Events in Sport
Events 1 - 100 of 197
Australian Open Women's Tennis
Jan 3 Australian Open Women's Tennis: Czech teenager Hana Mandlíková wins her 1st of 4 career Grand Slam singles titles; beats home favourite Wendy Turnbull 6-0, 7-5
Hana Mandlikova
Event of Interest
Jan 3 American golfer Johnny Miller wins the sport's first $1 million tournament when he beats Seve Ballesteros of Spain in a playoff in the inaugural Million Dollar World Challenge at Sun City, South Africa
Seve Ballesteros
- Jan 4 Australian Open Men's Tennis: American Brian Teacher wins his first and only Grand Slam event; beats home favourite Kim Warwick 7-5, 7-6, 6-3
- Jan 11 AFC Championship, Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego: Oakland Raiders beat San Diego Chargers, 34-27
- Jan 11 NFC Championship, Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia: Philadelphia Eagles beat Dallas Cowboys, 20-7
NHL Record
Jan 13 Islander's Mike Bossy's 15th career hat trick-4 goals
Mike Bossy
- Jan 15 Pitcher Bob Gibson is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility; after a stellar 17 year career, polls 337 votes from Baseball Writers Association of America
Event of Interest
Jan 16 Boxer Leon Spinks is mugged, his assailants even take his gold teeth
Leon Spinks
Event of Interest
Jan 18 Swedish tennis star Björn Borg claims his second straight ATP Masters Grand Prix title with a 6–4, 6–2, 6–2 win over Ivan Lendl at Madison Square Garden, NYC
Björn Borg
Ivan Lendl
Event of Interest
Jan 19 Muhammad Ali talks a despondent 21 year old out of committing suicide
Muhammad Ali
- Jan 22 O A "Bum" Phillips becomes head coach of New Orleans Saints
- Jan 23 Mike Bossy becomes 1st in NHL to score 50 goals in 50 games
- Jan 23 Red Sox trade Fred Lynn to Angels for Frank Tanana and Joe Rudi
- Jan 24 Islanders scored 5 power play goals against Nordiques
- Jan 25 Super Bowl XV, Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA: Oakland Raiders beat Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10; MVP: Jim Plunkett, Oakland, QB
- Jan 29 AL approves sale of White Sox to Jerry Reinsdorf & Eddie Einhorn for $20 million, & 80% of Mariners to George Argyros for $104 million
- Feb 1 NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: NFC beats AFC, 21-7; MVP: Eddie Murray, Detroit Lions, PK
- Feb 1 Australian cricket captain Greg Chappell sensationally instructs younger brother Trevor to bowl underarm to Brian McKechnie with NZ needing 6 from last ball to tie 3rd World Series ODI in Melbourne; Australia wins by 6
NBA All-Star Game
Feb 1 31st NBA All-Star Game, Coliseum at Richfield, OH: East beats West, 123-120; MVP: Nate Archibald, Boston Celtics, PG
Nate Archibald
- Feb 3 Australia beats NZ 3-1 to win cricket's World Series Cup
- Feb 10 33rd NHL All-Star Game, The Forum, Inglewood: Campbell Conference beats Wales Conference, 4-1; MVP: Mike Liut, St. Louis Blues, G
- Feb 10 Dennis Lillee becomes Australian Cricket's top wicket-taker with 249
- Feb 12 Arbitrator Goetz declares Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk a free agent
- Feb 15 23rd Daytona 500: Richard Petty wins record 7th title at Daytona, beating Bobby Allison to the line by 3.5 seconds
Event of Interest
Feb 18 20-year-old Edmonton center Wayne Gretzky becomes first player in NHL history to score 5 career hat-tricks before age 21; scores 5 goals and 2 assists in 9-2 Oilers' home win against St. Louis
Wayne Gretzky
- Feb 20 Quebec's Czech rookie brothers Peter and Anton Stastny each score first career NHL hat-tricks in Nordiques' 9-3 win at Vancouver; Peter adds 3 assists and Anton 2
