Marty McFly and Doc Brown traveled to today, Oct. 21, 2015, in the popular time-traveling movie Back to the Future II. The sequel to the 1985 classic made wild predictions about 2015 with cool gadgets like hoverboards, flying cars and instant lacing Nikes. Plus, the Cubs finally won the World Series.
Today is also the day McFly stumbles into an antique shop and purchases a copy of the Grays Sports Almanac, which detailed statistics and scores from 1950-2000 and caused trouble for McFly in the sequel.
In honor of the trilogy's 30th anniversary and "Back to the Future Day," let’s take a look back at memorable moments that McFly would have found in the almanac. These are the top stories in college sports from 1955 -- the year McFly travels to in his parents’ past - and also from his present day of 1985.
1955
Allen Fieldhouse opens March 1 in Lawrence, Kansas.
Kansas’ Allen Fieldhouse is known as one of the most electric atmospheres in college basketball. The Jayhawks previously played in Hoch Auditorium, which had a seating capacity of 5,500. While a shortage of supplies during the Korean War delayed Allen Fieldhouse, construction resumed in 1953 and was complete in 1955. The first game was March 1, 1955, as the Jayhawks hosted rival Kansas State, whose Ahearn Field House had the largest capacity in the state before Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas won, 77-66, in front of 17,228 fans.
Led by Howard "Hopalong" Cassidy and quarterback Dave Leggett, Ohio State cruised past USC, 20-7, in the 1955 Rose Bowl. Cassady, who won the Heisman during the 1955 season, finished the game with 92 of the Buckeyes' 304 yards on the ground. It was the first of five national championships during the Woody Hayes era in Columbus. Hayes' Buckeyes entered the Rose Bowl tied with No. 2 UCLA in the polls, but the Bruins were locked out of the Rose Bowl due to the no-repeat rule. It was the first time a "split" national champion had been declared with Ohio State named the champion by the AP writers and UCLA by the coaches poll. Both teams finished undefeated.
San Francisco wins 1955 NCAA Tournament; Bill Russell named Most Outstanding Player.
1985
No. 8 seed Villanova defeats No. 1 Georgetown in 1985 NCAA Tournament.
The 1985 Villanova basketball team pulled off one of the biggest upsets in tournament history. The Wildcats and Hoyas had already met during the regular season in a pair of tightly contested games. The championship game proved to be no different as Villanova shocked Georgetown with 66-64 victory. Ed Pinckney was named the tournament's most oustanding player with 16 points, six rebounds and five assists in the title game. The Wildcats shot 79 percent on their field-goal attempts. Villanova still remains the lowest ever seed to win a national championship. It is also the first tournament field to feature 64 teams and the last tournament without a shot clock, which was implemented the following season.
Bo Jackson is considered among the all-time greats in college football and 1985 was the best year yet for the Auburn running back. He accumulated 1,786 rushing yards, the second best single-season performance by an SEC running back. Toward the end of the season, Jackson was up for the Heisman Trophy in a tightly contested vote with Iowa quarterback Chuck Long. Jackson won the Heisman by 45 votes, one of the closest margins in the trophy's history. His baseball career was just as impressive, too, in 1985. Jackson had 59 hits, 17 home runs and 43 RBIs during the 1985 season.
Ron Fraser leads Miami to the 1985 College World Series title.
No. 6 Miami and No. 3 Texas met in the finals after both defeated favorite Mississippi State, which was led by future pro and second overall pick Will Clark. Texas downed MSU, 12-7, while Miami held onto a 6-5 win to send the Bulldogs packing. The Hurricanes defeated the Longhorns, 10-6, on June 11, 1985, to capture their second CWS title under coach Ron Fraser. Miami had 14 hits and Texas committed five errors.
