May Dates In The Sports History Of 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 May timeline, arranged by calendar date rather than chronologically by year:

May 1, 1999- After months of speculation about the rumored move of the New England Patriots to Hartford, team owner Robert Kraft announced the franchise would remain in Foxborough, Mass.

May 10, 1942 - Former UConn men's basketball coach Jim Calhoun, a 2005 inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, was born in Braintree, Mass.

May 10, 1976 - Nykesha Sales, formerly the leading scorer in UConn women's basketball history and an 8-time WNBA All-Star, was born in Bloomfield.

May 20, 1976 - The Hartford Jai Alai fronton opened on Weston Street; it closed in 1995.

May 23, 1977 - The legendary Gordie Howe and his sons Mark and Marty signed long-term contracts to play for the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association.

May 28, 1963 - Eugene Robinson, a 3-time Pro Bowl selection and member of the Super Bowl XXXI champion Green Bay Packers, was born in Hartford.