- Feb 25 NHL most penalized game; Bruins vs Northstars, 84 penalties (392 mins)
- Feb 25 NY Islanders give up their most goals (11) vs Calgary Flames
- Feb 25 Exec Board of Baseball Players' Association votes unanimously to strike on May 29 if the issue of free-agent compensation remains unresolved
- Feb 26 84 penalties (406 mins) assessed for a brawl between NHL Minn & Bost
- Feb 28 Calvin Murphy (Hou), sets NBA record with 78 consecutive free throws
- Mar 1 Houston Rockets guard Calvin Murphy misses a free throw in a 102-86 loss in San Antonio, ending his NBA record consecutive free throw streak at 78
- Mar 3 Isle's Mike Bossy 9th & final hat trick of season-4 goals
- Mar 3 NY Islanders & Edmonton Oilers play to an 8-8 tie
- Mar 5 Ice Dance Championship at Hartford won by Jayne Torvill & Christopher Dean (GRB)
- Mar 6 Worlds Ladies' Figure Skating Champ in Hartford won by Denise Biellmann
- Mar 7 28th ACC Men's Basketball Tournament: North Carolina beats Maryland, 61-60
- Mar 7 22nd SEC Men's Basketball Tournament: Ole Miss beats Georgia, 66-62
- Mar 11 Johnny Mize and Rube Foster are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
- Mar 14 NCAA St Joseph's upsets top seed DePaul 49-48
- Mar 17 FC Lisse, Dutch soccer team forms
- Mar 18 Buffalo Sabres sets NHL record of 9 goals in 1 period (vs Toronto)
- Mar 19 Buffalo Sabres beat Toronto Maple Leafs 14-4
- Mar 21 France beats England 16-12 at Twickenham, London for it's 7th outright Five Nations Rugby Championship and 3rd Grand Slam title
PGA Players Championship
Mar 23 PGA Tournament Players Championship, Sawgrass CC: Raymond Floyd beats Barry Jaeckel and Curtis Strange on the first hole of a sudden death playoff in a rain affected Monday finish
Ray Floyd
- Mar 24 Bombay beat Delhi by innings & 46 to win Ranji Cricket Trophy
Event of Interest
Mar 28 Martina Navratilova beats 16 year old American tennis prodigy Andrea Jaeger 6-3, 7-6 in the final of the WTA Tour Championships at Madison Square Garden, NYC
Martina Navratilova
Event of Interest
Mar 30 43rd NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Indiana beats North Carolina, 63-50; Hoosiers' future Hall of Fame point guard Isiah Thomas is named Tournament Most Outstanding Player
Isiah Thomas
- Apr 1 Edmonton center Wayne Gretzky has an assist (his 103rd) in the Oilers 4-4 tie with Colorado Rockies to break Bobby Orr's 10-year mark for most assists in a single NHL season
- Apr 4 135th Grand National: Bob Champion aboard 10/1 hope Aldaniti wins by 4 lengths from 8/1 favourite Spartan Missile
- Apr 5 Philadelphia Flyers amass a record 2,621 penalty minutes
- Apr 8 Islanders scored 9 goals against Toronto in playoffs
- Apr 9 LA Dodgers Fernando Valenzuela's 1st start, beats Astros 2-0
Boxing Title Fight
Apr 11 Larry Holmes beats Trevor Berbick in 15 for heavyweight boxing title
Larry Holmes
US Masters Golf
Apr 12 45th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Tom Watson wins his second green jacket and 5th major title by 2 strokes over Jack Nicklaus and Johnny Miller
Tom Watson
Jack Nicklaus
- Apr 17 Isle Potvin's 3 playoff power-play goals tie NHL record vs Oilers
- Apr 17 Ranger's Anders Hedberg is 2nd to score on a Stanley Cup penalty shot
- Apr 18 Longest game in Professional Baseball: Pawtucket Red Sox tie Rochester Red Wings 2-2 in 32 innings (game resumed 23rd June)
- Apr 19 Oakland A's runs record to 11-0
- Apr 20 85th Boston Marathon: Toshihiko Seko of Japan wins men's race in 2:09:26; Allison Roe of New Zealand takes women's title in 2:26:46
