Events in Sport
Event of Interest
Jan 13 In a controversial move, Marty Schottenheimer is fired as head coach of the Washington Redskins after just one season
Marty Schottenheimer
- Jan 19 "Tuck Rule Game" AFC Divisional Playoff Game; with under 2 minutes to play New England Patriots trail Oakland Raiders, 13-10 in a driving snowstorm, when a Tom Brady fumble ruled an incomplete pass. Patriots win 16-13 in overtime
- Jan 27 Australian Open Men's Tennis: Thomas Johansson of Sweden wins his only Grand Slam title; beats Marat Safin 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6
Tennis Open
Jan 27 90th Women's Australian Open: Jennifer Capriati beats Martina Hingis (4-6, 7-6, 6-2)
Martina Hingis
- Jan 27 AFC Championship Game: New England Patriots beat Pittsburgh Steelers 24-17
- Jan 27 NFC Championship Game: St. Louis Rams beat Philadelphia Eagles 29-24
- Jan 29 The San Diego Chargers hire Marty Schottenheimer as their 13th head coach
- Feb 2 52nd NHL All-Star Game: World beats North America 8-5 at Los Angeles, California
- Feb 8 19th Winter Olympic games open at Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
- Feb 9 NFL Pro Bowl: AFC beats NFC 38-30
- Feb 10 51st NBA All-Star Game: West beats East 135-120 at Philadelphia
- Feb 17 44th Daytona 500: Ward Burton wins (130.81 MPH)
- Feb 24 Canada defeats the United States 5-2 to win the men's ice hockey Olympic Gold Medal
- Feb 24 19th Winter Olympic Games close at Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
- Mar 10 49th ACC Men's Basketball Tournament: #3 Duke beats NC State, 91-61
- Mar 10 43rd SEC Men's Basketball Tournament: Mississippi State beats Alabama, 61-58
- Mar 31 21st NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Oklahoma 82-70
- Apr 1 64th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Maryland beats Indiana 64-52
- Apr 6 155th Grand National: Jim Culloty aboard Bindaree wins
- Apr 6 France beats Ireland 44-5 at Stade de France, Saint Denis to complete a Grand Slam and win the Six Nations Rugby Championship; their 13th title
Golf Major
Apr 14 66th Masters Golf Tournament: Tiger Woods becomes the third golfer to win in two consecutive years
Tiger Woods
Baseball Record
May 4 Barry Bonds hits his 400th home run as an SF Giant, in a 3-0 win over Cincinnati. Bonds is first player with 400 homers for one team and 100 with another (Pirates)
Barry Bonds
- May 4 128th Kentucky Derby: Victor Espinoza aboard War Emblem wins in 2:01.13
- May 10 Anaheim Angels crush the Chicago White Sox 19-0. The Angels join the 1923 Indians, 1939 Yankees and 1950 Red Sox as the only teams to beat two opponents by 19 or more runs in the same season
- May 15 10th UEFA Champions League Final: Real Madrid beats Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 at Glasgow
- May 18 127th Preakness: Victor Espinoza aboard War Emblem wins in 1:56.36
Event of Interest
May 22 Mike Babcock is named head coach of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks
Mike Babcock
- May 25 Crusaders win 4th Super 12 Rugby title with a 31-13 thumping of the ACT Brumbies at Jade Stadium, Christchurch; flyhalf Andrew Mehrtens boots 3 penalties, 2 conversions and a dropped goal for the winners
- May 26 Indianapolis 500: Hélio Castroneves wins in 3:00:10.871 (267.954 km/h)
- May 28 NHL Eastern Conference Final: Carolina Hurricanes beat Toronto Maple Leafs, 4 games to 2
- May 31 The New Jersey Nets defeat the Boston Celtics 96-88 in Game 6 of the NBA's Eastern Conference Championship, winning the series 4 games to 2 to advance to their first NBA Finals appearance.
- May 31 NHL Western Conference Final: Detroit Red Wings beat Colorado Avalanche, 4 games to 3
- Jun 8 134th Belmont: Edgar Prado aboard Sarava wins in 2:29.71
- Jun 9 101st Men's French Open: Albert Costa beats Juan Carlos Ferrero (6-1, 6-0, 4-6, 6-3)
Tennis Open
Jun 9 101st Women's French Open: Serena Williams beats Venus Williams (7-5, 6-3)
Serena Williams
Venus Williams
Event of Interest
Jun 12 Los Angeles Lakers beat New Jersey Nets 4-0 in NBA finals MVP: Shaquille O'Neal, L.A.
