Today in sports history, October 26

1863 : Representatives of 12 clubs formed England's Football Association at London's Freemasons' Tavern and began developing a standardized set of rules for soccer.

1911 : The Philadelphia Athletics defeated the New York Giants 13-2 in Game 6 of the World Series, clinching their second consecutive championship.

1951 : Rocky Marciano stopped former heavyweight champion Joe Louis in the eighth round at Madison Square Garden, ending Louis' legendary career.

1960 : The American League approved the Washington Senators' move to Minnesota and awarded expansion franchises to Los Angeles and Washington, DC.

1970 : Muhammad Ali returned from a 3½-year absence from boxing and stopped Jerry Quarry after three rounds in Atlanta, reviving Ali's pursuit of the heavyweight championship.

1977 : New York Yankees reliever Sparky Lyle became the first American League relief pitcher to win the Cy Young Award after a season in which he led the league with 72 appearances.

1984 : Future Hall of Famers Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and John Stockton made their NBA debuts, for the Chicago Bulls , Philadelphia 76ers and Utah Jazz , respectively.

1985 : Dane Iorg delivered a two-run, walk-off single in the ninth inning as the Kansas City Royals rallied past the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1 in Game 6 of the World Series, forcing a decisive seventh game. The rally followed umpire Don Denkinger's erroneous safe call at first base.

1990 : Wayne Gretzky became the first player in NHL history to reach 2,000 career points, recording an assist for the Los Angeles Kings against Winnipeg.

1993 : The NFL awarded its 29th franchise to the Carolina Panthers , who began play during the 1995 season.

1995 : Pittsburgh Penguins star Mario Lemieux scored his 500th NHL goal in his 605th game, reaching the milestone faster than every player except Wayne Gretzky.

1997 : Jacques Villeneuve finished third in the European Grand Prix at Jerez and captured his only Formula 1 world drivers' championship after title rival Michael Schumacher retired following their controversial collision.

1997 : Edgar Renteria hit an 11th-inning, walk-off single as the Florida Marlins defeated Cleveland 3-2 in Game 7 and won the World Series in the franchise's fifth season.

1997 : Gretzky added another milestone when his 1,851st career assist gave him more assists than any player in NHL history had total points, surpassing Gordie Howe's career point total.

2000 : The New York Yankees defeated the New York Mets 4-2 in Game 5 of the first Subway World Series since 1956, earning their third consecutive championship and 26th overall.

2005 : The Chicago White Sox completed a four-game sweep of the Houston Astros with a 1-0 victory and won their first World Series championship in 88 years.

2014 : Serena Williams defeated Simona Halep 6-3, 6-0 to capture her third consecutive WTA Finals singles championship and fifth overall.

2016 : Anthony Davis opened the NBA season with 50 points for the New Orleans Pelicans , becoming one of the few players in league history to score 50 in a season opener.

2025 : Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry scored his 111th career rushing touchdown, passing Walter Payton for fifth place in NFL history. He added another touchdown in the game.

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