- Apr 22 Dodgers rookie Fernando Valenzuela tosses his 3rd shutout in 4 starts
- Apr 24 Bill Shoemaker wins his 8,000th race, 2000 more than any other jockey
- Apr 24 San Antonio blocks 20 Golden State shots to set NBA reg game record
- Apr 25 Seattle Mariners MLB manager Maury Wills is suspended for 2 games after ordering Kingdome grounds crew to enlarge batter's boxes by one foot
- Apr 27 1st female soccer official is hired by NASL
- Apr 29 Phillie Steve Carlton is 1st lefty to strike out 3,000 batters
- Apr 29 NFL Draft: South Carolina running back George Rogers first pick by New Orleans Saints
Event of Interest
May 1 Tennis player Billie Jean King acknowledges a lesbian relationship with Marilyn Barnett - becoming first prominent sportswoman to come out
Billie Jean King
- May 2 107th Kentucky Derby: Jorge Velásquez on Pleasant Colony wins in 2:02
- May 10 Montreal Expo Charlie Lee no-hits SF Giants, 4-0
- May 12 NY Islanders tie own record with two shorthanded playoff goals in a pd vs Minn
- May 13 Dinamo Tbilisi wins 21st European Cup Winner's Cup against Carl Zeiss Jena of East Germany 2-1 in Düsseldorf
- May 14 35th NBA Championship: Bost Celtics beat Houston Rockets, 4 games to 2
- May 15 "Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island" airs
- May 16 106th Preakness: Jorge Velásquez aboard Pleasant Colony wins in 1:54.6
- May 16 Houston shortstop Craig Reynolds hits 3 triples as Astros beat Chicago Cubs, 6-1
- May 17 Islanders score 5 power play goals against Flyers in a playoff
- May 21 Stanley Cup Final, Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY: NY Islanders win back-to-back titles; beat Minnesota North Stars, 5-1 for 4 games to 1 series win
- May 23 Puerto Rican boxer Wilfred Benítez (22) becomes the youngest 3-division world champion in history by knocking out WBC World Super Welterweight champion Maurice Hope in 12 rounds in Las Vegas
- May 24 Bobby Unser wins, loses, & wins a controversial Indy 500
- May 25 Bobby Unser becomes 1st Indy 500 winner to be disqualified
Baseball Record
May 25 Carl Yastrzemski is 4th to play 3,000 baseball games (Cobb, Musial & Aaron)
Carl Yastrzemski
Event of Interest
Jun 5 Astro's Nolan Ryan passes Early Wynn as all-time walk leader (1,777)
Nolan Ryan
- Jun 6 113th Belmont: George Martens aboard Summing wins in 2:29
- Jun 6 French Open Women's Tennis: Czech teenager Hana Mandlíková beats Sylvia Hanika of Germany 6-2, 6-4 for her only French singles crown
- Jun 7 French Open Men's Tennis: Björn Borg of Sweden wins 11th and final career Grand Slam title; Open era record 6th French title; beats Ivan Lendl 6-1, 4-6, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
- Jun 8 Seattle Mariners draft Mike Moore #1
Baseball Record
Jun 10 Pete Rose ties Stan Musial's NL record of 3,630 hits
Pete Rose
Stan Musial
Birthdays in Sport
Birthdays 1 - 100 of 411
Eli Manning
Jan 3 Eli Manning, American NFL quarterback (MVP Super Bowls 2007, 11; Pro Bowl 2008, 11, 12, 15; NY Giants), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
Eli Manning
- Jan 3 Chris Blais, American off-road racing rider (Motorcycle San Felipe 250 2005; Dakar Rally 2007 3rd overall), born in Apple Valley, California
- Jan 5 Corey Flynn, New Zealand rugby union footballer, born in Invercargill, New Zealand
- Jan 6 Asante Samuel, National Football League Defensive Back, born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Jan 7 Alex Auld, Canadian ice hockey player, born in Cold Lake, Canada
- Jan 7 Marquis Daniels, American basketball player, born in Jasper, Florida