Shaquille O'Neal
NHL Record
Jun 13 Scotty Bowman wins his 9th Stanley Cup as a coach, an NHL record, and retires
Scotty Bowman
- Jun 16 102nd US Golf Open: Tiger Woods shoots a 277 at Bethpage State Park NY
Boxing Title Fight
Jun 21 Lennox Lewis retains boxing's WBC world Heavyweight crown with an eight round knockout over Mike Tyson
Lennox Lewis
Mike Tyson
- Jun 30 FIFA World Cup Final: Ronaldo scores twice as Brazil beats Germany 2-0 in Yokohama, Japan, to win record 5th title, first World Cup held in Asia
- Jul 6 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Serena Williams beats older sister Venus 7-6, 6-3 for her first Wimbledon singles title
- Jul 7 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: Lleyton Hewitt of Australia wins his only Wimbledon singles title beating David Nalbandian of Argentina 6-1, 6-3, 6-2
- Jul 9 73rd All Star Baseball Game: 7-7 tie when both teams ran out of available pitchers at Miller Park, Milwaukee
Sports Awards
Jul 10 10th ESPY Awards: Tiger Woods, Venus Williams win
Venus Williams
Tiger Woods
Event of Interest
Jul 21 British Open Golf, Muirfield: Ernie Els of South Africa wins first of 2 Open titles in a playoff from Australians Stuart Appleby & Steve Elkington, and Frenchman Thomas Levet
Steve Elkington
- Jul 21 With a record 6 races remaining, German Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher clinches his 5th World F1 Drivers title with victory in the French Grand Prix at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours; 3rd straight title win
Event of Interest
Jul 28 89th Tour de France: no winner (Lance Armstrong disqualified)
Lance Armstrong
Contract of Interest
- Aug 6 32-year old reliever Robb Nen becomes 16th and youngest closer to record 300 career saves as he protects Giants 11-10 lead v Cubs
- Aug 9 SF Giants outfielder Barry Bonds hits his 600th career home run
- Aug 10 New Zealand beats South Africa, 30-23 in Durban to win their fourth Tri Nations Rugby Series; All Blacks score 4 tries to 2
- Aug 18 PGA Championship, Hazeltine National GC: American Rich Beem wins his first major title by 1 stroke from Tiger Woods
Event of Interest
Aug 18 Canadian Open Women's Golf, Summerlea GC: Meg Mallon wins by 3 from Michelle Ellis, Rosie Jones, Catriona Matthew & Michele Redman
Meg Mallon
- Sep 4 Argentina pulls off one of the biggest upsets in basketball history, beating the US, 87-80 in 2nd round of the World Championships; 1st US loss in 59 games since sending NBA players to international competition in 1992
- Sep 4 After blowing an 11-run lead to Kansas City, Scott Hatteberg's bottom of the 9th walk off HR gives Oakland a historic MLB victory, 12-11; A's set AL record 20 game winning streak
- Sep 7 US Open Women's Tennis: Serena Williams wins second US title; beats older sister Venus Williams 6-4, 6-3
- Sep 8 Rookie quarterback David Carr throws for 2 TDs as the Houston Texans beat Dallas Cowboys 19-10 to become only the 2nd expansion team (1961 Minnesota Vikings) to win their inaugural game
- Sep 8 Texas Rangers set a major league record by homering in their 26th consecutive game as Texas falls to the Tampa Bay
Tennis Open
Sep 8 US Open Men's Tennis: Pete Sampras wins 14th and final Grand Slam title; beats fellow American Andre Agassi 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4
Pete Sampras
Andre Agassi
- Sep 9 Pitcher Randy Johnson reaches 300 strikeouts for the fifth consecutive season, extending his major league record
- Sep 15 Oakland quarterback Rich Gannon begins NFL record-tying (Kurt Warner, Steve Young) streak of 6 consecutive 300-yard passing games, throwing for 403 yards in Raiders' 30-17 victory at Pittsburgh
- Sep 22 Solheim Cup Women's Golf, Interlachen CC: US regains Cup 15½-12½; Rosie Jones gains winning point in her 3 & 2 victory over Karine Icher
- Sep 29 Ryder Cup Golf, The Belfry: Europe wins 15½-12½ after teams tied at 8 points going into Sunday singles matches
- Sep 29 Seattle running back Shaun Alexander sets NFL record for most touchdowns in a half with 5 in 1st half of 48-23 win v Minnesota Vikings at Seahawks Stadium; runs for 4 plus 80-yard reception
