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Maryland basketball star Len Bias died of a cocaine-induced heart attack on June 19, 1986. Washington Post/Getty Images

June 19 in sports history: 'I just hope I'll see him in heaven'

By John Banks | Last updated 6/18/20

Here's a look back at notable sports news on June 19 through the years:

1986: The news stunned the sports world — 22-year-old Len Bias, selected second in the NBA Draft by the Celtics days earlier, was dead. The cause was later revealed to be a cocaine-induced heart attack.

Newspapers played the news on Page 1, and the tragedy was among the lead stories on television newscasts. Bias died at about 8:50 a.m. at a hospital about a mile from the University of Maryland campus, where he was an All-American forward.

"I just sat up in bed and cried. That's all I could do," Virginia basketball player Olden Polynice said when he heard the news of his friend's death.

"If it were a car accident or something, you could believe it," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said, "but this is unbelievable."

The news was especially shocking to the Celtics, who were eager to put Bias on the floor with a team that featured future Hall of Famers Larry Bird, Bill Walton, Dennis Johnson, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. After Boston drafted Bias, team president Red Auerbach said the Celtics
got the best player in the draft.

In four seasons at Maryland, Bias averaged 16.4 points. The reigning ACC Player of the Year averaged 23.2 points as a senior. He even drew comparisons to MJ.

“He stood 6-foot-8, had Shawn Kemp’s explosion, Michael Jordan’s athleticism and a jump shot from basketball heaven — straight up, flick, bucket. No leaning, no drifting, back down to the floor with the bold defiance of a young Jim Brown,” ESPN's Michael Wilbon said recently.

"I loved him," Maryland coach Lefty Driesell told the Baltimore Evening Sun the day Bias died. "I just hope I'll see him in heaven one day."

2016: Overcome with emotion, LeBron James embraced teammate Kyrie Irving after the Cavaliers stunned the Warriors in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, 93-89. Cleveland took the hard road to a championship —overcoming a 3-1 deficit and winning the final two games on the road.

"Cleveland, this is for you!" The King shouted on national television.

In Game 7, Finals MVP James scored a team-high 27 points, and Irving added 26. The loss stung the Warriors, who finished the regular season with an NBA-record 73 wins.

"We've had so many moments of joy together, and it was like, 'Wow, we're actually having a moment of sorrow as a team,'" Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after the game.

2005: New Zealander Michael Campbell won the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, beating Tiger Woods by two shots, but defending champion Retief Goosen's collapse had the sports world buzzing. In three holes, he lost a three-shot lead and closed with an 81 — one of the worst choke jobs in golf history.

"I never thought Goosen would do what he did," Woods said. But the South African, who finished tied for 11th, was keen to keep things in perspective.

"This is nothing serious," he told the Charlotte Observer. "Nobody died or anything. I had a great Father's Day this morning with the kids, and that's more important than shooting 81."

Six years later at the Open, 22-year-old Rory McIlroy ran away from the field, winning by eight shots and breaking the tournament scoring record by four strokes. He shot a 16-under 268 at Congressional in Bethesda, Maryland.

BASEBALL NUGGETS

2015: In a 7-2 win over the Tigers at Yankee Stadium, New York's Alex Rodriguez homered on a 95-mph fastball from Justin Verlander — the 3,000th hit of his career. "Whatever you think of A-Rod, you have to give him credit for this much: the man has a flair for timing," wrote Bob Klapisch of The (N.J.) Record.

1994: This was an awful day at the office for future Hall of Famer John Smoltz, who became the 14th major league pitcher to give up four homers in an inning. Hal Morris, Kevin Mitchell, Jeff Branson and Eddie Taubensee went yard in the first in the Reds' 12-4 win in Atlanta. "I was as shocked as the fans were," Smoltz told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "I felt sorry for my outfielders."

1938: Coming off consecutive no-hitters, Cincinnati pitcher Johnny Vander Meer extended his string of hitless innings to 21.2 innings before giving up a single in the fourth inning against the Boston Bees. "I'm glad that's over," said Vander Meer of the hitless streak after the Reds' 14-1 win.

1927: Pitch a complete game nowadays, and it's cause for celebration. What's pitching two complete games ... in one day? Jack Scott of the Phillies went the distance in both ends of a doubleheader, beating the Reds 3-1 and losing 3-0 in the nightcap. Scott was "cast adrift" by the Reds in 1922, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported, because the team doctor thought his arm was shot.

ROUGH ENDING

1999: In Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals in Buffalo, Brett Hull's controversial goal at the 14:51 mark of the third overtime gave the Dallas Stars a 2-1 win and their first title. The Sabres contended Hull's right skate was in the crease when he put the puck past Dominik Hasek, thus invalidating the goal. Replays showed they were correct. "You can't explain that one to me," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said.

Happy birthday ...

Retired NBA big man Dirk Nowitzki, considered one the premier foreign-born stars of the Association. The Big German was drafted ninth overall in 1998 by Milwaukee and traded to Dallas, where he played for 21 seasons and led the team to 15 postseasons and its first NBA championship. (42)
Mets ace Jacob deGrom, winner of two straight Cy Young Awards. A three-time All-Star, deGrom was the 2014 Rookie of the Year, and he led the National League in strikeouts last season. (32)
Jets linebacker CJ Mosley. Mosley was chosen by Baltimore in the first round of the 2014 draft after being a two-time national champion with Alabama. (28)
Quarterback Jason White, 2003 Heisman Trophy winner out of Oklahoma. Despite his stellar college career, White never played in a pro game. (40)

R.I.P.

2010: Manute Bol, one of the tallest to play in the NBA. The 7-foot-6 Bol was drafted by Washington and spent 10 seasons in the Association as a top shot blocker. He died of kidney failure at 47.

2018: Golfer Hubert Green, winner of 29 pro tournaments including two majors. Despite an anonymous death threat, he opted to play in the 1977 U.S. Open, which he won by one stroke. He was 71 when he died of throat cancer.

June 18: 'Just the perfect display of golf'

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