- Jan 8 Jeff Francis, Canadian baseball player, born in Vancouver, British Columbia
- Jan 8 Xie Xingfang, Chinese badminton player, born in Guangzhou, China
- Jan 9 Euzebiusz Smolarek, Polish footballer, born in Łódź, Poland
- Jan 12 Dan Klecko, American football player, born in Chester, Pennsylvania
- Jan 13 Reggie Brown, American football player
- Jan 13 Darrell Rasner, American baseball player
- Jan 15 El Hadji Diouf, Senegalese footballer, born in Dakar, Senegal
- Jan 15 Sean Lamont, Scottish rugby union footballer, born in Perth, United Kingdom
- Jan 16 Bobby Zamora, English footballer, born in Barking, United Kingdom
- Jan 17 Warren Feeney, Northern Irish footballer, born in Belfast, United Kingdom
- Jan 18 Khari Stephenson, Jamaican footballer, born in Kingston, Jamaica
- Jan 18 Olivier Rochus, Belgian tennis player, born in Namur, Belgium
- Jan 19 Asier Del Horno, Spanish footballer, born in Barakaldo, Spain
- Jan 19 Lucho González, Argentine footballer, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Jan 20 Freddy Guzmán, Dominican baseball player, born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
- Jan 20 Owen Hargreaves, English football player & television pundit, born in Calgary, Canada
- Jan 21 Ivan Ergić, Serbian footballer
- Jan 21 Jamie Dalrymple, English cricketer
- Jan 21 Dany Heatley, Canadian ice hockey player
- Jan 22 Ibrahima Sonko, French footballer, born in Bignona, Senegal
- Jan 23 Rob Friend, Canadian football player, born in Rosetown, Canada
- Jan 23 Greg Smith, American UFC fighter, born in Vallejo, California
- Jan 24 Travis Hanson, American baseball player, born in Seattle, Washington
- Jan 25 Francis Jeffers, English footballer, born in Liverpool, United Kingdom
- Jan 26 Juan Jose Haedo, Argentinian cyclist, born in Chascomús, Argentina
- Jan 27 Alicia Molik, Australian tennis player
- Jan 28 Rick Razzano, American football player
- Jan 30 Dimitar Berbatov, Bulgarian footballer, born in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria
- Jan 30 Mathias Lauda, Austrian racing driver, born in Salzburg, Austria
- Jan 30 Peter Crouch, English footballer, born in Macclesfield, United Kingdom
- Jan 31 Julio Arca, Argentinian football player, born in Quilmes, Argentina
- Feb 1 Luis Lamá, Angolan soccer goalkeeper (56 caps; Petro Luanda), born in Luanda, Angola
- Feb 1 Graeme Smith, South African cricket batsman, captain and broadcaster (117 Tests, 9,265 runs @ 48.25, 27 x 100s; 197 ODIs), born in Johannesburg, South Africa
- Feb 1 Rob Austin, British auto racer (British GT Championship - GT4 runner-up 2008), born in Evesham, England
- Feb 2 Jason Kapono, American basketball player
- Feb 3 Maurice Ross, Scottish footballer
- Feb 4 Tom Mastny, Indonesian baseball player, born in Bontang, Indonesia
- Feb 4 Johan Van Summeren, Belgian cyclist, born in Lommel, Belgium
- Feb 4 Ben Hendrickson, American baseball player, born in St. Cloud, Minnesota
- Feb 4 Jason Kapono, America professional basketball player, born in Long Beach, California
- Feb 5 Loukas Vyntra, Greek football player, born in Město Albrechtice, Czechia
- Feb 6 Ty Warren, American football defensive lineman, born in Bryan, Texas
- Feb 9 Joël Camathias, Swiss racing driver
- Feb 10 Andrew Johnson, English footballer, born in Bedford, United Kingdom
- Feb 11 Scot Thompson, American soccer player, born in NYC, New York
- Feb 13 Luisão [Ânderson Luís da Silva], Brazilian footballer, born in São Paulo, Brazil
- Feb 13 Liam Miller, Irish soccer midfielder (21 caps; Sunderland, Hibernian), born in Cork, Republic of Ireland (d. 2018)
