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ON THIS DAY - March 28
1977 - Rankin coaching Pioneers.jpeg

As sports continue to await word about the possible lifting of suspended seasons, the Standard would like to debut a new web-only segment, "On This Day." We hope to update it daily, bringing you some of the biggest moments in Warren County sports history (focusing mainly on the last 51 years since the school consolidation and formation of Warren County Senior High), as well as some famous birthdays and big national stories. (Editor's note: we will be back with "On This Day" Monday, March 30)

Before he was racking up state championships and becoming one the most legendary high school coaches in Tennessee, Gary Rankin served as an assistant for the Pioneers. The proof comes via the March 28, 1977 issue of the Southern Standard.

Long considered the coach who got away, Rankin has went on to build dominant programs at Smith County, Riverdale and – most recently – Alcoa. He has over 400 career wins – the most in TSSAA history.

In other March 28 issues, Brian Patterson was slinging strikes for the Pioneers (1983), Dana Clendenon, Shanna Hildreth, Diane Marks and Cappi Merritt were earning honors for their spirit (1983), Keith Martin and Tim Jennings were leading the Pioneer track team (1988), Pioneer baseball took down Forrest (1999), WCHS track was blazing on the course (2003), Boyd was picking up a softball victory (2007), the front page was full of victories (2012) and WCHS baseball and softball had successful nights (2018).

Famous March 28 birthdays

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1942 – Jerry Sloan, NBA Hall of Famer, former Utah Jazz coach

1944 – Rick Barry, Hall of Fame NBA forward

1949 – Ronnie Ray Smith, Olympic relay winner (gold, 1968)

1966 – Jason Garrett, Cowboys quarterback, former coach

1980 – Luke Walton, NBA forward, head coach

1989 – Logan Couture, NHL player – San Jose Sharks

1991 – Jordan McRae, NBA player, former Vol

National sports headlines on March 28 (AP)

1939 — The barnstorming Renaissance Five beat the NBL champion Oshkosh All-Stars 34-25 to win the first annual World Professional Basketball Tournament in Chicago. Sports reports make no mention of the fact that all the Rens are black and the All-Stars are all white.

1942 — Stanford defeats Dartmouth 53-38 for the NCAA basketball championship.

1944 — Arnold Ferrin's 22 points leads Utah to a 42-40 victory over Dartmouth for the NCAA championship.

1950 — CCNY beats Bradley 71-68 in the NCAA basketball final to become the only team to win the NIT and NCAA titles in the same year. CCNY topped Bradley 69-61 in the NIT on March 18.

1977 — Marquette downs North Carolina 67-59 for the NCAA basketball title.

1982 — Louisiana Tech beats Cheyney State 76-62 in the NCAA's first women's basketball championship. The tournament replaces the AIAW championship that had been held since 1972.

1985 — The North American Soccer League, reduced to two surviving franchises, suspends operations.

1989 — Southwestern Louisiana’s Cathy McAllister and Stefni Whitton pitch back-to-back perfect games against Southeastern Louisiana, a first in NCAA Division I softball history. McAllister strikes out 10 in a 5-0 victory and Whitton has 14 strikeouts in a 7-0 triumph.

1990 — Michael Jordan scores 69 points to help Chicago beat Cleveland 117-113 in overtime and clinch a playoff spot.

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1992 — Christian Laettner hits a 15-foot turnaround jumper at the buzzer to give defending champion Duke a 104-103 overtime victory over Kentucky and a fifth consecutive trip to the Final Four.

1992 — Eric Forkel tops Bob Vespi 217-133 in the title match of the $300,000 PBA National Championship. Vespi's 133 sets a record for the lowest score in tournament final history.

1993 — Teemu Selanne of the Winnipeg Jets scores his 69th and 70th goals of the season in a 3-3 tie with Los Angeles Kings. Selanne is the eighth player, and first rookie, to have a 70-goal NHL season.

1995 — Boston’s Dominique Wilkins scored 19 points in a 126-115 win at Miami, moving past Jerry West and into eighth place on the NBA’s scoring list.

2006 — Oklahoma center Courtney Paris is the first freshman selected for the AP’s All-America team in women's basketball.

2009 — Well Armed, ridden by Aaron Gryder, wins the $6 million Dubai World Cup by a record 14 lengths. The 6-year-old gelding claims the richest prize in horse racing.

2011 — Skylar Diggins scores 24 points and second-seeded Notre Dame upsets top-seeded Tennessee 73-59 to earn a spot in the women’s Final Four. The Fighting Irish came in 0-20 all-time against the Lady Vols. Nnemkadi Ogwumike has 23 points and 11 rebounds and sister Chiney adds 18 points, sending Stanford past Gonzaga 83-60 and into its fourth straight Final Four.

2012 — The NFL's new rule for postseason overtime is expanded to cover the regular season on a 30-2 vote by the NFL owners. All games that go into overtime cannot end on a field goal on the first possession.

2015 — Breanna Stewart has 31 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists to help UConn rout Texas 105-54, earning coach Geno Auriemma his 100th NCAA Tournament win. Auriemma is the second coach to reach the century mark, joining Pat Summitt, who finished with 112 victories.