This day in sports history: Rams move to City of Angels, American Stacy Allison reaches new heights

It’s a feat that has been accomplished by few, but on Sept. 29, 1988, Stacy Allison became the first American woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

Allison made two attempts to climb the 29,035-foot peak after her first attempt in 1987 had been derailed by a storm that had forced her group to turn around.

The following year, at age 29, Allison joined the Northwest American Everest Expedition in a 29-day journey to the summit and accomplished her goal of becoming the first American woman to reach the peak.

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According to data from January 2023, of the 6,338 different people who have reached the summit, 741 have been women. 

THE CITY OF RAMS

The Cleveland Rams struggled for several years after their NFL debut, but after turning it around for the 1945 season in which the team would go on to win a championship, owner Dan Reeves decided it was time for a fresh start in a new city.

On Sept. 29, 1946, the Los Angeles Rams would open their season at home against the Philadelphia Eagles. Despite losing the game, the Rams would finish the season 6-4-1.

The move proved fruitful as the Rams would win four NFL Western Division championships in seven years and another championship in 1951, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The Rams would move again to St. Louis in 1995 before returning to L.A. in 2016.

MUHAMMAD ALI DEFENDS TITLE

On Sept. 29, 1977, the world’s greatest boxer at “The World’s Most Famous Arena” defeated powerhouse Earnie Shavers to retain the heavyweight championship of the world.

Muhammad Ali, who was 35 at the time, battled through 15 grueling rounds against Shavers, who was known as the hardest puncher in the sports, before eventually being declared the winner by a unanimous decision.

He would later lose the title in an upset to Leon Spinks the following year before winning it again for the third time in a rematch with Spinks just seven months later.

THE CATCH

Willie Mays imprinted himself into baseball folklore when he made one of the biggest catches in World Series history at the Polo Grounds in 1954.

In Game 1, May made an over-the-shoulder catch in the eighth inning against the Cleveland Indians. Vic Wertz hit a ball to deep center field where it was likely that runners were going to score if Mays didn’t reach the ball or dropped it.

Mays made the catch and kept the game tied. The New York Giants would go on to win the game, 5-2, in extra innings. The Giants swept the Indians to win the World Series.

MOON SHOT

Sept. 29, 1985, was not kind to Houston Oilers quarterback Warren Moon. The Hall of Famer was sacked a record 12 times in a 17-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. He finished the game 11-for-26 with 215 yards and four interceptions.

Even with the impressive defensive display, the Oilers fought through it and Moon connected on a 57-yard touchdown pass to Drew Hill to cut the deficit to three points in the third quarter. Houston kicker Tony Zendejas tied the game with a 33-yard field goal.

Dallas scored in the fourth quarter thanks to a pass from Danny White to Fred Cornwell.

Cowboys defenders John Dutton, Ed “Too Tall” Jones and Randy White each had two sacks in the game.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.