- Feb 13 Luke Ridnour, US basketball player, born in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
- Feb 15 Diego Martínez, Mexican footballer, born in Mexico City, Mexico
- Feb 16 Jay Howard, British racing driver
- Feb 16 Jerry Owens, American baseball player
- Feb 16 Qyntel Woods, American basketball player
- Feb 17 Donielle Thompson, Wheatridge CO, gymnast (World-bronze-95, Olympics 1996)
- Feb 17 Lisa Skinner, Queensland Australia, gymnast (Olympics 1996)
- Feb 18 Andrei Kirilenko, Russian basketball player, born in Izhevsk, Russia
- Feb 18 Ivan Sproule, Irish footballer, born in Castlederg, United Kingdom
- Feb 18 Alex Rios, American baseball player, born in Coffee County, Alabama
- Feb 19 Gil Reyes, American boxer
- Feb 19 Nicky Shorey, English footballer
- Feb 20 Tony Hibbert, English footballer
- Feb 22 Fredson Camara, Brazilian footballer, born in Monção, Brazil
- Feb 23 Gareth Barry, English footballer (West Bromwich Albion F.C.), born in Hastings, United Kingdom
- Feb 23 Charles Tillman, American football cornerback, born in Chicago, Illinois
- Feb 24 Lleyton Hewitt, Australian tennis player (US Open 2001, Wimbledon 2002), born in Adelaide, Australia
- Feb 24 Mohammad Sami, Pakistani cricketer
- Feb 25 Park Ji-Sung, South Korean footballer
- Feb 26 Kertus Davis, American auto racer (competition director NASCAR team JD Motorsports), born in Gaffney, South Carolina
- Feb 27 Elodie Ouédraogo, Belgian athlete, born in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Belgium
- Feb 28 Brian Bannister, American baseball player, born in Scottsdale, Arizona
- Feb 28 Florent Serra, French tennis player, born in Bordeaux, France
- Mar 1 Will Power, Australian auto racer (Indianapolis 500 2018), born in Toowoomba, Queensland
- Mar 3 Dusty Dvoracek, American football player
- Mar 3 Emmanuel Pappoe, Ghanaian footballer
- Mar 5 Andreas Wiig, Norwegian snowboarder
- Mar 5 Paul Martin, American ice hockey player
- Mar 8 Michael Beauchamp, Australian footballer
- Mar 9 Antonio Bryant, American football player, born in Miami, Florida
- Mar 9 Anders Nøhr, Danish footballer, born in Ikast, Denmark
- Mar 9 Clay Rapada, American baseball player, born in Chesapeake, Virginia
- Mar 10 Samuel Eto'o, Cameroonian footballer
- Mar 10 Efthimios Kouloucheris, Greek footballer
- Mar 10 Steven Reid, English-born footballer
- Mar 11 Lee Evans, American football player
- Mar 13 Stephen Maguire, Scottish snooker player, born in Glasgow, Scotland
- Mar 14 Bobby Jenks, American baseball player
- Mar 15 Mikael Forssell, Finnish footballer
- Mar 16 Curtis Granderson, American baseball player
- Mar 16 Yoav Ziv, Israeli footballer
- Mar 16 Andrew Bree, Irish swimmer
- Mar 17 Kyle Korver, American Basketball Player
- Mar 17 Servet Çetin, Turkish Football Player
- Mar 18 Tora Berger, Norwegian biathlete
Weddings in Sport
Wedding of Interest
Apr 9 NFL coach Bill Cowher (23) weds Kaye Young
Bill Cowher
Wedding of Interest
Jul 1 NFL quarterback Joe Montana (25) weds second wife Cathleen Castillo
Joe Montana
Wedding of Interest
Sep 15 Professional boxer George Foreman (32) weds Sharon Goodson
George Foreman
Deaths in Sport
- Jan 1 Ceferino Garcia, Filipino boxer (World Middleweight champion 1939-40), dies at 74
- Jan 1 Mauri Rose, American auto racer (Indianapolis 500 1941, 47-48), dies at 74
- Jan 17 Loukas Panourgias, Greek footballer (b. 1899)
- Feb 5 Barend Barendse, Dutch sports reporter and actor (Zeskamp, Oebele), dies at 73