- Oct 1 Free agent center Wang Zhizhi, the first ever Chinese-born player in the NBA, signs a 3-year offer sheet with the Los Angeles Clippers; waived in 2003 and moves to Miami Heat
- Oct 5 For the first time in its 42-year old history, the Anaheim Angels win a post-season series by beating the Yankees, 9-5 to take the ALDS, 3-1
Event of Interest
Oct 13 Michael Schumacher wins season ending Japanese F1 Grand Prix for his record 11th victory of the year & 3rd straight World Drivers title; title margin: 67 points from Ferrari team mate Rubens Barrichello
Michael Schumacher
- Oct 13 MLB American League Championship: Anaheim Angels beat Minnesota Twins, 4 games to 1
- Oct 14 MLB National League Championship: San Francisco Giants beat St. Louis Cardinals, 4 games to 1
- Oct 26 Breeders' Cup Horse Racing, Arlington Park, winners: Volponi, Vindication, Azeri, High Chaparral, Starine, Storm Flag Flying, Domedriver, Orientate
- Oct 27 Anaheim beats San Francisco Giants, 4-1 in Game 7 at Edison Field to win Angels' first Baseball World Series; Anaheim 1st baseman Troy Glaus MVP
- Nov 2 14th College Football Holy War: Boston College beats Notre Dame 14-7 in South Bend
- Nov 2 Mark Messier plays his 1,616th NHL game, a 3-2 Rangers loss against the St. Blues, to move into 2nd place on the all-time games played list; passes Larry Murphy and ends career with 1,756 games, just 11 shy of Gordie Howe
- Nov 3 Federation Cup Women's Tennis, Gran Canaria, Spain: Janette Husárová beats Spaniard Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 6-0, 6-2 to give Slovakia their first title, 3-1
- Nov 11 Belgian tennis star Kim Clijsters beats American Serena Williams 7–5, 6–3 to win the season-ending WTA Tour Championship at the Staples Center, Los Angeles
- Nov 17 54th NASCAR Sprint Cup: Tony Stewart wins
- Nov 17 Australian Leyton Hewitt scores back-to-back season-ending Tennis Masters Cup titles with a classic 7–5, 7–5, 2–6, 2–6, 6–4 victory over Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero in Shanghai, China
- Nov 23 67th Iron Bowl: Auburn beats Alabama 17-7 in Tuscaloosa
- Nov 24 CFL Grey Cup, Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton: Montreal Alouettes beat Edmonton Eskimos, 25-16; Don Matthews' 5th Grey Cup title as a head coach
- Dec 1 Davis Cup Tennis, Paris: Mikhail Youzhny beats Paul-Henri Mathieu 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 to give Russia 3-2 win over France; only time in event history that a 2-set deficit turned around in a live 5th rubber of a Final
- Dec 7 11th SEC Championship Game: #4 Georgia beats #22 Arkansas, 30-3
- Dec 11 Joe Sakic scores his 500th career goal at Vancouver
- Dec 15 68th Heisman Trophy Award: Carson Palmer, USC (QB)
Weddings in Sport
Wedding of Interest
Apr 20 MLB Outfielder Carl Yastrzemski (62) weds Nancy Benson
Carl Yastrzemski
Wedding of Interest
Apr 20 MLB player Mark McGwire (38) weds Stephanie Slemer (26) in Las Vegas, Nevada
Mark McGwire
- Jun 6 Former "Survivor" contestant and talk show host Elisabeth Filarski (25) weds former Boston College quarterback Tim Hasselbeck (24) at St. Mary
Wedding of Interest
Jun 8 Five-time Wimbledon champion Björn Borg (46) weds real estate broker Patricia Ostfeldt (35) near Stockholm
Björn Borg
Wedding of Interest
Dec 26 Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal (30) weds Shaunie Nelson at The Beverly Hills Hotel's Crystal Garden
Shaquille O'Neal
Deaths in Sport
- Jan 3 Alphonse "Al" Smith [Fuzzy Smith], American MLB outfielder and third baseman (Cleveland Indians), dies at 73
- Jan 15 Steve Gromek, American baseball player (b. 1920)
- Jan 16 Bobo Olson, American boxer (b. 1928)
- Jan 22 John Shea, American 500m/1500m speed skater (Olympic gold 1932), dies at 91
- Jan 23 Paul Aars, American racecar driver (b. 1934)
- Jan 25 Winston Place, English cricketer (England opener in West Indies 1948), dies at 87
- Jan 29 Dick "Night Train" Lane, American football player (b. 1928)
