Events in Sport
Boxing Title Fight
Apr 1 American boxer Chris Byrd wins WBO Heavyweight title after Ukrainian champion Vitali Klitschko retires with a shoulder injury at the end of the 9th round in Berlin, Germany
- Apr 1 Michelle Kwan pushes through all 7 triple jumps at the Palais des Exposition in Nice, France to become the first American since Peggy Flemming to win 3 world figure skating titles
- Apr 2 19th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Tennessee, 71-52; Huskies' point guard Shea Ralph is named the Most Outstanding Player
Sports History
Apr 2 The Tradition Senior Men's Golf, GC at Desert Mountain: Tom Kite wins his lone Champions Tour major with birdie on 6th playoff hole with Tom Watson & Larry Nelson
- Apr 2 Atlanta center Ray Ferraro scores a goal and added 2 assists as the Thrashers end an NHL record 17-game home winless streak (0-15-2) with a 5-4 win against the visiting New York Islanders
- Apr 2 Adam Gilchrist takes his 10th catch in the 3rd cricket Test against New Zealand in Hamilton to create an Australian record for dismissals by a wicketkeeper; Australia wins by 6 wickets for 3-0 series sweep
- Apr 3 62nd NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Michigan State beats Florida, 89-76; Spartans only top-4 seed to advance to the Final Four
- Apr 7 South African cricket captain Hansie Cronje is charged by Delhi police with fixing One Day International matches against India
- Apr 8 153rd Grand National: Irish 10/1 shot Papillon, ridden by jockey Ruby Walsh and trained by his father Ted Walsh wins by 1¼ lengths from Mely Moss
US Masters Golf
Apr 9 64th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Fijian Vijay Singh wins by 3 strokes from Ernie Els of South Africa
- Apr 11 South African cricket captain Hansie Cronje is sacked after admitting dishonesty following match-fixing allegations in India
- Apr 15 NFL Draft: Penn State defensive end Courtney Brown first pick by Cleveland Browns
Sports History
Apr 16 PGA Seniors' Championship Men’s Golf, PGA National GC: Doug Tewell wins first of 2 Champions Tour major titles with a convincing 7 stroke margin from the foursome of Hale Irwin, Tom Kite, Larry Nelson and Dana Quigley
- Apr 17 104th Boston Marathon: Kenyan double; Elijah Lagat wins men's race in 2:09:47; Catherine Ndereba takes women's title in 2:26:11
Birthdays in Sport
Weddings in Sport
Emmitt Smith
Apr 22 NFL football player Emmitt Smith (31) weds Miss Virginia USA beauty queen Patricia Southall (29)
Deaths in Sport
- Apr 5 Lee Petty, American race car driver (b. 1914)
- Apr 12 Niaz Ahmed, Pakistani cricketer (1st & last East Pakistani to play Test cricket), dies at 54
- Apr 13 Frenchy Bordagaray, American baseball utility (World Series 1941; Brooklyn Dodgers), dies at 90
- Apr 14 Wilf Mannion, English footballer (b. 1918)
- Apr 24 John Beck, New Zealand cricket batsman (8 Tests; 3 x 50; top score 99; Wellington), dies at 65