- Feb 15 Jack Crapp, English cricketer (7 Tests for England 1948-49, 319 runs), dies at 68
- Mar 2 Tony Gulotta, American auto racer (Indianapolis 500 1927 3rd), dies at 78
- Mar 6 George Geary, English cricketer (14 Tests for England, 46 wickets), dies at 87
- Mar 7 Hilde Krahwinkel Sperling, German tennis player (Wimbledon 1931, 1936 runner-up), dies at 72
- Mar 14 Ken Barrington, cricketer (82 Tests for England, 6806 runs), dies
- Mar 17 Paul Dean, American baseball player (St. Louis Cardinals), dies at 68
- Mar 19 Frank Lane, American MLB executive (GM Chicago WS, St. Louis Cardinals, Cleveland Indians, KC Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers), dies at 85
- Mar 23 Mike Hailwood, MBE GM, British motorcycle road racer (World C'ships: 250cc – 1961, 66, 67; 350cc – 1966, 67; 500cc –1962, 63, 64, 65; 76 Grand Prix wins), dies in a car accident at 40
- Mar 26 Tim Wall, cricketer (SA v NSW 1933 is Sheffield Shield record), dies
- Mar 30 Noel Harford, New Zealand cricketer (8 Tests for NZ 1955-58), dies at 50
- Apr 2 Delfo Cabrera, Argentine distance runner (Olympic gold marathon 1948), dies in a car accident at 62
- Apr 16 Eric Hollies, English cricketer (13 Tests for England, 44 wickets), dies at 68
- Apr 21 Harry Lee, cricketer (scored 18 & 1 in only Test for England), dies
- Apr 28 Mickey Walker, American boxer (World Welterweight Champion 1922-26; World Middleweight Champion 1926-29), dies at 79
- Apr 28 Cliff Battles, American football halfback (First-team All-Pro 1933, 34, 36; Boston Braves/Redskins, Washington Redskins), dies at 70
- May 8 Maurice Fernandes, cricket captain (WI in 1st Test win, 1930 v Eng), dies
- May 9 Nip Pellew, Australian cricketer (10 Tests 484 runs at 37), dies at 87
- May 25 Roy Brown, American boxer/rocker, dies of a heart attack at 55
- May 30 Don Ashby, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1955)
- Jun 3 Eric Dalton, South African cricket batsman (15 Tests, top score 117), dies at 74
- Jun 28 Terry Fox, Canadian one-legged marathoner, dies of cancer at 22
- Aug 2 Stefanie Clausen, Danish diver (Olympic gold 10m platform 1920), dies at 81
- Aug 14 Dudley Nourse, South African cricketer (34 Tests for South Africa, 2960 runs), dies at 70
- Aug 15 Pappy Waldorf, American College Football Hall of Fame tackle and coach (Northwestern, California), dies at 78
- Aug 27 Valery Kharlamov, Soviet ice hockey player (b. 1948)
- Aug 28 Béla Guttmann, Hungarian footballer and coach (Benfica, 100 year curse), dies at 82
- Aug 28 Paul Anspach, Belgian fencer (Olympic gold individual epée, team epée 1912), dies at 99
- Aug 31 Victor Trumper Jr, Australian cricketer (7 games for NSW, 74 runs 12 wkts), dies at 67
- Sep 9 Phiroz Edulji Palia, cricket (2 Tests for India, 29 runs & 0-13), dies
- Sep 29 Bill Shankly, Scottish football manager (b. 1913)
- Oct 2 Fidel LaBarba, American boxer (Olympic gold flyweight 1924; world flyweight title 1927), dies of heart failure at 76
- Oct 4 Fred Lindstrom, American Baseball Hall of Fame utility (New York Giants), dies at 75
- Oct 15 Philip Fotheringham-Parker, British racing driver (b. 1907)
- Oct 30 Lew Jenkins, American boxer (World Lightweight Champion 1940-41), dies at 64
- Nov 14 Robert Bradford, Northern Irish footballer (b. 1941)
- Nov 22 Jack Fingleton, Australian cricketer (18 Tests for Australia, 1189 runs), dies at 73
- Nov 25 Morris Kirksey, American 4 X 100m (Olympic gold 1920), dies at 86
- Nov 26 Max Euwe, Dutch world chess champion (1935-37), dies at 80
- Dec 2 Hershy Kay, American composer (Olympic Hymn, A Chorus Line), dies at 62