- Jan 30 Louis Salica, American flyweight boxer (Olympic bronze 1932), dies at 89
- Feb 7 Jack Fairman, British racing driver (b. 1913)
- Feb 11 Frank Crosetti, baseball player (b. 1910)
- Feb 14 Nándor Hidegkuti, Hungarian footballer (b. 1922)
- Feb 16 Walter Winterbottom, England football manager (b. 1913)
- Mar 4 Velibor Vasović, Yugoslavian footballer (b. 1939)
- Mar 6 Bryan Fogarty, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1969)
- Mar 23 Ben Hollioake, English cricketer (b. 1977)
- Apr 9 Pat Flaherty, American racecar driver (b. 1926)
- Apr 13 Desmond Titterington, Northern Irish racecar driver (b. 1928)
- Apr 15 Byron "Whizzer" White, American football player and U.S. Supreme Court Justice (b. 1917)
- Apr 18 Wahoo McDaniel, American football player and professional wrestler (b. 1938)
- Apr 29 Bob Akin, American industrialist and race car driver (b. 1936)
- May 6 Saleh Selim, Egyptian football player and 10th president of the Egyptian Al-Ahly Sporting Club, dies at 71
- May 7 Seattle Slew, American racehorse (b. 1974)
- May 9 Dan Devine, American football coach (b. 1924)
- May 12 Erich Kulas, ECW Wrestler (Mass Transit)
- May 13 Valeri Lobanovsky, Ukrainian footballer and manager (b. 1939)
- May 17 Ladislao Kubala, Hungarian-Spanish footballer (b. 1927)
- May 26 Mamo Wolde, Ethiopian marathoner (Olympic gold 1968), dies at 69
- May 31 Subhash "Fergie" Gupte, Indian cricketer (brilliant Indian leg-spinner), dies at 72
- Jun 1 Hansie Cronje, South African cricketer (b. 1969)
- Jun 17 Willie Davenport, American bobsledder and hurdler (Olympic gold 1968), dies at 59
- Jun 17 Fritz Walter, German footballer, dies at 81
- Jun 20 Tinus Osendarp, Dutch runner (b. 1916)
- Jun 22 Darryl Kile, American baseball player (b. 1968)
- Jun 23 Pedro 'El Rockero' Alcazar, Panamanian boxer (b. 1975)
- Jun 26 Jay Berwanger, American football player (b. 1914)
- Jun 30 Pete Gray [Wyshner], MLB one-armed outfielder (St Louis Browns), dies at 87
Ted Williams
Jul 5 Ted Williams, baseball hall of famer and last player to bat over.400 in a single season (Boston Red Sox) dies at 84
Ted Williams
- Jul 7 Bison Dele, American basketball player (b. 1969)
- Aug 5 Chick Hearn, American NBA broadcaster (called 3,338 LA Lakers games), dies at 85
- Aug 12 Enos Slaughter, American baseball player, dies at 86
- Aug 15 Kyle Rote, NFL halfback (NY Giants 1951-61), dies at 74
- Aug 16 John Roseboro, American baseball player and coach (b. 1933)
- Aug 23 Hoyt Wilhelm [James], American Major League Baseball player and knuckleball pitcher (New York Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers), dies of heart failure at 80
- Sep 8 Laurie Williams, West Indian cricketer (West Indian ODI all-rounder v NZ 1996), dies at 33
Johnny Unitas
Sep 11 Johnny Unitas, American football player, dies of a heart attack at 69
Johnny Unitas
- Sep 14 Jim Barnes, American basketball player (Olympic gold 1964), dies of a stroke at 61
- Sep 18 Bob Hayes, American athlete (b. 1942)
- Sep 18 Mauro Ramos, Brazilian football player (b. 1930)
- Sep 28 Hartland Molson, Canadian businessman (Molson family), senator and sports executive (Montreal Canadiens) (b. 1907)
- Sep 30 Arthur Hazlerigg, British peer and cricketer, dies at 92
- Oct 5 Chuck Rayner, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1920)
- Oct 8 Jacques Richard, French Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1952)
- Oct 9 Anwar Hussain, Pakistani cricketer (four Tests for Pakistan v India 1952-53), dies at 82
- Oct 12 Audrey Mestre, French diver (b. 1974)
- Oct 17 Aileen Riggin, American springboard diver (Olympic gold 1920, 24), dies at 96
- Oct 24 Herman Gaviria, Colombian football player (b. 1969)
Richard Harris
Oct 25 Richard Harris, Irish actor (A Man Called Horse, This Sporting Life) and singer (MacArthur Park) dies of Hodgkin's disease at 72
Richard Harris
Roone Arledge
Dec 5 Roone Arledge, American sports broadcasting pioneer, dies of prostate cancer at 71
Roone Arledge
- Dec 19 Arthur Rowley, English footballer. (b. 1926)