford and Tolland counties recalls historic dates, events and milestones which occurred in the region during that month.
Here is the September timeline, arranged by calendar date rather than chronologically by year:
Sept. 1, 1952 - Ted Kroll won the inaugural Insurance City Open on the PGA Tour, posting a 4-stroke victory at Wethersfield Country Club over three other players. He pocketed $2,400 for his victorious effort; in 2024, Scottie Scheffler's victory in the Travelers Championship was worth a cool $3.6 million.
Sept. 5, 1995 - The Hartford Jai Alai fronton closed on Weston Street after nearly two decades in business.
Sept. 7, 1979 - The Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) launched on cable television systems across America. Born from the ashes of a massive 1978 front-office firing by New England Whalers owner Howard Baldwin, former communications director Bill Rasmussen and his son Scott conceived the idea of a network offering sports 24 hours a day. That dream came to fruition at 7 p.m. on this date, with George Grande serving as the first anchor of SportsCenter.
Sept. 10, 1983 - Future 7-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens shut out the Lynn Pirates at Beehive Field in New Britain to give the Red Sox Double-A farm team, newly relocated from Bristol, the Eastern League championship. Bristol had won league titles in 1975, 1978 and 1981.
Sept. 17, 2002 - Suzy Whaley, head pro at Blue Fox Run Golf Club in Avon, won the Connecticut Section PGA Championship at Ellington Ridge Country Club. The victory qualified her to play in the 2003 Greater Hartford Open on the PGA Tour, where she became the first woman to do so since Babe Didrikson Zaharias in 1945.
Sept. 19, 1989 - 4-time All-Star and 2017 World Series Most Valuable Player George Springer was born in New Britain.
Sept. 21, 1958 - 1989 National Basketball Association champion Rick Mahorn, who starred at Weaver High School before playing in the NBA for 18 years, was born in Hartford.
Sept. 23, 1929 - Bat Battalino won the world featherweight boxing championship by defeating Andre Routis at Hurley Stadium in Hartford.
Sept. 24, 1976 - Former World Wrestling Entertainment executive Stephanie McMahon was born in Hartford.
Sept. 26, 1967 - 12-year pro hockey veteran Craig Janney, who led Enfield High School to two state championships before starring at Boston College and the U.S. Olympic team, was born in Hartford. The bulk of his NHL career was divided between the Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues, and he was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2016.
Sept. 30, 1945 - At Bulkeley Stadium in Hartford, Babe Ruth played in the final game of his legendary career, an exhibition contest with the Savitt Gems.